ICONIC ACTRESS ELIZABETH TAYLOR DIES AT 79

THE ICONIC FILM STAR ELIZABETH TAYLOR, WHO DIED OF HEART FAILURE AGED 79, WAS IN THE PUBLIC EYE FROM THE AGE OF 11 AND REMAINED THERE EVEN DECADES AFTER HER LAST HIT MOVIE. SHE MANAGED TO KEEP PEOPLE FASCINATED, BY HER INCANDESCENT BEAUTY, HER COURAGE, HE OPEN-NATURES CHARACTER, HER SELF-DEPRECATING HUMOR, HER EIGHT MARRIAGES (TWO OF THEM WITH RICHARD BURTON), HER STUNNING COLLECTION OF DIAMONDS AND HER HUMANITARIAN CAUSES, ALL OF WHICH OFTEN OBSCURED THE REASON WHY SHE WAS FAMOUS IN THE FIRST PLACE - SHE HAD A TANTALIZING SCREEN PRESENCE, IN FILMS INCLUDING 'A PLACE IN THE SUN', 'GIANT', 'CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF', 'BUTTERFIELD 8', CLEOPATRA' AND 'WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOLFE?'. TAYLOR WAS BORN IN HAMPSTEAD, NORTH LONDON, OF AMERICAN PARENTS. HER MOTHER, SARA, WAS A FORMER STAGE ACTOR AND HER FATHER, FRANCIS, AN ART DEALER. AS SOON AS SHE COULD WALK SHE WAS GIVEN BALLET LESSONS, AND AT THE AGE OF THREE SHE DANCED WITH HER CLASS IN FRONT OF THE ROYAL FAMILY. IN 1939, A FEW MONTHS BEFORE THE OUTBREAK OF WAR, THE FAMILY MOVED TO HOLLYWOOD, WHERE HER FATHER OPENED AN ART GALLERY MUCH PATRONIZED BY THE FILM COLONY. THE BEAUTY OF THE OWNER'S DARK-HAIRED, VIOLET-EYED YOUNG DAUGHTER WON ALMOST AS MUCH PRAISE AS THE PAINTINGS ON THE WALLS, AND SHE WAS SOON MAKING HER SCREEN DEBUT, AT THE AGE OF 10, IN 'THERE'S ONE BORN EVERY MINUTE', AT UNIVERSAL. BUT IT WAS MGM WHO LAUNCHED HER CAREER PROPER WITH 'LASSIE COME HOME', AND FOR WHOM MOST OF HER FILMS WERE MADE. WHEN SARA TAYLOR HEARD THAT THE STUDIO WAS LOOKING FOR A YOUNG GIRL TO PLAY VELVET BROWN, WHO WINS THE GRAND NATIONAL DISGUISED AS A BOY IN 'NATIONAL VELVET', SHE BROUGHT HER DAUGHTER TO SEE THE PRODUCER PANDRO S BERMAN. HE THOUGHT HER TOO THIN AND FRAGILE FOR THE PART, ALTHOUGH SHE COULD RIDE WELL. BUT THREE MONTHS LATER, AFTER RIGID TRAINING FROM HER MOTHER, SHE WAS ABLE TO CHANGE BERMAN'S MIND. HER PERFORMANCE, IN WHICH SHE RADIATES YOUTH, IS ENJOYED PERENNIALLY. TAYLOR'S FIRST MARRIAGE WAS TO NICKY HILTON, THE 23 YEAR OLD PLAYBOY SON OF THE HOTEL MAGNATE CONRAD HILTON, IN 1950. IT SEEMED A FAIRYTALE ROMANCE, AS BOTH WERE YOUNG, ATTRACTIVE, RICH AND PAMPERED. MGM TOOK ADVANTAGE OF HOLLYWOOD'S BIGGEST WEDDING OF THE YEAR BY RELEASING VINCENTE MINNELLI'S DELIGHTFUL COMEDY 'FATHER OF THE BRIDE', IN WHICH TAYLOR PLAYED THE BRIDE AND SPENCER TRACEY WAS THE FATHER, AT AROUND THE SAME TIME. AFTER HER SEPARATION FROM HILTON SHE MET THE SOPHISTICATED BRITISH ACTOR MICHAEL WILDING, 20 YEARS HER SENIOR. SHE WAS PLAYING REBECCA IN 'IVANHOE' IN ENGLAND WHEN SHE PROPOSED TO HIM. THEY WERE MARRIED IN 1952, AT A LONDON REGISTRY OFFICE. HER SONS, MICHAEL AND CHRISTOPHER, WERE BOTH BORN BY CAESAREAN SECTION, IN 1953 AND 1955 RESPECTIVELY. BY 1956 THE MARRIAGE BEGAN TO TOTTER. IRONICALLY, THE MAN SHE WAS TO MARRY NEXT WAS FIVE YEARS OLDER THAN WILDING. BUT THE FLAMBOYANT IMPRESARIO MIKE TODD, THE BEGETTER OF 'AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS', WAS NOTED FOR HIS YOUTHFUL SPIRIT AND HIS ABUNDANT ENERGY. AT THEIR WEDDING IN ACAPULCO IN 1957, MIKE'S LIFELONG FRIEND, THE SINGER EDDIE FISHER, WAS BEST MAN, AND EDDIE'S WIFE, DEBBIE REYNOLDS, WAS MATRON OF HONOR. IN THE SAME YEAR, A DAUGHTER, LIZA, WAS BORN AND BOTH MOTHER AND CHILD NEARLY DIED. TAYLOR WAS ADVISED NEVER TO HAVE ANOTHER BABY. A MERE SEVEN MONTHS LATER, TODD'S PRIVATE PLANE, LUCKY LIZ, IN WHICH HE WAS FLYING TO NEW YORK, CRASHED IN A STORM NEAR ALBUQUERQUE LEAVING NO SURVIVORS. TAYLOR HAD WANTED TO ACCOMPANY HER HUSBAND ON THE FLIGHT BUT SHE WAS PERSUADED TO STAY AT HOME BECAUSE OF THE FLU. GRADUALLY, TAYLOR CAME OUT OF SECLUSION AFTER THE DEATH AND COMPLETED 'CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF'. DESPITE, OR BECAUSE OF, HER STATE OF MIND, SHE GAVE ONE OF HER MOST FINELY WROUGHT PERFORMANCES AS THE SEXUALLY FRUSTRATED MAGGIE. HER VOICE, NEVER HER STRONG POINT, SEEMED TO HAVE GAINED IN POWER, AND SHE MATCHED PAUL NEWMAN AND BURL IVES BLOW FOR BLOW. THE FILM'S BOX-OFFICE POTENTIAL WAS INCREASED FURTHER BY GOSSIP SURROUNDING TAYLOR AND FISHER. TAYLOR, WHO HAD BEEN CAST AS THE GRIEVING WIDOW, NOW FOUND HERSELF IN THE ROLE OF THE VAMP WHO WRECKED THE FISHERS' APPARENTLY IDYLLIC MARRIAGE. THE OUTRAGED MORALISTIC PUBLIC WAS UNAWARE THAT THE FISHER-REYNOLDS MARRIAGE WAS ALREADY IN TATTERS. IN 1959, TAYLOR WHO HAD CONVERTED TO JUDAISM WHEN SHE MARRIED TODD, MARRIED FISHER AT A SYNAGOGUE IN LAS VEGAS. TAYLOR WAS IN LONDON WHERE SHE WAS COMPLETING 'SUDDENLY, LAST SUMMER', WHEN THE PRODUCER WALTER WANGER OFFERED HER THE TITLE ROLE IN 'CLEOPATRA'. THE STAR HALF-JOKINGLY TOLD HIM THAT SHE WOULD DO IT FOR $1 MILLION AGAINST 10% OF THE GROSS. TO EVERYONE'S ASTONISHMENT, 20tH CENTURY FOX AGREED TO HER TERMS, MAKING HER THE HIGHEST PAID PERFORMER FOR A SINGLE FILM IN THE HISTORY OF HOLLYWOOD TO THAT DATE. AS SHE SAID, 'IF SOMEONE'S DUMB ENOUGH TO OFFER ME A MILLION DOLLARS TO MAKE A PICTURE, I'M CERTAINLY NOT DUMB ENOUGH TO TURN IT DOWN.' WHEN FILMING ON 'CLEOPATRA' STARTED TAYLOR WAS FIRST STRICKEN WITH A COLD, THEN A FEVER, THEN AN INFECTED TOOTH. IN MARCH 1961, SHE WAS RUSHED TO A LONDON CLINIC WITH LUNG CONGESTION. SHE WAS GIVEN A TRACHEOTOMY THAT HELPED HER BREATHING, BUT FOR DAYS SHE WAS ON THE DANGER LIST. AFTER SOME TIME IN A COMA, SHE BEGAN TO RALLY. HER PHYSICIANS ANNOUNCED, 'SHE HAS MADE A VERY RARE RECOVERY. MISS TAYLOR IS A WOMAN OF GREAT COURAGE. SHE PUT UP A WONDERFUL FIGHT.' IN THE SPRING, TAYLOR WON HER FIRST OSCAR, AFTER THREE CONSECUTIVE NOMINATINS FOR BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE (IN 'RAINTREE COUNTY', 'CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF' AND 'SUDDENLY, LAST SUMMER') FOR THE HIGH CLASS HOOKER IN THE 1960 FILM 'BUTTERFIELD 8', AN ADAPTION OF JOHN O'HARA'S NOVEL. AS FOR CLEOPATRA, THE WHOLE PROJECT WAS SHIPPED TO ROME, WHERE TAYLOR ARRIVED WITH A LARGE ENTOURAGE CONSISTING OF ONE HUSBAND, THREE CHILDREN, FIVE DOGS, TWO CATS, VARIOUS SECRETARIES AND DOZENS OF SERVANTS, AND SETTLED AT THE VILLA PAPPA, A 14 ROOMED MANSION OFF THE VIA APPIA. 'THERE COMES A TIME DURING THE MAKING OF A MOVIE WHEN THE ACTORS BECOME THE CHARACTERS THEY PLAY', WAGNER NOTED IN HIS DIARY. 'THE CAMERAS TURNED ON AND THE CURRENT WAS LITERALLY TURNED ON. IT WAS QUIET AND YOU COULD ALMOST FEEL THE ELECTRICITY BETWEEN ELIZABETH TAYLOR AND BURTON.' AFTER THE FIRST 'ELECTRIC SCENE' THEY PERFORMED TOGETHER, BURTON, WHO WAS MARRIED, FREQUENTED THE VILLA IN THE EVENINGS. 'I'M AFRAID AT FIRST IT WAS LUST, AND THEN I GOT TO KNOW HER AND IT WAS LOVE', BURTON RECALLED. THROUGHOUT THE SHOOTING, TO AVOID THE CONSTANT PRYING OF THE PAPARAZZI, THE CELEBRATED COUPLE WOULD ESCAPE TO A CHEAP ONE ROOM APARTMENT ON THE BEACH. FINALLY, WARY OF SUBTERFUGE, THEY DECIDED TO BE SEEN PUBLICLY IN THE VIA VENETO. THE VATICAN TALKED OF 'THIS INSULT TO THE NOBILITY OF THE HEARTH', AND ED SULLIVAN ON HIS TV SHOW SAID, 'YOU CAN ONLY TRUST THAT YOUNGSTERS WILL NOT BE PERSUADED THAT THE SANCTITY OF MARRIAGE HAS BEEN INVALIDATED BY THE APPALLING EXAMPLE OF MRS TAYLOR-FISHER AND MARRIED MAN BURTON.' AFTER CLEOPATRA, BURTON AND TAYLOR ANNOUNCED THAT THEY WOULD MAKE ANOTHER FILM TOGETHER, ORIGINALLY TO BE CALLED 'INTERNATIONAL AFFAIR'. THE TITLE WAS CHANGED TO 'THE VIPs'. DURING THE FILMING IN LONDON, CLEOPATRA OPENED TO MIXED REVIEWS. AUDIENCES WERE DISAPPOINTED THAT THE LOVE SCENES BETWEEN TAYLOR AND BURTON THAT HAD BEEN THE TALK OF MODERN ROME WERE NOT REPEATED WITH SO MUCH PASSION IN THOSE OF ANCIENT ROME. BUT PUBLIC INTEREST IN THE COUPLE'S PRIVATE LIVES STILL MADE THE FILM A TOP EARNER OF 1963. THE AFFAIR CONTINUED IN THE PUBLIC EYE, WHILE BOTH FISHER AND SYBIL BURTON HELD OUT FOR THE BEST POSSIBLE DIVORCE DEALS. FINALLY, SYBIL BURTON CAVE IN, CLAIMING CRUELTY AND THAT HER HUSBAND WAS 'IN THE CONSTANT COMPANY OF ANOTHER WOMAN', WHICH NEWSWEEK CALLED 'THE THROWAWAY LINE OF THE DECADE'. BURTON AND TAYLOR WERE MARRIED IN MARCH 1964 BY A UNITARIAN MINISTER AT THE RITZ-CARLTON IN MONTREAL. SHE WORE A PALE YELLOW IRENE SHARAFF GOWN, AND A $150,000 EMERALD AND DIAMOND BROOCH THAT BURTON HAD BOUGHT HER AT BULGARI IN ROME. THE SCANDAL OVER, PUBLIC INTEREST IN THEM ONLY SEEMED TO INCREASE. THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS COUPLE HAD BECOME CELEBRITIES RATHER THAN ACTORS. 'I WANT TO BE KNOWN AS AN ACTRESS', TAYLOR TOLD THE NEW YORK TIMES IN 1964. AFTER A SERIES OF LESS THAN CONVINCING FILMS TOGETHER, IT WAS FORTUNATE THAT THEIR CREDIBILITY AS PERFORMERS WAS SOON BRILLIANTLY RESTORED BY 'WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOLFE?' FOR WHICH TAYLOR WON HER SECOND BEST OSCAR, PLAYING THE BITTER, 52 YEAR OLD, VULGAR WIFE OF A SELF LOATHING PROFESSOR. AS THE TAYLOR-BURTON CIRCUS MOVED FROM COUNTRY TO COUNTRY, THEIR WAY OF LIFE, WHICH THE NEW YORK TIMES LIKENED TO THE COURT OF LOUIS XIV, BECAME EVER MORE LAVISH. TAYLOR'S ELDEST SON, MICHAEL, WOULD BECOME A HIPPIE AND LIVE IN A COMMUNE IN WALES 'IN ORDER TO GET AWAY FROM ALL THOSE DIAMONDS', ACCORDING TO THE DAILY MIRROR. 'THOSE DIAMONDS' INCLUDED THE 33.19 CARAT KRUPP DIAMOND THAT BURTON BOUGHT TAYLOR FOR MORE THAN $300,000 IN 1968; A $1.5 MILLION CARTIER DIAMOND SET IN A NECKLACE OF SMALLER DIAMONDS, AND THE MUCH PUBLICIZED HEART SHAPED DIAMOND PENDENT BURTON GAVE HER FOR HER 40th BIRTHDAY. THE MARRIAGE EVENTUALLY BROKE DOWN AND, IN JUNE 1974, TAYLOR DIVORCED BURTON IN SWITZERLAND. 'THERE WERE TOO MANY DIFFERENCES. I HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING', SHE TOLD THE COURT. YET THEY WERE RECONCILED IN AUGUST 1975, ATTRACTING AS MUCH ATTENTION AS EVER. ON A VISIT TO SOUTH AFRICA IN THE AUTUMN, AN X-RAY OF TAYLOR'S CHEST SHOWED TWO SPOTS ON HER LUNGS. TERRIFIED, BURTON AND TAYLOR CLUNG TO EACH OTHER ALL NIGHT. IN THE MORNING, SHE WAS TOLD SHE DID NOT HAVE CANCER. IN HIS JOY, BURTON PROPOSED REMARRIAGE. THE CEREMONY TOOK PLACE ON THE BANKS OF A RIVER IN BOTSWANA. A FEW MONTHS LATER, THEY WERE AGAIN FILLING FOR DIVORCE. TAYLOR SOON MET JOHN WARNER, THE FORMER SECRETARY OF THE NAVY TO PRESIDENT GERALD FORD, AND THEY MARRIED IN 1976. SHE BECAME A POLITICAL WIFE, CAMPAIGNING HARD TO GET HER HUSBAND ELECTED TO THE SENATE. 'IT WAS SO BORING. THAT'S WHY I PUT ON SO MUCH WEIGHT', SHE CONFESSED. SHE THEREFORE DECIDED TO RETURN TO ACTING, ON BROADWAY, AS THE VIXEN REGINA GIDDENS IN LILLIAN HELLMAN'S DRAMA 'THE LITTLE FOXES', WHICH SHE ALSO PLAYED AT THE VICTORIA PALACE THEATRE, LONDON IN 1982 TO MIXED REVIEWS. BUT, WITH HER CAREER IN FULL SWING AGAIN - AND SOLO - SHE WAS NOT CONTENT TO BE KEPT DOWN ON THE FARM IN VIRGINIA. SHE AND WARNER DIVORCED IN 1982. THE LONG-RUNNING ROMANCE ENDED WITH BURTON'S DEATH IN AUGUST 1984. TAYLOR STAYED AWAY FROM HIS FUNERAL AS AS NOT TO TURN IT INTO A MEDIA CIRCUS. BUT A FEW DAYS LATER, SHE STOOD STRICKEN AT THE GRAVESIDE OF THE MAN WITH WHOM SHE HAD SHARED THE LIMELIGHT FOR MORE THAN TWO DECADES. AND IN 1991 TAYLOR MARRIED LARRY FORTENSKY, A CONSTRUCTION WORKER 20 YEARS HER JUNIOR WHOM SHE MET WHILE BEING TREATED AT THE BETTY FORD CLINIC. TAYLOR, WHO WAS MADE DAME IN 2000, IS SURVIVED BY HER BROTHER, HOWARD; TWO SONS, MICHAEL AND CHRISTOPHER WILDING; HER DAUGHTER LIZA TODD; HER AND BURTON'S ADOPTED DAUGHTER, MARIA; AND 10 GRANDCHILDREN.

GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES STAR JANE RUSSELL DIED AT 89

GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES STAR JANE RUSSELL HAS DIED AT AGE 89. RUSSELL WAS DISCOVERED BY HOWARD HUGHES AND WENT ON TO BECOME ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC STARS OF THE 1940s AND '50s. HER DAUGHTER IN LAW ETTA WATERFIELD SAID THE ACTRESS DIED MONDAY AT HER HOME IN SANTA MARIA OF A RESPIRATORY-RELATED ILLNESS. SHE ALWAYS SAID 'I'M GOING TO DIE IN THE SADDLE, I'M NOT GOING TO SIT AT HOME AND BECOME AN OLD WOMAN', WATERFIELD SAID. 'AND THAT'S HOW SHE DIED, SHE DIED IN THE SADDLE.' HUGHES, THE ECCENTRIC BILLIONAIRE, CAST RUSSELL IN HIS SEXY, AND CONTROVERSIAL, 1941 WESTERN 'THE OUTLAW', ABOUT BILLY THE KID. THE MOVIE WAS INITIALLY SUBJECT TO STRICT CENSORSHIP LAW BECAUSE OF THE AMPLE CLEAVAGE DISPLAYED BY RUSSELL, BORN ERNESTINE JANE GERALDINE RUSSELL IN JUNE 1921 IN MINNESOTA. WHEN IT WAS RELEASED TWO YEARS LATER IT TURNED HER INTO AN OVERNIGHT STAR. 'THE OUTLAW', ALTHOUGH IT ESTABLISHED HER REPUTATION, WAS BESET WITH TROUBLE FROM THE BEGINNING. DIRECTOR HOWARD HAWKS, ONE OF HOLLYWOOD'S MOST EMINENT AND AUTOCRATIC FILMMAKERS, RANKLED UNDER PRODUCER HUGHES' CONSTANT SUGGESTIONS AND FINALLY WALKED OUT. 'HUGHES DIRECTED THE WHOLE PICTURE, FOR NINE BLOODY MONTHS!', RUSSELL SAID IN 1999. THE FILM'S RAMBLING, FICTIONAL PLOT FEATURED RUSSELL AS A FRIEND OF BILLY THE KID AS HE TUSSLES WITH DOC HOLLIDAY AND SHERIFF PAT GARRETT. THE LOS ANGELES TIMES CALLED IT 'ONE OF THE WEIRDEST WESTERN PICTURES THAT EVER UNREELED BEFORE THE PUBLIC'. WITH HER SULTRY LOOK AND GLOWING SEXUALITY, RUSSELL HAD ALREADY GAINED A LARGE FOLLOWING. THE HUGHES PUBLICITY MILL HAD SENT OUT PHOTOS OF THE BEAUTY IN LOW0CUT COSTUMES AND SWIM SUITS, AND SHE BECAME AN INSTANT PINUP FOR WORLD WAR II SOLDIERS. BUT HUGHES BOUGHT THE AILING RKO STUDIOS IN 1948, AND DEVOTED SPECIAL CARE TO HIS NO.1 STAR, USING HIS ENGINEERING SKILLS TO DESIGN A SPECIAL BRASSIERE (SHE SAID SHE NEVER WORE IT). THAT YEAR SHE MADE HER MOST SUCCESSFUL FILM, A LOAN OUT TO PARAMOUNT FOR 'THE PALEFACE'. BUT AT RKO SHE WAS CAST IN A SERIES OF POTBOILERS SUCH AS 'HIS KIND OF WOMAN', 'DOUBLE DYNAMITE', 'THE LAS VEGAS STORY' AND 'MACAU'. HUGHES REWARDED HER WITH A UNIQUE 20 YEAR CONTRACT PAYING $1,000 A WEEK, THEN HE SOLD RKO AND QUIT MAKING MOVIES. RUSSELL CONTINUED RECEIVING THE WEEKLY FEE, BUT NEVER MADE ANOTHER FILM FOR HUGHES. HER ONLY OTHER NOTABLE FILM WAS GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES', A 1953 MUSICAL BASED ON THE NOVEL BY ANITA LOOS. SHE AND MARILYN MONROE TEAMED UP TO SING 'TWO LITTLE GIRLS FROM LITTLE ROCK' AND 'SEEK ROMANCE IN PARIS'. SHE FOLLOWED THAT UP WITH THE 1954 MUSICAL 'THE FRENCH LINE', WHICH LIKE GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES HAS HER CAVORTING ON AN OCEAN LINER. IN 1955, SHE MADE THE SEQUEL GENTLEMEN MARRY BRUNETTES (WITHOUT MONROE) AND STARRED IN SEVERAL WESTERNS SUCH AS 'THE TALL MAN' AND FOXFIRE'. BUT BY THE 1960s, HER FILM CAREER HAD FADED. 'WHY DID I QUIT MOVIES', SHE REMARKED IN 1999, 'BECAUSE I WAS GETTING TOO OLD! YOU COULDN'T GO ON ACTING IN THOSE YEARS IF YOU WERE AN ACTRESS OVER 30.' ALTHOUGH HER LOOK AND HER HOURGLASS FIGURE MADE HER THE SUBJECT OF NUMEROUS NIGHTCLUB JOKES, UNLIKE MONROE, RITA HAYWORTH AND OTHER PINUP QUEENS OF THE ERA, RUSSELL WAS UNTOUCHED BY SCANDAL IN HER PERSONAL LIFE. RUSSELL REMAINED ACTIVE THROUGHOUT HER LIFE, STAYING BUSY IN HER CHURCH AND WITH CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION UNTIL HER HEALTH BEGAN TO DECLINE JUST A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO. IN RECENT YEARS FANS COULD SEE THE HOLLYWOOD LEGEND SINGING AT A HOTEL BAR NEAR HER SANTA MARIA HOME. RUSSELL ADOPTED THREE CHILDREN WHO SURVIVE HER ALONG WITH HER SIX GRANDCHILDREN AND TEN GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN. RUSSELL'S HAND AND FOOT PRINTS ARE IMMORTALIZED ON THE FORECOURT OF HOLLYWOOD'S LEGENDARY GRAUMAN'S CHINESE THEATER. SHE ALSO HAS A STAR ON THE HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME.

BLAKE EDWARDS, DIES AGED 88

BLAKE EDWARDS, THE DIRECTOR AND WRITER KNOWN FOR CLEVER DIALOGUE, POIGNANCY AND OCCASIONAL BELLY-LAUGH SIGHT GAGS IN 'BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S', '10' AND 'THE PINK PANTHER' SERIES, IS DEAD AT 88. EDWARDS DIED FROM COMPLICATION OF PNEUMONIA AT ABOUT 10.30 PM WEDNESDAY AT ST JOHN'S HEALTH CENTER IN SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA, SAID PUBLICIST GENE SCHWAM. BLAKE'S WIFE, JULIE ANDREWS, AND OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS WERE AT HIS SIDE. HE HAD BEEN HOSPITALIZED FOR ABOUT TWO WEEKS. EDWARDS HAD KNEE PROBLEMS, HAD UNDERGONE UNSUCCESSFUL PROCEDURES AND WAS 'PRETTY MUCH CONFINED TO A WHEELCHAIR FOR THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF OR TWO', SCHWAM SAID. THAT MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO HIS CONDITION, HE SAID. AT THE TIME OF HIS DEATH, EDWARDS WAS WORKING ON TWO BROADWAY MUSICALS, ONE BASED ON THE 'PINK PANTHER' MOVIES. THE OTHER, 'BIG ROSEMARY', WAS TO BE AN ORIGINAL COMEDY SET DURING PROHIBITION, SCHWAM SAID. 'HIS HEART WAS AS BIG AS HIS TALENT. HE WAS AN ACADEMY AWARD WINNER IN ALL RESPECTS', SAID SCHWAM, WHO KNEW HIM FOR 40 YEARS. A THIRD GENERATION FILMMAKER, EDWARDS WAS PRAISED FOR EVOKING CLASSIC PERFORMANCES FROM JACK LEMMON, AUDREY HEPBURN, PETER SELLERS, DUDLEY MOORE, LEE REMICK AND ANDREWS, HIS WIFE OF NEARLY HALF A CENTURY. HE DIRECTED AND OFTEN WROTE A WIDE VARIETY OF MOVIES INCLUDING 'DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES', A HARROWING STORY OF ALCOHOLISM; 'THE GREAT RACE', A COMEDY/ADVENTURE THAT STARRED LEMMON, TONY CURTIS AND NATALIE WOOD; AND 'VICTOR/VICTORIA', HIS GENDER-BENDER MUSICAL COMEDY WITH ANDREWS. HE WAS ALSO KNOWN FOR AN INDEPENDENT SPIRIT THAT BROUGHT CLASHES WITH STUDIO BOSSES. HE VENTED HIS DISDAIN FOR THE HOLLYWOOD SYSTEM IN HIS 1981 BLACK COMEDY, 'S.O.B.'

TONY CURTIS DIES AGED 85

TONY CURTIS, WHO STARRED ALONGSIDE MARILYN MONROE IN 'SOME LIKE IT HOT', HAS DIED AT TEH AGE OF 85. HOWEVER, HE WAS ALMOST AS WELL KNOWN FOR HIS COULOURFUL PRIVATE LIFE, DURING WHICH HE MARRIED SIX TIMES AND BATTLED AN ADDICTION TO COCAINE AND ALCOHOL. HE ONCE DESCRIBED HIMSELF AS 'THE BEST-LOOKING KID IN TOWN' ADDING 'IT'S NOT WHAT YOU HAVE BUT WHAT YOU DO WITH IT THAT COUNTS'. CURTIS TOOK ON BOTH DRAMATIC AND COMEDIC ROLES AND WAS OSCAR-NOMINATED FOR HIS PART IN THE DEFIANT ONES ALONGSIDE SYDNEY POITIER. HE ALSO APPEARED IN 'SPARTACUS' WITH KIRK DOUGLAS AND HIS HOLLYWOOD PEERS INCLUDED CARY GRANT AND FRANK SINATRA. SIR ROGER MOORE, WHO STARRED ALONGSIDE CURTIS IN 'THE PERSUADERS', LED TRIBUTES TO HIM SAYING: 'HE WAS A FINE ACTOR. I SHALL MISS HIM. WE HAD A FEW LAUGHS TOGETHER FOR ABOUT 15 MONTHS, WORKING TOGETHER EVERY DAY. HE WAS GREAT FUN TO WORK WITH, A GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR AND WONDERFUL AD LIBS.' THE HOLLYWOOD STAR HAD BEEN IN FAILING HEALTH FOR SOME YEARS AND IN JULY HE WAS HOSPITALIZED AFTER BEING TAKEN ILL IN LAS VEGAS WITH AN ASTHMA ATTACK. HE UNDERWENT HEART BYPASS SURGERY IN 1994 AND NEARLY DIED FOLLOWING A BOUT OF PNEUMONIA IN 2006. IN HIS LATER YEARS CURTIS BEGAN A SECOND CAREER AS A SUCCESSFUL ARTIST AND ONCE CLAIMED: 'PAINTING IS MORE MEANINGFUL TO ME THAN ANY PERFORMANCES I'VE EVER GIVEN.' HIS DAUGHTER JAMIE LEE CURTIS, BY THE ACTRESS JANET LEIGH, SAID: 'MY FATHER LEAVES BEHIND A LEGACY OF GREAT PERFORMANCES IN MOVIES AND IN HIS PAINTINGS AND ASSEMBLAGES. HE LEAVES BEHIND CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES WHO LOVED HIM AND RESPECTED HIM AND A WIFE AND IN LAWS WHO WERE DEVOTED TO HIM. HE ALSO LEAVES BEHIND FANS ALL OVER THE WORLD. HE WILL BE GREATLY MISSED.'

GOLDEN GIRLS ACTRESS RUE MCCLANAHAN DIES AGED 76

RUE MCCLANAHAN, THE EMMY-WINNING ACTRESS WHO PLAYED SOUTHERN BELLE BLANCHE DEVEREAUX IN THE ACCLAIMED TELEVISION SERIES THE GOLDEN GIRLS, HAS DIED. HER MANAGER BARBARA LAWRENCE SAID MCCLANAHAN DIED OF A 'MASSIVE STROKE', AGED 76. SHE HAD UNDERGONE TREATMENT FOR BREAST CANCER IN 1997 AND LATER LECTURED TO CANCER SUPPORT GROUPS ON 'AGING GRACEFULLY'. IN 2009, SHE HAD HEART BYPASS SURGERY. MCCLANAHAN HAD AN ACTIVE CAREER IN OFF-BROADWAY AND REGIONAL THEATER IN THE 1960s BEFORE SHE WAS TAPPED FOR TV IN THE 1970s FOR THE BEST FRIEND CHARACTER ON THE HIT SERIES 'MAUDE', STARRING BEATRICE ARTHUR. AFTER THAT SERIES ENDED IN 1978, MCCLANAHAN LANDED THE ROLE AS AUNT FRAN ON 'MAMA'S FAMILY' IN 1983. BUT HER MOST LOVED ROLE CAME IN 1985 WHEN SHE CO-STARRED WITH ARTHUR, BETTY WHITE AND ESTELLE GETTY IN 'THE GOLDEN GIRLS', A RUNAWAY HIT THAT BROKE THE SITCOM MOLD BY FOCUSING ON THE FOIBLES OF FOUR AGING, AND FREQUENTLY ECCENTRIC, WOMEN LIVING TOGETHER IN MIAMI. 'THE GOLDEN GIRLS' AIMED TO SHOW 'THAT WHEN PEOPLE MATURE, THEY ADD LAYERS', SHE TOLD THE NEW YORK TIMES IN 1985. 'THEY DON'T TURN INTO OTHER CREATURES. THE TRUTH IS WE ALL STILL HAVE OUR CHILD, OUR ADOLESCENT, AND YOUR YOUNG WOMAN LIVING IN US.' FELLOW 'GOLDEN GIRL' BETTY WHITE CALLED MCCLANAHAN A CLOSE AND DEAR FRIEND. 'I TREASURED OUR RELATIONSHIP', SAID WHITE. 'IT HURTS MORE THAN I EVEN THOUGHT IT WOULD, IF THAT'S EVEN POSSIBLE.' MCCLANAHAN WON AN EMMY FOR HER WORK ON THE SHOW IN 1987. AFTER 'THE GOLDEN GIRLS' WAS CANCELED IN 1992, MCCLANAHAN, WHITE AND GETTY REPRISED THEIR ROLES IN A SHORT-LIVED SPINOFF, 'GOLDEN PALACE'.

ARTIST LOUISE BOURGEOIS DIES AT AGE 98

ARTIST LOUISE BOURGEOIS, WHOSE SCULPTURES EXPLORING WOMEN'S DEEPEST FEELINGS ON BIRTH, SEXUALITY AND DEATH WERE HIGHLY INFLUENTIAL ON YOUNGER ARTISTS, DIED MONDAY, HER STUDIO'S MANAGING DIRECTOR SAID. SHE WAS 98. BOURGEOIS HAD CONTINUED CREATING ARTWORK, HER LATEST PIECES WERE FINISHED JUST LAST WEEK, BEFORE SUFFERING A HEART ATTACK SATURDAY NIGHT, SAID THE STUDIO DIRECTOR, WENDY WILLIAMS. THE ARTIST DIED AT BETH ISRAEL MEDICAL CENTER IN MANHATTAN, WHERE SHE LIVED. WORKING IS A WIDE VARIETY OF MATERIALS, SHE TACKLED THEMES RELATING TO MALE AND FEMALE BODIES AND EMOTIONS OF ANGER, BETRAYAL, EVEN MURDER. HER WORK REFLECTED INFLUENCES OF SURREALISM, PRIMITIVISM AND EARLY MODERNIST SCULPTURES SUCH AS ALBERTO GIACOMETTI AND CONSTANTIN BRANCUSI. 'I REALLY WANT TO WORRY PEOPLE, TO BOTHER PEOPLE', SHE TOLD THE WASHINGTON POST IN 1984. BOURGEOIS' WORK WAS ALMOST UNKNOWN TO THE WIDER ART WORLD UNTIL SHE WAS 70, WHEN NEW YORK'S MUSEUM OF MODERN ART PRESENTED A SOLO SHOW OF HER CAREER IN 1982. AMONG THE HONORS COMING TO HER WAS A NATIONAL MEDAL OF ARTS, AWARDED BY PRESIDENT CLINTON IN 1997. IN OCTOBER, SHE WAS INDUCTED INTO THE NATIONAL WOMEN'S HALL OF FAME IN SENECA FALLS, NY. IN 2001, THOUSANDS OF TOURISTS SAW HER WORK 'SPIDERS' WHEN IT WAS EXHIBITED ON THE PLAZA AT ROCKEFELLER CENTER FOR 2 1/2 MONTHS AS PART OF A PUBLIC ART FUND PROGRAM TO PROMOTE OUTDOOR EXHIBITS IN NEW YORK. IT FEATURED A 30 FOOT HIGH SPIDER 'MAMAN' CARRYING A BASKET OF EGGS, FLANKED BY TWO SMALLER SPIDERS. IN 2007-08, AN ELABORATE RETROSPECTIVE OF HER CAREER, FROM THE 1940s ONWARD, WAS DISPLAYED AT THE TATE MODERN IN LONDON, THE GEORGES POMPIDOU CENTER IN PARIS AND THE SOLOMON R GUGGENHEIM IN NEW YORK. MEANWHILE, YOUNGER ARTISTS CITED HER AS AN INSPIRATION. BOURGEOIS WAS BORN IN PARIS IN 1911; HER PARENTS RN A BUSINESS RESTORING ANTIQUE TAPESTRIES. IN HER EARLY YEARS, SHE STUDIED AT THE ACADEMIE DES BEAUX-ARTS AND OTHER SCHOOLS AND STUDIOS. SHE MOVED TO NEW YORK IN 1938 AFTER MARRYING THE ART HISTORIAN ROBERT GOLDWATER AND BECAME AN AMERICAN CITIZEN IN 1955. A PROFESSOR OF ART HISTORY AT NEW YORK UNIVERSITY, GOLDWATER WAS ALSO DIRECTOR OF THE MUSEUM OF PRIMITIVE ART, ESTABLISHED IN 1957, AND WROTE A KEY BOOK ON THE TOPIC, 'PRIMITIVISM IN MODERN ART'. WHILE BOURGEOIS WORK SHOWS THE INFLUENCE OF PRIMITIVE ARTISTS, SHE WAS QUICK TO NOTE THAT HER WORK WAS NOT PRIMITIVE. HER HUSBAND DIED IN 1973. SHE IS SURVIVED BY TWO SONS, ALAIN AND JEAN-LOUIS, AS WELL AS TWO GRANDCHILDREN AND A GREAT-GRANDCHILD. A PRIVATE FUNERAL IS PLANNED FOR FAMILY MEMBERS.

A private funeral is planned for family members.

DENNIS HOPPER DIES AGED 74

DENNIS HOPPER, THE HOLLYWOOD HELLRAISER WHOSE SCREEN PERFORMANCES IN SUCH FILMS AS 'EASY RIDER' CAPTURED THE SPIRIT OF A GENERATION, HAS DIED AT THE AGE OF 74. THE ACTOR DIED AT HIS HOME IN VENICE, CALIFORNIA, SURROUNDED BY HIS FAMILY AND CLOSE FRIENDS, AFTER HAVING SUFFERED FOR SOME TIME FROM TERMINAL PROSTATE CANCER. WITH A GRAVELLY VOICE AND A MENACING APPEARANCE, HE WAS ONE OF THE MOST DISTINCTIVE ACTORS OF HIS ERA. HE WAS ALSO A SUPREMELY GIFTED DIRECTOR. WHILE HIS HEYDAY WAS IN THE 60s AND 70s, HE REINVIGORATED HIS CAREER IN LATER LIFE, PLAYING 'BADDIES' IN FILMS SUCH AS BLUE VELVET AND SPEED. LIKE MANY OF THE GREAT STARS, HE LEARNED HIS TRADE IN THE ACTORS STUDIO, MAKING HIS DEBUT TELEVISION APPEARANCE IN 1955 AND HIS FILM DEBUT IN REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE, STARRING JAMES DEAN, IN THE SAME YEAR. HE CAME TO PROMINENCE IN THE CULT CLASSIC EASY RIDER, WHICH HE ALSO DIRECTED WITH GREAT SUCCESS. THE FILM ALSO STARRING PETER FONDA AND JACK NICHOLSON IS PERHAPS THE GREATEST, AND CERTAINLY BEST KNOWN, OF AMERICAN ROAD MOVIES. THE FILM WON AN AWARD AT CANNES WHILE HOPPER WAS NOMINATED FOR AN OSCAR FOR BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY. HE NEVER REALLY REACHED SUCH HEIGHTS AGAIN ALTHOUGH HE WENT ON TO ENJOY CRITICAL ACCLAIM IN APOCALYPSE NOW, PLAYING A MANIC PHOTOJOURNALIST, WHILE IN RECENT YEARS HE BECAME KNOWN TO YOUNGER AUDIENCES FOR INTENSE PERFORMANCES IN THE ACTION MOVIE SPEED, WHERE HE PLAYED A BOMBER TERRORIZING A BUS FULL OF PASSENGERS, AND TRUE ROMANCE. IN MARCH THIS YEAR HE RECEIVED HIS OWN STAR ON THE HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME, THE 2,403rd STAR ON HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD. HOOPER WAS ALSO A PROLIFIC PHOTOGRAPHER, PAINTER, AND SCULPTOR WHOSE WORKS WERE EXHIBITED WORLDWIDE. OFF-SCREEN HIS LIFE WAS EVERY BIT AS COLOURFUL AS THE MOVIES HE MADE. HE HAD RECENTLY BEEN INVOLVED IN A BITTER DIVORCE CASE AGAINST VICTORIA DUFFY-HOOPER, WHO HAD BEEN HIS WIFE OF 14 YEARS.

FANTASY ARTIST FRANK FRAZETTA HAS DIED AT 82

PIONEERING FANTASY ARTIST FRANK FRAZETTA HAS DIED IN A FORT MYERS, FLA, HOSPITAL. HE WAS 82. MANAGER ROB PISTELLA SAYS FRAZETTA DIED MONDAY MORNING, A DAY AFTER SUFFERING A STROKE. HE SAYS FRAZETTA HAD BEEN OUT TO DINNER WITH HIS DAUGHTERS SUNDAY BEFORE FALLING ILL. FRAZETTA IS RENOWNED FOR HIS SCI-FI AND FANTASY ART. HE CREATED COVERS AND ILLUSTRATIONS FOR MORE THAN 150 BOOKS AND MAGAZINES, INCLUDING CONAN THE BARBARIAN AND TARZAN. HIS DAUGHTER, HEIDI FRAZETTA GRABIN, SAYS SHE IS HOPEFUL THAT A DISPUTE AMONG SIBLINGS OVER HER FATHER'S ARTWORK HAS BEEN RESOLVED THROUGH RECENT NEGOTIATIONS. HIS SON, FRANK FRAZETTA, WAS CHARGED IN DECEMBER WITH USING A BACKHOE TO BREAK INTO THE ARTIST'S MUSEUM IN THE POCONOS AND TRYING TO REMOVE DOZENS OF ARTWORKS.

JEAN-LOUIS DUMAS, FORMER PRESIDENT OF HERMES DIES AT AGE 72

JEAN-LOUIS DUMAS, THE FORMER PRESIDENT OF HERMES AND ONE OF EUROPE'S GREATEST EXPERTS ON LUXURY, DIED SATURDAY MORNING AFTER A LONG ILLNESS. DUMAS, THE GREAT GREAT GRANDSON OF THIERRY HERMES, WHO FOUNDED THE FAMED LUXURY LABEL IN 1837, HAD BEEN PRESIDENT OF HERMES FOR 18 YEARS UNTIL HIS RETIREMENT IN 2006. FAMOUSLY ELEGANT, AND NOTED FOR HIS INVENTIVE AND CURIOUS MIND, DUMAS WAS REGARDED AS THE DRIVING FORCE IN HERMES' REMARKABLE FLOWERING IN THE PAST THREE DECADES, AS THE LABEL GREW FROM LARGELY A LEATHER GOODS BUSINESS INTO A MAJOR LEAGUE LUXURY BRAND. 'IT IS WITH A PROFOUND EMOTION AND GREAT SADNESS THAT THE HOUSE OF HERMES ANNOUNCES THE DEATH OF MONSIEUR JEAN-LOUIS DUMAS', THE HOUSE SAID IN A RELEASE MONDAY. 'POET AND MAGICIAN, LOVER OF CREATION AND QUALITY, ATTENTIVE TO ALL, HE SEWED THE DEEPEST BONDS WITH THE STAFF, SUPPLIERS AND CLIENTS', THE RELEASE ADDED. FLUENT IN ENGLISH WELL BEFORE MANY FRENCH EXECUTIVES OF HIS ERA, DUMAS TAPPED INTO HIS PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AS A BUYER FOR BLOOMINGDALE'S WHEN HE JOINED HERMES IN 1964, AFTER A LEGENDARY TRIP TO INDIA IN A CITROEN 'DEUX CHEVAUX' AUTOMOBILE TO KATMANDU, NEPAL. HE THREW OPEN THE DOORS OF HERMES TO WIDELY VARYING OUTSIDE IDEAS; CREATING A POLICY WHEREBY ANYONE CAN SUBMIT A SKETCH TO THE HOUSE WHICH, IF DEEMED FINE ENOUGH, WILL BE TURNED INTO A SCARF. AND IT WAS DUMAS WHO REQUESTED SINGER JANE BIRKIN TO DEVELOP ONE OF THE LABEL'S MOST ICONIC PRODUCTS, THE BIRKIN BAG. IN THE THREE DECADES AT THE HELM, DUMAS HELPED TRANSFORM HERMES FROM A COMPANY WITH ANNUAL SALES OF $53 MILLION, TO ONE WITH 2009 TURNOVER OF $2.5 BILLION. DUMAS' CHILDREN SANDRINE AND PIERRE ALEXIS SURVIVE HIM. HIS MEMORIAL SERVICE WILL BE HELD IN THE REFORMED CHURCH OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN PARIS THIS COMING FRIDAY.

LYNN REDGRAVE DIES AT 67 AFTER LOSING BATTLE WITH BREAST CANCER

LYNN REDGRAVE DIED YESTERDAY AGED 67. THE AWARD-WINNING BRITISH FILM AND STAGE ACTRESS, WHO HAILED FROM THE WELL-KNOWN REDGRAVE DYNASTY, PASSED AWAY AFTER FIGHTING A LONG BATTLE WITH BREAST CANCER. SHE ALSO STRUGGLED TO COME TO TERMS WITH THE RECENT TRAGIC DEATH OF HER NIECE NATASHA RICHARDSON AND BROTHER CORIN, WHO PASSED AWAY AGED 70 LAST MONTH. REDGRAVE DIED AT HER HOME IN CONNECTICUT, HER PUBLICIST RICK MIRAMONTEZ SAID. SHE WAS HAD BEEN TREATED FOR BREAST CANCER OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS AFTER BEING DIAGNOSED IN 2003. IN A JOINT STATEMENT, HER THREE CHILDREN SAID: 'OUR BELOVED MOTHER LYNN RACHEL PASSED AWAY PEACEFULLY AFTER A SEVEN YEAR JOURNEY WITH BREAST CANCER.' LYNN REDGRAVE WAS AN INTROSPECTIVE AND INDEPENDENT PLAYER IN HER FAMILY'S ACTING DYNASTY WHO BECAME A 1960s SENSATION AS THE FREETHINKING TITLE CHARACTER IN THE FILM 'GEORGY GIRL'. LATER SHE DRAMATIZED HER TROUBLED PAST IN ONE-WOMAN STAGE PERFORMANCES INCLUDING SHAKESPEARE FOR MY FATHER AND NIGHTINGALE. IN 1967, REDGRAVE MARRIED AND PROFESSIONALLY PARTNERED WITH THE BRITISH ACTOR AND DIRECTOR JOHN CLARK. TOGETHER THEY HAD THREE CHILDREN, BENJAMIN, KELLY AND ANNABEL WHO IS A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER IN NEW YORK. THE MARRIAGE SADLY ENDED IN DIVORCE IN 2000. THE YOUNGEST CHILD OF MICHAEL REDGRAVE AND RACHEL KEMPSON, LYNN REDGRAVE RECEIVED OSCAR NOMINATIONS FOR GEORGY GIRL AND GODS AND MONSTERS, AND TONY NOMINATIONS FOR MRS WARREN'S PROFESSION, SHAKESPEARE FOR MY FATHER AND THE CONSTANT WIFE.

QUEEN PAYS TRIBUTE TO POLAND'S PRESIDENT

QUEEN ELIZABETH II PAID TRIBUTE LAST NIGHT TO POLAND'S PRESIDENT LECH KACZYNSKI, WHO DIED WITH HIS WIFE MARIA AND AT LEAST 88 OTHERS WHEN HIS PLANE CRASHED AS IT ATTEMPTED TO LAND AT A RUSSIAN AIRPORT. DONALD TUSK, POLAND'S PRIME MINISTER, SAID THE ACCIDENT WAS THE MOST TRAGIC EVENT IN POLISH HISTORY SINCE THE SECOND WORLD WAR. THERE WERE NO SURVIVORS IN THE CRASH WHICH HAPPENED IN THICK FOG NEAR SMOLENSK. THE PRSEIDENT'S PARTY WAS ON ITS WAY TO COMMEMORATE A MASSACRE OF POLISH OFFICERS IN 1940 BY SOVIET SECRET SECRET POLICE. IN A MESSAGE OF CONDOLENCE, THE QUEEN DESCRIBED HER 'SORROW' AND SENT 'DEEPEST SYMPATHY' TO THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PEOPLE OF POLAND. THE PRINCE OF WALES ALSO EXPRESSED HIS SADNESS. GORDON BROWN, THE PRIME MINISTER, DAVID MILIBAND, THE FOREIGN SECRETARY, AND THE TORY LEADER DAVID CAMERON ALL PAID TRIBUTE. A STATEMENT FROM THE PRIME MINISTER SAID PRESIDENT KACZYNSKI WAS 'ONE OF THE DEFINING ACTORS IN POLAND'S MODERN POLITICAL HISTORY'. THERE WERE SCENES OF GRIEF IN WARSAW AS PEOPLE SET UP MAKESHIFT SHRINES TO THE PRESIDENT. A WEEK OF MOURNING HAS BEN ANNOUNCED. KACZYNSKI HAD BEEN KNOWN AS A FERVENT ANTI-COMMUNIST AND NATIONALIST DURING HIS LONG POLITICAL CAREER. DOZENS OF SENIOR POLITICIANS AND GENERALS ALSO PERISHED IN THE CRASH. VLADIMIR PUTIN, THE RUSSIAN PRIME MINISTER, ASSUMED CHARGE OF THE INVESTIGATION INTO WHY THE 26 YEAR OLD RUSSIAN-MADE AIRCRAFT CRASHED. THE POLISH COMMUNITY IN LONDON WAS THOUGHT TO HAVE LOST AT LEAST ONE IF ITS OWN IN THE INCIDENT. FATHER BRONISLAW GOSTOMSKI, FROM ST ANDREW BOBOLA CHURCH IN SHEPARD'S BUSH, WEST LONDON, WAS REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN ON THE PLANE.

SENATOR EDWARD M. KENNEDY DIES AT 77

I HAVE SPENT MOST OF MY LIFE GROWING UP IN THE AMAZING CITY OF BOSTON, LEARNING ABOUT THE WORLD THROUGH ITS EYES AND HEART, AS A CHILD I WOULDN'T EXCEPT THAT THERE WERE OTHER CITIES OUT THERE, MY ENTIRE WORLD WAS BOSTON. AND, BECAUSE OF MY WONDERFULLY FAMOUS (IF NOT ODD) FAMILY I CAME INTO CONTACT WITH MANY PERSONALITIES, AND THAT IS WHY THE FOLLOWING NEWS IS SO DISHEARTENING. SENATOR EDWARD M. KENNEDY HAS PASSED AWAY AT HIS HOME IN HISTORIC HYANNIS PORT AFTER A LENGTHY BATTLE WITH BRAIN CANCER, ACCORDING TO A KENNEDY FAMILY STATEMENT.

STATEMENT FROM THE KENNEDY FAMILY:
"EDWARD M. KENNEDY -- THE HUSBAND, FATHER, GRANDFATHER, BROTHER AND UNCLE WE LOVED SO DEEPLY -- DIED LATE TUESDAY NIGHT AT HOME IN HYANNIS PORT. WE'VE LOST THE IRREPLACEABLE CENTER OF OUR FAMILY AND THE JOYOUS LIGHT IN OUR LIVES, BUT THE INSPIRATION OF HIS FAITH, OPTIMISM, AND PERSEVERANCE WILL LIVE ON IN OUR HEARTS FOREVER. WE THANK EVERYONE WHO GAVE HIM CARE AND SUPPORT OVER THE LAST YEAR, ND EVERYONE WHO STOOD WITH HIM FOR SO MANY YEARS IN HIS TIRELESS MARCH FOR PROGRESS TOWARD JUSTICE, FAIRNESS AND OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL. HE LOVED HIS COUNTRY AND DEVOTED HIS LIFE TO SERVING IT. HE ALWAYS BELIEVED THAT OUR BEST DAYS WERE STILL AHEAD, BUT IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE ANY OF THEM WITHOUT HIM."

MOLLIE SUDGEN PASSES AWAY AT AGE 86

ENGLISH COMEDY ACTRESS MOLLIE SUGDEN, 86, HAS PASSED AWAY TODAY AFTER A LONG ILLNESS. THE YORSHIRE-BORN STAR DIED IN THE ROYAL SURREY HOSPITAL IN GUILDFORD THIS AFTERNOON. HER TWIN SONS, ROBIN AND SIMON MOORE, WERE AT HER BEDSIDE, ACCORDING TO HER LONGTIME AGENT JOAN REDDIN.


MOLLIE SUDGEN IS CONSIDERED ONE OF BRITAIN'S TOP COMEDY ACTRESSES, AND A QUICK LOOK AT HER IMPRESSIVE LIST OF CREDITS CERTAINLY ADDS MORE THAN JUST A LITTLE JUSTIFICATION TO THAT CLAIM. FOR MANY YEARS MOLLIE SEEMED TO PLAY EVERYONE'S MUM -- SHE PLAYED JIMMY CLITHEROE'S MOTHER IN JUST JIMMY, TERRY SCOTT'S MOM IN SON OF THE BRIDE, CHRISTOPHER BLAKE'S MUM IN THAT'S MY BOY, ROBIN NEDWELL'S MUM IN DOCTOR IN CHARGE, JUST TO NAME A FEW -- ADDED TO THAT ARE SUBSTANTIAL ROLES IN HUGH AND I, UP POMPEII AND ONE OF THE BEST SOAP OPERAS CORONATION STREET. BUT IT IS AS MRS SLOCOMBE IN THE BBC TELEVISION SERIES ARE YOU BEING SERVED? THAT MOLLIE SUDGEN HAS LEFT HER MOST ENDEARING MARK ON THE CONSCIOUSNESS ON THE TELEVISION AUDIENCE AND AMASSED A WORLDWIDE FOLLOWING OF DEVOTED FANS AND ADMIRERS. TRULY MOLLIE SUDGEN WILL BE MISSED . . .