"Rock 'n' roll is musical baby food: it is the worship of mediocrity, brought about by a passion for conformity."

Mitchell William "Mitch" Miller (July 4, 1911 – July 31, 2010) was an American musician, singer, conductor, record producer, A&R man and record company executive. One of the most influential figures in American popular music during the 1950s and early 1960s, both as the head of Artists and Repertoire at Columbia Records and as a best-selling recording artist, he is sometimes thought of as the creator of what would become karaoke with his NBC-TV series, Sing Along with Mitch. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester in the early 1930s, Miller began his musical career as an accomplished player of the oboe and English horn, and recorded several highly regarded classical albums featuring his instrumental work, but he is best remembered as a conductor, choral director, television performer and recording executive. Miller lived in New York City for many years and died there on July 31, 2010, after a short illness

Calzone!

George Michael Steinbrenner (July 4, 1930 – July 13, 2010) was principal owner and managing partner of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees. His outspokenness and role in driving up player salaries made him one of the sport's most controversial figures. During Steinbrenner's ownership from 1973 to his death, the longest in club history, the Yankees earned 11 pennants and 7 World Series titles. He died after suffering a massive heart attack in his Tampa home on the morning of July 13, 2010.

Free Throw

John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010) was an American basketball coach. He was a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player (inducted in 1961) and as a coach (inducted in 1973). He was the first person ever enshrined in both categories. Only Lenny Wilkens and Bill Sharman have since been so honored. His ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period while at UCLA are unmatched by any other college basketball coach. On April 3, 2006, Wooden spent three days in a Los Angeles hospital receiving treatment for diverticulitis. He was hospitalized again in 2007 for bleeding in the colon. He was released to go home on April 14 and his daughter was quoted as saying her father was "doing well." Wooden was hospitalized on March 1, 2008, after a spill in his home caused him to fall. Wooden broke his left wrist and his collarbone in the fall, but remained in good condition according to his daughter and was given around-the-clock supervision. In February 2009 he was hospitalized for four weeks with pneumonia. On May 26, 2010, Wooden was admitted to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center due to dehydration. Wooden died of natural causes on June 4, 2010.

Thank You For Being A Friend

Rue McClanahan (February 21, 1934 – June 3, 2010) was an American actress, known for her roles as Vivian Cavender Harmon on Maude, Fran Crowley on Mama's Family, and Blanche Devereaux on The Golden Girls, a role that won her an Emmy Award. McClanahan died on Thursday, June 3, 2010 in NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital after she suffered a stroke and subsequently a brain hemorrhage.

Welcome

This is the official website for the Coal Cracker Death Pool. Please keep an eye on your list because some deaths may fly under the radar so please let me know so I can update the page. With that being said here is some info on the three deaths so far.






Ronnie James Dio (July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010) was an American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter. He performed with, amongst others, Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and his own band Dio. Other musical projects include the collective fundraiser Hear 'n Aid. He was widely hailed as one of the most powerful singers in heavy metal, renowned for his consistently powerful voice and for popularizing the "devil's horns" hand gesture in metal culture. Prior to his death, he was collaborating on a project with former Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Vinny Appice, under the moniker Heaven & Hell, whose first studio album, The Devil You Know, was released on April 28, 2009. Dio died of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010.






Gary Wayne Coleman (February 8, 1968 – May 28, 2010) was an American actor, known for his childhood role as Arnold Jackson in the American sitcom Diff'rent Strokes (1978–1986) and for his small stature as an adult. He was described in the 1980s as "one of television's most promising stars." After a successful childhood acting career, Coleman struggled financially later in life. In 1993, he successfully sued his parents and business adviser over misappropriation of his assets. On May 26, 2010, Coleman was admitted to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, Utah, after falling and hitting his head and suffering an epidural hematoma at his home in Santaquin, Utah. He was announced to be in critical condition. According to a hospital spokesman, Coleman was 'conscious and lucid' on the morning of Thursday May 27, but his condition subsequently worsened. By mid-afternoon on May 27, 2010, Coleman was unconscious and on life support. He died at 12:05 p.m. MDT (18:05 UTC) on May 28, 2010.






Dennis Lee Hopper (May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010) was an American actor, filmmaker and artist. As a young man, Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1955, and appeared in two films featuring James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause (1955) and Giant (1956). Over the next ten years, Hopper appeared frequently on television in guest roles, and by the end of the 1960s had played supporting roles in several films. He directed and starred in Easy Rider (1969), winning an award at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay as co-writer. Film critic Matthew Hays notes that "no other persona better signifies the lost idealism of the 1960s than that of Dennis Hopper."
He was unable to build on his success for several years, until a featured role in Apocalypse Now (1979) brought him attention. He subsequently appeared in Rumble Fish (1983) and The Osterman Weekend (1983), and received critical recognition for his work in Blue Velvet and Hoosiers, with the latter film garnering him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He directed Colors (1988), and played the villain in Speed (1994). Hopper's later work included a leading role in the television series Crash. On September 30, 2009, news media reported that Hopper had been rushed to a New York hospital for an unspecified condition. Hopper, 73, was reportedly brought into an unidentified Manhattan hospital by an ambulance on Monday wearing an oxygen mask and “with numerous tubes visible.”] On October 2, he was discharged, after receiving treatment for dehydration.
On October 29, Hopper's manager reported that Hopper has been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. In January 2010, it was reported that Hopper's cancer had metastasized to his bones.
As of March 23, 2010, Hopper reportedly weighed only 100 pounds (45 kg) and was unable to carry on long conversations. According to papers filed in his divorce court case, Hopper was terminally ill and was unable to undergo chemotherapy to treat his prostate cancer. His lawyer reported on March 25 that he was dying from cancer.
Hopper died at his home in the coastal Los Angeles suburb of Venice on the morning of May 29, 2010, due to complications from prostate cancer.

Coal Cracker Death Pool List

Amie & Tom

Dennis Hopper

Lindsay Lohan

Jeff Conoway

Jesse James

Elizabeth Taylor

Justin Beiber

Jerry Stiller

Morgan Freeman

Woody Allen

Amy Winehouse

Alexis Joel

Olivia Newton John

Hugh Hefner

Artie Lange

Elizabeth Edwards

Stephen Hawkings

Bill Cosby

Angela Lansbury

OJ Simpson

Nick Nolte

Nick Jonas

Nick Carter

Jerry Lewis

David Hasselhoff

Grace Slick

Dustin Diamond

Bobby Brown

Janice Dickinson

Michael Moore

Charles Manson

Courtney Love

Ronnie James Dio

Verne Troyer

Nancy Williams

Burt Reynolds

Steven Tyler

Pete Doherty

Madonna

Christopher Lloyd

Shirley MacLaine

Drew Brees

Jim Carrey

Roger Ebert

Samuel Jackson

Daniel Baldwin

Paul Michael Glaser

Ashton Kutcher

Vince McMahon

Dick Cheney

Liza Minnelli

Chris

Pat Summerall

Tara Reid

Boy George

Tom Sizemore

Kim Jong-il

Roman Polanski

Bret Michaels

Darryl Strawberry

Dwight Gooden

Yogi Berra,

Trishelle Cannatella

Tommy Chong

Sir Ian Mckellan

Jake "The Snake" Roberts

Lex Luger

Andy Dick

Alicia Silverstone

Tonya Harding

Evander Holyfield

Patsy Ramsey (Died-June 24, 2006)

Betty White

Cher

Michelle Williams

Todd Rundgren

Kate Moss

James Garner

Fidel Castro

Mikhail Gorbachev

Jimmy Carter

Jack Klugman

Jenna Jameson

Flavor Flav

Brigitte Nielsen

Chyna

Dennis Hopper

Jerry Lewis

Rue McClanahan

Ted Koppel

Dan Rathers

Larry King

Garry Marshall

Teri Garr

Mickey Rourke

Peter Tork

Davy Jones

Artie Lange

Amy Winehouse

Keith Richards

Steven Tyler

Nancy Reagan

Glenn

Gary Coleman

Jack Osbourne

Tom Sizemore

Stephen Baldwin

Pauly Shore

Ryan O'Neal

Nick Nolte

Redmond O'Neal

John Goodman

Bernie Madoff

Kirstie Alley

Snooki

Clint Eastwood

Suzanne Pleshette (Died-January 19, 2008)

OJ Simpson

Muhammad Ali

Kirk Douglas

Maura Tierney

Andy Whitfield

Roger Ebert

Aretha Franklin

James Ware "KoKo B Ware"

Roy Wayne Farris "Honky Tonk Man"

Don Imus

Larry King

Maurice Clarett

Charles Rogers

Owen Wilson

George Woldt

Tim Conway

Pete Doherty

Doug Fieger (Died-February 14, 2010)

Kim Jong-il

Darlene Cates

Ernest Borgnine

Charles Manson

Paula Poundstone

Shirley Temple

Boy George

Cliff Richard

Gordon Lightfoot

John McCain

Artie Lange

Brian Bonsall

Tawny Kitaen

Scott Weiland

Jerry Cantrell

Gary Cherone

Steven Tyler

Jeremy

Zsa Zsa Gabor

Fidel Castro

Kirk Douglas

Kim Jong-il

Betty Ford

Billy Graham

Nelson Mandela

Tiger Woods

Jack Blank

Bobby "The Brain" Heenan

George H. W. Bush

Jimmy Snuka

The Iron Sheik

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper

Hulk Hogan

Abe Vigoda

Dennis Hopper

Ronnie Biggs

John Wooden

Muhammad Ali

Jim Carrey

Dick Clark

Robbie Knievel

Queen Elizabeth II

Dick Van Dyke

Bret Michaels

Eddie Van Halen

Mary-Kate Olsen

Barack Obama

Mickey Rooney

Nancy Reagan

Tommy Lee

Hugh Hefner

Jerry Lewis

Kyle Busch

George Steinbrenner

Lindsay Lohan

Bob Barker

Rush Limbaugh

Betty White

Joanne Woodward

Mick Jagger

Axl Rose

Billy Joel

Elizabeth Taylor

Jimmy Carter

Andy Dick

Bear Grylls

Dick Cheney

Joaquin Phoenix

Linda & Molly

Ace Parker

A.C. Foyt

Jimmy Carter

Dennis Hopper

Patty Andrews

Chuck Berry

Jerry Lee Lewis

Tony Bennett

Tony Martin

Andy Williams

Jim Carrey

Rose Marie

Peter Marshall

Bob Barker

Rip Taylor

Charlie Callas

Judge Joe Wapner

Larry Storch

Jackie Cooper

Harry Morgan

Ernest Borgnine

Robert Blake

Joan Rivers

Buzz Aldren

Jayne Meadows

Lindsay Lohan

Courtney Love

Dolores Hope

Gloria Stuart

Mitch Miller

Jack Lalanne

Eli Wallach

Kirk Douglas

Zsa Zsa Gabor

Phyllis Diller

Don Pardo

Pauline Phillips

Billy Graham

Sun Myung Moon

Mickey Rooney

Abe Vigoda

Monty Hall

James Arness

Don Ho (Died-April 14, 2007)

Elizabeth Taylor

Eddie Fisher

Betty Ford

Shecky Greene

Andy Griffith

Nick Nolte

Noelle

Chyna

Seth "Shifty" Binzer

Kari Ann Peniche

Heidi Fleiss

Steven Adler

Liz Taylor

Bai Ling

Courtney Love

Whitney Houston

Holly Madison

Bobby Trendy

Corey Feldman

Dennis Rodman

David Hasselhoff

Boy George

Tawny Kitaen

Mary Carey

Tom Sizemore

C.C. Deville

Dustin Diamond

Barbara Walters

Geraldo Rivera

Tila Tequila

Daisy De La Hoya

Kid Rock

Kate Moss

Amy Winehouse

Blake Fielder-Civil

Seth Green

Heather Locklear

Mackenzie Phillips

Shawn Stewart

Joe Francis

Axl Rose

Pete Doherty

Kristin Cavallari

Cloris Leachman

Buzz Aldrin

Betty White

Cyndi Lauper

Pam Anderson

Verne Troyer

OJ Simpson

Bill Clinton

Tom Petty

John Mellencamp

Steve-O

Lindsay Lohan

Don Vito

Joe Paterno

Ryan

Shaquille O'Neal

Mary Kate Olsen

Ashley Olsen

Lindsay Lohan

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

T.J. Lavin

Pamela Anderson

Pierce Brosnan

Nicole Ritchie

RuPaul

Hugh Hefner

Hulk Hogan

Ken Griffey Jr.

Robin Williams

DMX

Gheorghe Muresan

Janice Dickinson

Dick Knoebel

Bob Saget

Greg Biffle

Horace Grant

Art Garfunkel

Tim Tebow

Al Pacino

Sarah Palin

Bobby Bowden

Gallagher

Peter Gabriel

Ricky Martin

Jack Nicholson

Reba McEntire

Quentin Tarantino

Dolly Parton

Willie Nelson

Buzz Aldrin

Spud Webb

Andy Dick

Ozzy Osbourne

Dick Cheney

Tim Allen

Larry the Cable Guy

Tony Siragusa

Jerry Stiller

Randall Cunningham

Lenny Dykstra

Mickey Rourke

Clint Eastwood

John Daly

Billy Bob Thornton

Miley Cyrus

Scott

Bobby "The Brain" Heenan

Jake "The Snake" Roberts

Bruno Sammartino

Mick Mars

Axl Rose

Hugh Hefner

Dick Clark

Bob Barker

George H. W. Bush

Barbara Bush

Dan Quayle

Artie Lang

Sir Ian McKellen

Muhammad Ali

Carol Burnett

George "The Animal" Steele

George Lucas

Joe Pesci

Mae Young

Larry Flynt

Courtney Love

Johnny Depp

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper

Roger Ebert

Andy Dick

Curtis Armstrong

Jeff Conaway

Greg "The Hammer" Valentine

Jenna Jameson

Bobby Brown

Jim Brown

Dennis Haskins

Harry Anderson

John Larroquette

Andy Griffith

Gene Wilder

Dick Van Dyke

Amy Winehouse

Steven Spielberg

Heidi Montag

Tim Burton

Jeff The Drunk

"Rappin' Granny" Vivian Smallwood

Lester "Beetlejuice" Green

Lita Ford

Ron Jeremy

Ozzy Osborne

Justin Bieber

Jon Voight

Mel Brooks

Shinskie

Dennis Hopper

Elizabeth Taylor

Bob Barker

Betty White

Jerry Stiller

Hugh Hefner

Robert Duvall

Doris Roberts

Clint Eastwood

Anthony Hopkins

Jon Voight

Danny Devito

Jack Nicholson

Joan Rivers

Michael Caine

Kirk Douglas

Jerry Lewis

Keith Richards

Willie Nelson

Ozzy Osbourne

Dick Clark

Regis Philbin

Barbara Bush

John McCain

Nelson Mandela

Larry King

Willie Mays

Bill Russell

Billy Graham

Nancy Reagan

Dennis Rodman

Tom Sizemore

Gary Busey

Carl Weathers

Bobby Bowden

Don Shula

Lawrence Taylor

Muhammad Ali

Jake "The Snake" Roberts

Lindsay Lohan

Travis Pastrana

Mike Tyson

Arnold Palmer

Jeff Conaway

Gary Coleman

Penny Marshall

The Iron Sheik

B.B. King

Mary Kate Olsen

Bob Dylan

Tuffy

Artie Lange

Seth"Shifty" Binzer

Lindsay Lohan

Angelina Jolie

Dennis Hopper

Dick Clark

Bret Michaels

Dennis Rodman

Dick Cheney

Levi Johnston

Edward Furlong

Jeff Conaway

Joe Francis

David Hasselhoff

OJ Simpson

Alexis Neiers

DMX

Janice Dickenson

Steven Adler

Naomi Campbell

Osama Bin Laden

Bernie Madoff

Michael J. Fox

JaMarcus Russell

Amy Winehouse

Scott Weiland

Courtney Love

Pete Doherty

Bobby Brown

Zakk Wylde

Britney Spears

Kendra Jade

Heidi Fleiss

Barrack Obama

Gary Coleman

Redmond O'Neal

Phil Spector

Paula Abdul

Keith Richards

Andy Rooney

Samantha Ronson

Burt Reynolds

Elizabeth Taylor

Peter Falk

Sammy "The Bull" Gravano

Elizabeth Edwards

David Blaine

Austin Stevens

Mickey Rourke

Andy Dick