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Ledger Didn't Kill Himself: Cops
Ledger Didn't Kill Himself: Cops
UPDATED
Jan 22, 2008 9:58 PM CST

Ledger Didn't Kill Himself: Cops

Star had anti-anxiety pills at home, was suffering from pneumonia

(Newser) - Actor Heath Ledger likely died from an overdose of anti-anxiety pills today but there were no signs of suicide, police told the New York Post. The film star had generic forms of Valium and Xanax in his New York home when he was found; an autopsy is planned for tomorrow....

Heath Ledger Found Dead
Heath Ledger Found Dead
UPDATED
Jan 22, 2008 4:06 PM CST

Heath Ledger Found Dead

Pills discovered near body of Brokeback Mountain star: NY cops

(Newser) - Actor Heath Ledger was found dead today in his home in downtown Manhattan, the AP reports. The Australian native, an Academy Award nominee for his performance in Brokeback Mountain, was 28. Police said pills were "scattered around the room," WCBS-TV in New York reported, and the death may...

New Zealand Pays Homage to Heroic Hillary

First man to conquer Everest laid to rest after state funeral

(Newser) - New Zealand paid tribute to its most famous native son today as throngs lined the streets of Auckland for the state funeral of Sir Edmund Hillary, the New Zealand Herald reports. The prime minister led the tributes. "Sir Ed described himself as a person of modest abilities," said...

Young & Reckless: AP Brit Obit Sparks Macabre Debate

Is 26 too young for an obit?

(Newser) - The Associated Press decision to prepare an obituary for 26-year-old troubled pop star Britney Spears has triggered a debate about the extent the news media should anticipate the early deaths of celebrities like Spears, actress Lindsay Lohan and singer Amy Winehouse, who are clearly living risky lives. The AP had...

Suzanne Pleshette Dead
Suzanne Pleshette Dead
Jan 20, 2008 5:00 AM CST

Suzanne Pleshette Dead

Arresting actress won America's heart as witty wife on 'Bob Newhart Show'

(Newser) - Actress Suzanne Pleshette, best known for her role as a sardonic wife in the long-running hit TV series “The Bob Newhart Show,” died today at her home in Los Angeles, AP reports. She was 70, and had been treated for lung cancer. The arresting, intelligent actress  with the...

Rams Owner Georgia Frontiere Dies
Rams Owner Georgia Frontiere Dies
Jan 19, 2008 12:25 AM CST

Rams Owner Georgia Frontiere Dies

Former entertainer moved team to her native St. Louis in 1995

(Newser) - Georgia Frontiere, loved in St. Louis, hated in Los Angeles for moving the Rams east in 1995, died Friday at age 80, reports the Los Angeles Times. Ironically, Frontiere died at in LA, where she had been treated for breast cancer for several months. Frontiere inherited the Rams from her...

Chess King Bobby Fischer Dies
Chess King Bobby Fischer Dies
Jan 18, 2008 7:24 AM CST

Chess King Bobby Fischer Dies

Troubled genius dies in Iceland at age 64

(Newser) - Chess master Bobby Fischer, who became a Cold War icon when he dethroned Russian Boris Spassky in 1972, has died at age 64 in Iceland, the AP reports. Fischer is considered by many to be the greatest chess player ever, but his genius for the game was often overshadowed by...

Father of the Hula Hoop, Frisbee Dies

Richard Knerr's Wham-O also produced Slip 'N Slide, Silly String

(Newser) - Richard Knerr, co-founder of the company that launched the Hula Hoop, Frisbee, and Silly String, died of a stroke Monday at 82. Knerr went from selling slingshots out of his parents' garage with lifelong pal and business partner Arthur Melin to creating the hugely profitable Wham-O toy company. The story...

Cancer Pioneer Folkman Dead
Cancer Pioneer Folkman Dead
Jan 16, 2008 7:42 AM CST

Cancer Pioneer Folkman Dead

Revolutionized treatment by cutting off blood supply to tumors

(Newser) - Cancer researcher Judah Folkman, whose insights and tenacity spawned a whole new branch of oncology, died Monday at age 74, the Boston Globe reports. Folkman pioneered the notion that cancer tumors could be halted if their blood supply was cut off; he persevered despite decades of skepticism in the field...

Actor Renfro Dead at 25; Cause Unknown

Child star of The Client had run-ins with police, drugs as an adult

(Newser) - Actor Brad Renfro, who kicked off his career at age 10 in The Client, was found dead at his Los Angeles home today, "Access Hollywood" reports. He was 25. The LA coroner's office confirmed his death; the cause of death is unknown and an investigation is under way. "...

Everest's Hillary Dies at 88
Everest's Hillary Dies at 88
Jan 10, 2008 5:17 PM CST

Everest's Hillary Dies at 88

He became first man to conquer world's highest mountain in 1953

(Newser) - Edmund Hillary, the first person to scale Mount Everest, has died at age 88, Bloomberg reports. Hillary scaled the world's highest mountain in 1953, gaining renown as one of the great adventurers in the 20th century. Despite his fame, Hillary remained modest about his Everest achievement and those that followed,...

James Spain Dead at 81
James Spain Dead at 81
Jan 6, 2008 12:00 PM CST

James Spain Dead at 81

Career diplomat served as US Ambassador in Tanzania, Turkey & Sri Lanka

(Newser) - James Spain, a career diplomat in the US Foreign Service, passed away of natural causes in Wilmington, NC at age 81 on January 2, 2008.  Ambassador Spain's life was devoted to serving his country first in the US Army as a photographer on Gen. Douglas MacArthur's staff in occupied...

George MacDonald Fraser Dead
George MacDonald Fraser Dead
Jan 3, 2008 8:00 PM CST

George MacDonald Fraser Dead

(Newser) - George MacDonald Fraser, the creator of the Flashman series of of historical novels, died yesterday at age 82.  Fraser's widely read and beloved series of 12 novels featured a lovable, cowardly cad named Harry Flashman, first created as a minor character in the classic 19th century English novel, "...

Winningest Horse Trainer Dead at 72
Winningest Horse Trainer Dead at 72
Dec 26, 2007 4:19 PM CST

Winningest Horse Trainer Dead at 72

Baird racked up more than 9,400 victories

(Newser) - Dale Baird, the trainer with the most wins in the history of horse racing, died Sunday in a car accident at age 72. Baird racked up 9,445 wins—no other trainer even has 7,000—in a storied career at the West Virginia racetrack now known as Mountaineer. Despite...

Choreographer Kidd Dies at 92
Choreographer Kidd Dies at 92
Dec 25, 2007 6:20 PM CST

Choreographer Kidd Dies at 92

He won five Tonys and and an honorary Oscar

(Newser) - Choreographer Michael Kidd, creator of some of the most enduring dance steps on Broadway and in Hollywood, has died of cancer at age 92, the New York Times reports. Kidd, who won five Tonys and an honorary Oscar, is best known for his choreography in the 1954 film Seven Brides ...

Oscar Peterson Dies at 82
Oscar Peterson Dies at 82
Dec 24, 2007 2:10 PM CST

Oscar Peterson Dies at 82

Jazz virtuoso known for quickness at the keyboard

(Newser) - Legendary jazz pianist Oscar Peterson died last night at his home near Toronto from kidney failure, CBC News reports. He was 82. The Canadian musician made hundreds of recordings, won seven Grammys, and played alongside greats like Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, and Ella Fitzgerald. "The world has lost the...

Billionaire Dies After Fall at Building Site

Ken Hendricks, 66, built ABC Supply Co. into home-supply chain

(Newser) - Billionaire Ken Hendricks, 66, died today of head injuries after falling through a hole in his unfinished garage roof, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. Hendricks—a high-school dropout who turned ABC Supply Co. into a national building-supply chain—apparently fell through a tarp covering an unfinished portion of an addition to...

Eulogy Offers Some Answers
Eulogy Offers Some Answers
Dec 19, 2007 2:17 PM CST

Eulogy Offers Some Answers

A journalist leaves a doctor's funeral 'feeling a sense of wonder'

(Newser) - The questions have echoed through the ages, ever since people started dying and leaving behind loved ones able to express the sentiment: Why? Why now? Now what? Writing for the Newsweek/Washington Post website "On Faith," Sally Quinn points her readers to the extraordinary eulogy Erik Kolbell delivered last...

Singer, Songwriter Dan Fogelberg Dies at 56

Lost 3-year battle with prostate cancer

(Newser) - Soft rock singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg died yesterday morning at his home in Maine after a three-year battle with prostate cancer. He was 56. Fogelberg was most popular in the '70s and early '80s with hits like "Longer," "Leader of the Band," "Same Old Lang Syne,...

Kerrigan Plotter Dies at Age 40
Kerrigan Plotter Dies at Age 40
Dec 16, 2007 3:31 PM CST

Kerrigan Plotter Dies at Age 40

Ex-bodyguard changed name, 'died a long time ago,' brother says

(Newser) - A plotter in the 1994 attack on skater Nancy Kerrigan died this week of natural causes at age 40, the AP reports. Brian Sean Griffith, ex-bodyguard to figure-skating Olympic hopeful Tonya Harding, confessed to helping organize the attack on Kerrigan days after it happened. Griffith served 14 months and...

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