For the late great Christopher Hitchens—never one for blind hagiography—the deaths in quick succession of Princess Diana and Mother Teresa (“a simpering Bambi narcissist and a thieving, fanatical Albanian dwarf”) were like a red rag to a bull:

http://www.who2.com/did-christopher-hitchens-really-call-mother-teresa-a-thieving-fanatical-albanian-dwarf/

How cute that Hitchens was unfairly misquoted as calling Teresa “a lying, thieving Albanian dwarf.” Not lying, merely thieving and fanatical—so that’s all right then…

“Dragging the icon to the trash” is also a suitable metaphor for some biographies, such as Tony Palmer’s film (and book) Menuhin: a family portrait.

Talking of haphazard links through death date, few would think of connecting Lin Zhongshu and Chuck Berry.