andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

Reality star Kandi Burruss of Real Housewives of Atlanta’s fiance, Ashley “A.J.” Jewell, died Saturday morning after suffering head injuries in a fight outside a strip club in Atlanta, reports E! News.

“I am devastated by the loss of A.J.,” said Burruss. “His death comes on the heels of the death of my beloved Uncle Ralph and with both of them gone, my heart is heavy with grief. I had spoken to A.J. two hours before I got the call that he was in the hospital. Never in a thousand years did I think it was going to be the last time I heard his voice. He was taken way too soon. There are so many things that I should have said to him, wanted to say to him, but now it’s too late.”

Jewell, who was a regular on the Bravo series, leaves behind six children.

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In a year littered with celebrity passings, one more soul was added to the list today as Houston-born actor Patrick Swayze died- after a nearly two year battle with pancreatic cancer.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the 57-year-old Dirty Dancing star passed away with family at his side.

“Patrick Swayze passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months,” said a statement released Monday evening in Los Angeles by his publicist, Annett Wolf. No other details were given.

Swayze first came forward about his diagnosis in spring 2008, but decided to undergo treatments at the Stanford University Medical Center and still continue working at the same time-most recently on A&E’s now cancelled series The Beast. The actor was told he had Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm (IPMN), a rare stage IV pancreatic cancer.

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Writer Larry Gelbart, best known as one of the key creative forces behind groundbreaking TV series M*A*S*H, died today at the age of 81.

According the Entertainment Weekly, his wife, Pat Gelbart, said he died of cancer at his home in Beverly Hills. Hailing from Chicago, the writer/director/producer’s work spanned radio, television, film and theatre. Producer-director Gene Reynolds hired him to write the pilot script for M*A*S*H (based on Richard Hooker’s 1968 novel). Gelbart served as executive script consultant and executive producer of the Emmy-winning Korean War sitcom from 1972-76, and also made a contribution by directing several episodes. He also worked and assisted with After M*A*S*H in the 1980’s.

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DJ AM, also known as Adam Goldstein, was found dead in his NYC apartment earlier today, according to TMZ. Early reports say that drug paraphernalia was found around his body when he was discovered. Last year, Goldstein and Travis Barker survived a plane crash that killed four others on board.

Once the news broke about his death, Shanna Moakler tweeted “My deepest condolences for DJ AM, you were a great artist and will be severely missed. My thoughts and Prayers to his family and friends.”

Story developing…

Fugitive Ryan Jenkins was found hanged in a hotel in Hope, B.C. early this morning, according to CBC News. Jenkins, a former reality-TV contestant on Megan Wants a Millionaire, was on the run from murder charges for killing his ex-wife swimsuit model Jasmine Fiore in the United States earlier this month.

Fiore’s mutilated body was found stuffed in a garbage bin in a park outside Los Angeles on Aug. 15 and was only identifiable by serial numbers on her breast implants.

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Celebrity website TMZ has reported that pop-icon Michael Jackson has died at the age of fifty. Jackson was rushed to the hospital earlier in the afternoon due to cardiac arrest, and has sadly passed away. Michael is survived by three children. andPOP will keep updating as the story unfolds.

Ron Asheton, a founding member of the American rock band “The Stooges” was found dead Tuesday at his home. Asheton was 60.

After not being able to get in touch with Asheton for many days, an acquaintance decided to call the police. According to authorities, the guitarist died of a natural cause.

Asheton strummed many songs including “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” “TV Eye” and “Search and Destroy” and in 2003, Rolling Stones ranked him 29th on their best guitarist of all time list.

The Stooges released a written statement that read, “For all that knew him behind the facade of Mr. Cool & Quirky, he was a kind-hearted, genuine, warm person who always believed that people meant well even if they did not. As a musician Ron was The Guitar God, idol to follow and inspire others. That is how he will be remembered by people who had a great pleasure to work with him, learn from him and share good and bad times with him.”

Tinseltown lost a bit of historic sparkle last night, as Oscar winning actor Paul Newman, died in his home at the age of 83 years old, due to cancer, said a spokesperson from CNN.

Newman, who starred in a variety of popular pieces such as “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”, “Exodus”, “Cool Hand Luke”, “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”, “The Sting” and “The Color of Money” was also well known for his heavy involvement as a philanthropist and received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 1994 Oscars.

His food company, “Newman’s Own”, donated all of the company’s after taxes profits to charity, which at the time of his death, is estimated to be more than $200 million over 15 years. Newman was also an avid supporter for “Hole in the Wall Gang Camp”, which he founded with author A.E. Hotchner in 1988. The camp provides camping experiences free-of-charge for children suffering from cancer and other serious illnesses and helps to support their families.

Born January 26th, 1925, Newman’s career as an actor began with a small role in the Pulitzer Prize winning Broadway play “Picnic”. However, it wasn’t until the mid-1950’s, after moving to Hollywood from Shaker Heights, Ohio, when he started to land star roles in movies such as his claim to fame, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” (1958).

A slew of classic films would follow in the next decade such as “Sweet Bird of Youth,” “Hud,” and “Cool Hand Luke.”

“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “The Sting”, another pair the actor’s prime time performances, would be two films which were among the highest grossing of the era.

However, after 20 years in the industry and receiving seven Oscar nominations, the actor finally claimed his overdue little gold man in 1986 as Best Actor for his portrayal of “Fast” Eddie Felson in “The Color of Money”.

Newman would go on to rank a total of 10 Oscar nominations throughout his career.

Thomas Doerflein, the zookeeper who raised Knut the polar bear, was found dead in his Berlin apartment on Monday. He was 44 years old.

According to the Boston Herald, Deerflies “was dead when authorities arrived at the apartment and that they had no information on the cause of death.”

Doerflein lived with his girlfriend and her young son, and had two grown children of his own.

After hand-rearing Knut, Doerflein was awarded a medal of merit for his service to Berlin. He had worked for the Berlin Zoo for more than 25 years.

Legendary comedian George Carlin died Sunday at the age of 71, just one week after his last performance.

His publicist told CTV.ca that Carlin went to the hospital that morning because he was experiencing chest pain, and died last that afternoon due to heart failure.

Carlin has had two heart attacks previously, and a history of drug dependency.

Though he was known for his crude humour, his publicist told CTV Newsnet that “the George Carlin I really knew was a very quiet person. He certainly wasn’t ranting or screaming about religion and language and politics. He was a very quiet, introspective man.”

It was announced on June 17 that Carlin had won the 11th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humour.