Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience.

One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, ‘ You’re Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down! ‘How in the world did you know that?’ asked Plumb. ‘I packed your parachute,’ the man replied. Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, ‘I guess it worked!’ Plumb assured him, ‘It sure did. If your chute hadn’t worked, I wouldn’t be here today.’ Plumb couldn’t sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, ‘I kept wondering what he had looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat; a bib in the back; and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said ‘Good morning, how are you?’ or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor.’ Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent at a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn’t know.

Now, Plumb asks his audience, ‘Who’s packing your parachute?’ Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. He also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory – he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports before reaching safety.
Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason. As you go through this week, this month, this year, recognise people who pack your parachutes.

I am sending you this as my way of thanking you for your part in packing my parachute. And I hope you will send it on to those who have helped pack yours! Sometimes, we wonder why friends keep forwarding jokes to us without writing a word. Maybe this could explain it! When you are very busy, but still want to keep in touch, guess what you do – you forward jokes.
And to let you know that you are still remembered, you are still important, you are still loved, you are still cared for, guess what you get? A forwarded joke. So my friend, next time when you get a joke, don’t think that you’ve been sent just another forwarded joke, but that you’ve been thought of today and your friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you a smile, just helping you pack your parachute

https://www.great-inspirational-quotes.com
Author unknown

With all the disruption caused to families during the height of the pandemic and the pain that we all felt in not being able to provide our families with the services they deserved, we are delighted to announce that for us, things are moving back to what we can now refer to as some sense of ‘normality’

We can now allow up to 30 people to attend a funeral as opposed to the 6 we were allowed before, we can allow our limousine to be used again, most churches are allowing services and many reception venues are now back up and running! We can bring the doves and butterflies back, we can provide a full array of beautiful flowers, we can print your service sheets and we can even live stream your service and provide you with keepsake copies if needed! We’ve got it all covered. (All we can’t do is sing, but our crematoriums and churches have access to amazing music libraries so if we all have to ‘lip sync’ for a while then so be it)

We are SO pleased that we can offer our families as near to a ‘normal’ service as we can once again! As caring professionals it has broken our hearts to see some of the families we served have to endure funerals that were bare by comparison, and it pains us that so many families up and down the country had to go through such experiences, but we are now beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel and we are doing everything we can to ensure you can now get the service that you want for your loved one and to get it safely.

Your safety is still paramount to us, you can visit us at our office and we will provide masks for you if you wish to wear one, we have hand sanitiser for you, and our Reception Area, Arranging Room and Chapel of Rest are all thoroughly cleaned each time they are used. The Limousine is also cleaned after each use and again provided with masks and sanitizer for you and your family. We are happy to do face to face arranging again and happy for you to visit us at our office in Sackville Road if you wish. If you do not feel comfortable coming in to see us then that is also not a problem, we’ve got quite used to arranging funerals remotely (Zoom calls, or just telephone and email) recently so we will adapt to however you see fit.

Please continue to keep safe, we are not out of this by any means yet, but we will make your experience with us the safest and smoothest that we possibly can. Take Care out there, Richard, Ben, Zoe and Ray.

After researching into how we can further support our local community we came across this little gem of a scheme run by the Ministry of Defence, the ‘Armed Forces Covenant’. We all unanimously agreed that this would be a fantastic scheme to follow and we are proud to announce that we have pledged our support to the armed forces community by signing the Armed Forces Covenant.

We have organised many funerals for fallen servicemen in the past, contacting personnel from their regiment to attend with Regiment colours, helping to track relatives through our extensive files that go back 114 years and organising a standard from the Royal British Legion. We would love for our local community to know that we can help you, even if its in a small way, through our pledge to the Armed Services and their families.

---

Leonard Whittle, grandfather to Richard, the current Managing Director of Bungards, started working for the company in 1939 a few months before the Second World War broke out, and managed to volunteer even though being a Funeral Director he worked in a ‘reserved occupation’ (this meant that your job was classed important enough to a country that those serving in such occupations were exempt, in fact forbidden, from military service) Leonard wasn’t going to be put off by this small problem and aged 24, and just one year after joining his father-in-law in the family business he was desperate to ‘do his bit’ and he went off to serve as a Corporal for the Royal Artillery manning Anti-Aircraft Guns in Malta during the Second World War.

At Bungards our team have a lot of family history to reflect back upon and some fantastic stories of intense resolve passed down through the generations, from Zoe’s Great-Uncle Jhonny, a firefighter in London, being held by his feet dangling across the dome of St Pauls Cathedral in London batting off incendiary devices as they rained down during the blitz, to Rays father being called out many many times as part of the ambulance service to tend to the maimed during the ‘Brighton Blitz’ when the Luftwaffe bombed Brighton on over 56 occasions. And Ben’s grandfather who fought courageously and went on to become a Major in the Royal Anglian Regiment formed after the war ended.

Hitler was reported to have wanted the Royal Pavilion to be his headquarters after the war ended and insisted the site was not to be bombed, it came scarily close to being destroyed on the 29th November 1940 when a bomb landed between the Pavilion and the Dome but the ground, softened by intense rain, cushioned the impact and the shock-waves were absorbed below ground level saving the two historic buildings from certain ruin. 198 residents from Brighton & Hove lost their lives in World War 2 and 790 were injured during the Brighton Blitz

---

After reflecting back upon our own families struggles, the part Brighton & Hove played during the war effort, and us having family and friends who are currently in the forces it didn’t take us long to come to the conclusion that now we know about this, we will actively seek to help our servicemen and women in whichever way we can as a business and therefore we will seek to uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, by:

• Promoting the fact that we are an armed forces-friendly organisation;
• Seeking to support our employees who choose to be members of the Reserve forces, including by accommodating their training and deployment where possible;
• Offering support to our local cadet units, either in our local community or in local schools, where possible;
• Aiming to actively participate in Armed Forces Day;
• Offering a discount to members of the Armed Forces Community;

If you yourself, or if you have family members who have been in the Armed Forces please come and talk to us about how we may be able to help you at your time of need. We are proud to be able to be a part of these principles and we would be proud for this time round, to let US Serve YOU.

Bungards have known about Lambert’s for many years, and in these restricted times where people are having to think a little more ‘outside the box’ when it comes to celebrating a loved ones memory we would like to share with you their story.

Lambert’s White Dove Release Brighton was started up in 2015 by Viv Lambert and her daughter Laura. The family run company was started in Enfield in 2009 by Viv’s cousin, they have over 100 birds at their London home and 5 years ago Viv decided to bring doves to the people of Sussex. They have two purpose built dove cottages that currently house about 60 doves – most of whom are now tame enough to feed by hand each day.

The beautiful birds fly freely unless there is a release, then their cottage is closed the night before so they can catch the required number to pop in baskets the next morning. Once in the baskets, they settle and wait happily for release time, then as soon as they’ve performed their service they fly straight back home to meet up with their ‘family’ and enjoy their supper.

---

Viv explains that “our doves are loved and precious to us, and their welfare is paramount so we never carry out releases indoors, in severe weather conditions or in the dark. Each one of our doves has been extensively and carefully trained to navigate back to its home once released”

Viv then goes on to explain the release process “An experienced handler will arrive with the doves and meet the family at a previously agreed place. The family or person who has booked our dove(s) will be handed the dove, ready for release in its carrier. They may release the dove(s) as and when they wish. Our doves can be removed from the carrier and released by hand if you prefer”

So why have a dove release at a funeral, surely doves are more synonymous with weddings?

Letting go can be one of the hardest things we ever have to do, yet all of us at some time have to do it. For millennia and across cultures, doves have symbolised love, peace and new beginnings. Cradling one gently then releasing it to soar and fly free, watching as it circles and orientates before purposefully heading for home can be a powerful way of relieving grief associated with the loss of a loved one. The message of the dove is simple: life changes shape and form while the love lives on, blessing us forever.

For further information on the doves, to arrange a bespoke release or to speak to Viv about any questions you may have please click here

---

One example could be a Memorial Service held in the Extra Mural Chapel, which is set in

the extensive grounds of Woodvale Crematorium.

This beautiful little chapel was built in 1851, can hold up to 80 people and has its own

entrance from the Lewes Road.

We can help you to choose a celebrant or minister to take your Memorial, design your

service sheets with you and even arrange a release of White Doves or Butterflies to

complete your tribute if so desired.

If you would like to arrange a memorial but don’t know quite where to start

give us a call and we can help you create something personal and fitting.

---

A Grief Observed by CS Lewis

This classic text of grief is still one of the best books on this subject, even though it is viewed through the lens of a religious feeling in an increasingly secular world. This book was written from the four journals that Lewis kept whilst dealing with the loss of his wife to cancer after only three years of marriage. This is a ground level study of grief, and the observations that Lewis makes in response to his wife’s death are moving and profound. Click here to purchase

---

A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

Hemingway wrote his memoir at the end of his life to address the writer and man he was at the beginning of his life. It details his years in Paris with his first wife, Hadley, and it is an account of a man grieving for the happiness that accompanied those early years. The grief, in old age, for ones youth, comes to us all in some form, and no one expresses this grief so beautifully and poignantly as Hemingway does in this little book. Click here to purchase

---

A Very Easy Death by Simone de Beauvoir

When someone is dying of cancer there is a kind of pre-grief that happens while the dying person becomes less themselves through to the changed to their physical body brought about on by the cancer. This short memoir is a powerful account of De Beauvoir’s mothers last days, written in a brutally honest prose that spares the reader nothing of the horrors of an individual life coming close to death. Click here to purchase

---

Healing Grief by Barbara Ward

A practical guide to help people through all kinds of grieving processes. The author considers divorce and separation, life-threatening illnesses, living with handicap, bereavement and children, death and dying. In each case, her material is illustrated by stories of people she has worked with. Click here to purchase

---

The Courage to Grieve by Judy Tatelbaum

This unusual self-help book about surviving grief offers the reader comfort and inspiration. Judy Tatelbaum gives us a fresh look at understanding grief, showing us that grief is a natural, inevitable human experience, including all the unexpected, intense and uncomfortable emotions like sorrow, guilt, loneliness, resentment, confusion, or even the temporary loss of the will to live. The emphasis is to clarify and offer help, and the tone is spiritual, optimistic, creative and easy to understand. Click here to purchase

---

The Early Days of Grieving by Derek Nuttal

This simple and straightforward book is for those who have recently lost a loved one, offering direct and personal support, explanation, and information. Click here to purchase

---

The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying

Written by the Buddhist meditation master and popular international speaker Sogyal Rinpoche, this highly acclaimed book clarifies the majestic vision of life and death that underlies the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. It includes not only a lucid, inspiring and complete introduction to the practice of meditation, but also advice on how to care for the dying with love and compassion, and how to bring them help of a spiritual kind. But there is much more besides in this classic work, which was written to inspire all who read it to begin the journey to enlightenment and so become ‘servants of peace’. Click here to purchase

---

‘You’ll Get Over It’: The Rage of Bereavement by Virginia Ironside

The death of a loved one is the most traumatic experience any of us face. No two people cope with it the same way: some cry while others remain dry-eyed; some discover growth through pain, others find arid wastes; some feel angry, others feel numb. Virginia Ironside deals with this complicated and sensitive issue with great frankness and insight, drawing on other’s people’s accounts as well as her own experiences. Click here to purchase

---

Funerals and Coronavirus/ COVID-19

At the present time, we’re arranging funerals as we would normally, but we’re aware that the situation with coronavirus/COVID-19 is changing rapidly. As we tread into unchartered territory, we want to reassure you that we are taking every possible step to ensure funerals can go ahead with the health and wellbeing of everyone in our community as our main concern.

• We are well prepared to take care of people who have died with coronavirus/COVID-19 in line with the official guidance we have received from the government. We will continue to look after everyone in our care in our gentle and sensitive way, but have put procedures in place to ensure we can do this safely. This means that our team may be wearing full personal protective equipment (PPE) even when the risk is deemed to be low.
• If you are faced with arranging a funeral and cannot, for whatever reason, have a face-to-face meeting, we can arrange an appointment with you over the phone, email, Skype, FaceTime, WhatsApp etc. Paperwork can, in most situations, be completed digitally.
• Should you need to arrange a direct cremation or burial with us (this is when a person is cremated or buried without a funeral service and with no mourners in attendance), we can advise on how you can put together a meaningful memorial service at a later date, as well as offering support with your grief.
• We are working closely with our colleagues throughout the funeral profession to ensure we can offer the same high standards you would normally expect from us during this unprecedented time.

f you have any questions about coronavirus/COVID-19 and funerals, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us by calling 01273 820018 or by emailing info@bungards.co.uk.

Help to protect your loved ones from the worry and expense of your funeral with a pre-paid funeral plan from Bungard & Sons.

If like 700,000 other people you want to make sure your funeral is done your way with the minimal amount of fuss to your next of kin then consider a funeral plan to make things easier. We have carefully chosen Golden Charter to partner with over all of the other funeral plan providers as they are actually owned by Independent Funeral Directors like us and have over 25 years of experience. Plus they are the only funeral plan provider recommended by our governing body SAIF (Society of Allied & Independent Funeral Directors) so we know we and our families are in safe hands.

Your money is well protected with Golden Charter, and you can choose to pay in full or in instalments depending on your preference. Also depending on how you pay your funds will either go into the Golden Charter Trust which is worth about £1.126 billion pounds or paid into one of the UK’s leading life assurance policies. Golden Charter is also a Funeral Planning Authority registered provider which means they are committed to protecting customers’ payments and guarantee to cover the funeral director’s services included in your plan.

All in all we think that purchasing a pre paid Funeral Plan from Golden Charter is one of the most sensible things you can do, it ensures your wishes are adhered to and it makes sure that your loved ones do not have to deal with the worry of wondering what you may have wanted and of course having to find the funds for your funeral. At the time of need one phone call to us from your next of kin is all it takes to set the wheels in motion and for us to start arranging your wishes. We pride ourselves on the level of care and professionalism we provide to every one of our families and as we are Brighton & Hove’s Oldest Independent Funeral Directors we have picked up a thing or two over the last 113 years! We are now on our 5th generation of funeral directors and plan on staying around for another 100 years so your funeral will be in very safe hands.

Please feel free to call us, email us or pop in and have a chat if you would like to know more about our plans, we can tailor to your needs so no matter how simple or extravagant a send off you desire we can accommodate your wishes exactly.

• Dick Miller, 90, was a star of 1980s classics such as Gremlins and The Terminator.
• Michel Legrand, 86, was an Oscar-winning composer who worked with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Liza Minnelli, Edith Piaf and Barbra Streisand.
• Windsor Davies, 88, was best known for starring as Battery Sergeant Major Williams in It Ain’t Half Hot Mum. Aged 88.
• Andre Previn, 89, worked on films such as Gigi, Porgy and Bess, My Fair Lady and Irma La Douce – and he won best music Oscars for all four.
• Drummer Andy Anderson, 68, was best known for his time with The Cure in the 1980s, but also worked with Iggy Pop, Peter Gabriel, the Sex Pistols’ Glen Matlock and Mike Oldfield during his career.
• Peter Tork was one of the founding members of 1960s pop band The Monkees, famed for hit songs such as Daydream Believer and I’m A Believer. He died aged 77.
• Best known for his roles in The Sopranos and Casino, Vinny Vella, 72, starred in dozens of films throughout the 1990s and 2000s, often playing a gangster.
• Instantly recognisable for his distinctive white ponytail, black sunglasses, gloves and high starched collars, Karl Lagerfeld, 85, was one of the world’s most famous fashion designers.
• England’s World Cup-winning goalkeeper of 1966, Gordon Banks, 81, made 73 international appearances during his footballing career.
• Jan-Michael Vincent, 73, rose to prominence in the 1980s, playing pilot Stringfellow Hawke in US TV series Airwolf, about a high-tech military helicopter and its crew.
• A five-time Oscar nominee, British film legend Albert Finney, 82, was known for playing many different characters, with his list of films including Erin Brockovich, Big Fish, Scrooge, Annie and Murder On The Orient Express.
• Clive Swift was best known for playing Richard Bucket, the long-suffering husband of Hyacinth Bucket, in the classic comedy Keeping Up Appearances. Clive died aged 82.
• Comedian Jeremy Hardy, 57, was a regular guest on radio panel shows The News Quiz and I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue.
• Mike Thalassitis was a footballer and one of the stars of season three of reality TV hit Love Island in 2017. Mike died aged 26.
• TV presenter Magenta Divine, 61, was known for her trademark black sunglasses, stylish attire and husky voice.
• Luke Perry became a household name for his role as heartthrob Dylan McKay in US teen show Beverly Hills 90210 between 1990 and 2000. Luke was 52.
• Keith Flint, 49, was frontman of The Prodigy, the twisted firestarter who brought the sound of British rave music to an audience of millions across the world.
• As Chewbacca, the 7ft 3ins Peter Mayhew, 74, was a fierce warrior with a soft heart; a loyal sidekick to Harrison Ford’s Han Solo and co-pilot of the Millennium Falcon.
• Rowland ‘Boon’ Gould was a founding member of British band Level 42, alongside his brother Phil, Mark King and Mike Lindup. Rowland was 64.
• Ken Kercheval, 83, was best known as oil tycoon Cliff Barnes, rival of Larry Hagman’s scheming oil baron JR Ewing, in US TV series Dallas.
• Liverpool legend Tommy Smith, 74, played for the Merseyside football club for 18 years and was affectionately nicknamed the “Anfield Iron” by supporters.
• Sandy Ratcliff, 70, was one of the original cast members of BBC soap EastEnders, playing cafe owner Sue Osman between 1985 and 1989.
• The Tiger Who Came To Tea, by Judith Kerr, has never been out of print since being published in 1968, selling more than five million copies. It is the author’s best known book, among others including When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit and the Mog The Cat series. Judith passed aged 95.
• Formula 1 legend Niki Lauda,70, was a three-time world champion and the only man to have won the drivers’ title for both Ferrari and McLaren.
• Grumpy Cat, real name Tardar Sauce, had 1.5 million followers on Twitter, more than 8 million followers on Facebook and 2.4 million on Instagram when she died in May 2019.
• After retiring from acting, Doris Day had been very private, accepting the Cecil B DeMille award at the Golden Globes in 1989 and doing her last TV interview five years later. She died of pneumonia aged 97.
• Former WCW wrestler Silver King, real name Cesar Barron, starred opposite Hollywood star Jack Black in the 2006 comedy Nacho Libre collapsed in the ring aged 51.
• Brian Walden, 86, was a broadcaster and former Labour MP who was best known for an interview with Margaret Thatcher in 1989 which helped bring about the end of her time as prime minister.
• Comedian Freddie Starr, 76, became a household name after rising to fame in the 1970s, but was undoubtedly best known for The Sun’s infamous 1986 front page, “Freddie Starr Ate My Hamster” – one of the best known headlines in the history of British tabloids.
• Heartbeat actor William Simons, 79, played the role of PC Alf Ventress in the hit TV police drama for nearly two decades, starring in all 18 series of the show between 1992 and 2010.
• Gloria Vanderbilt, 95, was a US fashion icon, author, actress and socialite, the great-great-granddaughter of financier Cornelius Vanderbilt, who made headlines throughout her life.
• Ex-Arsenal striker Jose Antonio Reyes formed part of the iconic team who won the Premiership trophy without suffering any losses during what is now known as the club’s “invincible” season in 2003-04. Jose was 35.
• “King of the Broadway musical” Harold ‘Hal’ Prince, 91, worked on shows including Phantom Of The Opera and Sweeney Todd, winning a record 21 Tony awards in a theatre career which spanned seven decades.
• Actor Rutger Hauer, 75, appeared in more than 100 Dutch and international films and won a Golden Globe for his role in the 1988 film Escape from Sobibor.
• Brendan Grace, 68, played Father Fintan Stack in the cult TV comedy series Father Ted, and was also a stand-up comedian.
• Denise Nickerson, 62, played golden ticket winner Violet Beauregarde in the 1971 film adaptation of Roald Dahl’s bestselling novel, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
• Emmerdale star Freddie Jones was described as one of the TV soap’s “favourite human beings” following his death at 91. The father of fellow actor Toby Jones played Sandy Thomas in the ITV show
• Rip Torn, 88, was an award-winning television, film and theatre actor who starred in Dodgeball and Men In Black following his film debut as a former prisoner of war in Time Limit in 1957.
• John McCririck, 79, was the famous racing broadcaster known for his outlandish dress sense and provocative broadcasting style, who also achieved fame through appearances on entertainment programmes including Celebrity Big Brother and Celebrity Wife Swap.
• Doctor Who writer and script editor Terrance Dicks wrote for the long-running TV science fiction series from 1968 to 1983, for the second, third and fourth Doctors; played by Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker. Terrance was 84.
• According to US magazine Car And Driver, jetcar racer Jessi Combs, 36, was widely known in racing circles as the “fastest woman on four wheels”, and broke a record in 2013 with a run of 393mph (632kmph).
• Peter Fonda, 79, was born in New York in 1940 to Hollywood star Henry and his socialite wife Frances Ford Seymour, and was the younger brother of Jane Fonda.
• Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison, 88, was the first black woman to receive the prize for literature, which she was awarded in 1993.She also won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1988 for her novel Beloved
• Entertainer and impressionist Joe Longthorne, 64, performed to millions of people around the world and sang at the Royal Variety Show several times, in a career which spanned several decades. He also earned an MBE for his charity work in 2012.
• Robert Mugabe was the former president of Zimbabwe ousted in a military coup after 37 years in power. The 95-year-old had ruled the country, a former British colony, from 1980 and was the world’s oldest head of state before his dramatic exit two years ago.
• Nicknamed “Le Bulldozer” early in his career for his determination and ambition, former French president Jacques Chirac, 86, led the country between 1995 and 2007.
• Former Glasgow Rangers footballer Fernando Ricksen, 43, spent six years playing for the club and earned 12 caps for the Netherlands at international level.
• South Africa rugby legend Chester Williams, 49, was famously the only black player in the Springboks squad that won the Rugby World Cup on home soil in 1995.
• German fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh, 74, was known for his dramatic but simple black and white portraits, having worked with supermodels including Kate Moss, Helena Christensen, Cindy Crawford and Christy Turlington.
• In a journalistic career spanning 40 years, Peter Sissons, 77, became one of British television’s most experienced and influential newsreaders. He presented the BBC’s Nine O’Clock News from 1994 and was considered to be one of the UK’s longest-serving news presenters when he retired from broadcasting in 2009.
• Ginger Baker, 80, was the drummer and co-founder of rock band Cream with Eric Clapton in 1966, and also performed with Hawkwind, Blind Faith and Fela Kuti.
• Reg Watson’s “legacy lives on in Ramsay Street” – the fictional road on which the long-running Australian soap Neighbours has been set since it made its debut in 1985. As the creator of the series he helped launch the careers of some of the biggest stars in Australian entertainment before passing aged 93.
• Belgian Paralympian Marieke Vervoort, 40, won gold and silver in wheelchair racing events at the London 2012 Paralympics, and two further medals at Rio 2016.
• Robert Freeman, 82, was the man behind some of The Beatles’ most famous album covers, helping to define the band’s image with the 1963 cover for With The Beatles, their second album.
• Gary Rhodes, 59, worked in restaurants around the world and was one of the first big TV chefs, starring in programmes including Rhodes Around Britain and MasterChef.
• British theatre director and presenter Jonathan Miller, 85, was one of the most renowned figures in the arts, following a decades-long career that encompassed theatre, television and opera.
• Beloved critic and broadcaster Clive James, 80, was admired for his wit and ability with words, both as a writer and broadcaster, and appeared frequently on radio as well as on TV from the 1970s to the 2010s.
• Former England captain and Sky cricket expert Bob Willis, 70, was a mainstay of the England team for more than a decade, playing in 90 Tests and 64 one-day internationals after his debut in 1971.
• Award-winning actor Ron Leibman, 82, was a star of stage and screen, but readily acknowledged he would perhaps always be best known for playing the father of Rachel Green in Friends.
• Puppeteer Caroll Spinney, 85, portrayed the beloved Sesame Street characters Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch until he was well into his 80s.
• Singer and actor Kenny Lynch, 81, was known for his 1960s hit Up On The Roof and appearance in Pinewood comedy Carry On Loving.