Here is my
tribute to 15 people who are no longer with us.
Whitney Houston (Music) – Died 11
February
American
music was left mourning by the death of Whitney Houston on the eve of the
Grammy Awards. Houston was a major voice
of the 1980s and early 1990s, selling over 86 million copies worldwide of her
first four albums.
Some of her
most powerful music included ‘I Will Always Love You’ and ‘One Moment in Time.’
Sadly, drugs
and drink addiction plagued her career in later years and she died in February,
with the official cause being accidental drowning.
Her legacy
was tarnished in recent times, but her strong voice is missed by many on a
global scale.
Frank Carson (Comedian) – Died 22
February
One of
Northern Ireland’s prodigal sons died in February at the age of 85.
Frank Carson
was a fantastic comedian and actor in his time, and was associated best with
his roles in Tiswas and The Comedians.
One of his
best catchphrases was ‘It’s a cracker.’
He made his impact in grand style in a period where comedy was at its
peak.
Vidal Sassoon (Empire magnet) – Died 9
May
The world of
women’s hairstyling was changed totally by Vidal Sassoon.
His
international empire of hair-products changed the way many females went about
styling, producing the famous catchphrase ‘If you don’t look good, we don’t
look good.’
He also wrote
books and starred in several television commercials in the 1980s.
Having been
diagnosed with leukaemia in 2009, Sassoon passed away in Los Angeles in the
springtime, aged 84.
He
revolutionised this industry and made himself to be a major success story.
Donna Summer (Music) – Died 17 May
Singer and
songwriter Donna Summer was a brave soul, who battled cancer valiantly for the
past year until her death in May at the age of 63.
She was often
known as ‘Queen of Disco’ in the 1970s; a decade when dance music often led the
way in the charts.
Summer had
hits such as ‘Love to Love You Baby,’ ‘Last Dance,’ and ‘Winter Melody.’
Sir Alastair Burnet (Broadcasting) –
Died 20 July
Sir Alastair
Burnet was one of the most familiar faces in news broadcasting throughout the
1970s and 1980s.
He had spells
as the editor of the Daily Express and The Economist, but his best and most
distinguished work was with ITN as the main presenter of News at Ten for 18
years.
He retired in
1991 and after several strokes in the last decade, quietly passed away in July
at the age of 84.
BBC
journalist Andrew Neil called Burnet ‘Britain’s greatest broadcaster,’ and it
is hard to argue with that.
Sally Ride (Space Exploration) – Died
23 July
Astrophysicist
Sally Ride made history in 1983 when she became the first American woman in
space.
She was part
of the crew on the space shuttle Challenger and became an experienced astronaut
with NASA afterwards.
Ride lost her
battle with pancreatic cancer in the summer, aged 61.
Sid Waddell (Commentator) – Died 11
August
 |
| Sid Waddell was the passionate 'Voice of Darts.' |
There is no
doubt that Sid Waddell was the ‘Voice of Darts.’ He was as iconic to this as John Motson is to
football, Richie Benaud to cricket and Murray Walker to motorsport.
He worked for
Granada, Yorkshire and the BBC, before joining Sky Sports in 1994. He published several books and commentated on
many of Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor’s victories during his domination of the sport.
A day after
his 72nd birthday, Sid succumbed to bowel cancer. He had still been working for Sky only a
couple of months before his death.
From 2013,
the PDC World Darts Championship trophy will be renamed as the Sid Waddell
trophy. This is a fitting tribute to one
of sport’s most iconic commentators.
Tony Scott (Film director) – Died 19
August
Tony Scott
took his own life in Los Angeles on 19 August, sending shockwaves through the
film industry.
The English
film director was the brother of Ridley Scott, also a famous director and
producer of box office blockbusters.
He was best
known for his roles in directing smash hits True Romance and Top Gun.
Neil Armstrong (Space exploration) –
Died 25 August
There are
many words that can sum up the work of Neil Armstrong. For me, the words spring to mind include
pioneer, innovator, legendary and experienced.
On 20 July,
1969, Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon, an event watched by
millions across the universe.
His words on
the surface of ‘That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,’
have gone down in folklore.
He served in
the Korean War in the 1950s and also led the investigation into the Challenger
space shuttle disaster of 1986.
After
undergoing a heart bypass operation, Armstrong died of complications on 25
August at the age of 82.
His impact on
both space exploration and the world we live in today though will never be
forgotten.
Max Bygraves (Performer and comedian)
– Died 31 August
Max Bygraves
was a familiar figure on our television screens throughout the 1960s, 1970s and
1980s.
He made 20
appearances at the Royal Variety Performance and performed plenty of comedy
sketches and songs on his own television shows.
He was also
one of the first hosts of Family Fortunes and not many will forget the episode
with the regular references to ‘Turkey,’ in the final round.
Bygraves died
at the end of August in Australia after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
He was one of
the leaders in the variety entertainment sector and always produced a laugh for
his many fans.
Professor Sid Watkins (Medical and
motorsport) – Died 12 September
English neurosurgeon
Professor Sid Watkins did a massive amount for the world of Formula One,
improving the safety levels beyond recognition on this fast and dangerous
sport.
Affectionally
known in the Grand Prix fraternity as ‘Prof,’ Watkins was the first paramedic
on the scene of Ayrton Senna’s fatal accident in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix
at Imola.
His
determination to improve safety, which has included structured crash tests, the
mandatory introduction of the HANS system for drivers and top of the range
medical facilities, have meant there has not been a single fatality in the
sport since Senna’s death.
He was the
FIA medic at all events from 1978 to 2004 and was appointed Head of Safety at
the FIA in 2005; a role he held for six years.
Watkins was a
guest of honour at this year’s British Grand Prix, but he died in September
after a short illness at the King Edward VII Hospital in London.
Formula One
and the world of medical science have a lot to thank Professor Sid Watkins for
over the past 35 years.
Brian Woolnough (Journalism) – Died 18
September
Known in
sport journalism circles as ‘Woolly,’ Brian Woolnough was one of the most
respected writers in the industry.
He was the
Chief Sports writer for tabloid newspaper the Daily Star, and also had a
successful spell previous to this with the Daily Mirror.
It wasn’t
just his writing skills that made him popular and remembered it was his
presenting skills too.
Woolnough was
the presenter of the Sunday Supplement for Sky Sports from 2007 until earlier
this year and also hosted Hold the Back Page for the corporation.
You couldn’t
say a bad word about Brian Woolnough and he fought bowel cancer in the same
integrity and dignity he had as one of the leading sport journalists of this
country.
He died on 18
September and as the tributes flowed in, it became clear how much an impact he
had on the journalistic world, which has gone through some troubled times in
recent years.
Bill Tarmey (Television actor) – Died
9 November
Bill Tarmey
was the heartbeat of ITV serial drama Coronation Street for over three decades.
He played the
character Jack Duckworth on the cobbles, first appearing in Weatherfield in
1979 and returning in 1983 on a full-time basis.
He was part
of the great double act Jack and Vera, played by Liz Dawn. Much-loved by all in television, the former
singer decided to leave Corrie in 2010 due to ill health.
He passed
away in Tenerife in November at the age of 71.
Farewell Jack, everyone will have a pint for you in the Rovers Return
this Christmas.
Larry Hagman (Television actor) – Died
23 November
Another
legendary television actor passed away from the world in November, as Larry
Hagman succumbed to complications of cancer at the age of 81.
Hagman’s most
recognised role was on the primetime drama Dallas, which gripped in the UK in
the 1970s and early 1980s.
Like
Neighbours and Home & Away afterwards, Dallas became a popular programme
for the British viewers and Hagman played the evil oil tycoon JR Ewing.
The ‘Who Shot
JR’ plot of 1980 is still known as one of television’s greatest ever ‘Who
Dunnit’ mysteries.
After a guest
role on plastic surgery drama Nip/Tuck in 2006, Hagman reprised his role as JR
in the reincarnation of Dallas earlier this year.
He had a
popular charm around him and the second new series of Dallas next year will
feel odd without his presence.
Sir Patrick Moore (Astronomy) – Died 9
December
Author of
over 70 books on astronomy, Sir Patrick Moore was a familiar face in the field
and was presenter of the world’s longest-running television series with the
same original presenter.
The BBC’s The
Sky at Night won’t be the same without him, and nor will the astronomical
world.
Former president of the British
Astronomical Association, Moore did what he could to make it a popular field
and he certainly managed to achieve this.
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