Billy Mays Not Wearing Seat Belt

The autopsy hasn’t even been started yet, and already the FAA is deflecting blame for the death of TV pitchman Billy Mays, claiming that the 50-year-old wasn’t wearing a seat belt when he took a blow to the head during a tyre-blow-out aboard a US Airways flight yesterday.

Mays complained about the landing on his Twitter account last night, with a Tweet that read: “Just had a close call landing in Tampa. The tires blew out upon landing. Stuck in the plane on the runway. You can always count on US Air.“

A spokesperson for US Airways did not want to comment on Mays’ death until more substantial information was available; however, an FAA spokesperson told TMZ.com this: “The passenger needs to wear a seat belt during landing and he didn’t.”

Mays was aboard US Airways Flight 1241, flying from Philadelphia to Tampa, when there was a landing malfunction and he was struck in the head by flying debris in the cabin. He went home that night without seeking medical attention and was found dead by his wife a few hours later.

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Billy Mays Found Dead

Television “Pitchman” Billy Mays has been found dead today in his Tampa, Florida home, TMZ.com has confirmed.

According to the local P.D., the 50-year-old was found “unresponsive” by wife Deborah at around 7:45 a.m. this morning.

The TV pitchman has just returned home the day before from Philadelphia after shooting a new commercial for OxiClean, and had experienced a knock to the head during the plane’s landing. Mays told a local television station of the landing, explaining, “All of a sudden as we hit you know it was just the hardest hit, all the things from the ceiling started dropping. It hit me on the head, but I got a hard head.” The plane’s front tyre is believed to have blown out upon hitting the tarmac.

Mays was apparently in good health after the head knock, and was “acting fine and normal [at home]… he was talking business with his father-in-law.” However, Billy’s wife Deborah has since told investigators that her husband “wasn’t feeling well” the night before, indicating that the head knock he received aboard the US Air flight could be the cause behind his shock death.

An autopsy is expected to be completed by the Medical Examiner’s Office by tomorrow afternoon. At this stage, police do not suspect foul play in the TV pitchman’s death.

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Jeff Goldblum Dead?

This is UNCONFIRMED, but it appears that actor Jeff Goldblum has died while filming in New Zealand.

Police in New Zealand have just broken the news that the actor, famous for his role in the Jurassic Park movies, has taken a fall on the set of his new film and passed away.

This story will be updated as soon as more news becomes available.

UPDATE: This is looking like a cruel hoax at this stage, folks. News of his supposed “death” is all over Twitterverse, but with no confirmed reports, I believe we can file this under “jokes that are totally NOT cool”.

Family of Natasha Richardson Say Final Goodbyes

The family of 45-year-old actress Natasha Richardson has come together in New York to say their final goodbyes, with a number of sources claiming that the star is brain dead.

British-born Richardson, who is married to actor Liam Neeson, was rushed to a Montreal hospital after receiving severe head injuries from a fall at the Mont Tremblant ski resort in Quebec, Canada. Her condition has since deteriorated, and the actress is not expected to regain consciousness.

A spokesperson from the resort related the details of the actress’ accident to U.S. media.

“She did not show any visible sign of injury, but the ski patrol followed strict procedures and brought her back to the bottom of the slope and insisted she should see a doctor,” a statement from the Mont Tremblant ski resort read.

“An hour later she said she didn’t feel well. She had a headache, so we sent her to the hospital. There were no signs of impact and no blood, nothing.”

Richardson was undertaking a private beginner’s ski lesson when the accident occurred. She wasn’t wearing a helmet.

The actress has since been flown by private jet to New York City, where her family and friends await can say their final farewells before she is taken off life support. Her husband Liam is believed to be among the group.

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Jett Travolta Death Controversy

As is the norm in high profile deaths, controversy surrounds the death of Jett Travolta.

The Bahama Police and the Travolta camp differ in their time line for Jett’s death.

Travolta’s camp are adamant that Jett was not left unattended for more than 10 hours, as claimed by police

The Travolta’s and their two nannies spent January 1st boating, before returning to their townhouse at around 6 PM. Jett was tired and went to his room to watch some television.

Nanny, Jeff Kathrein, who is rumored to be Travolta’s gay lover,  watched TV in the next room, while the second nanny, Eli, was out, returning to the townhouse at 11:30 PM, when both nannies went to bed. When Jeff woke the next morning, he went to the bathroom and found Jett laying on the floor

According to police, Jett was last seen at around 11:30 the night of January 1, when he went to the bathroom.

Travolta’s lawyer, Michael McDermott, says Eli or Jef may have gone into the bathroom during the middle of the night, so the time frame would have been much shorter.

McDermott also says that when John and Jeff administered CPR, there may have been signs of life.

The police however are sticking to their timeline and disagree with the versions coming from the Travolta camp.

Personally, it is understandable that a child of his age could go to the bathroom late at night, fall and hit his head and remain undiscovered until the morning. Trying to put spin on the time line would appear to be a useless exercise. Of greater concern are the reports surrounding Jett’s ‘condition’.

Jett had reportedly suffered from grand mal seizures in the past and had taken anti-seizure medicine which the Travolta’s say did not work, so stopped administering it to him.

Further controversy comes from this report, where are friend of John’s brother, Joey Travolta tells of the arguments in the family surrounding Jett’s illness.

The friend says that Joey and John regularly argued over the cause of Jett’s problems, with Joey believing the cause was Autism, which John refused to acknowledge due to it being against his Scientology beliefs.

Joey, learned about the disorder while making his documentary, ‘Normal People Scare Me’, when he interviewed 65 autistic youngsters.

The friend went on to say that:

“Joey could see Jett in every one of those 65 kids he spoke to. It was so obvious Jett was autistic just from spending five minutes with him, but the cruel fact of their religion meant his parents simply did not accept it.”

“Parents who had children in the same classes as Jett would gather round after school and say, ‘Are they in denial or what?’”

Scientologists believe mental illness is psychosomatic and reject the use of drugs to treat and mental illness.

I’ll let you form your own opinion.

Angelina Jolie Breaks Down During Interview

Angelina Jolie had a weeping moment during a London press conference, as she spoke about her mother who passed away in January 2007.

Jolie was in London with Brad Pitt, to promote her new film, The Changeling.

During the interview, she paid tribute to her mother, telling the attending media:

“Her name was Marcheline, but we used to call her Marshmallow, as a joke, because she was just the softest, most gentle woman in the world.”

I am sure many can sympathise with her here, but you do have to remember that she is a talented actress and you would have to question the timing of the whole performance, coming so close to Jenn’s recent comments.

All Saints Actor Found Dead

Australian actor Mark Priestley has been found dead.

The 32-year-old star of hit Aussie medical drama All Saints is believed to have killed himself after suffering from depression for many years.

His former employer, the Seven Network, released a statement a short time ago, calling Priestley a “tremendous young person” who will be sadly missed by his All Saints co-stars.

“Mark was such a brilliant artist… his work on stage and screen was admired by everybody who knew him,” Tim Worner, the Director of Programming and Production at Seven said.

“His death is such a sad loss. We at Channel Seven will miss his energy and smile.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Mark’s family and friends.”

The late actor played male nurse Dan Goldman in the popular Seven Network show. His character recently married fellow nurse Erica Templeton, portrayed by actress Jolene Anderson.

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Dr. Dre’s Son Found Dead

Andre Young Jr., the 20-year-old son of hip-hop producer Dr. Dre, has been found dead in his Woodland Hills home, the star’s rep confirmed to People.

The young man was discovered “unresponsive” by his mother on Saturday morning. An autopsy was conducted on Monday, but the cause of death is as yet undetermined. Foul play is not suspected, the L.A. County Coroner said.

Dr. Dre’s rep, Lori Earl, released a statement on the shock passing earlier today. “Dr. Dre is mourning the loss of his son,” the statement read. “Please respect his family’s grief and privacy at this time.”

According to the police, Young Jr.’s mother “attempted to rouse” her son at around 10:24 a.m. on Saturday, and when she received no response, she phoned the paramedics. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

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Carey Hart’s Brother Dies in Crash

Anthony Hart, the 21-year-old brother of motocross legend Carey Hart, passed away Saturday after crashing his bike during a practice run on a Connecticut racetrack.

According to track officials, Hart was practicing for Doug Henry’s New England Grand Prix, which took place on Saturday night. The motocross racer lost control of his bike and hit the outer track barricade at Stafford Motor Speedway at around 3:30 p.m.

He was airlifted to the nearby Hartford Hospital, and was pronounced dead a short time after his arrival from severe head injuries sustained in the crash.

The Stafford Motor Speedway released a statement regarding Hart’s shock passing at Saturday night’s performance.

“It is with deep regret that the Stafford Motor Speedway announced that, during a practice session… rider Anthony Hart, age 21, of Henderson, Nev., succumbed to injuries received while participating in the event,” the statement read.

“The Speedway extends their condolences to the family and friends of Anthony Hart.”

Hart, who was known in the racing world as “Tony”, was accompanied to the hospital by his father, Tom Hart. His brother Carey, singer Pink’s former husband, was not present at the time of the crash, but is believed to have flown in from Sturgis, S.D., after being notified of his brother’s death.

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Christina Applegate’s Boyfriend Found Dead

Lee Grivas, the on/off boyfriend of actress Christina Applegate, was found dead in his apartment on Tuesday, TMZ.com reported.

The 26-year-old’s body was discovered in the living room of his Hollywood apartment by a neighbour on July 1st. Paramedics were called to the scene, and Grivas was pronounced dead at 5:25 p.m.

An autopsy on his body has not yet been completed, however, those on the scene have told the press that there were “no visible signs of trauma,” which could indicate a drug overdose.

Applegate and Grivas have been seeing each other on and off for years. The pair met through a dancer who worked with Applegate in her Broadway show, Sweet Charity.

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