The RIP Thread

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Who didn't like the circus when they were younger?

Gerry Cottle: Somerset circus star dies with coronavirus

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IMAGE COPYRIGHTPA MEDIA
image captionGerry Cottle (centre), pictured in 1994, found fame in the 1970s with the touring Gerry Cottle Circus


Circus owner Gerry Cottle has died aged 75 after contracting coronavirus, his agent has said.

He found fame in the 1970s with his touring Gerry Cottle Circus and also presented the Moscow State Circus and Chinese State Circus in Britain.

His agent Mark Borkowski said he was "the last of the great circus showmen".

Cottle, who died in hospital in Bath earlier in the week, retired from the circus in 2003 and bought the Somerset tourist attraction, Wookey Hole.

Mr Borkowski said in a statement: "Gerry was a loving family man who is survived by his wife Betty and three daughters and a son, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren."
 
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I've just been reading some of the reports on Spector's demise. One of them said he'd had run-ins with so many stars including Marky Ramone who'd walked out on a session with him after Spector had started waving a loaded pistol around in a fit of temper. I wish I'd known that before as a few years ago I had picked up Marky as a passenger at Terminal 4, he insisted on sitting in the front and chatted non stop all the way to his hotel where he paid in cash and gave a £20 tip, I've been a fan of his ever since!... <laugh>
 
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Sooperhoop said:
Jailed for murder but his music production defined a generation, the 'wall of sound' was the sound of the 60s. Shame such a talent ended as he did...
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Spot on, Sooper.
Brian Wilson from the Beach Boys favourite song was, Be My Baby, which Spector created.

Spector excelled at Musical design and as mentioned, being a complete nutter.
 
QPR999 said:
Talented but flawed lorry driver Peter Sutcliffe dies ...

Talented but flawed doctor Harold Shipman dies ...

Talented but flawed builder Fred West dies ...

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BBC apologises for Phil Spector death headline
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IMAGE COPYRIGHTREUTERS
image captionIn 2009, Spector was convicted of the 2003 murder of Hollywood actress Lana Clarkson
The BBC has apologised for the original headline in its reporting of the death of the convicted murderer Phil Spector.

The former music producer died on Saturday at the age of 81, while serving a prison sentence for the murder of Lana Clarkson in 2003.

The first version on the breaking news story on the BBC News website carried the headline: "Talented but flawed producer Phil Spector dies aged 81".

The BBC said the headline "did not meet our editorial standards".

The text was quickly changed to: "Pop producer jailed for murder dies at 81."

"This was changed within minutes and we also deleted a tweet that had gone out automatically with the original headline," a statement issued by the BBC read.

"We apologise for this error."

"Our coverage of the story across BBC News has been clear that Phil Spector was convicted of the murder of Lana Clarkson and had a long history of violence and abuse," it continued.

Spector was convicted of murdering Clarkson, an actress, in 2009.

His death was confirmed by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

'Unforgivable'
Reacting to the original version of the BBC's story, pop star Lily Allen tweeted: "Rolling eyes at all the journos deliberately downplaying Phil Spector being a murderer in their headlines, so everyone points this out while linking to their articles resulting in lots of clicks."

"He murdered Lana Clarkson" posted Labour MP Apsana Begum. "Unforgivable reporting."

"How about 'Murderer, Phil Spector dies aged 81'?" offered author and historian Hallie Rubenhold.

The headline was also discussed on TV and radio programmes on Monday, including Loose Women and Radio 4's Woman's Hour, and prompted an article in the Guardian.

The phrasing of the BBC's article - and others like it - were "a reflection of how a man's 'genius' is often viewed as more important than a woman's humanity," said columnist Arwa Mahdawi.

'Wall of Sound'
Spector, who transformed pop with his "wall of sound" recordings, worked with The Beatles, The Righteous Brothers and Tina Turner.

But after the commercial failure of Tina Turner's River Deep, Mountain High, he largely withdrew from public life, and entered a long decline, marked by erratic behaviour, heavy drinking, and a fondness for guns.

His turbulent marriage to Ronettes singer Veronica Bennett, known as Ronnie Spector, ended in divorce.

"Unfortunately Phil was not able to live and function outside of the recording studio," she wrote after his death was announced. "Darkness set in, many lives were damaged."

Singer Darlene Love, who sang on several songs Spector produced, said he "changed the sound of rock 'n' roll" but likened their relationship to "a bad marriage".

"The problem I have with Phil is that he wanted to control Darlene Love's talent," she told Variety. "If he couldn't do that, he was going to do everything in his power to keep my talent from shining."

Weeks before Lana Clarkson was shot dead, Spector gave a rare interview to British broadsheet The Telegraph.

"I would say I'm probably relatively insane, to an extent," he told the paper, adding that he had "devils inside that fight me".
 
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Hilton Valentine, guitarist with the Animals, dies aged 77
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The Animals guitarist Hilton Valentine, who created one of the most famous riffs in pop music in the 1960s, has died at the age of 77.

The British band's version of blues standard The House of The Rising Sun topped the UK and US charts in 1964.

The Animals' record label ABKCO Music described Valentine as a "pioneering guitar player influencing the sound of rock and roll for decades to come".

North Shields-born Valentine died on Friday, ABKCO said on Twitter.

Valentine co-founded the Animals in Newcastle in 1963 alongside singer Eric Burdon, bassist Chas Chandler, organist Alan Price and drummer John Steel.

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Steelmonkey said:
Hilton Valentine, guitarist with the Animals, dies aged 77
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The Animals guitarist Hilton Valentine, who created one of the most famous riffs in pop music in the 1960s, has died at the age of 77.

The British band's version of blues standard The House of The Rising Sun topped the UK and US charts in 1964.

The Animals' record label ABKCO Music described Valentine as a "pioneering guitar player influencing the sound of rock and roll for decades to come".

North Shields-born Valentine died on Friday, ABKCO said on Twitter.

Valentine co-founded the Animals in Newcastle in 1963 alongside singer Eric Burdon, bassist Chas Chandler, organist Alan Price and drummer John Steel.

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I met these guys in Australia in 1988/9. I sat down and had a drink in a restaurant kitchen with Eric Burden. Bloody brilliant fellas! RIP.
 
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