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19th of December, 2008
01:31 pm - Valé Majel Barrett-Roddenberry
Back in my youth I was a big Trek fan. Joined Austrek, turned up to movie premiers in uniform, ran a Star Trek convention. Then I moved on to other things. I still liked Trek, it just wasn't my focus any more.
So it's a sad day today. There have been quite a few losses this week for me. Several online friends have died and though I only ever met Majel once, she was another who I knew a little something about.
After a long fight with leukaemia, she has passed away.
The one link between all of the various Star Trek franchises. You will be missed.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/pengies/sad.gif) sad
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12th of December, 2008
03:39 pm - Valé Bettie Paige
The epitome of the pin up girl, Bettie Paige, has died, aged 85.
Current Mood: sad
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6th of November, 2008
12:17 pm - Valé Michael Crichton
A man whose novels Westworld, Jurrasic Park, and Timeline seemed to imply some pathological hatred of theme parks has died.
Some people have written that he was anti-science. I always viewed his writing that it was not the science that was at fault but that what corrupt people will do with that science that was the problem.
I always enjoyed his books. I'll miss him.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/pengies/sweat.gif) busy
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28th of September, 2008
08:37 pm - Valé Paul Newman
Maker of great movies and great pasta sauces has lost his battle with cancer. Road to Perdition was the last movie of his that I saw (I still haven't seen Cars). He seemed like a great bloke and not some "celebrity" that many Hollywood actors turn into.
An outstanding career.
*tips hat*
Current Mood: sad
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26th of June, 2008
09:45 am - Valé George Carlin
Still being without proper internet access at the moment I was deeply saddened to hear about the death of George Carlin over the weekend.
I first heard his album "Class Clown" in my early years of High School. A lot of the political references I didn't get, but attending a Catholic High School at the time I was able to relate to all the religious jokes.
And for me it was a sign of inspired casting that made him Cardinal Glik in Kevin Smith's Dogma.
Valé George
Current Mood: sad
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17th of June, 2008
10:03 pm - Valé Stan Winston
Stan Winston, the man who brought us the fantastic designs of the Alien Queen, Predators, Terminator, Jurassic Park and more recently Iron Man, has died in his home, aged 62.
Special effects have always been one of my first loves in movies: the ability to make pieces of plastic and wood come across as animate objects. While much of recent FX work is digital, Winston was always one for promoting using the right tool for the right job. Digital when it would work, prosthetic when it was needed.
The movie industry has lost a visionary and a brilliant talent.
He'll be sorely missed.
Current Mood: sad
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25th of May, 2008
12:01 am - Valé Robert Asprin
Bob Asprin passed away yesterday (May 22nd his local time). He was one of the most fun writers I've ever had the pleasure to read. Creator of the Myth-Adventures series and Phule's Company stories, as well as editor of the long running Thieves' World series, it was the Myth books that were my favourite. Heavily pun driving (but funny, unlike Piers Anthony's Xanth novels) it was actually from following the work of Phil Foglio that I found them in the first place.
I met him briefly at a Canberra Con during the late 80's where I was one of several people who got him to sign their entire collection of Myth books :-)
He apparently died with a Terry Pratchett book in his hands.
He'll be missed.
Current Mood: sad
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19th of March, 2008
01:24 pm - Valé Arthur C. Clarke
Another SF legend goes into history.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jfE8qUikNEG6MVWqYku2k8BD_RcgD8VG4VI00
I think my first encounter with Clarke's work was the TV series Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World. It only added to my fascination with the odd, the strange and the "Fortean" (though I didn't know the word existed at the time).
I've always felt that his SF was the sort that tried to keep within the possible. Sure he had weird technobabble in things but he never seemed to delve into the Space Opera style, or at least from what I read of his.
He'll be sadly missed. He was a futurist who still seemed to be an optimist, and someone who understood technology, rather than just "making shit up".
Current Mood: sad
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5th of March, 2008
03:09 pm - Valé Gary Gygax
The man who not only invented Dungeons & Dragons, but by extrapolation the whole roleplaying hobby, passed away today a few months short of his 70th birthday.
I got into roleplaying via my best friend in Highschool. We'd both been avid fantasy and SF readers and after a trip into the city he bough a copy of D&D. This would have been 1981 I think. From there we started a school group, which included getting permission from the Physics teacher to skip the school sports carnival and stay in the physics lab playing D&D for the day. The Phys Ed teacher was not impressed :-)
The following year I attended my first roleplaying convention where I met some amazing people from a club called The Wizards' Council. This club formed the central part of my socialising for the next 15 or so years. While most of the people involved I've lost track of (though some have found me via Facebook) there are a few people who were really influential on me and that I still keep in contact. One of whom is the mother of one of my classmates at Uni. :-)
And while Gygax was unashamed in being "influenced" by various fantasy elements to create his worlds, but also came up with some unique and lasting variants, such as Drow elves.
I'm still peripherally interested in roleplaying, though I haven't done anything actively for many years.
I doff my hat to a man who had an idea and virtually created an industry.
Valé
Current Mood: busy
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16th of May, 2007
08:06 pm - Valé Cartaphillius
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) cartaphillius you will be sadly missed my friend.
Current Mood: sad
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19th of January, 2007
11th of January, 2007
22nd of November, 2006
08:25 am - Valé Robert Altman
The man responsible for the original M*A*S*H* movie as well as Gosford Park and The Player has passed away.
Current Mood: sad
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11th of November, 2006
8th of September, 2006
05:28 pm - Another one!
And today Peter Brock died in a car accident.
That's three this week!
Current Mood: cold
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4th of September, 2006
07:02 pm - Valé Colin Thiele
With seemingly much less notice than Steve Irwin but with far more legacy, Colin Thiele also passed away today.
While most people of my age would at least remember Storm Boy he leaves a great collection of children's liturature behind him.
He'll be missed.
Current Mood: sad
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04:40 pm - Crikey! He's Dead!
Steve Irwin is dead.
Killed in a freak accident by a stingray barb that went through his chest and reportedly into his heart. He was swimming off the Low Isles at Port Douglas filming an underwater documentary when the tragedy occurred.
Reminds me of the Scared Weird Little Guys song Deadly Animals with the chorus of "Come to Australia: you might accidentally get killed."
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/pengies/blank.gif) restless
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29th of August, 2006
07:28 pm - Valé Don Chipp
Founder of the Australian Democrats and one of the first to get sick of the "two party preferred" system and manage to do something about it.
I'll be sad to see him gone.
Current Mood: sad
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4th of August, 2006
03:34 am - Recent deaths
My news reading has been pretty erratic for the last month or so and it looks like I've missed the passing of a few notable people:
Barnard Hughes on the 11th of July, star of The Lost Boys, Tron and the little known Mr. Merlin.
Red Buttons died on July 13th
Mako Iwamatsu, who seemed typecast as the Japanese Officer in any war movie you can think of, died on July 21st.
And mystery author Mickey Spillane died on July 17th.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/pengies/yawn.gif) tired
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30th of July, 2006
12:08 am - Valé David Gemmell
Fantasy novellist dead at 57. I enjoyed what I read of Gemmell's works and he seemed an interesting chap.
Current Mood: sad
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26th of February, 2006
10:41 pm - Valé Darren McGavin
Possibly best remembered as Karl Kolchak from The Night Stalker, Darren McGavin passed away at age 83.
Current Mood: Very blah
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15th of February, 2006
5th of February, 2006
4th of October, 2005
10:28 pm - Valé Ronnie Barker
Another comedic great passes away.
"And it's goodnight from him."
Current Mood: sad
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27th of September, 2005
08:45 am - Valé Don Adams
The personification of Maxwell Smart and the Voice of Inspector Gadget (among many other things) died last night aged 82.
I remember that channel 7 used to repeat Get Smart so regularly I knew episodes by heart :-)
Current Mood: sad
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21st of July, 2005
10:20 am - Valé Jimmy Doohan
Scotty has finally headed into the Final Frontier.
Edit: I loved this quote:
God... one to beam up.
Current Mood: sad
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18th of March, 2005
10:15 am - Another one bites the dust
Valé Andre Norton.
It's sad watching pieces of your childhood falling away.
Current Mood: sad
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13th of March, 2005
23rd of July, 2004
02:02 pm - Valé Jerry Goldsmith
The man who probably has more music linked with celluloid than any other passed away on Wednesday.
With soundtracks ranging from The Waltons and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. to Planet of the Apes, several of the Star Trek movies, Poltergeist, The Mummy, The Boys From Brazil and his Academy Award winning score for The Omen (which I had rewatched last week) you've probably heard heaps of his music even if you didn't know it at the time.
A truly talented musician.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/pengies/thoughtful.gif) nostalgic
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30th of March, 2004
12:04 pm - Valé Peter Ustinov
I'm saddened to read that one of my favourite actors, Sir Peter Ustinov, died over the weekend.
I always loved watching him act and even just listening to him speak was enjoyable.
I think his laugh will stay with me always.
You will be missed
Current Mood: sad
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5th of November, 2002
04:23 pm - Oh, the pain!
The other Harris has also passed on.
Last week Richard Harris, venerable actor and anti-Hollywood personality, died.
This last Sunday Jonathan Harris, famed Lost in Space institution and voice actor joined the equity in the Stars.
R.I.P.
Current Mood: sad
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