Coozer-Files: RIP.

Hi guys,

As you can tell, I've been updating less and less. Truthfully, I'm just very lazy. You guys deserve better.

Thank you for reading this over the years. It's been fun!!

Best,
Adam

Last US World War I vet dies.

From CNN:

Frank Buckles, the last U.S. World War I veteran, has died, a spokesman for his family said Sunday. He was 110.

Buckles "died peacefully in his home of natural causes" early Sunday morning, the family said in a statement sent to CNN late Sunday by spokesman David DeJonge.

Buckles marked his 110th birthday on February 1, but his family had earlier told CNN he had slowed considerably since last fall, according his daughter Susannah Buckles Flanagan, who lives at the family home near Charles Town, West Virginia.

Buckles, who served as a U.S. Army ambulance driver in Europe during what became known as the "Great War," rose to the rank of corporal before the war ended. He came to prominence in recent years, in part because of the work of DeJonge, a Michigan portrait photographer who had undertaken a project to document the last surviving veterans of that war.

As the years continued, all but Buckles had passed away, leaving him the "last man standing" among U.S. troops who were called "The Doughboys."

DeJonge found himself the spokesman and advocate for Buckles in his mission to see to it that his comrades were honored with a monument on the National Mall, alongside memorials for veterans of World War II and the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam.

Buckles made history when he was asked to testify in Congress on the matter before a House committee on December 3, 2009.

"I have to," he told CNN when he came to Washington, as part of what he considered his responsibility to honor the memory of fellow-veterans.

Buckles, after World War I ended, took up a career as a ship's officer on merchant vessels. He was captured by the Japanese in the Philippines during World War II and held prisoner of war for more than three years before he was freed by U.S. troops.

Never saying much about his POW experience, Buckles instead wanted attention drawn to the plight of the D.C. War Memorial. During a visit to the run-down, neglected site a few years ago, he went past the nearby World War II memorial without stopping, even as younger veterans stopped and saluted the old soldier in his wheelchair as he went by.

Dead: Captain Beefheart.

RIP Zig Zag Wanderer... From UPI:

TRINIDAD, Calif., Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Accolades poured in Saturday for Don Van Vliet, the avant-garde rocker known as Captain Beefheart, after his death in Northern California at the age of 69.

Van Vliet died Friday of complications from multiple sclerosis while living and working as a successful painter in the small town of Trinidad, according to Gordon VeneKlasen, a partner in the New York gallery where Van Vliet often showed his paintings.

There was no immediate word on memorial services; however Van Vliet was never forgotten by music critics and rock historians. His eccentric album with the Magic Band called "Trout Mask Replica" is considered a classic.

The New York Times said Saturday that Captain Beefheart's music career, which stretched from 1966 to 1982, put together a unique body of work that had a strong influence on the punk and new wave generations.

Van Vliet had little in the way of formal musical training, but he fell in with fellow Southern Californian Frank Zappa in the 1960s, adopted the name Captain Beefheart and with the Magic Band. The Times said his singing style resembled blues great Howlin' Wolf: "a deep, rough-riding moan turned up into swooped falsettos at the end of lines, pinched and bellowing and sounding as if it caused pain.

Van Vliet quit the music business in 1982 after releasing "Ice Cream Crow" and devoted his time to his painting while living a reclusive lifestyle.

Dead: Leslie Nielsen.

Shirley, you can't be serious. From NY Daily News:

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Leslie Nielsen, who went from drama to inspired bumbling as a hapless doctor in "Airplane!" and the accident-prone detective Frank Drebin in the "Naked Gun" comedies, has died. He was 84.

His agent John S. Kelly says Nielsen died Sunday at a hospital near his home in Ft. Lauderdale where he was being treated for pneumonia.

The Canadian-born Nielsen came to Hollywood in the mid-1950s after performing in 150 live television dramas in New York. With a craggily handsome face, blond hair and 6-foot-2 height, he seemed ideal for a movie leading man.

He quickly became known as a serious actor, although behind the camera he was a prankster. That was an aspect of his personality never exploited, however, until "Airplane!" was released in 1980 and became a huge hit.

Dead: Paul the Octopus.

From BBC News:

Paul the octopus, an unlikely star of the 2010 World Cup who predicted the outcome of eight matches, has died at an aquarium in Germany.

Staff at the Sea Life centre in Oberhausen said they were devastated to learn that he had passed away during the night.

Paul made his name by successfully choosing a mussel from one of two boxes bearing the flags of competing nations.

Octopuses rarely live beyond two years so his death was not unexpected.

Paul was two-and-a-half years old and had been hatched at another centre at Weymouth in England in 2008.

The centre's manager, Stefan Porwoll, said that Paul had correctly guessed the outcomes of seven of Germany's World Cup matches, including their defeats, and had "enthused people across every continent".

As the tournament progressed, the octopus's uncanny knack of selecting the correct box drew increasing interest from the world's media, culminating in his choice of Spain as the eventual winner.

He became an instant hero in Spain, prompting a request to have him put on display at Madrid zoo.

Amid the euphoria, he was even made an honorary citizen of a Spanish town before being made an ambassador for England's 2018 World Cup bid.

The Oberhausen centre said he had seemed fine when last checked on Monday night but was found dead on Tuesday morning.

"We are consoled by the knowledge that he enjoyed a good life," Mr Porwoll said.

Dead: Ronnie James Dio.

Heaven, not Hell. RIP, Dio. From the Houston Chronicle:

Ronnie James Dio, legendary vocalist for Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell and Dio, has died after a battle with stomach cancer, according to his wife, Wendy Dio. He was 67 years old.

The heavy metal singer died early this morning. He was being treated at M.D. Anderson in Houston.

A rumor circulated Saturday night on Twitter about Dio's death. His wife quickly shot that down: "He is not doing well, but he is not dead."

His wife released a statement to blabbermouth.net today:

"Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45 a.m. [on Sunday] 16th May. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private goodbyes before he peacefully passed away.

"Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all.

"We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us.

"Please give us a few days of privacy to deal with this terrible loss.

"Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever."

Dead: Etiquette expert Elizabeth Post.

If only I knew the proper thing to say in these situations.... From NY Daily News:

Elizabeth Post, who wrote more than a dozen books on etiquette and was spokeswoman for the Emily Post Institute in Vermont, has died.

Post's daughter-in-law, Peggy Post, says the the 89-year-old died on Saturday in Naples, Fla.

Elizabeth Post became the spokeswoman for the Emily Post Institute in 1965 and for decades, wrote a column on manners and etiquette for Good Housekeeping magazine.

She was the granddaughter-in-law of the country's foremost etiquette expert, Emily Post.

Elizabeth Post revised the manual "Emily Post's Etiquette" five times, helping keep it current as social norms have changed since its original printing in 1922.

Dead: Peter Steele of Type O Negative.

From NY Daily News:

Peter Steele, the frontman for the heavy metal band Type O Negative, has died.

After a morning of speculation, the band's spokesperson confirmed Thursday afternoon that Steele had died Wednesday at age 48.

"Peter passed away last night. As of now it appears to have been heart failure," Mike Renault wrote in an email to CBSNews.com. "That's all the details we have right now."

The official type O Negative Web site posted the following message to its fans this morning, "The forums have been re-opened. Please play nice and expect statements from the band and family later today. Thank you for your understanding and support."

Steele had a history of medical problems since 2004. That year the band announced they were cancelling their U.S. tour so that the singer could be tested for "undisclosed anomalies" found during a medical exam.

Dead: Corey Haim.

His soul went straight to video. From CNN:

Actor Corey Haim, who appeared in a number of movies during the 1980s, died early Wednesday of a possible drug overdose after being taken to a hospital, Los Angeles police said.

Haim, 38, was taken to Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California, where he was pronounced dead at about 3:30 a.m. PT Wednesday (6:30 a.m. ET), police Sgt. Frank Albarran said.

The death appears to be accidental, possibly an overdose, Albarran said.

Haim's most famous role was in the 1987 movie "The Lost Boys" in which he appeared with his frequent co-star, Corey Feldman.

In later years, the two friends -- who appeared in eight movies together -- both struggled with drug abuse and went their separate ways. They reunited for a reality show, "The Two Coreys," in 2007, but A&E Network canceled the program after slightly more than a year.

Dead: The inventor of the Frisbee.

A sad day for anyone who likes to be only mildly amused for short periods of time. From CNN:

Walter Fredrick "Fred" Morrison, who invented the Frisbee, has died at age 90.

Morrison died this week at his home in Utah, said Jen Derevensky, a spokeswoman for Wham-O, the company that has sold the official version of the flying disc since signing a contract with Morrison in 1957.

The company has sold more than 200 million Frisbees to date, Derevensky said Friday.

Morrison started experimenting with flying disc designs in 1937 after his girlfriend's uncle invited him outside to toss the lid from a popcorn tin, according to Wham-O.

Later, Morrison borrowed a cake pan from his mother's kitchen to throw with the girlfriend, who later became his wife. He was soon hawking "Flyin' Cake Pans" for 25 cents on beaches and parks around Los Angeles, California.

A fighter pilot during World War II, Morrison was shot down and held as a prisoner of war for 48 days, according to Wham-O.

After the war, he became a carpenter, drawing up plans for aerodynamic discs in his free time. His plastic Whirl-Away was a commercial flop, but the better-designed Pluto Platter sold well enough to attract the attention of the Southern California-based Wham-O, which would soon begin selling the Hula Hoop.

Wham-O took the name Frisbee from a group of New England college students who'd been throwing empty tins from the local Frisbie Pie Co. The company quickly trademarked the term.

Dead: Taco Bell founder.

I wonder if his coffin will be crunchy or soft. From Yahoo! News:

Glen W. Bell Jr., an entrepreneur best known as the founder of the Taco Bell chain, has died. He was 86.

Bell died Sunday at his home in Rancho Santa Fe, according to a statement posted Monday on the Taco Bell Web site.

The Irvine-based company did not release a cause of death.

"Glen Bell was a visionary and innovator in the restaurant industry, as well as a dedicated family man," Greg Creed, president of Taco Bell, said in the statement.

Bell launched his first restaurant, called Bell's Drive-In, in 1948 in San Bernardino after seeing the success of McDonald's Bar-B-Que, the predecessor of McDonald's, which was founded in the same city in 1940. Like McDonald's, Bell's restaurant sought to take advantage of Southern California's car culture by serving hamburgers and hot dogs through drive-in windows.

The World War II veteran next helped establish Taco Tias in Los Angeles, El Tacos in the Long Beach area, and Der Wienerschnitzel, a national hot dog chain.

Bell launched Taco Bell in 1962 in Downey after cutting ties with his business partners and quickly expanding around Los Angeles.

He sold the first Taco Bell franchise in 1964. In 1978, Bell sold his 868 Taco Bell restaurants to PepsiCo for $125 million in stock.

Taco Bell is now owned by Yum! Brands and is the largest Mexican fast-food chain in the nation, serving more than 36.8 million consumers each week in more than 5,600 U.S. locations.

Dead: Inventor of the vibrating bed.

May his eternal slumber be on a vibrating cloud. RIP.

The inventor of the "Magic Fingers Vibrating Bed," which brought weary travellers 15 minutes of "tingling relaxation and ease" for a quarter in U.S. motel rooms during the 1960s and '70s, has died. He was 92.

John Joseph Houghtaling died Wednesday at his home in Fort Pierce, his son Paul Houghtaling said Friday in a telephone interview.

Tinkering in the basement of his New Jersey home, Houghtaling invented the "Magic Fingers" machine in 1958.

"Put in a quarter, turn out the light, Magic Fingers makes ya feel all right," Jimmy Buffett sang in "This Hotel Room."

Kitschy and titillating, Magic Fingers remained a staple of American pop culture even after the device began disappearing from motels. The vibrations triggered a beer explosion in the movie "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," and FBI agents Mulder and Scully relaxed to the pulsations in an episode of "The X Files."

From here.

David Carradine found dead, possible suicide.

He must've finally gotten around to seeing the second Kill Bill. From BBC:

Kill Bill and Kung Fu star David Carradine has been found dead in a Bangkok hotel room.

Thai police told the BBC the 72-year-old was found by a hotel maid sitting in a wardrobe with a rope around his neck and body on Thursday morning.

The US star was in Thailand filming his latest film Stretch, according to his personal manager Chuck Binder.

Mr Binder said the news was "shocking", adding: "He was full of life, always wanting to work... a great person."

Carradine was part of an acting dynasty which included his father, John Carradine, and brothers Bruce, Keith and Robert.

The star was best known for his role as Kwai Chang Caine in the 1970s TV series Kung Fu, which spawned sequels in the '80s and '90s.

After a career which included more than 100 movies with directors such as Martin Scorsese and Ingmar Bergman, he recently found fame again thanks to his role in Quentin Tarantino's 2003 film Kill Bill.

He is survived by his wife, Annie Bierman, and four children.

Coozer-Bits.

D'oh: Car crashes while taking shooting victim to hospital.

Dead: Last survivor of the Titanic.

Health: Wet earwax and bad B.O. signal breast cancer risk.

D'oh: "Survivor" contestant dies of heart attack.

Lame: AIG trying to seize back its charitable grants to pay big bonuses.

Tech: Researchers design software that can help anyone create endless, original music based on emotions.

Dead: Dom DeLuise.

From Newsday:

Actor Dom DeLuise, who starred in such comedy classics as "The Cannonball Run" and "Blazing Saddles," died at a Los Angeles hospital Monday night, his son Michael DeLuise confirmed Tuesday. DeLuise's death was first reported by TMZ.com.

The Brooklyn-born DeLuise, 75, may best be known for his role in "Fatso" where he played a man constantly struggling with his weight until he meets his dream girl.

"Dom always made everyone feel better when he was around," actor Burt Reynolds said in a statement to Entertainment Tonight. "I never heard him say an unkind word about anyone. I will miss him very much."

Reynolds starred with DeLuise in several movies, most notably as fake ambulance drivers in "The Cannonball Run," an early 1980s cult comedy classic.

Dead: Marilyn Chambers.

Pre-Internet, Marilyn Chambers soft core on Skinemax changed my life. R.I.P. From KTLA:

Famed adult film star Marilyn Chambers was found dead in her home in the Canyon Country area, authorities said today.

L.A. County Sheriff's investigators tell KTLA that the 56-year-old actress was discovered Sunday night just before 9p.m. by her daughter McKenna in a mobile home in the 16000 block of Vasquez Canyon Road.

Chambers, whose real name was Marilyn Ann Taylor, had been living at the Canyon Country location for the past several months.

No cause of death was given, but investigators say foul play is not suspected.

An autopsy is planned.

Chambers broke into the porn industry by appearing in the 1972 film "Behind the Green Door," which was the first widely released pornographic film in the United States.

Dead: Dungeons & Dragons co-creator.

First Gygax, now Arneson. This is why you should always choose the white mage class. From FOX News:

Dave Arneson, one of the co-creators of the fantasy game Dungeons and Dragons, died after a two-year battle with cancer. He was 61.

Arneson's daughter says he died peacefully Tuesday night in hospice care in St. Paul, Minn.

Arneson and Gary Gygax developed Dungeons & Dragons in 1974 using medieval characters and mythical creatures.

The game known for its oddly shaped dice became a hit, particularly among teenage boys. It eventually was turned into video games, books and movies.

Angels pitcher killed in hit-and-run.

Tragic... From Huffington Post:

TMZ reports that 22-year-old Los Angeles Angels rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart was killed in a hit-and-run car accident early Thursday morning — just hours after pitching six shutout innings against the Oakland A's:

Cops say someone driving a minivan blew through a red light and hit the Mitsubishi that Adenhart was riding in. Three people were killed in the crash, including Nick.

Cops say the person driving the van fled the scene -- but was later caught and charged with felony hit-and-run.

We're told one of the other men killed in the crash was also affiliated with the Angels organization.

Coozer-Bits.

Hero: Man has ultra rare and mysterious ability to remember everything.

Sad: Rats being evicted from Rat Island.

Duh: China athletes faked their age.

Yipes: Brain decline begins at age 27.

D'oh: Woman drugs boss' coffee so he'll "chill."

Dead: Ron Silver. So much for a Heat Vision and Jack reunion.

Tech: Man used Google Earth to locate historic buildings, strip them of valuable materials.

Politics: El Salvador votes for former guerrilla leader as prez.

Creepy: Brain scans can read memories.

Lame: Children are the future.... too bad they'll destroy it with their carbon footprint.

Dorky: Sci Fi Channel changing name to SyFy. (Ugh.)

Coozer-Bits.

Lame: Iraq shoe-thrower gets 3 years.

PSA: Retractable dog leashes can sever fingers, blind you.

Duh: Gwyneth Paltrow is better than you.

Sad: 26 students killed in Chicago so far this school year.

WTF: North Carolina barely penalizes businesses for dangerous child labor violations.

Lame: Black soccer star swarmed by police after looking at jewelry display.

Health: Kombucha tea: cure-all?

Booze: Illegal vodka accounts for half of all vodka sales in Russia.

Dorky: Illinois makes Pluto a planet again for a day, because they have nothing better to do.

Local: NYC cops behaving badly cost taxpayers $35 million.

Sad: Doctors Without Borders workers kidnapped in Darfur.

Dead: Billionaire philanthropist Leonore Annenberg.

D'oh: Power tool sex toy lands woman in the hospital. (Warning - this will make you queasy.)

Politics: Saudi Arabia and Egypt try to persuade Syria away from hanging out with Iran.

Sad: Crocodile decapitates girl paddling to school.

Hero: 101-year-old man wrestles robber.

WTF: British woman living in Dubai jailed over a cup of tea.

Sad: Retiring shuttle may doom 35,000+ space jobs.

Hero: Dog takes mighty stand against developers.

Awesome: Tax havens draw heightened scrutiny.