In 2010, 58-year old Leroy Fick won two million dollars in the Michigan State Lottery. As chronicled on the reality television show Lottery Changed My Life, Leroy took his winnings on the “lump sum” option. He netted a little under one million dollars after taxes. Leroy’s first order of business was to demolish his house and rebuild a new structure on the same plot of land. Then he purchased a new Chevrolet Camaro, as well as other extravagant accoutrements — including swords, slot machines and a significant amount of fireworks.

Two years after his sudden monetary windfall, Leroy was broke, having squandered all of his winnings. He was receiving financial government assistance amounting to approximately $1100 per month. Leroy also faced legal troubles, including a 45-day jail stint in 2012 for a drug conviction. That was followed by another prison sentence the same year for felony possession of a firearm.

On June 5, 2021, after a police investigation, Leroy Fick’s body was found floating in the Tittabawassee River. He was 69 years old. No official cause of death was released.

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In 1955, Charlaine Karalus was working hard in the subscription department of Playboy magazine, the fledgling publication started by Hugh Hefner, a former copy editor for Esquire magazine. For the first year of its existence, Playboy used professional models in the magazine’s famous pictorials. But Hefner want to portray a different type of woman. He was looking for the proverbial “girl next door.” He didn’t have to look any further than his subscription department. After a little convincing, Charlaine agreed to pose for the July 1955 issue, with one stipulation. In exchange for topless photos, Charlaine would receive a brand new addressograph for the office. This machine would help with addressing the numerous correspondence sent out by the magazine, specifically from Charlaine’s department.

Provocative (for the time) photos appeared in Playboy, identifying Charlaine as “Janet Pilgrim,” a name chosen by Hefner as a joke on on sexual “puritanism.” Janet’s centerfold showed the pretty blonde 21-year-old alongside a decorated Christmas tree — wrapped strategically in a fur — with a shadowy tuxedoed figure in the background (rumored to be Hefner himself). The photo spread was so popular among readers that it prompted additional appearances by Janet in the magazine — a rarity. Janet became just one of just two women to make three centerfold appearances. Janet’s July 1955 was the first two page “centerfold” spread in the magazine’s history.

In the early 80s, Janet gave up on her modeling career and enrolled in nursing school. Now in her 40s, Janet went into the field of geriatrics. She loved her new profession and worked until her retirement. Janet moved to Connecticut to be near her extended family, including five grandchildren.

Janet passed away in 2017 at the age of 82… just a few months before Hugh Hefner.

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Eddie Mekka was more than “Carmine Ragusa,” the singing-dancing, on-again-off-again tough guy boyfriend of Shotz Beer bottle capper “Shirley Feeney” in the 1970s sitcom Laverne & Shirley.

Before landing the part of “The Big Ragu,” Eddie performed on Broadway in the rock opera The Lieutenant, a role that earned him a  Tony Award nomination. Post-Laverne & Shirley, Eddie stayed busy with guest roles in TV comedies and dramas, like 24, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Bold and The Beautiful and many others. He was cast by his former Laverne & Shirley co-star Penny Marshall in a small, but memorable, role as Madonna’s dance partner in A League of Their Own, where he matched the Material Girl step for step. A decade later, he popped up in the critically-acclaimed film Dreamgirls as a club manager.

Eddie toured in various musicals like Grease (where he teamed up with Cindy Williams) and Fiddler on the Roof in the starring role of “Tevye.” He also starred in a run of Hairspray at The Luxor in Las Vegas and in the off-Broadway comedy My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish & I’m In Therapy!

From his humble show biz beginnings as a voice instructor in the local opera company in his native Worcester, Massachusetts, Eddie Mekka achieved a career to be proud of. Sadly, he passed away at the young age of 69 on November, 27, 2021. By all accounts, he was a nice guy, too.

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Olga Baclanova apprenticed at the Moscow Art Theatre but was soon appearing in films in the Russian cinema. In 1925, as part of a touring company from the Moscow Art Theatre, Olga came to New York City. She defected during the tour and caught the sight of film producers during a performance in Los Angeles. Olga was cast in The Dove in a bit part. The popularity of the film led to bigger roles including the thriller The Man Who Laughs with Conrad Veidt. She received raved reviews for her performances… that is until talking pictures became the trend in Hollywood. The exaggerated mannerisms she displays in silent films, along with her heavy Russian accent, became a hinderance. Her career faltered and she was relegated to small, supporting roles… when she was able to get work.

Director Tod Browning, a fan from her silent picture days, cast her in his follow-up to his hit Dracula. The film was Freaks and Olga played the deceitful trapeze artist Cleopatra. Freaks shocked movie-going audiences and was pulled from widespread distribution. It was banned in a number of countries worldwide. All hopes of reigniting Olga’s career were dashed. She ended her film career in 1943 after a smattering of bit parts.

Undiscouraged, Olga pursued the stage, appearing in Broadway productions, as well as plays on London’s famed West End. She headed to retirement, taking to the stage only a few more times in the 1950s. She moved to Switzerland and spent her final years in a retirement facility. She passed away in 1974 at the age of 81.

Olga experienced some posthumous resurgence in the spotlight. In the early 80s, it was noticed that a budding young singer named Madonna bore a striking resemblance to Olga in her youth. The Man Who Laughs enjoyed a brief revival as a result of Madonna’s popularity.

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