In Memorium (Chad McQueen, ‘Karate Kid’ Actor, Dies at 63)

Rusty wrote:That Zombie track was fucking massive when it was released. I couldn't turn on a radio, a music video show, or even walk into a mall without that song coming on.

Dolores O’Riordan, frontwoman of The Cranberries, was set to collaborate on a cover of her band’s most famous track, “Zombie”, hours after her death on Monday.

Hard rock band Bad Wolves have stated on Facebook that they are “shocked and saddened” at the news of her passing, adding: “We have always had deep respect for her as an artist and a vocalist and she was never afraid to bare her soul in her music and lyrics.”

“’Zombie’ is an incredibly personal song and although we are a hard rock band,” band member Tommy Vext wrote. “We always felt the rawness and honesty she projected on stage and in her recordings was something to which all bands should aspire to, regardless of genre.”

“When we heard she liked our version and wanted to sing on it, it was the greatest compliment a new band, or any band for that matter, could have received.”

Music producer and friend Dan Waite also paid tribute to the singer, saying that she left him a message the night before the recording session in which she sounded “full of life”. He said: “Dolores left me a voice message just after midnight last night stating how much she loved Bad Wolves version of ‘Zombie’; she was looking forward to seeing me in the studio and recording vocals.”

“She sounded full of life, was joking and excited to see me and my wife this week. The news of her passing is devastating and my thoughts are with Don her ex-husband, her children, and her mother.”

Tributes have poured in from fans, friends, and fellow musicians who praised her as "unforgettable and inspirational". Irish President Michael D. Higgins praised O’Riordan’s and the band’s “immense influence on rock and pop music in Ireland and internationally.”

A spokesperson for O’Riordan said she died “suddenly” in London, where she had travelled for the short recording session. The cause of her death has not yet been revealed.

O’Riordan joined The Cranberries, made up of brothers Noel Hogan and Mike Hogan, after reading an advertisement in a local paper in 1989. They went on to sell over 40 million records around the world, O’Riordan later releasing the solo records Are You Listening? in 2007 and No Baggage in 2009.

Tom Petty‘s autopsy results are in, and they show the singer died from an accidental drug overdose as a result of taking a variety of medications.

The L.A. County Coroner says a number of Tom’s organs failed due to “mixed drug toxicity.”

Tom’s autopsy report shows the singer was on several pain meds, including Fentanyl patches, oxycodone, temazepam, alprazolam, citalopram, acetylfentanyl and despropionyl fentanyl.  The reason doctors prescribed the meds was because of a number of medical problems, including emphysema, knee problems and a fractured hip.

The family says the linchpin to Tom’s demise was the fractured hip.  He insisted on touring for 53 concert dates with the condition, which worsened over time and caused him to take the meds. On the date he died he was told the hip had graduated to a full-on break that made the pain unbearable and may have caused the overuse of meds.

The autopsy says Petty suffered from coronary artery atherosclerosis.

As we reported … Tom’s official death certificate left his cause of death as “deferred,” leaving it as a mystery until now.

We broke the story … Tom went into full cardiac arrest before being taken to a hospital in L.A. He eventually died when his family took him off life support.
Fentanyl was also linked to the deaths of Prince and Lil Peep.

Tom was 66.

Mark Salling, the former Glee star who last month pleaded guilty to child pornography charges, was found dead today in Los Angeles, a law enforcement official has confirmed to Deadline. The actor was 35.

The source said the death is being investigating by authorities as a possible suicide, and the coroner’s office is waiting to inform his next of kin and family members. His body was found near his home in Sunland, in northern Los Angeles.

The news comes just more than a month after Salling pleaded guilty to a federal offense of possessing child pornography, and ahead of a scheduled March 7 date for his sentencing.

As part of a plea agreement, Salling admitted he possessed some 25,000 images of children engaged in sexual conduct. He faced a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, but as part of the agreement was expected to spend 4 to 7 years in prison, followed by 20 years of supervised release and registry as a sex offender.

Salling made the plea deal after an investigation resulted in a vast collection of child pornography discovered on a laptop computer, a hard drive, and a USB flash drive. Salling had showed some of the images to a girlfriend, who reported him to the police. He was arrested in December 2015.

The news prompted reaction from some of Salling’s former colleagues:

It’s a painful loss, again. Two young actors, lost too soon. RIP #marksalling pic.twitter.com/g6kx4MWToV
— Paris Barclay (@Harparbar) January 30, 2018

Today we lost another #Glee cast member.Yes, he committed crimes against children.Yes, it's horrific. But #MarkSalling was a broken man, no doubt an abuse victim himself. I loved Mark, and am sad when I consider the devastation of his parents. PLEASE withhold your cruel comments.
— Tim Davis (@loudmouthmuch) January 30, 2018

joey con carne wrote:Sounds like Tim Davis needs a severe beatdown. I like how he's making excuses for a pedophile who contributed to the sexual abuse of kids.

Go fuck yourself, Tim, you worthless piece of shit.


Edit: I just looked at that fuckface's Twitter. Seems everyone feels the same way I do. Tim Davis is a true piece of shit and I hope terrible things happen to him.

joey con carne wrote:You are right. I guess that "broken man" stuff got me. Both tweets about Salling are justifications for what Salling did.

Can I still wish for an insane beatdown for Tim Davis' stupid face?

Mark Salling did not leave a suicide note and cops have already combed his home, his car and the area where he hanged himself and nothing has turned up ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

The question we've been asking for hours ... how did police find Salling's body in a remote area by a riverbed? We thought cops may have tracked the body through his cellphone or GPS on his car, but that wasn't the case.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... LAPD officers were in the area on an unrelated matter when they spotted Salling's car. As we first reported, a missing persons report had already been filed, so cops ran the plates, determined it was Salling's car, searched the area and found the body hanging from a tree.

TMZ broke the story, Salling committed suicide by hanging ... he had been suicidal for months awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to child porn offenses.

John Mahoney, Beloved Patriarch of TV's Frasier, Dies at 77

John Mahoney has died.

The actor passed away on Sunday in Chicago, Illinois, his manager confirmed to PEOPLE. He was 77.

Born in Blackpool, England, in 1940, Mahoney became best known for his role as Martin Crane in NBC’s Frasier, though he didn’t kick-start his acting career until later on in life. As a child, Mahoney — who was one of eight children from a Irish-Catholic family — witnessed the struggles of war firsthand as it quickly tore apart his parents’ marriage.

The British native attended St. Joseph’s College in Blackpool but was determined to immigrate to the United States. At 19, he moved to the America with the help of his older sister, Vera, a war bride living in Illinois.

As Mahoney acclimated himself with life Stateside, he began studying at Quincy University in Illinois. Shortly after, he spent three years in the United States Army and received his citizenship in 1959.

“It was so bleak and dark in England — those gray and foggy postwar years,” he previously told the Chicago Tribune. “[The United States], it was so sunny. The people smiled.”

After graduating from Quincy with a Bachelor’s degree, he began working on his Master’s degree while teaching English at Western Illinois University and working as a hospital orderly. Shortly after, Mahoney made the move to Chicago and began editing a medical journal.

However, according to the Tribune, Mahoney wasn’t completed satisfied with his life. He spent most of his time “at home, smoking and drinking a few beers.”

“There was this deep-seated frustration,” he said. “I knew that the only place I had ever been really happy was on stage.”

Ready to take on showbiz, Mahoney quit his job and started taking acting classes and soon got his first role in David Mamet’s Water Engine in 1977. Four years after pursuing acting, John Malkovich encouraged him to join Chicago’s legendary Steppenwolf Theatre.

“The theater is my brothers, my sisters, my father, my mother, my wife,” he explained. “It is everything to me.”

In 1986, Mahoney won Broadway’s Tony Award for best featured actor in a play for his performance in John Guare’s The House of Blue Leaves.

Before finding success in television, Mahoney made his film debut in Tin Men and Moonstruck.

In 1993, the actor accepted the role of Martin Crane in NBC’s sitcom Frasier. Throughout his run with the show, Mahoney received two Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe nominations for this role. He remained a regular until Frasier‘s end in 2004.

Mahoney had a prolific career as a voice actor, featuring in several animated films including Antz, Atlantis: The Lost Empire and The Iron Giant.

Eventually, Mahoney took his skill back to the stage starring in the Broadway revival of the play Prelude to a Kiss, Better Late and The Outgoing Tide at the Northlight Theatre in Illinois.

Throughout his life, Mahoney traveled to and from Los Angles and New York for various work projects but remained loyal to his home in Oak Park, Illinois.

“It is quiet here,” he said. “I get bored out of my mind in L.A. It’s such an industry town. Here I have old friends who aren’t in the business. I can walk to all sorts of good places where the waiters and waitresses don’t want me to read their screenplays.”

Mahoney was never married and did not have any children.

TMZ first reported the news.

Mickey Jones, whose bearded, grizzled face added texture to scores of shows from The Rockford Files to Justified and dozens of films including Sling Blade and National Lampoon’s Vacation and whose drumming still beats away on oldies radio, died today following a lengthy illness. He was 76.

His death was confirmed to Deadline by his rep Cherry Hepburn.

Although he’ll most likely be recognized from his appearances in National Lampoon’s Vacation, Sling Blade and, to sitcom fans, Flo, Jones got his start in show business seated at a drum kit, playing for 1960s hitmakers including Trini Lopez (“If I Had a Hammer”), Johnny Rivers (“Secret Agent Man”) and Kenny Rogers and the First Edition (“Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town” and “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)”.

Jones even toured with Bob Dylan, drumming during the now-legendary 1966 performance at the Manchester Free Trade Hall when a newly electric Dylan was chastised as “Judas!” by an audience member.

During his tenure with the First Edition, Jones appeared on the early 1970s variety show Rollin’ on the River, giving him a first taste of the TV career that would span decades. His role on Flo, a spinoff of Alice that aired from 1980-81 on CBS, was followed by V, M*A*S*H, Home Improvement (he recurred as Pete Bilker), Baywatch, Entourage, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Workaholics — a small sampling of his TV credits.

Typically cast as a biker, hippie or blue-collar worker, Jones as recently as 2015 recurredon FX’s Justified as pot dealer Hot Rod Dunham.

Movie appearances included roles in Sling Blade, Tin Cup, Total Recall and The Last Best Sunday — again, among many others.

In a 2009 Houston Chronicle profile, Jones, sitting at the Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank that he’d frequented since 1960, explained his acting approach. “I’m not a method actor,” he said. “When somebody says ‘action,’ I can turn it on, and when they ‘cut,’ I turn it back off.”

Billy Bob Thornton, Jones’ friend and Sling Blade co-star, said then: “There’s no pretense to him and none in his acting, but he can do it all. He can do anything, from a kid’s enthusiasm to something real mean.”

Information on survivors and memorial plans was not immediately available.

Tyger wrote:He used to pop up in all kinds of stuff and was always a highlight, that's sad

Never knew he was a musician, even sadder

Reg E. Cathey, 'House of Cards' and 'The Wire' actor, dies at 59

Reg E. Cathey, the eloquent Emmy-winning actor from House of Cards who also was known for his excellent work on The Wire, has died. He was 59. No details of his death were immediately available.

In 2015, Cathey won his Emmy for his portrayal of Freddy Hayes, the owner of a BBQ joint who ends up with a job in the White House, on Netflix's House of Cards in a stretch of three straight years with a nomination. Simon reported Cathey's death on Twitter.

On David Simon's acclaimed drama The Wire, Cathey stood out as newspaperman turned Baltimore politician Norman Wilson, and on another acclaimed HBO series, Tom Fontana's Oz, he was unit manager and warden Martin Querns.

Most recently, Cathey was seen as Chief Byron Giles on Robert Kirkman's Cinemax series Outcast and was in HBO's The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

Known for his commanding baritone voice, Cathey also portrayed Dr. Franklin Storm in the 2015 reboot of The Fantastic Four, and he appeared in other films like Born on the Fourth of July (1989), What About Bob? (1991), Clear and Present Danger (1994), Seven (1995), Tank Girl (1995), American Psycho (2000) and Pootie Tang (2001).

On TV, his credits include the Simon miniseries The Corner, in which he played a drug addict; Star Trek: The Next Generation; Fontana's Homicide: Life on the Street; and Grimm.

A native of Huntsville, Alabama, Cathey spent time as a child with his family in Germany, then graduated from J.O. Johnson High School in Huntsville and studied theater at the University of Michigan and the Yale School of Drama.

In a 2016 interview with The Guardian, Cathey said his career took off after the 44th U.S. president was elected.

"What I did notice is that Barack Obama becomes president and suddenly black people who are well-spoken are working more," he said. "This new market for the well-spoken black actor is all due to Obama. He got inaugurated, and I started working like a fiend — hired by the same people who would previously ask: 'Have you always spoken like that?' It's like, you know what, motherfuckers, yes, I have."

R. Lee Ermey, ‘Full Metal Jacket’ star, dead at 74

R. Lee Ermey, the tough-talking Marine Corps sergeant turned actor best known for his role as a foul-mouthed Vietnam-era drill instructor in “Full Metal Jacket,” died Sunday from complications of pneumonia. He was 74.

“He will be greatly missed by all of us,” his longtime manager, Bill Rogin, said in a statement. “Semper Fi, Gunny. Godspeed.”

Ermey, who often played military or police roles in film and television, grew up in Toppenish, Wash., and enlisted in the Marines at just 17 after his second arrest for criminal mischief.

A staff sergeant who also served as a drill instructor, he spent 14 months in Vietnam beginning in 1968 and was given a medical discharge in 1972.

While studying at the University of Manila in the Philippines, Ermey was cast in a small role as a chopper pilot in the 1979 Vietnam War epic “Apocalypse Now,” where he also served as a technical adviser to director Francis Ford Coppola.

But Stanley Kubrick was the first to see Ermey’s true on-screen potential. After being hired as a technical adviser for 1987’s “Full Metal Jacket,” Ermey was given the memorable role of crusty, no-nonsense Gunnery Sergeant Hartman after he showed Kubrick he was a natural at yelling at recruits.

“I'd say 50% of Lee’s dialogue, specifically the insult stuff, came from Lee,” Kubrick told Rolling Stone in 1987.

“We lined (the actors) up and did an improvisation of the first meeting with the drill instructor. They didn’t know what he was going to say, and we could see how they reacted. Lee came up with, I don’t know, 150 pages of insults.”

The role, which earned Ermey a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actor, kickstarted a long career that included nearly 60 movies, including “Mississippi Burning,” “Se7en” and “Leaving Las Vegas.”

He was also the voice of the plastic soldiers’ leader in the animated “Toy Story.”

In 2015, Ermey hosted the Outdoor Channel’s “Gunny Time,” a series about military weapons of the past, present and future.

Thirty years after leaving the Marine Corps, Ermey received an honorary promotion to gunnery sergeant for his continued support of the U.S. military.

Vincent D'Onofrio, who played Gomer Pyle in "Full Metal Jacket," mourned his co-star's death on Twitter.

"Ermey was the real deal. The knowledge of him passing brings back wonderful memories of our time together," he wrote.

joey con carne wrote:I remember him from Full Metal Jacket and I could have sworn he was in some Rob Zombie movies. I was thinking House of 1,000 Corpses or The Devil's Rejects but I am wrong.

joey con carne wrote:Yes, that's it. Good stuff, Wylde. I was scratching my head earlier. I was wrong but at least I know I'm not crazy.... or am I???

Verne Troyer Dead at 49

Verne Troyer -- best known for playing Mini-Me in the 'Austin Powers' comedies, and for being one of the shortest men in the world -- has died.

Verne died Saturday, according to a statement from his family. We'd been told he was on some form of life support since being taken to the hospital earlier this month after cops got a report he was drunk and suicidal, and was treated for possible alcohol poisoning.

Verne's family says during the recent adversity, "he was baptized while surrounded by his family."

He also struggled with alcoholism for years and had been to rehab many times.

Troyer was born with the genetic disorder known as achondroplasia dwarfism, but said growing up on a farm in Michigan he was never treated differently by his parents than his average-sized siblings.

Verne began his Hollywood career in 1994 as a stunt double for Baby Bink in the film "Baby's Day Out." He then landed small roles in "Men in Black" and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" ... before making it big as Mini-Me in 1999's "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me."

He continued to land bit roles in comedies and appeared on many popular reality shows over the years ... like "Celebrity Juice," "Celebrity Wife Swap," and "The Surreal Life."

Verne was 49.

Margot Kidder, the actress best known for playing Lois Lane opposite Christopher Reeve in the original “Superman” films, has died. She was 69.

The actress died in her sleep at her home on Sunday in Livingston, Montana, her publicist Camilla Fluxman Pines confirmed to Variety.

Born Oct. 17 in Canada, Kidder got her start in low-budget Canadian films and TV shows before landing a role in 1970’s “Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx” opposite Gene Wilder. She later appeared in “1973’s “Sisters,” “The Great Waldo Pepper” with Robert Redford, and 1979’s “The Amityville Horror.”

She rose to prominence as Lois Lane in 1978’s “Superman” and its three sequels.

Kidder, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, suffered some career setbacks after a public nervous breakdown in 1996. She had guest roles on “Smallville,” “Brothers & Sisters,” and “The L Word” in the 2000s. Kidder also acted on stage, including Broadway’s 2002 production of “The Vagina Monologues.”

Kidder became a U.S. citizen on in 2005 and lived in Montana until her death. With her citizenship, Kidder was an activist and challenged the Iraq War. She was arrested at the White House in 2011 during a protest against the construction of an oil pipeline from Alberta to Texas.

She won an Emmy Award in 2015 for performer in children’s programming for the children’s TV show “R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour.”

Kidder was married and divorced three times. She only had a child with her first husband, novelist Thomas McGuane. Her daughter, Maggie, was born in 1976. Kidder wed actor John Heard in 1979 for six days. She later was married to French director Philippe de Broca from 1983 to 1984. Kidder has two grandchildren.

Jackson Odell, who was best known for his role as Ari Caldwell in ABC’s “The Goldbergs,” has died. He was 20.

Odell was found unresponsive in his Tarzana residence in San Fernando Valley June 8, the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office confirmed to Variety. The cause of death has not been released, pending an autopsy. No foul play is suspected.

In addition to his role as Ari in Seasons 1 and 2 of “The Goldbergs,” Odell had credits on “The Fosters,” “Modern Family,” and “iCarly.” He also starred in the 2011 film “Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer” with Heather Graham. He had been involved in show business from the age of 12.

Odell was also a singer-songwriter, and penned original songs for the soundtrack of the 2018 romantic drama film “Forever My Girl,” including “Wings of an Angel,” which “American Idol” contestant Lauren Alaina sang for the film. “Forever My Girl” starred Alex Roe and Jessica Rothe, with Roe as a country singer who sets out to win back the woman he left at the altar years before.

Odell sang several covers and original songs, which he posted to his YouTube channel, including one of “Dreaming with a Broken Heart” by John Mayer, which has over 16,000 views.

Vinnie Paul, Co-Founder of Metal Band Pantera, Dies at 54

Vinnie Paul, the legendary drummer and co-founder of Texas metal band Pantera, has died at the age of 54. The cause of death has not been made public as of this writing.

Billboard first reported the news, later confirmed on Pantera’s official Facebook page.

In 1981, Paul, along with his brother Dimebag Darrell, founded Pantera in Arlington, Texas, and the group became one of the most influential metal bands of their time. Powered by Darrell’s riffs, singer Phil Anselmo’s vocals and Paul’s versatile grooves , the group were nominated for four Grammys before breaking up in 2003. Pantera had nine albums land in the Billboard Top 200, including 1994’s “Far Beyond Driven,” which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart.

After Pantera, Paul and Darrell formed Damageplan, before Darrell was killed on stage at a show in Columbus, Ohio, in December 2004. Damageplan disbanded shortly thereafter.

Born Vincent Paul Abbott, the drummer was currently a member of the metal supergroup Hellyeah with vocalist Chad Gray and guitarist Greg Tribbett from Mudvayne, guitarist Tom Maxwell from Nothingface, and bassist Bob Zilla. The group last released an album in 2016. It was formed after Paul returned from an 18-month hiatus following his brother’s death. Hellyeah had several dates planned for later this year, including appearances at Bud Light River City Rockfest 2018 in San Antonio, Louder Than Life 2018 in Louisville and Monster Energy’s Aftershock 2018 in Sacramento.

joey con carne wrote:WWE had a small tribute for The Anvil last night. Reading your article is the first I have read about how he passed away.

joey con carne wrote:It's all the fake bumps, fake chair shots, fake suplexes, fake body slams, etc.

Fucks up their brains. Too many concussions and what not.

We all love watching this shit (except Abe) but we don't ever see what is happening with the performers when the cameras are off except when we find out they killed someone, themselves, or just died.