Singer Isaac Hayes Dead at 65

Motown Californian rocked fans' worlds

(NEWSER) - R&B soul singer Teena Marie was found dead in her bed at her California home yesterday. She was 54. Known as the "Ivory Queen of Soul," Marie signed with the legendary Motown label in the '70s; recorded 13 albums, including hits Lovergirl, Fire and Desire, Square Biz and I'm a Sucker for Your Love; and collaborated with Rick James. "She was a black voice trapped in a white body," said Cathy Hughes, founder of Radio One, a broadcasting company that targets African-American listeners. "She was one of the greatest vocalists of our time." More»

Evangelist reached millions during his heyday

(AP) - Evangelist Oral Roberts, who rose from tent revivals to found a multimillion-dollar organization and an Oklahoma university bearing his name, died today at 91 of complications from pneumonia in Newport Beach, Calif. He had been hospitalized after a fall on Saturday. Roberts was a pioneer on two fronts—he helped bring spirit-filled charismatic Christianity into the mainstream and took his trademark revivals to television, a new frontier for religion. More»

Friends call NYC cops after not seeing Adam Goldstein for several days

(NEWSER) - DJ AM, who less than a year ago survived a plane crash, was found dead this afternoon in a New York apartment, TMZ reports; his real name was Adam Goldstein, and he was 36. Police, called by a friend who hadn’t seen Goldstein in several days, found drug paraphernalia at the scene after breaking down the door of the SoHo apartment. More»

(NEWSER) - Frank McCourt, the former schoolteacher who gained literary stardom by recounting his unhappy childhood in Angela's Ashes, died today in New York of skin cancer, the New York Times reports. He was 78. The Brooklyn-born author grew up in Limerick and taught in New York public schools for 30 years before writing Ashes, which dazzled critics with its simple account of poverty—and sparked anger in Ireland, where McCourt was "denounced from hill, pulpit and barstool," he said. More»

(NEWSER) - Michael Jackson died today after suffering cardiac arrest at home and arriving at the hospital in a deep coma, report TMZ and the Los Angeles Times. The King of Pop, 50, was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital this afternoon after collapsing. A police rep said he was not breathing when paramedics arrived; they performed CPR and took him to the UCLA Medical Center. More»