Duncan died in Los Angeles, his fiancée, reality television star Omarosa Manigault, said in a statement through Duncan’s publicist.

He had a heart attack on July 13th and “never fully recovered,” publicist Joy Fehily said. He died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, she said.

Duncan’s deep voice and hulking 6-foot-5 (1.96-metre) frame gave him a commanding screen presence. He once dug ditches for the gas company in his native Chicago, and then moved to Los Angeles to pursue his career as an actor.

He worked as a bodyguard and bouncer and played a few roles of that kind in film and television, before landing a small part in the 1998 movie Armageddon.

That led to a much larger role in the 1999 prison drama The Green Mile with Tom Hanks. Duncan played an inmate with magical powers who is put to death for two murders he did not commit.

“Michael was the gentlest of souls – an exemplar of decency, integrity and kindness,” Frank Darabont, director of The Green Mile, said in a statement. “The sadness I feel is inexpressible.”

Duncan’s role in the film won him a supporting actor Oscar nomination. “Duncan’s … presence is literally and figuratively the biggest thing in the movie,” wrote Washington Post critic Desson Howe.

He had roles in the 2002 film The Scorpion King, the 2003 comic book movie Daredevil and 2005 release Sin City.

He also did voice work for the 2008 animated film Kung Fu Panda. He starred this year in several episodes of the Fox crime drama The Finder. In the 1980s, Duncan tried out for the Chicago Bears National Football League team and also played basketball in community college.

His affinity for sports included narrating a film about the 2005 World Series champions Chicago White Sox. Manigault (38) is best known for her appearances on NBC reality show The Apprentice, in which she often acted the villain. More recently, she studied Christian theology and became a minister.

“Manigault is grateful for all of your prayers and asks for privacy at this time,” Ms Fehily said.

Reuters – Irish Time

Action movie maestro Tony Scott reportedly battled inoperable brain cancer before he jumped from a Los Angeles bridge and died Sunday.   ABC News reported the diagnosis citing a source close to the famed director of “Top Gun,” “Beverly Hills Cop II,” and “Crimson Tide.”   “The autopsy is scheduled for this morning. We might (see a brain issue), but we don’t have anything medically confirmed at this time,” Ed Winter, the assistant chief coroner for Los Angeles County told the Daily News.

Scott, 68, parked his car at the crest of the Vincent Thomas Bridge spanning Los Angeles Harbor, about 185 feet above the water, and leaped to his death as witnesses looked on in horror.

Multiple bystanders called 911 around 12:35 p.m., police said.   Rescue divers recovered his body from the murky harbor hours later, police said.   The British-born director was survived by his third wife, Donna Wilson Scott, and their twin sons.   “I can confirm that Tony Scott has passed away. The family asks that their privacy is respected at this time,” his spokesman Simon Halls said in a statement.

Scott was best known for his blockbuster action movies with strong human dimensions but also worked with famed brother Ridley Scott, director of “Gladiator,” on successful TV projects including the critically acclaimed drama “The Good Wife.”   Their company Scott Free Productions produced the recent alien thriller “Prometheus.” – read more

read more about Tony Scott on Wikipedia, click here

ABC World News Now: Tony Scott Dies After Jumping off Bridge

She was probably one of the best-loved Irish writers of her generation.

President Michael D Higgins said he was “deeply saddened” to hear of her death.

“She was an outstanding novelist, short story writer and columnist, who engaged millions of people all around the world with her fluent and accessible style,” he said. “She was a great storyteller and we enjoyed her capacity to engage, entertain and surprise us. For others, particularly young and aspiring writers, she was not only a source of great encouragement; but also to so many, of practical assistance.

“In recent years she showed great courage and thankfully never lost her self-deprecating humour, honesty and remarkable integrity as an artist and human being.”

Taoiseach Enda Kenny today paid his condolences to Mr Snell and the extended Binchy family. “Today we have lost a national treasure. Across Ireland and the world people are mourning and celebrating Maeve Binchy. She is a huge loss wherever stories of love, hope, generosity and possibility are read and cherished.

“Today as a nation we are thankful for and proud of the writer and the woman Maeve Binchy. I offer my deepest sympathies on behalf of the Government and the Irish people to her husband Gordon Snell and extended family.” – read full article on IrishTime.ie

Lord, who co-wrote many of the group’s legendary songs including Smoke On The Water, had been receiving treatment for pancreatic cancer since last August.

He co-founded Deep Purple in 1968 and also played with bands including Whitesnake during his career.

He died at the London Clinic on Monday, surrounded by family. “Jon passes from Darkness to Light,” a statement said.

Lord was influenced by classical, blues and jazz but approached his Hammond organ with a rock attitude and helped Deep Purple become pioneers of progressive and heavy rock.

Tributes have been paid on Twitter by musicians including one-time Deep Purple bandmate Joe Satriani, Iron Maiden and Anthrax.

Ex-Rage Against the Machine star Tom Morello wrote: “RIP the great Jon Lord, Deep Purple’s cornerstone/keyboardist. So many great great songs and that incredible SOUND of his! Thankyou.”

Guitarist Joe Bonamassa wrote that he was “extremely saddened” by the news, adding: “One of the nicest and most talented people Ive ever met. Rest in Peace.”

  Born in Leicester, Lord learned classical piano at an early age before being seduced by watching early rock ‘n’ roll star Jerry Lee Lewis and jazz organist Jimmy Smith.

He could have chosen a career as an actor after receiving a drama school scholarship, but started playing in pub bands including short-lived outfits with future Rolling Stones star Ronnie Wood and his brother Art.

He also worked as a session musician and is thought to have played piano on The Kinks’ hit You Really Got Me.

After meeting guitarist Ritchie Blackmore through another project, the first incarnation of Deep Purple was born.

Lord’s classical influence surfaced when Lord composed Concerto for Group and Orchestra, which the band performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall in 1969.

But the group refined their heavy rock sound and found mass success at the start of the 1970s with albums including Deep Purple in Rock and Machine Head.

In their classic years, the band also included Blackmore, singer Ian Gillan, drummer Ian Paice and bassist Roger Glover.

Lord continued to compose classical works alongside the group’s output and, when they split in 1976, he joined other groups Whitesnake and Paice, Ashton and Lord.

  Deep Purple reformed in 1984 and resumed at the height of their commercial prowess, playing to tens of thousands of fans around the world.

They sold a total of 150 million albums and Lord remained an ever-present amid numerous line-up changes until he left in 2002.

Still composing, he had signed to a classical music label and performed a concert to mark the 30th anniversary of Concerto for Group and Orchestra.

“Thirty years later the piece came back and changed my life again… It gave me the courage to step outside and carve a career for myself outside the band,” he told an interviewer.

He broke the news of his cancer diagnosis on his website last year, telling fans he would continue to write music as part of his therapy. – see original

Over a career that began in the late 1940s he illustrated more than 100 books and wrote more than 20, but it was Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963, that made his name internationally, selling over 17 million copies.

The book is the tale of a young boy, Max, who sets off on an adventure in his imagination after being sent to his room with no supper. He discovers the Land of the Wild Things where he proves to be the most fearsome of them all, becoming the king of the wild things and enjoying a wild rumpus until, homesick, he returns to his bedroom. The book was made into a live action film in 2009, directed by Spike Jonze from a screenplay by Dave Eggers.

Where the wild things are  –  Trailer

The wild things of Max’s imagination were based on Sendak’s own relatives. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Polish Jewish immigrant parents and was aware, in his early teens, of the death of much of his extended family in the Holocaust.

The terrors of his childhood specifically, and childhood more generally, flow through his work. “I refuse to lie to children,” he said in an interview with the Guardian last year. “I refuse to cater to the bullshit of innocence.”

Sendak’s 1970 picture book In the Night Kitchen caused controversy of a different kind, with its depiction of an entirely naked small boy running through a surreal kitchen where he is baking a cake on a dream journey. The book appears frequently on the “most challenged” or “banned” lists compiled by the American Library Association.

endak’s own favourite among his work, Outside Over There, tackles sibling rivalry through the story of Ida, a young girl who resents her baby sister but must then save her when she is kidnapped by mysterious goblins.

Where the Wild Things Are (as read by Christopher Walken)

Sendak also said that the term “children’s illustrator” annoyed him, since it seems to belittle his talent. “I have to accept my role. I will never kill myself like Vincent Van Gogh. Nor will I paint beautiful water lilies like Monet. I can’t do that. I’m in the idiot role of being a kiddie book person,” he said.

However, he was honoured by the children’s books world, winning some of its most prestigious prizes, from the Caldecott medal and the Hans Christian Andersen award to the Astrid Lindgren memorial award.

Sendak lived with his partner, Eugene Glynn, a psychoanalyst, for 50 years until Glynn’s death in May 2007. Sendak described himself as “caved-in with sadness” at the loss but he continued to work, producing Bumble-Ardy, a book featuring a family of pigs last year.

Guardian Service - original article

ADAM YAUCH, one of the founding members of the legendary US hip-hop act The Beastie Boys, died yesterday aged 47. He had been fighting cancer for the last three years after discovering a tumour in his salivary gland.

Best known by his stage name, MCA, the Brooklyn-born Yauch formed The Beastie Boys with fellow members Mike Diamond (Mike D) and Adam Horvitz (Ad-Rock) in 1981. They broke through with their first hit Fight for your Right (to Party) in 1986. Albums such as Ill Communication, Check Your Head and Paul’s Boutique changed the course of hip-hop and the band were catapulted into the mainstream, becoming one of the biggest acts of the 1990s.

They were known for their memorable rhythms and their jokey, pop-culture-influenced lyrical style.

Just last month, The Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but Yauch was unable to attend the ceremony due to his illness.

A lifelong practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism, Yauch was a passionate advocate of Tibetan rights. A talented film-maker, he was responsible for most of the band’s notable music videos.

There were many tributes to Yauch from the music world, with rapper Snoop Dogg saying he was “a legend and a pioneer”. Ex-Guns ‘n’ Roses guitarist Slash said Yauch was “f-cking awesome” and would be sorely missed by fans and fellow musicians alike.

Yauch’s film work, though always secondary to his musical work, was important to him. He formed the production company Oscilloscope Pictures which released films such as Wendy and Lisa and We Need to Talk about Kevin. He also worked on a series of Tibetan Freedom concerts. He was regarded as a significant force in the independent music world.

Speaking yesterday, Justin Timberlake said “I am crushed to hear the news of Adam Yauch’s passing. He was a true pioneer of art.”

Def Jam Records co-founder Russell Simmons, the man who signed The Beastie Boys to their first record deal, said “One of our heroes, Adam Yauch, aka MCA, has passed away after a long bout with cancer. Our prayers go out to the family of Adam and the entire Beastie Boys crew.”

He worked in theatre, television and film for more than 50 years and had continued to work up until last year. He was perhaps most highly-regarded for his portrayal of “Rashers” Tierney in the 1980 RTÉ series Strumpet City . He singled it out as one of his favourite pieces of work.

In 1975 he had a brief but memorable role in Fawlty Towers when he played the part of the hapless builder O’Reilly. He often remarked that he had performed on stage for more than 50 years but the nine minutes on Fawlty Towers made him recognisable all over the world.

Kelly was born in Dublin on July 11th, 1929 and educated at Synge Street Catholic Boys School. He started acting at the age of eight in Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre but also trained as a calligrapher and was a talented watercolour artist.

He was a dapper dresser and known for his colourful bow ties. He later said the bow ties became his trademark as he tried to look the part of a bohemian artist.

He became a familiar face to British audiences in the 1960s and 1970s when he played eccentric Irish characters in sitcoms such as Oh Father, On the Buses and Never Mind the Quality Feel the Width. He performed in 50 episodes of the Richard OSullivan vehicle, Robin’s Nest, in which he played the one-armed dishwasher Albert Riddle. Other television work included Glenroe, Ballykissangel and Emmerdale Farm.

He had a long list of film credits including the 1969 version of The Italian Job, Into The West and Waking Ned , which he credits for making him a sex symbol after he appeared nude on a motorbike.

He also appeared in films such as Agent Cody Banks 2, Laws of Attraction, Stardust and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , in which he played Grandpa Joe Bucket. He had been tipped for an Oscar nomination for that role.

On stage he will always be associated with Samuel Beckett because of his legendary performance in the title role of Krapp’s Last Tape . He won many awards and acknowledgements for his work, including a Helen Hayes award for Moon for the Misbegotten , and a Screen Actors’ Guild nomination for Waking Ned.

He won an ESB Theatre Award in 2003 and an Irish Film and Television Academy lifetime achievement award in 2005.

He recalled that he regularly played people much older than himself. In 2005, he told The Irish Times : “I remember, six years ago, on my 70th birthday, some journalist writing: David Kelly is 70 today. But what I want to know is how come he’s been 70 for the past 40 years’. . .”And it’s perfectly true. It’s a very strange thing.” He was asked if he had ever considered retiring and replied “Oh God, no. Ah no . . . I will continue hanging on to the script until they prise it from my cold, dead hands.”

Kelly was married to actor Laurie Morton. The couple had two children, David and Miriam. Funeral arrangements will be announced later.

David Kelly in Fawlty Towers

David Kelly in Fawlty Towers

She went on to win six Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

Legendary producer Jerry Wexler once called her “the greatest of all modern blues singers”.

James’ manager said she died at Riverside Community Hospital in California with her husband and sons at her side.

“It’s a tremendous loss for her fans around the world,” Lupe De Leon said. “She’ll be missed. A great American singer. Her music defied category.”

Singers have paid tribute to the star on Twitter. Bryan Adams wrote “Etta James… one of the best voices of all time… RIP”.

Songwriter Nile Rodgers added: “When I was a kid, I remember walking all the way to Flash Record Shop in LA to buy a 45rpm single by Etta James. RIP.”

British singer Adele has often cited James as an influence, and wrote an article praising her for The Observer in 2010.

“Everything she sings – you believe her, even if she never wrote a word of it herself. I saw her live in New York not so long ago: Extraordinary.”

 The singer’s anguished blues vocals made her stand out, even as a child Born Jamesetta Hawkins in 1938, her mother was only 14 years old, and she never knew her father.

Raised mainly by friends and relatives, she began singing when her grandparents took her to a Baptist Church, where she joined the choir as a soloist.

Later, in San Francisco, she formed a singing group called the Creolettes, who were discovered by bandleader Johnny Otis, who coincidentally also died this week.

The band recorded together for a number of years but it was not until 1960, when James signed to the legendary Chess Records as a solo artist, that she began to achieve musical recognition.

It was for this label that she released her two most acclaimed albums, At Last and The Second Time Around.

The former included her impassioned cover of Muddy Waters’ I Just Want To Make Love To You, which is considered the predominant interpretation of the song – and gave James her biggest chart hit in the UK, landing at number five in 1996 after it was featured in an advert for Diet Coke.

However, her success in the 1960s was hindered by an addiction to heroin, and she was forced to rebuild her career after quitting the drug in 1974.

‘Wonderful music’   Although she was popular on the R&B and blues scene throughout her career, mainstream success eluded her for many years.

She did not receive her first Grammy Award until 1994, for the album Mystery Lady, which consisted of covers of Billie Holiday songs. In 2003, she was given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Several modern R&B stars paid their respects following the news of her death. Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.i.am wrote on Twitter: “Showing respect appreciation and love for all the wonderful music and joy Etta James brought to the world.” Kelly Rowland said: “Classic. One of a kind. Pure soul.” “Thank you for gracing us with your incredible talent and presence.” – original article on bbc.co.uk

As it was, the death of an 80-year-old chimpanzee called Cheetah was announced quietly by the Florida animal sanctuary where he had spent the past five decades in retirement. There was no grand send-off for the venerable Cheetah. Even his role as Johnny Weissmuller’s regular primate sidekick remains shrouded in mystery.

The Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in Palm Harbor claims the primate arrived there in 1960 and was donated by Weissmuller’s own estate. He is believed to have been born in 1930 or 1931 and was one of a number of chimpanzees whose owners vied to have recognised as the genuine movie-star Cheeta (with no “h” at the end of its name). The situation is further complicated by the fact that the original star of films such as 1932’s Tarzan the Ape Man and 1934’s Tarzan and His Mate was probably a composite of several animals.

According to the sanctuary, Cheetah was an outgoing chimp who loved humans. Yet like many Hollywood stars, he could also be temperamental. Sanctuary volunteer Ron Priest conceded the animal had a habit of throwing his faeces when discontent.

“When he didn’t like somebody or something that was going on, he would pick up some poop and throw it at them,” Priest said. “He could get you at 30 feet with bars in between.”

One Hollywood star who did mark the potential star’s passing was actor Mia Farrow, whose mother, Maureen O’Sullivan, played Jane in six Tarzan movies. “My mom, who played Jane, invariably referred to Cheetah as ‘that bastard’,” said Farrow.

If he died at 80, Cheetah’s long lifespan would have made him one of the oldest chimpanzees in history. Even in captivity, the animals rarely live past 50.

The character was created especially for the Weissmuller Tarzan films and did not appear in the original books by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Another Cheeta, this time with no “h”, was exposed as a fake in 2008 by Washington Post journalist RD Rosen, who had been asked to write a biography of him. In later years, the fake Cheeta had found himself marketed as a painter of “ape-stract art”, with several canvases exhibited at London’s National Gallery.

However, with a little investigation, Rosen discovered that the cigar-smoking, paint-daubing impostor was in fact born in 1960 or 1961 and had never been in a Tarzan film.

Sadly for fans of the Weissmuller-era Tarzan, the animal closest to being the “real” Cheetah was most likely a chimpanzee named Jiggs, who died way back in 1938. – irish times

Lucy Gordon, was found suspended from the ceiling just two days before her 29th birthday, by a friend. Her family, who live in Oxford, paid tribute to the model and actress as the “light of our lives”.

A police spokesman said an autopsy had been ordered to determine the cause of death.

The actress had appeared in films including the third instalment of SpiderMan, and in the romantic comedy The Russian Dolls, in which she co-starred with Audrey Tautou. Gordon most recently played the British singer and actress Jane Birkin in the upcoming biopic Serge Gainsbourg, which is due for release early next year.

Yesterday, her father, Richard Gordon, said: “It’s come as a complete shock to us all. Her career was just taking off… We have always been immensely proud of her and her achievements. We love her so much.” Mr Gordon added that his daughter had loved playing her latest role as Birkin: “She found the whole team and cast wonderfully supportive.”

She had spent part of her childhood in France and was bilingual. She recently moved to Paris from New York.

Having become a model aged just 14, she made her debut in 2001 in the film Perfume, which follows a group of characters at a New York modelling show. A year later, she starred in the historical drama The Four Feathers, alongside Ledger, who died of a drugs overdose in his New York apartment last year.

Friends suggested that Gordon had been deeply affected by the recent suicide of a friend in Britain. click here to read the original article

Lucy Gordon 1980 – 2009