Category:
Obituaries

The Monster Family

Washington state's Saar Pioneer Cemetery contains an unusual grave. It's the resting place of John C. Monster (1851-1890) and his child "Baby Monster" (1888-1889). I haven't been able to find any additional details about the Monster family. (via the Oddment Emporium)



Posted By: Alex - Sun Oct 14, 2012 - Comments (4)
Category: Odd Names, Signage, Obituaries

Steve Jobs: 1955-2011

Steve Jobs passed away earlier today. This may not seem like the kind of thing to post on Weird Universe, but consider what kind of place this world would be without him. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak created the Apple II, the first home computer many would use, and thanks to this and other innovations like the graphical operating system, the internet friendly iMac, and the always connected iPhone, the world is now fully connected, allowing anyone instant access to the kinds of weird things we here at Weird Universe love. Sure, he didn't create the internet all by himself, but if it weren't for some of the innovations his company pioneered, the world might have turned out to be a much more normal (and boring) place than it is today.

Posted By: Salamander Sam - Wed Oct 05, 2011 - Comments (30)
Category: Death, Obituaries, Technology, Computers, Internet

Goodbye Pussycat…

Sad news today for fans of weird and cult movies. Tura Satana, star of Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! and the Astro-Zombies series has died, aged 72. Famed, and much admired, for her impressive build and distinctive looks, Tura's portrayal of the psychopathic Varla in Faster... won her a sizeable cult following. Which, having somewhat presciently thought to trademark her likeness, belatedly brought Tura some success (Yahoo News).

It is perhaps some small comfort that Ms. Satana will now be spared seeing Kim Kardashian's proposed reprisal of her role in the Tarrantino remake of her signature film, expected out in 2012. For connoisseurs of the original, here's the title sequence, with music courtesy of The Bostweeds.



(Image from AmpedAsia.com)

Posted By: Dumbfounded - Mon Feb 07, 2011 - Comments (7)
Category: Movies, Obituaries, 1960s

Death Wish

Police in North Vernon, Indiana say it is obvious this man had a death wish. That may not be so uncommon for men his age and perhaps in his profession, but he accomplished it in a very disturbing fashion. I've followed the events in The North Vernon Plain Dealer & Sun, but I do find it somewhat unnerving that the story is making the rounds through many newspapers in central and southern Indiana, as I fear widespread dissemination of the story may open the door to copycats.
UPDATE: Meth, unsuprisingly, played a role. Greensburg Daily News

Unrelated bonus mugshot from the same paper of Nikkiah C. Weddle, a loving mother, that just appears slothful. I feel that her having smoked marijuana three weeks earlier will play a heavy role in her defense, since we've all smoked a joint that we took almost a full month to recover from.

Posted By: qualityleashdog - Thu Mar 04, 2010 - Comments (5)
Category: Accidents, Crime, Death, Obituaries, Drugs, Inebriation and Intoxicants, Stupidity, Babies and Toddlers, Your Daily Jury Duty, Cars

Dolloping Doubloons - Creator of Captain Pugwash Dies.

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John Ryan, writer and illustrator, and creator of the popular children's character Captain Pugwash died, aged 88, last Friday.

Ryan's most famous creation, the eponymous, bumbling, pirate and his equally inept crew (with the exception of the ever resourceful cabin-boy) were a staple of British children's television in the 50s and 60s, and even returned to UK screens for a brief revival in the late 90s. But it is for a quite different reason that most people will remember the series. Sometime in the 1970s, when the TV program had been off-air for nearly a decade, the urban rumour started that the characters had all been given double-entendre names. Pugwash's crew, it was claimed, had included characters called "Master Bates", "Seaman Staines" and "Roger the cabin-boy". In reality, the crew of The Black Pig, Pugwash's ship, were Master Mate, Barnabas and Willy, along with the cabin-boy, Tom. The legend became so well accepted that it was carelessly repeated as fact by both the Sunday Correspondent and Guardian newspapers, leading Ryan to sue, successfully, both papers for libel in 1991 (Obituary - Guardian).

The animation style used in Pugwash, as well as his other programs, Mary, Mungo and Midge, and Sir Prancelot, was unusual in that it was not done using stop-frame photography but by making articulated paper figures that could be moved like puppets in real-time.

Posted By: Dumbfounded - Sat Jul 25, 2009 - Comments (1)
Category: Death, Obituaries, Television, Lawsuits, Cartoons

Jonathan Bayliss, RIP

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The Boston Globe reports the death of one Jonathan Bayliss, an eccentric self-published writer of enormous tomes.
















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Here's a sample from one of his novels. (Click on text to enlarge.) There's plenty more here, if you want it!

Posted By: Paul - Sat Apr 25, 2009 - Comments (3)
Category: Eccentrics, Literature, Books, Writers, Obituaries

Life Imitates Jules Feiffer

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Fans of famed comics artist Jules Feiffer will surely recall his good-hearted but light-headed character who spontaneously broke into dance to celebrate or bewail any proposition or concept, however absurd. You can see an example of Feiffer's creation to the far right.

Well, it appears that Feiffer did not create such a character, but merely drew from life. Or perhaps the gal whom you see in mid-air, next to the Feiffer panel, was inspired by Feiffer.

For in this BOSTON GLOBE obituary we learn how "Gabrielle Orcha of Cambridge, a choreographer and playwright," intends to mark her grandmother's passing.

"As a tribute to her grandmother, Orcha has choreographed a dance, commissioned by the Citi Performing Arts Center, that she will perform at the Shubert Theatre in May."

"Dance to Departed Nana." I can't wait.

Posted By: Paul - Fri Jan 16, 2009 - Comments (2)
Category: Death, Obituaries, Comics, Performance Art, Dance

Willoughby Sharp, RIP

The newly deceased artist Willoughby Sharp sounds like a WEIRD UNIVERSE kinda guy. Judge for yourself by the following short film in which he stars.



Posted By: Paul - Mon Jan 05, 2009 - Comments (1)
Category: Art, Performance Art, Video, Obituaries

Jimmy Carl Black, RIP

The obituary of Jimmy Carl Black reminds us of how weird he and Frank Zappa were.

Posted By: Paul - Sun Nov 09, 2008 - Comments (0)
Category: Eccentrics, Music, Obituaries, 1960s

Yma Sumac, RIP

Goodbye, Yma Sumac, one of history's greatest and weirdest singers.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Nov 04, 2008 - Comments (1)
Category: Celebrities, Eccentrics, Entertainment, Music, Foreign Customs, Obituaries

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Who We Are
Alex Boese
Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes.

Paul Di Filippo
Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1.

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