celebrity deaths

Like his co-star Gary Coleman before him, Conrad Bain, one of TV's most beloved icons, has sadly passed on. The long-time star of legendary TV sitcom 'Diff'rent Strokes' is reported to have died this week of unknown causes at the age of 89. No details of Bain's death have been released to the public as of yet.

Claude Nobs, the founder and general manager of the Montreux Jazz Festival, has died. "Funky" Claude Nobs passed away yesterday (Jan. 10) after sustaining injuries during a cross-country skiiing accident on Christmas Eve.

Stuntman turned director David R. Ellis has passed away at the age of 60. He was prepping his next movie when he died suddenly of unknown causes. Though Ellis would never be considered an auteur, his no-nonsense approach and eye for good schlock made him one of the best B-movie directors in the business.

Norman Schwarzkopf, the retired American general who led coalition forces in the 1991 Gulf War, died of pneumonia Thursday in Tampa, Florida at the age of 78, the Associated Press reports.

Charles Durning, one of the great character actors of the modern era, has passed away at the age of 89 from natural causes. If the name doesn't ring a bell, his work should as he's been a reliable supporting player in cinema and television for decades.

Any rock fan worth his or her salt is aware of the "live fast, die young" mythology surrounding the music -- and lord knows we've all seen more than enough musicians succumb to the stereotype. But a new study suggests the phenomenon might be far more widespread than previously believed.

The music world is mourning the death of legendary A&M Records executive Gil Friesen (pictured at left in the above photo), who along with Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, helped grow the record label into a major player in the music industry. Friesen passed away Thursday (Dec. 13) at his Los Angeles home at the age of 75.

Ken Regan was on the sidelines to watch some of the most iconic sporting and rock 'n' roll events of the last 40 years. In addition to extensive coverage of the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, Regan covered several Olympics and Super Bowls before his death on Sunday (Nov. 25). His daughter Suzanne Regan says the cause of death was cancer.

Chris Stamp, who co-managed the Who during their rise to rock stardom and released the Jimi Hendrix Experience's first single and album via his Track Records label, has died of cancer at age 70.

One of television's longest working actors and most memorable villains has died.

Alex Karras, former NFL player, star of the television series 'Webster' and Mongo in the Mel Brooks classic 'Blazing Saddles' has passed away at the age of 77.

He may not have been a household name, but Howard H. Scott had a lot to do with the way several generations of music fans experienced the work of their favorite artists -- and he helped revolutionize the record industry along the way.