Celebrity Death Haiku

Peter Graves

1926 – 2010

An Impossible 

Mission? Find something he wasn't

In since mid-Fifties

— Lairbo

* * * 

Was never in one

Of those gladiator films

Oveur liked so much

— Russell 1000

* * *

The Secretary

Cannot disavow your next

Mission, Jim. Oveur.

— Meanie the Blue

Art Clokey

1921 – 2009

Trippiest TV 

Around until the Kroffts went

All psychedelic

— Russell 1000

* * *

Gumby, Pokey and

Davey & Goliath? Who

The hell was this guy?

— Phil Valens

* * *

Green guy with slanted 

Head, bell-bottom legs and 

A talking horse friend?

— Lairbo

Brittany Murphy

1977 – 2009

Shooting starlet leaves

Only thin traces of a

Career that won't be

— Russell 1000

* * *

Brittany's best role

Ironically, The Dead Girl

Soon a cult classic?

— babatjie

Roy E. Disney

1930 – 2009

Huey or Louie

To Uncle Walt's Donald; a

Mini to his Mouse

— St. Blaise

David Lloyd

1934 – 2009

David Lloyd's passing 

Was more somber, one hopes, than

When Chuckles bit it

— Jeff Tiedrich

Soupy Sales

1926 – 2009

Best kids' show ever

Pie fights, puppets and — surprise!

A knock at the door

— Lairbo

* * *

Young at Heart never

Never sounded better than 

When Pookie sang it

— Phil Valens

* * *

Like Pee Wee's Playhouse,

Minus the post-modern and

Way creepy subtexts

— Russell 1000

Vic Mizzy

1916 – 2009

TV theme tunesmith

Scores big using finger snaps

And a harpsichord

— Lairbo

Henry Gibson

1935 – 2009

Gone now, and that's 

Too bad; Forgotten sooner

And that's too badder

— Lairbo

Larry Gelbart

1928 — 2009

M*A*S*H, Tootsie... Oh God!

Funny things happened on the way

From his typewriter 

— St. Blaise

John Hughes

1950 – 2009

Looks like one movie 

That John Hughes will never make 

Is 60 Candles

— Jeff Tiedrich

* * *

Anthony Michael 

Hall's career and John Hughes are

Now reunited

— Jeff Tiedrich

* * *

John Candy's best film?

Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

No. Not Uncle Buck

— Lairbo

Gale Storm

1922 – 2009

Big Star on small screen

In black and white, and before

It was vast wasteland

— Lairbo

* * *

Had forgot about 

My Little Margie and, oh

Her other sitcom

— Phil Valens

* * *

Remember Gale Storm?

You may already be in 

The A.A.R.P.

 — Lairbo

 

Ed McMahon

1923 – 2009

Ed slides down the couch

Next guest is the Grim Reaper?

You are correct, sir!

— Lairbo

* * *

Salesman first and last

Pitched dog food, bad jokes, sweepstakes

With robust guffaws

— Phil Valens

* * * 

Second banana

Now knockin' on heaven's door

Last check delivered

— Meanie the Blue

* * *

He holds in his hand

Karnak's true last envelope

Prediction: reruns

— Meanie the Blue

* * *

Reaper's Clearinghouse

You may have already won

Ed cashes last check

—Jeff Tiedrich & Karen Barrett

Dom DeLuise

1933 – 2009

His Cannonball Run
Over now, Fatso made us
Laugh until The End
— Meanie the Blue

Bea Arthur

1922 – 2009

Husky voiced tall broad

Makes good on stage, screen, TV;
Helps, being funny

— Lairbo

* * *

Petite, she wasn't
But she knew how to get laughs
From nearly nothing

— Russell 1000

* * *

This Golden Girl was
Archie Bunker's nemesis
Took no prisoners

— Meanie the Blue

George Carlin

1935 – 2008

Forecast for Carlin:

Dead, and continued dead for

Pretty much ever

— Lairbo

* * * 

Shit, piss, f*ck, c***, cock- 

S*****, m*****f*****, tits 

Still can't say 'em all

 — Jeff Tiedrich

Larry "Bozo the Clown" Harmon

1925 – 2008

Bozo laughs no more

Tiny car filled with sad clowns

Follows hearse to grave

— Lairbo

Merv Griffin

1925 – 2007

Merv Griffin is dead
Not Mike Douglas, MERV GRIFFIN
But Mike is dead too!

— Jakalu

* * *

Who is Merv Griffin?
The latest celebrity
To kick the bucket

— Lairbo

* * *

Heavenly talk shows
Ever the host Merv Griffin
Lisa Williams tunes in

— Karen Barrett

Tom Snyder

1936 – 2007

In Tomorrow-land
Swirling smoke fills the air while
Colortinis chill

— Lairbo

Charles Nelson Reilly

1931 – 2007

Never met a double
Entendre he didn't like
Stiff's a good one, eh?

— Lairbo

Tom Poston

1921 – 2007

Tom's a rerun now
Sad are Larry and brothers
Darrel and Darrel

— Greta Paulson

Tommy Newsom

1929 – 2007

Ah, Doc is not dead
So Mr. Excitement is
Filling in for Doc?

— Lairbo

Johnny Hart

1931 – 2007

Cartoon cavemen weep
Their creator is kaput
Stare at moon in grief

— Lairbo

Calvert DeForrest

1921 – 2007 (Larry "Bud" Mehlman)

Like the rest of us
Stumbling, forgetting lines
To awkward laughter

— Lairbo

* * *

Was it all an act
Or was he really like that?
We could never tell

— Lairbo

Joseph Barbera

1911 – 2006

Joseph Barbera's
Hearse repeatedly drives past
Exact same background

— Lairbo

Peter Boyle

1935 – 2006

Peter Boyle is dead
From Puttin' on the Ritz to
Pushing up daisies

— Russell 1000