When I posted 2009’s list, my friend Michael asked me, “Does this mean there’s going to a Best Deaths list?” Speaking of which, an early favorite for best death in 2011: the Indianapolis Colts.Dennis Hopper. A friend of mine was once filming a scene at the bottom of a hilly neighborhood in Malibu. Dennis Hopper pulled up, and threw a shitfit because he wasn’t allowed to drive through. My friend was convinced that Dennis a) must have been on the way to his drug dealer, and b) after appearing in 200+ movies, should have known better.
Gary Coleman. Make fun of him all you like, but if you aren’t spending years on a hit sitcom, only to have your parents run off with all your money, forcing you to become a non-threatening mall guard who then gets into some sort of a sham marriage with a crazy redhead, you ain’t living.
Brittany Murphy. No bigger tragedy than a hot chick dying young. I loved Brittany’s voiceover gig as Hank Hill’s niece Luanne on “King of the Hill.” My favorite Luanne line, in which she described her upbringing: “Mama's in jail. She was savin' a quart of beer for before bed, and Daddy threw it out, and she went after him with a fork, and the trailer tipped over, and everything turned upside down, and it's all gonna be on 'Real Stories of the Highway Patrol.'”
Corey Haim. While at the same party as Corey a few years ago, my friend Ian was catching up with a friend of his. Ian turned to Corey, and asked if he had a pen. “Sure,” Corey said with a smile, “I’ll give you an autograph.” “No!” Ian barked at him. “I just want to write down a phone number.”
Peter Graves. I blogged about Peter (and Corey Haim) just after they died. Check it out here.
Robert Culp. He lived a block from where I go to casting workshops, and my dream was to bump into him and talk his ear off about “The Greatest American Hero.” Bucket list unfulfilled.
Tom Bosley. Mr. C. (and Father Dowling) was a Jew. That’s mad skills.
Leslie Nielsen. For me, nothing beats being funny while always maintaining a straight face. It’s the biggest reason I love dogs.
John Forsythe. I read that John earned $5 million just for doing the voice of Charlie in the two Charlie’s Angels films. And that, ladies and gentleman, is how you can afford a $17,500 bottle of champagne.
