Diff'rent Strokes was also a very popular show in here at mid 80's. RIP Gary Coleman.

Dennis Hopper now too? Died of cancer at age 74.

Yes, it is confirmed.


LOS ANGELES — Hollywood actor Dennis Hopper, best known for directing and starring in the 1969 cult classic "Easy Rider," died on Saturday at his home in Venice, California, from complications of prostate cancer, a friend told Reuters.

Hopper was 74.

The hard-living screen icon died at 8:15 a.m. PT, surrounded by family and friends, said the friend, Alex Hitz.

The two-time Oscar nominee, who appeared in more than 100 films, last March got a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, saying he came to Hollywood from his native Kansas at 18, "so that was my college."

"Everything I’ve learned, I’ve learned from Hollywood," he said. "This has been my home and my schooling."

In a wildly varied career spanning more than 50 years, Hopper appeared alongside his mentor James Dean in "Rebel Without a Cause" and "Giant" in the 1950s and played maniacs in such films as "Apocalypse Now," "Blue Velvet" and "Speed."

He received two Oscar nominations — for writing "Easy Rider" (with co-star Peter Fonda and Terry Southern), and for a rare heartwarming turn as an alcoholic high-school basketball coach in the 1986 drama "Hoosiers."

"Easy Rider," regarded is one of the greatest films of American cinema, helped usher in a new era in which the old Hollywood guard was forced to cede power to young filmmakers such as Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese.

The low-budget blockbuster, originally conceived by Fonda, introduced mainstream moviegoers to pot-smoking, cocaine-dealing, long-haired bikers.

"We'd gone through the whole '60s and nobody had made a film about anybody smoking grass without going out and killing a bunch of nurses," Hopper told Entertainment Weekly in 2005. "I wanted 'Easy Rider' to be a time capsule for people about that period."

Hopper and Fonda were joined on screen by a then-unknown Jack Nicholson as an alcoholic lawyer, but it was not a harmonious set. Hopper clashed violently with everyone and Fonda later described him as a "little fascist freak." Their friendship was destroyed.

Hopper fell ill last September. He continued working almost to the very end, both on his cable TV series "Crash" and on a book showcasing his photography. But his final months were also consumed by a bitter divorce battle with his fifth wife, Victoria Duffy.

Indeed, his private life was never dull. His marriages included an eight-day union in 1970 with Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and Papas, who later told Vanity Fair that she was subjected to "excruciating" treatment.

Hopper is survived by four children.


R.I.P.

Damn. Dennis Hopper was a true icon, in a time when that designation gets applied far too liberally to people who don't deserve it.

And Gary Coleman--he is an easy target of the stupid and lazy, both in life and death, but the man was dealt many a poor hand and played them, sometimes well, sometimes not as well, and he played them better than most of his detractors would have.

another great actor gone.

fugly: explain to me why I should care that gary coleman is dead? because he had a hard life? because he used to be in a television show a long time ago? if you can give me a good reason to care about his death I totally will, promise.

I'm waiting.

R.I.P. Dennis Hopper. We'll miss you.http://www.collider.com/wp-content/i..._hopper_01.jpg

I've got you on ignore, but I'll humor you just this once--

You don't have to give a shit. Taking pot shots at a dead man (or his wife), though, who didn't die as a result of pathetic "poor me" substance abuse or suicide, is a sign of immaturity. But whatever it takes to make you look "clever" in front of your peers, princess.

so it's ok to make fun of people when they are alive, but you have to stop when they die?

the best thing gary coleman ever gave me was laughs at his expense.

RIP Dennis Hopper

all these great icons dropping like flies all at once. whats up with that

So it's okay to take pot shots at someone who died of a drug overdose or commited suicide? That seems inconsistent.
If you have a problem with someone making light or poking fun of someone who died, that should apply to all people regardless of the circumstances behind their death.

Oh, man.

I was lucky enough to meet him and do his makeup once, and he was a very friendly person, a gentleman, the opposite of some of the scary characters he played. RIP Dennis

far from unexpected, he was definitely one of my favorite actors though. :(

That's awesome, that you had the opportunity to do that.

So long, Dennis.

http://bocktherobber.com/wordpress/w...alypse-now.jpg

Holy smokes. What a great thing.

RIP indeed to an actor of incredible versatility.

Another great talent, lost.

RIP.

Totally kingshit actor dude ate all the "actors" we've got these days for breakfast.

RIP :(

many a great roles...R.I.P. Dennis Hopper

Fuckin' hell...this years worst for me...

Red Rock West ?

Yes, I did some of the makeup for his character getting impaled on the statue's bayonet. He put up with a lot of uncomfortable stuff and never complained, was very friendly, a very professional and cordial attitude.

A terrible tragedy. The man pushed his limitations time and again and came out stronger every time.

Wow, was NOT expecting that one. Not good news at all.

A very sad news indeed.

RIP

Agreed - I am usually ambivalent to this sort of thing (sorry world), but the boyfriend told me this last night and it actually made me... sad. Iconic. Great talent. Gone. :(

RIP Rue McClanahan

http://todaysmusings.files.wordpress...jimmy-dean.jpg

R.I.P.


Country legend Jimmy Dean died at 7:54 pm on June 13 at the age of 81, the Associated Press is reporting.

His wife, Donna Meade Dean, said he died at their Henrio County, Virginia, home while he was eating in front of the television. She added that it was a shock, because even though he had health problems, he was still “functioning well.” Donna was Dean’s second wife, they were married in 1991 after meeting on a show called “Nashville Now”.

While Dean is remembered most for his Grammy-winning song ‘Big Bad John,’ he started his career in the 1950s on his nationally televised show ’The Jimmy Dean’ show. He became an entrepreneur in 1969 when he started his sausage business, the Jimmy Dean Meat Co. Dean sold the brand to the Sara Lee Corp. in 1984.

Dean was semi-retired when he died, and lived on a 200-acre estate just outside of Richmond. She went on to say that he was looking forward to being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in October.

Funeral arrangements for Dean will be help publicly this Sunday and Monday. There is going to be 8 hours of visitation, after which Dean will be laid to rest in a grand piano shaped tomb that overlooks the James River.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...KtLjAD9GDADJO0

Legendary guitarist/songwriter of what was arguably THE defining funk band.



(now we wait for some dumbass kid to claim "funk is stoopid". wait for it.)

That's a shame. Dude did some great tunes.

Fuck you've got a chip on your shoulder dude.

this will be taken the wrong way, but I don't really care.

when I first heard the news I kind of heard half of the report and thought bootsy collins had died and I was really sad. :(

garry shider was a legend of course. R.I.P

My 15 year old son is a huge fan of Parliament-Funkadelic, and saw them a couple of months ago in Westhampton. We were very sad to hear this news.

Manute Bol

http://www.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/06/19/...te.bol/?hpt=T2

I remember when Bol was playing in the NBA. He was an oddity at first--ridiculously tall and thin. He didn't have much of a game--except on defense. And then he swatted away balls like a machine in the paint. He always seemed to be smiling, and seemed like a real classy guy.

The New York Yankees have confirmed that owner George Steinbrenner is dead, at the age of 80.

Sad day for baseball fans. By far the most iconic owner of any team ever. Bought the Yankees for about 8 Million in '73 and turned them into a 1.5 Billion dollar global enterprise.

He ushered in the era of the primadonna sports celebrity while ruining baseball trying to buy championships.

I hate the Yankees with a passion, but there's no doubt baseball was a more--interesting--game with a personality like Steinbrenner.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010...legend_ha.html

Harvey Pekar, Cleveland comic-book legend, dies at age 70

One of the true innovators in the history of comics. Far from being a relic, he was still actively working. A genuine loss to comics fans everywhere.

http://blog.artandstory.com/wp-conte...n_splendor.jpg

I only became a fan a few years back, had never even heard of him until I watched the film adaptation of American Splendor. Tragic loss, impressive legacy.

Fuck :(

Dude ruled... this really sucks.

It's another sad day for Big Star fans everywhere: the band's founding bassist Andy Hummel has died, a mere four months since the passing of founding member Alex Chilton.

Hummel succumbed to a two-year battle with cancer yesterday (July 19) at age 59.

Big Star's current bassist Ken Stringfellow first Tweeted the news yesterday: "Another sad loss for Big Star fans as Andy Hummel passes away after long illness."

Hummel performed on the first two Big Star records, the legendary "#1" and "Radio City," before departing in the mid-'70s. He last performed with his former bandmates, though, in March this year, as part of a Big Star reunion-turned-tribute after singer/songwriter Alex Chilton died right before the festival.

Chris Bell, the band's founding guitarist and Hummel's best friend from high school, died in 1978. Drummer Jody Stephens is now the only surviving founding member of Big Star.