Deaths of Famous People (2019)

[mitlen]

Rosie Ruiz (if you're off a certain age):

The first woman to cross the finish line of the 1980 Boston Marathon seemed to have run 800 meters, not 26.2 miles. Scarcely out of breath, hair still in place, she had finished her first marathon in New York months earlier in just under three hours, then set a course record in Boston with a stunning time of 2 hours 31 minutes 56 seconds, the third-fastest in women’s history.

But competitors said they never saw Rosie Ruiz and her bright yellow shirt fly down the course. On video tapes of the marathon, the 26-year-old Cuban American was nowhere to be found. No one had jotted down her number, W50, at checkpoints during the event.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/rosie-ruiz-who-won-boston-marathon-but-skipped-most-of-the-race-dies-at-66/2019/08/07/92f7e4a6-b91d-11e9-b3b4-2bb69e8c4e39_story.html

[skippy1999]

Rosie Ruiz (if you're off a certain age):

The first woman to cross the finish line of the 1980 Boston Marathon seemed to have run 800 meters, not 26.2 miles. Scarcely out of breath, hair still in place, she had finished her first marathon in New York months earlier in just under three hours, then set a course record in Boston with a stunning time of 2 hours 31 minutes 56 seconds, the third-fastest in women’s history.

But competitors said they never saw Rosie Ruiz and her bright yellow shirt fly down the course. On video tapes of the marathon, the 26-year-old Cuban American was nowhere to be found. No one had jotted down her number, W50, at checkpoints during the event.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/rosie-ruiz-who-won-boston-marathon-but-skipped-most-of-the-race-dies-at-66/2019/08/07/92f7e4a6-b91d-11e9-b3b4-2bb69e8c4e39_story.html

Truly infamous, how she ever thought she’d get away with it I’ll never understand.

[wj73]

Truly infamous, how she ever thought she’d get away with it I’ll never understand.

From what I remember at the time, they said she miscalculated. She only intended to be one of the top finishers, not to finish first. She screwed up the timing and accidentally came in first, where she of course got a lot of attention and scrutiny. If she’d come in 10th or 15th as she apparently planned, no one would have known.

[skippy1999]

From what I remember at the time, they said she miscalculated. She only intended to be one of the top finishers, not to finish first. She screwed up the timing and accidentally came in first, where she of course got a lot of attention and scrutiny. If she’d come in 10th or 15th as she apparently planned, no one would have known.

Ah ok I’d never heard that and it makes more sense, thanks!

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

As we don't have a "deaths of non-famous people" thread:

Australian Light Horsemen, 1918:

[bluestreak]

Nobel Prize Winner Kary Mullins, who grew up not too far from where I did. He won the award for inventing PCR.

[dracnal]

Nobel Prize Winner Kary Mullins, who grew up not too far from where I did. He won the award for inventing PCR.

So I had never heard of PCR and had to google it, but it's definitely interesting. Short version: It's a way to make a ton of copies of a part of a DNA strand.
Long version: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymerase_chain_reaction

[bluestreak]

So I had never heard of PCR and had to google it, but it's definitely interesting. Short version: It's a way to make a ton of copies of a part of a DNA strand.
Long version: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymerase_chain_reaction

It’s the basis of all DNA testing. It amplifies the DNA enough to be able to test it. So all the CSI stuff and 23 and me and your dog’s breed panel are all based in his discovery.

[mitlen]

Peter Fonda  ...   I watched "Wild Hogs" on HBO last week and he made a cameo.   

https://www.tmz.com/2019/08/16/peter-fonda-dead-dies/

[varoadking]

Peter Fonda  ...   I watched "Wild Hogs" on HBO last week and he made a cameo.   

https://www.tmz.com/2019/08/16/peter-fonda-dead-dies/

Oh, man... 

[mitlen]

Oh, man... 

I know you will find this hard to believe but I never saw "Easy Rider".     I do have the movie soundtrack album though.     

[varoadking]

I know you will find this hard to believe but I never saw "Easy Rider".     I do have the movie soundtrack album though.     

Oh, I believe it... 

It wasn't a great movie...but it was a good concept.  I always liked Dennis Hopper...thought he was great in Apocalypse Now...I must have seen that 10 times...

[mitlen]

Oh, I believe it... 

It wasn't a great movie...but it was a good concept.  I always liked Dennis Hopper...thought he was great in Apocalypse Now...I must have seen that 10 times...

Haven't seen Apocalypse Now either.       I've been a Duvall fan for awhile and I like some of Hoppers work.    I didn't realize Hopper had been around for so long.    I also didn't know he died.     Somebody's got an Easy Rider  "cartoon" started somewhere with the boyz on the other side.     I guess they're waitin' on Jack.

[varoadking]

Haven't seen Apocalypse Now either.       I've been a Duvall fan for awhile and I like some of Hoppers work.    I didn't realize Hopper had been around for so long.    I also didn't know he died.     Somebody's got an Easy Rider  "cartoon" started somewhere with the boyz on the other side.     I guess they're waitin' on Jack.

Oh, man...Apocalypse Now is a CLASSIC.  I'm a big Duvall fan as well...and was a Brando fan too...great cast in this one...

[mitlen]

Oh, man...Apocalypse Now is a CLASSIC.  I'm a big Duvall fan as well...and was a Brando fan too...great cast in this one...

Bob lives in Loudoun County.   

[varoadking]

Bob lives in Loudoun County.   

I know...doesn't he have horses?

[imref]

I know...doesn't he have horses?

My in-laws used to see him at various restaurants around Warrenton and Middleburg.
He lives Fauquier not Loudoun, at least of a couple of years ago when a neighbor shot down a drone over his house.

[mitlen]

I know...doesn't he have horses?

He used to own a small eatery in town (Middleburg).

[DCFan]

Bob lives in Loudoun County.   

It was about 30 years ago when Disney wanted to build a history themed park out in Haymarket and Duvall was one of the outspoken critics. I wonder if he likes the urban sprawl instead?

[mitlen]

My in-laws used to see him at various restaurants around Warrenton and Middleburg.
He lives Fauquier not Loudoun, at least of a couple of years ago when a neighbor shot down a drone over his house.

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/robert-duvall-virginia-home

[mitlen]

It was about 30 years ago when Disney wanted to build a history themed park out in Haymarket and Duvall was one of the outspoken critics. I wonder if he likes the urban sprawl instead?

Bet he doesn't travel 66 much.   

[imref]

It was about 30 years ago when Disney wanted to build a history themed park out in Haymarket and Duvall was one of the outspoken critics. I wonder if he likes the urban sprawl instead?

Disney became the massive dominion valley community. 

[imref]

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/robert-duvall-virginia-home

Here’s the story about the drone.  Beautiful part of Virginia:
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Virginia-Woman-Shoots-Down-Drone-Near-Actor-Robert-Duvalls-Home-391423411.html

[mitlen]

Disney became the massive dominion valley community. 

It seems consistent with the developers MO.    They plan a monster land use thing and then "settle" for houses.    They've done the bait and switch in Loudoun as well.

[mitlen]

Here’s the story about the drone.  Beautiful part of Virginia:
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Virginia-Woman-Shoots-Down-Drone-Near-Actor-Robert-Duvalls-Home-391423411.html

I loved ridin' the motorcycle through that country.