DC Madam Commits Suicide

Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the so-called "DC Madam" has (apparently) killed herself. Police were called to the home of DC Madam Deborah Jeane Palfrey's mother on Thursday to investigate her apparent suicide. Police have confirmed that the dead person is Palfrey who was 52. Palfrey was dubbed "The DC Madam" by the national media after her arrest for allegedly running an upscale ...

Albert Hoffman, LSD Inventor, Dies at 102

Albert Hofmann, who accidentally invented the most popular hallucinogenic drug ever, has died. Albert Hofmann, the father of the mind-altering drug LSD whose medical discovery inspired — and arguably corrupted — millions in the 1960s hippie generation, has died. He was 102. Hofmann died Tuesday at his home in Burg im Leimental, said Doris Stuker, a municipal clerk in the ...

Son of Dutch Defense Chief Killed in Afghanistan

Lt. Dennis van Uhm, the son of Holland's top general, was killed today in Afghanistan. The son of the Dutch defense chief was killed Friday by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, and the Taliban claimed they deliberately made the young lieutenant a high-profile target. While the Dutch quickly cast doubt on the Taliban claim, the death underscores the danger high-profile ...

Edward Lorenz, Father of Chaos Theory, Dies

Edward Lorenz has died, thus conforming to a recurring pattern. Edward Lorenz, a meteorologist who became the father of the modern field of chaos theory, died Wednesday of cancer in Massachusetts aged 90, MIT announced Thursday. A professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Lorenz was the first to identify chaotic behavior in the mathematical modeling of weather systems, in ...

London Subway Bomber Dead in Pakistan

Abu Ubaida al-Masri, the planner of the 7/7/05 London subway bombing and various other al Qaeda operations has been confirmed dead. No word on whether he was the #2 or #3 ranked man in al Qaeda. Abu Ubaida al-Masri, one of Al Qaeda's top operatives and the mastermind behind a plot to use liquid explosives to blow British ...

Charlton Heston Dead at 84

Hollywood legend and longtime NRA spokesman Charlton Heston had died after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. Robert W. Welkos and Susan King for the LAT: Charlton Heston, the Oscar-winning actor who achieved stardom playing larger-than-life figures including Moses, Michelangelo and Andrew Jackson and went on to become an unapologetic gun advocate and darling of conservative causes, has died. He was ...

Keith Maupin’s Remains Identified

The body of Staff Sergeant Keith Maupin, the American soldier who was captured and murdered nearly four years ago, has finally been officially identified. Sgt. Keith Matthew Maupin's parents vowed to never let the U.S. Army forget about finding their son. Their efforts included trips to the Pentagon and even meeting with President Bush, but they ended in disappointment Sunday: ...

Ivan Dixon Dead at 76

Ivan Dixon, best known for his role as Sergeant James Kinchloe on "Hogan's Heroes," died Sunday. Actor Ivan Dixon, who brought the problems and promise of contemporary blacks to life in the film "Nothing But a Man" and portrayed the levelheaded POW Kinchloe in TV's "Hogan's Heroes," has died. He was 76. Dixon died Sunday at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte ...

William F. Buckley, Jr., RIP

Kathryn Jean Lopez has the sad news that "William F. Buckley Jr., died overnight in his study in Stamford, Connecticut. After year of illness, he died while at work." Sad news, indeed. More from AP: Author and conservative commentator William F. Buckley Jr. has died at age 82. His assistant Linda Bridges says Buckley died Wednesday morning at his home in Stamford, Conn. ...

Tom Lantos Dies at 80

Congressman Tom Lantos died this morning at the age of 80. Rep. Tom Lantos, who as a teenager twice escaped from a Nazi-run forced labor camp in Hungary and became the only Holocaust survivor to win a seat in Congress, has died. He was 80. Spokeswoman Lynne Weil said Lantos, a Californian, died early Monday at the Bethesda Naval Medical Center ...

Mormon President Gordon Hinckley Dies

Gordon B. Hinckley, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died Sunday of complications arising from old age, according to a church spokesman. He was 97. By tradition, at a church president's death, the church's most senior apostle is ordained within days on a unanimous vote of the Council of the Twelve Apostles. The most long-serving apostle ...

Actor Heath Ledger Dead at 28

Australian movie actor Heath Ledger is reported to have died: NEW YORK (CBS) ― Heath Ledger, who was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in the critically-acclaimed movie Brokeback Mountain, has died, sources tell CBS 2. The Australian-born actor was just 28. He was pronounced dead at 3:26 p.m. in his downtown Manhattan residence by his housekeeper, who discovered him ...

Suzanne Pleshette Dies, Aged 70

Suzanne Pleshette has died. Suzanne Pleshette, the husky-voiced star best known for her role as Bob Newhart's sardonic wife on television's long-running "The Bob Newhart Show," has died at age 70. Pleshette, whose career included roles in such films as Hitchcock's "The Birds" and in Broadway plays including "The Miracle Worker," died of respiratory failure Saturday evening at her Los Angeles ...

Andrew Olmsted Killed in Iraq

Major Andrew Olmsted, a longtime blogger and Army Reservist, was killed in action yesterday when his unit was ambushed. His Obsidian Wings colleague Hilzoy had the sad honor of posting his final blog missive. Her lead-in: Andrew Olmsted, who also posted here as G'Kar, was killed yesterday in Iraq. Andy gave me a post to publish in the event ...

Dan Fogelberg Dead at 56

Dan Fogelberg has died after a long battle with prostate cancer. He was only 56. Here's a video of Fogelberg performing his signature hit, "Same Auld Lang Syne," along with a voiceover reflecting on its impact: