R.I.P. Celebrities(Non Wrestlers) 2022

[jimsteel]

Keith Ortega, a former NFL wide receiver and kick returner, passed away at the age of 58. Ortega was a graduate of Mcneese State, where he starred in football and was inducted into their athletic hall of fame. He signed a free agent contract with the Chicago Bears in 1985 and was primarily used as a kick returner on their Super Bowl winning team. He played with the Bears from 1985-1987 and appeared in a total of 31 games.

[jimsteel]

Steve Poole, a former NFL linebacker, passed away at the age of 67 on February 25th, 2022, at the age of 67. Poole played college football at the University of Tennessee and upon graduation he was signed as undrafted free agent by the New York Jets. He played 9 games for the Jets in 1976. The following is text from his online obituary: "Steve lived the majority of his childhood in Fort Oglethorpe and attended Lakeview High School. Steve then accepted a football scholarship with the University of Tennessee, where he was a starting linebacker for the Volunteers from 1973 – 1975. Steve then went on to play for the New York Jets in 1976

[jimsteel]

Fred Lasher, a former MLB pitcher, passed away at the age of 80

Before 1960 Season he was signed by the Washington Senators as an amateur free agent. He played in the minors for several seasons when, on April 14th, 1963, he made his MLB debut with the Twins. Having been sent back down to the minors after 11 games in 1963 Lasher was drafted by the Detroit Tigers from the Twins on November 29, 1966, in the 1966 minor league draft. He made 95 appearances as a pitcher for the Tigers from 1967-1970 and along the way pitched in the 1968 World Series and won a ring. On May 22, 1970, he was traded by the Detroit Tigers to the Cleveland Indians for Russ Nagelson and Billy Rohr. He pitched in 43 games for the Cleveland Indians during the remainder of the 1970 season. On November 30, 1970 he again was on the move as he was drafted by the California Angels from the Cleveland Indians in the 1970 rule 5 draft. He saw little action with the Angels and was again sent down to the minors and was released by the Angels just prior to the start of the 1971 season.

[jimsteel]

John Stahl Dies: ‘Game Of Thrones’ And Theater Actor Was 68

John Stahl, who played Rickard Karstark on two early seasons of HBO’s Game of Thrones, has died, his agent has confirmed. He was 68 and died on March 2.

Stahl’s Karstark character in Seasons 2 and 3 of Game of Thrones saw him take over the role from actor Steven Blount. Several of Stahl’s key scenes were shared with Richard Madden as the Houses of Karstark and Stark moved from being allies to sworn enemies.

Prior to his appearance in the show, Stahl was best known for playing Tom “Inverdarroch” Kerr in the long-running Scottish soap opera Take the High Road. The actor appeared in the show from 1982 until the end of its run in 2003.

His agent Amanda Fitzalan Howard released a statement, describing Stahl as “an actor of remarkable skill and a stalwart of Scottish theatre”.

She added: “He died on the [Scottish] Isle of Lewis on March 2 2022 and is survived by his wife, Jane Paton.”

In a career lasting more than 30 years, Stahl studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, before appearing in numerous Scottish stage productions. He also worked at The Royal Shakespeare Company and The National Theatre in London. More recently, he appeared in the TV show Being Human.

[jimsteel]

Terry Cooney, a former MLB umpire, passed away at the age of 88.

Cooney was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the American League from 1974 to 1992; he wore uniform number 12. He officiated in the 1981 World Series, three American League Championship Series (1978, 1986 and 1990) and two All-Star Games (1979, 1989). Cooney was a prison guard in 1960s and was encouraged by an inmate to go to umpire school. The inmate had seen an ad during a Game of the Week telecast promoting a professional umpire school in Florida. Cooney successfully made it through school and worked his way to the majors towards the end of the 1974 campaign. Cooney was an American League umpire until an errant pitch from Frank Tanana hit him on the knee, and effectively ended his career as an umpire on September 19, 1992.

[jimsteel]

Denroy Morgan, Reggae Veteran And Father Of Morgan Heritage, Dead At 76

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Dan Kearns, a former CFL defensive lineman who passed away at the age of 65. Kearns was selected by the Edmonton Eskimos with the 18th pick in the 1980 CFL Draft. He played for the Eskimos from 1980 to 1988, winning the Grey Cup four times. In 1989 he signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and played 4 games before retiring from the CFL.

Kearns battled pancreatic cancer prior to his death.

[jimsteel]

Actress Lynda Baron known for Open All Hours role Nurse Gladys Emmanuel dies aged 82

[TTX]

RIP

[jimsteel]

Roy Winston, a former NFL linebacker, passed away at 81. Winston was a linebacker in the National Football League for the Minnesota Vikings from 1962-1976.

Roy Winston graduated from Louisiana State University, where he was a standout offensive guard and linebacker in the 10–7 LSU victory over arch-rival Ole Miss in 1961. Following the season, he was named a unanimous All-American as LSU finished as Southeastern Conference co-champion with Alabama. LSU finished the regular season 9-1 and ranked fourth in the polls, then defeated Colorado 25-7 in the Orange Bowl.

He was drafted in the fourth round of the 1962 NFL Draft by the Vikings, for whom he played until he retired after the 1976 season. During that time, he was one of 11 players to play in all four of the Vikings Super Bowl appearances (Super Bowl IV, Super Bowl VIII, Super Bowl IX, Super Bowl XI). Winston started the first three Viking Super Bowls at left (strong side) linebacker; by time the Vikings reached Super Bowl XI, he was a reserve, replaced in the starting lineup by Matt Blair. Winston's counterpart at right (weak side) linebacker, Wally Hilgenberg, also played in all four Viking Super Bowls, as did fellow defenders Carl Eller, Alan Page, Jim Marshall and Paul Krause.

Winston delivered one of the most devastating tackles ever filmed. In a game against the Miami Dolphins in 1972, fullback Larry Csonka circled out into the flat to catch a pass. Just as he caught the pass, Winston hit him from behind with such force that the 240-pound Csonka was nearly cut in half. The tackle was so grotesque it was shown on The Tonight Show. Csonka dropped the ball and rolled on the field in agony. He thought his back was broken and literally crawled off the field (he was not seriously injured, however). After their respective retirements from the NFL, Winston and Csonka remained close friends. Csonka invited Winston to be his guest when Csonka was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.