R.I.P. CELEBRITY DEATHS 2020(NON WRESTLERS)

[jimsteel]

SOUMITRA CHATTERJEE, LEGEND OF INDIAN CINEMA, DIES AT 85
Soumitra Chatterjee, the legendary Indian actor with more than 200 movies to his name and famed for his work with Oscar-winning director Satyajit Ray, has died of complications from the coronavirus

[Bazzy]

Eric Hall business and football agent (players believed to include Tim Sherwood , Neil Razor Ruddock , Paul Walsh , Dennis Wise , Robbie Savage etc) has died aged 73 . Was also publicist for EMI records in 1970s . Was also a radio DJ for many radio stations .

[jimsteel]

'MasterChef Junior' star and Gary-native Ben Watkins, dead at 14

Ben, 14, a native of Gary, Indiana, died on Monday while undergoing treatment for a soft tissue tumor at Chicago's Lurie Children's Hospital.

The aspiring cook was diagnosed with the rare illness, called Angiomatoid Fibrous Histiocytoma, just days after his 13th birthday, according to a statement that was previously shared on behalf of Ben's grandmother and uncle on a GoFundMe campaign named #Love4Ben.

According to the statement, Ben was one of only six people in the world diagnosed with the illness.

[TTX]

so sad to hear. RIP.

[jimsteel]

Bobby Brown's Son Bobby Jr. Dead at 28

A source close to the family tells TMZ Bobby Jr. was found dead Wednesday in his home in the L.A. area. Police are still at the house, and our sources tell us, at this point, they do not believe there was foul play involved.

It's another horrific tragedy for the singer and his family to endure. Bobby Jr.'s half-sister Bobbi Kristina died when she was just 22 years old after she was found lifeless in the bathtub of her Georgia home.

She was on life support for several months before she passed in July 2015. The coroner determined Bobbi Kristina's cause of death was drowning in the tub while she had toxic levels of cocaine and alcohol in her system.

It was an eerily similar death to her mother, Whitney Houston, who had died 3 years earlier from an accidental overdose while in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Jr. is one of Bobby's seven children. He was 13 when he, along with Bobbi Kristina, appeared on the family's short-lived Bravo reality show, "Being Bobby Brown."

His mother is Kim Ward, who Bobby dated off and on for 11 years before he got engaged to Whitney.

[jimsteel]

Kirby Morrow, voice actor from Gundam Wing, Dragon Ball Z, and Inuyasha at 47

As reported by The Wrap, actor Kirby Morrow—whose list of voice credits is truly staggering—has died. No cause of death has been given, but a representative for Morrow did confirm the news. Among his lengthy of list of credits are memorable runs on the English dubs of Gundam Wing and Inuyasha, where he played the soft-spoken pilot Trowa Barton and the playfully creepy traveling monk Miroku (respectively), as well as appearances as Goku in the later episodes of the original “Ocean” dub of Dragon Ball Z. He also had a recurring role as Dave Kleinman on Stargate Atlantis and recently reprised his role as Miroku in the Inuyasha sequel series Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon. Morrow was 47.

Morrow also played Cole throughout the Lego Ninjago series, Anakin Skywalker in some Lego Star Wars projects, Cyclops in X-Men: Evolution, Tony Stark in Ultimate Wolverine Vs. Hulk and Eternals, Billy Katagiri in Gundam 00, Hot Shot on Transformers: Cybertron, Van in the Ocean dub of Escaflowne and Rey Za Burel in Gundam Seed Destiny. He also popped up on Arrow and Supergirl, and wrote and directed a comedy short called The Boxing Day Classic. That, again, is on top of truly iconic and unforgettable performances in Inuyasha and Gundam Wing, with his stoic Trowa voice possibly capturing Gundam’s core message about the misery of war better than any other actor in the whole decades-long franchise.

[jimsteel]

Herb Solow, Producer Who Sold ‘Star Trek’ to NBC, Dies at 89

Herbert F. Solow, a longtime television executive who pitched the original “Star Trek” series to NBC while he was at Desilu Studios, along with “Mission Impossible” and “Mannix,” died on Thursday, his wife, Dr. Harrison Solow, confirmed. He was 89.

In later years, he and his wife wrote several books on the “Star Trek” series, including “Inside Star Trek: The Real Story” and “The Star Trek Sketchbook.”

Solow was brought in by Lucille Ball after her divorce from Desi Arnaz to help revive Desilu Studios, where he helped develop and sell “Star Trek” to NBC — after CBS originally turned it down because it already had “Lost in Space” — as well as “Mission: Impossible” and “Mannix” to CBS.

Solow helped guide “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry on their pitch to the network, and continued to champion the series until Ball herself got behind the effort.

Solow told the publication Carpe Articulum that he came up with the idea of presenting the story as a flashback. “I made a key change whereby we treated every episode, the whole series, as a flashback and invented Star Date,” he said. “A flashback is very interesting. People become kind of relaxed with the characters and the story knowing what they were watching had already happened. We’re not dealing with the future, absolutely not, we’re dealing with telling a story from the past. The Captain’s Log setup each show. Bottom-line, telling the story from the past was a huge plus.”

He also helped persuade Roddenberry that Spock should retain the pointed ears, but lose the devilish long tail and red face.

Born in New York, Solow started out at William Morris, then joined NBC in New York, where he established the international television sales division. After moving to Los Angeles, he oversaw development and production for NBC’s syndicated programs and created the series “Boots and Saddles.”

He had a stint in daytime programming at CBS, where he oversaw shows such as “Art Linkletter’s House Party,” before rejoining NBC, where he worked with Grant Tinker and supervised production of “Let’s Make a Deal.”

After Gulf & Western purchased Desilu, Solow left to become VP of worldwide television production at MGM, which had gotten out of the television business. Solow revived the TV arm, developing shows including “Then Came Bronson,” “Medical Center” and “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father,” and sold all three in the same week to the three networks.

At MGM, he went on to serve as VP of worldwide motion picture and television production, and headed MGM’s Culver City studios and the Borehamwood studios in England, working with directors including Robert Altman, Blake Edwards and David Lean.

Solow produced the MGM documentary feature “Elvis: That’s the Way It Was,” working closely with the singer.

He segued into independent production, writing and producing television movies and working with comedian Don Rickles. Then as a VP at Hanna-Barbera, he produced live-action productions such as “Man From Atlantis.”

[jimsteel]

Voice Actress Hikari Yono Passes Away at 46

Yono has played numerous supporting roles in anime since 2001, including Mother Okojo in Shiawase Sou no Okojo-san, Tamura-sensei in Ultra Maniac, Obecitus in Tweeny Witches, Samui in Naruto, Fukuko Yanagisawa in JAPAN, Our Homeland, and Rumiko in Hal. She also provided the voice of Kaolinite in Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal: Season III, and provided narration for the recent BURN THE WITCH anime.

nime fans will know Hikari Yoko for roles like Samui in Naruto and Kaolinite in season three of Sailor Moon Crystal. She also provided narration for the new BURN THE WITCH anime, and has many credits in the world of Japanese dubs for the Harry Potter series, Star Trek: Discovery, and more.

[jimsteel]

Jake Scott, Miami Dolphins legend and Super Bowl MVP, dies at 75

Jake Scott, an All-Pro safety on the Miami Dolphins’ championship teams and MVP of the Super Bowl that capped the 17-0 season in 1972, has died.

Scott, 75, died after injuring his head in a fall about a week ago.

Long before Dan Marino made No. 13 a special number for the Dolphins, Scott wore it while earning Pro Bowl honors five consecutive times and making two interceptions in the 14-7 victory against Washington in Super Bowl VII to complete The Perfect Season.

Scott then had two fumble recoveries in the next Super Bowl, a 24-7 win against the Minnesota Vikings.

Scott remains one of the greatest draft picks in team history, arriving via the seventh round of the 1970 draft out of Georgia and quickly proving there really weren’t 158 players worthy of being selected before him.

In 2010, Scott joined his old Bulldogs teammate, defensive end Bill Stanfill, in the Dolphins Honor Roll at Hard Rock Stadium.

Scott’s presence at the ceremony was a sight many members of the 1972 team thought they’d never see.

In 1976, Scott was traded to Washington after a falling out with coach Don Shula. For decades, he refused to participate in the Dolphins' alumni activities, the lone notable missing face in the crowd.

Scott was content to be off by himself in Hawaii — or so it seemed.

“Coach Shula and I had our differences, but time heals all wounds,” Scott once said.

A brief meeting between Shula and Scott at a card show in Virginia in the spring of 2010 led to a thawing in the divide.

When Scott walked into an interview room at the stadium for a news conference before his enshrinement in the Dolphins Honor Roll, Shula rose to greet him.

“How you doing, pal?” Shula said. “Good to see you.”

Scott had joined Dick Anderson to form the greatest safety tandem in Dolphins history. Anderson was the league’s defensive player of the year in 1973.

Scott appeared in 84 games for the Dolphins and made 35 interceptions. He remains the team’s all-time leader in that category, having grabbed one more interception than Anderson.

Scott was at his best in the biggest games, recording seven takeaways (four interceptions and three fumble recoveries) in 11 playoff games for Miami.

In 1972, he led the NFL with 318 return yards on 33 punts (a 9.6 average). He is the Dolphins’ all-time leader in punt-return yards with 1,330.

Scott was born July 20, 1945, in Greenwood, South Carolina. He grew up in Athens, Georgia, but played high school ball in Arlington, Virginia. He led the Georgia Bulldogs in interceptions in 1967 and ’68 and made All-SEC both years. In 2011, he made the College Football Hall of Fame.

[TDalton]

That's at least three members of the perfect 1972 Dolphins team that have passed away in 2020 (coach Don Shula & running back Jim Kiick). Between that historic Miami team and MLB Hall of Fame, the sports world has just been decimated this year.