Celebrity Deaths and Mishaps Archives 8

Sadly, I did not have the foresight to archive the 2000 series and deleted most of the files.

2004 Sounds

NOTE ABOUT BLUE ALERT SYSTEM (3/11/03): Some of you may recall a few years back when I used "name blends" -- rhyming sounds and off-rhyme clues from part of one name to determine what the next name in the sequence might be (or later in the year). An example was the death of Layne Stahley and how "Layne" led to "Lynne" then "Linda" and the car crash death of Linda Lovelace which followed. I surmised that "Lace" in "Lovelace" might lead to a "Leese" then "Lisa" tragedy. The next day, Lisa Lopes of TLC was killed in a car crash.

Rather than create a whole other section on this page for name blends, I will instead highlight certain names in the lists below in light blue that I feel may be influenced by celebrity deaths that have occurred this year.

IMPORTANT NOTE ON EXCLUSIONS (1/23/04): We acknowledge the passing of dancer and actress Ann Miller, age 81, and note with great regret the passing of Bob Keeshan (Captain Kangaroo), age 76. However, it is no longer the mission of this website to address the deaths of celebrities who are of advanced age or those who have had a long term health problem and are in their early elderly years. Such deaths are largely inevitable and often beyond any purposeful prediction. Also, the one and only applicable sound in Mr Keeshan's name ("eeeee") we now consider to be far too common to be remarkable or in any way useful for predictive purposes. Ergo, save for certain celebrities of advanced or elderly age who may appear on the prediction lists, we will no longer be publishing their obituaries and including comments.

Prominent name sounds must also be present. "Ray", for example, is a prominent sound, "Ay", on the other hand, is not. This distinction will become more clear as we progress through the year.

Possible predictions (1/20/04): Diana Ross, Diana Canova, Diana Rigg, Diahann Carroll, Diane Ladd, Diane Lane, Diane Keaton, Diane Sawyer, Diane McBain, Dyan Cannon, Anna Kournikova, Rosanna Arquette, Vanna White, Ivana Trump, Amanda Pays, Annie Potts, LeAnn Rimes, Joanne Worley, Lesley-Anne Down, Julianne Margulies, Andy Griffith, Andy Williams, Brandy, Candy Clark, Randy Quaid, Randy Travis, Rue McClanahan, Nelson Mandela, Joe Montana, Vickie Lawrence, Florence Henderson, Terence Stamp, Terence Trent D'Arby, Laurence Fishburne, Clarence Williams III. Additional predictions: (1/26/04): Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton, Dido, Joanna Pettet, Lesley Ann Warren. (0/0/04):

Holden also stars in BBC One's comedy Mad About Alice

Actress Amanda Holden has left hospital after receiving treatment for a severe kidney infection while in Spain. The 33-year-old was put on an antibiotic drip after being taken to hospital on her return to the UK with boyfriend Chris Hughes. A spokeswoman for the star said: "Amanda is feeling a little better and just wants to get back on stage when the doctors say she is well enough."

Doctors warned that Holden's energetic stage routine, which involves tap-dancing, singing and high-kicking, may have contributed to her condition.

Understudy Donna Steele will play the role of Millie Dillmount at the Shaftesbury Theatre until Holden returns.

The illness meant Holden could not attend the Olivier Awards on Sunday night, where she had been nominated for the best actress gong for her role in the 1920s musical.

COMMENT (2/28/04): The name "Amanda" is unusual enough I didn't consider it in the variations of "anna." Not too much to learn from this particular event, unfortunately. I have moved the only other living Amanda I can think of, Amanda Pays, from the Sharon Tate list to the Diana list as a result.

Dessi Espana is shown during her performance

(CNN) -- A circus perfomer working without a net died Saturday after falling about 35 feet during a Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus show, while hundreds of children and parents watched in horror.

A statement from Ringling Brothers said Dessi Espana, 32, was pronounced dead seven hours after the fall at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. "Despite all the efforts of the staff at Regions Hospital, her injuries were too great," the statement said.

Witness Eric Neel told KSTP-TV she was twirling from a chiffon scarf when something went wrong. "She's about 35 feet in the air and all of a sudden it gave way from the ceiling and she fell down on her head on the concrete," he said. A spokesman for the Ramsey County Medical Examiner said Sunday morning an autopsy had not yet been performed.

A circus spokeswoman said Espana had been performing the act -- in which she climbs two long strips of cloth hung from the ceiling and performs aerial acrobatics -- since January. An investigation into the cause of Saturday's mishap was under way, said Kim Brock. She said she did not know whether Sunday's matinee would include the act. "At this point, there's no evidence to indicate that it was anything but a bad accident," said Joe Neuberger, commander of the St. Paul Police Department.

Brock said it was the first death of a circus performer during a show for the 134-year-old company in at least 10 years.

Espana's husband, Ivan, and other family members performed together in the Ringling Brothers show, according to her biography on the company's Web site. Dessi and Ivan's two children also traveled with them and were sometimes included in their acts. Espana's Bulgarian parents were also circus performers.

The show did not stop after Espana's fall around 3:15 p.m., Neel said. "They just kind of tried to keep everybody distracted, and they ended up putting her on a backboard and took her out and then went on with the show," he said.

According to her biography, Espana once held a world record for twirling 75 hula hoops while appearing on the TV show Live With Regis & Kathie Lee. She held the record until 1999.

COMMENT (5/23/04): Not only are all the letters of "Diana" present in the name "Dessi Espana," but there is the "spen" sound from "Spencer" and "seee" from "stee," "Stevie."

This is a bad year for the scarf. Seeing the circus acrobat entangled in her two long scarves brings to mind a related death. If we follow the base 7 timeline back before James Dean, d. 1955, the earliest entrant on this page, we would find ourselves in September 1927 and the strange demise of dancer Isadora Duncan, whose neck was broken when her flowing red scarf accidentally got caught in the spokes of a tire in the car she was test driving.

Madonna, also renown as a dancer, is planning a stunt during her world tour: precisely timed pyrotechnics and electrical effects will go off as she writhes to free herself from straps and binds as she is "fried to death" in an electric chair. Maybe a bad idea if Ms Espana's unfortunate accident is a warning.

Possible predictions (1/20/04): Stevie Nicks, Stevie Wonder, Steve Martin, Steve Winwood, Steve Miller, Steve Buscemi, Stephen Baldwin, Stephen Bishop, Genevieve Bujold, Christie McVie, Ray Charles, Ray Parker, Jr., Ray Manzarek, Grace Slick, Jim Nabors, Robert Vaughn, Vince Vaughn, Jude Law, Lucy Lawless, Twiggy Lawson, Goldie Hawn, Dawn Wells, Sean 'Puffy' Combs, Sean Connery, Sean Young. Additional predictions: (1/26/04): Connie Stevens, Stella Stevens. (0/0/04):

(CNN) -- Ray Davies, the lead singer with the British rock band The Kinks, is recovering after being shot in New Orleans. A police spokesman said Davies and a female companion were walking near the French Quarter at about 8:30 p.m. ET Sunday when two suspects approached them and grabbed the woman's purse. Davies, 59, ran after the suspects, and was shot in the leg, New Orleans Police Department spokesman Capt. Marlon DeFillo said. The woman was not injured, police said. The songwriter was taken to a hospital, where he was treated and released soon afterwards in good condition. DeFillo said police had arrested one of the suspects and were seeking the other.

Davies' manager Deke Arlon confirmed the Londoner had been shot in the leg. "He was in New Orleans and was leaving a restaurant with his girlfriend last night," he told the UK's Press Association. "They were attacked by two muggers who stole a handbag. He chased after them and he was shot in the leg. "It is not really serious. He should be up and about in a day or so. "The message that came back to me was that he is in good spirits."

Davies founded the Kinks, which was one of the most influential bands of the 1960s, with his brother Dave in London in 1963. Their hits include "You Really Got Me," "All Day and All of the Night," and "Lola." He continues to perform four decades on and his songs went on to become hits for acts like The Jam, Van Halen and The Pretenders. Davies became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire last week in Britain's New Year honors list for services to music.

COMMENT (1/21/04): What is startling about this event is that the "Ray" in Ray Davies' name not only matches the all so critical "Ray" in Stevie Ray Vaughn, but that like Vaughn, Davies is a major rock figure ... a rock legend that can be traced back to the British Invasion period that followed immediately on the heels of the Beatles' 1964 tour in America. Thus he and Vaughn share the same occupation as well as the same name.

Could the trouble he experienced have been foreseen? I think it could have. There are not many "Ray"s in the world of rock. Had I not been so behind with this part of my website and forced to focus on more important prophecies and world events, I might have thought of him and listed him. But let's face it, to many people who visit this site, the lives and deaths of celebrities is a sideshow and they feel I should apply my predictive talents solely to earth changes, wars, space disasters, acts of terrorism, and the like.

Well, to me it is all important ... whether it is the fate of one person or a billion. Someday, when I get this down right, as well as the other stuff, I will be pushing for a real prophecy hotline ... something that people can use to warn others of imminent dangers or to find out something helpful about themselves or their loved ones. But this can never happen until the integrity of such a system can be proven. And I find that even after nearly five years online, I have much to prove ... especially in this area.

Assailant Kills Cult Film Actor or Rock Legend

NEW PREDICTION: 11/6/03 -- In February 1976, actor Sal Mineo was murdered by a mugger in a street behind his apartment. Seven years ago, in December 1996, actor Jack Nance, who appeared in many of David Lynch's films, was badly beaten in a brawl and died later that night in his apartment from head injuries and a concussion. Four years ago, in late December 1999, the late George Harrison was nearly killed by a knife-wielding maniac in his home.

These events, two of them multiples of seven and one of them the mysterious "four-year factor" ("half" a cycle of seven), conspire to form a nasty possibility in December 2003-February 2004: that a major film star of cult films, probably male, or a major rock legend (Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, etc) will be physically assaulted and may possibly die from injuries sustained. However, it is also possible the individual may survive the murderous attack (this may be the function of the George Harrison ordeal in 1999).

So, would following the Stevie Ray Vaughn name sounds have been the appropriate course of action to arrive at the name of who was most at risk of fulfilling this prediction? It would appear that in this case, it might have. But as one can see, there are others besides Ray Davies (who does not appear in the list since it is now after the fact). People like Steve Miller, Steve Winwood, Stevie Nicks, Ray Manzarek, Ray Parker, Jr., Christie McVie, and others, some not yet listed. How do we know Ray Davies' experience isn't a warning and one of these or someone else may not still be in danger? For that matter, how do we know it won't end up being another Sal Mineo type figure, an actor rather than a rock legend, in February? We don't. Get on the "prophecy hotline" and give everyone whose name appears on the appropriate lists under "Stevie Ray Vaughn" and "Sal Mineo" a call is what I would advise ... if such a system were really in place.

But, alas, such a system does not exist. Too much cynicism and skepticism exists for such an idealistic concept to be implemented ...

NEW YORK (CNN) -- The wife and brother of missing actor-writer Spalding Gray are concerned he may have jumped off the Staten Island Ferry and are "bracing for the worst," said a family friend and spokeswoman. Gray has attempted suicide before, said spokeswoman Sara Vass. Reports that a Staten Island Ferry worker thought he saw Gray coming off a boat Friday night have left Gray's wife, Kathie Russo, and his older brother, Rockwell, fearing he may have been readying himself for another attempt, Vass said.

In September, Gray left a message at his Manhattan apartment saying good-bye to his wife and telling her he planned to jump from the Staten Island Ferry, Vass said. His spouse called police, who notified authorities on the ferry, according to Vass. A despondent Gray was found sitting on the ferry and escorted off the boat, she said.

Russo and Rockwell Gray are urging police to search the waters and question passengers immediately, Vass said. But Sgt. Michael Wysokowski of the New York Police Department said there is no plan to do so now. "We have taken the report [from the ferry worker] into consideration, but it is speculative at this point," Wysokowski said. "He didn't say he saw him jump. He didn't say he tried to hurt himself. He just said he thought he saw someone who looked like him."

Gray is known for writing and starring in the autobiographical film "Swimming to Cambodia" and for appearing in such movies as "The Killing Fields," "Beaches," "The Paper" and "Kate & Leopold."

Vass said the 62-year-old has a family history of depression but that his problems have worsened since he suffered severe injuries in a car accident in Ireland in 2001. Vass said Gray received treatment at psychiatric hospitals after the accident. Gray's wife and therapist thought that Gray had been making progress recently and that he was through the worst of his depression, Vass said.

Police said he was last seen at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at his apartment in SoHo but did not show up for a dinner appointment that evening or a rescheduled flight to Colorado the next day. The last time anyone heard from him was at 9 p.m. Saturday when he called his Sag Harbor home on Long Island and spoke with his 6-year-old son, saying he loved him and was on his way home, Vass said. Gray has three children. Russo reported her husband missing at 7 p.m. Sunday, Wysokowski said.

Lt. William Armstrong of the South Hampton Town Police Department said Gray had been scheduled to fly to Colorado for a skiing vacation Saturday, but his flight was canceled and rescheduled to fly Sunday. Vass said, "His packed bags are still sitting ready to go in the SoHo apartment. He never took the flight." She said that Gray left with $120 in his pocket but was not carrying his wallet or credit cards. New York police said he was last seen wearing a brown sweater, black corduroy pants, brown shoes, a gray jacket and blue scarf.

Frank Depaulo, the detective in charge of the Gray investigation, said police are continuing the search. "Our mission is to get him home -- ratchet up the investigation," Depaulo said. "There's a great deal of desperation about this. The kids are very upset, and his wife is beside herself -- it's very difficult for everyone."

COMMENT (1/21/04): Once again we have a match with the name "Ray" -- only this time it is more of a blending with "G" to form "Gray." I have to admit I have never heard of Spalding Gray nor has he appeared on any celebrity list I have access to. I would characterise his monologue stage plays, as I understand them from reading news articles, as being kindred to the performance art of poetry. As it turns out, seven years ago, in April 1997 (on the current timeline), poet Alan Ginsberg died from liver cancer. Also, if Gray did jump from a ferry or bridge then he has followed in the tradition of poet Hart Crane, who waved to fellow passengers then jumped from the deck of a ship bound for Mexico and drowned in April 1932, and poet John Berryman, who died by throwing himself off a bridge in Minneapolis in January 1972.

Suicide is one of the most insurmountable challenges to predictive prevention. How could a useful system of prediction ever succeed in preventing that which is the intention of the victim: to end his or her life? Warn a suicide that he or she is planning to commit suicide? To do so is unlikely to have little more effect than to increase the individual's personal sense of irony and self-fulfillment. Regrettably, prophecy cannot take the place of therapy and family counseling. However, it might tip off family or friends of the person in question that a crisis exists. Of course not all suicides are caused by an emotional crisis. Some are sudden impulsive acts; others are accidental or even recreational.

Why Spalding Gray appears under the name sound of a rock star like Stevie Ray Vaughn is bewildering. But that is a phenomenon that I have observed on a number of similar occasions since 2000. Not every match is occupational in nature. In the case of Ray Davies, the occupational match was exact; but then so was the name "Ray" (as opposed to "Gray").

Spalding Gray, right, with his wife, Kathie Russo

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A body pulled from the East River at 3 p.m. Sunday was that of actor-writer Spalding Gray, who had been missing since January 10, the New York City medical examiner's office said Monday afternoon.

The body was identified after an autopsy through dental and other X-rays, said Ellen Borakove, the medical examiner's spokeswoman. She said the cause of death is under investigation. The only identifiable evidence on the body was a pair of black corduroy pants similar to the pair Gray was wearing on the night of his disappearance, she said.

Gray, 62, was known for writing and starring in the autobiographical "Swimming to Cambodia" and appearances in films such as "The Killing Fields," "Beaches," "The Paper" and "Kate & Leopold," but was most celebrated for his autobiographical monologues, including "Cambodia," "Monster in a Box" and "It's a Slippery Slope."

He had attempted suicide several times since a car accident in Ireland in June 2001 in which he sustained severe injuries. Family friend and spokeswoman Sara Vass said in January that he had never been the same since that crash and had subsequently received treatment at psychiatric hospitals.

In September 2003 Gray left a message at his Soho apartment in Manhattan saying goodbye to his wife, Kathie Russo, and telling her he planned to jump from the Staten Island Ferry that day. Russo called police, who notified authorities on the ferry. A despondent Gray was found sitting on the ferry and was escorted off the boat.

Russo and Gray's therapist thought he had been making progress since then and that he was through the worst of his depression. His wife had held out hope he was alive during his disappearance, she told The Associated Press.

"Everyone that looks like him from behind, I go up and check to make sure it's not him," Russo said in a phone interview with the AP about a week ago. "If someone calls and hangs up, I always do star-69. You're always thinking, 'maybe.' "

EMAIL EXCERPT (4/2/04): Just a little correction for your info on Spalding Gray. You admitted you didn't know anything about his one-man shows and presumed them to be something like poetry. They are actually in fact closer to stand-up comic routines. You can rent a film version of one of his works called "Gray's Anatomy" in which he talks about dealing with an eye problem, trying to avoid getting surgery ...

Mud lead singer Les Gray dies at 57

Les Gray, lead singer of 1970s chart topping band Mud has died at 57. The glam rock star died of a heart attack in Portugal, his home for 12 years, and had been battling against throat cancer for some time. Doctors wanted to remove Gray's voicebox as part of his treatment, but he opted for chemotherapy instead in an effort to save his voice and career.

Gray was due to take part in a concert in Scotland including Alvin Stardust, Marmalade and Middle of the Road. The charity gig in Glasgow on Saturday is still going ahead as a tribute to the 70s musician.

Saturday's Blast From The Past was due to be his comeback, and organisers expressed their sadness and shock at Gray's death. "He was using this concert to give him a focus for his recovery, and offered to MC for the event and sing if he felt up for it," said event organiser Caroline McFarlan. "It will now be a fitting tribute to a very popular star," she added.

They formed in 1968 and won a national talent contest which brought them to prominence. Their first television appearance was on the Basil Brush Show, while they toured extensively, opening for crooner Jack Jones.

The band consisted of Gray, drummer Dave Mount, Ray Stiles on bass and Rob Davis on guitar. Davis went on to become a successful pop songwriter, with Kylie Minogue's Can't Get You Out Of My Head and Spiller chart-topper Groovejet among his credits.

Mud scored a trio of number ones in the mid-70s with Lonely This Christmas, Tiger Feet and Oh Boy. Tiger Feet went on to become the biggest-selling single of 1974, while their last chart hit was Lean On Me in 1976. The band split up in 1977, and Gray went solo and took Les Gray's Mud on the road.

He eventually moved to the Algarve with his wife Carol, who blamed his illness on a 50-a-day smoking habit.

COMMENT (2/28/04): So, in the second month of 2004 we have yet a third "Ray" sound and a second person with the last name of "Gray." This may be portentious, it is hard to say. I vaguely recall the group Mud and may have heard Tiger Feet (although I could have sworn that was in 1973 and not 1974). Either way, neither 1973 nor 1974 were very good years for me personally, 1972 having been a "great" year and, falling on hard times in 1973, did not recover to a better situation until 1975.

Deacon Blue guitarist Graeme Kelling dies at 47

Deacon Blue guitarist Graeme Kelling has died at the age of 47, following a four-year battle with cancer. The Scottish star, who had cancer of the pancreas, died on Thursday in hospital in Glasgow.

The band had a string of hits in the late 80s and early 90s, including Real Gone Kid and Fergus Sings The Blues. "We're all too sad to say too much just now," said his fellow band members, adding that a remembrance book would be started on the band's website.

Deacon Blue burst on to the UK music scene in 1988 with their first chart hit, Dignity. Fronted by lead singer Ricky Ross, and later joined by his wife and co-singer Lorraine McIntosh, the band became hugely popular in Scotland.

Their best-selling albums included Raintown, Homesick, and When the World Knows Your Name, which topped the charts in 1989. The band split in 1994, but reformed in 1999 for a series of gigs and an album of ballads called Walking Back Home.

A statement posted on their official website read: "It is my sad duty to tell you that Graeme Kelling died yesterday morning. "As you know Graeme has had a four year fight with an illness which finally got the better of him."

His former bandmates called for any "great memories, photographs or thoughts about Graeme" to be added to a remembrance book. Kelling leaves his wife Julie, and two young children - Alexander, aged five and Grace, aged two.

COMMENT (6/19/04): I had the Rays code-blued back in February. Should have left it alone, I guess. Turning the code blue back on for rest of year.

Possible predictions (1/20/04): Susan Sarandon, Susan Clark, Susan Dey, Susan Lucci, Susan Day George, Pamela Sue Martin, Sue Lyon, Sue Ane Langdon, Susannah York, Suzanne Pleshette, Suzanne Somers, Suzanne Vega, Tuesday Weld, Lulu, Drew Barrymore, Oliver North, Oliver Stone, Olivia D'Abo, Olivia Cole, Olivia Hussey, Olivia Newton-John, Lauren Holly, Michael J. Pollard, Gary Collins, Joan Collins, Phil Collins, Molly Ringwald, Dolly Parton, Marty Balin. Additional predictions: (2/5/04): Susan St James. (0/0/04):

Soundarya, 32, acted in nearly 100 movies.

BANGALORE, India (AP) -- A popular movie star and three others were killed when their small aircraft crashed in southern India, officials have said.

Actress Soundarya, who had been campaigning for Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's Bharatiya Janata Party, was heading to an election rally when the plane went down on Saturday, said S. Mariswamy, Bangalore's police chief.

The aircraft crashed minutes after it took off from an air field in the city's outskirts that is used for non-scheduled flights, Mariswamy said. The cause of the crash was not immediately known, he said. However, police quoted eyewitnesses as saying the aircraft caught fire just after take off.

Soundarya was to address a rally in the Karimnagar district of Andhra Pradesh state, said Amitabh Sinha, a spokesman for Vajpayee's party.

The dead included a BJP party official, the pilot of the chartered aircraft and Soundarya's brother, Sinha said.

Born Sowmya, Soundarya, 32, acted in nearly 100 movies in the Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam languages of south India. She won a national award last year for producing Dweepa -- a Kannada-language film, according to a Web site dedicated to the actress by her fans.

Soundarya continued to act after marrying last year, thus bucking a tradition of Indian film actresses who generally quit films after wedding. She was one of the scores of film stars attracted to politics ahead of parliamentary elections in India. She acted in several movies featuring some of India's top heroes, including Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan.

"It is a great tragedy to the film industry," said Mohanlal, a popular hero of southern India who acted with Soundarya in several movies. "More than a co-star, she was a good friend. It's a great loss."

Senior BJP leader and India's law minister Arun Jaitley, who overseas campaign work in Karnataka state, of which Bangalore is the capital, visited the crash site, an agricultural research farm, within an hour of the tragedy. "She was young and she had a long career before her," a mourning Jaitley told reporters.

April is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.

Possible predictions (1/20/04): Jill St John, Jill Sobule, Gillian Anderson, Cybill Shepherd, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Billy Preston, Billie Piper, Lily Tomlin, Phil Collins, Kathy Ireland, Talia Shire, Martha Hyer, Anne Rice, Winona Ryder, John Landis, Martin Landau, Beverly Garland, Donald Sutherland, Kiefer Sutherland, Tony Orlando. Additional predictions: (1/26/04): Priscilla Presley, Elias Koteas. (0/0/04):

Possible predictions (1/20/04): Karen Allen, Karen Black, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Carole King, Carol Kane, Carol Lynley, Carroll Baker, Carol Burnett, Carrie-Anne Moss, Claire Goose, Mariah Carey, Drew Carey, Blair Brown, Donna Air, Mary Chapin-Carpenter, John Carpenter, Richard Carpenter, Scott Carpenter, Vikki Carr, Carlene Carter, Angela Cartwright, Veronica Cartwright, Yvonne DeCarlo, George Carlin, Johnny Carson, Judy Carne, Kim Carnes, Andrew McCarthy, Jenny McCarthy, Paul McCartney, Carmen Electra, Carlos Santana, Sean Penn, Teddy Pendergrass, Penny Marshall. Additional predictions: (1/26/04): Tony Blair, Claudia Cardinale, Debbie Harry. (2/5/04): Karen Mulder, Jennifer Karen, Carlos Santana. (4/10/04): Carrie Fisher.

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Actress Carrie Snodgress, whose 40-year career included an Oscar nomination for "Diary of a Mad Housewife" and memorable roles in "Pale Rider" and "Wild Things," has died. She was 57.

Snodgress was hospitalized at the University of California Medical Center in Los Angeles, awaiting a liver transplant when she died of heart failure April 1, her manager, Sidney Craig, said Friday. Her son, Zeke, by rock star Neil Young, was at her side, he said.

Snodgress was perhaps best-known for her role as a frustrated homemaker caught between a domineering husband and a self-absorbed lover in 1970's "Diary of a Mad Housewife." She was nominated for an Academy Award and won two Golden Globe awards -- leading actress in a musical or comedy and new star of the year. She starred in Clint Eastwood's 1985 western "Pale Rider" and was featured in the 1998 noir film "Wild Things" with Matt Dillon and Neve Campbell.

Off-screen, the Park Ridge, Illinois, native's love life was also tumultuous. Despite critical acclaim for her role in "Housewife," Snodgress turned her back on Hollywood in 1971 to live with boyfriend Neil Young on his northern California ranch and care for their son, who was born with cerebral palsy. She spent more than seven years with Young before she left and returned to Los Angeles, later suing him for child support.

In 1979, her ex-boyfriend, songwriter Jack Nitzsche, was charged with threatening to kill her after he barged into her home and beat her with a handgun. He pleaded guilty to threatening her and was fined and placed on three years' probation.

Picking up her career after a long absence wasn't easy, Snodgress later said. She was initially tapped to star opposite Sylvester Stallone in "Rocky" but lost the role over a salary dispute. She eventually landed a supporting role in Brian DePalma's 1978 film "The Fury." But in a 1986 Los Angeles Times interview, Snodgress said she had no regrets about temporarily walking away from her career.

"I was never really a career woman, you see," she said. "My life always came first. When I got nominated for 'Diary of a Mad Housewife,' I didn't think, 'Aah, now I'll get more money.' My dream had always just been to do my works well, fall in love and build a life for myself." Other film credits included "The Attic," "A Night in Heaven," "Blueberry Hill," "Blue Sky" and "Ed Gein." Her television credits included appearances on "The Virginian," "Marcus Welby, M.D.," "Murder She Wrote," "X Files," "ER," "Judging Amy," "Touched by an Angel" and "The West Wing."

There was a private family funeral. No public services were planned, Craig said.

COMMENT (4/10/04): The first celebrity to fall under the Karen Carpenter influence, note some basic similarities in the bones of the face (especially when Karen moved into end-stage anorexia). I have predicted that either April or May may be the worst month this year for the sheer number of premature deaths of fairly notable personalities. Carrie Snodgress, at age 57, may well be the first if the month in question is April or the April/May period. Here is the prediction, to be found on 2004 (Part One):

NEW PREDICTION: 1/10/04 -- Either April 2004 or May 2004 may be a singularly deadly month for male and female celebrities only in their late 40s or early 50s, with a few very famous stars around the age of 60. Causes of death will be quite varied, ranging from suicide and drug overdose to cancer, blood poisoning, hit and run, and heart attack. But the main thing linking them all is that these will all be premature deaths. Seven celebrities in all; two women and five men (roughly).

By "roughly," of course, I meant that there could instead be three women and four men or a few more people than seven in this April-May period.

Veteran Adult Entertainer Darren James Diagnosed as HIV-positive -- AIM Working to Contain HIV; Search for Second-Generation Continues

VAN NUYS, Calif. - Veteran performer Darren James was diagnosed as HIV-positive today, and Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation (AIM) went immediately into motion to make sure that the virus is contained, quarantining 12 women who have been identified as first-generation performers, women who have slept with James since his last negative HIV result.

Performers who have slept with members of the first-generation are also quarantined, technically voluntarily, and AIM is working to identify other performers in that generation as well.

First-generation performers must wait 30 days, the amount of time it could take for HIV to appear in measurable quantities, before taking another PCR-DNA and RNA HIV test. If those tests come back negative, the first-generation performers will be declared “clear,” and they will no longer be quarantined.

The current list of women that have worked with James since his last negative test and are under a voluntary quarantine is as follows: Jocelyn (3/19/2004); Lauren Roxx (3/24/04); Annie Cruz (3/29/2004); Vanesca, Persia, Miss Arroyo (3/30/2004); Kayla Marie, Jessica Dee (4/07/2004); Skyler Banks, Patrice Petite, Candy Ray, Desiree Clark, and Kayla Marie again (4/08/2004).

Second-generation performers will be quarantined until the first-generation performer that they worked with is clear. Veteran performer Mark Ashley, who became of member of the second-generation when he performed in a scene with Patrice Petite, is on the sidelines until May 8.

“I walked off a set today as soon I heard about this. I went down to AIM to take care of it,” Ashley said. “I was doing a dialogue scene today and I was supposed to do a sex scene tonight, but I canceled it. “

Ashley said he understands why AIM suggested the quarantine, which is technically voluntary. “I didn’t even know it was voluntary, I thought it was mandatory,” Ashley said. Who the fuck is going to work with you anyway? I would encourage other performers in the same the situation to honor the quarantine.”

Besides Ashley, other performers known to be in the second-generation are: Carlos Mendes, Mark Anthony, T.T. Boy, Sean Michaels, Julian St. Jox, Mark Davis, Conrad Taylor, Duane Commings, and Marco T.

An unknown male that works under either Sol or Shane is also believed to be in the second-generation.

Judy Starr is the only woman identified so far as being in the second-generation.

Mitchell says that the list will likely be much larger considering the number of women in the first-generation and that identifying performers in the second-generation is next obstacle to overcome for AIM to overcome. “We know the transmission is evident from men to women and with so many women we’re very, very, concerned about the second generation,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell says that Cherry Boxxx Pictures, Red Light District and VCA have declared a moratorium on production until the second- and possibly third-generation has been identified. "Some people are taking the option not to shoot until the list is complete and I think that's a good idea," Mitchell told AVN.com.

Records show that James’ last negative test was on March 17, 2004. Prior to that, his last negative test was on Feb. 25, 2004. He stopped performing immediately after his AIM test came back positive, and immediately went in for confirmation tests, the results of which came back today.

“He did nothing wrong. He isn’t a bad guy,” Mitchell said. “He acted responsibly and was very cooperative.”

AIM will provide his follow-up care and any treatment that James seeks will be provided by AIM or one of their non-profit affiliates.

James is also eligible for the AIM scholarship program so that he can pursue vocational training or a college degree. James isn’t legally barred from performing, but for all intents and purposes his career in front of the camera is over. “We know that in the straight world people don’t typically work HIV-positive unless someone agrees to work with them with a condom, knowing their status,” Mitchell said.

This is the first time a veteran performer has been diagnosed HIV-positive since Tony Montana in 1999.

People attempting to enter the adult industry are occasionally found to be HIV-positive. In fact, one aspiring male talent was diagnosed last month before having ever worked in adult.

COMMENT(4/16/04): So eerie. Darren rhymes with Karen as does Caron. Anorexia, AIDS, the two big As of the 20th and 21st Centuries, and the Big C. Stranger still are some of the partners infected by Darren. Some of them have very strong name sound matches, like Jessica Dee, Kayla Marie, and Conrad Taylor (photos where available). Some of you may be thinking, porn stars run into this all the time, but the article says this is the first case in the industry since 1999 -- five years ago.

Former TV presenter Caron Keating has died after losing a seven-year battle with breast cancer. The 41-year-old former Blue Peter presenter died on Tuesday night, according to a family friend.

Keating, the daughter of television presenter Gloria Hunniford, presented Blue Peter during the late 1980s. She took time out from television to look after her two sons, but made a return to TV in 1996 with stints presenting ITV1's This Morning.

Her family said she died at 1815 BST on Tuesday at Hunniford's home in Sevenoaks, Kent, surrounded by the family. Her husband had driven through the night from a clinic in Zurich to ensure she died at her mother's house with her relatives present. Born in Northern Ireland, she was the mother of two boys, Charlie, aged nine, and seven-year-old Gabriel, and was wife to Russ Lindsay.

In a statement her family said she had been a "total inspiration" and that her death had left "an unfilled void".

"Her husband and children were by her side throughout and her brothers Michael and Paul have been a constant support during her illness," the statement said.

"Caron made a lasting impact on everyone she met, wherever she lived. She was a beautiful, fun-loving, and spirited individual who throughout the last seven years has been a total inspiration to her family and friends." They said she had fought cancer "with enormous courage, tenacity and optimism".

"Caron had a great sense of family and relished being a mother and wife," the statement said. "It goes without saying that she will leave an unfilled void in the family circle, but she leaves a legacy of wonderful memories and love, which will stay with us all our lives." Details of Keating's death were confirmed by family friend Peter Powell, a former BBC Radio 1 DJ and now a showbusiness agent.

Tribute was paid to her at the end of Wednesday's edition of Blue Peter with a package of clips showing some of her more daring adventures. They included her diving with sharks, swimming in freezing waters, and strapped to the top of a light aircraft. Her famous sense of fashion was also spotlighted.

Keating had joined Blue Peter in November 1986 and co-presented with Peter Duncan, Janet Ellis, Mark Curry, Yvette Fielding and John Leslie.

COMMENT (4/16/04): As I feared, a "Karen" has died. However, the alternative spelling, Caron, was not anticipated. This is such a tragedy -- 41 is so very young.

Possible predictions (1/20/04): Jack Klugman, Jack Nicholson, Jack Nicklaus, Jack Paar, Jack Palance, Dr. Jack Kevorkian, Jackie Chan, Jackie Cooper, Jackie Mason, Jackie Shannon, Jackson Browne, Jacqueline Bisset, Janet Jackson, La Toya Jackson, Michael Jackson, Reggie Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jesse Jackson, Mackenzie Phillips, Roberta Flack, Gene Hackman, Honor Blackman, Joan Blackman, Nina Blackwood, Kelly Packard, Gisele MacKenzie, Kim Novack, Joan Cusack, John Cusack, Catherine McCormack, David Cassidy, Joanna Cassidy, Shaun Cassidy, Nick Cassavettes, Seymour Cassel, Lance Bass, Mackenzie Astin, Amy Yasbeck.

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- John 'J.J.' Jackson, who in the 1980s helped usher in the music video era as one of the first MTV on-air personalities, has died. He was 62.

Jackson, a longtime radio station disc jockey, died of an apparent heart attack Wednesday while driving home from dinner in Los Angeles, friends and radio industry colleagues said Thursday."I talked to him like two days ago. J.J. was in a great place," said Mark Goodman, a longtime friend who also worked with Jackson as a 'VJ' when MTV launched in 1981. "It's incredible, so incredibly sad it happened like this."

In a statement, MTV said Jackson's love of music and good humor helped set the tone for the cable music network in its formative years. "He was a big part of the channel's success and we are sure he is in the music section of heaven, with lots of his friends and heroes," the statement said. "He will be greatly missed."

Jackson's career in broadcasting began in radio. He first gained prominence while working at WBCN in Boston in the late 1960s, then moved in 1971 to Los Angeles where he took on the afternoon radio slot at KLOS. In the late '70s, he worked as a music reporter for KABC-TV, then it was off to New York and MTV, where his musical knowledge, hewn over years in radio, helped ease his transition to a new format for music, Goodman said.

"It was a great experience for him. He came in already knowing and being successful," Goodman said. "We were all thrust into the spotlight and he was able to take the things that happened at MTV with stride."

After five years at MTV, Jackson returned to radio in Los Angeles, including a stint hosting a nationally syndicated show on the Westwood One Radio Network. Most recently, he was hosting an afternoon slot at Los Angeles' KTWV. "All of us at The Wave (KTWV) are saddened by the news about J.J.," said Samantha Wiedmann, assistant program director for KTWV. "He was a warm, kind person whose track record in the industry speaks for itself."

Goodman said Jackson had been divorced for some time. He had a daughter and two grandchildren in the Bahamas, Goodman said.

COMMENT (3/20/04): This is so sad. Never thought I'd see a member of this team in an obituary anytime soon. It seems like only yesterday when the original VJs like J.J. Jackson, Mark Goodman, and that great looking babe whose name escapes me now, were bringing us the original MTV. Hard to believe the cutting edge stuff they brought us is now vault material. Personally, I think the videos from the 1980s, given what visual effects were capable of during that time, were vastly superior to what they have been since the 1990s. More ingenious use of simple props, clay-mation, robotics, and just plain story-acting. There's no art in MTV or music videos anymore... and not much real music either (if you can say "rap" or "Britney" is music, with a straight face).

Watch out for the double initial thing this year. That's two in two days: J.J. Jackson (J.J.) and Mercedes McCambridge (M.M.).

Former ABC newsman Jack Smith dead - Frequent contributor to 'Brinkley' won several awards

Jack Smith, Emmy Award-winning correspondent for ABC

GREENBRAE, California (AP) -- Jack Smith, an Emmy Award-winning correspondent during a 26-year career at ABC News, died Wednesday. He was 58.

Smith, the son of former ABC anchor Howard K. Smith, was diagnosed last fall with pancreatic cancer and died at Marin General Hospital, according to his sister, Catherine Smith.

Smith won two Emmys, a Peabody and numerous other awards during his television career and helped develop ABC News' technology beat and its "Cutting Edge" segment. He regularly appeared on ABC's nightly news program, "Nightline" and "This Week with David Brinkley."

A Vietnam veteran, Smith also narrated an award-winning series on the war for The Learning Channel, "The Soldiers' Story." Smith won a Bronze Star and Purple Heart during his tour in Vietnam from 1965-66. "Jack is a true hero -- read my lips," ABC colleague Sam Donaldson said when Smith was presented with the Bronze Star in 1997.

Smith covered foreign wars, five presidential elections and the White House during his career. After retiring from ABC in 2000, Smith moved to California to become a media consultant.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (Reuters) -- South African pop diva Brenda Fassie, taken into hospital last week with breathing problems, had suffered some brain damage but was not brain-dead, her family said on Sunday.

"Brenda Fassie's vital signs of life to date are stable and it is necessary for us to point out that she is not brain-dead as has been extensively reported," her family and record company said in a statement read to the press at the hospital.

"However, neurological tests have revealed some damage to parts of her brain as a direct result of lack of oxygen, the extent of which cannot be conclusively determined." Further tests were being conducted, the family said.

The wild child of South African music, Fassie has rarely been out of the media spotlight since she shot to fame in the early 1980s with the hit "Weekend Special."

Renowned for her public temper tantrums, lesbian love affairs and long battle with drugs, the tiny woman with a piercing voice boasts an army of loyal and loving fans.

When she appeared at a 1999 election rally in Soweto beside then President Nelson Mandela and his deputy Thabo Mbeki, the cheers for Fassie were by far the loudest. "Out of 1,000 people you talk to in Africa, maybe two would say they don't know Brenda," agent Sello "Chicco" Twala once said.

Brenda Fassie, South Africa's first black pop star who gave a voice to disenfranchised blacks at the height of apartheid, has died of complications from an asthma attack, her family said. She was 39.

"She made our souls rise in bliss wherever her voice reached," President Thabo Mbeki said of the raspy-voiced "Madonna of the Townships".

Fassie was admitted to Johannesburg's Sunninghill Hospital after an asthma attack on April 26 led to cardio-respiratory arrest. She slipped into a coma and died in Cape Town early on Sunday. Thousands had visited the pop legend after she had fallen ill, including Mbeki and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, ex-wife of former President Nelson Mandela.

The outspoken and often brash, Fassie shot to fame in the 1980s, winning legions of fans in poverty-stricken townships in Johannesburg and across Africa, but she never forgot her humble roots.

Fassie became a household name with her band The Big Dudes after their smash single Weekend Special in 1984. She followed with the single Too late for Mama, which went platinum in South Africa and placed her in the international limelight. She toured extensively, performing in South America, Australia, Europe and the US.

Possible predictions (1/20/04): Sally Struthers, Sally Field, Sally Kellerman, Al Green, Al Pacino, Al Gore, Val Kilmer, Valerie Perrine, Valerie Curtin, Ali MacGraw, Alice Walker, Mary Alice, Alice Cooper, Alison Krause, Allison Parks, Alan Arkin, Alan Alda, Woody Allen, Debbie Allen, Nancy Allen, Minnie Driver, Liza Minnelli, Kylie Minogue, Mindy Sterling, Yasmine Bleeth, Cindy Williams, Alyssa Milano. Additional predictions: (2/5/04): Valerie Bertinelli, Mohammad Ali. (0/0/04):

Alex Trebek, right, speaks to CNN's Larry King

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek escaped injury when he apparently fell asleep at the wheel of his pickup truck and it drifted off a road, sideswiped a string of mailboxes and crashed into a ditch, the California Highway Patrol said.

The 63-year-old television host was driving alone on a rural road in the Central Coast town of Templeton Friday, Officer Scott Koolman said. After sideswiping the mailboxes, Trebek's truck became airborne for about 40 feet (12 meters), sailing over an embankment and landing in the ditch, Koolman said. "The vehicle came to rest against a utility pole," the officer said.

Trebek owns and manages a horse breeding and training farm about eight miles (13 kilometers) southeast of Templeton. A message left after business hours for "Jeopardy!" senior producer Rocky Schmidt was not immediately returned.

The Canadian-born Trebek has been host of the popular quiz show "Jeopardy!" since 1984. He also hosts the annual National Geographic Bee.

COMMENT (2/5/04): You can appreciate the difficulty in figuring out everyone who might be at risk based on the name sound clue of "Al" (from "Sal"). Listed are Sally, Al, Val, Valerie, Ali, Alice, Alison, and Alan. But I completely forgot about the name Alex.

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AP) -- Timi Yuro, a pop singer who scored her first hit in 1961 with "Hurt," followed by "What's A Matter Baby" and "I Apologize," died March 30, her manager said Tuesday. She was 63.

Born Rosemary Timotea Aurro Yuro in Chicago, she moved to Los Angeles as a child and later began her singing career at her family's Italian restaurant.

Yuro had several hits throughout the 1960s and 1970s, beginning with "Hurt." Others included "The Love Of A Boy," "Make The World Go Away" and "Gotta Travel On."

Yuro developed throat problems in 1980 which led to the discovery of lung cancer in the early 1990s. She had surgery to remove her larynx in 2002.

COMMENT (4/10/04): In poetry there is a device known as "off rhyme." Instead of the end words being exactly alike in sound, like "brown" and "down," they are similar enough to reflect properties found in both words whilst adding a new dimension to the overall rhyme scheme (like "shine" and "shown" or "property" and "propriety").

Thus, in this instance, we have an "off rhyme" match for Mineo ("Mini-o"): "Timi-o." Only the "Yur" throws things off a bit, giving us "Timi yur-o." However, her given name, "Rosemary," by itself should place her on this page. The "Rose" was the name given to Princess Diana, whilst "Mary" reflects the kindred influence of Marilyn Monroe.

A difficult,virtually impossible, one to predict, in any case. But perhaps it would be wise to open the field of speculation to include "Rose" and "Rosemary" celebrities?

A recent publicity shot of host Rania al-Baz

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- A popular Saudi television host publicly showed her bruised and bloodied face and has shocked her compatriots into openly talking about one of the kingdom's long-hidden problems: violence against women.

Rania al-Baz has been hailed as a hero for letting newspaper photographers snap pictures of her face and for frankly discussing her case after she said a beating by her husband earlier this month left her unconscious.

Her story has been widely reported in the Saudi media. A Saudi princess stepped forward to pay al-Baz's medical bills. Representatives of the new Saudi National Human Rights Association visited her in the hospital.

Al-Baz told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Sunday that once she is back at work, she will press a violence-against-women awareness campaign. "I know many women in Saudi Arabia are badly beaten and when I recover I will do a program addressing that," she said. She said she also will try to tackle other topics, like rape, that are usually not publicly discussed in conservative Saudi Arabia.

Al-Baz is well know throughout the kingdom for her chatty, magazine style show, "The Kingdom This Morning." The program usually offers lighter fare and is shown on state-run Saudi Channel One.

Al-Baz's television persona -- warm smile wrapped in a stylish headscarf -- made the photographs of her wrecked face after the April 10 beating all the more startling. Al-Baz suffered 13 facial fractures required 12 operations.

"Though the photo was too gory for some people -- blood was dripping from her face -- she wanted her case to be publicized so that other battered women would be encouraged to speak up," columnist Raid Qusti wrote in the Arab News.

Qusti said that all Saudi women should salute al-Baz. "She knew the story was going public, and she did not do that for publicity, she did it to help other women -- because no man has the right to beat a woman," said Arab News' editor, Khaled al-Maeena.

Al-Baz, in her 30s, said her husband of six years, singer Mohammed Bakr al-Fallatta, had beaten her before. But she said the April 10 attack was especially vicious, and that she thought he wanted to kill her.

A battered al-Baz lies in a hospital bed

After banging her head on the floor and the wall until she lost consciousness, al-Baz said her husband drove her to the hospital and left her at the front doors, claiming she was a victim of a traffic accident and that he was going to pick up others who had been hurt. He then drove off and has not been seen or heard from since.

Al-Baz said she is not sure what triggered the attack. But al-Fallatta had been out of work for nearly three years and was depressed, she said. And days before the beating, he got angry when he found her watching a Lebanese TV show that featured his sister, a singer who lives in Beirut. Police say when they find al-Fallatta, he will likely face charges of abuse and attempted murder.

For her part, al-Baz has expressed concern about her husband, saying she hoped he would be arrested before he harms himself. But she also told the AP she will ask for a divorce and custody of their three children, one of whom, she said, witnessed the beating.

Although Islam prohibits violence against women, many believe spousal abuse is common in the almost entirely Muslim Saudi Arabia. There are no statistics available on wife abuse in the kingdom, but husbands rarely meet disapproval for "reforming" spouses deemed "disobedient" by hitting them.

COMMENT (4/25/04): Although "Al" is common in Arab names, this story is not -- at least not for a TV celebrity. The legacy of Sal Mineo, his death influence, is the phyical assault, the beating and the stabbing.

Possible predictions (1/20/04): Sharon Stone, Sharon Osbourne, Cher, Charo, Sheryl Crow, Sheryl Lee, Cheryl Tiegs, Paris Hilton, Tatum O'Neill, Bonnie Raitt, Phoebe Cates, Justine Bateman, Christina Applegate, Kathy Bates, Tom Waits, Kate Hudson, Kate Jackson, Kate Bush, Kate Capshaw, Kate Nelligan, Kate Beckinsale, Kate Winslet, Katie Couric, Barbara Corday, Doris Day, Rebecca DeMornay, Rebecca Gayheart, Elizabeth Taylor, Leigh Taylor-Young, Faith Hill, Tori Amos. Additional predictions: (0/0/04):

(CNN) -- A Pennsylvania photographer was arrested Wednesday and charged with murdering a 23-year-old Canadian porn model whom authorities allege he photographed just before killing her and dumping her body near a river.

Anthony Joseph Frederick, 46, of Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, is currently being held without bail on charges he killed Natel King, who was missing for nearly three weeks before her corpse was found Tuesday.

Frederick is charged with first- and third-degree murder, abuse of a corpse and possession of an instrument of crime. He is also charged with lying to authorities.

If convicted, he could face life in prison or the death penalty. According to police records, a search of Frederick's home turned up shackles, duct tape, blood-stained equipment and a handwritten poem that read: "Cut with a knife/Blood does flow/You may bleed out/Death coming on slow."

King had been missing since February 29, the day of her photo session with Frederick. Shortly after 5:30 p.m. that day, King spoke by phone with one of her friends in Canada and sounded distressed. The friend told police that King said Frederick "was kind of weird, and that she was worried. I asked if she was worried about not getting paid or getting killed, and she said, 'I don't know. Both,'" according to police records.

Bike path near the ravine where the body was found

King's body was found near the Schuykill River Tuesday. There were multiple stab wounds to her chest, neck and hands, and a red ball was stuffed in her throat and attached to a leather strap that was fixed around her head, according to authorities. "She put up a terrific fight because her hands showed multiple defensive slash wounds," District Attorney Bruce Castor said.

Police said they found King's car on March 5 at Frederick's home, which was used as the site for the photo shoot. According to the police report, officers found a suitcase and a laptop computer in the car but not King's purse, driver's license or cell phone.

The next day, police interviewed Frederick, with a follow-up interview a couple days later. According to the police report, Frederick told authorities he took 20 photographs of King naked and in bondage, paid her $900 and never saw her again.

A Montgomery County photographer denies charges that he killed adult film actress Taylor Sumers. Prosecutors won't rule out that Sumers died during the making of a snuff film in Conshohocken.

Anthony Joseph Frederick and accomplice Jennifer Mitkus

Local photographer Anthony Frederick, of Eagleville, Pa., was arrested Tuesday night and charged with first- and third-degree murder, possession of an instrument of crime, unsworn falsification to authorities, and abuse of a corpse.

His assistant, Jennifer Mitkus, is also charged with unsworn falsification and hindering apprehension.

King was found dead Tuesday in Whitemarsh Township after she was reported missing on Feb. 29 after a photo shoot at Frederick's studio in Conshohocken.

Police said she was stabbed multiple times and was found trussed in bondage equipment.

COMMENT (3/26/04): Shockingly appropriate that Taylor's name falls so conspicuously under that of Sharon Tate (Tayt) who also met with a very similar, violent end. I fear I have my finger on the pulse of what this year is going to be all about on a much bigger celebrity scale.

Possible predictions (1/20/04): Jeff Goldblum, Jeff Bridges, Freda Payne, Reese Witherspoon, Rex Reed, Morgan Freeman, Oprah Winfrey, Holly Hunter, Kim Hunter, Tab Hunter, Helen Hunt, Linda Hunt, Lauren Hutton, Griffin Dunn, Neil Diamond. Additional predictions: (1/26/04): Fran Jeffries, Pat Priest. (0/0/04):

Former world champion boxer Jeff Fenech hopes to face the four men who stabbed him on Sunday night, leaving him with a deep gash to his face. The 39-year-old from Five Dock in Sydney's inner-west was rushed to hospital after he was bashed and stabbed by a gang of four men at Brighton-Le Sands in Sydney's south around 10pm (AEDT).

Police said the former boxer was standing on the footpath of the Grand Parade, where he had been dining with his family, when a blue sedan pulled up. He began speaking to four men inside the car, who jumped out and attacked him, police said.

"I saw a guy with a bottle that he just cracked me with on the side of my face," Fenech told Channel Nine. "A part of my face is still just hanging off."

Fenech said he did nothing to provoke the attack. "I was just sitting down, I did nothing to them," he said. Police said the four men got back in the car and sped off.

"I just hope the police give me the opportunity to face these guys off one time face-to-face," Fenech said. "All my boxing career I've remained pretty unmarked and now I'm going to have a nasty scar on my face." Fenech suffered a deep cut to his jawbone and was taken to the Prince of Wales Hospital.

COMMENT (1/23/04): One Australian viewer, Louie, is concerned that the attack on Jeff Fenech may be the start of troubles for Aussie sports stars this year:

"Finally, recently here in Australia, we have been very shocked by two events involving two beloved Aussie sport Icons. Early this month, boxer Jeff Fenech was stabbed. Luckily he survived. However, on Sunday the 18th, one of the Australian Living Legends, Australian Cricketer David Hookes was fatally knocked out outside a pub. He was on life support for about 24 hours before family turned it off. What really worries me is it happened within a space of a month. It could be the start of tragedies to befall on Aussie Sport stars. Am I being unrealistic?"

Actually, thus far, I have found no reason to be more concerned about this happening in 2004 than in any other year. 2002 saw the car crash death of cricket star Ben Hollioake, and Skyhooks frontman Graeme "Shirley" Strachan died in a 2001 helicopter crash. Both cases were isolated to their respective years; no Aussie patterns emerged.

I'm not too surprised that boxer Jeff Fenech was stabbed. The Jeffrey Hunter influence (he fell down stairs, broke his neck, and died in 1969) means bad times for everyone with the first name of Jeff or Jeffery. David Hookes, however, is not a match for any prominent name sound this year. Yes, there is an "ay" sound from "David" to be found in Stevie Ray Vaughn's and Sharon Tate's names, but I have decided the sound, along with certain others, is far too common to be useful for most prediction purposes.

Scottish actor Russell Hunter has died from lung cancer at the age of 79. Best known for his role alongside Edward Woodward in the 70s thriller series Callan, Hunter was a highly regarded star of stage and screen.

Married to fellow performer Una McLean, he appeared in programmes ranging from Taggart to Doctor Who and the Sweeney and recently had a role in award winning film American cousins. He passed away in Edinburgh's Western General Hospital on Thursday morning.

Born in Glasgow in 1925, he served as an apprentice in a shipyard on the Clyde before taking up acting. In 1947, he appeared in the first ever Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Despite battling cancer, the veteran actor was back on the scene receiving rave reviews for his appearance in American Cousins late last year.

In November, the film, Hunter's last movie role, received the prestigious Special Jury Prize at the Savannah Film Festival in the United States, ending a career spanning six decades.

His wife Una confirmed the sad news. She said: "Russell died peacefully of lung cancer at the Western General Hospital."

COMMENT (2/28/03): Very eerie -- the last name being identical to Jeffrey Hunter. There are some other famous Hunters on the list. This may call for a code blue alert.

Possible predictions (1/20/04): Marilyn McCoo, Marilyn Manson, Marilyn Chambers, Marilyn Beck, Sherilyn Fenn, Mary Steenburgen, Mary Tyler Moore, Marie Osmond, Mariel Hemingway, Marion Ross, Marianne Faithful, Teena Marie, Geri Halliwell, Terri Garr, Barry Manilow, Farah Fawcett, Morgan Fairchild, Lynn Anderson, Lynn Redgrave, Lynda Carter, Linda Blair, Linda Hamilton, Linda Gray, Linda Lavin, Belinda Carlisle, Lauryn Hill, Joan Lunden, Sandy Duncan, Faye Dunaway, Kirsten Dunst, Connie Chung, Gena Rowlands, Lisa Kudrow, Mia Farrow, Janeane Garofalo, Tom Brokaw, Russell Crowe, Robert De Niro, Marlo Thomas. Additional predictions: (1/26/04): Mary Ann Mobley, Mary McCormack, Mary Quant, Maria Bello, Maria Schneider, Linda Ronstadt, Carol Merrill, Ewa Aulin, Aretha Franklin, Bonnie Franklin, Linda Harrison. (0/0/04):

Halle Berry 'just fine' after accident - Actress collided with equipment on 'Catwoman' set

Halle Berry is a Dorothy Dandridge kindred spirit

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- Halle Berry was taken to a hospital after colliding with a piece of set equipment while filming a running scene for "Catwoman" but is now back at work, production spokesman Joe Everett said.

The accident was minor, Everett said Tuesday, denying reports that the Oscar-winning "Monster's Ball" actress was hit in the head with a microphone boom and spent six hours in a hospital waiting room.

"She had to maneuver past a piece of equipment, a set piece, and she didn't quite run past it, but she's just fine," he said. "She was taken to hospital Saturday night, treated and released and was at work again Monday morning."

Berry, 35, broke her arm last year while shooting "Gothika" in Montreal and injured her eye on the set of "Die Another Day." "Catwoman" is based on the DC Comics character who's often the love interest of Batman. The film is scheduled to come out June 30. DC Comics is a unit of Time Warner, as is CNN.

COMMENT (2/4/04): Halle Berry is the first of two "Berrys" to have experienced some sort of mishap in the space of only four days. The second, Barry Manilow, who is named in the prediction list above and appears below after Russell Crowe, was hospitalised with chest pains on January 31.

Berry appears to be very accident-prone. In addition to the two previous accidents discussed above that occurred in 2002 and 2003, she was also injured in a car mishap in 2000 and charged with hit and run. She played the role of the late and tragic actress, Dorothy Dandridge, in 1999 and resembles her so much that it goes without saying that she is probably a kindred spirit of Dorothy's. That could be bad in 2007 on the 42nd anniversary of Dandridge's suicide.

Halle Berry's sexy image has made her a target of stalkers

A JUDGE has ordered a former US Navy special forces operative accused of stalking Halle Berry to stay at least 80m from the Oscar-winning movie star. Judge Linda Lefkowitz issued a preliminary injunction against Greg Broussard ordering him not to make contact with Berry, her manager, Vincent Cirrincione, or publicist Karen Samfilippo.

Broussard had identified himself as a graduate of the US Naval Academy and a former Navy SEAL from the southern state of Louisiana. The Navy SEALs are a special forces unit considered to offer one of the toughest training courses in the world in special warfare and guerrilla-style tactics.

Neither Berry, who became the first black actress to win a best-actress Academy Award in 2002 for her role in Monster's Ball, nor 35-year-old Broussard were in court in the Los Angeles district of Santa Monica for the hearing.

Broussard has allegedly made numerous attempts to contact Berry by telephone and fax and "incorrectly believes that Mr Cirrincione is Ms Berry's father", according to court papers.

In her declaration to the court, Berry alleges that Broussard "has imagined a relationship with me wherein he and I are engaged to be married and that my manager and publicist are preventing him from being with me. "I do not know Mr Broussard and do not wish to have any contact with him. The threats he has relayed make me fear for my own safety as well as those who represent me," the 35-year-old beauty wrote.

Cirrincione contends that Broussard has "focused his threats on me because he believes I am the person standing in his way of an imagined relationship" with the star of the upcoming movie Catwoman.

Judge Lefkowitz said she granted the preliminary injunction based upon evidence submitted by Berry's attorney, Blair Berk, which the judge said formed a "sufficient basis" for the stay-away order. Outside of court, Berk declined comment on how long the preliminary injunction would be in place. Broussard was not represented by an attorney.

Berry filed for divorce from her second husband, Eric Benet, in April, three years after the marriage and six months after the couple announced their separation.

COMMENT (6/10/04): The second major problem for Halle Berry this year, not including the divorce. Indeed, divorce should perhaps be included as "mishap" -- although it is more "wounding" to some than it is for others. Again, I see a very dangerous time ahead for Halle Berry in 2007 and perhaps as early as 2006.

Oscar winner Mercedes McCambridge dead - Actress was in 'All the King's Men,' voice in 'Exorcist'

McCambridge in 'All the King's Men,' for which she won an Oscar

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Actress Mercedes McCambridge, who won an Oscar for the 1949 film "All the King's Men" and later provided the raspy voice of the demon-possessed girl in "The Exorcist," has died. She was 87.

McCambridge died from natural causes on March 2, Cathy Ruppert, the assistant to the trustee of McCambridge's estate, said from San Diego on Wednesday. Ruppert said McCambridge died at an assisted-living facility in the La Jolla area of San Diego.

McCambridge's strong, radio-trained voice made her an ideal film portrayer of hard-driving women. She received the Academy Award as supporting actress for her screen debut in "All the King's Men," the secretary and mistress of populist Southern governor Willie Stark. Broderick Crawford was named best actor for his role as Stark, a close replica of Louisiana's Huey Long, and the drama was honored with a best picture Oscar.

During her film career, McCambridge acquired a reputation as a strong-willed, outspoken woman on and off the screen. When she was hired to play the enemy of Joan Crawford in a 1954 Western, "Johnny Guitar," the pair feuded on the set. In her memoir, McCambridge called Crawford "a mean, tipsy, powerful, rotten-egg lady."

Because of her great vocal skills, McCambridge was hired to portray The Demon in William Friedkin's 1973 smash hit "The Exorcist." After weeks of what she called the hardest work she had done for a film, she had been promised prominent mention in the credits. But when she attended the preview, her name was missing. As she left the theater in tears, Friedkin tried to explain that there had been no time to insert her credit. The Screen Actors Guild intervened and forced her inclusion in the credits.

Despite the celebrity that followed her Academy Award for "All the King's Men," McCambridge's film career did not flourish. Because she did not fit the glamour girl image that was prevalent in postwar films, her movie work was sporadic. Among the later films: "Giant" (1956 -- her second Academy nomination as supporting actress), "A Farewell to Arms" (1957), "Touch of Evil" (1958 -- with her radio cohort Orson Welles), "Suddenly Last Summer" (1959), "Cimarron" (1960), "99 Women" (1969), "Thieves" (1977), "The Concorde -- Airport '79" (1979).

In the early 1990s, Neil Simon called with an offer to play the grandmother in "Lost in Yonkers" on Broadway and on the road. McCambridge's return to the New York theater proved triumphant, and she performed the play 560 times.

In her later years, McCambridge also appeared in "Magnum, P.I." and other television series, but her movie work was sparse. "I don't think the Hollywood community is interested in what I can do," she said in a 1981 interview. "That's all right. I've never looked for a job in my life, and I'm not going to start now. I have plenty to keep me busy."

McCambridge battled through much of her life, surviving a long siege of alcoholism, two failed marriages and series of tragedies involving her only child, John Lawrence Fifield. The son, who later took the last name of his mother's second husband, Markle, killed his wife and children and himself in 1987.

The sow is mine! Now you're mine, now you're mine, you stinking cow! Ahhh, little pig mother! Ahh, there's my sow, yes, my sweet honey piglet, my piglet, my ... do you know what she did, your slut of a daughter? MERRIN!!!!!! MERRINNNNNNN!!!!!!!! Hypocrite! You care nothing at all for the pig. You care nothing! KARRRASS!!! Your mother is in here with us, Karras. Shall I give her a message? Would someone crack a window open, please? It bloody stinks in this room! MERRIN!!!!!! MERRINNNNNNN!!!!!!!! Oh, knickers ...

COMMENT (3/20/04): The only reason an elderly actress like Mercedes McCambridge is here (remember I said I would discontinue that practise) is that, aside from having several of the name sounds, the double initials of her name match those of Marilyn Monroe's (M.M.). That's two in two days: J.J. Jackson (J.J.) and Mercedes McCambridge (M.M.). It may be a useful clue!

Uh-oh! Wait a minute ... Come to think of it, I am an M.M. too. Better make a will out fast. This may be the last installment folks. Then again, every year, according to my base 7 system, is potentially fatal for me for one reason or another. I guess some folks have all the luck!

Jan Berry (left) with his long-time musical partner Dan Torrence

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Jan Berry, a member of the duo Jan & Dean that had the 1960s surf-music hits "Deadman's Curve" and "Little Old Lady from Pasadena," has died. He was 62.

Berry had a seizure and stopped breathing Friday at his home. He was pronounced dead that evening at a hospital, said his wife, Gertie Berry. He had been in poor health recently from the lingering effects of brain damage from a 1966 car crash.

Jan & Dean had a string of hits and 10 gold records in the 1960s with their tales of Southern California. Among them were 1964's "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena," about a hotrod racing grandma, and "Surf City," with its lines about taking the station wagon to a place where there are "two girls for every boy."

With Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, William Jan Berry co-wrote the lyrics for "Surf City" and "Deadman's Curve," which featured the driving guitar licks and falsetto crooning of the wildly popular surf music.

Berry's hit-making career with high school friend Dean Torrence was cut short in 1966 when Berry's speeding Corvette hit a parked truck and he suffered severe brain damage that left him partially paralyzed and unable to talk. His recovery was slow, but eventually he was able to resume singing and writing songs.

In addition to his wife, Berry is survived by his parents, William and Clara Berry of Camarillo; three brothers and three sisters.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (Reuters) -- Argentina soccer great Diego Maradona has been taken into intensive care at a Buenos Aires clinic, local radio and television reports say.

Radio station Rivadavia said Maradona, who has long been in therapy to battle a drug addiction that has left him a bloated shadow of his former self, was taken into intensive care because of an irregular heartbeat.

Maradona, who was in the posh Suizo-Argentina clinic in Buenos Aires, had earlier attended a soccer game at his former club Boca Juniors' stadium in the Argentine capital. The clinic declined to comment on the reports.

Maradona, now 43, is regarded as one of the finest players to have graced the game, leading Argentina to World Cup victory in 1986.

COMMENT (4/24/04): James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, and Diana rolled together in that name. The name, Maradona, could be a sign to entertainment icon Madonna that her "time" may be approaching if she visits the Middle East on tour as planned. See Famous Blonde Actress/Pop Celebrity Slain in Brutal Murder prediction.

Possible predictions (1/20/04): James Belushi, James Brolin, James Brown, James Caan, James Cameron, James Garner, James Arness, James Taylor, Rick James, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jayne Meadows, Jane Curtain, Jane Fonda, Jane Seymour, Jay Leno, Jimmy Dean, Dean Stockwell, Kiki Dee, Sandra Dee, Billy Dee Williams, Dee Wallace-Stone, Dee Dee Sharp, Cat Deeley, Celine Dion, Cameron Diaz, Liam Neeson, Martin Sheen, Charlie Sheen, Ben Vereen, Bruce Springsteen, Sheena Easton, Geena Davis, Kathleen Beller, Kathleen Turner, Tina Turner. Additional predictions: (1/26/04): James Woods, Barbara Eden, Claudine Longet, Jean Shrimpton.

Thursday, January 15, 2004 Posted: 1602 GMT (12:02 AM HKT)

LONDON, England (CNN) -- A guitarist with rising British rockers Hope of the States has been found hanged at an English recording studio. Police said James Lawrence, 26, was discovered by bandmates hanging from roof timbers at the Real World Studios near Bath, western England, early Thursday. The studio complex in the western English countryside is owned by Peter Gabriel, former singer with Genesis.

Wiltshire police said his body had been discovered by other members of the group. "In spite of attempts by ambulance staff Mr. Lawrence was pronounced dead at the scene by a local doctor," said the police, They added they were not treating his death as suspicious.

The six-piece band, from the southern English town of Chichester, were at Real World recording their debut album, due for release in the spring after months spent recording in Russia and then Ireland. The group had a top 40 hit in Britain with "Enemies/Friends" and recently signed to Sony imprint Seeker after what was described by the NME.com Web site as an "an intense bidding war." The band, led by singer Sam Herlihy, had recently performed on BBC's "Top of the Pops" and were due to play at the NME awards at the London Astoria next month.

The state-of-the-art Real World studios are a firm favorite with many in the industry and have been used by everyone from Kylie Minogue to the Stereophonics. They are set in idyllic surroundings with panoramic views and water features.

A studio spokesman said Lawrence's family were too upset and shocked to comment but a statement from the studio and record company was expected later Thursday.

Warning: If you enter this page from a 'back door' you will have absolutely no idea what is going on.

Celebrity Deaths and Mishaps Archives 8

New Sound Systems

2004 Sounds

Assailant Kills Cult Film Actor or Rock Legend

Mud lead singer Les Gray dies at 57

Deacon Blue guitarist Graeme Kelling dies at 47

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