Anthony Young, Jr., the son of hip-hop pioneer Dr. Dre, was found dead by his mother on Saturday morning in Woodland Hills, California.  Young was 20-years old.

The Los Angeles County Coroner reported today that the son of hip hop record producer and rapper Dr. Dre has died. Andre Young Jr. was found dead at his home in Woodland Hills on Saturday morning.

Young was out the previous night and returned home around 5:30 A.M., according to Assistant Chief Ed Winter. His mother went to check on him in his bedroom around 10 A.M., found him unresponsive, and called 911. He was 20 years of age.

No cause of death has yet to be given.  It is likely pending upon the toxicology report.

Former Portland Trailblazers star Kevin Duckworth is dead at the age of 44-years old.  He was in Oregon to help promote the Blazers.  The cause of Duckworth’s death has yet to be determined.

Kevin Duckworth, a two-time All-Star who was the starting center on the Portland Trail Blazer teams that made it to the 1990 and 1992 NBA Finals, has died of unknown causes.

The seven-foot center played in the NBA from 1986-1997. Most of those years he was in Portland, although at the end of his career he played for the Bullets, Bucks, and Clippers.

Duckworth was a two-time all-star and is the 10th leading scorer in Blazers history.

‘100 Things to Do Before You Die’ co-author Dave Freeman died in his Venice home last week when he fell and hit his head. Freeman was 47-years old.

Freeman died Aug. 17 after falling and hitting his head at his home in Venice, said his father, Roy.

Published in 1999, “100 Things” was one of the first contemporary books to create a travel agenda based on 100 sites and then market it with a title that reminded mortal readers that time was limited.

The “100 Things” approach later swept the publishing industry, said Neil Teplica, who wrote the book with Freeman.

The title meant “you should live every day like it would be your last, and there’s not that many people who do,” Teplica told The Times. “It’s a credit to Dave — he didn’t have enough days, but he lived them like he should have.”

Freeman is survived by his father, stepmother, aunt and sister.

Upshaw (left), along with Roger Goodell

NFLPA Executive Director and former NFL star Gene Upshaw has passed away, at the age of 63, from pancreatic cancer.

Upshaw played offensive guard with the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders from 1967 until 1981. He was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and an 11-time All-Pro selection. He played in three Super Bowls — winning two — and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987.

Upshaw was the Oakland Raiders’ first-round choice in the first combined AFL-NFL draft in 1967. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound lineman had played center, tackle and end at Texas A&I.

Gene will best be remembered for heading the NFL Player’s Association for a quarter of a century. During his tenure, Upshaw helped player’s gain free agency and billions of dollars in contracts.

Upshaw led the players union through a strike in 1987 and years of anti-trust litigation against the league, including a brief period in which the NFLPA became a professional association rather than a union. The union eventually accepted a salary cap in return for free agency. Union members got a bigger share of league revenues because of the deal.

Players have prospered so much that NFL owners recently opted out of the latest labor contract, which was negotiated two years ago by Upshaw and then-commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

Upshaw is survived by his wife, Terri, and children, Justin, Daniel and Eugene Jr.

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Dave Matthews Band saxophone player LeRoi Moore died unexpectedly on Tuesday in Los Angeles. He has been recovering in L.A. from a serious ATV accident back in June. Complications from the accident are being listed as the cause of death.

Moore’s publicist issued the following statement to TMZ:

“LeRoi Moore, saxophonist and founding member of Dave Matthews Band, died unexpectedly Tuesday afternoon, August 19, 2008, at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles from sudden complications stemming from his June ATV accident on his farm near Charlottesville, Virginia. Moore had recently returned to his Los Angeles home to begin an intensive physical rehabilitation program.”

Outside of Dave, LeRoi was the most recognizable member in the band. I was never a huge DMB fan, but I always noticed Moore and his signature sax playing.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Moore family and the DMB fans throughout the world.

Video: LeRoi Moore Playing with John Mayer

[image: WENN]
also: LeRoy Moore

Actor George Furth, who gained notably more fame as a Broadway playwright, has passed away at the age of 75.  He died in a Santa Monica hospital according to his agent Dennis Aspland.

Furth began his career as an actor, appearing on Broadway in such short-lived productions as 1961’s “A Cook for Mr. General” and the Judy Holliday musical “Hot Spot” in 1963.

As a playwright, Furth had several solo Broadway productions, most notably “Twigs” (1971), a comedy which won its star, Sada Thompson, a best-actress Tony. Directed by Michael Bennett, it told the story of four women, all members of the same family and all played by Thompson.

Among Furth’s other Broadway efforts were the book for the John Kander-Fred Ebb musical “The Act” starring Liza Minnelli (1977) and two other plays, “The Supporting Cast” (1981) and “Precious Sons” (1986).

Furth also acted in movies including “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “Myra Breckenridge,” “Airport ‘77″ and “Shampoo,” as well as countless TV comedies.

Furth was best known for the ‘Company’ and his role as Woodcock in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

George Furth’s IMDB Page

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R&B soul legend Isaac Hayes was found dead near his treadmill this afternoon in his Memphis, Tennessee home. The famed Scientologist, best known for his work on the Shaft soundtrack and as the voice of Chef on South Park, was 65-years old.

A family member found the entertainer next to a running treadmill at about 1 p.m. Sunday, said Steve Shular, spokesman for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.

Hayes, born Aug. 20, 1942, was rushed to Baptist Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 2:10 p.m.

Hayes’ wife, their 2-year-old son and another family member had gone to the grocery store around noon, Shular said. When they returned, they found Hayes unresponsive.

Rescue workers responded to a 911 call, and they performed CPR at Hayes’ home at 9280 Riveredge in the eastern part of Shelby County, near Forest Hill Irene and Walnut Grove.

Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was born in Covington, Tennessee and raised by his grandparents after the deaths of his parents. He was a child music prodigy who could play several instruments by the age of ten. He went on to become one of the most famous composers of soul, R&B, and funk rock.

The Late Great Isaac Hayes

[images: WENN]

Issac, Isaac, Hayes, Hays

We reported on the death rumors of Bernie Mac earlier this week and sadly today his publicist has confirmed that Bernie Mac is in fact dead at the young age of 50-years old.  His death comes as a shock to the thousands of B-Mac fans.

Publicist Danica Smith says Bernie Mac died early Saturday at a hospital in the Chicago area of complications due to pneumonia.

The comedian suffered from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the body’s organs, but he had said the condition went into remission in 2005. He recently had been hospitalized and treated for pneumonia.

Bernie is best known for his work on ‘The Bernie Mac Show’ along with starring in the movies Ocean’s 11, Ocean’s 12, Ocean’s 13, Charlie’s Angels, Booty Call and Transformers. He was one of this generation’s funniest comedians.

Remembering Bernie Mac

[images: WENN]

Major Hollywood power broker Bernie Brillstein has passed away at the age of 77 from a heart attack. He passed away in a Los Angeles hospital according to his company.

Brillstein died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Thursday night at a Los Angeles hospital, according to information provided Friday by Brillstein Entertainment Partners.

Starting in the mail room of the William Morris talent agency in 1956, Brillstein moved up to become a Hollywood power broker famous for putting together TV and movie deals, often starring talent he represented and with himself as executive producer.

Brillstein’s company produced such popular shows as The Sopranos, The Larry Sanders Show, and Alf.

He is survived by his wife Carrie Brillstein and his children Leigh, Kate, Michael Brillstein and David, Nick Koskoff.

Photos of Bernie B

[images: WENN]

Leonardo DiCaprio’s beloved maternal grandmother Helene Indenbirken has passed away at the age of 93 in Germany.

Indenbirken, whom The Departed star called Oma, was 93 and passed away in a hospital in her native North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, according to Indenbirken’s hometown paper, the Recklinghauser Zeitung. 
No exact date or cause of death has been reported.

Only last week, DiCaprio and his mother visited Indenbirken in the hospital in Oer-Erkenschwick. Her health apparently had begun to decline earlier this year.

93-years is a blessed life.  Condolences to Leo and his mother Irmalin  Idenbirken.

Veteran Atlanta Braves announcer Skip Caray died on Sunday in his sleep at his Atlanta home.  He was 68-years old and the cause of death has not yet been determined.

Caray and Pete Van Wieren have been broadcasting Braves games since 1976. Caray’s sarcastic wit made him a popular lead voice of the broadcast team, and his fame grew nationally as TBS carried Braves games to a national audience for 30 years.

After decades of calling the Braves America’s Team, TBS this year began a seven-year contract of national weekly telecasts, leaving the Braves to the regional Peachtree TV network — and leaving Caray to radio work on home games.

Health problems also cut into Caray’s workload.

Caray said this year he was battling diabetes, congestive heart failure, an irregular heartbeat and reduced kidney and liver functions.

Skip’s dad was longtime St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago White Sox/Cubs announcer Harry Caray.  Skip’s son Chip Carey was a Cubs announcer before becoming part of the Braves TV broadcast in recent years.  Skip’s son Josh Carey announces games for the Braves single A team.

Braves nation has lost one of its finest.  I grew up a Cardinals fans but couldn’t avoid the Braves because they use to be on every single night on TBS.  So I caught more that my fair share of games announced by Skip and Pete Van Wieren.

College professor Randy Pausch who lived well and inspired millions with his ‘last lecture’ and book ‘The Last Lecture’ has succumbed to pancreatic cancer at the age of 47-years old. He leaves behind his wife Jai and three children.

With the help of Wall Street Journal columnist Jeffrey Zaslow, Dr. Pausch wrote a book, “The Last Lecture,” which was published earlier this year. He elaborated on his lecture and emphasized the value he placed on hard work and learning from criticism. His words were intended as a legacy for his young children.

In May, Dr. Pausch spoke at the Carnegie Mellon University commencement. He said a friend recently told him he was “beating the [Grim] Reaper” because it’s now been nine months since his doctor told him he would die in six.

“But we don’t beat the Reaper by living longer. We beat the Reaper by living well,” said Dr. Pausch, who urged the graduates to find and pursue their passion. He put an exclamation point at the end of his remarks by kissing his wife, Jai, and carrying her off stage.

Randy seemed to have everything in perspective and instead of whining and complaining he used his battle with cancer to inspire millions more to to the exact same. His book ‘The Last Lecture’ is in our home and has been on the NYT Bestseller list for numerous weeks.

Watch ‘The Last Lecture’ Below

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Harvest Christian Fellowship pastor Greg Laurie’s son Christopher Laurie was killed in a car crash in Corona this morning according to the church.

The accident occurred this morning on the Riverside Freeway, near Serfas Club Drive in Corona. Laurie’s car collided with a Caltrans vehicle.

Laurie, 33 of Huntington Beach, served as the art director at Harvest Christian Fellowship, sponsor of the Harvest Crusade, for the last three years. According to the church, he is survived by his parents; his wife, Brittany; and daughter, Stella; as well as his brother, Jonathan.

Brittany is expecting the couple’s second child in November.  Christopher was the art director for the past three years for Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California.  The huge 3-day Harvest Crusade in Anaheim, led by his father Greg, is in three weeks on August 15-17.  My wife took me to this same crusade three years ago and it was a blessing.  We were among 33,000 people in Anaheim Stadium to hear great music by today’s largest Christian artists and a truly inspiring message by Greg. Over 35,000 in the three days gave their lives to Christ.  Read more about Harvest Crusades.

Christopher’s death has hit our family very hard.  My wife grew up at Harvest with Christopher and went to elementary school with him.  We went on a cruise with Harvest three years ago and spent a good amount of time with Greg and his wife Cathy.  Greg is a modern day Billy Graham but as personal and warm as anyone you will ever come in contact with.  I learned a lot from Greg and Cathy and treasure the couple of dinners we shared.  Greg’s story and journey to Christ is very inspirational.

Our thoughts, prayers and condolences go out to Brittany, Stella, Greg, Cathy, and Jonathan, along with everyone personally impacted by Christopher’s passing.

You can leave a personal message to the Laurie family on Greg’s blog HERE.

Harvest Fellowship Christian Website

Harvest Crusade Information

Estelle Getty, who played the funny Sophia Petrillo on the award winning TV show The Golden Girls, has passed away at the age of 84, just three days before her 85th birthday. She had been battling Lewy Body Dementia for several years.

Estelle passed away at 5:35 AM this morning at her L.A. home surrounded by her family and caregivers. Getty had been suffering for years with Lewy Body Dementia.

The show aired from 1985 to 1992. Getty was in all 172 episodes during that period.

She was nominated for seven Emmy Awards for The Golden Girls and won the award in 1988 for ‘Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series’.

Getty, who played the oldest of the ‘Golden Girls,’ was actually the second youngest. Bea Arthur (her daughter on the show) is 86 as is former co-star Betty White. Rue McClanahan who played Blanche was the youngest of the four. McClanahan is currently 74-years old.

Sophia was Dorothy’s mom on the show and lived with her, Rose and Blanche in their Miami home.  Sophie often called her daughter “Pussycat” and enjoyed poking fun at Blanche’s sex life.

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Mythical underground Balitomore D.J. K-Swift (of 92Q) has died at the age of 27 in her hometown of Baltimore. Here is what D.J. Sidekick from BackseatCuddler.com had to say about Swift’s tragic passing.

More jarring-than-usual because I was this close to going to the huge party she threw with Diplo (producer for M.I.A. and internationally renowned DJ) at the Paradox in Baltimore MD Friday night. Appropriate that her final show was in her native city, seeing as the 27-year-old K-Swift was (and will be) the Queen of B-More Club. The quickly-paced 2-step style of music brought her quickly to rise as one of the genre’s most-demanded– having crossed over into the indie mixtape circuit, generating an entirely new fan base outside of her rooted hip-hop community.

K Swift, real name Khia Edgerton was found dead after a drowning accident in her own backyard pool this weekend

Our condolences go out to the Edgerton family!

Conservative pundit and former White House press secretary Tony Snow died on Saturday at the young of of 53-years old.  Snow, who had been battling cancer for several years, died from the disease.

“Laura and I are deeply saddened by the death of our dear friend Tony Snow,” President Bush said in a statement. “The Snow family has lost a beloved husband and father. And America has lost a devoted public servant and a man of character.”Tony was first diagnosed with colon cancer in 2005. He had his colon removed and returned to work that same year.  He then went to work as the White House’s press secretary.  In 2007 the cancer returned and he took time off for additional surgeries and chemotherapy.

He use to sub for Rush Limbaugh on his show before getting his own radio show, ‘The Tony Snow Show.’  He worked as a political commentator on Fox News from 1996 until 2006.  He had returned to work this year as a commentator on CNN.

Snow was a talented musician who played the guitar, flute, trombone, accordion, saxophone, and piccolo.

Snow is survived by his wife Jill Ellen Walker of 21 years along with two daughters and one son.

Actress Evelyn Keyes, who played Scarlett O’Hara’s younger sister Suellen in Gone With the Wind, has died in California at the age of 91.  The cause of death was uterine cancer.

The actress died July 4 of uterine cancer at her home in Montecito, near Santa Barbara, producer and close friend Allan Glaser said Friday.

Keyes’ personal life often overshadowed her acting career. Besides her often turbulent marriages to Shaw and directors Huston and Charles Vidor, she lived with the flamboyant producer Mike Todd for three years during his preparation and filming of “Around the World in 80 Days.” She played a cameo role in the movie and helped on publicity.

Keyes was a well known actress during her time. Besides Gone With the Wind she also starred in Here Comes Mr. Jordan, The Jolson Story, The Seven Year Itch, and The Prowler.

If one were to compare her to an actress today it might very well be Pamela Anderson for all of her famous marriages or perhaps Lindsay Lohan because she was always the talk of the Hollywood gossip back in the 40’s and 50’s.

She was married to Barton Bainbridge until his death in 1940, director Charles Vidor from 1943-1945, actor John Huston from 1946-1950, and bandleader Artie Shaw from 1957-1985.  She never had children but adopted a Mexican boy while married to Huston back in the late 40’s.

source

Investing pioneer Sir John Templeton has passed away at the age of 95-years old.  He is the creator of the ‘Templeton Formula’ and gave away many millions of dollars to help spread the word of Christianity.

Templeton boasted one of the longest and most successful track records on Wall Street. From its foundation in 1954, his Templeton Growth Fund grew at an astonishing rate of nearly 16 per cent a year until Templeton’s retirement in 1992, making it the top performing growth fund in the second half of the 20th century.

A $100,000 stake invested in 1954 would, with distributions reinvested, would have grown to $55 million in 1999.

Templeton was born in the small town of Winchester in Tennessee.  He renounced his U.S. citizenship in 1968 to avoid paying federal income taxes.  He was a billionaire and maintained duel citizenship in Britan and the Bahamas.  His religious affiliation was Presbyterian.

He outlived both of his wives.  He had three children with Judith Folk before her death in 1951.  He then was married to Irene Reynolds Butler from 1958 until her death in 1993.

Controversial former North Carolina senator Jesse Helms died on July 4th from natural causes in Raleigh, North Carolina. Helms was 86-years old. He left office back in 2003 due to his failing health. He was succeeded by Elizabeth Dole.

The one-time radio commentator turned congressional power broker pursued an ideological agenda that was anti-communist, anti-liberal, anti-gay and anti-affirmative action. He also held a deep distrust of international organizations and many foreign governments.

For years, Helms played a key role in U.S. foreign policy as chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, embracing a strong U.S. national defense and what he regarded as a moral foreign policy.

This made the Republican curmudgeon a hero to fellow American conservatives, yet a villain at home and abroad to those who saw him as a symbol of U.S. isolationism and a foe of social progress. His name became synonymous with social conservatism.

Helms was a polarizing figure on Capital Hill for his entire thirty years in the Senate. He was nicknamed ‘Senator No’ for his opposition to almost every bill that came before him.

Helms is survived by his wife Dorothy Helms; children Jane Knox, Nancy Grigg and Charles Helms; and seven grandchildren.

Gospel singer/pastor Rev. Timothy Wright was Friday in Pennsylvania. His wife, Betty Wright, was killed in the crash. His grandson D.J. Wright was critically injured as well.

The accident was caused by a driver going the wrong way on the interstate.

State police say 58-year-old Betty Wright of Roosevelt, N.Y., died in the crash late Friday on Interstate 80 eastbound in Clinton County.

A Geisinger Medical Center spokesman says her husband, the Rev. Timothy Wright, and their grandson, 14-year-old D.J. Wright, remain critically injured.

Wright has been involved in several gospel choirs and has released numerous albums in the past decade. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Wright family.