Celebrity Deaths

Quote: smoothgrh

Quote: rxwine

Catharine O’Hara. Mother in Home Alone.
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And an SCTV alum. She was funny.
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Also nearly became an SNL cast member, after most of the cast that replaced the last of the originals was fired (including Gilbert Gottfried and Charles Rocket), but left days after arriving and went over to NBC's version of SCTV instead.

Demond Wilson aka Lamont Sanford

Quote: AZDuffman

Demond Wilson aka Lamont Sanford
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RIP to the Big Dummy(Sanford And Son reference, 😉not insulting Demond Wilson)😇 He's finally joined Mom, Pops, Aunt Esther, and Grady, the Big junkyard in the sky. 😇 Another Sanford And Son reference. 😉 At least Demond loved a VERY long life. 😇 He was already a grown adult in the 1970's and just died today in 2026. 😇

On a side note, I wonder why his Parents put the name Demon in his name. 😱😳 And why he kept the Demon in his name as an Adult. 😱😳 I personally would have just went by Demo if anything. 🤔💡

Quote: AZDuffman

Demond Wilson aka Lamont Sanford
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I just learned that Red Foxx real last name was Sanford. I had no idea.

Quote: AZDuffman

Demond Wilson aka Lamont Sanford
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I always liked that guy. He seemed to play his character perfectly to balance Redd Foxx’s outrageousness.

Demond Wilson's passing is noteworthy in my book. I was a big fan of Sanford and Son in the 1970's. I feel some Sanford and Son trivia coming on in his honor. However, I always did wonder how a junk yard could be economically viable when it was about the size of a typical home lot.

Quote: Nathan

Quote: AZDuffman

Demond Wilson aka Lamont Sanford
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RIP to the Big Dummy(Sanford And Son reference, 😉not insulting Demond Wilson)😇 He's finally joined Mom, Pops, Aunt Esther, and Grady, the Big junkyard in the sky. 😇 Another Sanford And Son reference. 😉 At least Demond loved a VERY long life. 😇 He was already a grown adult in the 1970's and just died today in 2026. 😇

On a side note, I wonder why his Parents put the name Demon in his name. 😱😳 And why he kept the Demon in his name as an Adult. 😱😳 I personally would have just went by Demo if anything. 🤔💡
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He dieed at 79 of cancer. Is that a VERY long life? I guess, if you consider he was in show business since he was 4.

Well his given name was Grady Demond Wilson, and just because "Demon" is in "Demond" does not imply satanic intent.

Interesting because their was. Character name Grady in the show

Quote: GenoDRPh

Quote: Nathan

Quote: AZDuffman

Demond Wilson aka Lamont Sanford
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RIP to the Big Dummy(Sanford And Son reference, 😉not insulting Demond Wilson)😇 He's finally joined Mom, Pops, Aunt Esther, and Grady, the Big junkyard in the sky. 😇 Another Sanford And Son reference. 😉 At least Demond loved a VERY long life. 😇 He was already a grown adult in the 1970's and just died today in 2026. 😇

On a side note, I wonder why his Parents put the name Demon in his name. 😱😳 And why he kept the Demon in his name as an Adult. 😱😳 I personally would have just went by Demo if anything. 🤔💡
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He dieed at 79 of cancer. Is that a VERY long life? I guess, if you consider he was in show business since he was 4.

Well his given name was Grady Demond Wilson, and just because "Demon" is in "Demond" does not imply satanic intent.
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If his given name was Grady Demond Wilson I don't get why he didn't go by Grady Wilson. 🤔💡🤨 To me 79 is a VERY long life. 😀 I am 41 and I consider my life to be long so 79, 38 years older than me is a VERY long life to me.😀

Quote: Nathan

Quote: GenoDRPh

Quote: Nathan

Quote: AZDuffman

Demond Wilson aka Lamont Sanford
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RIP to the Big Dummy(Sanford And Son reference, 😉not insulting Demond Wilson)😇 He's finally joined Mom, Pops, Aunt Esther, and Grady, the Big junkyard in the sky. 😇 Another Sanford And Son reference. 😉 At least Demond loved a VERY long life. 😇 He was already a grown adult in the 1970's and just died today in 2026. 😇

On a side note, I wonder why his Parents put the name Demon in his name. 😱😳 And why he kept the Demon in his name as an Adult. 😱😳 I personally would have just went by Demo if anything. 🤔💡
link to original post

He dieed at 79 of cancer. Is that a VERY long life? I guess, if you consider he was in show business since he was 4.

Well his given name was Grady Demond Wilson, and just because "Demon" is in "Demond" does not imply satanic intent.
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If his given name was Grady Demond Wilson I don't get why he didn't go by Grady Wilson. 🤔💡🤨 To me 79 is a VERY long life. 😀 I am 41 and I consider my life to be long so 79, 38 years older than me is a VERY long life to me.😀
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Because there already was an actor named Grady Wilson.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1658640/

Actors get to pick their own screen name, but it can't be the name of another actor currently in the Guild.

Quote: Wizard

Demond Wilson's passing is noteworthy in my book. I was a big fan of Sanford and Son in the 1970's. I feel some Sanford and Son trivia coming on in his honor. However, I always did wonder how a junk yard could be economically viable when it was about the size of a typical home lot.
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It wasn’t a junkyard. They made most of their money from scrapping and hauling away antique stuff probably for a fee then resold it.

When I was in school in Queens, one of my classmates was a junker. He and his father and brother would drive around at night, picking up televisions, stereos, stoves, and radios that people were throwing out. The father had a garage full of tubes, and almost every problem was tube-related. They ran a business in their driveway, selling stuff people threw out.

Quote: AZDuffman

Quote: Wizard

Demond Wilson's passing is noteworthy in my book. I was a big fan of Sanford and Son in the 1970's. I feel some Sanford and Son trivia coming on in his honor. However, I always did wonder how a junk yard could be economically viable when it was about the size of a typical home lot.
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It wasn’t a junkyard. They made most of their money from scrapping and hauling away antique stuff probably for a fee then resold it.
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I also remember Sanford And Son running a Junkyard Business. 🤔💡

Quote: billryan

When I was in school in Queens, one of my classmates was a junker. He and his father and brother would drive around at night, picking up televisions, stereos, stoves, and radios that people were throwing out. The father had a garage full of tubes, and almost every problem was tube-related. They ran a business in their driveway, selling stuff people threw out.
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I also grew up in Queens and my Dad taught me that if you left furniture or appliances at the curb that they would disappear. I remember us putting an in-window air conditioner out on the curb - two hours later it was gone.

That still works a little bit in East Tennessee.

Quote: gordonm888

Quote: billryan

When I was in school in Queens, one of my classmates was a junker. He and his father and brother would drive around at night, picking up televisions, stereos, stoves, and radios that people were throwing out. The father had a garage full of tubes, and almost every problem was tube-related. They ran a business in their driveway, selling stuff people threw out.
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I also grew up in Queens and my Dad taught me that if you left furniture or appliances at the curb that they would disappear. I remember us putting an in-window air conditioner out on the curb - two hours later it was gone.

That still works a little bit in East Tennessee.
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I understand it works even better if you put a price on it and don't chain it down...

Quote: AZDuffman

Demond Wilson aka Lamont Sanford
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I read he had a heroin habit after his tour in Vietnam and a cocaine habit after Sanford and Son, but straightened all that out and became an ordained minister.

Lived longer than Redd Foxx, who also did a lot of cocaine.

Quote: Nathan

Quote: AZDuffman

Quote: Wizard

Demond Wilson's passing is noteworthy in my book. I was a big fan of Sanford and Son in the 1970's. I feel some Sanford and Son trivia coming on in his honor. However, I always did wonder how a junk yard could be economically viable when it was about the size of a typical home lot.
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It wasn’t a junkyard. They made most of their money from scrapping and hauling away antique stuff probably for a fee then resold it.
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I also remember Sanford And Son running a Junkyard Business. 🤔💡
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"Junkyard" generally implies cars. IIRC his sign said "Antiques and Junk."

I always took him as a salvage guy. "Salvage" was once a very large industry covering everything from flooded & toppled cargo off ships to dismantling to ragpicking, from a time when privation was real and severe and it was easy to find workers willing and able to do those jobs.

We now call that a thrift store, but the show was obviously shot on a home sitcom set, which made it look like a Depression-era arrangement where the business was being done in a front room of someone's home.

Quote: gordonm888

Quote: billryan

When I was in school in Queens, one of my classmates was a junker. He and his father and brother would drive around at night, picking up televisions, stereos, stoves, and radios that people were throwing out. The father had a garage full of tubes, and almost every problem was tube-related. They ran a business in their driveway, selling stuff people threw out.
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I also grew up in Queens and my Dad taught me that if you left furniture or appliances at the curb that they would disappear. I remember us putting an in-window air conditioner out on the curb - two hours later it was gone.

That still works a little bit in East Tennessee.
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My Dad taught me that if you put something on the curb with a sign that says free, someone may or may not take it. If you put it on the curb with a sign that says $20, someone would always steal it.

Catherine O'hara.

I knew her mainly from the Christopher Guest movies Best in Show and A Mighty Wind.

RIP.


Direct: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcOq4q9jqlE

Quote: Wizard

I feel some Sanford and Son trivia coming on in his honor.
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As promised.

1. What was the name of Fred’s deceased wife?
2. On what day, time and network was Sanford and Son on?
3. How old was Redd Foxx when Sanford and Son premiered and how old was his character said to be?
4. Who was Fred’s sister-in-law?
5. Who were Lamont’s two friends?
6. Where was Fred originally from?
7. Who was Fred’s girlfriend?
8. Who was Lamont’s girlfriend?
9. What was the alcoholic beverage frequently mentioned on the show?
10. Where did the show take place?
11. What was the name of Julio’s goat?
12. Who were the two police officers frequently seen on the show?
13. What years did Sanford and Son run?
14. Sanford and Son peaked at #2 in the ratings. What show was number one at the time?
15. What gift did Lamont give Fred for his birthday?

16. What gift did Fred bring Lamont back from

I went through many pages of this topic, which included many mentions of musicians , but I didn’t see anything on the famous song which was a big part of this movie and launched the career of an acclaimed group! Born to be Wild and Steppenwolf!

Quote: DRich

Quote: gordonm888

Quote: billryan

When I was in school in Queens, one of my classmates was a junker. He and his father and brother would drive around at night, picking up televisions, stereos, stoves, and radios that people were throwing out. The father had a garage full of tubes, and almost every problem was tube-related. They ran a business in their driveway, selling stuff people threw out.
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I also grew up in Queens and my Dad taught me that if you left furniture or appliances at the curb that they would disappear. I remember us putting an in-window air conditioner out on the curb - two hours later it was gone.

That still works a little bit in East Tennessee.
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My Dad taught me that if you put something on the curb with a sign that says free, someone may or may not take it. If you put it on the curb with a sign that says $20, someone would always steal it.
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I put a bicycle outside hoping it would be stolen. The person only rode a little bit down the street and left it leaning against a tree. Both brakes were worn out, and few other things were broken.

What was the name of Fred’s deceased wife?
---"I'm coming Elizabeth!" is a famous catchphrase from Redd Foxx's Fred calling out for his dead wife as he fakes a heart attack. Redd Foxx died the way he lived, of a humorous heart attack?.

How old was Redd Foxx when Sanford and Son premiered and how old was his character said to be?
---A middle-aged Redd Foxx playing an elder character in Fred Sanford.

Where was Fred originally from?
---St.Louis

Where did the show take place?
---Watts neighborhood in LA .

Sanford and Son peaked at #2 in the ratings. What show was number one at the time?
---All in the Family

Bonus question:

What two (real) game shows did characters from the series appear on, in episodes of the show?

Quote: rxwine

I put a bicycle outside hoping it would be stolen. The person only rode a little bit down the street and left it leaning against a tree. Both brakes were worn out, and few other things were broken.
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When I was in Homer Alaska I went to a bicycle store, hoping to rent a bike. The store was closed but an old junker was leaning against a stop sign. So, I borrowed it without asking for a few days and returned it to the same spot.

Quote: Quadriga

What was the name of Fred’s deceased wife?
---"I'm coming Elizabeth!" is a famous catchphrase from Redd Foxx's Fred calling out for his dead wife as he fakes a heart attack. Redd Foxx died the way he lived, of a humorous heart attack?.

How old was Redd Foxx when Sanford and Son premiered and how old was his character said to be?
---A middle-aged Redd Foxx playing an elder character in Fred Sanford.

Where was Fred originally from?
---St.Louis

Where did the show take place?
---Watts neighborhood in LA .

Sanford and Son peaked at #2 in the ratings. What show was number one at the time?
---All in the Family
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Correct! To be more specific on #2, Foxx was 49 when the show started but his character was 65. I do hear Foxx died of a heart attack on a television set and everyone thought he was faking it.

Quote: Wizard

Quote: Quadriga

What was the name of Fred’s deceased wife?
---"I'm coming Elizabeth!" is a famous catchphrase from Redd Foxx's Fred calling out for his dead wife as he fakes a heart attack. Redd Foxx died the way he lived, of a humorous heart attack?.

How old was Redd Foxx when Sanford and Son premiered and how old was his character said to be?
---A middle-aged Redd Foxx playing an elder character in Fred Sanford.

Where was Fred originally from?
---St.Louis

Where did the show take place?
---Watts neighborhood in LA .

Sanford and Son peaked at #2 in the ratings. What show was number one at the time?
---All in the Family
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Correct! To be more specific on #2, Foxx was 49 when the show started but his character was 65. I do hear Foxx died of a heart attack on a television set and everyone thought he was faking it.
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To Redd's credit, he looked much older than 49 when Sanford and Son premiered. 💡 The same as when Yolanda Salvidar was THIRTY FIVE when she murdered Selena and was portrayed by a Woman who was in her FIFTIES for the FIRST Selena movie. Yolanda DID look older than 35 however. In the newer Selena movie, Yolanda looks roughly 35. 💡

For a HUGE chunk of my life I remembered questioning WHY Selena befriended a Woman who was roughly 32 years older than her. 🤨

I later found out that Yolanda was actually only 12 years older than Selena, giving more of a big sister vibe than being friends with someone much likely older than Selena's Parents. My Parents are 21 and 22 years older than me and I found it hard to phantom why Selena would be friends with someone OLDER than her Parents until I learned that Yolanda was only 12 years older than Selena, not 32 years older than her.

About Redd Foxx dying of a heart attack on set and the people around him thinking he was faking it, that's the ugly side of irony being that he faked having a heart attack for years as Fred Sanford and people had no idea that he WASN'T faking his fatal heart attack. 😱😳😭

Tommy Cooper died in a similar way, he COLLAPSED on stage during a comedy show of a heart attack and people thought his heart attack was part of the comedy show. They only begun to feel real panic and concern when they noticed he looked pained and uncomfortable and wasn't moving and the curtains started closing around him suddenly. 😱😳😭

Jerry Lawler had a heart attack on WWE RAW after participating in a Wrestling match(He was in his then SIXTY TWO when he did the wrestling match, 😱😳) and absolutely NO ONE in the Venue thought that Jerry was faking for comedy. 💡

The live audience was concerned and WWE Staff were also concerned. The audience watching at home were confused on why Jerry was "SNORING," having no idea that people having heart attacks make snoring sounds.

A Poster on the WWE RAW IMDB board said something like,"I thought "What a disgusting sound!" When Jerry was making his heart attack snoring sounds having had never heard heart attack induced snoring. Another Poster questioned why Jerry was SLEEPING during WWE RAW commentary.

Kane a WWE Wrestler in an active Match had a look of concern as he looked at Jerry and Michael Cole, a WWE RAW Staff Member showed the most concern over Jerry's heart attack begging Jerry to speak to him and giving this VERY somber and chilling quote.

"This is NOT a part of the entertainment tonight. Jerry is having a VERY serious real life emergency!" And looked SCARED. 😱😳 Jerry was taken away in a stretcher and rushed to the ER and later Michael got a live update stating that Jerry was in STABLE condition at the ER , and had a relieved look on his face. Jerry survived his heart attack. 😀

Scott Laidlaw, 72, a member of several Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl teams. Laidlaw was a back who was mostly used as a blocker. He was a member of the Cowboys' legendary 1975 Rookie Class, often considered the best in NFL history. He shared his name with one of my fraternity brothers, so it felt like there was a closer connection.

Quote: AZDuffman

Quote: Nathan

Quote: AZDuffman

Quote: Wizard

Demond Wilson's passing is noteworthy in my book. I was a big fan of Sanford and Son in the 1970's. I feel some Sanford and Son trivia coming on in his honor. However, I always did wonder how a junk yard could be economically viable when it was about the size of a typical home lot.
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It wasn’t a junkyard. They made most of their money from scrapping and hauling away antique stuff probably for a fee then resold it.
link to original post

I also remember Sanford And Son running a Junkyard Business. 🤔💡
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"Junkyard" generally implies cars. IIRC his sign said "Antiques and Junk."
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In the Midwest junkyard always means a place where you go to buy used car parts from junk cars. It's not a dump, it's not a place where you find old washing machines, it's a car yard. Fred Sanford did not own a junkyard, he might have sold some old junk but nobody would have called it a junkyard.

Quote: EvenBob

In the Midwest junkyard always means a place where you go to buy used car parts from junk cars. It's not a dump, it's not a place where you find old washing machines, it's a car yard. Fred Sanford did not own a junkyard, he might have sold some old junk but nobody would have called it a junkyard.
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I should have never called their business a junkyard. I still have never knowingly seen whatever business model they followed. It's been some 45 years since I've seen the show.

Since Demond died I’ve been rapid fire watching some episodes and Fred called it “the empire” while Lamont called it a junkyard.

February 3rd, 1959- The day the music died

Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper are killed when their tour plane crashes. Valens and Holly were taking rock and roll in a different direction, as Holly brought Texas Swing into the mix and Valens turned a traditional Mexican ballad into a rock song, becoming a star while still in high school.

Quote: billryan

February 3rd, 1959- The day the music died

Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper are killed when their tour plane crashes. Valens and Holly were taking rock and roll in a different direction, as Holly brought Texas Swing into the mix and Valens turned a traditional Mexican ballad into a rock song, becoming a star while still in high school.
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So many Musicians and Singers died in plane crashes. 😭 Aaliyah died at only 22 from a plane crash and her plane crash was supposed to be just a quick flight home after quickly filming Rock The Boat music video. 😭 Aaliyah is the first Singer that died from a plane crash that was actually part of my Generation (She was only five years older than me) 😭 I remembered my High School Teacher asking the class if we heard about what happened to Aaliyah. I responded,"She got married." Referring to R. Kelly marrying her when she was 15(Just so icky on R. Kelly's part as he was a grown man and she was a Minor 🤢🤮, luckily her Parents got that creepy and disturbing garbage marriage annulled, 💡) My Teacher looked at me as if I were a complete idiot and answered,"No, Aaliyah died in a plane crash." 😱😳 I was stunned as I had just watched a music video from Aaliyah about two days prior. 😱😳

Quote: Wizard

Quote: EvenBob

In the Midwest junkyard always means a place where you go to buy used car parts from junk cars. It's not a dump, it's not a place where you find old washing machines, it's a car yard. Fred Sanford did not own a junkyard, he might have sold some old junk but nobody would have called it a junkyard.
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I should have never called their business a junkyard. I still have never knowingly seen whatever business model they followed. It's been some 45 years since I've seen the show.
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You have seen it but have not noticed since it is on craigslist now. People who take free stuff then try to turn it around for sale. They are also often scrappers. They are all walks of life.

Chuck Negron, founder and lead singer of Three Dog Night.

Three Dog Night ruled the charts in the early 1970s, landing twenty straight songs in the Top Forty and ten Top Ten songs, including three number ones. They were a relatively rare act in the rock era, as they didn't write their own music. Instead, they covered minor songs by other writers and turned them into chartbusters. Several stars' first success was with a song covered by 3DN
When the band broke up due to Negron's addictions, the money dried up quickly without any writing royalties. Mr. Negron spent 13 years and dozens of trips to rehab before finally getting clean in the 90s. Although there were some talks of reuniting the original Three Dog Night, it never happened, and after months of declining health, Mr Negron passed away yesterday at 83.
Thank you for bringing such Joy to the World.

Quote: MDawg

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I thought you were trying to say Johnny Depp passed.

Then I thought Terry Gilliam.

But they both are alive from what Google says.