Dr. Ruehl weighs in on celebrity death trio

They Die in Threes! Yes, they do, those celebrities. And now, our learned contributor, Dr. Franklin Ruehl, Ph.D., nuclear physicist, expert on all, the man behind "Ask Dr. Ruehl"-- and a bigtime TV and movie actor, to boot-- weighs in on the latest trifecta of doom that was set into motion by the passing of Porter Wagoner and continued by the untimely death of Robert Goulet:

While I am, of course, enraptured by bizarre coincidences, I have always maintained skepticism regarding
the concept of famous deaths
occurring in 3s.

1st, how famous does a person have to be to qualify?

2nd, what is the time range for the deaths occurring in trios... 1 day, 2 days... or perhaps a week?

But I would like to nominate a possible candidate to complete the trio that includes Robert Goulet and Porter Wagoner, namely, TV's Chef Tell, who also just died. His obit is below.

May the Power of the Cosmos be with You!

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Friedman Paul Erhardt, a German-born cook known as "Chef Tell" who was one of America's pioneering television chefs, has died. He was 63. Erhardt died Friday of heart failure at his home in Upper Black Eddy, about 25 miles east of Allentown, his family said. Erhardt's jolly personality, thick German accent and wit made him a fixture on TV shows such as "Regis and Kathie Lee" and comedy skits on "Saturday Night Live." He was also said to be the inspiration for the Swedish chef on "The Muppet Show"...