Celebrity
Renowned Actor James Earl Jones Dies at 93
James Earl Jones, an imposing figure on stage and screen, passed away on Monday at the age of 93. He became famous around the world as Darth Vader, a cosmic evil, after overcoming a childhood stammer and developing a stentorian voice.
According to Jones’s representative Barry McPherson, James Earl Jones passed away at home with his family by his side.
Despite his commanding stage presence, Jones’s voice carried him far in his career; he would have been famous even if no one ever saw his face. Depending on the scene, the deep bass might either inspire reverence (as it did for the wise father Mufasa in “The Lion King” and other Shakespearean parts) or terror (as it did for the rasping Vader in the “Star Wars” movies).
In response to a question from a Reuters interviewer about whether he disliked being so strongly associated with Darth Vader, Jones burst out laughing. The job only called for his voice for a few lines, while another actor wore the mask and performed the onscreen action.
“I love being part of that whole myth, of that whole cult,” he remarked, also expressing his pleasure to satisfy fans who wanted him to repeat his “I am your father” line to Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker.
James Earl Jones Oscar
On Monday, alongside a sad heart emoji, Hamill commented on X, “#RIP dad,” under a news article about Jones’s passing.
Jones claimed he earned barely $9,000 for the original film’s Darth Vader role and treated it as nothing more than a special effects gig. In fact, he never even asked to be named in the credits of the first “Star Wars” films.
On Broadway, he won Tonys for “The Great White Hope” in 1969 and “Fences” in 1987, and in 1991, he won Emmys for “Gabriel’s Fire” and “Heat Wave” on television. His collection of accolades is extensive. Grammys for best spoken word album and “Great American Documents” were both bestowed upon him in 1977.
Although he never took home an actual Oscar, he did receive an honorary nomination for his performance in 2011’s “The Great White Hope” and was considered for best actor in the film adaptation.
One of his earliest film roles James Earl Jones was as Lieutenant Luther Zogg in Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 masterpiece “Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learnt to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.”
Among his subsequent critically lauded film performances were those of South African Reverend Stephen Kumalo in 1995’s “Cry, the Beloved Country” and novelist Terence Mann in 1989’s “Field of Dreams.” He has been in numerous films, including “Field of Dreams,” “The Sandlot,” “Matewan,” “The Hunt for Red October,” “Conan the Barbarian,” “Coming to America,” and so on.
In addition to his appearances in scores of ads, Jones provided the authoritative voice-over for CNN’s newscast introductions for a number of years.
Irish, African, and Cherokee ancestry
A member of a mixed-race family sprung from Irish, African, and Cherokee ancestry, James Earl Jones came into this world on January 17, 1931, in the little Mississippi town of Arkabutla.
Not long after that, Robert Earl Jones Sr., who had been a prizefighter and was now an actor, abandoned the family. It wasn’t until James relocated to New York in the 1950s that he was able to reconcile with his father, as his maternal grandparents had forbidden him to see him while he was growing up. In due time, they shared the stage in other productions.
When Jones’s grandparents uprooted the family from Mississippi and settled on a farm in Michigan when he was around five years old, he began to stutter and eventually stopped speaking altogether.
His high school English teacher used a trick to get him to speak up after he remained mute for ten years. Jones claimed to have written a poem, which the teacher then had him repeat to the class as evidence that he was the real author.
Jones got over his stammer and developed an interest in acting, but he later admitted that he still had to be careful with his words.
Moving to New York after completing his drama degree at Michigan, he began to receive more and more praise for his stage performances.
He played the role of Black heavyweight champion Jack Johnson in “The Great White Hope,” his breakout Broadway performance. Reviewers gushed over Jones’s portrayal of the racist boxer in the critically acclaimed play.
His starring performances as Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, and Othello in Shakespeare’s plays kept audiences captivated for decades. Paul Robeson, a singer, actor, and activist, was one of his memorable 1977 Broadway roles, and he played Alex Haley, an author, in the TV miniseries “Roots: The Next Generation.”
According to a 1987 review of “Fences” in the Washington Post, he could “move in seconds from boyish ingenuousness to near-biblical rage and somehow suggesting all the gradations in between.”
One of Jones’s co-stars in “Othello,” Julienne Marie Hendricks, was his first wife. Flynn Earl Jones was born to Earl and his second wife, the late actress Cecilia Hart. Cecilia passed away in 2016.
Jones won major roles in politically charged films and plays, paving the way for other Black actors to follow in his footsteps.
Jones rose to prominence during the height of the civil rights movement in the ’60s and ’70s, but he avoided taking a stand on racial issues.
Jones told the Toronto Star in 2013 that he thought many people thought he was weak for not being a stronger advocate for the cause while he was famous. According to the actor, though, he would rather have his work speak for itself.
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Celebrity
Candice Miller Saddled With $33.6M Debt After Husbands Suicide
Candice Miller, the blogger behind Mama & Tata, is dealing with the aftermath of her husband Brandon Miller’s terrible suicide and a whopping $33.6 million debt. Candice now bears the burden of Brandon’s secret debt.
Before his death, Brandon Miller hid the actual nature of his financial difficulties. In early June 2024, a lender who granted Miller a $208,000 loan spoke with The New York Times on the condition of anonymity.
The lender described an emotional chat with Brandon, who was “close to tears” as he discussed his financial woes. “He was upset about his money problems. “He stated that it was extremely difficult for him,” the lender confessed.
Brandon Miller’s estate owes approximately $20 million in outstanding obligations. These include loans from prominent financial institutions, such as $11.3 million from BMO Bank in Chicago and $2.1 million owing to UBS Bank.
Other debts include loans from family members and enterprises, most of which result from Brandon’s lifestyle and real estate endeavors.
Candice has had to deal with the financial fallout of her husband’s death while still parenting her two small girls.
Moved to Miami Beach
For the past five months, she has lived in a $10 million oceanfront apartment in Miami Beach, a 2,800-square-foot house lent to her by an LLC linked with fashion mogul Diane von Furstenberg’s son, Alexander von Furstenberg.
Despite receiving $15 million in life insurance benefits from Brandon’s policies, Candice is still in serious financial trouble, with lawsuits and unpaid obligations piling up.
The Millers’ principal asset, their magnificent Hamptons mansion, was highly mortgaged, with five loans totaling over $12 million.
Candice Miller Sell Hamptons home
Following Brandon’s death, the home was listed for $15.5 million. After being on the market for several months, it sold for an undisclosed sum.
Candice has stated that she was not involved in her husband’s business affairs and did not know about their personal money.
According to The New York Times, Candice told friends following Brandon’s death that she “never asked about his business dealings or kept track of their finances.” This lack of information has presented Candice with substantial hurdles as she works with her legal team to fix her late husband’s financial disaster.
In addition to dealing with her sadness, Candice Miller has several legal difficulties. One complaint demands nearly $5 million in unpaid debts, while another seeks $194,881.89 in overdue rent from the couple’s old Park Avenue condominium.
Candice has disputed owing the rent, stating that she did not physically sign the leasing agreement.
Candice has already agreed to pay $4 million to settle one of the outstanding loans, but her legal team is still determining what additional debts she may be liable for.
Candice’s future is uncertain as Brandon’s financial legacy remains enmeshed in legal and financial issues.
Brandon Miller had created a wealthy lifestyle for himself and his family, and he frequently shared glimpses of it on social media.
Candice Miller promoted the high-end life.
The pair, well-known on the Hamptons social scene, led a high-profile lifestyle, frequently interacting with celebrities such as Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, stylist Rachel Zoe, and Ivanka Trump.
Candice, who co-founded the lifestyle blog Mama & Tata with her sister, was a well-known figure in the fashion industry. She promoted premium goods such as Dior and Prada.
However, beneath the surface, Brandon’s financial problems were worsening. The Millers’ most significant asset, their Hamptons property, was heavily mortgaged, and Brandon’s obligations increased.
Despite the outward impression of success, his financial problems remained hidden from the public until his terrible demise.
Brandon Miller committed himself during the Fourth of July weekend at the family’s Hamptons mansion, poisoning himself in the garage. Candice and her girls were on vacation on Italy’s Amalfi Coast at the time, oblivious to the catastrophe around them.
Following his death, the Miller family’s private lives became public, with social media platforms such as Reddit, Instagram, and TikTok buzzing with speculation regarding the source of Brandon’s financial demise.
The financial impact of Brandon Miller’s terrible death continues to plague his family, leaving Candice Miller with an uncertain future. While she strives to reconstruct her life with her girls, the $33.6 million in debts left by her late husband, as well as ongoing lawsuits and legal obstacles, continue to impede her progress.
Candice continues to be determined to move forward in this complex financial landscape, supported by her legal team, despite the tremendous impact of Brandon’s financial failure.
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Celebrity
Romeo and Juliet Actress Olivia Hussey Dies at Age 73
Olivia Hussey, the actress who rose to international notoriety as a teenager for her portrayal in the famous 1968 film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, has died at 73.
The Argentine-born actress, who grew up in London, died on Friday in the arms of her loved ones, according to an Instagram message.
Hussey won the Golden Globe for Best New Actress for her role as Juliet, but she later sued Paramount Pictures for sexual abuse because she was just 15 years old when she recorded the film’s nude scene.
Her other most noteworthy movie role was as Mary, Jesus’ mother, in the 1977 television miniseries Jesus of Nazareth.
According to the BBC, the family said, “As we grieve this immense loss, we also celebrate Olivia’s enduring impact on our lives and the industry.”
Olivia Hussey was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1951 and moved to London at seven to study at the Italia Conti Academy, a theatrical school.
She was 15 years old when Franco Zeffirelli, the director of Romeo and Juliet, saw her onstage opposite Vanessa Redgrave in the play The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.
Zeffirelli sought a young actress who could convincingly play Juliet in what he hoped would be the definitive film adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy.
Olivia Hussey and British 16-year-old Leonard Whiting played Romeo in the film.
The film received Academy Award nominations for best picture and director. Hussey did not receive an Oscar nomination despite a successful year in which Barbra Streisand won the top prize for Funny Girl.
However, that year, Olivia Hussey won the Golden Globe for Best New Talent.
Decades later, she and Whiting sued Paramount Pictures, claiming Zeffirelli, who died in 2019, had persuaded them to record naked scenes despite previous assurances that they would not have to.
The couple demanded damages above $500 million (£417 million), citing the agony they said they had endured and the revenue generated by the film since its premiere. However, last year, a court dismissed the complaint because the scene was not “sufficiently sexually suggestive”.
Olivia Hussey rejoined with Zeffirelli in 1977 for Jesus of Nazareth, playing the Virgin Mary, before returning the following year for Death on the Nile, based on Agatha Christie’s novel.
Her performances in the early slasher Black Christmas (1974) and the television film Psycho IV: The Beginning cemented her reputation as a scream queen. In the latter, she portrayed Norman Bates’ mother in a precursor plot.
She began working as a voice actress in subsequent years, appearing regularly in video games.
However, she did have one final reunion with her old Romeo, as she and Whiting featured together in the 2015 British film Social Suicide, which was loosely based on Romeo and Juliet and set in the social media era.
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Celebrity
Former Sports Illustrated Model Dayle Haddon Dies from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Dayle Haddon, a former Sports Illustrated model and actress, has died as a result of a carbon monoxide poisoning at a home in Pennsylvania, authorities have reported.
In the 1970s, Dayle Haddon modeled for Estée Lauder and L’Oreal and appeared on the covers of Sports Illustrated and Vogue Paris.
Pennsylvania Police said they received a phone at 06:31 local time on Friday that a 76-year-old man had passed out on the first floor of a building at a Bucks County property. Haddon’s body was discovered deceased in a second-floor bedroom.
According to CBS News, Haddon’s daughter, former journalist Ryan Haddon, and her husband, actor Marc Blucas, owned the building.
Police investigators report that a defective exhaust pipe on the building’s heating system caused a carbon monoxide leak.
They also stated that the high amounts of carbon monoxide inside the building had an impact on emergency responders, with two medics hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning and a police officer being treated on-site.
Dayle Haddon was born and reared in Quebec, Canada, and started her career as a ballerina.
She came to the United States to pursue a modeling career and later worked in cinema, appearing in films such as The World’s Greatest Athlete (1973) and North Dallas Forty (1979).
Ryan Haddon said on Instagram that Dayle Haddon had “a pure heart” and “a life well lived” in honor of her mother.
“She was a powerful woman who was kind and attentive to everyone. Deeply creative and curious, having beauty both inside and out. “I am always kind and thoughtful,” she remarked.
“She was a high-hearted spiritual being that put value on her soul’s evolution, so I know her journey here in this dimension must have been complete.”
Dayle Haddon Sports Illustrated Poster
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