DAILY DIRT: Tina, Jim and Norman led the list of those we lost in 2023

Daily Dirt for Monday, Jan. 1, 2023

Tina Turner was the best female vocalist of our lifetime. There, I said it … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 826 of The Daily Dirt.

1. Happy New Year! Welcome to 2024.

But before we begin sinking our teeth into this new 12-month period, let’s take one final look back at 2023, concerning the celebrities we lost.

I’ve ranked the top 10 celebrity deaths since January 2023. During the course of a year, the Daily Dirt likes to provide several updates targeting those we lost who during their lives had the greatest impact(s) on pop culture.

Here’s how we view those 2023 deaths:

• 1. Tina Turner: She has been dubbed the “Queen of Rock and Roll,” a title well-earned following a career that saw her remain a major voice in pop muisc starting in the 1960s. In the 1980s, Turner reinvented herself and became a global rock superstar with songs like “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” “Let’s Stay Together,” and “The Best.” Turner performed in films like 1975’s “Tommy” and 1985’s “Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome,” while her 1986 memoir “I, Tina” inspired the 1993 biopic “What’s Love Got to Do with It” — which earned Angela Bassett an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of the musician. Turner was 83.
• 2. Jim Brown: The legendary Cleveland Browns fullback who is widely regarded as the finest overall rushing talent in NFL history, was also an acclaimed political activist and actor. Brown gained much attention when famously standing alongside Muhammad Ali in 1967, when the boxer announced that he would not fight in Vietnam.
• 3. Norman Lear: The legendary TV producer was the man behind such iconic weekly series as “All in the Family,” “The Jeffersons” and “One Day at a Time”. He is regarded as the key figure in revolutionizing the sitcom genre we have come to enjoy so much. Lear was 101.
• 4. Tommy Smothers: He was, of course, half of the Smothers Brothers, whose variety TV show famously tackled such topics as civil rights and free speech. The brothers’ catchy folk songs and biting political commentary attracted huge TV audiences in their show, which debuted in 1967. The brothers often drew the ire of TV censors. Tommy Smothers was 86.
• 5. Matthew Perry: He will always be remembered as the sarcastic, but lovable Chandler Bing on “Friends”. He ahd battled drug and alcohol addictions. Perry was 54.
• 6. Jimmy Buffett: Buffett achieved international fame in 1977 with his breakthrough hit, “Margaritaville,” which has become a vacation anthem. He went on to transform the track into a business empire, launching several stores, a collection of hotels, the Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant chain and T-shirt and footwear lines. Buffet was 76.
• 7. Bob Barker: He was the affable host of “The Price Is Right” for 35 years, and a steadfast presence on television for decades. Barker was 99.
• 8. Gordon Lightfoot: The legendary Canadian singer who burst on to the U.S. music scene in the late 1960s and early 1970s, earned multiple Grammy nominations and was remembered by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as “one of our greatest singer-songwriters” who “helped shape Canada’s soundscape”. Lightfoot was 84.
• 9. Tony Bennett: The elegant crooner, whose long list of hits began in the 1950s, released 60 studio albums during his career. Bennett earned an impressive 20 Grammys during his long and distinguished career. He was 96.
• 10. Ryan O’Neal: He will be forever tied to the 1970 film, “Love Story,” along with actress Ali MacGraw. The movie appeared in theaters just prior to Christmas that year, and to this day is recognized by the American Film Institute as the No. 9-most romantic film of all-time. The movie also remains one of the highest-grossing films ever (adjusted over the years for inflation). O’Neal was 82.

2. I graduated from Madison High School in Mansfield, Ohio, way back in 1972.

The following were prices at McDonald’s that year:

• Quarter pounder: 60 cents (70 cents, with cheese)
• Big Mac: 65 cents
• Hamburger: 28 cents
• Cheeseburger: 33 cents
• Fish sandwich: 48 cents
• French fries: 26 cents
• Hot apple pie: 26 cents
• Milkshake: 35 cents
• Coke: 15 cents (20 cents, large)
• Compare those to current prices:
• Quarter pounder: $3.79
• Big Mac: $3.99
• Hamburger: $2.49
• Cheeseburger: $2.59
• Fish sandwich: $$3.69
• French fries: $1.39 (small)
• Hot apple pie: 99 cents
• Milkshake: $2.19 (small)
• Coke: $1 ($1.49 large)

3. Hey, baseball fans, think about the following information.

These were the MLB strikeout leaders during the 2023 season:

• Kyle Schwarber, 215.
• Eugenio Suarez, 215.
• Teoscar Hernandez, 211.

This is the number of strikeouts of Tony Gwynn had in the ENTIRE decade of the 1990s: 188.

Steve Thought O’ The Day – Keeping with today’s McDonald’s theme, a tip o’ the hat to 1983. That was the year McNuggets first appeared on menus at the Golden Arches.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. He and his fellow Muddy Buddies wish you all a Happy New Year!