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April 20, 2024

R I P of the day

Cowan George (b. 1920-02-15 / d. 2012-04-20)

He was an American physical chemist, a businessman and philanthropist. Cowan received a B.S. from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1941. He did graduate studies at Princeton, where he worked under future Nobel laureate Eugene Wigner, whose investigation of uranium confirmed the feasibility of the Fermi pile. He continued his nuclear research with the Manhattan Project at the University of Chicago, Oak Ridge, Columbia University, and Los Alamos. Because he was transferred to various locations as a technological troubleshooter for the effort, he was among the very few people with knowledge of the separate components of the bomb, kept apart for security reasons. He joined the Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1946. He earned a Ph.D. from the Mellon College of Science in 1950. Weeks after his arrival at Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1949, he directed the detection of radioactive fallout from samples collected near the Russian border indicating the Soviets were in possession of a nuclear bomb. He later served on the Bethe Panel that convinced government decision makers the radiochemistry detected represented weapons uses rather than peaceful pursuits.

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Sad list (13)

Harrison
Richard Benjamin (alias: the Old Man). 2018-06-25

77

Born 1941-03-04. Domain:Business. Cause of death:Age

Richard Benjamin Harrison Jr., also known by the nicknames The Old Man and The Appraiser, was an American businessman and reality television personality, best known as the co-owner of the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, as featured on the History Channel series Pawn Stars. Harrison was the co-owner of the pawn shop with his son Rick Harrison. They opened the store together in 1989. Harrison was usually referred to by his nickname, "The Old Man", which he earned at the age of 38. Harrison died on June 25, 2018, after a battle with Parkinson's disease. Harrison was survived by wife Joanne, three sons, 10 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Harrison placed his son Rick in charge of his estate. Christopher Keith Harrison, the youngest of Harrison's three sons, was intentionally omitted as a beneficiary in his father's will. Following his death, Pawn Stars ran a commemorative episode, ("A Treasure Remembered"), featuring clips from the show and interviews about him.

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Andrieu
Nicole Marie Jeanne (alias: Nicole Courcel). 2016-06-25

84

Born 1931-10-21. Domain:Performing. Cause of death:Age

She was a French actress who achieved popularity through the 1950s and 1960s, though she is mostly unknown outside of France. Born in Saint-Cloud, in the western suburbs of Paris, she appeared in 43 films between 1947 and 1979. After working as an extra in a few films, she won a major role in Rendez-vous de juillet (1949), with Brigitte Auber. In 1970 she turned to television, appearing in different television films and miniseries, in which she continued to work until 2004. Courcel is best known for her role in Serge Bourguignon's Sundays and Cybele (1962). She had notable parts in: La Marie du port (1950, opposite Jean Gabin), Sacha Guitry's Royal Affairs in Versailles (1954), and La Sorcière (1956, opposite Marina Vlady).

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Hutton
Peter Barrington. 2016-06-25

71

Born 1944-08-24. Domain:Directing. Cause of death:Cancer

He was an American experimental filmmaker, known primarily for his silent cinematic portraits of cities and landscapes around the world. He also worked as a professional cinematographer, most notably for his former student Ken Burns, as well as cinematography for Lizzie Borden's "Born in Flames," Sheila McLaughlin and Lynne Tillman's "Committed," assorted films by artist Red Grooms and Albert Maysles' The Gates.

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Macnee
Daniel Patrick. 2015-06-25

93

Born 1922-02-06. Domain:Performing. Cause of death:Age

Known professionally as Patrick Macnee, he was an English-American actor. He was best known for his role as the secret agent John Steed in the television series The Avengers.

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Easley
Annie Jean. 2011-06-25

78

Born 1933-04-23. Domain:Science (Physics style). Cause of death:Age

Annie Jean Easley was an American computer scientist, mathematician, and rocket scientist. She worked for the Lewis Research Center (now Glenn Research Center) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). She was a leading member of the team which developed software for the Centaur rocket stage, and was one of the first African-Americans to work as a computer scientist at NASA.

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Fawcett
Farrah. 2009-06-25

62

Born 1947-02-02. Domain:Performing. Cause of death:cancer (colorectal)

Fawcett was diagnosed with anal cancer in 2006, and began treatment, including chemotherapy and surgery. Four months later, on her 60th birthday, the Associated Press wire service reported that Fawcett was, at that point, cancer free. Fawcett said in a statement, "This is an extraordinarily happy day for me and my family. I hope that my news might offer some level of inspiration to others who unfortunately must continue to fight the disease."
Less than four months later, in May 2007, Fawcett brought a small digital video camera to document a doctor's office visit. There, she was told a malignant polyp was found in the area where she had been treated for the initial cancer. Doctors contemplated whether to implant a radiation seeder (which differs from conventional radiation and is used to treat other types of cancer). Fawcett's U.S. doctors told her that she would require a colostomy. Instead, Fawcett traveled to Germany for treatments described variously in the press as "holistic", "aggressive", and "alternative". There, Dr. Ursula Jacob prescribed a treatment including surgery to remove the anal tumor, and a course of perfusion and embolization for her liver cancer by Doctors Claus Kiehling and Thomas Vogl in Germany, and chemotherapy back in Fawcett's home town of Los Angeles. Although initially the tumors were regressing, their reappearance a few months later necessitated a new course, this time including laser ablation therapy and chemoembolization. Aided by friend Alana Stewart, Fawcett documented the highs and lows of her battle with the disease.
In early April 2009, Fawcett, back in the U.S., was rushed to a hospital, reportedly unconscious and in critical condition. Subsequent reports, however, indicated that the severity of her condition was not as dire as first reported. On April 6, the Associated Press reported that her cancer had metastasized to her liver. Fawcett had learned of this development in May 2007 and her subsequent treatments in Germany had targeted this as well. The report denied that she was unconscious, and explained that the reason for Fawcett's hospitalization was not her cancer but a painful abdominal hematoma that had been the result of a minor procedure, according to the Los Angeles cancer specialist treating Fawcett, Dr. Lawrence Piro. Her spokesperson emphasized she was not "at death's door", adding "She remains in good spirits with her usual sense of humor ... She's been in great shape her whole life and has an incredible resolve and an incredible resilience." Three days later, on April 9, Fawcett was released from the hospital, picked up by longtime companion O'Neal, and, according to her doctor, was "walking and in great spirits and looking forward to celebrating Easter at home."
A month later, on May 7, Fawcett was reported as being critically ill, with Ryan O'Neal quoted as saying that she now spends her days at home, on an IV, often asleep. The Los Angeles Times reported that Fawcett was in the last stages of her cancer and had the chance to see her son Redmond in April 2009, although shackled and under supervision, as he was then incarcerated, Fawcett seemed not to notice. Her 91-year-old father, James Fawcett, flew out to Los Angeles to visit with Farrah, his only living child (her sole sibling, sister Diane, had succumbed to lung cancer in 2001).
Her doctor, Lawrence Piro, and Fawcett's friend and Angels co-star Kate Jackson—a breast cancer survivor—appeared together on The Today Show dispelling tabloid-fueled rumors, including the suggestions that Fawcett had ever been in a coma, had ever reached 86 pounds, and had ever given up her fight against the disease or lost the will to live. Jackson decried such demoralizing fabrications, saying they "really do hurt a human being and a person like Farrah". Piro recalled when it became necessary for Fawcett to undergo treatments that would cause her to lose her hair, acknowledging that "Farrah probably has the most famous hair in the world", but acknowledged that it is not a trivial matter for any cancer patient, whose hair "affects [one's] whole sense of who [they] are". Of the documentary, Jackson averred that Fawcett "didn't do this to show that 'she' is unique, she did it to show that we are all unique ... (T)his was...meant to be a gift to others to help and inspire them."
The two-hour documentary Farrah's Story, which was filmed by Fawcett and friend Alana Stewart, aired on NBC on May 15, 2009. The documentary was watched by nearly 9 million people in its premiere airing and it was re-aired on the broadcast network's cable stations MSNBC, Bravo and Oxygen.
In June, O'Neal asked Fawcett to marry him. She accepted his proposal and O'Neal said the wedding would happen "as soon as she can say yes." The two never married.
Fawcett died at approximately at 9:28 a.m. (PST), in the intensive care unit of Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California, with O'Neal and Stewart by her side.

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Jackson
Michael Joseph. 2009-06-25

50

Born 1958-08-29. Domain:Music. Cause of death:Heart

On the morning of June 25, 2009, Jackson reportedly collapsed at a rented home in Holmby Hills in Los Angeles. After he collapsed, Jackson's personal physician, who was with him at the time, attempted to resuscitate him. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded to a 911 call at 12:21 pm local (Pacific) time and arrived nine minutes later. Jackson was reportedly not breathing and CPR was quickly performed. Resuscitation efforts continued both en route to the UCLA Medical Center, and after arrival at approximately 1:14 p.m (20:14 UTC), for a further hour. He fell into a coma and died shortly after being rushed to UCLA Medical Centre. The cause of death is reported to be cardiac arrest. Jackson was pronounced dead at about 2:26 pm local time (21:26 UTC). Los Angeles Police Department homicide and robbery division detectives attended the scene as a matter of routine in high profile death cases. The case was transferred to the Los Angeles coroner for investigation as there was no doctor in attendance to sign the death certificate. Jackson's body was transported by helicopter from UCLA to the LA Coroners offices. The autopsy is said to be scheduled for Friday, June 26, 2009. Prior to his death, Jackson had been scheduled to perform 50 sold-out concerts to over one million people, at London's O2 arena, from July 13, 2009 to March 6, 2010. During a publicity press conference, Jackson made suggestions of possible retirement. Randy Phillips, president and chief executive of AEG Live, had stated that the first 10 dates alone would have earned the singer approximately £50 million. The company faces a potential liability of over £300 million because of Jackson's death.

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Brosset
Claude. 2007-06-25

63

Born 1943-12-24. Domain:Performing. Cause of death:Cancer

Was a friend of JP Belmondo.

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Kaplansky
Irving. 2006-06-25

89

Born 1917-03-22. Domain:Science (Math style). Cause of death:Age

Irving Kaplansky was a mathematician, college professor, author, and musician. Kaplansky or "Kap" as his friends and colleagues called him was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to Polish-Jewish immigrants. Kaplansky made major contributions to group theory, ring theory, the theory of operator algebras and field theory and created the Kaplansky density theorem, Kaplansky's game and Kaplansky conjecture. He published more than 150 articles and over 20 mathematical books. Kaplansky was the doctoral supervisor of 55 students including notable mathematicians Hyman Bass, Susanna S. Epp, Günter Lumer, Eben Matlis, Donald Ornstein, Ed Posner, Alex F. T. W. Rosenberg, Judith D. Sally, and Harold Widom. He has over 900 academic descendants, including many through his academic grandchildren David J. Foulis (who studied with Kaplansky at the University of Chicago before completing his doctorate under the supervision of Kaplansky's student Fred Wright, Jr.) and Carl Pearcy (the student of H. Arlen Brown, who had been jointly supervised by Kaplansky and Paul Halmos). Kaplansky was also an accomplished amateur musician. He had perfect pitch, studied piano until the age of 15, earned money in high school as a dance band musician, taught Tom Lehrer, and played in Harvard's jazz band in graduate school. He also had a regular program on Harvard's student radio station. After moving to the University of Chicago, he stopped playing for two decades, but then returned to music as an accompanist for student-run Gilbert and Sullivan productions and as a calliope player in football game parades. He often composed music based on mathematical themes. One of those compositions, A Song About Pi, is a melody based on assigning notes to the first 14 decimal places of pi, and has occasionally been performed by his daughter, singer-songwriter Lucy Kaplansky.

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Fiedler
John. 2005-06-25

80

Born 1925-02-03. Domain:Performing. Cause of death:Cancer

In twelve angry men:
The jury consists of the following (identified only by numbers, all are white men):
The Foreman (Juror #1, played by Martin Balsam)
Juror #2 (John Fiedler)A humble banker, small in size and stature. Though he an is intellectual and has doubts about the defendant's guilt, his meekness lessens the courage he needs to assert his opinions- at least until he has someone else to support his views.
Juror #3 (Lee J. Cobb)
Juror #4 (E.G. Marshall)
Juror #5 (Jack Klugman is the only survivor at this time - 2007-03-16)
Juror #6 (Edward Binns)
Juror #7 (Jack Warden)
Juror #8 (Henry Fonda)
Juror #9 (Joseph Sweeney)
Juror #10 (Ed Begley)
Juror #11 (George Voskovec)
Juror #12 (Robert Webber)

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Matoub
Lounès (alias: Matoub Lounès). 1998-06-25

42

Born 1956-01-24. Domain:Music. Cause of death:Murder

On 25 June 1998 at approximately 12:30 pm local time, Matoub's car was stopped at a roadblock while he was driving along a mountainous road in eastern Algeria. The car was fired upon by masked gunmen, killing Matoub and wounding his three female passengers. Within hours, news of Matoub's murder had spread throughout Kabylie and thousands of angry mourners gathered around the hospital where his body was taken. The crowd shouted "Pouvoir, Assassin" ("Government, Assassins"). A week of violent riots followed his death. Young demonstrators clashed with riot police and attacked government property. On 28 June 1998 tens of thousands people attended his burial in front of his house in his native village. Matoub's family played them a scathing parody of the Algerian National Anthem which came from Matoub's final album Lettre ouverte aux... ("Open letter to..."), released after his death (Gold-Disc). Matoub's assassination occurred a week before a law excluding languages other than Arabic from public life was due to come in to effect. Matoub had been an outspoken critic of this law. On 30 June 1998 the GIA claimed responsibility for the assassination of Lounes Matoub.

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Cousteau
Jacques-Yves. 1997-06-25

87

Born 1910-06-11. Domain:Society. Cause of death:Heart attack

He died at the age of 87 of a heart attack while recovering from a respiratory illness. He is buried in the Cousteau family plot at Saint-André-de-Cubzac Cemetery, Saint-André-de-Cubzac, France.

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Moineaux
Goerges Victor Marcel (alias: Georges Courteline). 1929-06-25

71

Born 1858-06-25. Domain:Writing. Cause of death:Age

He was a French dramatist and novelist.

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