Celebrity Deaths
‘Spider-Man’ actress found dead
British film star Lucy Gordon was found dead in her Paris apartment. She appears to have committed suicide, according to French police.
Gordon appeared as a British reporter, Jennifer Dugan, in “Spider-Man 3.” She played Jane Birkin in the upcoming biopic on Serge Gainsbourg.
According to the London Times, Gordon was discovered in her apartment. The paper also quotes a news source as saying the actress’s boyfriend was asleep in the residence when she hanged herself. An autopsy has been ordered.
Friday would have marked her 29th birthday.
Celebrity deaths: Lynyrd Skynyrd bassist, Stanley Tucci’s wife
Lynryd Skynyrd bassist Donald “Ean” Evans died of cancer Wednesday at age 48.
A statement posted Thursday on lynyrdskynyrd.com announced Evans’ death “with profound sadness.” It said he had “put up a valiant battle with an aggressive form of cancer.”
Evans was born in Atlanta, but moved to Columbus, Mississippi after marrying his wife, Eva. He joined Lynyrd Skynyrd in 2001 and toured with them until 2008, when he was diagnosed with cancer.
In other Hollywood deaths, Stanley Tucci’s wife, Kate, also died of cancer last week. The actor hosted a wake for his wife of 14 years over the weekend. The couple have three children.
“My wife was an extraordinary person who showed us all what great strength is,” Tucci told the New York Daily News.
Dom DeLuise dies at 75
The world is a little sadder today. Comedian Dom DeLuise has passed away. DeLuise died Monday at a Los Angeles hospital at the age of 75, according to ET.
He starred in Mel Brooks classics like “Blazing Saddles,” “History of the World Part One” and “Space Balls” and hosted Candid Camera. He co-starred with Burt Reynolds in “Cannonball Run,” “Smokey and the Bandit 2″ and “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.”
“I was thinking the other day about this. As you get older you think about this more and more, I was dreading this moment,” said Reynolds in a statement. “Dom always made everyone feel better when he was around. I never heard him say an unkind word about anyone. I will miss him very much.”
DeLuise was married to actress Carol Arthur and has several children in the T.V. industry.
Porn star Marilyn Chambers found dead
Former porn star Marilyn Chambers has been found dead at age 56. The Los Angeles coroner’s office reports that Chambers’ body was discovered Sunday night in her rural home by her daughter. An autopsy is planned to determine how the actress died.
She began her career as the Ivory Snow girl, the model on the soap box, posing as a mother holding her baby under the tag line “99 and 44/100% pure.”
She made her porn debut in “Behind the Green Door” and after that, nearly every adult film she made following that featured a cameo of her Ivory Snow box.
In the 2004 United States presidential election. Chambers ran for Vice President on the Personal Choice Party ticket, a quasi-libertarian party. She received a total of 946 votes. In the 2008 United States presidential election she was a write-in running mate for Thomas L. Knapp.
That’s one hell of a life.
Jade Goody’s sons say a private farewell
While thousands had a very public goodbye to Jade Goody on Saturday, her sons had a simple, private tribute while on vacation in Australia with their father, Jeff Brazier.
Bobby, 5, and Freddie, 5, wrote messages to their late mother, drew pictures and put them in a bottle. They sealed the bottle and dropped it into the ocean.
It was Goody’s decision not to have her sons at the funeral because she felt they were too young and it would be too upsetting for them. Her ex agreed to take them to Australia, out of the public eye.
On Saturday, Bobby and Freddie colored pictures and wrote special messages to her. One read, “We love you Mummy and we miss you Mummy.”
Earlier in the week, the kids had written a message for their mom to be included with flowers. It read:
“To Mummy,
Please speak to God and ask him to make the clouds go away on holiday because we can’t see the stars.
We love you very much and speak about you every day, we know you are with us when we play on the beach, eat our dinner and even when we are colouring in pictures for you, we know we can talk to you and you’ll hear us.
You are always in our thoughts and in our hearts mum, we are proud of you and you’ll never to be forgotten.
We miss you, love your little men, Bobby and Freddie.
xx”
That sound you hear is my heart breaking for these poor kids.
Jade Goody’s sons to miss service
British reality star Jade Goody’s public funeral is set for Saturday and while thousands of mourners and media are expected to attend, her two young sons aren’t. Goody, 27, died March 22 after a long battle with cancer.
Bobby, 5, and Freddy, 4, will instead travel to Australia with their father, TV presenter Jeff Brazier.
Among the celebrity mourners is Michael Jackson. The singer sent his condolences to Goody’s mother, Jackiey Budden, and Goody’s husband Jack Tweed.
“He sent a message saying Jade was a ‘very brave girl.’ He said ‘You must be very proud of her and what she achieved, that so man lives will be saved because of her,’” said family spokesman Max Clifford. “He sent them his condolences and said that he will be sending flowers for the funeral this weekend.”
‘Angel’ castmember Andy Hallett dead at 33
Andy Hallett has sung his swan song. The actor who starred as Lorne (“The Host”) on “Angel” died of heart failure Sunday night at the young age of 33, according to his agent and friend Pat Brady.
Hallett passed away at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles after a five-year battle with heart disease, with his father Dave Halllett by his side.
The actor, who portrayed the friendly demon on more than 70 episodes of “Angel” also sang on the show’s soundtrack “Angel: Live Fast, Die Never,” released in 2005.
After Angel, Hallett pursued a music career, playing around the country. He was admitted to the hospital over the years for his condition.
A private funeral service is planned for family and close friends in Cape Cod, most likely over this weekend.
Natasha Richardson’s autopsy results
An autopsy by the New York City medical examiner of actress Natasha Richardson has concluded that the actress succumbed to an “epidural hematoma due to blunt impact to the head.” The death was ruled an accident, said medical examiner spokeswoman Ellen Borakove.
Richardson died Wednesday, two days after she fell during a beginner’s lessons on a ski slope near Montreal.
According to reports, she was awake and lucid after the fall, without any sign of injury. The ski patrol at Mont Tremblant brought her to the bottom of the slope and told her to see a doctor.
But the Toronto Globe and Mail claims paramedics were told they weren’t need and were sent back.
“They never saw the patient, so they turned around,” Yves Coderre, director of operations at Ambulances Radisson, the emergency services company for the resort, told E! News.
Another ambulance headed to the hotel later when Richardson’s condition worsened.
“When you have a head trauma you can bleed, it can deteriorate in a few hours or a few days,” Coderre said. “People don’t realize it can be very serious. We warn them they can die and sometimes they start to laugh. They don’t take it seriously.”
By the time she got to the hospital, Richardson was unconscious and declared brain dead before doctors could do anything to stop the bleeding of the brain.
After flying to a New York City hospital, she was removed from life support yesterday afternoon and the family announced her death late in the evening.
A private memorial is being planned by the Greenwich Village Funeral Home.
UPDATE: Natasha Richardson has died
Actress Natasha Richardson has died from injuries sustained in a skiing accident, her husband Liam Neeson’s publicist has said.
The daughter of actress Vanessa Redgrave fell on a beginners’ slope at the Mont Tremblant resort outside Montreal Monday.
Alan Nierob, Neeson’s publicist, said: “Liam Neeson, his sons, and the entire family are shocked and devastated by the tragic death of their beloved Natasha.
“They are profoundly grateful for the support, love and prayers of everyone, and ask for privacy during this very difficult time.”
She died in a New York hospital where she had been transferred.
Richardson showed no sign of injury, walking and talking at the resort after the accident. But an hour later, she was taken to a nearby hospital and it was revealed she was in critical condition.
Neeson, 56, her mother, Oscar-winning actress Vanessa Redgrave, 72, and two sons, Michael, 13, and Daniel, 12, had gathered at her beside after she was flown from Canada to Lenox Hill Hospital in New York on Tuesday.
Michael Crichton, creator of ‘ER,’ dead at 66
Author and director Michael Crichton Has died. He was well known for his hit movie Jurassic Park. He was a well known author and producer of the tv series hit, ER. His family has said he died suddenly after a bout with cancer.
“While the world knew him as a great story teller that challenged our preconceived notions about the world around us – and entertained us all while doing so – his wife Sherri, daughter Taylor, family and friends knew Michael Crichton as a devoted husband, loving father and generous friend who inspired each of us to strive to see the wonders of our world through new eyes,” the statement said. “He did this with a wry sense of humor that those who were privileged to know him personally will never forget.
“He will be profoundly missed by those whose lives he touched, but he leaves behind the greatest gifts of a thirst for knowledge, the desire to understand, and the wisdom to use our minds to better our world,” the statement added.
A private funeral service is expected, but no further details will be released to the public.
Mom and Brother of Jennifer Hudson Found Dead
Earlier today in a Southside Chicago area, Jennifer Hudson’s mom was one of the two people that where shot dead. According to TMZ, the other victim was Jennifer’s brother Jason. At 6:40pm this evening an APB and Amber Alert was issued for a seven year old boy who is thought to be Jennifers cousin.
Police are looking for 1994 white Suburban with the license plate X584859.
Update:
Police are looking for looking for William Balfour, who they claim could be with the missing 7 year old. According to records, Balfour listed Hudson’s mother’s address as a place of residence within the last year. According to the Illinois Department of Corrections website, Balfour is currently on parole after serving jail time for attempted murder.
Paul Newman Dies at age 83
Damn I get tired of writing these. We are losing way too many legends lately. It is sad to report that Paul Newman has passed away in his home in CT last night. He has lost his battle with cancer. Newman is well known for his role in over 50 major films spanning 7 decades. Films include: “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “The Verdict,” “The Hustler,” “The Color of Money”
In 1982 Newman launched his own food line and donated all profits to charity. Another legend has left us. You will be missed Paul. R.I.P.
Norman Whitfield passes away at 67
The writer and producer Norman Whitfield has died. He co-wrote a string of Motown classics including “War” and “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.” A spokeswoman at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center says Whitfield died there Tuesday. He suffered from complications of diabetes and had recently emerged from a coma, The Detroit Free Press reported. This seems to be one of the worst years for legends passing. Norm, was a great writer and a soulful presence in the world of Motown. he will be missed.
UFC fighter Evan Tanner found dead
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight titleholder Evan Tanner went missing in the California desert last week and his body was found in a remote area of Imperial County desert Sunday.
Imperial County Sheriff’s Lt. George Moreno says that preliminary reports indicate Tanner, 37, died of heat exposure. An autopsy is scheduled Tuesday.
Tanner went on a solo camping trip to an area near the Palo Verde mountains last Wednesday. That afternoon he called his manager and friend John Hayner to tell him the bike he was riding had run out of gas and he planned to walk back. Tanner had told him he had spotty cell phone service and was surprised to make a call.
Temperatures that day hit the 114 degree mark, according to authorities. He also send a text message to a friend that he was out of water and needed help.
His body was spotted by a helicopter pilot from Marine Corps Air Station Yuma Sunday evening as part of a massive search effort.
Tanner was an avid outdoorsman and athlete. He wrote about his plans for the trip in an Aug. 16 Spike TV blog and called his trip a outdoorsman and athlete. He wrote about his plans for the trip in an Aug. 16 Spike TV blog and called his trip a “treasure hunt” for the beauty of the geography he expected to see. The blog continued:
“And to think, there are still places in the world where man has not been, where he has left no footprints, where the mysteries stand secure, untouched by human eyes. I want to go to these places, the quiet, timeless, ageless places, and sit, letting silence and solitude be my teachers.”
Tanner is survived by a brother and his mother. Funeral arrangements are pending.
