British film director Ken Russell has died in his sleep, aged 84.

Russell’s storied life began in 1927 in the British port town of Southampton, as the son of a shoe shop owner. His violent father often forced Russell and his mother to retreat to a local cinema, which is where the young Ken Russell’s love of film was born.

His career took in stints at the BBC (for eleven years, during which he created of artful documentaries) and saw him direct and produce a long list of films that showcased his flamboyant style. One of this films, The Devils …, will be released next year – 42 years after it was banned for a scene between Oliver Reed and Venessa Redgrave sexualising the crucifixion.

However, Russell is perhaps most famous as the director behind 1969′s Oscar-winning Women in Love. The film, an adaptation of DH Lawrence’s novel, clinched a Best Actress Oscar for Glenda Jackson, as well as nominations for cinematography, screenwriting and Russell’s direction.

His most successful commerical project was Tommy, his version of The Who’s rock opera. For many years, he disappeared from the public spotlight, before materializing on the fifth edition of Celebrity Big Brother in the UK. He walked out on the show after a disagreement with the late Jade Goody.

Russell was married four times, and leaves five children: Xavier, James, Alexander, Victoria and Toby.

Ken Russell Dies, Aged 84 is a post from: The Inquisitr

A history of diabetes complications has taken the life of Make Me Laugh comedian Vic Dunlop. The stand-up comic passed away at Glendale Adventist Medical Center in California on August 13.

Vic had suffered the effects of diabetes for years, including an episode in 2000 that caused him to lose a leg.

For readers unfamiliar with his work Dunlap appeared in the Richard Pryor 1977 comedy-variety show and also appeared in the 1980s comedy “Harper Valley P.T.A.”

Dunlap also starred in the 1993 comedy film Breakfast of Aliens, a movie for which he shared co-writing responsibilities.

According to HollywoodReporter:

He also had small parts in the films Skatetown, U.S.A. (1979), The Deviland Max Devlin (1981), Ladies Night (1983), Meatballs Part II (1984) and Martians Go Home (1989).

Despite his medical condition the comic continued to tour, including a July performance at the Riviera in Las Vegas.

A memorial has been setup to help pay for his medical expenses, fans can visit the comics Facebook page if they wish to make a donation.

Vic Dunlop is survived by his wife, two children, four grandchildren, four brothers and a sister.

Our condolences go out to the entire Dunlop family, in the meantime if you happen to have a favorite joke from the comedian or a specific moment in his career you’d like to share, feel free to post your memorial in our Facebook comments section.

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Source unknown, but worth a repost in light of recent events and witnessing the celebrity death news cycle anew.

Celebrity Death Recap is a post from: The Inquisitr

Brigadoon actress Elaine Stewart died in her Beverly Hills, California home. Elaine had been battling a long illness when she passed away at 81-years-old. The actress was married to game-show producer Merrill Heatter.

Stewart had a long and successful career, appearing early in her career in the Kirk Douglas Hollywood drama The Bad and the Beautiful before playing a New York sociality opposite Gene Kelly in Brigadoon.

Other movies Elaine appears include:

She also appeared in Young Bess (1953), The Adventures of Hajji Baba (1954), The Tattered Dress (1957), and Night Passage (1957).

The actress also appeared in various TV shows including:

The Third Man (1959), Bat Masterson (1960), Burke’s Law (1963), and Perry Mason (1964).

Our condolences go out to her family and friends.

Brigadoon Actress Elaine Stewart Passes Away is a post from: The Inquisitr

Clarice Taylor, best known for her role as Grandma Huxtable on The Cosby Show passed away on Monday, she was 93-years-old. According to Taylor’s rep she passed away from heart failure at her own home in Englewood., New Jersey.

Speaking about his longtime friend Bill Cosby called her ‘perfect’ in her role on the show which ran from 1984 until 1992, while Cosby added, except she was “young enough to play my sister.”

Speaking to the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday Cosby said:

“She did stand-up comedy. She and I were not of the ‘theatuh’ per se, we are performers,” he continued, “So whenever I’d say something to her about doing something, I just talked to her the way comedians talk.”

Clarice took on various roles throughout the years, including a spot on the original production of Broadway’s “The Wiz.”

As Anna Huxtable Clarice received an Emmy nomination in 1986.

Other roles in her career included Clint Eastwood’s “Play Misty for Me” (1971) and Five on the Black Hand Side (1973). Taylor also served as Harriet on Sesame Street from the 1970′s through 1990.

Taylor is survived by two sons, James and William, and five grandchildren.

Cosby Show Grandmother Clarice Taylor Dead at 93 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Dr. Drew Pinsky spent a good deal of time with Jeff Conway when the former star appeared on his show Celebrity Rehab and now he’s speaking out about Conway’s death confirming that he didn’t die of a drug overdose.

The doctor says that Conway died because of “aspiration with overwhelming pneumonia and sepsis.”

Speaking with TMZ about Conway’s condition Dr. Drew says the actor had been a serious pill popper for years and that addiction wore down his body, leading to his eventual death.

According to the Dr.:

“Jeff is another pharmaceutical death from the overutilization of prescription drugs. Please continue to pray for friends and family. They appreciate your support.”

 

Dr. Drew: Jeff Conway Didn’t Die Of Drug Overdose is a post from: The Inquisitr

Kevin Jarre, the Hollywood screenwriter who brought us such classics as Tombstone, Rocky and Glory has passed away, he was 56-years-old.

Jarre suffered heart failure on April 3 in Santa Monica reports the Los Angeles Times.

Born in Detroit the screenwriter moved to Los Angeles and eventually helped skyrocket the careers of Matthew Broderick and Morgan Freeman when he wrote the war epic Glory, which was followed by various other hits including The Devil’s Own with Brad Pitt and Harrison Ford and for better or worse helping Brendan Frasier gain fame with the Mummy movie series which produced huge box office returns.

Jarre was a true Hollywood icon who wasn’t afraid to write in various genre’s and he’ll be missed by his family and the entire film industry.

Hollywood Screenwriter Kevin Jarre Dead At 56 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Gerard Smith, the 34-year-old bassist for TV On The Radio has passed away after losing his battle with lung cancer.

On the bands website the group posted the following message:

“We are very sad to announce the death of our beloved friend and bandmate, Gerard Smith, following a courageous fight against lung cancer. We will miss him terribly.”

It was only one month ago that the band announced Smiths battle with lung cancer.

Our condolences go out to his friends and family.

TV On The Radio Bassist Dead At 34 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Today the news broke that actress/singer Brittany Murphy has passed away at the age of 32. Information concerning her death are still unclear.

Brittany is well known for her many acting roles in movies that started with Clueless in 1995 to the upcoming film Deadline. She has as well starred in many television series’ starting with Murphy Brown in 1991 through to the Nora Roberts tribute television movie, Tribute.

Brittany also made waves in the music industry when Paul Oakenfold collaborated with her in 2006 hit song Faster Kill Pussycat.

Interview after her role in Just Married with Aston Kutcher

The Maximotv.com interview after the release of the movie Across The Hall

Brittany’s interview with David Letterman after the release the the Faster Kill Pussycat song she collaborated with Paul Oakenfold on

Rest in Peace Brittany.

Brittany Murphy – a video remembrance is a post from: The Inquisitr

Actor Edward Woodward has died at the age of 79, the BBC reports.

Woodward, who American viewers may remember from The Equalizer or 70s cult horror film The Wicker Man, and has appeared more recently on BBC soap EastEnders and in the movie Hot Fuzz, had been in ill health for a few months before his passing.

Woodward is survived by four children and his second wife, actress Michele Dotrice.

[Image]

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Pro wrestler Captain Lou Alban0- born Louis Vincent Albano- died this morning at the age of 76.

If you’re not a wrestling fan, you may remember Captain Lou Albano from Cyndi Lauper’s videos in the 1980s, including the huge hit “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” Albano also played Lauper’s father in a Goonies tie in video, “Time after Time,” and “She Bop.” He was well-known outside the world of professional wrestling and frequently crossed over to work on TV and in films.

Albano had apparently been ill for some time, and was placed under hospice care earlier this week after being released from the hospital. No cause of death has been disclosed.

[MTV]

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Pivotal guitar legend Les Paul died at a hospital in White Plains, NY today. He was 94.

Paul and second wife Mary Ford (who died in 1977) had a string of hits in the 40s and 50s, including “How High the Moon,” “The Tennessee Waltz,” “Vaya con Dios” and “The World is Waiting for the Sunrise.” Paul designed guitars and promoted many for Gibson, with Eric Clapton, Wes Montgomery and Pete Townshend among famous users of the Les Paul line of guitars. Paul built solid body guitars, free of the sound distortions common in acoustic versions.

The Washington Post quoted Paul on why the he reinvented the guitar.

“I wanted people to hear me,” he told the publication Guitar Player in 2002. “That’s where the whole idea of a solid-body guitar came from. In the ’30s, the archtop electric was such an apologetic instrument. On the bandstand, it was so difficult battling with a drummer, the horns, and all the instruments that had so much power.

“With a solid-body, guitarists could get louder and express themselves,” he said. “Instead of being wimps, we’d become one of the most powerful people in the band. We could turn that mother up and do what we couldn’t do before.”

Paul is survived by a companion, Arlene Palmer, and four children.

Guitar legend Les Paul dead at 94 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Notable NYC scenester Dash Snow has died of a heroin overdose, Gawker is reporting.

A somewhat prominent, subversive artist known for working in his own ejaculate, Snow was profiled a few years back in New York Magazine.

If you were going to hate these guys, here’s how you would do it: You could hate them for using the word artist so frequently and so shamelessly. Or you could hate Snow for coming from money—mountains of it!—and being a cop-taunting, Saddam Hussein–fetishizing petty criminal. If you are an aging punk, you could hate Snow in particular for going over old ground and thinking it’s something new. (Iggy Pop puked on his audiences a long time ago.) Or you could hate all three of them for being so enamored with penises and what comes out of them. How much talent does it really take to come on the New York Post, anyway?

Besides graffiti and bukkake-art, Snow was also known for being born into a relatively prominent artsy family (Uma Thurman is his aunt) but eschewing his connections to live like a street punk.

News that he had overdosed on heroin and died last night at a lower Manhattan hotel hit Twitter early this morning. The New York Times confirmed his death via his grandmother, art collector and philanthropist Christophe de Menil. Snow was 27.

NYC Hipster/artist Dash Snow dies of heroin overdose is a post from: The Inquisitr

In news that likely came as a relief to US Airways, a Florida coroner has initially determined it was likely heart disease that killed the infomercial celebrity and star of Discovery’s Pitchmen.

Mays, who was to turn 51 next month, was found unresponsive by his wife yesterday morning at his home in Florida. Initial reports posited that Mays may have died as a result of injuries sustained in a “hard landing” in Tampa on Saturday. However, the coroner’s initial findings reveal that that is not likely the case:

According to Hillsborough County Medical Examiner Vernard Adams, Mays “had an enlarged heart, a thickening of the wall of the ventricle which takes blood to the heart.”

The coroner also found that no internal, external or head injuries were present. With toxicology results due in a few weeks, other factors could be found to have caused Mays’ unexpected and early demise. It’s interesting, though, that the Fox News video of Mays relaying his injury on the flight was held up as possible insight into his death. With these findings, it’s much more likely that this video is a more eerily prophetic view into what killed him.

Coroner: Billy Mays likely died of heart disease is a post from: The Inquisitr

Infomercial pitchman and internet legend Billy Mays has died, Fox News is reporting.

Mays, 50, was found unresponsive by his wife Sunday morning in his Tampa home. Oddly, on Saturday Mays was involved in an incident in which a plane he was traveling on experienced a front-tire blowout on landing. Fox speculates that the two incidents might be connected.

In a statement, Mays’ wife Deborah said:

“Although Billy lived a public life, we don’t anticipate making any public statements over the next couple of days. Our family asks that you respect our privacy during these difficult times.”

Billy Mays dead is a post from: The Inquisitr

Demi Moore started a mini-stir with a tweet roping Jeff Goldblum into today’s celebrity deaths.

Rumors began swirling with a newspaper report originating in not America Australia New Zealand that the actor had fallen off a cliff whilst filming. Moore tweeted:

And yes Ed McMahon. I just heard Jeff Goldblum may have died today too!!! Can anyone confirm that?

However, all reports indicate that the death of Jeff Goldblum is a hoax. An old one, too, as it was originally started years ago about Tom Hanks and circulated about Goldblum as early as 2006. (Snopes debunked the original report when it was attached to Hanks.)

So, as of now, Jeff Goldblum is not dead. This has not stopped people from tweeting and retweeting the news, however.

Not dead: Jeff Goldblum is a post from: The Inquisitr

The American embassy in Bangkok, Thailand has confirmed that kung-fu legend and Kill Bill titular star David Carradine has been found hanged in his hotel room by a maid at the Swissotel Nai Lert Park in an apparent suicide. He was 72.

Carradine was well-known for his role as Kwai Chang Caine in TV’s Kung Fu. After flying high in the seventies, he appeared in many low-budget flicks until being cast alongside Uma Thurman in Kill Bill Vol. I and Kill Bill Vol. II- a role he admits Quentin Tarantino based partly on Carradine’s autobiography Endless Highway.

David Carradine is survived by brothers Keith and Robert and niece Martha Plimpton.

David Carradine has died is a post from: The Inquisitr

Michelle Williams has revealed details about her grieving process for late ex-husband Heath Ledger. This is what sucks about promoting your current projects: people invariably start asking you personal questions, and you can’t dodge them because you don’t want to put people off what you’re pimping (in this case, Synecdoche, New York and Wendy and Lucy). I feel bad for her for more than one reason:

“It’s so sad. I guess it’s always changing. What else can I say? I just wake up each day in a slightly different place—grief is like a moving river, so that’s what I mean by ‘it’s always changing’. It’s a strange thing to say because I’m at heart an optimistic person, but I would say in some ways it just gets worse. It’s just that the more time that passes, the more you miss someone. In some ways it gets worse. That’s what I would say.”

Since Michelle’s threatened to stay out of the spotlight forever (thanks to the paparazzi’s intrusion), let’s hope she keeps an even keel and keeps making that serious work on which she seems to thrive.

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Paul Newman passed away on Friday after battling cancer, leaving a legacy and questions behind. While the actor, entrepreneur, and personality faced health problems, it’s reported that his death came as a surprise. As a result, it’s unclear how his Newman’s Own food company will proceed without him.

As Les Banwart, the vice-chairman of the nonprofit organization Aileron, told CNN, “When a celebrity dies without a plan, the company and product can die with him.” Newman’s Own Organics published a statement on Saturday morning assuring us that Paul Newman’s charitable ways will continue on:

“We will miss Paul, but we will honor his vision for the Common Good through dedicated stewardship of his company that will perpetuate his philanthropic legacy. Paul wouldn’t have it any other way.”

When I think of Paul Newman, I think of his Hole in the Wall Camps for kids (how can you forget a name like that?), his hunky Studio 54 days, and his absolutely kick*ss Limeade.

Paul Newman died at the age of 83.

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