Goodbye to Ron Popeil at the age of 86.
Popeil is known for his years of huckstering various products through television from his company, Ronco that sold various products that ranged from useful (his various food choppers), unitaskers (Rotisserie grill, pasta maker, and dehydrator/jerky maker) to the absolutely ridiculous ( Mr.Microphone, Pocket Fisherman, and Spray Paint hair).
Popeil's pitches populated all over late-night television with his various products and selling his latest find as the revolutionary must-have item for the American consumer complete with one of his various catchphrases with the most remembered being "But Wait There's More" for when Popeil tosses in another item into the deal he's making with the viewer/potential buyer.
The spray paint hair from an aerosol can always made me howl with laughter with Popeil covering his bald spot and marveling at how one "couldn't tell the difference" even though he could have looked just as well had he glopped some shoe polish on it!
Still, the carnival barkers like Popeil are slowly changing their form in the digital age and it's certainly different as the old school salesman fade away- I'll miss some of them- even if there will be "no more".
Goodbye to Markie Post at the age of 70.
Post had co-starring roles on "The Fall Guy" with Lee Majors and "Hearts Afire" with John Ritter and Billy Bob Thornton but most people will think of her as "Christine Sullivan" on "Night Court" with Harry Anderson and John Larroquette as the spunky public defender.
Night Court, which recently lost Charlie Robinson from the cast, ranks with Newsradio as underrated classics that never quite got the mainstream acclaim that they deserved and when you rewatch the series, it is the arrival of Markie Post in season three that the show really hit its stride.
After her time on Hearts Afire, Post transitioned into a character actor role with guest appearances in many films and television shows.
Goodbye to Don Everly at the age of 84.
One half of the ground-breaking harmonious brother team known as The Everly Brothers, Don Everly was the surviving brother with Phil passing away in 2014.
Don Everly was the rhythm guitar player of the duo that still holds the record for most top 100 hits (35) for a duo and still remains in second place in top 40 hits (26) for a duo behind only Daryl Hall and John Oates.
The Everly's were among the initial class of inductees for the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and many bands of the era after their peak from 1957-61 claim to be largely influenced by the brothers including the Beatles and Beach Boys.
Goodbye to Dominic DeNucci at the age of 89.
A journeyman grappler in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, DeNucci spent most of his career in the WWF in the territory days first as the "friend of Bruno Sammartino" that was good enough to be considered a solid wrestler but often lost to the latest heel to set up the latest challenger to Bruno's championship.
DeNucci would hold the WWWF tag team championships with three partners on two occasions with his first reign saw DeNucci win the championship with partner Victor Rivera, who would leave the territory before the DeNucci/Rivera team could lose the titles.
Pat Barrett would replace Rivera for the remainder of that title reign and DeNucci's final tag team title run was with a young Dino Bravo as his partner.
When I started watching pro wrestling in 1979, DeNucci had begun to transition into being a name enhancement talent like an S.D.Jones where DeNucci would occasionally win on television to keep it known that DeNucci was above the average guy that lost every week but would lose to the heels that were being built to face Bob Backlund or Pedro Morales.
DeNucci would train wrestlers after his retirement and his two most successful trainees were Mick Foley and Shane Douglas.
Goodbye to Jerry Harkness at the age of 81.
The star of the 1963 Loyola Chicago NCAA champions, Harkness was a two-time All-American for the Ramblers and along with Loyola's other four starters played every minute of Loyola's title win in upsetting Cincinnati in overtime.
Harkness would play one season for the Knicks as a second-round draftee and would play for the Indiana Pacers in the first two seasons of the ABA.
Harkness's 92-foot long buzzer-beater in 1967 defeated the Dallas Chaparrals and remains to this day the longest shot ever hit in a professional basketball game in the United States.
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