earsucker

Legendary blues singer Etta James has passed away at the age of 73, according to her manager, Lupe De Leon.

She had a long battle with illness, after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2008, following a terminal cancer diagnosis. She was put under 24-hour care and had been battling cancer throughout 2011. It was then that her manager revealed that she was “in the final stages of leukemia” and was diagnosed with dementia and Hepatitis C.

She was hospitalized in December of 2011 after it was reported that she was having trouble breathing. She was finally released from the hospital on January 5, 2012, but passed away today.

May she rest in peace.

The legendary singer is survived by her husband, Artis, and their two sons, Donto and Sametto. RIP Etta. Your talented voice will surely be missed.

It’s a sad day for us to report the untimely passing of a rap superstar. Unfortunately, we’ve learned that rapper Heavy D has passed away.

TMZ has the scoop:

Rap legend Heavy D — one of the most influential rappers of the ’90s — died earlier today … TMZ has learned.

Heavy D — real name Dwight Arrington Myers — was rushed to an L.A. hospital around noon today … and was pronounced dead at the hospital at 1 PM. He was 44 years old.

Heavy just performed at the BET Awards in October — and appeared to be fine.

So far, the details of his passing are sparse, so stay tuned as we keep our ear to the ground for more information.

Rest in peace, D, your rapping will be missed. Our condolences go out to his family and close friends. RIP.

Update: Reportedly, a call was made to 911 from the rapper’s home in Beverly Hills at 11:25 AM PST to report that an man was unconscious in the walkway. Paramedics arrived to a conscious and talking Dwight, so they took him to a nearby hospital, where he passed away a short time after. Authorities do not suspect foul play and are investigating the death.

Stay tuned for updates as they are made available.

Heavy D’s most popular recording was Now That We Found Love…check it out below:

RIP.

Update: Heavy D’s last message on Twitter was: “BE INSPIRED!”

It’s a sad, sad day, as we’ve learned that Andy Rooney has passed away. Andy was a mainstay at CBS’ show 60 Minutes for almost sixty years.

He passed away yesterday. Andy was most recently hospitalized for serious complications following surgery that he had.

He offered whimsical opinions on things like the cost of groceries, Kurt Cobain’s suicide and politics, among other things.

The show’s executive producer, Jeff Fager, said in a statement, “It’s a sad day for everybody here at CBS News…it’s hard to imagine not having Andy around. He loved his life and he lived it on his own terms. We will miss him very much.”

TMZ has more:

Rooney last appeared on “60 Minutes” on October 2 — in which he marveled at the weight of his new laptop computer … saying, “It weights less than 3 pounds … I lose that much getting mad waiting to get on the plane through security at the airport.”

RIP Andy Rooney (January 14, 1919 – November 4, 2011)

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs has passed away today at the age of 56-years-old.

TMZ has the scoop:

Jobs suffered a number of serious health issues over the years. In 2004, he announced he had a rare — but treatable — form of pancreatic cancer … and had a tumor successfully removed from his pancreas later that year.

TMZ posted a picture of Jobs two days after he resigned as Apple’s CEO in August, clearly showing a deterioration in his health.

In 2009, Jobs received a liver transplant after announcing his “health-related issues were more complex than I thought.”

RIP Steven Paul Jobs (2/24/1955 – 10/5/2011) He will be missed. Stay tuned as more details are released about his passing. RIP.

Update: Our sister site, Tragicomical, reports that Steve passed away peacefully. They also have his family’s official statement.

Former Alice In Chains bassist Mike Starr has passed away!

He passed away in Utah at the young age of only 44. He appeared on the third season of Celebrity Rehab in 2009 and was busted just last month for possession of a controlled substance. Reportedly, he had 6 Xanax pills and 6 painkillers on him when he was arrested.

His father said, “It’s a terrible shock and tragedy.”

May he rest in peace. So sad.

Stay tuned as more details become available….

We here at Earsucker are hearing a lot of reports surrounding the possible death of legend Aretha Franklin….But we’re not believing the hype just yet!

The rumors of her untimely passing started on Twitter, which has users known for causing rumors such as this to get out of hand. We have heard nothing from any credible news organizations, so we’re keeping our eyes peeled for any news surrounding Aretha.

Until then, we’re calling this as a hoax. Stay tuned as we wait for more information to be made available.

R&B singer Teena Marie has passed away, we are sad to report.

She was reported to have died in her sleep last night after her daughter’s birthday. Her manager has confirmed the news, but no other information has been released.

She was found by her daughter. So sad. We send out our most heartfelt condolences to Teena’s family in their time of suffering.

RIP Teena Marie (March 5, 1956 – December 26, 2010).

Today marks the second anniversary of the day that Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff was arrested for bilking people out of billions of dollars. His son Mark, sent his wife two strange emails before hanging himself this morning in his Soho apartment building at 158 Mercer St. The emails said that he loved her and asked for her to send someone over to look after their son.

Page Six reports:

The eldest son of Bernie, Mark was “upset” over the two-year anniversary media coverage of his father’s massive fraud, a source said, noting a front-page story of the scheme and its aftermath in today’s Wall Street Journal.

This is so sad. He was only 46-years-old. See more exclusive photos of the scene outside of the apartment building here.

Famous funnyman Leslie Nielsen has passed away. He was 84-years-old.

So far there aren’t any details surrounding his death, as this story is still developing.

Stay tuned, as we know details, they will be made available!

Update: TMZ reports that Leslie passed away earlier today, surrounded by friends and family:

Legendary funny man Leslie Nielsen died today of complications of pneumonia in a hospital near his home in Fort Lauderdale, this according to his agent. He was 84.

His agent tells TMZ Nielsen passed surrounded by his wife and friends at about 5:34 PM ET.

Our condolences go out to his family and friends.

Tom Bosley, who rose to fame playing the role of Mr. Cunningham on Happy Days, has passed away today. He was said to be battling a staph infection and passed away in his home in Palm Springs, California.

He was 83-years-old.

So sad. I loved him on that show. He will be missed. RIP Tom Bosley (October 1, 1927- October 19, 2010).

Update: His former co-stars, Henry Winkler and Scott Baio have given their kind words about the acting legend.

Henry said, “I saw him before I ever got to Hollywood on Broadway, and he was great. And then I got to act with him for 10 years and he was great. Tom Bosley was our mentor. He was a true artist … a great husband, and a fabulous father and grandfather. He will be sorely missed, but never forgotten.”

Scott Baio added, “He was a good man who taught me a lot about the business and business itself. He was a professional guy … I’m sad.”

May he rest in peace.

Legendary Some Like It Hot actor Tony Curtis has passed away at the age of 85.

He died in his home in Las Vegas yesterday. TMZ reports:

As we previously reported, Tony — who suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease — was hospitalized in July near Las Vegas after suffering breathing problems while making an appearance at a local Costco.

Curtis starred in such classics like “Some Like It Hot” and “Spartacus” — and was nominated for an Oscar for his role in “The Defiant Ones.”

RIP 6/3/1925 – 9/29/2010 He will be missed.