United Artists / AP

Popular Character Actor Ben Gazzara Dies at 81

Ben Gazzara, whose powerful dramatic performances brought an intensity to a variety of roles and made him a memorable presence in such iconic productions over the decades as the original "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" on Broadway and the film "The Big Lebowski," has died at age 81.

Tuned In

Love, Peace and Soul: RIP Don Cornelius

Soul Train host and TV-music pioneer Don Cornelius has been found dead in his Encino, Calif., home of a suicide, according to police. My colleague Madison Gray has more of the details, and it’s a sad ending to the life of someone who brought us one of the purest expressions of joy ever to take [...]

Johnny Otis, the Greek Godfather of R&B, Dies at 90

Everett

His “Willie and the Hand Jive” was a 1958 summer sensation, but this white impresario was prouder of launching Etta James, Hank Ballard, Littlle Richard and other black artists into the musical mainstream

The Master of Cinematic Vulgarity: Ken Russell (1927-2011)

Topical Press Agency / Getty Images

Called “the British Fellini,” Russell directed Tommy, Women in Love, Altered States, Lisztomania and other over-the-top classics