I don't mean to alarm anyone, but a source who is a news engineer at ABC gave me this information last night:

Posting from work this morning, we're standing by with a report that Bob is in the hospital, and his family has been told to stay by his side...

An American with a capital "A."

Absolutely could have been elected President - in the 40's and 50's - but I think he was born in England.

My prayers go out to him...

He came back this morning with this:

Back at work this morning at Master Control, they have me standing by for a special report.

This will siginal the end of an American era to me...the end of the 20th Century.

I know I'll shed some tears when it happens. The only other celebrities I did that for were John [Lennon] and George [Harrison].

I can't find information anywhere else on the web, and the network can't confirm this is the case, which is why they haven't gone ahead with the story. I'll keep you guys posted if I find out any new information.

Oh my lord, this is so tragic....Gregory Peck, then Katharine Hepburn, now Bob Hope! Who's next? :(

:(

Oh God I hope not. He's in my prayers.

AKA you are a true gem. I like hearing about what is happening amongst Hollywood people and you are coming through. Thanks for the heads up. I will pray.......

I'm not up on celebritys ages, but isn't Bob Hope like 100 or something, does anyone know his age?

Originally posted by bandito
I'm not up on celebritys ages, but isn't Bob Hope like 100 or something, does anyone know his age?

yeah he's 100 or 101 I think. He has my birthday! :D

Originally posted by bandito
I'm not up on celebritys ages, but isn't Bob Hope like 100 or something, does anyone know his age?
According to imdb, Bob Hope turned 100 on May 29th. He's a wonderful caring man who gave so much of himself to his audiences and to troops worldwide.

Originally posted by bandito
I'm not up on celebritys ages, but isn't Bob Hope like 100 or something, does anyone know his age? Yes, he is 100, he was born on May 29 1903

Originally posted by bandito
I'm not up on celebritys ages, but isn't Bob Hope like 100 or something, does anyone know his age?


He turned 100 this past May. He has not been in good health for some time now, so this is not a big surprise. Hope he can pull through !

Still, nobody's reporting on this. Maybe the Hope family wants to keep his last days private, or maybe it's just a bunch of bunk (I'm hoping it's the latter). I'll let you know if I find out one way or the other.

Originally posted by Miss Karly
yeah he's 100 or 101 I think. He has my birthday! :D

Yeah, just like ANOTHER famous gal we all know about!!!;)

Here's a pix:

Originally posted by Captain ABlairica
Yeah, just like ANOTHER famous gal we all know about!!!;)

Here's a pix:

That's right--MELISSA ETHERIDGE!!!

Aw, that's awful. He'll be in my prayers. :(

Sure hope hes Ok. :(

I love Bob Hope, and if it is his turn to go, God Bless him; what a wonderful entertainer.
I saw him in concert twice when I was a child, because he was always one of my favorites.
And he is 100 years old and when he goes on the other side; he will be greeted by old friends like Bing Crosby and Lucille Ball:) :yourock: Bob:)

It was just announced that Mr. Hope passed away. Truly a great entertainer and human being.

Yeah, it's the leading story on CNN's Web site. I'm sorry to see him go, but he had a long life. Rest in peace, Bob.

As soon as I read that Bob Hope died, I turned on CNN. Right now, his friend Mel Shavelson is talking. It must be a very emotional day for his wife, Delores and his kids. :(

RIP Bob Hope 1903-2003 Thanks For the Memories

:crying: RIP Bob. I'll miss him.

:( That's sad. RIP,Bob. :crying:

:( :candle: It's sad to hear of so many classic actors/actresses deaths this past year. RIP Bob.

Bob Hope Dies at 100

LOS ANGELES (July 28) - Bob Hope, the ski jump-nosed master of the one-liner and favorite comedian of servicemen and presidents alike, has died, less than two months after turning 100.

Hope died late Sunday of pneumonia at his home in Toluca Lake, with his family at his bedside, longtime publicist Ward Grant said Monday.

The nation's most-honored comedian, a millionaire many times over, was a star in every category open to him - vaudeville, radio, television and film, most notably a string of ''Road'' movies with longtime friend Bing Crosby. For decades, he took his show on the road to bases around the world, boosting the morale of servicemen from World War II to the Gulf War.

He perfected the one-liner, peppering audiences with a fusillade of brief, topical gags.

''I bumped into Gerald Ford the other day. I said, 'Pardon me.' He said, 'I don't do that anymore.'''

He poked fun gently, without malice, and made himself the butt of many jokes. His golf scores and physical attributes, including his celebrated ski-jump nose, were frequent subjects:

''I want to tell you, I was built like an athlete once - big chest, hard stomach. Of course, that's all behind me now.''

When Hope went into one of his monologues, it was almost as though the world was conditioned to respond. No matter that the joke was old or flat; he was Bob Hope and he got laughs.

''Audiences are my best friends,'' he liked to say. ''You never tire of talking with your best friends.''

He was admired by his peers, and generations of younger comedians. Woody Allen called Hope ''the most influential comedian for me.''

Hope earned a fortune, gave lavishly to charity and was showered with awards, so many that he had to rent a warehouse to store them.

Through he said he was afraid of flying, Hope traveled countless miles to entertain servicemen in field hospitals, jungles and aircraft carriers from France to Berlin to Vietnam to the Persian Gulf. His Christmas tours became tradition.

He headlined in so many war zones that he had a standard joke for the times he was interrupted by gunfire: ''I wonder which one of my pictures they saw?''

So often was Hope away entertaining, and so little did he see his wife, Dolores, and their four adopted children, that he once remarked, ''When I get home these days, my kids think I've been booked on a personal appearance tour.''

Hope had a reputation as an ad-libber, but he kept a stable of writers and had filing cabinets full of jokes. He never let a good joke die - if it got a laugh in Vietnam, it would get a laugh in Saudi Arabia.

On his 100th birthday, he was too frail to take part in public celebrations, but was said to be alert and happy - and overwhelmed by the outpouring of affection. The fabled intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street was renamed Bob Hope Square, and President Bush established the Bob Hope American Patriot Award.

''He can't believe that this is happening and that he's made it to his Big 100,'' son Kelly Hope said at the time.

He was born Leslie Townes Hope on May 29, 1903, in Eltham, England, the fifth of seven sons of a British stonemason and a Welsh singer of light opera. The Hopes emigrated to the United States when he was 4 and settled in Cleveland. They found themselves in the backwash of the 1907 depression.

The boy helped out by selling newspapers and working in a shoe store, a drug store and a meat market. He also worked as a caddy and developed a lifelong fondness for golf. A highly competitive golfer, he later shot in the 70s and sponsored the Bob Hope Golf Classic, one of the nation's biggest tournaments.

Hope changed his name to Bob when classmates ridiculed his English schoolboy name.

He boxed for a time under the name Packy East - ''I was on more canvases than Picasso'' - and Hope also tried a semester in college before devoting himself to show business. He quickly veered from song and dance to comedy patter, and his monologue routine was born.

By 1930, he had reached vaudeville's pinnacle - The Palace - and in the '30s he played leading parts in such Broadway musicals as ''Roberta,'' ''Ziegfeld Follies'' and ''Red, Hot and Blue,'' with Ethel Merman and Jimmy Durante. During ''Roberta,'' he met nightclub singer Dolores Reade and invited her to the show. They married in 1934.

After a few guest radio spots, Hope began working regularly on a Bromo Seltzer radio program. In 1938, he was hired by Pepsodent to create his own show, and that led him to Hollywood.

Paramount signed him for ''The Big Broadcast of 1938,'' in which he introduced the song that became his trademark: ''Thanks for the Memory.''

Soon he was teaming with Crosby in the seven ''Road'' pictures - ''Road to Bali,'' ''Road to Morocco,'' ''Road to Zanzibar'' and so on - playing best friends who lie, cheat and make fun of each other in comedic competition for glory and Dorothy Lamour.

In between, there were such pictures as ''Cat and the Canary,'' ''The Paleface,'' ''Louisiana Purchase,'' ''My Favorite Blonde,'' ''That Certain Feeling,'' ''I'll Take Sweden'' and ''Boy, Did I get a Wrong Number.'' He made 53 films from 1938 to 1972.

In 1950, he entered television, and his successes continued. Even 40 years later, he could be counted on to pull in respectable ratings. He also appeared more than 20 times at the Academy Awards, first on radio and than on television, as presenter, cohost or host between 1939 and 1978.

During the awards broadcasts, Hope specialized in poking fun at himself for not being nominated. ''I like to be here in case one of these years they'll have one left over,'' he told the audience in 1953. (He did receive several special Oscars.)

Hope started playing to troops well before the United States entered World War II.

He tried to enlist, but was told he could be of more use as an entertainer. He played his first camp show at California's March Field on May 6, 1941, seven months before Pearl Harbor.

His traditional Christmas tours began in 1948, when he went to Berlin to entertain GIs involved in the airlift.

''It's as if every one of them was his kid brother,'' Mrs. Hope once said.

His 1966 Vietnam Christmas show, when televised, was watched by an estimated 65 million people, the largest audience of his career.

Hope at first was hawkish on Vietnam. Later, he said he was ''just praying they get an honorable peace so our guys don't have to fight. I've seen too many wars.''

His views opened a gap between the comedian and young Americans opposed to the war. He was sometimes heckled by young people in his audience.

In 1990, he traveled to the Persian Gulf to entertain troops preparing for war with Iraq. Because Saudi Arabia bars female entertainers, he had to leave Marie Osmond and the Pointer Sisters behind in Bahrain.

''They have their religion and their beliefs and you have to kind of abide by it,'' he said. ''What bothers me is they don't want any entertainment and they still invited me.''

Hope never had a regular straight man, but he worked often with crooner Crosby, first in radio, where they developed a routine of insulting each other merrily. Crosby helped make Hope's nose famous as a ''droop snoot'' and a ''ski run.'' For his part, Hope replied:
''Only in Hollywood could a meatball make so much gravy.''

Hope amassed a fortune, investing much of it in real estate in California's San Fernando Valley, Palm Springs and Malibu. Forbes magazine in 1983 estimated his wealth at more than $200 million, but Hope denied it.

Mrs. Hope, a prominent Roman Catholic laywoman, kept busy with her charities and their four adopted children, Linda, Anthony, Nora and Kelly.

His awards included scores of honorary degrees; special Oscars for humanitarianism and service to the film industry; the George Peabody Award; the National Conference of Christians and Jews Award; and the Medal of Freedom from President Johnson.

He was the author or co-author of 10 books, including his 1990 autobiography, ''Don't Shoot, It's Only Me.''

In the mid-'90s, Hope played charity dates around the nation, but he seemed to slow his schedule. What was billed as his last NBC special, ''Laughing with the Presidents,'' focusing on his long friendships with many occupants of the White House, appeared in late 1996. His more than 60-year association with the network was said to be a record.

In 1997, there were new honors: The Navy christened a 950-foot-long, 33,000-ton support ship the USNS Bob Hope, and the Air Force dedicated a C-17 Globemaster III cargo plane as ''The Spirit of Bob Hope.''

As his 95th birthday approached in May 1998, the Library of Congress announced it was creating the Bob Hope Gallery of American Entertainment. The Hope family pledged $3.5 million for the upkeep of Hope memorabilia in the library.

In recent years, his hearing eroded, although he refused to wear a hearing aid. He suffered recurring eye problems, once remarking:
''I've got a hemorrhage in the right eye now, and I used to have one in the left eye. I'm a walking hemorrhage.''

Until increasing frailty slowed him down, Hope repeatedly pledged never to quit entertaining.

''I'm not retiring until they carry me away,'' he said. ''And I'll have a few routines on the way to the big divot.''

AP-NY-07-28-03 0950EDT

Rest in peace, Bob.

http://www.toysfortots.org/images/hope.jpg

He lived a very long, fulfilling life. He will truly be missed.

Bob, you were one of the greats.

What a sad year this has been. Another legend gone. May Bob rest in peace. :(

RIP,Bob Hope,you'll be missed by millions. :(

Try not to be sad, guys. He lived a long, great, fulfilling life. Watch a Bob Hope movie or performance tonight and smile (or let loose a big gut-laugh).

He was a great man, but his legacy will definitely outlive him by thousands of years!

Originally posted by AKA
Try not to be sad, guys. He lived a long, great, fulfilling life. Watch a Bob Hope movie or performance tonight and smile (or let loose a big gut-laugh).

He was a great man, but his legacy will definitely outlive him by thousands of years! Exactly. Yes, its always sad when someone dies, but damn he lived a long life and achieved a lot. He was a trooper.

Celebrities React to Bob Hope's Death

By The Associated Press

Thoughts, memories and reflections on the death of Bob Hope.

"It's hard for me to imagine a world without Bob Hope in it," Woody Allen, who has cited Hope's 1942 film "Road to Morocco" as a childhood inspiration to go into comedy.

"Meeting Bob Hope was meeting a champion. He was not only a great star but an entertainer and a friend of the entire world," Mickey Rooney, who appeared with Hope in the 1953 boxing comedy "Off Limits."

"Today America lost a great citizen," President Bush.

"Bob Hope, like Mark Twain, had a sense of humor that was uniquely American, and like Twain, we'll likely not see another like him," Dick Van Dyke.

"For more than five decades, through four wars and years of peacekeeping missions, Bob Hope came to symbolize, for every man and woman in uniform, the idea that America cared for and supported its troops," Edward A. Powell, president and CEO of the United Service Organizations.

"He was very much at home in the TV studio or on stage live anywhere; that is where he really lived. And, you know what, it was never a chore for him. It was never nerve-racking. He was always so completely prepared by his tremendous organization that he had put together," comedian Phyllis Diller.

"It is impossible to think of Bob Hope without smiling," Julie Nixon Eisenhower, daughter of late President Nixon.

"In times of worry and concern, he offered the 'hope' that his name signified," Los Angeles Cardinal Roger M. Mahony.

my mom told me earlier that he passed. it is so sad :(. I love Bob Hope. Pitooey is right this has been a sad year. :crying:

Applause Continues for Hope

by Lia Haberman
E! Online

Thanks for the memories, indeed.

Tributes for the late Bob Hope have poured in from Presidents, actors, comedians and U.S. servicemen a day after the entertainer succumbed to pneumonia at the age of 100.

The outpouring upholds the spirit of Dolores Hope's request that friends and fans of her husband's "celebrate his life." A life that Hope "loved and lived to the fullest," the widow said Monday.

President Bush mourned the loss of "a great citizen" in a statement Monday. "Bob Hope made us laugh. He lifted our spirits," said the President, adding, "Bob Hope served our nation when he went to battlefields to entertain thousands of troops from different generations. We extend our prayers to his family and we mourn the loss of a good man. May God bless his soul."

Further praise came from former President Bill Clinton, who said Hope left "a matchless legacy of laughs to people all over the world...Bob also helped raise more than one billion dollars for countless good causes. It was my honor to present him with the National Medal of Arts, to sign a law naming him an honorary veteran of our Armed Forces, and to enjoy two great days of golf with him."

Hope, who starred in 50-plus movies, 280-plus TV specials and hosted 18 Academy Award shindigs, was remembered in a statement from NBC, the network he called home for six decades. "We are deeply saddened by the passing of legendary entertainer Bob Hope," said chairman and chief executive Bob Wright.

"Not only was he an inspiration to everyone at NBC, but to all of America. His quick-witted humor, which delighted NBC viewers and lifted the spirits of our servicemen, will never be forgotten. We thank him for the memories," concluded the Peacock net exec.

For its part, CBS will air a special 48 Hours Monday night honoring America's favorite funnyman. Thanks for the Memories: A Bob Hope Tribute will be hosted by Dan Rather and include family home movies and footage from Hope's historic career.

Hope was also remembered Monday by fellow show-biz vets, including Johnny Carson, who said that Hope was "the best loved, most admired and most successful entertainer in all of history. He is quite simply irreplaceable."

Meanwhile, Woody Allen called the funnyman "the most influential comedian for me," and said Hope inspired a generation of younger comics.

Said Elizabeth Taylor, "He was the leader of laughter."

And Phyllis Diller lauded Hope as "the comedy master of the universe," while Sid Caesar commended Hope on keeping up the country's morale when it was low. "I admire him," Caesar concluded.

Hope was also memorialized by one of his longtime writers, Larry Gelbart, himself a producer on the TV series M*A*S*H. "As always, he was a master of timing," said Gelbart. "He took his curtain call when he turned 100--and then, he made what I hope was a painless exit."

And the kudos keep on coming.

"Bob Hope, like Mark Twain, had a sense of humor that was uniquely American and like Twain, we'll likely not see another like him," Dick Van Dyke said Monday.

Despite the fact that Hope never won an Oscar himself, "he won the hearts of the members of the Academy, the governors of the Academy and the hundreds of millions who watched the Academy Awards presentations," said Academy prez Frank Pierson.

"America has lost its court jester and the Academy has lost a great friend who played a major role in the history of the organization," added Pierson.

Steve Allen's widow, Jayne Meadows Allen, who costarred with Hope in the 1986 NBC telepic A Masterpiece of Murder, said she and her husband "were privileged to count Bob and Dolores among our dearest friends for more than 50 years."

"How fortunate we have all been to have lived in the century that Bob Hope graced with his humor. My thoughts and prayers are with Dolores and the entire Hope family," concluded Allen.

"He was not only an American treasure but a treasure belonging to the whole world," remarked frequent NBC and USO costar Morgan Fairchild of the British-born performer, while Mickey Rooney said his old pal "gave hope to the world--to everybody. He'll be missed always."

"He gave us a hundred years, and still left us wanting more," said fellow NBCer Kelsey Grammer.

Tim Matheson, who worked with Hope on Paramount's How to Commit Marriage, said the Hollywood legend was as calm, funny and cool in life as he was on the screen and yet his humor and laid-back demeanor masked "how hard he worked and how seriously he took his job...I was lucky to know him for a brief time."

"I spent a lot of time with Bob," reminisced Frankie Avalon. "The thing I remember so much about him was his warmth. He was always concerned about his fellow peers. He always made you feel very comfortable. Before each shoot, he would tell a joke so that everyone felt at ease. I worked with Bob on tour and on film sets. He was a wonderful and caring man."

Bridging the gap between show biz and politics, which Hope seemed to cross effortlessly, former first lady Nancy Reagan remembered Hope fondly. "Losing him is like losing a member of the family," remarked Reagan, whose friendship with Hope extended six decades.

"Ronnie always said that Bob was one of our finest ambassadors for America and for freedom, spending his lifetime entertaining servicemen and women away from home and overseas, especially in time of conflict," said Reagan.

Hope was also lauded by former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford.

"One of our nation's great treasures, he will always be remembered for his love, concern, and selfless devotion for the men and women in the armed services," weighed in Carter. "We join fellow Americans in mourning the loss of a dear friend. He will be deeply missed by the many people whose lives he touched."

Meanwhile, Ford said Hope "was a truly great American and one of the premiere entertainers of all time. GIs around the world have been grateful for his untiring devotion."

Condolences also came from presidential offspring Julie Nixon Eisenhower. "It is impossible to think of Bob Hope without smiling. His friendship with my parents and with Ike and Mamie Eisenhower was warm and genuine, shaped over decades of shared political views, laughter-filled social evenings and, of course, the occasional Hope-Nixon golf course challenge.

"While Bob Hope's presence on stage was a unique and irreplaceable talent, I believe his greatest gift was an unflinching and unmatched support of our men and women in uniform," continued Nixon Eisenhower. "He stood beside my father during the national schism of the Vietnam War, and backed our troops at a time when many instead turned aside. Americans will never forget Bob Hope's steadfast love of country."

Hope started cracking wise for GIs in 1941, seven months before Pearl Harbor, and continued through 1990 when he traveled to the Persian Gulf to entertain troops. Monday his efforts were applauded by the United Service Organizations (USO).

"For more than five decades, through four wars and years of peacekeeping missions, Bob Hope came to symbolize, for every man and woman in uniform, the idea that America cared for and supported its troops," said Edward A. Powell, president and CEO of the United Service Organizations.

Early RKO actress Ann Miller, who worked several USO tours with Hope, said he made everyone comfortable. "[He] always had a joke and never screamed if things went wrong," said Miller.

Fellow USO vet Raquel Welch made an appeal to patriotism in her remarks on "the king of comedy," calling Hope's death "the end of an era where Americans were united in their feelings of loyalty to their country and to the principles for which it stands."

Finally, USO pal Connie Stevens said Hope's "true legacy may never be written down, it will come from the telling of people's personal stories. He will be remembered by the telling of those people's lives he lifted as much as his formidable career. Their stories will be passed on from one to one for many generations to come. I'm glad I had the privilege of spending some of my life with him."

You mean when I go back to Hollywood to see the location where cool hair metal emporium British Collectibles stood 15 years ago at Hollywood and Vine, I won't be able to, because it will be BOB HOPE SQUARE??:confused: