Where Aren't They Now? 13 Overlooked Deaths of 2010

Not only did he survive both atomic explosions without serious injury, but his wife and son made it through unharmed as well. Needless to say, he spent the rest of his life loudly claiming to be a Highlander (or campaigning against nuclear weapons ... we forget which).

During WWII, he used his strength to carry four wounded men at a time off the battlefield. And he didn't die of organ failure or a heart attack like most 104-year-olds -- it took a whole minivan to knock Rollino out of the land of the living. But that's OK, because the word on the street was that Rollino was eager to finally meet Death face to face so he could drag him around the underworld with his pinky toe.

Meinhardt Raabe: Not only is he merely dead, he's really most sincerely dead.

Who?

Harvey Pekar, underground comic book writer, perpetual curmudgeon and Letterman irritant

How?

Accidental overdose of antidepressants

The legacy:

A lifelong resident of Cleveland, Ohio (see cause of death), Pekar developed a friendship with legendary underground comic creator R. Crumb, which lead to the creation of Pekar's comic book series American Splendor. This lead to multiple television appearances, publication of several collected editions of his work and ultimately a 2001 movie adaptation of his life in which he was played by Paul Giamatti.

And did we mention that Pekar couldn't actually draw? That someone else was doing all the artwork for him? Or that in spite of getting praised as a modern-day Chekhov, he kept his job as a file clerk in a VA hospital until retiring at 62? Kinda makes our unwillingness to work before 10 a.m. or past 3 p.m. look pretty lame, huh?

Who?

Morrie Yohai, inventor of Cheetos' puffy cousins, Cheez Doodles

How?

Cancer

The legacy:

As the president of Old London Foods, Yohai made his lasting contribution to the world of obesity by inventing Cheez Doodles back in the 1950s. Yohai was first of many to realize that Americans would line up to eat cheese-based snacks if they were stripped of natural coloring and correct spelling and involved the word "doodles."

In addition to being the inventor of our favorite food of self-hate, Yohai was a Jewish mystic and a poet. So, rest in peez, Morrie.

Who?

Forby Leonard Skinner, gym teacher and longhair opponent

How?

Alzheimer's disease

The legacy:

The 1960s were the one time in history when the length of your hair established where you stood on every important issue of the day: Short hair equaled pro-government, pro-war, pro-square music. Long hair equaled the opposite of all those things. So, Leonard Skinner was a Florida gym teacher firmly established in the short-hair camp, and he had no love for students on the other side of the hair-length war. And three of those students were Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington and Bob Burns and their sexy, sexy hair.

After countless visits to the office on account of their tresses, the boys decided they'd get their revenge by naming their fledgling band after the one man who seemed the most bothered by them. And to avoid a lawsuit from said square, they replaced all the vowels in "Leonard Skinner" with Y's. But it turned out Mr. Skinner had a decent sense of humor about the whole deal, even after the band used a sign from his realty company in their album art:

"They'd say, 'Who's speaking?' and I'd say, 'Leonard Skinner,' and they'd say 'Far Out,' which it really wasn't at four in the morning."

The New York Times dubbed him "the most influential high school gym teacher in American popular culture." Not too shabby for a short-haired square.

Unfortunately, 2010 was the year Heselden's luck ran out. His body was discovered in a river by a cliff, and his all-terrain Segway was found nearby.

Who?

Alex Anderson, creator of Rocky and Bullwinkle

How?

Complications from Alzheimer's disease

The legacy:

If there's one thing we'll learn from Alex Anderson, it's that you should never pass up an opportunity to watch documentaries about annoying cartoon characters from the 1960s, especially when you're the one who created the characters. Because you might just find that your name was left out of the story, and that all the credit for your annoying-ass characters went to your former business partner and childhood friend. And then, if it's 1996, and you're Alex Anderson, you just might find yourself suing the shit out of your former business partner's estate and winning "court-mandated acknowledgment" of being responsible for this crapcicle:

And thanks to Anderson and his lawsuit, no one was ever exploited by the animation industry ever again (except the entire nation of South Korea).

Who?

Irvin Kershner, film director

How?

Lung cancer

The legacy:

Irvin Kershner will always be beloved by nerds the world over for directing the best movie of all time. "I know," you say knowingly, "The Empire Strikes Back is my favorite movie too." Empire Yeah, right! We're talking about RoboCop 2. "RoboCop 2? The best movie of all time?" you reply, in a hoarse whisper. "That's not true ... THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" Search your feelings. You know it to be true.

Lisa-Skye Ioannidis is a comedian based in Melbourne, Australia. Find more of her here. Nicholas Rasche is a writer and comedian also based in Melbourne. Paul Rasche likes smoking.

And don't forget to check out the overlooked deaths of years past, in Where Aren't They Now?: 15 Overlooked Deaths of 2008 and Where Aren't They Now? 13 Overlooked Deaths of 2009.

And stop by Linkstorm to learn about the birth, death and resurrection of the savior: RoboCop.

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