The Blog of Death

William Evan Allan

William Evan Allan, the last Australian veteran to actively serve in World War I and World War II, died on Oct. 17. Cause of death was not released. He was 106.

Born in 1899, Allan enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy when he was only 14 years old. From 1915 to 1918, Allan served as an able seaman on the HMAS Encounter, escorting troop convoys and tracking German merchant boats and warships. Once the Great War ended, he remained in the service for more than three decades, rising through the ranks and serving on the Navy's Coronation Contingent for the coronation of King George VI in 1937.

Allan survived the Spanish flu pandemic, which killed more than two dozen of his shipmates, and nearly drowned in the North Atlantic in 1928 when he fell overboard during a storm. Although the captain of his ship was unwilling to lower a rowboat and possibly lose more of his men, he ordered the crew to save Allan by tossing a life preserver and a rope ladder into the water.

"I am like a cat," Allan once said. "I've had several lives."

The Melbourne resident met Ita "Gwen" Blakely in 1924 when his ship docked in Vancouver, Canada. The couple exchanged letters for 17 years before marrying on the SS Mariposa in 1941. They were honeymooning on Hawaii when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Allan then served aboard the HMAS Australia during World War II.

Allan retired as a lieutenant in 1947 and returned to Australia. He spent the rest of his life raising a family on a small farm in Somerville, Victoria. Gwen died in 1981.

Last week, Allan was honored with a state funeral.

• Listen to an Interview With Allan

Jason Collier

Jason J. Collier, a professional basketball player who spent the last two years playing power forward and center for the Atlanta Hawks, died on Oct. 15 of a sudden heart rhythm disturbance caused by an abnormally enlarged heart, an autopsy showed. He was 28.

At Central Catholic High School in Springfield, Ohio, Collier was named "Mister Basketball Ohio." He played college-level basketball at Indiana before transferring to the Georgia Institute of Technology. His father, Jeff Collier, played at Georgia Tech from 1972 to 1976, and Jason initially wore No. 52 in his honor.

In 2000, the 7-foot, 260-pound center was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. He was traded to the Houston Rockets, where he played backup for three years, then signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2003.

Collier joined the Atlanta Hawks in 2004, and started 44 games -- averaging 5.7 points and 2.6 rebounds in 13.5 minutes. He scored a career-high 22 points against Washington last season and pulled down 11 rebounds against Toronto. Although he was not projected to start this season, Collier passed his preseason physical and was considered a top backup. In two preseason games, he averaged 3.5 points and 3 rebounds.

Early Saturday, Collier experienced breathing problems and collapsed. His wife Katie called 9-1-1 and performed CPR until the ambulance arrived, but he died on the way to the hospital. He is also survived by his two-year-old daughter, Ella.

The Hawks plan to wear black shoulder patches on their uniforms in remembrance of Collier. His uniform will also remain inside his locker through the season.

• Complete Coverage From the Atlanta Hawks

Charles Rocket

Charles Claverie, a comedic actor who appeared on the big and small screens, committed suicide on Oct. 7. He was 56.

Born in Bangor, Maine, Claverie studied filmmaking at the Rhode Island School of Design. A love of the limelight and an electrifying presence on-camera helped him to break into broadcast journalism -- even though he had no media experience.

Claverie spent the 1970s working as a reporter for WPRI-Channel 12 in Rhode Island, as a weekend anchor for WTVF-Channel 5 in Nashville and as an anchor/weatherman for KOAA-Channel 5 in Colorado Springs, Colo. He also hosted "Super Show," a daily afternoon program that featured reruns of classic TV shows from the 1950s.

Claverie's big break came in 1980 when he joined the cast of the NBC show "Saturday Night Live." He appeared in numerous skits during the 1980-1981 season and provided news commentary on "Weekend Update." His trademark sign-off was: "I'm Charles Rocket. Good night and watch out."

While performing in a spoof of the famous "Who Shot JR?" plotline from the soap opera "Dallas," Claverie uttered the phrase, "I'd like to know who the fuck did it" on the air. When viewers complained about the use of profanity on the show, NBC apologized for the incident. Claverie was also terminated the following week, though he did appear in one last telecast.

Claverie adopted several stage names during the course of his three-decade career in show business -- such as Charles Hamburger and Charles Kennedy -- but he was best known as Charles Rocket. Claverie acted in more than 30 TV shows, including "Moonlighting," "Max Headroom," "Touched by an Angel," "The X-Files," "Star Trek: Voyager" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent." He also appeared in the films "Earth Girls Are Easy," "Dumb and Dumber" and "Dances With Wolves," and did voice work for the video games "Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter" and "Age of Mythology."

Claverie was found on Oct. 7 in a Canterbury, Conn., field. His throat was slit, and a knife was found next to the body. The state medical examiner determined the cause of death to be self-inflicted.

Jerry Juhl

Jerome Ravn Juhl was only 23 years old when he and his friend Frank Oz met Jim Henson at a puppeteer's convention. That fateful encounter in 1961 helped both young men land their dream jobs.

Juhl became the first full-time employee of the Jim Henson Co. He worked as a puppeteer on the TV show, "Sam and Friends," and spent six years writing for "Sesame Street" after it debuted in 1969. Juhl wrote scripts for Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Bert and Ernie, the Count and Big Bird, and created the character Super Grover. For his efforts, he won three Emmy Awards and two Writers Guild Awards.

Oz became Henson's closest collaborator, and for years provided the voices of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Bert, Animal, Grover and the Cookie Monster. He later gave a voice to Yoda ("Star Wars"), and directed numerous feature films, such as "The Dark Crystal," "In & Out" and "The Score."

From 1977 to 1981, Juhl served as the head writer for "The Muppet Show." He wrote or co-wrote the screenplays for every Muppet movie, including "The Muppet Christmas Carol," "Muppet Treasure Island" and "Muppets From Space." Then in 1983, Juhl co-created "Fraggle Rock," an idealistic puppet show that received critical acclaim for the four years it aired on HBO. Juhl's wife, Susan Doerr Juhl, also worked as a writer and script editor on the program.

Born in St. Paul, Minn., Juhl always had a passion for puppetry. As a child, he made his own puppets and performed plays for his family and friends. While earning his bachelor's degree in theater arts from San Jose State University in California, Juhl broke into show business by working on children's shows for local TV stations.

Juhl died on Sept. 27 of complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 67.

Carolyn Bell

Carolyn Bell, a star safety, wide receiver and fullback for the Connecticut Crush, died in a car accident on Sept. 30. She was 40.

Born in London and raised in Hartford, Conn., Bell played basketball on the University of New Haven's Division II national championship team in 1987. After graduation, she taught special education phys ed at Grace Webb School at the Institute of Living in Hartford.

An all-around athlete who played tennis, softball and was an avid swimmer, Bell joined the Connecticut Crush, a member of the National Women's Football Association (NWFA), in 2001. She was named the most valuable player (defensive) in 2003 and 2004, and served as the team's captain for three years. Bell also received the Crush 2002 Gridiron Award and was named an NWFA Defensive All-Star in 2004.

Bell had just parked her motorcycle near her home when a car driven by Eugenio River, of Hartford, struck and killed her. River, 24, was later charged with driving under the influence.

The Crush canceled a day of preseason training upon learning of No. 33's death.

• Watch a Tribute From Front Row Photography

Robert Hanson

Robert Hanson, the last surviving crew member of the famed "Memphis Belle," died on Oct. 1 of congestive heart failure. He was 85.

The native of Walla Walla, Wash., joined the military in 1941. After completing his training, Hanson was assigned to be the radio operator on a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress known as the "Memphis Belle." That aircraft made history for flying 148 hours and dropping more than 60 tons of bombs on the enemy.

Despite suffering some close calls in battle, the Belle was the first 8th Air Force World War II bomber to complete 25 combat missions -- many in daylight -- over Europe and still return to the United States intact. All of the Belle's major parts were replaced at least once during its two-year tour. Four of its crew died in combat.

Hanson, who kept the bomber's logbook, was almost killed on a mission. A bullet pierced the plane's walls and headed right for his head. At that exact moment, Hanson sneezed and the bullet hit the logbook instead. Hanson also wrote his girlfriend's name (Irene) on the wall of the Belle so the military would know who to contact in case he died. The couple later wed, and remained married for 63 years.

The Belle's final mission was completed on May 17, 1943. Upon its triumphant return to the U.S., the crew embarked on a 30-city tour to boost morale and help sell war bonds. The exploits of the Belle gained renewed attention in 1990 when Hollywood produced a feature film about the bomber and her crew. The preserved remains of the actual plane were declared a national historic treasure by the Air Force. They're currently in the process of being moved to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

Hanson returned to Washington state after the war and worked as a salesman for a food distribution company. Friends say he would often end his phone conversations with the phrase "dit-dit-dit-dah-dit-dah," which is how radio operators sign off in Morse code.

Charles Williams

Charles Williams, the first black umpire to work behind home plate in a World Series game, died on Sept. 10 of complications from diabetes. He was 61.

The Denver native attended Long Beach City College in California, where he was an All-American football player. He was working the night shift at a factory in the 1960s when he began attending umpire school.

Williams worked as a minor-league umpire until 1982 when he joined the majors. He ump'd the 1985 and 1995 All-Star games, the 1989 National League championship series between the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs, and the 1997 National League championship series between the Florida Marlins and the Atlanta Braves.

Williams was the home-plate umpire for Game Four of the 1993 World Series, which pitted the Philadelphia Phillies against the Toronto Blue Jays. That marathon match-up set several records, including the longest game (four hours, 14 minutes), the most runs by both teams (29) and the most runs scored by a losing team (14). Toronto beat Philly 15-14, and eventually took the series in game six.

A consummate professional, Williams often brought home videotapes of the games he worked, just to make sure his calls were accurate. Despite this dedication, baseball fans and players were not always happy with the calls he made. Some shouted racial epithets or spit at him. He even received death threats in 1986 for throwing Padres' first baseman Steve Garvey out of a game, but Williams refused to be swayed from his calls.

"People come to see their favorite players, to watch the game and to see the manager tell the umpire off. And it's part of my job to listen to him. When the crowd boos, I know I am probably doing something right," Williams once said.