Philip Parris “Phil” Lynott (20 August 1949 – 4 January 1986) was an Irish musician who first came to prominence as a founding member, principal songwriter, and frontman of the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy.

As leader of the band, Lynott’s vocals and bass guitar were a key element in the commercial success of thirteen albums, in addition to a string of hit songs, notably “Whiskey in the Jar” and “The Boys are Back in Town”. Lynott also embarked upon a solo career, published two books of poetry,[1] and after Thin Lizzy disbanded, he assembled and fronted the band Grand Slam, of which he was the leader until it folded in 1984. In the period before his demise he had major UK success with Gary Moore with the song ‘Out in The Fields’, followed by a minor hit ‘Nineteen’.

Lynott died on 4 January 1986 at the age of 36.

Image via Wikipedia

The 28-year-old was found performing a sex act on the donkey, which was tied to a tree by its neck and lying on the ground. He was in the privacy of his back garden when a routine patrol saw the incident.
The court erupted into laughter when Moyo offered the twist in the tale as a defence. His account took another surreal turn when the defendant then claimed that because he thought he was a donkey he wasn’t actually committing a crime.
Moyo, from the township of Mandava told the court:

“Your worship, I only came to know that I was being intimate with a donkey when I got arrested.”
“I had hired a prostitute and paid US$20 for the service at Down Town nightclub, and I don’t know how she then became a donkey.”
“I think I am also a donkey. I do not know what happened when I left the bar, but I am seriously in love with the donkey.”
The man is to be examined by government psychiatrists.

A DWARF porn star who was Gordon Ramsay’s double has been found dead in the most bizarre of circumstances, according to UK tabloid The Sunday Sport.

Percy Foster’s 107 centimetre (3’6″) body was discovered in a badger’s den in Wales.

The report says the 35-year-old was found, “deep in an underground chamber by Ministry of Agriculture experts ahead of a planned badger-gassing program.”

Investigators have not ruled out the possibility of suicide, according to the report.

In a recent interview Foster spoke of his excitement about his growing career as Ramsay’s double.

“Porn lookalikes get more money than normal actors. Dwarf lookalikes are as rare as hen’s teeth and so can command top dollar.

“I’ve already ordered a new BMW and a diamond-encrusted Soda Stream,” he said

Bubba Smith, the American football star who found fame on screen playing Hightower in the Police Academy movies, has died at the age of 66.
The 6ft 7in (2m) star won the 1971 Super Bowl with the Baltimore Colts and moved into acting in the late 70s.
He played the softly-spoken Moses Hightower in six Police Academy films.

Smith was found dead at his home in Los Angeles. The cause of death has not been confirmed, but police have said it did not appear to be suspicious.
He began his acting career with small roles in TV shows such as Wonder Woman, Taxi and Charlie’s Angels before joining the recruits in the first Police Academy movie in 1984.
Hightower became a regular character in the comedy franchise, known for his gentle nature and physical strength, which saw him lifting cars or wrestling alligators in the pursuit of bad guys.

Born Charles Aaron Smith, he made his name on the field as a fearsome defensive player for Michigan State University.
He moved into the NFL with the Baltimore Colts in 1967 and played for the Oakland Raiders and the Houston Oilers, before retiring from the sport in 1976.

Even poor old kermit the frog (yes I do realise he’s not real) got a doing with the outbreak of swine flu.

And why do we even weep and wail at these celebs demise when most of us don’t even know them. Could it just be something to do with the fact that they are famous?

Is it that some people may have been born into a bad situation and these celebs have inspired them in some way?

What I personally believe (and your input would be greatly appreciated on this one) is that the “celebrity” world, invites the ordinary person into their lives.
They normally have some talent or skill, i.e acting/singing/music (Jade Goody the exception) that we are a fan of, but then we become a fan of the person.We follow their lives I guess.
They thrust themselves into public view and scrutiny, they basically have an affair with the public eye.
We invest our time and attention in these celebs, some we become fond of, others we hate.

Why do we mourn them?

Because we have formed some kind of a human connection over the years resulting in something almost like a one sided friendship, an admiration so to speak.

We cry for them because for example, the likes of Michael Jackson …… he represents the times, the generation, a certain era of our lives and it is out of respect and general humanity I guess.

Just because we do not know someone, does not mean we cannot feel something for them.
If that’s the case, then I’m pretty sure Christianity would be fucked by now.

But is both ridicule and heartbreak a reasonable and valid reaction. If the celebrity in question is the butt of jokes when they are alive, is it fair that they will be the butt when they die. Jade Goody and Michael Jackson were figures of ridicule to much of the general public and very public figures, it doesn’t stop when they pass on. People treat it as if it’s almost a part of their legacy to some of us.

If Mike John down the road was to shuffle off this mortal toil it would be valid to suggest that none of us would think of making a wise crack at him but when celebs die they’re the butt of our jokes. They were criticised and scrutinised in life and seems also in death.

For instance I got this text message this-morning ‘George Best and Alex Higgins can’t believe their luck that Heavens getting a Winehouse’

I was raised not to speak ill of the dead a concept it seems is alien to many.

The Grand Rapids LipDub Video was filmed May 22nd, with 5,000 people, and involved a major shutdown of downtown Grand Rapids, which was filled with marching bands, parades, weddings, motorcades, bridges on fire, and helicopter take offs. It is the largest and longest LipDub video, to date.