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Fun Trivia: D : Death Becomes Them

Special Sub-Topic: Decade of Death: The 90s


The decade started in 1990 with the death of writer Roald Dahl. Dahl was especially well known for his children's books. Which of these is NOT one of his?

    Wild Child. "Wild Child" is one of Lucy Dahl's books, Roald's daughter. Roald Dahl also wrote "James and the Giant Peach", "Fantastic Mr Fox, Danny the Champion of the World" and "The BFG".

One of rock music's greatest legends died in 1991 from AIDS. His real name was Farrokh Bulsara. What was his artist's name?
    Freddie Mercury & Mercury. The answer is Freddie Mercury, the iconic front man of Queen. Mercury had some success as a solo artist, but legendary songs like 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 'Somebody to Love', 'We Will Rock You', 'We Are the Champions', 'Under Pressure', 'Radio Ga Ga', 'I Want It All', 'I Want to Break Free', 'Who Wants To Live Forever' and 'The Show Must Go On' are all Queen releases.

Which of these legendary women passed away in 1992?
    Marlene Dietrich. Marlene Dietrich, the German born film actress and singer who emigrated from Germany in 1933, was a real bomb shell. 'Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt' is a highly memorable song. In 1999 she was named 'the greatest star of all time' by the American Film Institute. Edith Piaf ('La vie en rose', 'Non, je ne regrette rien') had already died in 1963. Ella Fitzgerald ('Cole Porter Songbook' album) died in 1996, and Hildegard Knef ('Für mich soll's rote Rosen regnen') died in 2002.

The year 1993 cost the world some remarkable people. Which one of these trios did NOT die in 1993?
    Telly Savalas, Erich Honecker & Richard Nixon. Telly Savalas (actor: Kojak), Erich Honecker (former GDR Prime Minister) and Richard Nixon (former US president) all died in 1994. The year 1993 took the lives of Dizzy Gillespie (jazz trumpeter: "A Night in Tunisia"), Audrey Hepburn (actress: "Roman Holiday"), Rudolf Nureyev (ballet dancer), Brandon Lee (actor: "The Crow"), Arthur Ashe (tennis player), Federico Fellini (director: "La Dolce Vita"), Anthony Burgess (writer: "A Clockwork Orange"), Frank Zappa (musician: Valley Girl) and Pablo Escobar ("Cocaine King") all died in 1993.

In 1994 grunge icon Kurt Cobain shot himself. Of which legendary rock band was Cobain the lead singer?
    Nirvana. Nirvana produced some great albums of which "Nevermind" is arguably the most well-known, but also the "MTV Unplugged in New York" is highly valued by crowd and critics. Their greatest hits are 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', 'In Bloom', 'Come As You Are', 'Lithium', 'Heart-Shaped Box' and 'All Apologies'. Nirvana's bass player was Krist Novoselic. The band used a couple of drummers, Dave Grohl being the longest lasting. Grohl had a successful post-Nirvana career as a solo artist and with his band The Foo Fighters. He also contributed to other bands like Queens of the Stone and Tenacious D.

The year 1995 saw the murder of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Who was his murderer?
    Yigal Amir. Yigal Amir was arrested immediately after the murder. Yoram Rubin was Rabin's bodyguard who got injured during the attack. David Meir Kahane is a radical rabbi, known as one of the founder of the Jewish Defense League. He died in 1990. Baruch Goldstein was the killer from the Hebron massacre in 1994. Goldstein committed suicide after his act.

In 1996 Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni died. Mastroianni was most famous for his roles in "Una Giornata Particolare" and "La Dolce Vita". The last movie contained a famous scene with Anita Ekberg in a Roman fountain. What is the name of this fountain?
    Trevi Fountain/ Fontana di Trevi. "Marcello!" - That is what Anita Ekberg cried out at the Trevi Fountain. The others do not exist, though the names are derived from other Roman monuments like the Colosseum, the Spanish Stairs and Villa Borghese.

INXS lead singer Michael Hutchence was found dead in 1997 under bizarre circumstances. That same year was the podium for some other deaths which shook the world. Which one did NOT take place in 1997?
    Sonny Bono. The answer is Sonny Bono (member of Sonny and Cher and husband of Cher) while his death took place one year later in 1998. The death itself was shocking though, while Sonny Bono was killed in a skiing accident. Lady Diana, Princess of Wales, was killed in a high speed car accident while being chased by paparazzi. The accident also killed the driver Henri Paul and boyfriend Dodi Al-Fayed. Country and folk singer John Denver ('Thank God I'm a Country Boy', 'Take Me Home', 'Country Roads') crashed with the lightweight plane Denver was piloting himself. Denver did not survive the crash. Ironically one of Denver's greatest hits was 'Leaving on a Jet Plane'. Gianni Versace was one of the five victims of serial killer Andrew Cunanan.

In 1998 Pol Pot died. Which Asian country suffered from his dictatorship from 1975 till 1979?
    Cambodia. Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge ruled Cambodia from 1975 till 1979. Vietnamese intervention ended his regime. Under Communist rule, lots of people were executed in the infamous killing fields, and the capital Phnom Penh became a ghost town.

Baseballer Joe DiMaggio, who died in 1999 and had once been married to Marilyn Monroe, appearred in two movies and one of Earnest Hemingway's books. Numerous artists also used his name in their lyrics. Which one these songs does NOT?
    Heroes - David Bowie. The others did use Joe DiMaggio's name: Madonna in "Vogue" ('Greta Garbo, and Monroe, Dietrich and DiMaggio'), Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel in "Mrs. Robinson" ('Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?') and Billy Joel in "We Didn't Start the Fire" ('Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnnie Ray, South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio'). Other artists using his name are John Fogerty, Tori Amos and Jennifer Lopez.


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