I read that Sid Rawle has passed away. He was known at the time I first encountered him as John the Baptist. I didn't know him personally, but he always seemed to be around when I was working in London and the Vietnam War protests were at their height. I remember the big demo of October '68 he appeared among the kibitzers watching us parade by. Everybody greeted him cheerfully and he decided to join the march. As he stepped out into the road three big coppers leapt on him and dragged him off, he bawling "DEMAND THE IMPOSSIBLE!"
Usually when a protester was targeted and collared there would be some action by the rest; a punch-up, an attempt to rescue, at the least a barrage of abuse. In Sid's case everybody had a laugh as if the whole thing had been staged for our entertainment. It seemed that, with Sid, nothing should be taken too seriously.
the obituary gives his age as 64. I always assumed that he was older than me. Must have been the beard and the patriarchal get-up.

I've also just learned of the passing of Laurent Fignon, a personal favourite from the world of sport.

Laurent Fignon était un coureur de tempérament, sûr de lui, sans toutefois manifester les excès orgueilleux de Hinault. Sa froideur et ses petites phrases ont contribué à retarder sa popularité. Il aura fallu la tragique défaite du Tour 89 pour le rendre sympathique aux yeux du public. Fignon passait pour un coureur atypique, cultivé, qui savait s'exprimer. Pour cette raison, et parce qu'il portait des lunettes, la presse italienne l'avait surnommé "il Professore".

The English language version doesn't say so much, but here it is -

I always have to compare him favourably to Hinault.