WhiteCrowUK
05-15-2005, 03:58 PM
An interesting list of people who've died onstage/on TV ...
http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/onstage.htm
What follows is a quick romp through a growing list of those who died in the blaze of the footlights or on camera, or who were rumored to have met the Grim Reaper there.
Moliere (died 21 February 1673)
This French playwright and actor-manager collapsed during the fourth performance of his newly penned Le Malade Imaginaire (The Hypochondriac). Overwhelmed by a coughing fit, he was carried to his home in the Rue de Richelieu, Paris, where he died.
Felix Mottl (died 2 July 1911)
This Austrian conductor died in Munich at the age of 55 while conducting Act II of Wagner's Tristan and Isolde.
Alexander Woolcott (died 23 January 1943)
During a radio show (a round table discussion with four others on Hitlerism), Woolcott suffered a heart attack at 7:15 p.m. and died in hospital four hours later. Hundreds of people tuned into the show were unaware anything was amiss. Indeed, listeners reported that the writer, known for his incisive and sometimes stinging comments, seemed to have taken less than his usual part in the broadcast.
Johnny Ace (died 25 December 1954)
Rhythm and blues recording star Johnny Ace died during a show he was giving in Houston, but did so offstage. During a five minute break, the singer was amusing himself with a game of Russian Roulette (one bullet in the chamber). He lost.
Tyrone Power (died 15 November 1958)
Tyrone Power suffered a heart attack during the filming of a fencing scene in Solomon and Sheba in Madrid, Spain. He died only minutes after being loaded into an ambulance.
Harry Einstein (died 24 November 1958)
As famed comedian Parkyakarkus, Harry Einstein expired while performing at a Friars Club roast for Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. He collapsed onto Milton Berle's shoulder.
Eduard van Beinum (died 13 April 1959)
Chief conductor at the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, van Beinum was taken ill after rehearsing the first two movements of a Brahms symphony, and died immediately after stepping off the podium aged 58.
Leonard Warren (died 4 March 1960)
Just after he completed his second-act aria in Verdi's La Forza del Destino (The Force of Destiny) at the New York's Metropolitan Opera, Warren plunged face-forward onto the stage. The curtain was rung down, and it was announced a half hour later the singer had died of a massive stroke.
Paul Mantz (died 8 July 1965)
This aviation pioneer and legendary movie stunt pilot died in Yuma, Arizona, during the filming of The Flight Of The Phoenix. As three motion picture cameras ground away, his plane hit a small sand dune, overturned and disintegrated. Though semi-retired from stunt work, Mantz was covering for his partner, Frank Tallman, who'd six weeks earlier broken his leg pushing his son's go-cart.
Nelson Eddy (died 6 March 1967)
This famous actor and singer suffered a fatal stroke while performing onstage at the Doral Country Club in Miami at age 65. He died in hospital the next day.
Joseph Keilberth (died 20 July 1968)
This 60-year-old conductor died at the National Theatre in Munich while leading Tristan and Isolde.
George Ostroska (died January 1970)
While playing the lead in Macbeth at the Crawford Livingston Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota, Ostroska dropped dead of a heart attack at the beginning of the second act. He was 32.
David Burns (died March 12 1971)
This 70-year-old actor died onstage of a heart attack during a performance of 70 Girls 70 in Philadelphia.
Jerome Rodale (died 5 June 1971)
In a New York Times Magazine interview, this 72-year-old longevity guru announced, "I'm going to live to be 100, unless I'm run down by a sugar-crazed taxi driver." A guest on the Dick Cavett Show the next day, while Cavett was discussing politics with journalist Pete Hamill, Rodale's head dropped to his chest and he was heard to let out what sounded like a snore. "Are we boring you, Mr. Rodale?" asked Cavett. There was no response -- Rodale was dead. The show was never broadcast.
Leslie Harvey (died 3 May 1972)
The lead guitarist of the Glasgow band Stone the Crows died after being electrocuted onstage at Swansea's Top Rank Ballroom.
Irene Ryan (died 26 April 1973)
Best known as "Granny" on TV's Beverly Hillbillies, this spritely 71-year-old suffered a stroke while performing in the Broadway musical Pippin and died six weeks later.
Carl Barnett (died 23 April 1974)
This 59-year-old expired of a heart attack while conducting Bach's Come, Sweet Death at the Will Rogers High School in Tulsa. It was his first and last performance of that piece.
Chris Chubbuck (died 15 July 1974)
Some people will do anything for a scoop. When a technical problem interfered with the orderly presentation of a story on her morning news show, this 30-year-old news anchor announced, "In keeping with Channel 40's policy of bringing you the latest in blood and guts and in living color, you are going to see another first -- attempted suicide." She then drew a revolver and shot herself in the head. Chubbuck expired 14 hours later in hospital.
Sid James (died 26 April 1976)
Best known for his Carry On roles, the grand old man of dirty laughter collapsed onstage at the Sunderland Empire during a performance of The Mating Game and died in hospital shortly thereafter. He'd suffered a heart attack.
Cyril Ritchard (died 19 December 1977)
This 83-year-old actor suffered a heart attack during a 25 November 1977 performance in Chicago of the musical Side By Side, causing him to slip into a coma from which he never recovered.
Karl Wallenda (died 22 March 1978)
This famed aerialist died at age 73 while attempting to walk a wire suspended 123 feet in the air between two hotels in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Bill Stewart (died 20 June 1979)
While attempting to film war destruction in Nicaragua, this ABC television news correspondent and his interpreter, Juan Espinosa, were executed by a National Guard soldier. Surviving members of the ABC crew managed to catch the murder on tape, and the footage was later shown on news broadcasts.
Arnold Soboloff (died 28 October 1979)
This 48-year-old actor suffered a heart attack during a New York City performance of Peter Pan.
Vic Morrow (died 23 July 1982)
In Hollywood's most infamous on-set tragedy, Vic Morrow and two child actors in Twilight Zone, The Movie were killed when struck by a helicopter during the late-night filming of a mock Vietnam battle scene in Valencia, California. All exposed film was immediately seized, but some eventually made its way into the 1992 compilation film Death Scenes 2.
Jackie Wilson (died 23 January 1984)
Eight years after collapsing on stage during a performance and slipping into a coma, this singer died. He'd been felled in Cherry Hill, N.J. on 25 September 1975 while touring with Dick Clark's touring rock-'n'-roll revival. Though Wilson emerged from the coma a year later, treatment in medical facilities failed to restore his health.
http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/onstage.htm
What follows is a quick romp through a growing list of those who died in the blaze of the footlights or on camera, or who were rumored to have met the Grim Reaper there.
Moliere (died 21 February 1673)
This French playwright and actor-manager collapsed during the fourth performance of his newly penned Le Malade Imaginaire (The Hypochondriac). Overwhelmed by a coughing fit, he was carried to his home in the Rue de Richelieu, Paris, where he died.
Felix Mottl (died 2 July 1911)
This Austrian conductor died in Munich at the age of 55 while conducting Act II of Wagner's Tristan and Isolde.
Alexander Woolcott (died 23 January 1943)
During a radio show (a round table discussion with four others on Hitlerism), Woolcott suffered a heart attack at 7:15 p.m. and died in hospital four hours later. Hundreds of people tuned into the show were unaware anything was amiss. Indeed, listeners reported that the writer, known for his incisive and sometimes stinging comments, seemed to have taken less than his usual part in the broadcast.
Johnny Ace (died 25 December 1954)
Rhythm and blues recording star Johnny Ace died during a show he was giving in Houston, but did so offstage. During a five minute break, the singer was amusing himself with a game of Russian Roulette (one bullet in the chamber). He lost.
Tyrone Power (died 15 November 1958)
Tyrone Power suffered a heart attack during the filming of a fencing scene in Solomon and Sheba in Madrid, Spain. He died only minutes after being loaded into an ambulance.
Harry Einstein (died 24 November 1958)
As famed comedian Parkyakarkus, Harry Einstein expired while performing at a Friars Club roast for Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. He collapsed onto Milton Berle's shoulder.
Eduard van Beinum (died 13 April 1959)
Chief conductor at the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, van Beinum was taken ill after rehearsing the first two movements of a Brahms symphony, and died immediately after stepping off the podium aged 58.
Leonard Warren (died 4 March 1960)
Just after he completed his second-act aria in Verdi's La Forza del Destino (The Force of Destiny) at the New York's Metropolitan Opera, Warren plunged face-forward onto the stage. The curtain was rung down, and it was announced a half hour later the singer had died of a massive stroke.
Paul Mantz (died 8 July 1965)
This aviation pioneer and legendary movie stunt pilot died in Yuma, Arizona, during the filming of The Flight Of The Phoenix. As three motion picture cameras ground away, his plane hit a small sand dune, overturned and disintegrated. Though semi-retired from stunt work, Mantz was covering for his partner, Frank Tallman, who'd six weeks earlier broken his leg pushing his son's go-cart.
Nelson Eddy (died 6 March 1967)
This famous actor and singer suffered a fatal stroke while performing onstage at the Doral Country Club in Miami at age 65. He died in hospital the next day.
Joseph Keilberth (died 20 July 1968)
This 60-year-old conductor died at the National Theatre in Munich while leading Tristan and Isolde.
George Ostroska (died January 1970)
While playing the lead in Macbeth at the Crawford Livingston Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota, Ostroska dropped dead of a heart attack at the beginning of the second act. He was 32.
David Burns (died March 12 1971)
This 70-year-old actor died onstage of a heart attack during a performance of 70 Girls 70 in Philadelphia.
Jerome Rodale (died 5 June 1971)
In a New York Times Magazine interview, this 72-year-old longevity guru announced, "I'm going to live to be 100, unless I'm run down by a sugar-crazed taxi driver." A guest on the Dick Cavett Show the next day, while Cavett was discussing politics with journalist Pete Hamill, Rodale's head dropped to his chest and he was heard to let out what sounded like a snore. "Are we boring you, Mr. Rodale?" asked Cavett. There was no response -- Rodale was dead. The show was never broadcast.
Leslie Harvey (died 3 May 1972)
The lead guitarist of the Glasgow band Stone the Crows died after being electrocuted onstage at Swansea's Top Rank Ballroom.
Irene Ryan (died 26 April 1973)
Best known as "Granny" on TV's Beverly Hillbillies, this spritely 71-year-old suffered a stroke while performing in the Broadway musical Pippin and died six weeks later.
Carl Barnett (died 23 April 1974)
This 59-year-old expired of a heart attack while conducting Bach's Come, Sweet Death at the Will Rogers High School in Tulsa. It was his first and last performance of that piece.
Chris Chubbuck (died 15 July 1974)
Some people will do anything for a scoop. When a technical problem interfered with the orderly presentation of a story on her morning news show, this 30-year-old news anchor announced, "In keeping with Channel 40's policy of bringing you the latest in blood and guts and in living color, you are going to see another first -- attempted suicide." She then drew a revolver and shot herself in the head. Chubbuck expired 14 hours later in hospital.
Sid James (died 26 April 1976)
Best known for his Carry On roles, the grand old man of dirty laughter collapsed onstage at the Sunderland Empire during a performance of The Mating Game and died in hospital shortly thereafter. He'd suffered a heart attack.
Cyril Ritchard (died 19 December 1977)
This 83-year-old actor suffered a heart attack during a 25 November 1977 performance in Chicago of the musical Side By Side, causing him to slip into a coma from which he never recovered.
Karl Wallenda (died 22 March 1978)
This famed aerialist died at age 73 while attempting to walk a wire suspended 123 feet in the air between two hotels in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Bill Stewart (died 20 June 1979)
While attempting to film war destruction in Nicaragua, this ABC television news correspondent and his interpreter, Juan Espinosa, were executed by a National Guard soldier. Surviving members of the ABC crew managed to catch the murder on tape, and the footage was later shown on news broadcasts.
Arnold Soboloff (died 28 October 1979)
This 48-year-old actor suffered a heart attack during a New York City performance of Peter Pan.
Vic Morrow (died 23 July 1982)
In Hollywood's most infamous on-set tragedy, Vic Morrow and two child actors in Twilight Zone, The Movie were killed when struck by a helicopter during the late-night filming of a mock Vietnam battle scene in Valencia, California. All exposed film was immediately seized, but some eventually made its way into the 1992 compilation film Death Scenes 2.
Jackie Wilson (died 23 January 1984)
Eight years after collapsing on stage during a performance and slipping into a coma, this singer died. He'd been felled in Cherry Hill, N.J. on 25 September 1975 while touring with Dick Clark's touring rock-'n'-roll revival. Though Wilson emerged from the coma a year later, treatment in medical facilities failed to restore his health.