The oldest man ever living died this week.
Actually, Bob Dole was only 98, and he wasn’t even the oldest famous person to die this year. But for the last 10 years or so, Dole has been the best humorous example of extreme old age.
Bob Dole is the last living Civil War veteran.
No, not really, but it’s fairly amazing to think that it was 45 years ago that Dole occupied the No. 2 spot on the Republican presidential ticket and 25 years ago that he was the party’s presidential nominee.
It was in the late ’90s that he became the national spokesman for Viagra and 2002 when he did the unwittingly humorous Pepsi commercial with Britney Spears and a dog.
“Down, big fella.”
Walter Mondale died at 93. He was the other vice presidential nominee in 1976 and the losing presidential candidate in 1984.
Other political figures to pass were Colin Powell, 84; Donald Rumsfeld, 88; John Warner, 94; and Ramsey Clark, 93.
Some big sports names passed, none bigger than Hank Aaron, 86. But Bobby Bowden, 91, and Tommy Lasorda, 93, were some of the biggest names in coaching. Elgin Baylor, 86, was a big name on the basketball court, Sam Huff, 87, was a pro football hall of famer, and Lee Evans, 74, was the other sprinter banned along with Tommie Smith for his black power salute at the 1968 Olympics.
Show business lost all sorts of big names. Hal Holbrook died at 95, Mort Sahl at 94, Jackie Mason at 93, Richard Donner and Ed Asner at 91, Gavin McLeod at 90, Olympia Dukakis and Melvin Van Peebles at 89, George Segal at 87, Charles Grodin at 86 and Ned Beatty at 83.
I sat directly behind Beatty in 1978 at a special showing of “Superman: The Movie” (as opposed to “Superman: The Feminine Hygiene Deodorant”), and I managed to restrain myself from whispering “Squeal like a pig,” in honor of his first and most famous role as an actor.
Stephen Sondheim died just last week at 91, and it’s a reasonably good bet that he was the last of the really prolific lyricists on the Broadway scene. Charlie Watts became the second member of the Rolling Stones to die when he passed at 80, although the other dead Stone — Brian Jones — died more than 52 years ago at age 27.
Beverly Cleary wrote books I read when I was 9 or 10 years old., books about characters like Beezus and Ramona, Henry Huggins and other fascinating kids. She was the winner of the oldest dead celebrity this year when she died at age 104.
Ron Popeil, the first king of the infomercial, died at 86, and Larry King (the Popeil of CNN?) died at 87.
A bit of a stretch there, eh, Mike?
With my 72nd birthday coming up this weekend, there seem to be more people dying each year who are younger than I am. Sad to see singer Nanci Griffith passing at 68, sort of neutral about comedian Norm MacDonald dying at 61, and well, Rush Limbaugh ceased being the king of talk radio last winter at age 70.
Ronald McDonald died at 87. Actually, the famous clown hadn’t been around that long, but original person who portrayed him was Willard Scott, and he died at 87.
My favorite passing in 2021 was Earl Old Person, lifetime chief of the Blackfeet Tribe. Not that I wished him dead at 92 or that I’m happy he is no longer with us. I just think it’s a great name, and he was an Old Person from the day he was born in 1929.
And finally, the king of this year’s Dead Squad — although he was only a prince consort in real life — was England’s Prince Philip, who passed away at 99.
His wife, Queen Elizabeth II, is still going strong at 95 and in her 70th year on the throne.
May this be the only mention of her in my obits, this year and in 2022.
God save the Queen.