# Who were the most famous people when you were growing up who have completely disappeared? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 22, 2016, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761 "2016-11-22T19:33:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2016, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/161 "2016-11-25T05:16:19Z")
I wonder how many people remember Howard Cosell? Sure, he died in 1995, but he was probably the most famous announcer in the 70s. He did football, baseball, boxing. He had his own variety show. He hosted segments on _ABC’s Wide World of Sports._ He showed up on many other TV shows and in movies. He even attempted serious news commentary. He was often imitated and parodied. He became a larger-than-life personality. But today, he’s hardly mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2016, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/162 "2016-11-25T05:54:49Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > I wonder how many people remember Howard Cosell? Sure, he died in 1995, but he was probably the most famous announcer in the 70s. He did football, baseball, boxing. He had his own variety show. He hosted segments on _ABC’s Wide World of Sports._ He showed up on many other TV shows and in movies. He even attempted serious news commentary. He was often imitated and parodied. He became a larger-than-life personality. But today, he’s hardly mentioned. There was a spate of Cosell mentions when Muhammad Ali died, mostly about how they were very good friends. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2016, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/163 "2016-11-25T20:29:20Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Ally Sheedy was in a Grissom episode of _ **CSI** _. She played Cyclops’ teacher in **X-Men Apocalypse.** ---
**Author:** ![Windchaser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/windchaser/32/294_2.png) [@Windchaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Windchaser)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2016, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/164 "2016-11-25T21:58:28Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > “Weird Girl” character actress Michelle Meyrink. Michelle Meyrink was never that huge a media star. She did a few movies - my favorite is her performance as Jordan in Real Genius, which is a dumb but fantastic movie - and then decided that Hollywood wasn’t for her. She left acting in '89 or so. Last I heard, which was in the early '00s, she was living on a small island near Vancouver with her husband and their three children, practicing Zen Buddhism. The article had some photos of their place, which… looked like you’d think a Zen garden in Canada would look like. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2016, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/165 "2016-11-25T22:09:18Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Ally Sheedy was in a Grissom episode of _ **CSI** _. And played a serial killer in a few episodes of “Psych” > [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > For the record, I not only know who Heidi Montag and her husband Spencer are, I bought their [book](https://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Famous-Looking-Becoming/dp/0446555916/ref=sr_1_4?) as a gag gift for my wife. I did not download his [tune](https://www.amazon.com/Im-A-Celebrity/dp/B0030DH9TY/ref=sr_1_2?). That makes me think of [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InlB_uba1Bg) “Robot Chicken” bit. > [@AnalogSignal](#): > > There was a time in 1985-6 when football star “Refrigerator” Perry was all over TV: The Superbowl, Coke commercials, guest appearances on many shows. > [William Perry (American football) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Perry_(American_football)) He was also a [GI Joe](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ShZiSRktUg) action figure. > [@salinqmind](#): > > (I think Burt Reynolds somehow sabotaged Gary Sandy’s career, post-WKRP, because, Loni Anderson.) > > Here are a few names that seemed BIG BIG BIG in the past, and they just fizzled out. > > - Mena Suvari (from ‘American Beauty’) - I read she works as a dominatrix . I’ve not seen any reference to her as a dominatrix, but I’d love to see her in the outfit. She has been acting recently appearing in a film from 2015. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2016, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/166 "2016-11-25T22:09:38Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Captain and Tennille? > > John Denver? I was gonna say that! Loves me some Muskrat Love:cool: ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2016, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/167 "2016-11-25T22:11:00Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > There was a spate of Cosell mentions when Muhammad Ali died, mostly about how they were very good friends. Yeah, he was a staunch defender of Ali. He was one of the first to refer to him by his chosen name. He even notified Ali when the Supreme Court ruled in his favor. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2016, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/168 "2016-11-25T22:39:43Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Yeah, he was a staunch defender of Ali. He was one of the first to refer to him by his chosen name. He even notified Ali when the Supreme Court ruled in his favor. My favorite story told by him is he was walking by a construction site, the workers recognized him and started heckling him. Since he was on the way to see Ali, he asked the champ to go back to the site with him, which he did. They were awestruck, of course, and ended up having a nice chat with both of them. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/169 "2016-11-26T02:46:40Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Are we looking for the inexplicably famous for being famous? > > Charo > Art Linkletter > Susan Sontag You can’t put Charo on a list like that without including Zsa Zsa, Willy Tyler and Lester, and Mummenschanz. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/170 "2016-11-26T02:48:51Z")
> [@mikeargo](#): > > Tracy Ullman I think she’ll always have at least some sort of “mind space” so long as The Simpsons are still around. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/171 "2016-11-26T03:00:09Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Art Linkletter Before hosting his long-running TV series, he was a popular radio personality, so he was hardly just “famous for being famous.” My parents certainly knew him from when he was on the radio. I used to watch his show whenever I was home from school. It was actually pretty entertaining. He always started things off by interviewing some TV or movie star, like Robert Conrad or Jack Lord.\* \*Look 'em up if you don’t know who they are! ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/172 "2016-11-26T03:03:04Z")
Isn’t there a Muppet based on Howard Cosell? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/173 "2016-11-26T03:28:51Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Before hosting his long-running TV series, he was a popular radio personality, so he was hardly just “famous for being famous.” My parents certainly knew him from when he was on the radio. > > I used to watch his show whenever I was home from school. It was actually pretty entertaining. He always started things off by interviewing some TV or movie star, like Robert Conrad or Jack Lord.\* > > \*Look 'em up if you don’t know who they are! One of his most popular segments was when he was interviewing kids. He compiled several books of kids’ remarks under the title “Kids Say the Darndest Things.” ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/174 "2016-11-26T03:37:58Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > …Are we looking for the inexplicably famous for being famous? > > Charo > … This was mentioned in another thread recently. [Charo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmNPXqG6ovg) is hardly just famous for being famous. She’s an exceptional flamenco guitar player, among other talents. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/175 "2016-11-26T03:44:47Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > This was mentioned in another thread recently. [Charo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmNPXqG6ovg) is hardly just famous for being famous. She’s an exceptional flamenco guitar player, among other talents. She was arguably one of the top flamenco guitarists in the world. I’m not sure where she falls now, but even quite recently (the 2010s) she was still amazing. She’s actually a protege of Andres Segovia, which doesn’t get much more serious in the classical guitar world. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/176 "2016-11-26T05:27:37Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Yeah, this. And Saturday morning cartoons. Although PBS Kids has lots of good shows. But it’s just one channel. After seeing some of those old “Looney Tunes” cartoons, it’s really obvious why so many of them aren’t shown on broadcast TV nowadays, and I was horrified that I thought they were so funny when I was a kid. They are chock full of racism, sexism, animal cruelty (especially towards cats), and other not-nice things. I mentioned Robert Young at a meetup a while back, and pretty much everyone there under the age of 50 had no idea who he was. His name came up because I told them how this local facility, which used to be free-standing, got its name. > **[Behavioral and Mental Health: How You Feel Matters](https://www.unitypoint.org/find-a-service/behavioral-health)** > > Find compassionate care from our experienced team of behavioral and mental health experts at UnityPoint Health. Here’s a short bio. [https://www.unitypoint.org/quadcities/services-about-robert-young-center.aspx](https://www.unitypoint.org/quadcities/services-about-robert-young-center.aspx) TL : DR - At the height of his career in the 1950s, when he was doing “Father Knows Best”, he was a really bad alcoholic, and when he decided to dry out, he came to this area, where a childhood friend who was a psychiatrist resided, because he wanted to do so in privacy. He was so grateful to the city for what they did for him that he provided the seed money for this clinic. 🆒 Cary Grant died unexpectedly at the other big hospital in that town about 30 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/177 "2016-11-26T08:31:29Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > After seeing some of those old “Looney Tunes” cartoons, it’s really obvious why so many of them aren’t shown on broadcast TV nowadays, and I was horrified that I thought they were so funny when I was a kid. They are chock full of racism, sexism, animal cruelty (especially towards cats), and other not-nice things. Well, that bad ol’ Puddy Tat deserved it, don’t you think, always chasing after that cute li’l Tweety Bird. And any cat that can’t tell a mouse from a kangaroo just ain’t cut out for survival. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/178 "2016-11-26T08:45:03Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Well, that bad ol’ Puddy Tat deserved it, don’t you think, always chasing after that cute li’l Tweety Bird. And any cat that can’t tell a mouse from a kangaroo just ain’t cut out for survival. Yes, it’s called “slapstick.” Definitely not intended for today’s Alan Alda–Phil Donahue types. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/179 "2016-11-26T08:48:30Z")
And don’t get me started on Daffy Duck trying to get Bugs Bunny shot when it’s really duck season. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2016, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761/180 "2016-11-26T08:53:10Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > And don’t get me started on Daffy Duck trying to get Bugs Bunny shot when it’s really duck season. No, it’s RABBIT season! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-most-famous-people-when-you-were-growing-up-who-have-completely-disappeared/772761.md?page=10)