I was debating whether or not to write about Tim Russert’s passing sine this is a celebrity website. But I think most anyone on television could be called a celebrity to some, and as the election gets closer and closer, political journalists get more and more face time. Sadly for the first time in what feels like forever, Meet the Press host Tim Russert won’t be grilling politicians this election. Russert passed away suddenly on Friday, after collapsing at work.

Tim Russert, NBC News’ Washington bureau chief and the moderator of “Meet the Press,” died Friday after suffering a heart attack at the bureau. He was 58. Russert was recording voiceovers for Sunday’s “Meet the Press” broadcast when he collapsed. He was rushed to Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, where resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.

Russert’s physician, Michael Newman, said cholesterol plaque ruptured in an artery, causing sudden coronary thrombosis. Russert had earlier been diagnosed with asymptomatic coronary artery disease, but it was well-controlled with medication and exercise, and he had performed well on a stress test in late April, Newman said. An autopsy revealed that he also had an enlarged heart, Newman said.

Russert’s death left his colleagues devastated. He was “one of the premier political journalists and analysts of his time,” Tom Brokaw, the former longtime anchor of “NBC Nightly News,” said in announcing Russert’s death Friday afternoon. Brian Williams, managing editor and anchor of “NBC Nightly News,” called his death a “staggering, overpowering and sudden loss.”

“Meet the Press,” which he began hosting in 1991, was considered an essential proving ground in the career of any national politician. “If you could pass the Tim Russert test, you could do something in this field,” said Howard Fineman, senior Washington correspondent for Newsweek magazine and a columnist for msnbc.com.

[From MSNBC]

Russert had just returned from a trip to Italy the day before his collapse. He and his wife Maureen Orth, a writer for Vanity Fair, had taken their son Luke there to celebrate his graduation from Boston College. Maureen and Luke were still in Italy when they received the news of Russert’s passing.

Russert wasn’t just the best interviewer around – he was also a phenomenal writer. His book, Big Russ and Me: Father and Son: Lessons of Life was a tribute to the amazing life lessons he learned from his father “Big Russ” a sanitation worker who held down two jobs to support his wife and four kids. He noted that his father grew up in the depression, and considered himself lucky to have two jobs.

When I was in high school, the two of us were in the basement one day when Dad walked over to his desk, opened a drawer and took out a manila folder. He handed me a yellowed clipping from the October 27, 1944 edition of the Southport Weekly, an English newspaper. The headline read: US BOMBER CRASHES IN FLAMES IN AINSDALE, and the article described the crash of a B-24 Liberator at an Air Force Base in England. I read it quickly and zeroed in on the key lines: “When the plane crashed it broke up, and some of the airmen were thrown clear.” Dad, I realized, had been one of them.

“This is amazing”, I said.

He looked at me and said, “It was a lot tougher for the guys who died.” Then he took back the clipping and put it away without another word. The conversation was over.

[From People]

Russert got his strong work ethic from his father, who never took a single sick day from his sanitation job. In his book he told a story of taking his son Luke to a baseball game to watch Cal Ripken, Jr break a record that most people didn’t pay a lot of attention to.

On September 7, 1995, I took Luke, who was ten, to a baseball game at Camden Yards in Baltimore. [That was the night] Cal Ripken, Jr. was going to break Lou Gehrig’s Iron Man record just by showing up and playing in his 2,131st consecutive game. This wasn’t about something glitzy, like home runs … I explained to my son that Cal Ripken’s record was different from all the other records because this one was about loyalty, dedication, discipline, diligence and persistence.

I told Luke that night, and I meant it with all my heart, that Cal Ripken had done for baseball what my Dad had done for our family.

[From People]

This feels a little corny to say, but Tim Russert really was a hero of mine. He was one of those people you could just tell was good and upright. About six months ago I heard him interviewed by the local NPR affiliate when I was in Seattle. He was there for a book signing, and just listening to Tim Russert talk about his family brought tears to my eyes. There was such a deep love in his voice – a kind I’m not sure I’d ever heard before. It was truly, truly beautiful.

We wish his family peace during this time.

Lorenzo Odone, the child featured in the film Lorenzo’s Oil has died. I have always wondered what happened to this boy, even though it must have been ten years since I saw the film. I thought, after reading several times that the film gave false hope to the parents of Adrenoleucodystrophy (ALD) sufferers, that Lorenzo must have died soon after the film was made in 1992.

ALD is a genetic condition, affecting mainly boys, where the body produces a fatty acid that accumulates in the
nerve cells and damages the coating of the nerve fibres, called myelin. A rapid loss of motor functions follows, leading usually to death within two years. When Lorenzo’s parents, Augusto and Michaela Odone, were told of this prognosis they researched until they came up with Lorenzo’s Oil, which stopped the progress of the disease but did not reverse the brain damage. Augusto and Michaela (until her death in 2000) continued to research for a cure and care for Lorenzo until his death late last month. They had no medical training.

Lorenzo died of pneumonia on May 30 at age 30.

While the film and Lorenzo’s parents were accused of giving false hope, some studies have suggested that the oil can be used as a preventative measure. Out of 120 children it was used on, 83 did not develop the disease. Unfortunately another family member needs to get the disease before the pre-symptomatic children are tested to see if they carry the gene. I also feel that the film was more about a parent’s love for their child, and less about a miracle cure, which is why the film was so successful. Most every parent can sympathize with loving a child.

Recently scientists claimed a breakthrough that suggests stem cell treatment could rebuild the myelin wall, the part of Lorenzo’s brain that was damaged by the disease.

For a while there, it seemed like he was going to live forever, but sadly, blues legend Bo Diddley passed away yesterday of heart failure at the age of 79. Diddley’s instantly recognizable blues and rock guitar influenced countless rock ‘n roll musicians, including Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones; Elvis Costello, Paul McCartney, The Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin, The Who and Bruce Springsteen. Diddley never had the great commercial success of the musicians, he influenced but was seen as a rock statesman by fans and music critics.

Bo Diddley was a musical innovator who helped forge the sound and contributed to the style of rock ‘n’ roll. He sported a trademark fedora, played an iconic square-shaped guitar and from it he extracted a deep, rusty reverb and a peculiar playing style that influenced generations of players.

Diddley died Monday of heart failure at his home in Archer, Fla.; he was 79. He’d been in ill health for much of the past year, having suffered a stroke and a heart attack in 2007.

Prior to those ailments, though, Diddley remained a vigorous performer, continuing to tour regularly, as he’d done since he began performing in the mid ’50s, when he helped shape rock ‘n’ roll.

“He was by far the most underrated of any ’50s star,” says producer Phil Spector. “You listen to those (reissued box sets) and the rhythmic invention, the consistent high quality of imagination and performance, the excellence of the writing, the power of the vocals - nobody else ever did it better or had a deeper, more penetrating influence.”

Perhaps no guitarist was more influenced by Diddley’s sound and style than ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, who carries on Diddley’s tradition of strange-looking instruments and full-bodied guitar riffs with prickly solos.

Gibbons called Diddley “the ‘artiste.’

“He was the man who constructed the sound we all grew to revolve around,” he said. “And a vision of simplicity delivered through effortless expression and sense of humor. Many times, Bo made a point to say, ‘I’ll always be around,’ and we know he will.”

Diddley’s biggest hit by the numbers was Say Man. It was the only song of his to hit the pop charts, reaching No. 20 in 1959.

[From the Houston Chronicle]

During their concert Monday night, The Rolling Stones spoke about Diddley and honored the man by playing some of his songs.

Last night Sir Mick Jagger, whose band covered Diddley’s songs Mona and Crackin’ Up, paid tribute to the Mississippi-born musician as an ‘enormous force in music’.

Sir Mick said: ‘He was a wonderful, original musician who was an enormous force in music and was a big influence on the Rolling Stones.

‘He was very generous to us in our early years and we learned a lot from him. We will never see his like again.’

Diddley had a heart attack in August while on tour, three months after suffering a stroke which affected his ability to speak.

He had returned to Florida to continue rehabilitation.

Diddley, born Ellas Bates, was renowned for his home-made square guitar, dark glasses and black hat.

[From the Daily Mirror]

Rest in peace, Bo. There will never be another like you.

Bo Diddley is shown in the header performing at the MGM Grand on 2/1/07. He is also shown at a Rock n Roll Hall of Fame induction on 3/14/05, and performing at the Chicago Blues Festival in 2001.

Here are some videos of Diddley performing:

Yves Saint Laurent has died, age 71, at home in Paris. The cause of death has not been released.

He was born on August 1st 1936 to a lawyer father and housewife mother, and had two sisters. They were three of the best dressed women on earth.

He first rose to fashion prominence when Christian Dior died and he replaced him as head of the fashion house in 1957, until he was drafted for military service in September 1960. By November he had suffered a nervous collapse and was discharged, but did not return to working for Dior. He sued for failure to reinstate him as the head designer and failure to provide severence pay, and used the money from this settlement to start his own fashion house, named Yves Saint Laurent.

He announced the creation of the YSL brand in September 1961, with his lover Mr Pierre Bergé. They remained lifelong business partners, but split romantically in 1980.

Yves Saint Laurent was responsible, many believe, for it to be acceptable for women to wear pants, saying notably “My small job as a couturier is to make clothes that reflect our times. I’m convinced women want to wear pants.”

He was also a champion of the capsule wardrobe, encouraging women to buy classic pieces and not slavishly follow fashion. “A woman’s wardrobe shouldn’t change every six months. You should be able to use the pieces you already own and add to them. Because they are like timeless classics.”

he was also the first designer to use black models, and to popularize ready-to-wear clothing lines.

Yves Saint Laurent had a long history of drug and alcohol abuse, and suffered from depression. He retired from the fashion house in 2002, citing health reasons, but the brand still survives through Gucci.

Biography from Wiki and New York Times

I am incredibly sad today. As a huge fan of “The Carol Burnett Show” as a child, one of my favorite duos was Harvey Korman and Tim Conway. Korman passed away yesterday at the age of 81.

Legendary comedic actor Harvey Korman died today. He was 81.

The actor, possibly best known for his stint on the “The Carol Burnett Show” and in the film “Blazing Saddles,” died at UCLA Medical Center after suffering complications from the rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm four months ago.

Carol Burnett’s assistant told the AP the actress was devastated by the news, but she has not yet released a statement.

He is survived by his wife and four children.

[From TMZ]

Anyone who grew up watching Korman on TV can agree that we have lost a great talent. I will always remember the way he would try not to laugh when his co-star Tim Conway would say or do something really funny. The LA Times published a wonderful tribute to him today. Here’s an excerpt:

With a knack for physical humor and oddball accents, Korman was a master sketch comic who did his best-known work on Burnett’s variety show beginning in 1967 in an ensemble that included Tim Conway.

“It’s a 45-year friendship,” Conway said. “It was a great ride; we worked together probably 30 years, plus the Burnett show, which was about as good as it gets.”

Brooks called Korman “a major, major talent, and he could have very easily have done Shakespearean drama. That’s how gifted and talented Harvey was. . . . I loved working with him.”

Conway said Korman had “a complete understanding of comedy and comedy timing.

Condolences to Harvey’s family and friends.

Note by Celebitchy: Here are some clips of Harvey on the Carol Burnette show:

Dentist sketch with Tim Conway

Gone with the Wind parody (Korman enters about 2 minutes in.)

And here’s a three party interview with the Archive of American Television:
Harvey Korman interview part 1, part 2, and part 3

Harvey Korman is shown at the TV Land Awards on 3/15/05, thanks to WENN.

Legendary director and occasional actor Sydney Pollack has died of stomach cancer at his home, surrounded by his friends and family, according to the Associated Press. Pollack directed some of the most influential and commercially successful films of the last forty years, including Tootsie, The Way We Were, The Interpreter, The Firm, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?, Out of Africa, and most recently, Sketches of Frank Gehry. Pollack produced so many influential films that it’s impossible to pick even the top five. He also took small acting roles in some of his films and played Will’s father on Will & Grace.

Sydney Pollack, a Hollywood mainstay as director, producer and sometime actor whose star-laden movies like “The Way We Were,” “Tootsie” and “Out of Africa” were among the most successful of the 1970s and ’80s, died on Monday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 73. The cause was cancer, said a representative of the family.

Mr. Pollack’s career defined an era in which big stars (Robert Redford, Barbra Streisand, Warren Beatty) and the filmmakers who knew how to wrangle them (Barry Levinson, Mike Nichols) retooled the Hollywood system. Savvy operators, they played studio against studio, staking their fortunes on pictures that served commerce without wholly abandoning art.

Among Mr. Pollack’s survivors are daughters, Rachel and Rebecca, and his wife, Claire Griswold, who was once among his acting students. The couple married in 1958, while Mr. Pollack was serving a two-year hitch in the Army. Their only son, Steven, died at age 34 in a 1993 plane crash in Santa Monica, Calif.

In his later years, Mr. Pollack appeared to relish his role as elder statesman. At various times he was executive director of the Actors Studio West, chairman of American Cinematheque and an advocate for artists’ rights.

[From the New York Times]

Yahoo Movies noted that Sydney Pollack had the reputation as being the very best director for actors to work with. Whenever you’d see him interviewed, you could tell he was a genuinely kind, thoughtful person. He always seemed very deliberate and thoughtful whenever he spoke, and emanated a kindness you don’t often see. Though his films certainly weren’t stylized, most of them were very solid. Our thoughts are with Pollack’s family.

Rob Knox, one of the actors in the upcoming film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was murdered Saturday morning outside a bar in Southeast London. Knox plays Ravenclaw student Marcus Belby and also appeared in 2004’s King Aurthur. He was stabbed while trying to defend his younger brother Jamie from a 21-year-old man wielding two kitchen knives.

Robert Knox, an 18-year-old actor set to appear in the next Harry Potter film, was fatally stabbed outside a London pub on Saturday. According to British media reports, the actor was part of a brawl that sent five males to the hospital, including a 21-year-old who was arrested on suspicion of murder after being treated for facial injuries.

Knox, who appeared in the 2004 film King Arthur, plays Ravenclaw student Marcus Belby in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the penultimate film in the series. The film is scheduled for release later this year. He had also been signed for the final installment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

“Rob was kind and thoughtful and would always help out others—he would always spend his last penny on other people instead of himself,” parents Sally and Colin Knox said in a statement Sunday.

“The life and soul of the party, he was very outgoing, loved sports, and would always strike up a conversation with people. He was respectful to others and adored by all his family and friends. He was [an] asset to the family.”

[From E! News]

Nicky Jonas, 19, was one of the other teenagers who was stabbed (through the hand) by the man. He described what happened to the Mirror.

“I saw the guy with two kitchen knives. He looked me straight in the eye before walking over to Rob to say ‘You’re lucky - it’s not your day.’ Then he went up to Jamie and said ‘I’m going to slit your throat’. That’s when Rob stepped in to stick up for his brother.

“Then the man started waving the knives like a madman, stabbing and slashing anyone who got in the way.” Dean Saunders, 21, who ran to Rob’s aid, was stabbed in the back and neck. He is in hospital.

Andrew Dorma, 16, was stabbed in the chest while Charlie Grimley, 17, was slashed across the arm and face.

As Rob lay bleeding on the ground Tom Hopkins, 18, bravely wrestled the knifeman to the floor, suffering a gash to the back of his head.

[From the Mirror]

According to TMZ, the fight started over a missing cell phone. Knox is the 14th teenager to die from knife violence in London since the start of the year. It’s brought a good deal of attention to the violent epidemic, and has caused his father Colin to issue a statement begging teenagers not to carry or use weapons. “If you are a person who carries a knife, think about the consequences. If you carry a knife there’s the intention to use it, so please don’t do that.”

Header image is an undated photo courtesy of Britain’s Metropolitan Police, of Robert Knox, right, with his mother Sally and 17-year old brother Jamie.

William Shatner wants us to know he’s not all ego. He’s just finished writing his autobiography, and was recently offended at being left out of the latest Star Trek movie, despite his character being dead. He knows that when he dies, it isn’t going to mean much.

“I’m not going to be remembered any more than anyone else. Maybe on the day there will be a little more fuss than, say, some guy in Poughkeepsie (New York). Fame and remembrance are so fleeting. None of us is remembered.

“Some of the great names I grew up with, five years after they were dead, no one remembered them.

“No matter what age you are, you are liable to die. But the older you get, the odds go up that it’s going to be very soon. It’s not going to be very long. But I’m having such a good time with the world that I live in, I don’t want to go anywhere.”

Contact Music

I actually think that William’s death will be quite a big deal. My husband is a Star Trek fan (wisely not revealed to me until after we married), and he was introduced to it by his father, and now they watch it together with my kids. Star Trek seems to be one of those shows that is going to survive across generations and genders. Who doesn’t like a bit of intergalactic travel and watching Captain Kirk mate with non-humans?

In case you think that William’s legacy is limited to Star Trek and Boston Legal, don’t forget his music career – my personal favorite being his rendition of Blur’s Pulp’s ‘Common People’, complete with lyric sheet in front of him, karaoke style. By the end of this rendition he’s positively purple in the face.

William Shatner and his wife, Elizabeth Anderson Martin, are shown at the Annual Alzheimer’s Benefit ‘A Night At Sardi’s’ on 3/5/08 thanks to WENN.

Comedian and former Saturday Night Live star Cheri Oteri’s father was found stabbed to death on Sunday morning. Oteri is most famous for SNL characters like the over-enthusiastic Spartan cheerleader, prescription pill addict Collette Reardon, and many great impressions, ranging from Barbara Walters to Mariah Carey.

Oteri’s father, 69-year-old Gaetano Thomas Oteri, was murdered by his roommate, 61-year-old country songwriter Richard Fagan. Fagan was a songwriter, and various reports list Oteri as his manager – though some list Fagan as Oteri’s manager. According to police reports, Fagan consumed 6 shots on Saturday evening. He and Oteri then got in a fight, and he stabbed Oteri with a pocket knife.

Fagan then got in his car and left, where he was shortly arrested on a DUI. He didn’t mention murdering anyone to the cops, but told a friend about the fight. The friend then went over to Oteri and Fagan’s home, where he found the door locked. He noted that the house was in disarray, and called 911. When officers arrived, they found Oteri dead. The police report notes that he is “believed to have died from a wrist laceration that caused significant bleeding.”

The Nashville music producer who was allegedly killed over the weekend by his friend and roommate is the father of “SNL” star Cheri Oteri.

Gaetano Thomas Oteri was allegedly murdered by songwriter Richard Fagan last Saturday night when Fagan stabbed Oteri with a pocket knife. Fagan and Oteri had collaborated on several of Fagan’s songs, and on Fagan’s own website, Oteri is credited with helping Fagan through tough times: “Many years ago when Fagan was down and out (see Fagan bio), it was Tommy who took him in and put him on a path to songwriting stardom.”

Oteri, according to cops, has been informed of her father’s death.

[From TMZ]

Cheri Oteri’s reps have yet to make a comment or release a statement. As terrible as it is to lose a parent, having one murdered makes the loss all the more unbearable. Our thoughts are with Cheri and the rest of her family.

Here’s Richard Fagan (left) and Gaetano Oteri. Both images thanks to the Nashville police. Header of Cheri Oteri at “The Business Of Being Born” Los Angeles premiere on January 15th. Image thanks to PR Photos.

Say what you want about Cameron Diaz, the woman must be good at relationships. Cameron’s father recently passed away at only 58-years-old, and his funeral was held this past Sunday. Three of Cameron’s famous ex-boyfriends showed up to support her: Justin Timberlake, John Mayer, and Kelly Slater all attended Emilio Diaz’s memorial at sushi restaurant Mahe in Seal Beach, California.

“The Sweetest Thing” actress, devastated by the sudden death of her father, was comforted by a pair of former flames at his memorial service on Sunday.

Justin Timberlake, who split with Diaz in January, showed his support at the informal Seal Beach, Calif. service, which started around 1:30 p.m. Singer-songwriter John Mayer, another former beau, arrived separately to pay his respects. They both lingered past 4 p.m., after most of the other guests had left.

The stricken actress asked friends and family to wear colorful clothing in celebration of her father’s life. “Hardly anyone wore black,” one guest told the Daily Mail. “Lots of people were wearing Hawaiian shirts. It looked more like a party.”

[From the New York Daily News]

It sounds like the memorial was really nice, and it’s also a testament to Cameron’s ability to stay good friends with her exes. We all know Justin Timberlake doesn’t necessarily feel obligated to help out a former flame just because she’s going through a hard time. There have been several reports of JT being very protective of Cameron since their breakup.

E! reports that in addition to the Hawaiian shirts, there was also a tent in the back of the restaurant where a taco truck and pizza stand provided food. Instead of flowers, the Diaz family requested donations be made to Emilio’s favorite charities, the Surfrider Foundation and Reef Check. Both work on beach rehabilitation. Hopefully with the support of family and friends, Cameron and the rest of the Diazes will be able to heal.

Here is an older file photo of Cameron and Emilio Diaz. Image thanks to Splash.