2025 Celebrity Death Pool
The Rogue
Shipmate
in The Circus
OK, I'll pick it up. As it is rather late in 2024 to start it I suggest the date runs from Jan 10th 2025.
Welcome to the 2025 Celebrity Death Pool.
The rules are simple. You must pick up to 13 well-known people who you think will shuffle off this mortal coil in the latter part of 2025. That is, starting from 00.01 GMT on 10th January 2025 and ending at 23.59 GMT on 31st December 2025.
The definition of "well-known" is that their deaths will be reported by at least one major news outlet. This would include (but is not limited to) The BBC, CNN, The New York Times, The Guardian, The Church Times, The Tablet, The Beano etc. You get the idea
All selections must be real natural born people. No fictional characters, abstract entities or "corporate persons" will be accepted.
Points are awarded according to the following formula: 100 minus the celebrity's age at the time of death. For example, if the person you choose dies at the age of 67 you will earn 33 points. Should you pick someone who is 100 years old when they die you will receive no points; should your person be over 100 you will lose points.
You cannot choose anyone under the age of 18.
You are disqualified if you contribute in any way to the death of one of your chosen candidates.
All entries must be submitted on this thread no later than 23.59 GMT on 10th January 2025. No entries will be accepted after this time. No exceptions. You may make changes to your list up until this time but only if someone pops their clogs before the beginning of the year or if you've put someone in twice. Surprisingly this has happened in the past
There are also some bonus awards:
Inside Track with the Grim Reaper Award: given for picking the first death of 2025.
Quantity Not Quality Award: given for picking the most people who croak in 2025, regardless of their points value.
Sudden Death: given for picking the last death of 2025
This is only a game. The Ship, its management and their associated lackeys do not necessarily endorse the death any human being. This is not in any way a "wish list". Reviewing past years will show that truly evil and nasty dictators seem to have a habit of lingering while those figures we truly respect and admire often don't. The Circus is a place for games, not discussion of the rights or wrongs of those games. If you want to discuss the ethics of this one there are other places you can do that. If you find the game distasteful, that’s fine - you’re under no obligation to take part.
There are no prizes other than the warm fuzzy feeling you get for being a winner.
Good luck to all players and bad luck to your nominees.
Welcome to the 2025 Celebrity Death Pool.
The rules are simple. You must pick up to 13 well-known people who you think will shuffle off this mortal coil in the latter part of 2025. That is, starting from 00.01 GMT on 10th January 2025 and ending at 23.59 GMT on 31st December 2025.
The definition of "well-known" is that their deaths will be reported by at least one major news outlet. This would include (but is not limited to) The BBC, CNN, The New York Times, The Guardian, The Church Times, The Tablet, The Beano etc. You get the idea
All selections must be real natural born people. No fictional characters, abstract entities or "corporate persons" will be accepted.
Points are awarded according to the following formula: 100 minus the celebrity's age at the time of death. For example, if the person you choose dies at the age of 67 you will earn 33 points. Should you pick someone who is 100 years old when they die you will receive no points; should your person be over 100 you will lose points.
You cannot choose anyone under the age of 18.
You are disqualified if you contribute in any way to the death of one of your chosen candidates.
All entries must be submitted on this thread no later than 23.59 GMT on 10th January 2025. No entries will be accepted after this time. No exceptions. You may make changes to your list up until this time but only if someone pops their clogs before the beginning of the year or if you've put someone in twice. Surprisingly this has happened in the past
There are also some bonus awards:
Inside Track with the Grim Reaper Award: given for picking the first death of 2025.
Quantity Not Quality Award: given for picking the most people who croak in 2025, regardless of their points value.
Sudden Death: given for picking the last death of 2025
This is only a game. The Ship, its management and their associated lackeys do not necessarily endorse the death any human being. This is not in any way a "wish list". Reviewing past years will show that truly evil and nasty dictators seem to have a habit of lingering while those figures we truly respect and admire often don't. The Circus is a place for games, not discussion of the rights or wrongs of those games. If you want to discuss the ethics of this one there are other places you can do that. If you find the game distasteful, that’s fine - you’re under no obligation to take part.
There are no prizes other than the warm fuzzy feeling you get for being a winner.
Good luck to all players and bad luck to your nominees.
Comments
1. Donald Trump
2. Vladimir Putin
3. Mitch McConnell
4. Bruce Willis (my brother was born the same day as Bruce)
5. Judi Dench
6. William Shatner
7. Dick Van Dyke
8. Joe Biden
9. Clint Eastwood
10. Elton John
11. Michael Caine
12. Julie Andrews
13. Michael J. Fox
And my just in case pick:
Jay Leno
1. David Jason
2. Prunella Scales
3. Chris Hoy
4. John Williams (film composer)
5. Jorge Bergoglio (aka Pope Francis)
6. Liza Minnelli
7. Norman Foster
8. Margrethe II of Denmark
9. David Attenborough
10. Norman Tebbit
11. Tim Curry
12. Mary Peters
13. Frank Oz
If any of them join the choir invisible before the deadline, my backup is:
Mohammed al-Bashir
Kiss of Life:
HM King Charles III
HRH Catherine, Princess of Wales
Sir David Attenborough
Michael J Fox
Martina Navratilova
Sir Chris Hoy
Sir Brian May
HH Pope Francis
Not Kiss of Life:
Donald Trump
Vladimir Putin
Kim Jong-Un
Elon Musk
Rupert Murdoch
ETA: Reserve - Sir Billy Connolly
1 Collins, Phil
2 Douglas, Michael
3 Fox, Michael J
4 Holder, Noddy
5 Manilow, Barry
6 Mitchell, Joni
7 Nolan, Linda
8 Rea, Chris
9 Ronstadt, Linda
10 Sheen, Charlie
11 Taylor, Andy (Duran Duran)
12 Thomsett, Sally
13 Wood, Ronnie
HM Queen Camilla
HRH Princess Catherine of Wales
George Carey
Patricia Routledge
David Jason
Donald Trump
Joe Biden
George W Bush
Joanna Lumley
Margaret Beckett
John Major
Neil Kinnock
1. Luis Aparicio (1934)
2. Bob Uecker (1934)
3. Sandy Koufax (1935)
4. Bill Mazeroski (1936)
5. Juan Marichal (1937)
6. Jim Kaat (1938)
7. Steve Carlton (1944)
8. Rod Carew (1945)
9. Reggie Jackson (1946)
10. Nolan Ryan (1947)
11. Johnny Bench (1947)
12. Mike Schmidt (1949)
13. Cal Ripken, Jr. (1960)
In the event one of those departs the stage prior to the opening of the pool, then my replacement name will be Orlando Cepeda (1937).
2 John Major
3 Rupert Murdoch
4 David Owen
5 David Blunkett
6 Vladimir Putin
7 Donald Trump
8 Angela Merkel
9 Miriam Margolyes
10 HM King Charles III
11 Tom Baker
12 Bill Cash
13 Tony Blackburn
Reserve: Boris Johnson
1. Peter Kaye
2. Boris Johnson
3. Paul Gascoigne
4. Adam Hart-Davies
5. Michael Schumacher
6. Michael Crawford
7. Mike Oldfield
8. Billy Connolly
9. Donny Osmond
10. Chris Hoy
11. Boy George
12. Donald Trump
13. Suella Braverman
Reserves - 2 because I have probably made mistakes:
14. Nile Rogers
15. Priti Patel
I have taken Dick van Dyke off partly because he now scores nothing, but also, I suspect he will live to 140.
former US goalkeeper Hope Solo
Mariah Carey
Jeremy Clarkson
Michael Douglas
Boris Johnson
Barry Manilow
Paul McCartney
Elon Musk
Priti Patel
Anne Robinson
Harry Styles
Donald Trump
Anne Widdicombe
Reserve - Justin Beiber
Elisabeth Waldo
June Spencer
Diddy
Mell Brooks
Caren Marsh
Sepp Blatter
Liza Minnelli
Britney Spears
(Former) King Albert of Belgium
Vladimir Putin
Joe Biden
Dick van Dyke
Reserve:
Hope Solo former US Goalkeeper
1. Paul Gascoine (Gazza).
2. Ronnie Wood (a Stone).
3. Paul Gambaccini (Presenter).
4. Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.
5. Douglas Hurd (Lord Westwell).
6. Joseph (Sepp) Blatter. (former President of FIFA and under a cloud until 2027)
7. Bashar Hafez al-Assad, (former west London doctor and now ex-President of Syria).
8. Alan Bennett (National Treasure).
9. Dennis Skinner (Beast of Bolsover rtd).
10. Dame Esther Rantzen.
11. Sir Frederick Hugh Barclay, (the surviving Barclay Brother).
12. Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (US President for now).
13. Donald John Trump, (US President elect).
Reserve in case any don't make the 11th inst. Dame Julie Andrews.
2; Donald Trump
3: King Charles
4: Queen Camilla
5: Pope Francis
6: Joe Biden
7: Jeremy Clarkson
8: Cliff Richard
9: Rod Stewart
10: Angela Ripon
11: Stephen Fry
12: Michael Douglas
13:Paul McCartney
2. Russell Brand
3. Prunella Scales
4. Yoko Ono
5. Elton John
6. Paul McCartney
7. Salman Rushdie
8. Jilly Cooper
9. Bill Bryson
10. Joseph Biden
11. King Charles
12. Tom Jones
13. Bryan Johnson
Similar list to last year with a few tweaks.
2. Vladimir Putin
3. Prunella Scales
4. Michael J Fox
5. Bashar al-Assad
6. Sir Chris Hoy
8. Joe Biden
9. Sir Ian McKellen
10. Ed Slater (ex Rugby Union player)
11. Ken Clarke
12. Rt Rev Richard Holloway
13. Jackie Stewart
Birth years are all gathered from Wikipedia. If they're wrong it's Wiki's fault.
Church
The Rt Revd Thomas McMahon
Lord (Richard) Harries of Pentregarth
Politics
Michael Heseltine
Lord (David) Howell of Guildford
Edith Cresson
Royalty
HRH The Duke of Kent
Sport
Bill Beaumont
Chris Hoy
Entertainment
Mel Brooks
Petula Clark
Mick Jagger
Michael Aspel
Miscellaneous
Thomas Markle Sr
https://bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1ezlgzj4vvo
Lemmy!
I knew they were fans of each other. I THINK, although cannot find any evidence of it, that they recorded each others songs (one of them each), for a bit of fun.
A very funny man, especially when talking about his career as a baseball player, (“I signed with the Milwaukee Braves for $3,000. That bothered my dad at the time because he didn’t have that kind of dough, but he eventually scraped it up.”). His career as a player was short, but he has been a broadcaster for the Milwaukee Brewers since 1971.
Yes, since 1971. He was STILL in the booth broadcasting last season.
Crikey, Tree Bee - I think that nets you 35 points and the Inside Track with the Grim Reaper award!
Sad though - 65 is still Too Young.
He was apparently big mates with our late Queen; I hope they're both enjoying the racing in Heaven (presumably featuring greats such as Nijinsky, Desert Orchid and Red Rum).
May he rest in peace.
I suppose nobody had him, but he would have been worth 24 points.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/articles/cq8y1335qlwo
RIP.
(Not doing a link as it is pretty much any web page ATM)
I don't think anybody had George Wendt.