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From the category archives:
R.I.P Others
The Lost Boys actor Corey Haim died of an apparent drugs overdose in Los Angeles yesterday aged 38.
Haim had flulike symptoms before he died and was getting over-the-counter and prescription medications, police said.
“It was an apparent overdose. We found no illicit drugs; however, we did recover four of his prescription meds at the location,” said Los Angeles Police Sgt. Frank Albarran.
Police said there was no evidence of foul play.
Haim was taken by ambulance to the hospital from an apartment in Los Angeles near Burbank. The enormous complex is known as Oakwood and is popular with young actors, police sergeant Michael Kammert said.
Haim acknowledged his struggle with drug abuse to The Sun in 2004, saying: “I was working on Lost Boys when I smoked my first joint. I did cocaine for about a year and a half, then it led to crack.”
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The short film for “Beat It”, choreographed by Michael Peters, helped establish Jackson as an international pop icon. The film was Jackson’s first treatment of black youth and the streets. Both “Beat It” and Thriller are notable for their “mass choreography” of synchronized dancers, a Jackson trademark. The video included around 80 genuine gang members—to add authenticity to the production—and 18 professional dancers. Inspired by the Broadway musical West Side Story, The video’s featured choreography opened up many job opportunities for dancers in the US.
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Article Headline: Michael Peters, a Choreographer Of ‘Dreamgirls,’ Is Dead at 46
Article Date: Published: September 1, 1994
Article Source: nytimes.com
Michael Peters, the Tony Award-winning choreographer and director, died on Monday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 46.
The cause was AIDS, said his publicity agent, Simon Halls.
Mr. Peters shared a Tony with Michael Bennett for their choreography for “Dreamgirls,” the 1981 Broadway musical based on the story of the Supremes, and won two Emmy Awards, for choreographing “Liberty Weekend Closing Ceremonies” and “The Jacksons: An American Dream.” Art of the Video
Mr. Peters was also among the first to establish a name for the choreography of music videos, in the process helping to raise their production values and claims to being serious works of popular culture.
His work with Michael Jackson on the “Beat It” and “Thriller” videos, in which Mr. Peters also danced, was a sophisticated blend of musical theater and pop values. Mr. Peters was also vocal in pressing publicly for more acknowledgement of choreographers in film and began a campaign last year to push for an Oscar for choreography.
Break
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Article Headline: Jackson 5 stars attend slain drummer’s funeral
Article Date: 13/03/2006
Article Source: tourdates
Jackson 5 stars attend slain drummer’s funeral. However, the family’s two biggest stars are absent.
The Jackson 5 clan were in attendance yesterday for the funeral of the band’s former drummer, who was killed in a stabbing earlier this month.
Johnny Jackson Jr – unrelated to the Jackson family – died on March 1st after being reportedly stabbed with a steak knife during an argument with 44-year-old Yolanda Davis, who has been charged over the crime.
Attending yesterday’s service in Gary, Indiana, were Jermaine, Tito, Marlon, Randy and Jackie Jackson. There was a no show, however, from Michael Jackson – currently residing in Bahrain, or his sister Janet – who reportedly footed the bill for the ceremony.
“He was like a brother to all of them,” Jackson family attorney Brian Oxman said to Indiana’s Gary Post Tribune. “He was a part of their youth, and now that is gone.”
“He had a lively way of living and enjoyed every moment,” Randy Jackson added to press. “He made touring fun. There was never a dull moment, with jokes and a lot of laughs.”
The late drummer performed with the Jackson 5 for 15 years, from 1967.
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2002 Atlanta Heroes Awards Presented by The Atlanta Chapter of the Recording Academy
July 18, 2002 – The Westin Peachtree Plaza
Atlanta, GA United States
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Once again, Michael Jackson opened the VMAs. He whipped out a medley of hits “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough” and “Black or White.” On the first song, Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash surprised the crowd when he joined Michael onstage to lay down a few smokin’ riffs. Not content with performing a medley of so many hits, Jackson also laid out full versions of “Dangerous” and “You Are Not Alone.” Not a bad way to kick off the show.
Michael was also a winner that night, sharing three Moonmen with his sister, Janet Jackson. The superstar sibling pair’s “Scream” netted the Best Dance Video, Best Art Direction and Best Choreography awards.
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Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917 – June 15, 1996), also known as “Lady Ella” and the “First Lady of Song,” was an American jazz vocalist. With a vocal range spanning three octaves, she was noted for her purity of tone, phrasing and intonation, and a “horn-like” improvisational ability, particularly in her scat singing. She is widely considered one of the supreme interpreters of the Great American Songbook. Over a recording career that lasted 59 years, she was the winner of 13 Grammy Awards and was awarded the National Medal of Art by Ronald Reagan and the Presidential Medal of Freedom by George H. W. Bush.
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HEADLINE: Michael Jackson father figure dies
ARTICLE DATE: Reuters, Nov 16, 2005 4:09 pm PST
ARTICLE SOURCE: Yahoo News
ARTICLE DATE: Reuters, Nov 16, 2005 4:09 pm PST
ARTICLE SOURCE: Yahoo News
Bill Bray, a former Los Angeles police officer who served as Michael Jackson’s longtime security chief and became a father figure to the onetime child star, has died at the age of 80.
Bray, who began working for the Jackson 5 in the early 1970s and was one of Jackson’s closest confidants until his retirement in the mid-1990s, died on Tuesday, the entertainer’s publicist, Raymone Bain, told Reuters.
“Michael is very, very, very saddened to learn of the passing of Bill Bray, who was a longtime friend and mentor to him and very trusted adviser to him,” Bain said.
She said Jackson, who has been living in Bahrain since winning an acquittal on child molestation charges in June, had spoken to members of Bray’s family by telephone.
“Bill was a father figure to all of the boys (in the Jackson 5) in the early days and when Michael struck out on his own he became sort of a surrogate father to Michael,” said J. Randy Taraborelli, author of the biography “Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness.”
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