May 16 1984
May 16 1990
May 16 1990
May 16 1995
Intergender wrestling champion and conceptual comic Andy Kaufman pretends to die of lung cancer. In order to make it really convincing, Andy underwent months of radiation therapy and six weeks of psychic surgery in the Philippines. And he never made any more public appearances.
May 16 1986
In the most notorious retcon in the history of television, Pam Ewing wakes up to find her husband Bobby in the shower — no small feat, considering he’s been dead for a whole season. In order to revivify Bobby’s character, the Dallas writers resorted to dismissing the entire preceding year as nothing more than Pam’s protracted dream.
May 16 1990
Sammy Davis, Jr. dies of throat cancer in Beverly Hills. After the legendary Rat pack singer/entertainer is buried with $70,000 in jewelry, the family discovers that Mr. Bojangles was broke and left millions of dollars in unpaid back taxes. His widow then orders the body exhumed so they can repo the jewelry.
May 16 1990
Attached to a ventilator and swimming in antibiotics, Muppet creator Jim Henson dies of a severe case of pneumonia in a New York hospital. In keeping with his express wishes, no one is permitted to wear black at Henson’s funeral service, which features 5,000 fans waving painted butterflies and a live band playing "When the Saints Go Marching In."
May 16 1995
After receiving an anonymous tip that a runaway teen was hiding there, police in Coral Gables, Florida search Jennifer Capriati’s motel room and uncover 20 grams of marijuana. The 18-year-old professional tennis player winds up diverted to a drug treatment program, avoiding a court trial.