Last Dance … Donna Summer, The Queen of Disco Has Died at the Age of 63 from Cancer

The death of a music icon …

Donna Summer, the Queen of Disco has passed away at the age of 63. She passed away at her home in Naples, Florida after a long battle with cancer. How very sad, for those of you old enough to remember vinyl records and 8-track tapes, Donna Summer was the diva of diva’s of the 1970′s music era and the undisputed Queen of Disco. Donna Summer then went on to have a career beyond disco and had such 80′s hits as with “She Works Hard for the Money” and “This Time I Know It’s for Real.” TMZ is reporting that Donna Summer died of lung cancer which she and her family kept very secret and private.

We’re told Summer was in Florida at the time of her death. She was 63 years old.

Sources close to Summer tell us … the singer was trying to keep the extent of her illness under wraps. We spoke to someone who was with Summer a couple of weeks ago … who says she didn’t seem too bad.

In fact, we’re told she was focused on trying to finish up an album she had been working on.

 Donna Summer: 1948 – 2012 … Rest in Peace

From the LA Times, much more on the life and times of Donna Summer.

An early fan of gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, Summer sang in a psychedelic rock band called Crow in the late 1960s. She left home for New York City at 18 and quickly landed a role in a touring production of the Broadway show “Hair.”

She spent the next three years living and touring in Europe. While there she met and married singer Helmuth Sommer, and took a variation of his last name as her stage name. In Europe she also met Moroder, whose early dance tracks were making an impact there.

“Love to Love You Baby” was their first hit together. A shortened version of it that was released in 1975 by Casablanca, then a hot label, peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard singles chart.

Donna Summer’s family released a statement:

Her family released the following statement Thursday: “Early this morning, surrounded by family, we lost Donna Summer Sudano, a woman of many gifts, the greatest being her faith. While we grieve her passing, we are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy. Words truly can’t express how much we appreciate your prayers and love for our family at this sensitive time.”

MTV Interview: Donna Summer Calls Singing ‘The Greatest Gift’ In 1989 … ‘Sometimes you can’t communicate in words, but in a song, you can.

“Music is part of my life. For my judgment, music is the greatest of all the gifts,” Summer told MTV News’ John Norris in a rare 1989 interview. “The voice — not my voice, but the voice — to me is the greatest gift. Having a voice. You need no other instrument, all you have to do is sing. Open your mouth, and it’s there.”‘

She will be laid to rest in Nashville, TN.

Daily Commentary – Wednesday, May 16, 2012 – Post Show Review of Denise Brown’s Book

• Recommended reading…“If Our Kitchen Table Could Talk” by Denise Brown

Beach Boys Singer Bruce Johnson: “If Obama is reelected, we’re f**ked!… He’s a socialist a**hole.” (VIDEO)

Some not-so “Good Vibrations” from Beach Boys singer Bruce Johnson toward President Barack Obama … Appears that there is a trend of folks fed up with Obama.

Beach Boys singer Bruce Johnson had some interesting comments yesterday while signing autographs and taking pics with fans in NYC. The conversation went from ‘California Girls’, ‘Catch a Wave’ and ‘Help Me Rhonda’ to ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’ to not have Barack Obama as President and he lost in the 2012 Presidential election.  The Beach Boys singer went on to say …  “If Obama is reelected, we’re f**ked!… He’s a socialist a**hole.”

WOW, as the Gateway Pundit said, don’t hold back dude, don’t beat around the bush.

From TMZ:

“Obama’s an a**hole, “Johnston says … adding, “Unless you’re interested in never having any money and being socialized.”

But Johnston was an equal opportunity disser — saying, “And who’s the Republican a**hole?”

“Our guy isn’t any good.”

He continued, “You got Reagan and Tip O’Neill … those are the last two good guys.”

“Wait ’til Obama doesnt have to try anymore,” Bruce added … “you’re f**ked.”

Interestingly enough, this comes on the foot heals of uber lib and former SNL cast member Jon Lovitz ripped Barack Obama calling him a “F*cking A**hole”. Of course there was also Bill Clinton who called Obama incompetent and an amateur.

George Lindsey, Actor Best Known as Goober on ‘The Andy Griffith Show,’ dies in Tennessee at Age 83

George Lindsey, best known for playing “Goober Pyle” on ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ and ‘Hee-Haw’ has died in Tennessee at the age of 83. Lindsey died in Nashhville, TN at 12:05 a.m. Sunday after an extended hospitalization. Lindsey was born in Fairfield, AL, Dec. 17, 1928, to parents George Ross Lindsey and Alice Smith Lindsey, and grew up in Jasper, AL. He received a bachelor of science degree from Florence State Teachers College (now the University of North Alabama) in 1952 after majoring in physical education and biology and playing quarterback on the football team. Goober moved to Hollywood in the early 1960s and then to Nashville, Tennessee in the early 1990s.

Rest in Peace: George Lindsey (December 17, 1928 – May 6, 2012)

A press release from Marshall-Donnelly-Combs Funeral Home in Nashville said Lindsay died early Sunday morning after a brief illness. Funeral arrangements were still being made.

Lindsey was the beanie-wearing Goober on “The Andy Griffith Show” from 1964 to 1968 and its successor, “Mayberry RFD,” from 1968 to 1971. He played the same jovial character — a service station attendant — on “Hee Haw” from 1971 until it went out of production in 1993.

Acting career of George Lindsey. He had roles in other shows other than The Andy Griffith Show’, like ‘Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.’, ‘Daniel Boone’, ‘The Rifleman’, ‘Mayberry R.F.D.’, ‘Gunsmoke’, ‘Love, American Style’, ‘Fantasy Island’, ‘M*A*S*H’ and my personal cult TV classic show ‘Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea’.

Goober does his imitation of Cary Grant on ‘The Andy Griffith Show’

From The Tennessean, Actor Andy Griffith said in a statement that accompanied the family’s Sunday-morning announcement of Mr. Lindsey’s death:

“George Lindsey was my friend. I had great respect for his talent and his human spirit. In recent years, we spoke often by telephone. Our last conversation was a few days ago. We would talk about our health, how much we missed our friends who passed before us and usually about something funny. I am happy to say that as we found ourselves in our eighties, we were not afraid to say, ‘I love you.’ That was the last thing George and I had to say to each other. ‘I love you.’”

From USA Today:

Lindsey told The Associated Press in 1985 that “America has grown up with me. Goober is every man; everyone finds something to like about ol’ Goober.”

Rapper Adam (MCA) Yauch, Co-Founder of the Beastie Boys Dead at the Age of 47

Adam Yauch, MCA,  co-founder of the vanguard 1980′s rap group the Beastie Boys, has died at the age of 47 after a long battle with cancer. He leaves behind his wife and daughter. What a shame, I truly feel like a piece of my college days has passed as well. The Beastie Boys originally started rapping as a lark with three Jewish white boyz, the rest is music altering history. In 2009, Adam Yauch announced that he’d been diagnosed with cancer. Later that year, Yauch performed at Bonnaroo with the Beastie Boys, in what would turn out to be his last concert.

Many years ago after releasing their album, yes, that would be considered a vinyl record, ‘Licensed to Ill,’ rapper Adam MCA Yauch and the Beastie Boys taught us all … “You Gotta Fight For Your Right, To Party. They were on the ground floor of mainstreaming tap and hop-hop. We all just look back to the 1980′s and admire the simpler time.

Rest in Peace.

Your pop caught you smoking, and he said, “No way!”
That hypocrite smokes two packs a day
Man, living at home is such a drag
Now your mom threw away your best porno mag (Bust it!)

With a scratchy voice that grew scratchier through the years, Mr. Yauch rapped as MCA in the Beastie Boys, who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. They offered many listeners in the 1980s their first exposure to hip-hop. They were vanguard white rappers who helped extend the art of sampling and gained the respect of their African-American peers.

While many hip-hop careers are brief, the Beastie Boys appealed not only to the fans they reached in the 1980s but to successive generations, making million-selling albums into the 2000s. They grew up without losing their sense of humor or their ear for a party beat.

Statement from the Beatie Boys.

“It is with great sadness that we confirm that musician, rapper, activist and director Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch, founding member of Beastie Boys and also of the Milarepa Foundation that produced the Tibetan Freedom Concert benefits, and film production and distribution company Oscilloscope Laboratories, passed away in his native New York City this morning after a near-three-year battle with cancer,” reads an official statement from the Beastie Boys. “He was 47 years old.”

More from the NY Times and the life and times of MCA and the Beastie Boys:

When they started rapping in 1983, the Beastie Boys — Mr. Yauch, Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock) and Mike Diamond (Mike D) — were greeted by some hip-hop purists as a novelty act. They were Jewish bohemians, not ghetto survivors; they were jokers, not battlers. Yet the Beastie Boys recorded for a label that was a bastion of New York hip-hop, Def Jam, and they toured alongside Run-D.M.C. and LL Cool J.

They went on to garner admiration and influence with productions that kept coming up with surprises — including, eventually, the rappers’ playing instruments again — and with rhymes that would mingle humor, boasting and an increasing idealism. Even when the Beastie Boys were treated as a joke, it was a joke they would be in on for decades to come.

Adam Nathaniel Yauch was born on Aug. 5, 1964, in Brooklyn. Playing bass, he and Mr. Diamond started the Beastie Boys in 1981 as a hard-core punk band. The group’s original drummer, Kate Schellenbach, has said, “Whereas other bands, just as awful as the Beastie Boys, would actually believe they were good, for Mike and Adam the whole point was to be terrible and admit it.”

Mr. Yauch once said that the Beasties had started rapping as a joke, but found that audiences liked it better than their punk-rock. Mr. Rubin, then a student at New York University, joined the group as a disc jockey. He also brought them to the attention of Russell Simmons, the manager of Run-D.M.C. and other leading hip-hop acts of the era. He added the Beasties to his roster.

When Mr. Rubin and Mr. Simmons started Def Jam, the Beastie Boys were one of the label’s first signings: catalog number DJ 002, in 1984, was the Beastie Boys’ single “Rock Hard.” The Beastie Boys toured with Madonna in 1985, to the confusion of pop audiences.

American Band Stand & New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’s Dick Clark Dead at the Age of 82 … Rest in Peace

It is the death of an American icon … TV legend Dick Clark, the world’s oldest teenager dead at the age of 82.

It is truly a sad day as a piece of my childhood died today as Dick Clark passed away at the age of 82. According to reports, Dick Clark passed away from a massive heart attack at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, CA. The man was a part of millions of people’s homes. The oldest teenager has passed … Dick Clark will be missed.

Who didn’t grow up with Dick Clark ringing in the New Year with “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve? I can remember the very first one transitioning from Guy Lombardo to a more hip way to ring in the New Year. I cannot remember a year that Dick Clark was not a part of my New Year’s except in 2004, when Clark suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed and struggling to speak. I have to admit that the following year when a speech impaired Dick Clark counted down 2005, several tears came rolled down my face as Mr. Clark struggled through the countdown that had been the trademark of his career.

Dick Clark: 1929-2012

VIDEO

Dick Clark, the creator of “American Bandstand” and “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” died Wednesday morning.

He was 82.

Clark suffered a massive heart attack after entering St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica on Tuesday night for an outpatient procedure, his family said in a statement.

Attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.

Clark had suffered a stroke in 2004, which forced him to significantly curtail his hosting of “New Years’ Rockin’ Eve,” a show he created in 1972.

American Bandstand – Dick Clark – 2/12/66

ABC News has more from the life and time of Dick Clark and the New York Times.

Born in Mount Vernon, N.Y., on Nov. 30, 1929, Richard Wagstaff Clark began his lifelong career in show business began before he was even out of high school. He started working in the mailroom of WRUN, a radio station in upstate New York run by his father and uncle. It wasn’t long before the teenager was on the air, filling in for the weatherman and the announcer.

“American Bandstand’s” formula was simple. Clean-cut boys and girls danced to the hottest hits and the newest singles. In between, Clark chatted with the teens, who helped “rate-a-record,” turning songs into sensations. Everyone showed up on “American Bandstand,” from Elvis Presley to Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry to Chubby Checker.

“Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” on ABC became a Dec. 31 tradition, with Clark hosting the festivities for more than three decades, introducing the entertainment acts and, of course, counting down to midnight as the ball dropped in New York’s Times Square.

Dick Clark discusses the genesis of New Year’s Rockin’ Eve

Rest in Peace Dick Clark … you brought so much joy to so many. You will forever be a part of News year’s forever. God Bless.

Former Bee Gee’s Singer Robin Gibb in a Coma in London Hospital After Contracted Pneumonia … Reported in Grave Condition

Say a prayer for Robin Gibb …

Former Bee Gee’s disco icon Robin Gibb is according to reports in a London hospital after contracting pneumonia and slipping into a coma. His family, including wife Dwina, brother Barry, 65, daughter Melissa, 37, and sons Spencer, 39, and Robin-John, 29, were at Gibb’s bedside in a London hospital.  Robin Gibb has been in declining health since 2010 when he had emergency surgery to treat a blocked bowel. Following the surgery Gibb was diagnosed with colon cancer, that  spread to his liver. Last month it was announced that he was in remission from the disease; however, sadly he now lays in a coma reportedly near death.

Say a prayer for Barry Gibb and keep his family in your prayers as he fights to keep “Staying Alive”

The family of former Bee Gee Robin Gibb is keeping vigil at the pop icon’s bedside after he fell into a coma, according to reports.

The singer recently contracted pneumonia, landing him in a private hospital in London.

Gibb’s health declined in 2010 when he had emergency surgery to treat a blocked bowel. Further surgery to treat a twisted bowel was also required.

A message from Robin Gibb’s website:

Sadly the reports are true that Robin has contracted pneumonia and is in a coma. We are all hoping and praying that he will pull through.

Because of this situation, Robin’s website is temporarily unavailable. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Taylor Swift Wins Academy of Country Awards Entertainer of the Year … Her Date 18 Year Old Kevin Maguire Unable to Attend Battling Leukemia

KUDOS to Taylor Swift, not only a great country music talent, but a individual with a heart of gold.

Last night in Las Vegas Taylor Swift won for the second year in a row the  Academy of Country Awards Entertainer of the Year award. It was not all that a surprise that the 22 year old country singing sensation won the award, what was a surprise was Taylor’s shout out to her date that was unable to make the event. Actually, Taylor Swift is a class act, it really should come as no surprise as to how personable,  compassionate  and truly nice that she really is.

 ”Please keep him in your thoughts. I’ll make it up to you, Kevin!”

However, more touching than Taylor Swift winning Entertainer of the Year, this time without the unexpected and shocked look on her face, was Taylor’s comments regarding her ACM date. How often has Miss Swift ever been stood up? One can probably say not many for quite some time. Taylor Swift had asked 18 year old New Jersey boy Kevin McGuire, who is battling cancer, to attend the ACM show after she was unable to attend his prom due to a scheduling conflict. However, Kevin as posted on his Facebook was unable to attend due to a complication of Leukemia treatments. Taylor Swift made sure to make her date part of the show even though he was in the hospital and could not attend.

Kevin McGuire, 18, is a New Jersey teen who scored a date with Taylor Swift to the Academy of Country Music Awards. But McGuire — who is battling cancer — was hospitalized this weekend and couldn’t attend.

But he got a “shout-out” from Swift at Sunday’s show.

“We work hard and we try to give back,” Swift said after receiving the Entertainer of the Year award. “Recently, I have been aware of a different struggle that is going on. My date tonight was supposed to be a high school football player named Kevin McGuire and he is not here. But I promised him I’d give him a shout-out. So Kevin and all your family and friends, thank you for wanting to take me to the ACMs.”

You are a class act Taylor, and the real reason why so many adore you.

LEFTY Roseanne Barr Tweets Address of Zimmerman’s Parents, Then Says She Will Go to Their House … What Was Her Intent?

THE LEFT IS COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTROL …

Roseann Barr TWEETED the address of George Zimmerman’s parents and then sent another TWEET stating that she would go to their home. To do what exactly Roseanne? What is her intent, to stir up violence and fan the flames of the already out of control mob mentality? As stated by Weasel Zippers, Roseanne Barr appears to be picking up where Spike Lee left off. Are these people only going to be happy if someone gets hurt? Just curious, what happens if a crazed lunatic sees the TWEET, goes to the address and kills someone, will Roseanne be held liable?

There come a point and time where people need to act in a responsible manner. However, Tweeting one’s address and then tweeting that you are going to go to their home, what exactly is Roseanne’s intent? To many that is interpreted as a threat.

Just curious, what part about TWITTER rules does Roseanne Barr and the other vigilante loons not get?

“You may not publish or post other people’s private and confidential information, such as credit card numbers, street address or Social Security/National Identity numbers, without their express authorization and permission.”

As reported at The Smoking Gun … The TWITTER Vigilante Crew continues.

The comedian Roseanne Barr last night tweeted the home address of George Zimmerman’s parents to her 110,000-plus Twitter followers, only to delete the posting after “not fully understanding that it was private not public.”

Barr’s posting of the correct Florida address of Robert and Gladys Zimmerman came at the same time Spike Lee was issuing an apology for erroneously disseminating a tweet that purportedly contained the home address of George Zimmerman, who last month killed teenager Trayvon Martin.

Barr, who deleted her tweet in the face of criticism from some Twitter followers, noted that she first thought it “was good to let ppl know that no one can hide anymore.”  That stance quickly changed, with Barr reporting, “But vigilante-ism is what killed Trayvon. I don’t support that.”

But while Barr deleted her original posting, the Zimmermans’s address remains in messages in her Twitter stream. Barr’s original tweet was a retweet of a post by a new Twitter user who appears devoted to disseminating the Zimmermans’s address and phone number, as well as contact information for Joseph Oliver, who has made numerous TV appearances in support of Zimmerman, a friend and former coworker.

Who is really going to be shocked when some one is hurt or killed because of this vigilantism?

Coroner’s Official Autopsy Results on Cause of Death of Whitney Houston … Cocaine “Exacerbated her Heart Condition” & Played a Role in her Accidental Bath Tub Drowning

It has to be the worst kept secret with regards to the death of singer Whitney Houston … according to LA County Coroner Craig Harvey, cocaine did play a role in her death and accidental drowning in the bath tub. Imagine that, who saw that coming? Sadly, we can only add Whitney Houston’s name to a long list of celebrity deaths as a result of drug addition and abuse.

Singer Whitney Houston’s use of cocaine “exacerbated her heart condition” and played a role in her  accidental drowning in the bathtub of a Beverly Hills hotel suite, Los Angeles County Chief Coroner Craig Harvey said.

The long-awaited autopsy results were released Thursday after weeks of intense speculation over how the 48-year-old pop star died. It marks another high-profile Hollywood death connected to drug use, coming less than three years after Michael Jackson died suddenly at his Holmby Hills mansion. Jackson’s death resulted from intoxication involving a powerful sedative, and his doctor was later convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

Adults do not have accidental drowning deaths in bath tubs, such tragic events are usually reserved to children who cannot help themselves. However, if one’s heart gives out or they are so wasted on drugs that they do not even realize they have passed out and drown, that is just simply pathetic. But the question remains, how did she die … we know drugs played a roll, but …

Houston was found submerged in the bathtub of her hotel room on the afternon of Feb. 11 by an assistant. Beverly Hills Fire Department paramedics performed CPR on the singer for about 20 minutes before pronouncing her dead..