Aug 13 2009 RIP: Les Paul Has Left The Recording Studio

Les Paul, famed musician and inventor, has passed away.

Les Paul, who invented the solid-body electric guitar later wielded by a legion of rock 'n' roll greats, died Thursday of complications from pneumonia. He was 94.

With Mary Ford, his wife from 1949 to 1962, he earned 36 gold records for hits including "Vaya Con Dios" and "How High the Moon," which both hit No. 1. Many of their songs used overdubbing techniques that Paul had helped develop.

As an inventor, Paul also helped bring about the rise of rock 'n' roll with multitrack recording, which enables artists to record different instruments at different times, sing harmony with themselves, and then carefully balance the tracks in the finished recording.

Wow, talk about changing the face of music. Good lookin', Les. Here's to joining that great jam session in the sky.

R.I.P.

Guitar legend-inventor Les Paul dies at age 94 [yahoonews]

Jun 29 2009 Billy Mays Has Left The Infomercial Set

Billy Mays, a man best known for kicking Vince "Shamwow" Shlomi's ass in a no-holds-barred cagefighting match, died over the weekend following a freak head injury heart blockage. He was 50.

Police said Mays told his wife he didn't feel well when he went to bed Saturday night. Earlier in the day, he said he was hit on the head when his airliner had a rough landing at Tampa Bay's airport.

But the airline said no passengers reported any serious injuries, and Mays himself cheerfully recounted the landing for a local TV station.

Wow, that's pretty scary. Life is short folks, fight stains while you still can.

R.I.P. Billy.

Autopsy planned for TV pitchman Billy Mays [yahoo]

Thanks to everyone who sent this in. Stay clean guys, stay OxiClean.

Jun 26 2009 R.I.P.: Michael Jackson Has Left The Building

Michael Jackson died of cardiac arrest yesterday. He was 50. *performs crotch grab in remembrance* Rest in peace, Michael.

Hit the jump for some video tributes.

Continue Reading " R.I.P.: Michael Jackson Has Left The Building "

Jun 4 2009 UPDATE: David Carradine Found Dead

In case Geekologie is the only site on the interweb you visit (good for you), David Carradine, best known for his role as Shaolin priest Kwai Chang Caine in Kung Fu and Bill in the Kill Bill series, was found dead by alleged hanging in his hotel room in Bangkok. He was 72.

Carradine was in Bangkok to shoot a movie and had been staying at the hotel since Tuesday.

In all, he appeared in more than 100 feature films with such directors as Martin Scorsese, Ingmar Bergman and Hal Ashby. One of his prominent early film roles was as singer Woody Guthrie in Ashby's 1976 biopic "Bound for Glory."

Hi-ya, David, hi-ya. R.I.P.

UPDATE: Hanging was allegedly accidentally and the result of some eroticness gone wrong. Hey, it's how I want to go.

Actor David Carradine found dead in Bangkok [yahoonews]

Thanks to Gem, Rosswell, Steven, Freddy and Matthew, who have all taken the day off to partake in a Kung Fu marathon.

Apr 9 2009 Dungeons & Dragons Co-Creater Passes Away

Dave Arneson, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons (along with Gary Gygax), passed away Tuesday after battling cancer (sadly, something you can't defeat by rolling a die). He was 61.

Arneson was a driving force behind D&D's creation and his contribution to the world of adventure gaming should not be underestimated. It was Arneson's spark that transformed Gygax's game Chainmail into the first edition of D&D, and begat everything that followed.

Arneson had to fight to get credit for his contributions, filing multiple lawsuits (later resolved out-of-court) against Gygax over crediting and royalties. He nonetheless did return to TSR in the mid-'80s to work with Gygax again. Following that, he began a second career as an educator, working in several schools with a particular focus on how to use gaming as an instructional tool.

You will be missed, Dave. *pouring out a little D20* Save a dragon for me.

R.I.P. Dungeons & Dragons Co-Creator Dave Arneson, 1947-2009 [wired]

Thanks to JMR, who once rolled snake-eyes on two D20's like five times in a row.

Apr 1 2009 Guy Dies Playing Wii Fit, Sadly Not April Fools

25-year old England native Tim Eves collapsed and died while playing Wii Fit with his girlfriend and best friend. I am officially never working out again.

Tim Eves was 'jogging' on a Wii Fit games console as Emma Tuck and Lewis Hickin looked on, when he slumped to the floor.

The family were told he could have been killed by Sudden Adult Death Syndrome. Also known as Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndrome, it is a disorder of the electrical system of the heart.

Those with the condition are vulnerable to an abnormal heart rhythm. During exercise the heart may stop pumping out blood, causing the brain to become deprived of blood and sudden death. The condition is estimated to kill 500 people a year.

Well Tim, I hope you're enjoying that great Wii Mii parade in the sky. Rest in peace, buddy.

'Healthy' man, 25, collapses and dies playing Wii Fit game [mailonline]

Thanks to Pat and Nathan, who vow to create public service messages about the inherent risks of exercise.

Mar 19 2009 Aww: Injured Bat Blasts Off For Outerspace

A Free-Tailed Chiroptera bat, believed to have recently injured its wing and shoulder, clung to the foam exterior of the Space Shuttle's fuel tank just before launch on the morning of Sunday, March 15th. And moments later, as the shuttle took off, he became....Space Bat.

*music fades in* I believe I can fly, I believe I can touch the....oh shit -- broken wing, I'm screwed. Quick, I'll just hold on to this thing. Whoa, what was that noise? Oh God, oh God -- WHEEEEEEEEEE!!

Per NASA:

The animal likely perished quickly during Discovery's climb into orbit.

*music abruptly stops* Wow NASA, way to inspire. You know what -- I don't even want to be an astronaut anymore, I want to be a policeman.

This post dedicated to the memory of Space Bat, who reminds us all: Aim for the moon....even if you miss, you'll burn up in the atmosphere.

Tribute video to Space Bat after the jump.

Continue Reading " Aww: Injured Bat Blasts Off For Outerspace "

Jan 15 2009 R.I.P. Ricardo Montalban, Patrick McGoohan

Ricardo Montalban and Patrick McGoohan have both passed away.

Ricardo was best known for his roles as Mr. Roarke on television's Fantasy Island and as Khan, the best Star Trek villain ever. He was 88.

Patrick McGoohan played Number 6 in the 1960's spy/trippy-ass show, The Prisoner. He was 80.

Thankfully, I was raised by parents that exposed me to such movies and shows which, unfortunately at the time, I thought were stupid. Only with older age did I realize the error of my youth and see just how filled with awesome they actually were. Thanks mom and dad -- and R.I.P. Ricardo and Patrick, you will be missed.

Hit the jump for a video of each in action, Ricardo as Khan, and Patrick as Number 6.

Continue Reading " R.I.P. Ricardo Montalban, Patrick McGoohan "

Dec 19 2008 RIP: Majel Roddenberry Passes Away :(

Majel Roddenberry, widow of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and voice of Starfleet computers in every version of Star Trek including the upcoming J.J. Abrams movie, passed away yesterday from complications from pneumonia. She was 76.

Even before she married Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry in 1969, she was integral to Star Trek. She was the original first officer aboard the Enterprise--replaced after the pilot by Leonard Nimoy's Mr. Spock--and reappeared as the faithful Nurse Christine Chapel. When Star Trek: The Next Generation hit airwaves in the late-1980s, Barrett-Roddenberry took the recurring role of Lwaxana Troi--maternal gadfly to the Enterprise's counselor, Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), and romantic thorn to Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). After Gene Roddenberry's death in 1991, Barrett-Roddenberry would eventually shepherd some of his ideas to fruition; she served as the executive producer of Earth: Final Conflict (1997-2002) and Andromeda (2000-2005).

RIP Majel, you will be missed.

Hit the jump for a couple videos of Majel's work.

Continue Reading " RIP: Majel Roddenberry Passes Away :( "

Nov 5 2008 R.I.P.: Michael Crichton Passed Away

It is with a heavy heart that I write Michael Crichton, 66, author of such genius as Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain, Congo, Disclosure, and Timeline, passed away unexpectedly yesterday. He was battling cancer.

While the world knew him as a great storyteller that challenged our preconceived notions about the world around us -- and entertained us all while doing so -- his wife Sherri, daughter Taylor, family and friends knew Michael Crichton as a devoted husband, loving father and generous friend who inspired each of us to strive to see the wonders of our world through new eyes," his family tells ET. "He did this with a wry sense of humor that those who were privileged to know him personally will never forget.

We're gonna miss you Michael, save a spot for me in that great dinosaur park in the sky.

Jurassic Park Author Dies Unexpectedly [usmagazine]

Thanks to The Superficial Writer for sadly bringing this to my attention.

Sep 11 2008 Awh Man: Indian Girl Kills Herself Over Fear Of World-Ending Large Hadron Collider

Damn, this is some sadness. Chayya, a 16-year old Indian girl from Madhya Pradesh, drank pesticide and killed herself over fear of the Large Hadron Collider going online and destroying the earth. I send my deepest sympathies to Chayya's family and pray, for the sake of my own soul, that she never read Geekologie.

R.I.P. Chayya

Indian Teen Commits Suicide Over LHC Fears [uberreview]

PSA: THE LARGE HADRON COLLIDER WILL NOT DESTROY THE PLANET.

Mar 4 2008 Dungeons And Dragons Co-Creator Dies

Gary Gygax, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, has passed away. He and Dave Arneson developed the game in 1974. I will remember him best for keeping me safe from the evils of sex during my teenage years. He is survived by his wife and six children. And while officials assert his death was the result of long-declining health conditions, I suspect a rogue dwarf was involved. Seriously though, he will be missed.

RIP Gary Gygax (1938-2008)

Gary Gygax, Dungeons & Dragons creator, dies [cnn]

Thanks to Alan, who is thankfully still alive, for the tip