Before we get too far behind, we have some recent celebrity deaths, courtesy of deadoraliveinfo.com:
Evel Knievel (Robert Knievel, Jr.)
Born: October 17, 1938
Died: November 30, 2007 (age 69)
Motorcycle daredevil who performed stunts from 1966 to 1981 and is in the Guinness Book of World Records for having 40 broken bones.
Ike Turner
Born: November 5, 1931
Died: December 12, 2007 (age 76, drug overdose)
Former singing partner and husband of Tina Turner. His biggest hit was a cover version of “Proud Mary” in 1971.
Dan Fogelberg
Born: August 13, 1951
Died: December 16, 2007 (age 56, cancer)
Folk rock singer/songwriter. His biggest hit was “Longer” in 1980.
Brad Renfro
Born: July 25, 1982
Died: January 15, 2008 (age 25)
Actor whose biggest movie was The Client (1994) starring Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones. In 2006, he was convicted of attempted heroin possession and driving while under the influence and was sentenced to 10 days in jail.
Bobby Fischer
Born: March 9, 1943
Died: January 17, 2008 (age 64)
Chess grandmaster who emigrated to Iceland in 2005. In 1972, he became the only U.S.-born chess player to become the official World Chess Champion.
Wow, Brad Renfro only 25. Reminds me of the OD of River Phoenix. He was in Apt Pupil with Sir Ian McKellan, a really good movie. That movie was part of the trio of great films adapted from Stephen King’s 1982 book Different Seasons (Stand By Me and The Shawshank Redemption).
Bobby Fischer was a crack pot, and did I mention my GRAND dislike for Chess? Good lord, Ike Turner was 76!!! Who overdoses at 76?