Bizarre! John O'Connors Die in Threes

The announcement today of the death of former New York Times television critic John J. O'Connor adds a fascinating new wrinkle to the "Celebrities Die in Threes" theorem. Following the recent deaths of attorney and US Supreme Court justice spouse John O'Connor III and New Orleans resident John O'Connor, it is apparent that John O'Connors also die in threes.

They Die in Threes, cont'd

Yes, They Die in Threes:

Ray Charles sax players:

Hank Crawford, January 29
David Fathead Newman, January 20
Leroy Cooper, January 15

Rock n roll musicians:
Lux Interior, Cramps, on Wednesday
Tom Brumley, Rick Nelson Band, on Tuesday
Dewey Martin, Buffalo Springfield, Sunday

Bernie, Bernie & Bertie: They didn't Die in Threes

Last week, we reported that the Die In Threes phenomenon had taken a Weekend at Bernie's twist with the deaths of Bernie Brillstein, Bernie Mac and, as the New York Times announced, producer and bon vivant Bernard Castelli.

The Times has since corrected its story.

The guy's name was Bertrand, not Bernie.

Feel free to substitute Isaac Hayes.

Exclusive! We called it! Bernies died in threes!

We received some criticism over the weekend when we invoked the Die in Threes rule and predicted, if obliquely, that a third show business "Bernie" would soon be announced dead in wake of the sad passings of

* super manager and producer Bernie Brillstein on Thursday

and

* superstar comedian Bernie Mac on Saturday.

Now, the New York Times reports the death of Bernie Castelli, original executive producer of the Broadway musical Hair, that was revived in New York's Central Park on Thursday, producer the of Hair, which was revived in New York City on Thursday. The Times describes him as a "painter, a screenwriter, a balletomane and a choreographer as well as a producer... described by those who knew him as a world-class bon vivant."

See? We weren't trying to be funny.

They Die in Threes: Bernie Kopell, call your doctor

Star Trek vets Die in Threes in a big way

Wow, when it comes to Dying in Threes, you can't get more obvious than the recent deaths of veterans of the original Star Trek TV series.

The announcement today that Robert Justman, a producer on the original show and one of its creative forces, died Wednesday at 81, comes close on the heels of two other Star Trek obits in the LA Times:

Joseph Pevney, a film and television director who directed some of the most popular episodes of the original "Star Trek" TV series in the late 1960s, died at 96 on May 18th.

Alexander “Sandy” Courage, who composed the soaring Star Trek theme, died at 88 on May 15th.

Whoa!

(FUN FACT: The last episode of Star Trek aired on June 3, 1969.)

None dare call it conspiracy but we pointed it out: Another fast food giant found dead (5th this year)

We’d prayed that we were wrong, that it was only a fluke that in the first three months of 2008, three founders of popular fast food chains-- and the inventor of a fast food favorite--turned up dead in quick succession. And after keeping an eye on the obits and trades through a tense April and finding no further calamities, we were eager to close the book on yet another "coincidence."

But now it’s happened again.

Weeks after the death of Herb Peterson, inventor of the Egg McMuffin, and following the passings in rapid and unexplained succession of Carl Carcher of Carl’s Jr. (January 11); Lovie Yancie of Fatburger (January 23), and Popeye's Fanous Fried Chicken founder Al Copeland, (March 23) we learn that Irvine "Irv" Robbins, co-founder of the Baskin-Robbins ice cream chain, has died in Rancho Mirage, California.

Robbins started up the Baskin-Robbins empire in 1947 with single shop in Glendale, California. His partner and brother-in-law, Burton Baskin (father of actor Richard Baskin, best known for his role in Nashville), died of a heart attack in 1967. He was only 54.

Baskin-Robbins has more than 5,800 shops— 2,800 in the United States.

Irvine Baskin was 90.

We return, regretfully, to the death watch.

It will be sad when Amy Winehouse dies

Obituary information:

Amy Jade Winehouse (born 14 September 1983) is an English singer-songwriter, known for her eclectic mix of various musical genres including soul, jazz and R&B.

Winehouse's 2003 debut album Frank did well, both commercially and critically, in her native Britain. It was nominated for the Mercury Prize. Her 2006 follow-up album Back to Black led to six Grammy Award nominations and five wins, tying the record for the most wins by a female artist in a single night and becoming the first British singer to win five Grammys,including three of the "Big Four": Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year. On February 14, 2007, she won a BRIT Award for Best British Female Artist; she had also been nominated for Best British Album. She has won the Ivor Novello Award twice, among other prestigious distinctions.

Who is killing America's fast food founders?

The death today of Popeye’s Famous Fried Chicken founder Al Copeland marks him as the third fast food founder to fall victim to the Reaper in the first three months of 2008.

The passing of the flamboyant businessman set off alarm bells this morning in the Tabloid Baby conspiracy unit, which has been tracking necrology trends in the “Die in Threes” and other categories, and because of a sudden spike in the first weeks of the year, had already been watching the fast food industry.

The facts so far:

JANUARY: Carl’s Jr.


Carl Karcher, who parlayed a single hot dog pushcart into a chain of more than 1,000 fast-food restaurants bearing his name, dies on January 11th at the age of 90. The affable, burly entrepreneur was known to millions as the jovial television pitchman for the Carl's Jr. chain.

FEBRUARY: Fatburger


On February 2nd, The Los Angeles Times reports the death a week earlier of Lovie Yancey, who launched what eventually became the popular Fatburger chain of burger-and-fries joints. Her death at 96 in Los Angeles was attributed to pneumonia.

MARCH: Popeye’s Famous Fried Chicken


Popeye’s founder Al Copeland dies on March 23rd at a clinic near Munich. He'd been diagnosed shortly before Thanksgiving with a malignant salivary gland tumor. He was 64.

APRIL: ????


We don’t make this stuff up. We just report it.

Buddy Miles Died in Threes

Buddy Miles, the rock and R&B drummer, singer and songwriter who led the Buddy Miles Express, played with Jimi Hendrix, wrote Them Changes and was the voice of the California Raisins, died Tuesday of congestive heart failure at his home in Austin, Texas. He was 60.

Mike Smith, the lead singer, keyboardist and face of the Dave Clark Five at the height of the British band's popularity, died Thursday of pneumonia, two wees before his group was to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was 64.

Larry Norman, a pioneer of Christian rock music and a member of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, earned his biggest commercial hit as lead singer of the folk-rock band People! and whose 1969 solo album is considered the first Christian rock album, died of heart failure Sunday at his home in Salem, Oregon. He was 60.

Celebrities always Die in Threes. See our They Die in Threes archives for confirmation.