Following is a summary of current people news briefs.
Pioneering comedian Phyllis Diller dies at age 95
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Comedian Phyllis Diller, the former
housewife whose raucous cackle and jokes about her own looks
made her one of America’s first female stand-up comedy stars,
died in her sleep on Monday at age 95, her longtime manager
said. Diller was found in her bed at her home in the affluent
Brentwood section of Los Angeles by her son, Perry, who had
come to visit her, manager Milt Suchin said.
Rihanna admits she still loves Chris Brown
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – More than three years after being
beaten up by then-boyfriend Chris Brown, R&B; singer Rihanna has
admitted that she still loves him, calling Brown possibly ”the
love of my life.” The ”Umbrella” singer told Oprah Winfrey in a
television interview broadcast on Sunday that she and Brown,
23, had rebuilt their trust and now had a ”very close
friendship.”
Rosie O’Donnell says ”lucky to be here” after heart attack
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Comedian and talk show host Rosie
O’Donnell said on Monday she suffered a heart attack last week
and had a stent inserted to treat a blocked artery. ”I am lucky
to be here,” O’Donnell, 50, said in a blog entry called ”my
heart attack” on her Rosie.com website.
Trump to play ”surprise” role at Republican convention
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Donald Trump will play a ”surprise”
role when the Republican Party kicks off its national
convention next week in Tampa, Florida, a party official said
on Monday. The real estate mogul and reality-television star is
scheduled to participate in a to-be-revealed fashion on the
first day of the four-day convention, where Republicans are to
formally nominate former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney to
face Democratic President Barack Obama in the November 6
election.
Singer Wynonna Judd cancels concerts in Canada
NEW YORK (Reuters) – American country singer Wynonna Judd
has canceled a series of concerts in Canada next week following
a serious motorcycle crash that injured her husband, the singer
said in a statement on Sunday. Judd’s husband, Michael Scott
Moser, and the singer had been on a ride together on separate
motorcycles in Deadwood, South Dakota, when Moser collided with
an oncoming vehicle and was taken to hospital. Judd was not
involved in the accident.
Gregory Peck’s widow Veronique, an arts supporter, dies at
80
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Veronique Peck, the widow of screen
legend Gregory Peck, has died at age 80 of heart failure at her
home in Los Angeles, a spokesman for her family said on
Saturday. She passed away on Friday, said her representative
Monroe Friedman.
