Anna Meara, a veteran actress of more than six decades and the mother of star Ben Stiller, died on Saturday of undisclosed causes. She as 85 years old. Also the wife of Jerry Stiller, Meara comprised one half of the Stiller & Meara comedy team, appearing on such variety programs as The Ed Sullivan Show. She and her husband were among the first graduates of the Second City comedy troupe and also teamed up for appearances on Rhoda, The Stiller and Meara Show and King of Queens. Meara earned a Writers Guild Award for co-writing the 1983 TV-movie The Other Woman. “Anne’s memory lives on,” reads a statement issued by her family, “in the hearts of daughter Amy, son Ben, her grandchildren, her extended family and friends, and the millions she entertained as an actress, writer and comedienne.” View Slideshow: Celebrities We Lost in 2015
Woman Found Pushing Dead Son On Swing For Hours A woman was found pushing her dead 3-year-old son in a park swing Friday, and authorities say she may have been there for hours, or even since the day before. Via HuffPo : There were no obvious signs of foul play, but it has not been ruled out, said Diane Richardson, a spokeswoman with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office. Richardson said authorities are trying to trace the 24-year-old woman’s movements over the past several days “to find out what was going on in her life, what led to this moment.” Sheriff’s deputies went to the park in La Plata, Maryland, about 7 a.m. after being called to check on the welfare of the woman and child, Richardson said. The officers went to remove the boy from the swing and give him first aid, but “it was instantaneously clear the child was dead,” she said. There were no signs of trauma to his body. Deputies cut the chain on the swing’s seat and removed the body, which was taken to the Officer of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore. A spokesman for the medical examiner said he couldn’t provide any information. The woman, whom police did not identify, was able to answer some of the deputies’ questions before being taken to a local hospital for a medical evaluation, Richardson said. She listed several addresses, including one in Washington and another in Charles County, where La Plata is located, Richardson said. She said the woman also had stayed with a relative in the county. La Plata is about 30 miles southeast of Washington, with a population of about 8,700, according to the town’s website. What the hell!?!?
We’re sad to share the loss of another legend. According to Rolling Stone reports: Louis Johnson, founding member of funk band the Brothers Johnson and an in-demand bassist who appeared on Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” and “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” died on Thursday, May 21st. He was 60. Johnson’s nephew Troy confirmed his death to Rolling Stone, though a cause of death has yet to be revealed. “I’ve never been given parts to play in my whole life. I’m the most rare bass player in the whole world,” Johnson told Rolling Stone contributing writer Steve Knopper in 2013 for the upcoming book MJ: The Genius of Michael Jackson . “No one ever gave me music paper to read; no one ever gave me anything to read. They tell me, ‘Here’s a track, play what you want.’” The Los Angeles-based Brothers Johnson, a group featuring Louis and his brother George, got their start backing up Quincy Jones before releasing their acclaimed, Jones-produced debut LP Look Out for #1 in 1976. Over the next five years, the Brothers Johnson racked up three Number One hits on the R&B charts: 1976’s “I’ll Be Good to You,” their 1977 cover of Shuggie Otis’ “Strawberry Letter 23,” and 1980’s smash “Stomp!” (Their rendition of “Strawberry Letter 23″ was later featured prominently in Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown .) The Brothers Johnson’s 1980 album Light Up the Night , featuring “This Had to Be” co-written by Michael Jackson and featuring the King of Pop on background vocals, ascended to the top of the R&B album charts. After the brothers parted ways in the early Eighties to pursue solo careers, Louis became known for his bass-playing prowess, emerging as a prolific, in-demand session musician. Johnson served as the primary bassist on Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall and later lent his skills to Jackson’s Thriller (“Billie Jean,” “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’,” “P.Y.T.”), Paul McCartney’s Give My Regards to Broad Street soundtrack and the all-star “We Are the World” collaboration. Johnson is also credited with creating the bass line from Michael McDonald’s hit version of Leiber & Stoller’s “I Keep Forgettin’,” a melody that was later sampled by Warren G and Nate Dogg for “Regulate.” Over his long career, Johnson also worked with Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Herb Alpert and George Benson. “I had access to all musicians and artists, from Barbra Streisand to Paul McCartney to Michael Jackson,” Johnson told Rolling Stone . “It was like an open door. The Lord blessed me with that — I prayed to God and my prayer he answered. He said, ‘OK, you got the whole world now.’ Every time I’d get in the car to go somewhere, I’d hear me playing the bass… I was all over the place. I released the funk on everybody.” As news of Johnson’s death spread, hip-hop artists, funk legends and bassists inspired by “Thunder Thumbs” showed love on social media. “Thank you for blessing me and the world with your original #funk. RIP,” Lenny Kravitz tweeted , while Bootsy Collins added , “Another Brick in our music foundation has left the building. Mr. ‘Louis Johnson.’” Slave’s Steve Arrington wrote , “Just heard the great bass player and song writer Louis Johnson has passed away. Awe man….Going to miss U Thunder Thumbs.” My Morning Jacket bassist Tom Blankenship and the Roots’ Questlove wrote similar tributes to Johnson. Wow. What a huge loss for music. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends. We are so thankful for the amazing legacy he leaves behind.
We’re sad to share the loss of another legend. According to Rolling Stone reports: Louis Johnson, founding member of funk band the Brothers Johnson and an in-demand bassist who appeared on Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” and “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” died on Thursday, May 21st. He was 60. Johnson’s nephew Troy confirmed his death to Rolling Stone, though a cause of death has yet to be revealed. “I’ve never been given parts to play in my whole life. I’m the most rare bass player in the whole world,” Johnson told Rolling Stone contributing writer Steve Knopper in 2013 for the upcoming book MJ: The Genius of Michael Jackson . “No one ever gave me music paper to read; no one ever gave me anything to read. They tell me, ‘Here’s a track, play what you want.’” The Los Angeles-based Brothers Johnson, a group featuring Louis and his brother George, got their start backing up Quincy Jones before releasing their acclaimed, Jones-produced debut LP Look Out for #1 in 1976. Over the next five years, the Brothers Johnson racked up three Number One hits on the R&B charts: 1976’s “I’ll Be Good to You,” their 1977 cover of Shuggie Otis’ “Strawberry Letter 23,” and 1980’s smash “Stomp!” (Their rendition of “Strawberry Letter 23″ was later featured prominently in Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown .) The Brothers Johnson’s 1980 album Light Up the Night , featuring “This Had to Be” co-written by Michael Jackson and featuring the King of Pop on background vocals, ascended to the top of the R&B album charts. After the brothers parted ways in the early Eighties to pursue solo careers, Louis became known for his bass-playing prowess, emerging as a prolific, in-demand session musician. Johnson served as the primary bassist on Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall and later lent his skills to Jackson’s Thriller (“Billie Jean,” “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’,” “P.Y.T.”), Paul McCartney’s Give My Regards to Broad Street soundtrack and the all-star “We Are the World” collaboration. Johnson is also credited with creating the bass line from Michael McDonald’s hit version of Leiber & Stoller’s “I Keep Forgettin’,” a melody that was later sampled by Warren G and Nate Dogg for “Regulate.” Over his long career, Johnson also worked with Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Herb Alpert and George Benson. “I had access to all musicians and artists, from Barbra Streisand to Paul McCartney to Michael Jackson,” Johnson told Rolling Stone . “It was like an open door. The Lord blessed me with that — I prayed to God and my prayer he answered. He said, ‘OK, you got the whole world now.’ Every time I’d get in the car to go somewhere, I’d hear me playing the bass… I was all over the place. I released the funk on everybody.” As news of Johnson’s death spread, hip-hop artists, funk legends and bassists inspired by “Thunder Thumbs” showed love on social media. “Thank you for blessing me and the world with your original #funk. RIP,” Lenny Kravitz tweeted , while Bootsy Collins added , “Another Brick in our music foundation has left the building. Mr. ‘Louis Johnson.’” Slave’s Steve Arrington wrote , “Just heard the great bass player and song writer Louis Johnson has passed away. Awe man….Going to miss U Thunder Thumbs.” My Morning Jacket bassist Tom Blankenship and the Roots’ Questlove wrote similar tributes to Johnson. Wow. What a huge loss for music. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends. We are so thankful for the amazing legacy he leaves behind.
Was Chinx Drug’s Murder Related To 2007 Murder Of his Mentor Stack Bundles? Where there is smoke , there may be fire. Daily News Reports: The deadly drive-by shooting of Queens rapper Lionel “Chinx” Pickens early Sunday could have a connection to the mysterious murder of his music mentor Stack Bundles eight years ago, police brass said Tuesday. Bundles, whose real name was Rayquan Elliott, was gunned down near the lobby of his Far Rockaway apartment building shortly before 6 a.m. on June 11, 2007. Pickens, 31, was serving four years in prison for cases involving robbery and crack cocaine when Bundles was ambushed and shot once in the head and once in the thigh at age 24. “They were friends, Stack Bundles and Chinx. They were friends, so we’re looking at all hip-hop angles,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said. The murders share eerie similarities. Both men were up-and-coming rappers who drove Porsches and had new music about to drop. Both had ties to bigger stars and were killed in early morning hours shortly after they performed locally. Bundles had collaborated with rappers including Fabolous and Joe Budden. His mentor was Jim Jones of the Dipset and ByrdGang groups. Pickens was a member of French Montana’s Coke Boys group and recently collaborated with Meek Mill. Montana, 30, is the CEO of Cocaine City Records and the on-again off-again boyfriend of reality star Khloé Kardashian. We hope police continue to investigate and really get to the bottom of this .
Fort Bliss soldier shows moments before his death while in custody War Veteran From Texas Dies While In Custody After Telling Jail Guards He Couldn’t Breathe 20 Times! EL PASO, Texas – An active-duty Fort Bliss soldier self-reported for a two day DWI sentence at the El Paso County Jail in 2012 but died before he saw the light of day or his family again. In July 2012, KFOX14 anchor Erika Castillo reported on the story of the mysterious circumstances surrounded the death of Sgt. James Brown while he was in jail. KFOX14 fought all the way to the Texas attorney general to obtain the video to learn what happened to Brown before dying. The graphic video obtained shows the moments before the death of Brown. Warning: The footage obtained by KFOX14 contains graphic content. Viewer discretion is advised.
Rapper Chinx Drugz was shot and killed early this morning in a drive-by shooting in Queens, N.Y., along with another victim, according to police. Officials say the two murder victims were found in a vehicle that was attacked. One was Chinx Drugz, who was shot multiple times in the torso. The 31-year-old is a member of French Montana’s crew, known as the Coke Boys. The biggest song by Chinx is fittingly titled “I’m a Coke Boy.” French Montana, a hip hop artist best known to many readers from Keeping Up with the Kardashians , is also featured on that particular track. The second victim, who was shot in the back, has been hospitalized in critical condition; his identity was not revealed in TMZ’s initial report . Police are on the hunt for the assailant(s) and we will update this story as it develops with any pertinent news regarding the investigation. Our thoughts are with Chinx’s friends and family members … View Slideshow: Celebrities We Lost in 2015
Claudia Jordan Says She Doesn’t Know If She’ll Be Back On RHOA RHOA may have just ended but the drama never seems to take a day off. The reality show’s resident queen bee Nene Leakes recently blasted the unamarried housewives on the show for serving no purpose but to collect a check. Nene also dissed co-star Claudia Jordan for failing to bring an end to her reality reign. Many fans of the show have inquired about Claudia’s status for next season . Will Claudia be back or nah? Claudia admits that her peach is still in the air but we have a feeling that Bravo wants to keep the drama alive by keeping her on the RHOA. Do you think Claudia should be fired?
Actress Grace Lee Whitney has passed away at the age of 85. Whitney was best known for her portrayal of Yeoman Janice Rand on the original Star Trek TV series. Despite being dropped from the show after just eight episodes, Whitney reprised her role in five Star Trek theatrical films and even had a cameo appearance on the Star Trek: Voyager spinoff series in 1996. In addition to her acting work, Whitney was an accomplished singer, dancer and author. She released a popular memoir entitled The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy in 1998. Though she sang with some of the world’s most famous orchestras, and her film credits include such classics as Some Like It Hot, Whitney maintained that her greatest triumph was conquering addiction. A recovering alcoholic who spent the last 35 years of her life helping others who struggled with substance abuse, Whitney stated in several interviews that she would rather be known as a survivor of addiction than as an actress on Star Trek. Earlier this year, Whitney spoke publicly about the death of Leonard Nimoy , calling her famous co-star “a great friend” whom she credited with helping her to overcome her alcoholism. Click through the gallery below for a full list of the celebrities we’ve lost in 2015 . View Slideshow: Celebrities We Lost in 2015
