Acting legend Harry Morgan, best-known for his role as Colonel Sherman T. Potter on “M*A*S*H” has died. He was 96.

Mr. Morgan was already well-known on the big and small screens by the time he took his full-time role on the medical Korean War drama. He started in TV’s “Dragnet” and the movie “High Noon” as well as dozens of others.

He actually started on M*A*S*H in 1974, guest starring as a crazy General named Bartford Hamilton Steele, in a September 1974 episode. He was so good, that the shows producers brought him back next season to replace McLean Stevenson as the leader of the army hospital. He stared until the end of the show’s run in 1983.

Mr. Morgan won an Emmy in 1980.

Born in Muskegon, Mich., Mr. Morgan started acting while at the University of Chicago. He acted on Broadway and early productions under his birth name, Harry Bratsberg. He changed his name to Harry Morgan in 1942, when he starred in his first film, the acclaimed “To the Shores of Tripoli.”

Mr. Morgan was one of three former “M*A*S*H” stars who acted in the failed spinoff “After MASH.”

Mr. Morgan was married to Barbara Bushman Quine in 1986. His first wife, Eileen Decton, died in 1985, after about 45 years of marriage.

In 1997. his wife accused him of battery, and Mr. Morgan completed a six-month domestic violence program.

Mr. Morgan also appeared in three episodes of “3rd Rock from the Sun” as well as an episode of “The Simpsons.”

Joe Frazier, the first boxer ever to defeat Muhammad Ali, died Monday after a battle with liver cancer. He was 67.

Mr. Frazier won boxing’s Fight of the Century and then fought Ali nearly to the death in the Thrilla in Manila. Frazier was one of the greatest boxers ever, something that Ali, widely considered the greatest boxer ever, has said publicly.

He knocked Ali down in 15th round at Madison Square Garden in March 1971. No one had ever beaten Ali.

But Ali won the war. Mr. Frazier was forever known as the foil character in protagonist Ali’s story. Ali never let him forget that during their storied careers. Ali taunted him mercilessly, and Mr. Frazier didn’t forgive him for it until much later in life.

Two duo fought three times. Their last fight was Manila in 1975. They traded punches for 14 rounds, until Mr. Frazier’s trained held him back for the final round. Mr. Frazier couldn’t see, his eyes swollen shut.

Mr. Frazier’s battle with cancer was a brief fight, unlike his boxing matches. As recently as September, he was seen signing autographs in Las Vegas.

Andy Rooney, of the “60 Minutes” fame, died on Friday due to complications from a recent surgery.

Rooney was known for his desensitized commentaries on a broad array of topics, from the war in Iraq to types of milk. His 3-minute commentaries appeared on “60 minutes” from 1978 to 2011. His last appearance in the show was on October 2, in which he said “I’ve done a lot of complaining here, but of all the things I’ve complained about, I can’t complain about my life.” In total, he gave 1,097 commentaries on the show.

Rooney, born on January 14, 1919, attended Colgate University in Hamilton, New York before he was drafted into the U.S. Army for World War II. He was introduced into the world of writing in 1942, while still in the army, when he began writing for the publication “Stars and Stripes” in London. In his life, he wrote 16 books and many newspaper articles.

Leslie Moonves, president and CEO of CBS said about Rooney “His wry wit, his unique ability to capture the essence of any issue, and his larger-than-life personality made him an icon, not only within the industry but among readers and viewers around the globe. Andy was not just a member of the CBS family; he was a member of the world’s family. We treasure the legacy he has left, and his presence will be sorely missed by those of us at CBS and by his fans around the world.”

Rooney leaves four children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Steve Jobs is remembered outside the Fifth Avenue Apple Store on October 5 in New York City. (WireImage)

On Wednesday October 5, 2011, the world lost on of its strongest cultural and technological icons when Steve Jobs, former CEO of Apple Computers and definer of this generation’s entertainment media, died at age 56.

Jobs had stepped down as CEO of Apple in August and died a day after Apple had its first major tech demo without him.

Born in San Francisco on February 24, 1955, Jobs began his professional path in an extremely unconventional manner. A college dropout, Jobs attended classes as an audit student at Reed College in Portland, Ore., staying in friends’ dorm rooms and getting free meals at local Krishna temples. After a short time at the college he began working for the pioneering video game company Atari and attended spiritual sessions for the teachings of Neem Karoli Baba in India. He also became interested in the LSD movement that was popular at the time in San Francisco, an event in his life that he rated as an extremely crucial part of his development.

In 1976, along with partners Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne, Jobs founded Apple Computers and gave the world a product called the Personal Computer.

Throughout the years, the company assembled and sold computers on an ever rising scale, with Jobs constantly pushing for new and creative people to help make the company more profitable. In 1984, the first national introduction to the company was given in the form of a now-famous Super Bowl commercial inspired by George Orwell’s 1984. The commercial was used to hype the release of the Macintosh Computer, the first commercially successful small computer with a graphical user interface and arguably the launching point of the American home computer revolution.

The years after the Macintosh was introduced would be a strenuous time for Apple, a time earmarked by Jobs’ controversial forced removal from the company.

Not to be kept down, Jobs purchased the video wing of George Lucas’ Lucasfilm in 1986 and created Pixar Animation Studios

The company’s first project 1995′s, “Toy Story,” would go on to gross $361 million and become etched in our popular culture forever. “Toy Story 3,” released last year, grossed more than $1 billion.

“Toy Story” was the first feature-length animated movie created 100 percent by computers. Jobs had, for the first time, given the world a commercially successful mix of computers and pop culture that would go on to define both him and Apple in the years to come.

In 1996, Jobs returned to Apple and began overseeing what would become the revolutionary Mac Operating System and iMac computer. The combination of these two products would pull Apple from a failing computer company to the second highest distributor in the world.

Next came iPod, which revolutionized the way people carried and listened to their music. Portable music played existed before the iPod, but it was Apple’s mix of cutting-edge technology with an intuitive interface that would drive it.

Jobs next tackled the smartphone. Rivals Microsoft and Research in Motion had been creating smartphones for years before Apple would release its iPhone, but it was the iPhone that ushered in the smartphone revolution. Perhaps never before has so much power and so many features been so fun and easy to use before. It was Jobs who made the iPhone an integral part of Generation Y’s lifestyle.

We hardly need to mention what came next: the iPad. Again, tablet computers were around long before the iPad, but it was the iPad that made tablet computing mainstream and sent every hardware competitor rushing to copy it.

Besides being an acclaimed businessman and ambassador for his company, Jobs was also a notable technician, being listed as either primary inventor or co-inventor in 338 US patents or patent applications. He was famous for his hands-on approach to Apple’s management, being personally involved with many of the company’s most successful products.

A statement issued from his family said that he had died “peacefully, surrounded by his family.” Jobs’ announced he developed pancreatic cancer in 2004 and had received a liver transplant in 2009. An official cause of death has not been announced.

Nearly as impressive as his life, the reaction to Jobs’ death has been a worldwide headline. In a time where the Occupy Wall Street movement is in full effect and the recent scandals of major companies have left many corporate personalities painted as villains, Jobs has received unprecedented admiration for his actions as CEO and a large online mourning has been going on since his passing. A massive twitter movement tagged #RIP #SteveJobs has everyone from celebrities to elected officials tweeting their well wishes to Jobs’ family and their thoughts on Jobs’ as an inventor and public persona. Possibly the most notable of these memorial statements is President Barrack Obama observing how many people discovered Jobs’ death through their iPhones: “There may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented.”

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Legendary Motown songwriter Nick Ashford, half of the Ashford & Simpson duo, died Monday according to his former publicist.  He was 70.

He died in a New York City hospital, said publicist and friend Liz Rosenberg.  She cited throat cancer and radiation treatment as the cause.

Ashford was known for songs performed by Motown greats like Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye.  He was responsible for “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,”  “Reach Out and Touch Sombody’s Hand,” “I’m Every Woman,” and many more.

Ashford also performed songs that he wrote with Simpson, who was his wife, the most widely known is the 1980s hit “Solid as a Rock.”

“His music is unmatched in terms of great songwriting,” Verdine White of Earth, Wind and Fire said after learning of his friend’s death, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “They had magic and that’s what creates those wonderful hits, that magic.  Without those songs, those artists wouldn’t have been able to go to the next level.”

Other industry greats expressed their sentiments via Twitter.

Ashford and Simpson’s success spun off from Ray Charles’ hits “Let’s Go Get Stoned,” that the dup penned.  This hit earned them the attention of Motown Records.

The pair were married for 38 years and together they helped sell millions of records for many artists.  Recently, they co-wrote Amy Winehouse’s “Tears Dry On Their Own.”

“The thing is they were married and working together, that was what was special about them. Everybody admired that,” White said.

In 2002, they were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Ashford is survived by his wife and two daughters.  Funeral arrangements are not yet known, according to Rosenberg.

Clarence Clemons performs at the Miami Dolphins Tailgate Concert at Sun Life Stadium on November 14 in Miami (WireImage)

Clarence Clemons, the saxophonist on Bruce Springsteen’s classic albums, died on Saturday at a Palm Beach, Fla. hospital from complications from a stroke. He was 69.

Clemons suffered the stroke on June 12, according to a Springsteen spokeswoman. Initially, reports said that Clemons was recovering well, but the Rolling Stone reported that his condition worsened late in the week.

“Clarence lived a wonderful life. He carried within him a love of people that made them love him,” Springsteen said in a statement. “He created a wondrous and extended family. He loved the saxophone, loved our fans and gave everything he had every night he stepped on stage. His loss is immeasurable and we are honored and thankful to have known him and had the opportunity to stand beside him for nearly forty years.”

Clemons played famous solos on songs such as “Born to Run,” “Jungleland,” “Badlands,” and “Dancing in the Dark.” He and Springsteen have been playing together since 1971, when they played clubs on the Jersey Shore.

“He was my great friend, my partner, and with Clarence at my side, my band and I were able to tell a story far deeper than those simply contained in our music. His life, his memory, and his love will live on in that story and in our band,” said Springsteen.

Clemons latest sax work was with Lady Gaga on her recently released video, “Edge of Glory.” His final performance was with the singer on the season finale of American Idol. He also worked with such music greats as Ringo Starr, Aretha Franklin and the Grateful Dead.

The sax star also tried acting with roles in “New York, New York,” and “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.” He also made various television appearances. Two years ago, he published his autobiography, “Big Man: Real Life and Tall Tales.”

Clemons was the oldest member of Springsteen’s accompaniment and had suffered multiple knee and spinal surgeries in the past few years.

Married five times, Clemons is survived by his widow, Victoria, and four sons.

Wrestling superstar Macho Man Randy Savage died Friday in a car accident in Seminole, Florida, TMZ reported. He was 58 years old.

According to the source, the wrestler suffered a heart attack while he was driving his 2009 Jeep Wrangler and lost control of his vehicle and collided head-on with a tree.

Although Savage was transported to Largo Medical center, he died from his injuries.

His one-year anniversary with his new wife Lynn was earlier this month.

Savage’s wife was a passenger in the vehicle during the collision but she only had minor injuries. She was transported to a different local hospital.

It was reported that they were both wearing seat belts when the accident happened.

Macho Man was known for his trademark catchphrase “Ooooooh Yeaahhhhh.”

Phoebe Snow, known for her song “Poetry Man,” died on Tuesday of complications from a stroke that she suffered last year. She was 60.

Snow suffered a stroke in January last year, when she had finished recording a collection of songs and was rehearsing with her band to perform weekly shows at a winery in New York.

Her manager Sue Cameron said in a statement, “Our treasured icon heroically fought for almost a year-and-a-half to come back, enduring bouts of blood clots, pneumonia and congestive heart failure … until her body finally could take it no more.”

Snow released 16 albums and was nominated for a best new artist Grammy Award in 1975.

Snow leave her sister, Julie Laub, her uncle Bob Laub and several cousins.

Elizabeth Taylor died this morning of heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, where she was being treated for the past several months.

Taylor’s son Michael said in a statement: “My Mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest, with great passion, humor, and love. Though her loss is devastating to those of us who held her so close and so dear, we will always be inspired by her enduring contribution to our world. Her remarkable body of work in film, her ongoing success as a businesswoman, and her brave and relentless advocacy in the fight against HIV/AIDS, all make us all incredibly proud of what she accomplished. We know, quite simply, that the world is a better place for Mom having lived in it. Her legacy will never fade, her spirit will always be with us, and her love will live forever in our hearts.”

Taylor was a Hollywood icon, one of the last great stars from an age gone by. Her fame is captured not just by her movies, including classics such as “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” and “Cleopatra,” but by her enduring celebrity, characterized by her eight marriages, lavish lifestyle and outspokenness.

Though Taylor had long-since retired from acting, her fame has endured since days as a child star in the 1940s. Taylor had enthralled audiences since she was 12, when she starred in 1944′s “National Velvet”, still the definitive girl-and-her-horse movie. She transitioned into adult roles in 1950′s hit comedy”Father of the Bride” and the 1951 tragedy “A Place in the Sun.” Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, she was one of Hollywood’s premier screen goddesses, equally at home in glossy epics like “Giant” (1956) and serious Tennessee Williams adaptations like “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” (1958). She won her first Oscar for Best Actress for her role as a promiscuous model in 1960′s “Butterfield 8.”

She is perhaps most often associated with 1963′s “Cleopatra”, a four-hour-plus saga that remains one of the costliest flops of all time. Taylor ultimately earned $7 million for the title role, including $1 million up front, making her the highest paid actress ever when accounting for inflation. The film also remains the most-expensive film ever made, when adjusting for inflation. Despite the setback, she bounced back with her Oscar-winning performance as a professor’s bitter wife in 1966′s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf’”, a film whose blunt language and sexual subject led to the demise of the old Production Code, leading to the movie ratings system Hollywood has used since 1968. Taylor’s final big-screen appearance would be a cameo as Fred Flintstone’s mother-in-law in 1994′s “The Flintstones.”

Fascination with Taylor persisted in part because of her many marriages, most notably, her tumultuous on-again off-again relationship with Richard Burton, many times her costar and twice her husband. Taylor’s first marriage, to hotel heir Nicky Hilton, lasted from 1950 to 1951. She was married to Michael Wilding from 1952 to 1957. She married movie producer Mike Todd in 1957, but he died in a plane crash a year later. Her next husband was singer Eddie Fisher, causing a scandal when he left wife Debbie Reynolds for her in 1959. Taylor, in turn, left Fisher for Burton, to whom she was married from 1964 to 1974, and again from 1975 to 1976. She was married to Virginia Senator John Warner from 1976 to 1982. She met her final husband, a construction worker named Larry Fortensky who was 20 years her junior, when both were patients at the Betty Ford Clinic; they were married from 1991 to 1996.

Long after she retired, Taylor’s magnanimous presence kept her a public figure, thanks to her philanthropy and her championship of underrepresented causes. After her “Giant” costar Rock Hudson’s death from AIDS in 1985, Taylor became one of Hollywood’s first  advocates and fundraisers for AIDS patients, in an era when victims and sympathizers were shunned and marginalized. But beyond her generosity, her frequent marriages,strange tabloid-esque friendships with celebrities such as Michael Jackson, and sheer celebrity often kept her in the news. With her passing, a star of unparalleled proportions passes into the night.

Taylor leaves her four children, 10 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Mike Starr, the original bassist for rock band Alice in Chains, was found dead Tuesday at his home in Salt Lake City. He was 44.

“It’s a terrible shock and tragedy,” Starr’s father told TMZ.

The cause of the rocker’s death was not yet known.

Starr had been treated by Dr. Drew Pinsky for heroin addiction on the third season of the VH1’s “Celebrity Rehab.” However, last month, Starr was arrested and jailed for alleged drug possession in Salt Lake City. Police said he was in possession of six Xanax pills and six painkillers called Opana.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, one of the two arresting officers commented that Starr identified himself by telling them, “Hey officer, have you heard of Alice In Chains? I used to be the bass guitarist for them. We are down here in Utah . . . putting together a new band.”

Early Tuesday morning, a spokesperson for Pete Postlethwaite confirmed that the British actor died on Sunday. He was 64.

Mr. Postlethwaite was recently seen in some of last year’s most critically acclaimed films: “Inception,” and “The Town,” but it was his emotional role as Giuseppe Conlon in the 1993 biographical film “In the Name of the Father” that earned him an Oscar nomination. He also had a memorable role as Father Laurence in the 1996 Leonardi DiCaprio/Claire Danes “Romeo + Juliet.”

Andrew Richardson, a journalist and friend of the actor, has described Mr. Postlethwaite’s death as peaceful despite a lengthy battle with cancer.

Although Mr. Postlethwaite wasn’t always the leading man onscreen, he remains as something undoubtedly better: the scene stealer. Some fans will remember him as Mr. Kobayashi  in the Bryan Singer classic “The Usual Suspects.” As a mysterious representative of the notorious Keyser Söze, Postlethwaite goes beyond playing the messenger. In a film where everything isn’t as it seems, Postlethwaite carries the role of Mr. Kobayashi with a certain allure starting with his composed demeanor right down to the shift in his accent.

Mr. Postlethwaite’s strength as an actor was his ability to hold your suspension of disbelief,     and play all his characters with an absolute truth to their reality; qualities which awarded him an Oscar nomination. As a member of the audience, you never doubted the array of personalities onscreen: a father who will fight for his son’s innocence in “In the Name of the Father,” a sympathetic priest who helps a pair of star-crossed teenagers risk everything for love, the foster father of a demi-god in “Clash of the Titans” and even a florist whose profession as a crime boss makes him a force to be reckoned with in “The Town.”  

No matter the length or demands his characters  onscreen, Mr. Postlethwaite always brought his best without compromise. This even included his own political views which were center stage during the 2009 premiere of  “The Age of Stupid,” a film which tackles the subject of climate change. Mr. Postlethwaite threatened to return his prestigious OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) medal if plans to develop new coal-fired units at Kingsnorth power station took place.

Mr. Postlethwaite’s legacy may be indelible onscreen, but he was more than a brilliant actor. He was a loving husband, father, activist, and a good friend to those who knew him.   He will be deeply missed by those who loved his films, and loved him best.

Mr. Postlethwaite leaves his wife, Jacqui, and two children, Will, 21, and Lily, 14.

Blake Edwards sighted on location filming Darling Lili on September 27, 1968 in Paris

Filmmaker Blake Edwards died of complications from pneumonia on December 16 at age 88. Edwards passed away at St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif., after being hospitalized for two weeks. He originally had knee problems and had undergone unsuccessful procedures.

According to the Associated Press, his publicist Gene Schwam said that Edwards was “pretty much confined to a wheelchair for the last year-and-a-half or two” and was working on two Broadway musicals.

He was well known as a director of the 1961 film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”

Edwards leaves his wife, five children, seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren. According to the source, his family says a private memorial is planned and a public memorial will be scheduled early next year.

Irvin Kershner, best known as a director of “Empire Strikes Back,” died in Los Angeles after struggling with lung cancer, Saturday. He was 87.

He was also the only person to have directed both a Star Wars movie and a James Bond movie.

Kershner leaves two sons. Funeral arrangements were not announced yet.

Leslie Nielsen attends Spanish Movie premiere at Kinepolis cinema on December 3, 2009 in Madrid

Legendary comedy actor Leslie Nielsen, known for starring in “Airplane!” and the “Naked Gun” film franchise, died Sunday of complications from pneumonia.

According to The Associated Press, his agent, John S. Kelly, said Nielsen died at a hospital near his home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where he was being treated for pneumonia. He died surrounded by family including his wife, Barbaree, and friends.

His family released a statement, which said, “We are sadden by the passing of beloved actor Leslie Nielsen, probably best remembered as Lt. Frank Drebin in The Naked Gun series of pictures, but who enjoyed a more than 60-year career in motion pictures and television.”

Nielsen leaves two daughters, Thea and Maura, from a previous marriage.

Actor James MacArthur, the son of actress Helen Hayes and widely known for his role as Detective Dan “Danno” Williams on the original “Hawaii Five-O” TV show, has died. He was 72.

MacArthur, who performed on stage, film and TV over a long career, died with his family by his side, his agent said.

He is survived by his wife of over 25 years, Helen Beth, four children, and seven grandchildren.

He spent 11 years on the popular “Five-O” from 1968 to 1979 playing the sidekick to top detective Steve McGarrett who, after catching a crook, would end episodes with the familiar phrase, “book ‘em, Danno,” to his younger comrade.

Also, MacArthur enjoyed roles in a number of hit movies, such as Disney classic “Swiss Family Robinson” and alongside Clint Eastwood in “Hang ‘em High.” It was on the Eastwood movie that producer Leonard Freeman saw MacArthur, and then called him to play Danno.

Tom Bosley, actor who personified paternal authority, especially on Broadway as a big-city mayor in the musical “Fiorello!” and on television as a Middle American dad in the hit comedy “Happy Days,” died Tuesday in Rancho Mirage, Calif. He was 83.

The cause was cancer, reported a statement by CBS Films, whose president, Amy Baer, is Bosley’s daughter.

Bosley is best known as Howard Cunningham, the gruff but reliably kind father of teenage children in 1950s Milwaukee in the nostalgic situation comedy “Happy Days.” Bosley also gained fame on stage, playing Fiorello La Guardia, the populist mayor of New York, in “Fiorello!” The show itself won the Pulitzer Prize, and. Bosley, a newcomer to Broadway, won a Tony Award for best featured actor in a musical. He never missed one of the show’s almost 800 performances.

The Mandelbrot Set is one of the most famous 20th century mathematics wonders.

It is a mathematic structure that truly deals in infinite complexity, but Saturday the academic world mourns the end of the life one of one of the most brilliant mathematicians known.

Benoit B. Mandelbrot, the inventor of “fratal geometry” died of pancreatic cancer in Cambridge on Thursday, his family said. He was 85.

An insightful teacher, Mr. Mandlebrot brought The Mandlebrot Set to the public so that anyone with an interest in mathematics, from rank amateurs and beginner students to brilliant Ivy League geniuses, could study it.

He was the Sterling Professor Emeritus of Mathematical Sciences at Yale University.

Mr. Mandlebrot leaves his wife, Aliette, two sons, Laurent, of Paris, and Didier, of Newton. He also leaves three grandchildren.

A memorial service is being planned.

I still clearly remember the scene at the end of the movie "Titanic" that Rose threw the diamond necklace in the ocean when she finished telling the whole story that she experienced.

Gloria Stuart, the 1930s Hollywood beauty who gave up acting for 30 years and later became the oldest Academy Award acting nominee as a survivor in her comeback movie "Titanic," has died. She was 100.

Stuart received her only Academy Award nomination, for best supporting actress, for her performance in James Cameron‘s "Titanic" as Rose Calvert, a 101-year-old survivor of the ship’s sinking. She was the oldest person ever nominated for an acting Oscar, but she lost to Kim Basinger. Kate Winslet, who was nominated for best actress, played Rose as a young, well-to-do, romantically restless passenger in first class who falls in love with a poor would-be artist in steerage, played by Leonardo DiCaprio.

According to Associated Press, Stuart died in her sleep Sunday night at her Los Angeles home, her grandson Benjamin Stuart Thompson said Monday.

Stuart starred in B pictures as well as some higher-profile ones such as “The Invisible Man,” Busby Berkeley’s “Gold Diggers of 1935″ and two Shirley Temple movies, “Poor Little Rich Girl” and “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm,” but had retired by the mid-1940s.

Cameron wanted an actress who was "still viable, not alcoholic, rheumatic or falling down," Stuart once said in published reports. Then in her mid-80s, Stuart endured hours in the makeup chair so she could look 15 years older, and she traveled to the Atlantic location, where the wreck of the real Titanic was photographed.

"Titanic" took in $1.8 billion worldwide to become the biggest modern smash hit, a position it held until Cameron’s "Avatar" came along last year and passed it on the box-office chart.

Stuart is leaves a daughter, Sylvia Vaughn Thompson, four grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

Pop culture and 1980s icon Corey Haim has died at 38.

The actor was rushed to St. Joseph Medical Center in Providence early Wednesday morning. The cause of death remains undetermined, despite speculations that drugs played a role.

Mr. Haim, who is best known for the vampiric film "Lost Boys," shared the screen with Corey Feldman, another child actor with a slew of films under his belt. The two actors continued a partnership through several films which later dubbed them as "The Coreys" to many fans. In recent years the

In recent years, Mr. Haim has slowly resurfaced in films such as “Lost Boys: The Tribe” and “Crank: High Voltage.”

This story is still developing.

Wednesday, as reported by the Boston Globe, The talented and notoriously reclusive writer JD Salinger passed away Wednesday at the age of 91, according to the Boston Globe. Salinger spent his last days in his Cornish, N.H. home, an isolated sanctuary where he reveled in his privacy until the very end.

Salinger’s longtime literary agent, Phyllis Westberg, told the Globe that Salinger passed due to natural causes. Westberg also poignantly commented on the Salinger’s isolation.

"Salinger had remarked that he was in this world but not of it. His body is gone but the family hopes that he is still with those he loves, whether they are religious or historical figures, personal friends or fictional characters.”

He is survived by his two children, Margaret and Matthew, and his third wife, Colleen O’Neil.

Many have tried to capture and understand the great mystery that was JD Salinger, including a memoir entitled Dream Catcher by his daughter Margaret, which painted Salinger as a self-centered, spiteful man who resented women. Joyce Maynard also released a scathing memoir regarding her nine-month affair with Salinger when she was 18 years old. CNN reported that his last interview was given in 1981 to The Advocate of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Catcher in the Rye, published in 1951, was Salinger’s only novel and it brought him the greatest notoriety. Holden Caulfield, the novel’s protagonist, has become the iconic image for troubled teens. His short stories, which were published in the New Yorker, were collected into a book entitled Nine Stories.

Check back as more information is gathered about Salinger’s death.

We mourn untimely death of John Hughes, who passed away on August 6. The noted director and writer of many successful films during the 80s and 90s suffered a heart attack during a visit in New York, leaving many to ponder how different pop culture would be without his motley crew of films that have defined generations of teenagers worldwide.

Born in Lansing, Michigan as John Hughes Jr., his early life wasn’t out of the ordinary. His mother worked on a series of charitable groups while his father supported the family as a salesman. Yet, it wouldn’t be until the family relocated to Northbrook, Illinois where he would find inspiration and soon base the landscape of his future films around it.

Though Mr. Hughes was far from his teenage years when his most notable works “National Lampoon Vacation” “Pretty in Pink” “The Breakfast Club” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” hit theaters in the 80s. He managed to tap into the intrinsic and poignant moments within one’s own adolescence. He brought to screen iconic moments from a group of high school kids dodging their principle in “The Breakfast Club” to a couple of teens creating a real-life dream girl in “Weird Science.” All the while making stars out of actors such as Molly Ringwald, Matthew Broderick, Jon Cryer and Anthony Michael Hall.

Mr. Hughes gave a rare interview to AFI (American Film Institute) in 1985 where he discussed his films. In reference to his then-latest success, “Sixteen Candles” he made the point to explain, “Now I get hit a lot of times for having sentimental endings, and I do that deliberately … and with that film everything came just right, and that has a lot to do with the fact that when you are that age, you want things to come out right … and they never do … so I choose not to, and at some part I depart from reality, and say this is what I would want to feel at the end of the day. Life doesn’t always, movies can.”

And perhaps that is what made his films so memorable — the fantasy and escape for someone to play hooky from school and embark on a memorable adventure, or the idea that four very different classes of people from four different cliques could actually form a connection on some level.

Despite his somewhat less visible stamp in current cinema, some may have noticed his penned name Edmond Dantes as story writer for such films as “Drillbit Taylor” or “Maid in Manhattan.” And even then, there are classic Hughes endings to make audiences smile: situated stories that for an odd hour or so provide a window of escape from the day.

So while children of the 80s grieve the loss of another pop icon, many will undoubtedly remember how John Hughes managed to achieve what many people in the entertainment industry value: immortality. His films will continue to live on in late night DVD marathons and on the lips of many who quote the works from memory.

In the memorable words of Ferris Bueller, “Life moves pretty fast. You don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” And many would agree John Hughes made the best of it.

Emerson College alumnus David P. Twomey died June 30 after contracting the H1N1 Influenza virus. He was 27.

Mr. Twomey became ill June 24.

A Portland, Maine native, he was a 2001 graduate of Cheverus High School. Mr. Twomey received a B.A. in communication arts from Gannon University in Erie, Pa., in 2005. He graduated from Emerson in 2006 with a master’s degree in political and organizational communications.

According to the college, Mr. Twomey had lived in Washington, D.C. since 2007 and was working as an operations coordinator for digital media services for the U.S. Federal Courts Office of Public Affairs since June 2008.

“There are those times in teaching when you are blessed with an exceptionally talented and humane and incredibly gifted student — that was my experience with David Twomey,” said J. Gregory Payne, Twomey’s former professor, in a statement released by Emerson. Mr. Twomey was Payne’s graduate assistant. “He lit up the room with his smile and compassion and love of politics and the promise of public diplomacy. He truly was one of the most gifted students I have ever encountered and left a lasting legacy in whatever he did and to those he touched in his all too-short-time with us.”

A funeral mass was said on Tuesday at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland, Maine.

LOS ANGELES — The king is dead.

On the afternoon of June 25, music icon Michael Jackson’s heart suddenly stopped at his Hollywood home. Paramedics and doctors could not revive him. The media competition began. Gossip website TMZ.com reported it first, and soon ABC and NBC were quoting the celebrity gossip site as if it were CNN or BBC “"‚  as if it were a colleague. CNN confirmed it last, but the news was true all the same. The King of Pop was gone forever. Michael Joseph Jackson, age 50.

Fans responded quickly.

A swarm gathered at UCLA Medical Center with pictures of his face and shirts with his name.

As news of his death sent shock waves the world still mourned the passing of Farrah Fawcett, who lost her battle with cancer, and Ed McMahon, whose combination of medical illnesses took his life several days ago. Three icons in a matter of less than a week, and in its wake the public still grapples to cope with it. Yet it was Mr. Jackson’s death which proved to overwhelm the public.

Jackson once revealed in a televised interview that the most honest song he has ever written, the song he feels people should examine when it comes to him, is “Childhood” from the album HIStory. The first verse of the song reveals a poignant fact, “no one understands me.”

And in the aftermath of his sudden death, questions still abound in attempts to understand how this King of Pop, the artist who enamored fans with his dancing and music, could have fallen from grace so tragically.

Although we may never know the truth to the molestation charges pressed against him, the scandal was detrimental enough and made a lasting impression. Mr. Jackson lost credibility among many fans and friends as his antics grew increasingly questionable “" from wearing pajamas while on trial or jumping on the roof of his car before onlookers outside the courthouse.

What does remain is a prolific body of work which has inspired generations of musicians, artists and actors.

The beginnings of Michael Jackson, as one of seven musically gifted children, hail from Gary, Indiana. At age five, Mr. Jackson began to reveal his flair for singing during school recitals and eventually became a part of his father’s dream team later known as The Jackson 5. Michael quickly became the most adored brother, captivating audiences as the years went by and fame grew quickly.

After a momentous meeting with legends Barry Gordy, Smokey Robinson, and Diana Ross, it appeared that Mr. Jackson and his brothers were on their way to being stars with hits like “ABC,” “I Want You Back” and “I’ll Be There.”

The price of fame eventually came at a cost. Unlike most children his age, Mr. Jackson’s catapult toward the limelight cheated him from normal childhood experiences “" a factor that would become a recurring theme in his music and life.

Where most child stars fall into the shadows of entertainment history, Mr. Jackson developed into a man and flourished. And it appeared, with the success of his solo project “Off the Wall” that he might do well after all, but no one could have predicted what would happen in 1982.

Thriller, a compilation of songs that fused his R&B roots with rock and pop, forever bridged the gap between rock and soul. The diverse tracks and addictive melodies pushed the album to record heights. It remains the top selling album of all time. Added to the appeal of his music was the timing of another trend: MTV. Jackson saw the potential in using music videos and was one of the first to use it heavily to promote his work. The apex of this phenomenon came with the featurette video of “Thriller,” an homage to classic horror films, in which Jackson incorporated his own style, music and choreography.

This also marked a period of Michael Jackson’s change in appearance. Mr. Jackson, who was rumored to have undergone excessive plastic surgery, suffered from a debilitating skin disorder called Vitiligo which causes one’s skin pigmentation to become patchy in appearance. This would be the first in a string of social dissections of his eccentricities. Even though his life was often plagued by public scrutiny, the popularity of his music throughout the course of the 80s never faltered, as legions of fans copied his moves and style as “The Gloved One.”

In the end, while most people permanently decided to love, admire, or loathe Michael Jackson, it was the media that truly had the mood swings. There’s no doubt he was often the center of attention by tabloids and the press “" a fickle beast that one moment adored him and the next shut him down.

But the boy from Indiana, whose humble beginnings rooted in a band of brothers, who captivated the world in the 1960s, is gone. And the performer who showed us how to moonwalk, dance the Thriller, and ask the tender question, “Who’s Lovin’ You?” is long gone. And so, too, is the eccentric, increasingly insular celebrity. The legend of Michael Jackson will never be forgotten.

John M. Guilfoil and Brooklynne Peters of the Blast staff and Blast correspondent Ashley Dean contributed to this report.

After years spent in a public battle against cancer, the beloved television icon, sex goddess and social advocate Farrah Fawcett died Thursday at St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica at the age of 62.

Ms. Fawcett’s death marked yet another sobering truth in a week full of sadness and tragedies. And while the world mourns another icon, one cannot help but celebrate the joy and vibrancy she delivered onscreen.

Fawcett lived the life few could ever expect, even by Hollywood standards. The Texas native began her career after photos in Cashbox magazine labeled her one of the most beautiful co-eds. An agent noticed her potential and convinced the young University of Texas Austin student to try her hand at Hollywood. This led to a series of small stints in, dental and hair product commercials.

Then came the breakthrough, and its name was Charlie. Famed producer Aaron Spelling had embarked on a new project called “Charlie’s Angels” a series about a trio of glamorous detectives bent on righting society’s wrongs each week. The instant Fawcett portrayed Jill Munroe, the athletic angel, her notoriety shifted, almost overnight, to utter stardom.

With the fame came a frenzy of fans and press. Scores of women (and some men) emulated her beauty by sporting the feathered hair look. Meanwhile, a pin up of the vixen, with her radiant smile, come hither stare, and gorgeous layers of blond hair riled up many a boy and man alike to sleepless nights. Among those legions included a then unknown Brad Pitt, who has often said that he had her poster on his wall as a teenager. The world either wanted to be with her or look like her.

After her time spent as an “angel,” Fawcett’s popularity fell as the role that made her famous also worked to typecast her into a corner for many years. Fawcett would receive acclaims over the years, including a Golden Globe nomination for “Extremities,” in 1987. She was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for her role opposite Robert Duvall in the 1997 film “The Apostle.”

The greatest gift Fawcett left the to world was in her final stages of cancer. Her struggle against the disease became a televised phenomenon as she welcomed viewers into the very real and scary facts about treatment and living with cancer.

When it comes to the making of entertainment icons, the one commonality shared across the board is the ability for that person to make an impact outside of their medium; an impact that becomes an inspiration to the world. Ms. Fawcett not only redefined the image of beauty, she also informed the world of the daily plights of cancer patients.

Ms. Fawcett is survived by her son, Redmond, and partner of more than 30 years Ryan O’Neil.

LOS ANGELES “" In the city of angels, where the lifespan of dreams of those bent on making it onscreen or on stage and being adored by the public is rather short, Edward Leo Peter McMahon, Jr. took his final breath at the age of 86 at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center on Tuesday. Although the cause of death remains unclear, the legendary star’s failing health has caused concern for some time among his fans, family, and friends.

McMahon has survived decades in an industry that eats its own young. Yet it is no surprise that the Detroit born and Massachusetts raised entertainer made it far. The star not only had a unique ability to charm audiences on television with his humor, but his down to earth demeanor made him likable. Mr. McMahon’s appeal is definitive of an era driven less by sensationalism and more by wholesome images; a fantasy, untarnished by scandal.

He earned loyal friendships like that of Johnny Carson. At the end of the day with his famous pearly white smile, he never resorted to pretentiousness or snobbery “" a stark contrast to the current trend where twittering and blog posts of hate toward celebrities and their bad behavior are all the rage. Mr. McMahon has lived scandal-free as a consummate television personality for decades.

For decades, Mr. McMahon entered homes late at night with the famous words “Heeeeeeeere’s Johnny!” the catch phrase announcement for his long-time friend Johnny Carson on “The Tonight Show.” The duo was not only an iconic fixture of television, but their rapport and sketches set the standard for late night television. Children of the 80s will also remember him fondly as the host of “Star Search,” in which a legion of current pop stars like Christina Aguilera and Usher made their debut.

It seemed Mr. McMahon’s name would always be associated with the industry of dreams. In recent news, he fell on hard times with the pending foreclosure of his estate after a serious injury. Fortunately, an undisclosed benefactor stepped into to help him.

Mr. McMahon had this to say about success: “Honesty is the single most important factor in having a direct bearing on the final success of an individual, corporation, or product.” And there is no greater proof as viewers all over still remember him as an honest, wholesome entertainer.

On Twitter and social networks, where celebrities are vilified and ridiculed, news of his death remains a top trending topic. And, fitting for his career, television stations all over memorialized him after his death.

In the end, Mr. McMahon was the good, honest guy whose persona was rooted in a warm smile and those infamous large-framed glasses. He will be much missed, and most certainly unforgotten.

Farewell, Ed McMahon. The stage you take tonight is among the best and most exclusive one; for it is one reserved for icons.

John Updike, 76, best selling author, died Tuesday after succumbing to lung cancer.

Updike is survived by his wife Martha, four children from his first marriage, Elizabeth Pennington, David Hoyer, Michael John and Miranda, and three stepchildren.

We’ll bring you more later in the week on the life of Mr. Updike.

By the way: Because of a reporting error, we falsely stated that Mr. Updike wrote “The World According to Garp,” which was written by John Irving.

Michael Crichton, award winning author and filmmaker, best known for his work on “Jurassic Park” and the television series ER, died Tuesday in Los Angeles, after a private battle with cancer. He was 66.

Mr. Crichton’s success began with his first novel, and his first bestseller, “The Andromeda Strain,” which was published in 1969 while he was still in medical school at Harvard University. It was adapted to film by Universal three years later.

Although he didn’t stick with medicine, his experiences had a hand in the creation of ER, and science and technology were integral parts of his fiction. Some of his most popular works include: Congo, Sphere, Jurassic Park, The Lost World, Prey, State of Fear and Next.

“Through his books, Michael Crichton served as an inspiration to students of all ages, challenged scientists in many fields, and illuminated the mysteries of the world in a way we could all understand” his family said in a statement.

From the very start, the exciting nature of Mr. Crichton’s novels easily translated into screenplays, which led him to co-write, direct, and produce the adaptations of many of his own works and even get involved with other screenplays, such as Westworld in 1975 and Twister in 1996.

One of the most well known writers in the world, Mr. Crichton’s works have been translated into 36 languages. He even had a dinosaur named after him “" the ankylosaur, or the Crichtonsaurus bohlini.

He was a loving husband and father to his wife Sherry and daughter Taylor, and leaves behind a science fiction legacy that many will fall short of meeting.

A private funeral is planned.

Bernie Mac, 50, the comedic voice behind the Peabody Award winning “The Bernie Mac Show” and “Ocean’s Eleven” died today in Chicago from pneumonia complications.

His publicist, Danica Smith, confirmed the actor’s death in a statement from Los Angeles.

Smith said that the pneumonia he was suffering from was unrelated to his previous condition of sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease, that Mac said went into remission in 2005.

Bernie Mac’s television, movie, and comedy careers earned him numerous awards such as the Television Critics Association Award and Image Award for “The Bernie Mac Show”. He also earned a Black Reel Award for his performance in the film “Mr. 3000″.

Mac was born Bernard Jeffrey McCullough on Oct. 15, 1957 in Chicago.

He is survived by his wife, Rhona McCullough, and one child.

When Blast commissioned an interview feature with Don S. Davis, it wasn’t simply because he was an interesting character actor who our readers know, love, and largely grew up with. It was because I was inspired by the amazing range — actor, stunt man, painter, sculptor, set designer, writer.

He was never really a leading man, and he always seemed happy with the lovable roles he played, notably as Major General George Hammond on Stargate SG-1.

What we did not know, and what we certainly did not expect, was that we would produce his last media interview. Mr. Davis died June 29. He was 65 and had been in declining health, causing him to reduce his acting duties since 2003.

Mr. Davis has been a warrior, educator, actor, artist and much more. His inspirations come from his military background and his upbringing in Aurora, Mo. in the Ozark Mountains.

“It’s a small town filled with good people in a beautiful area,” Davis told Blast in March. “It’s a beautiful area with picturesque towns and farms set among rolling hills, which are crisscrossed by many rivers," he writes in his biography on his art website, donsdavisart.com. "The towns and farmsteads contain wonderful old homes, barns and other buildings that provide nearly limitless opportunities for artistic inspiration."

“So many of you have been touched by not only the work and art of Don S. Davis, but by the man himself, who always took the time to be with you at the appearances he loved,” his family wrote in a statement after his passing. “On behalf of his family and wife, Ruby, we thank you for your prayers and condolences.”

His fans always said it best.

"Mr. Davis will always be one of my very favorite people because he cares so much for Stargate and for the fans," said Patricia Stewart, a fan from British Columbia who met Davis at a convention last August. "And when I saw him later that day, he remembered my name! He’s a real gentleman."

We will remember Mr. Davis, the actor, artist and gentleman.

A private memorial service will be held in the coming weeks. His ashes will be cast into the ocean.

Blast Magazine correspondents Manuel Uribe and Sarah Gantz contributed to this report

Don Bouchard had many interests and passions outside the audio/visual world, of which he was an integral part.

He had a great affinity for wine, music, literature and scuba diving. His friends say he was also very much into Native American culture, photography and travel writing.

He was especially fond of his motorcycle club, La Familia/Los Carnales that was based in Texas.

Shortly before Christmas, we reported that Don Bouchard, executive vice president of sales and marketing at high-end audio/video cable maker Ultralink was injured in a motorcycle accident in Texas. Mr. Bouchard died Thursday from his injuries.

“His injuries were too severe and he was unable to recover from them,” said Jim Noyd of Noyd Communications in a statement Sunday. “He will be greatly missed by his family, friends and business colleagues, who saw him as one of the brightest lights in the industry.”

Mr. Bouchard was born on February 3, 1950. He started in the A/V business in 1972. He worked with Ohm Acoustics, Dahlquist, Acoustic Research, Red Rose Music, Denon and Cello.

An eloquent man, Noyd said he was also a sought after motivational speaker whose client list included the names IBM, HP and Merrill Lynch.

Around the time of his 50th birthday in 2000, Mr. Bouchard wrote the following:

Finite and Infinite.

The one commodity that I know we possess in only a finite quantity is Time. We have an infinite capacity for experience, for knowledge, for adventure, for stimulation, for pleasure, for joy, for passion, for love – limited only by time and temperament. Sooner or later, the clock will run out for all of us. I know that when that moment arrives for me; I will not welcome it. There will yet be, for me, books unread, wine un-drunk, meals uneaten, mountain roads un-ridden, reefs unexplored, desert vistas unappreciated, cigars un-smoked, friends unknown, sunsets unseen, love unfulfilled. Awareness of the ticking-clock nature of life causes me no distress. Rather, it enhances the experience and heightens my appreciation of every savored moment.

But, though I will not leave here willingly, it will be with the certain knowledge that never did I pass upon the opportunity for these things. I shall never say ­ “I only wish that I had done this or that when I could have”. For I did everything possible when I could do so. My only regret will be that I had not had additional time in which to do more.

Mr. Bouchard leaves his two children Don III and Rebecca; his mother, Doris; his brothers Jeff and Mike, several nephews and a niece.

It’s a common practice in journalism — major news organizations worldwide keep advance obituaries on file for major public figures. That’s why The New York Times, Boston Globe, ESPN, Time Magazine and CBS News have long, drawn out profiles posted to their websites the instant the doctor declares time of death on anyone of particular importance.

Usually these celebrities are octogenarians or better, or they are extremely ill — cancer, major surgery, heart attacks, etc.

But now it’s Charleton Heston, Sydney Pollack, Fidel Castro, Ariel Sharon … and Britney Spears.

The Associated Press has started writing the 26-year-old pop superstar’s obituary in the wake (figuratively speaking) of a series of self-destructive acts recently.

“We are not wishing it, but if Britney passed away, it’s easily one of the biggest stories in a long time,” AP entertainment editor Jesse Washington told Us Magazine. “I think one would agree that Britney seems at risk right now.”

Spears has seven number one United World Chart hits, and her two current singles, “Piece of me,” and “Gimme More” are in the top 25 in the United States and worldwide. She has sold more than 83 million records, but two years of personal problems have marred the star of late and raised questions about her emotional health.

On January 3 police were called to the singer’s home after she refused to return her children to their father Kevin Federline. She spent a few days under psychiatric watch at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after she “appeared to be under the influence of an unknown substance.”

Soon after, on January 14, Spears list all visitation rights with her kids until a hearing in April.

“If something were to happen, we would have to be prepared,” Washington said.