Spring Break
Fans heartbroken over celebrity deaths
Sean Smith
Issue date: 7/3/09 Section: News
|
Ed McMahon, the longtime pitchman and Johnny Carson sidekick whose "Heeeeeeere's Johnny!" became an extremely popular catchphrase, died last Tuesday. McMahon passed away peacefully shortly after midnight at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, his publicist, Howard Bragman, said Tuesday McMahon, 86, was hospitalized in February with pneumonia and other medical problems.
Farrah Fawcett, the actress whose best-selling poster and "Charlie's Angels" stardom made her one of the most famous faces in the world, died Thursday. She was 62.
Fawcett, who checked into a hospital in early April, had been battling anal cancer on and off for three years.
Entertainer Michael Jackson died after being taken to a hospital on Thursday having suffered cardiac arrest, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner's office.
Paramedics took Jackson, 50, from his west Los Angeles home Thursday afternoon to UCLA Medical Center, where a team of physicians attempted to resuscitate him for more than an hour, said brother Jermaine Jackson. He said the famed singer was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m. PT.
Cause of death has not been determined, raising the question of what could possibly have caused his cardiac arrest. There are pending toxicology reports out which will determine whether or not prescription drugs were involved in his death.
Michael Jackson, the music icon from Gary, Indiana, was known as the "King of Pop." Jackson had many No. 1 hits, and his "Thriller" is the best-selling album of all time, selling over 100 million copies.
Since his death last week, Jackson's music has seen an resurgence of popularity. Jackson's "Number Ones," "The Essential Michael Jackson" and "Thriller" have each sold over 100,000 copies since Thursday. Jackson's albums also hold the top nine positions on the Billboards "Top Pop Catalog Albums."
Jackson was the seventh of nine children from a well-known musical family. He is survived by three children, Prince Michael I, Paris and Prince Michael II.
Infomercial pitchman Billy Mays died at his Tampa, Fla. home Sunday morning.
Mays was a spokesman for Orange Glo and detergent OxiClean and appeared in commercials for other products.
He is featured on the reality TV show "Pitchmen" on the Discovery Channel, which follows pitch people in their jobs.
Be the first to comment on this story