Nipsey Russell is dead and I don't feel so good myself. Oh, and the man who played Gilligan for years on TV is gone, too.

OK, I'm borrowing that first sentence from the title of a book by long-time southern humorist the late Lewis Grizzard. His book was titled &#8221Elvis is Dead and I Don't Feel So Good Myself.“

In the last two months, two of the TV folks from my childhood have gone. They've followed, in recent years, Bob Keesham, who played Captain Kangaroo, and Fred Rogers whose TV make-believe neighbor served as a childhood refuge for millions of children.

Nipsey Russell, in case you aren't familiar, was the comedic actor who really never did much in the way of spectacular film, mostly B-grade stuff. But aside from having a funny name - the word &#8221Nipsey“ just has to bring a smile to your face - Russell was most known as one of the familiar faces that dotted TV talk shows and sitcoms throughout the 1970s.

He was right up there with other TV notables as Paul Lynde and Charles Nelson Reilly on the original Hollywood Squares and the long-defunct Match Game 73.

I remember watching Match Game 73 when I was barely old enough to reach the TV knobs (that was way before we even knew what a TV remote was, let alone could afford one).

When the game shows were done, it was time for a childhood rerun staple: &#8221Gilligan's Island.“

Even as a child I knew it was ludicrous. I never bought that the Professor could make all kinds of crazy contraptions on the island, but couldn't make a simple boat.

Being believable didn't matter. That wasn't important. Each afternoon was a cruise down the TV escapism river with Captain Nipsey Russell and first mate (the other Skipper's &#8221Little Buddy“) Bob Denver at the helm.

But now, sadly, all of these folks are gone. I have more channels now that I can keep up with, but yet, only few ever see any regular use and none are filled with anyone nearly as endearing as the Nipsey Russell, Charles Nelson Reilly and Paul Lynde.

More than the occasional loss of a relative, the departure of some of these childhood &#8221stars“ has begun to wear on me a bit.

I'm getting old. Fortunately, unlike in real life, recalling the bygone days of TV's glory days is only a rerun away. Now where did I put that remote?

Kevin Cooper is publisher of The Ironton Tribune. He can be reached at (740) 532-1441, ext. 12 or by e-mail to Kevin.cooper@irontontribune.com.