Surely, Leslie Neilsen can't be dead?

[Bored Of Education]

...but he is, unfortunately. Perhaps, at 84, not as big a shock as some recently but, still, sad.

Now is it him that initially thought that Airplane was serious or am I getting him mixed up with Tommy Lee Jones in Men In Black?

EDIT: Apparently, he died five years ago so apologies for the brainfart.

[Ray de Galles]

Surely, Leslie Neilsen can't be dead?

He died five years ago.

[ursus arctos]

Surely, Leslie Neilsen can't be dead?

Still Canadian, though.

Now is it him that initially thought that Airplane was serious or am I getting him mixed up with Tommy Lee Jones in Men In Black?

Are either of these widely held to be true?

[Incandenza]

Surely, Leslie Neilsen can't be dead?

If Neilsen had thought that Airplane was serious, I suppose he would have had to have thought the same about Police Squad, which he was in earlier.

[Borracho]

Surely, Leslie Neilsen can't be dead?

.

[Squarewheelbike]

Surely, Leslie Neilsen can't be dead?

Seems to be a Facebook generated thing!

[Incandenza]

Surely, Leslie Neilsen can't be dead?

I don't know how things like this get started, I saw a few people sharing a story about Uncle Will from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air dying, and that happened last year.

[G-Man]

Surely, Leslie Neilsen can't be dead?

And now the news on Facebook of the US president being shot. In a theatre, of all things! I hope he makes it.

[KingsburySaint]

Surely, Leslie Neilsen can't be dead?

It's ok, it was just Rex Hamilton guest starring as the president. He managed to fire back.

[Beatle Simon]

Surely, Leslie Neilsen can't be dead?

I noticed its no.2 (down from no.1) in the BBC most popular stories, and a friend has shared this 'news' on Facebook.

How do theses things (re)start?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news

[G-Man]

Surely, Leslie Neilsen can't be dead?

KingsburySaint wrote: It's ok, it was just Rex Hamilton guest starring as the president. He managed to fire back.

Very good.

[3 Colours Red]

Surely, Leslie Neilsen can't be dead?

Same thing happened with Tony Hart a couple of weeks ago and he passed away seven years ago.

[Jah Womble]

Surely, Leslie Neilsen can't be dead?

This unearthing of long-dead celebs is a current Facebook thing. A rather irritating one, at that.

And it's 'Nielsen', people.

[Stumpy Pepys]

Surely, Leslie Neilsen can't be dead?

Trois Fois Un Rouge wrote: Same thing happened with Tony Hart a couple of weeks ago and he passed away seven years ago.

Yes but the recent one was Zombie Tony Hart. He was taken out by Mr Bennett, who shot him in the head with a high-powered rifle.

[Ray de Galles]

Surely, Leslie Neilsen can't be dead?

Is that in 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies'?

[Borracho]

Surely, Leslie Neilsen can't be dead?

A woman I work with has just broken the news that Malcolm McLaren (d. 2010) has passed away, showing me the Facebook screen on her phone for proof.

What is this bollocks? Is it just two or three Facebook fuckwits stirring the shit?

[KGR]

Surely, Leslie Neilsen can't be dead?

Can someone tweet that Thatcher's died? That was banter.

[WOM]

Surely, Leslie Neilsen can't be dead?

Incandenza wrote: If Neilsen had thought that Airplane was serious, I suppose he would have had to have thought the same about Police Squad, which he was in earlier.

If, when you say 'earlier', you mean 'two years later', then yes. He was apparently cast in Airplane because 99% of his earlier roles were as serious types and he could do deadpan extremely well.

[Incandenza]

Surely, Leslie Neilsen can't be dead?

Huh, I thought that Police Squad was late 70s.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Surely, Leslie Neilsen can't be dead?

Well Fuck this thread. I've just been upset about the death of someone, whose death already upset me a number of years ago.

And of course I've made exactly the same mistake loads of times myself, but, check dates people, check dates.

[ursus arctos]

Surely, Leslie Neilsen can't be dead?

Airplane was 1980
Police Squad was 1982
The first Naked Gun film was 1988

[Crusoe]

Surely, Leslie Neilsen can't be dead?

ursus arctos wrote: Still Canadian, though.

Now is it him that initially thought that Airplane was serious or am I getting him mixed up with Tommy Lee Jones in Men In Black?

Are either of these widely held to be true?

AV Club: Surely you can’t be serious: An oral history of Airplane!

He did love his fart machines, according to that article.

[Satchmo Distel]

Surely, Leslie Neilsen can't be dead?

Airplane! followed three years after The Kentucky Fried Movie, which was the breakthrough for Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker and set the template: film parodies, cameos, puns.

[johnr]

Surely, Leslie Neilsen can't be dead?

I always loved Police Squad, used to watch it over and over on VHS; when an out for the count boxer looked up to his Trainer, who'd said 'how many fingers am I holding up?' and replied 'Thursday', it made me laugh so much. Still does, as I'm typing it...

[beak]

Surely, Leslie Neilsen can't be dead?

I think Police Squad is the funniest thing that was ever on television, and most likely the funniest thing committed to film. You're all welcome to argue the toss, but you'd be wrong.

I've complete false memory syndrome about there having been a black-and-white version that preceded the In Color! version on account of my brother telling me so when we were kids. Even though I know it isn't true, my brain can still conjure up thee image of sitting watching it.