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Westergaard Kurt (b. 1935-07-13 / d. 2021-07-14)
Kurt Westergaard (born Kurt Vestergaard) was a Danish cartoonist famous for creating the controversial cartoon of a terrorist, although not the Islamic prophet Muhammad as it is often claimed, wearing a bomb in his turban. This cartoon was the most contentious of the 12 Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons, which met with strong reactions from Muslims worldwide who condemned the act, including Western countries. After the drawing of the cartoon, Westergaard received numerous death threats and was a target of assassination attempts. As a result, he was under constant police protection
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66
Born 1955-12-24. Domain:Performing. Cause of death:Cancer
Clarence Alfred Gilyard Jr. was an American university professor, actor, and author. As a performer, he appeared in film, television, and stage productions; some sources give his middle name as Alfred. Gilyard was known for his roles as second private investigator and right-hand man Conrad McMasters to Ben Matlock (played by Andy Griffith) on the legal drama series Matlock from 1989 to 1993; Pastor Bruce Barnes in the first two Left Behind movies; Cordell Walker's (played by Chuck Norris) Texas Ranger partner, James "Jimmy" Trivette, in the 1990s crime drama Walker, Texas Ranger; Theo, the terrorist computer expert in Die Hard; and Lieutenant (junior grade) Evan "Sundown" Gough in Top Gun.
89
Born 1927-05-11. Domain:Performing. Cause of death:Age
He was a Welsh actor. He is best remembered for his roles as Dr. Bombay in the comedy fantasy series Bewitched (1964–1972), Colonel Crittendon in the comedy series Hogan's Heroes (1965–1971), Malcolm Merriweather in The Andy Griffith Show (1963–1965), Colonel Redford in Barnaby Jones (1975), Max in Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo (1977), Archibald Gracie IV in the epic romance-disaster film Titanic (1997).
81
Born 1924-07-21. Domain:TV/Radio. Cause of death:Cancer (lung)
He was an American comedic actor best known for his portrayal of Barney Fife on the 1960s television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, a role which earned him five Emmy Awards.
Macular degeneration in both eyes caused the otherwise robust Don Knotts to become virtually blind. His live appearances on television were few. In 2005, Knotts parodied his Ralph Furley character while playing a Paul Young variation in a Desperate Housewives sketch on The 3rd Annual TV Land Awards. He would parody that part one final time, in his last live-action television appearance, an episode of That ’70s Show, ("Stone Cold Crazy"). In the show Don played Fez and Jackie's new landlord. Knotts' final role was in Air Buddies, the 2006 direct-to-video sequel to Air Bud, voicing the sheriff's deputy dog Sniffer.
Don Knotts died at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California from pulmonary and respiratory complications related to lung cancer. He had been undergoing treatment at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in the months before his death, but had gone home after he reportedly had been feeling better. His long-time friend, Andy Griffith, visited Knotts’ bedside just hours before his death. Knotts' wife and daughter stayed with him until he died.
"Nip it in the bud!"
38
Born 1959-12-21. Domain:Sport. Cause of death:Other
In 1998, Griffith-Joyner died in her sleep at her home in Mission Viejo, California. On October 22, the sheriff-coroner's office (it was an unexpected death) announced the cause of death as: "1) positional asphyxia 2) epileptiform seizure 3) cavernous angioma, left orbital frontal cerebrum".
The cavernous angioma referred to a brain abnormality discovered during the autopsy that made Joyner subject to seizures. It is in fact, a congenital defect, having developed at birth. In 1990 she had, according to a family attorney, suffered a grand mal seizure and had been treated for seizures in 1990, 1993 and 1994.
The cause of death in effect said that she had suffocated in her pillow during a severe epileptic seizure.
Her retirement from competitive track and field after her 1988 Olympic Games triumph further fueled the controversy as mandatory random drug testing was about to be implemented in 1989. Under the less stringent testing schedule during her career, no evidence was found that Griffith-Joyner used performance enhancing drugs.
She stunned the world when—known as a 200 m runner—she ran a new 100 m World Record of 10.49 in the quarter-finals of the US Olympic Trials. Reporters at the event commented that although the wind meter measured 0.0—indicating no wind—there was visual evidence of considerable wind in the stadium at the time of the race. Every event on that day measured excessive wind speeds and this led many to later suggest that the wind meter in the stadium malfunctioned during the race, but the record is still recognized. Joyner, her coach stated that he believed the 10.49 run to be wind aided as well. Flo-Jo never ran faster than 10.61 without excessive wind assistance that season.
25
Born 1937-03-14. Domain:Sport. Cause of death:Accident
Bernardo "Benny the Kid" Paret was a Cuban welterweight boxer who won the World Welterweight Championship twice in the early 1960s. He also vied for the world middleweight championship. He was born in Santa Clara, Cuba. Paret's death occurred 10 days after injuries sustained in a March 24, 1962, title defense against Emile Griffith, televised live and seen by millions on ABC's Fight of the Week. Paret had a lifetime record of 35 wins (10 knockouts), 12 losses and 3 draws. Although Paret had been battered in the two fights with Griffith and the fight with Fullmer, he decided that he would defend his title against Griffith three months after the Fullmer fight. Paret-Griffith III was booked for Madison Square Garden on Saturday, March 24, 1962, and was televised live by ABC. In round six Paret nearly knocked out Griffith with a multi punch combination but Griffith was saved by the bell. In the twelfth round of the fight Don Dunphy, who was calling the bout for ABC, remarked, "This is probably the tamest round of the entire fight." Seconds later, Griffith backed Paret into the corner before he unleashed a massive flurry of punches to the champion's head. It quickly became apparent that Paret was dazed by the initial shots and could not defend himself, but referee Ruby Goldstein allowed Griffith to continue his assault. Finally, after twenty-nine consecutive punches which knocked Paret through the ropes at one point, Goldstein stepped in and called a halt to the bout. Paret collapsed in the corner from the barrage of punches (initially thought to be from exhaustion), fell into a coma, and died ten days later at Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan from massive brain hemorrhaging. Paret was buried at Saint Raymond's Cemetery in the borough of the Bronx in New York City. The last fight between Paret and Griffith was the subject of many controversies. It is theorized that one of the reasons Paret died was that he was vulnerable due to the beatings he took in his previous three fights, all of which happened within twelve months of each other. New York State boxing authorities were criticized for giving Paret clearance to fight just several months after the Fullmer fight. The actions of Paret at the weigh in before his final fight have come under scrutiny. It is alleged that Paret taunted Griffith by calling him maricón (Spanish slang for "faggot"). Griffith wanted to fight Paret on the spot but was restrained. Griffith would come out as bisexual in his later years, but in 1962 allegations of homosexuality were considered fatal to an athlete's career and a particularly grievous insult in the culture both fighters came from. The referee Ruby Goldstein, a respected veteran, came under criticism for not stopping the fight sooner. It has been argued that Goldstein hesitated because of Paret's reputation of feigning injury and Griffith's reputation as a poor finisher. Another theory is that Goldstein was afraid that Paret's supporters would riot. The incident, combined with the death of Davey Moore a year later for a different injury in the ring, would cause debate as to whether boxing should be considered a sport. Boxing would not be televised on a regular basis again until the 1970s. The fight also marked the end of Goldstein's long and respected career as a referee, as he was unable to find work after that. The fight was the centerpiece of a 2005 documentary entitled Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story. At the end of the documentary, Griffith, who has harbored guilt over the incident over the years, is introduced to Paret's son. The son embraced Griffith, and told him he was forgiven.