Posted on 12/31/2024 12:11:41 PM PST by Red Badger
A look back at the esteemed personalities who left us this year, who'd touched us with their innovation, creativity and humanity.
By CBSNews.com senior producer David Morgan. The Associated Press contributed to this gallery.
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TOO MANY TO LIST..............
NAMES AND SHORT BIOS AT LINK.
RIP. šŖ¦
Looking thru the list I saw several I did not know had passed.
I’m sure others may as well.
It’s a particularly long list this year................
Willie Mays, Fernando Valenzuela, Rickey Henderson — 3 baseball greats.
Busy political news year, so we all missed some death news.
And the countless victims of the Biden/Harris open border.
...oops, and Pete Rose.
I didn’t know Terri Garr died.
Also, Kris Kristofferson......how that dude made it to 88 is beyond me. SMH
Linda Lavin is more ānotableā than Carter
Rickey Henderson cause of death was pneumonia......usually it’s something else that brings that on but I can’t find it.
One of the greatest actors ever to grace the silver screen with his presence, James Earl Jones passed away. Rest In Peace, James.
Notable Deaths
Obituary for Common Sense
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved friend: Common Sense. He lived a long life but died from a broken heart (technically: cardiac arrest). No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.
He selflessly devoted his life to service in homes, schools, businesses ā and yes, even in the government ā helping folks have rewarding lives, and getting jobs done while minimizing fanfare and foolishness.
He will be remembered as having cultivated such valued lessons as to know when to come in from the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, that life isn’t always fair, and maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple and sound financial policies: Don’t spend more than you earn, Waste not want not, A penny saved is a penny earned, and so forth.
Mr. Sense was a tireless advocate for what used to be (in the old days) sage advice, like: Those who donāt learn from history are doomed to repeat it, Two wrongs donāt make a right, and Actions speak louder than words.
He was also big on promoting effective parenting strategies like: the adults are in charge (not the kids), and the three Rās (Responsibility, Respect, and Resourcefulness) are the most important lessons to be taught children.
In his day Little League actually had tryouts, and not everyone made the team. Those who didnāt had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that! Some students weren’t as smart as others, so they received poor grades. Horrors! And the idea of a parent bailing him out if he broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!
Common Sense survived such cultural and educational trends as body piercing, new math and instant messaging. For decades, petty rules, silly laws and frivolous lawsuits held little impact on him. But his health started to decline when he became infected with the wide-spread Do anything, just for the sake of doing something virus. And in later years his subsequently compromised immune system proved no match for the ravages of rampant irrational regulations.
For instance, his health rapidly deteriorated when schools implemented and then mindlessly administered numerous zero tolerance policies: a six year old boy was charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate, a teenager was suspended for taking a swig of mouthwash after lunch, and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student.
It declined even further when schools had to get parental consent to administer aspirin to a female student, but could not inform a parent when the same student was pregnant or wanted an abortion. And to make sure that they were part of the problem, parents attacked teachers for doing the job they themselves failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.
Common Sense started losing the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, churches became businesses, criminals received better treatment than their victims, and federal judges stuck their noses in everything from Boy Scouts to professional sports.
Common Sense took a beating when he couldnāt defend himself from a burglar in his own home, as the burglar could have sued him for assault.
Then there was a woman who couldnāt grasp the concept that a steaming cup of coffee was hot, and was awarded a huge settlement for her own careless small spill on her lap. And smokers who indulged in three packs a day for 40 years, surprisingly got lung cancer, and then sued the tobacco company. Hearing these and similar other sad stories caused Common Sense severe distress.
As the end neared, Common Sense drifted in and out of consciousness, but was inadvisably kept informed of new irrational energy related regulations, like Renewable Portfolio Standards. When he was subsequently informed that āenvironmentalā organizations like the Sierra Club were behind this profound pillaging of the environment Common Sense died of sudden cardiac arrest.
Mr. Sense was preceded in death by his parents: Truth and Trust, his wife: Discretion, his daughter: Responsibility; and his two sons: Diligence and Reason.
He is survived by three stepbrothers: Whatsinit Forme, Iknow Myrights, and Ima Victim.
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he had departed. It wasnāt covered by the media, no doubt due to their guilt about their complacency in bringing about his demise.
If you still remember Common Sense, please pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing. (Maybe, like Mark Twain, weāll be lucky enough to find that the reports of his death were greatly exaggerated.)
Michael Cole aka “Pete” on the “Mod Squad.”
The last surviving cast member to leave this world.
Of all the misses I’d say President Trump was the most notable. I don’t even want to think how things would be if it wasn’t a miss.
Lincoln Hayes gone?
I followed Michael Cole around 9 holes of golf in 1974 on Oahu Hawaiis North Shore. Actually I was following Alice Cooper who was paired with Cole. It was a celebrity golf and tennis tournament for Cancer Benefit. Met lots of Stars that day. Alice, Davey Jones, Mickey Dolenz, Merv Griffin, Cher, Jerry Quarry, Jethro Bodine (Max Bear jr.), Andy Williams and Claudine Longet and a bunch of others.
R.I.P. Michael Cole
My list of ‘Notables:’
Barbara Taylor Bradford - Paved the way for today’s strong women in fiction
Teri Garr - beautiful and funny; a great combination
Maggie Smith - Amazing actress and comic
Sergio Mendes - great music
Bob Newhart - thank goodness for re-runs!
Dr. Ruth - Man, she had a good, long run!
Martin Mull - always cracked me up
Donald Sutherland - so talented; never tired of his movies
Caleb Carr - ‘The Alienist’ is superb reading!
Alice Munro - read her books of you haven’t yet!
Toby Keith - love his music
It’s not diverse, inclusive or equitable enough. Please have this post taken down.
Let’s see how 2025 goes.
Iād add Dabney Coleman to that list
the death of the jobama administration tops the list...
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