Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Fleur Dhondt (Died tragically in the age of 21)

(Dead after hopeless drug addict) A Norwegian heiress who married into Monaco's royal family and led a jet-set lifestyle with an array of celebrity friends and lovers died alone as a hopeless drug addict, an inquest was told yesterday.
A Norwegian heiress who married into Monaco's royal family and led a jet-set lifestyle with an array of celebrity friends and lovers died alone as a hopeless drug addict, an inquest was told yesterday.
The body of Baroness Michelle Lutken de Massy, 21, was found in a flat in Kensington, west London, on 25 November after she overdosed on a cocktail of heroin and sleeping tablets "cooked" on a silver spoon. Hours before her death, she promised a friend who had been looking after her home while she underwent treatment at an addiction clinic in Monaco that she would not "do anything silly". Westminster coroner's court was told the former model had attended 13 different treatment centres to try to beat an addiction that began while she was working in the Milan fashion industry, aged 17.
A statement from the Princess Grace Hospital in Monaco, where she was admitted last September, described her as suffering from a multi-addiction to opiates, cocaine and alcohol.
PC Stephen Shakeshaft, who was called to de Massy's flat after her body was found, told the inquest: "I saw the lifeless body of a female. She was lying on her back with her leg outstretched to her side. There was a puncture wound on the back of her hand."
The daughter of a wealthy Norwegian businessman, she married Baron Christian de Massy, a nephew of Prince Rainier, head of Monaco's royal family, while still a teenager.
The couple moved to New York where their acquaintances included the artist Andy Warhol and the singers Grace Jones and Marvin Gaye. Among her friends in Europe was the tennis player Bjorn Borg and she was a regular at the Tramp and Raffles nightclubs. She once described how she invited 80 guests to a party at a Manhattan restaurant and for dessert served half a gram of cocaine.
But the high life also brought tragedy. She was involved in a serious car crash in Miami that badly damaged her memory. Her relationship with her husband deteriorated and they were divorced in 1997.
Drugs also tainted her relationships. She was the friend and mistress for more than 1 years of Constantine Niarchos, an heir to the vast shipping dynasty founded by Greek billionaire Stavros Niarchos. Constantine died three years ago from a cocaine overdose at his flat in Mayfair, 17 days after becoming the first Greek to conquer Mount Everest.
The baroness, who was also known as Anne, said in a statement at Niarchos's inquest that the pair had snorted cocaine together on the night of his death but his craving had been so extreme he had eaten the drug by the spoonful.
Yesterday's inquest into de Massy's death heard that she had spent £200,000 of her own fortune on cocaine.George Crump, the friend who found her body, told the hearing she returned to her flat from Monaco, where she had been receiving treatment for her addiction, on 24 November and he found her unconscious from an overdose on that day. He managed to revive her, and she promised not to take more drugs, but a day later she injected the fatal mixture.
Recording a verdict of death by misadventure, Dr Paul Knapman, the Westminster coroner, said: "It's a tragedy that her lifestyle and its effects have finally caused her death at the age of only 21."

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Divya bharti (Fell to her death off a 5-storey apartment building mysteriously in the age of 19)

Divya Bharti(born Divya Om Prakash Bharti, February 25, 1974 - April 5, 1993) was a popular Indian film actress who mostly starred in Bollywood films but had done a few Tamil and Telugu films in the early 1990s. Divya Bharti made her acting debut at the age of 16 in a 1990 Tamil film titled Nilla Penne (1990) which was a flop. She got her first break in the Telugu film Bobbili Raja opposite Venkatesh. She also went onto act in several other Telugu films over the next two years. She then found success with Hindi language film industry Bollywood making her debut in Vishwatma in 1992. She appeared in more than 14 Hindi films that year which was considered a record at the time for a newcomer. Her career was tragically cut short by her mysterious death in April 1993 at the age of 19. The actress was said to be the younger version of Bollywood legend Sridevi due to the facial resemblance.
Divya Bharti was born to Meeta and Om Prakash Bharti. She had one younger brother named Kunal. She quit her education to start acting at the age of 16.

Divya was first discovered by actor and director Kirti Kumar, brother of actor Govinda in 1988 and was considered for a role in their movie Radha Ka Sangam. This role ultimately went to Juhi Chawla.
Divya Bharti made her acting debut at the age of 16 in a 1990 Tamil film titled Nila Pennae and her first hit was the Telugu film titled Bobbili Raja (1990) in which she starred opposite Venkatesh. The film was also dubbed in
Hindi as Rampur Ka Raja. She went on to star in four more Telugu films; Dharma Kshetram, Tholi Mudhu, Rowdy Alludu and Assembly Rowdy in which she co-starred with Telegu superstars Balakrishna, Prashanth, Chiranjeevi and Mohan Babu respectively.
She then switched over to the
Bollywood industry and made her Hindi film debut in the 1992 film Vishwatma. The film was only an average hit at the box office[1] but got her noticed for the popular song Saat Samundar which was picturized on her in the film. Many of her other Hindi films released that same year which was a record for any newcomer actress in Bollywood at the time. Some of her most notable films in 1992 included Deewana, Dil Aashna Hai and Shola Aur Shabnam putting her at the third position of the leading actresses in Bollywood that year after Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit.[2]and gaining her the Filmfare Lux New Face Award. She worked with most of the top actors in Bollywood at the time such as Sunny Deol, Jackie Shroff, Rishi Kapoor, Govinda, Sanjay Dutt as well as Shahrukh Khan and Sunil Shetty who were newcomers at the time. She was also due to co-star with Akshay Kumar in Mohra , Ajay Devgan in Vijaypath, Sanjay Kapoor in Kartavya, Anil Kapoor in Laadla and Sunny Deol in Angrakshak before her death.
In May 1992 she secretly married Bollywood film producer Sajid Nadiadwala but kept the marriage a secret due to family problems and also to prevent any controversies in her movie career.
On April 5, 1993 at the age of only 19, Divya fell to her death off a 5-storey apartment building, Tulsi 2 in Mumbai tragically ending a potentially successful career.
Divya's funeral took place on April 7.About 500 people attended the funeral of the then youngest heroine of the silver screen, including
Anil Kapoor, Govinda, Kamal Sadanah, Raj Babbar, Yash Chopra, Jimmy Nirula, Sudhakar Bokade, Mukesh Duggal,Mahesh Anand, Aruna Irani, Raza Murad, Vikas Anand, Venkatesh, Ram Mohan, Javed Khan, Raj Kanwar, Nitin Manmohan and Pehlaj Nehlani, maker of her first hit, Shola aur Shabnam. A large number of film personalities, including Hema Malini, Urmila Matondkar, Shilpa Shirodkar, Sonu Walia, Somy Ali, Karisma Kapoor, Sangeeta Bijlani, Tabu, Manisha Koirala and Asha Parekh, offered condolences to the bereaved family members at their residence.
Divya's two final completed films
Rang and Shatranj were released months after her death. These, in addition to several films produced by her husband Sajid Nadiadwala, were dedicated to her memory. She was also meant to do movies including Mohra, Laadla , Andolan , Angrakshak ,Kartavya (1995), and Vijaypath before her death.
Till this day nobody knows exactly if she fell accidentally or was pushed. Police finally closed the case after five years.




Waheed Murad (1980`s real hero died becoz of kidney failure)

(the reason behind kidney failure in young age is great extended alcohol)
Waheed Murad (October 2, 1938 - November 23, 1983) was a Pakistani film actor, producer and script writer. The only child of well-off film distributor Mr. Nisar Murad. He got his early education from Karachi Grammar School or Marie Colaco School, Karachi, did graduation from S.M. Arts College Karachi, and then masters in English literature from University of Karachi.
He is well-known for his charming expressions, tender voice and unusual talent for acting in films. His romantic style of acting made him popular as well as controversial. One of his block buster films is
Armaan, which was produced by himself, made a pivotal impact on the sub-continental film industry such that the Pakistani film industry was considered as the rising sun after Indian film industry. Armaan made him a superstar overnight and as equal to the Indian film titans such as Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, Ashok Kumar and Prithviraj Kapoor. Once, in an interview in 1967, he said that Dilip Kumar, too, is not an immortal actor.

waheed Murad started his film career in 1961 as producer of the film Insaan badalta hai. As an actor he was firstly appeared in a supporting role in 1962's Aulad directed by S.M. Yousuf; the film got the Nigar award for the best film for the year. Heera aur pathar in 1964 was his first movie as lead actor and his major breakthrough film. He got the Nigar award in the best actor category for the same film.
In 1966, he acted in and produced
Armaan which was directed by Pervaiz Malik. Armaan broke all the box office records at that time and completed 75 weeks in theatres, gave him the status of superstar or perhaps the first superstar of Pakistani films. The film is a romantic and melodious love story. The songs like Koko korina..., Akele na jana..., Betaab ho udhar tum... and Zindagi apni thi ab tak... became extremely popular among the youth esp. among the college girls. He received two Nigar awards for the categories best producer and best actor for the film Armaan. During the same year, he starred in another superhit film Jaag utha insaan with co-star Zeba.
In 1967, he appeared as leading actor in masterpieces like Devar bhabi, Doraha, Insaaniyat and Maan baap. Devar bhabi is considered as one of his best movies and completed 50 weeks in the cinemas. The story of Devar bhabi is based on Indo-Pak's unjust social thoughts and norms. Insaaniyat is also considered as one of his best movies in which he played a role of a dedicated doctor.
From 1964 to 1968, Waheed Murad and Pervaiz Malik made blockbusters like Heera aur pathar,
Armaan, Ehsaan, Doraha and Jahan tum wahan hum. The successful combination of Waheed Murad, Pervaiz Malik, Masroor Anwar, Sohail Rana, Ahmed Rushdi and Zeba created a number of successful films. Waheed Murad brought Malik, Anwar and Rana under the umbrella of 'Film Arts'. But in late 1960s, dissension grew between Waheed Murad and other three team members of 'Film Art'. Pervaiz Malik was not happy with Waheed's taking away the credit for all the success of movies and giving little recognition to others. So the Film Arts broke up and Pervaiz Malik started creating his own projects with new actors. A total of seven films, including two films, i.e., Usey dekha usey chaha and Dushman released after a long gap of 6 years in 1974, were produced with the combination of Waheed and Pervaiz. Ladla released in 1968 with a superhit song Socha tha piya na karengy... by renowned poet Kaif Rizvani turned him into a 'playboy hero' even in India.Waheed Murad flirting Shabnam in the song Kuch log rooth kar bhi... in Andleeb, 1969

In 1969, Waheed produced, wrote and directed his own movie Ishaara but the movie flopped at box office. Andaleeb was released in 1969, which was directed by Fareed Ahmed. Other co-stars included Shabnam, Aliya, Talish and Mustafa Qureshi. Andaleeb proved to be one of the greatest films of the year. Moviegoers loved his acting esp. in the song Kuch log rooth kar bhi... in which Waheed is trying to flirt Shabnam in his red sports car.[2] Waheed Murad received Nigar award in the best actor category for that film.
From 1970 to 1979, many of his films were superhit like Naseeb apna apna and Anjuman in 1970; Neend hamare khuwab tumhare and Mastana mahi (Waheed's first
Punjabi film) in 1971; Baharo phool barsao in 1972; Ishq mera naa (Punjabi film) and Shama in 1974; Jab jab phool khiley in 1975; Shabana in 1976; Saheli, Parakh and Khuda aur muhabbat in 1978; and Awaz and Bahan bhai in 1979. Mastana mahi was Waheed's first Punjabi film, which was also produced by him and directed by Iftikhar Khan. Mastana mahi was purely a romantic musical film. Waheed received Nigar award for the best actor for Mastana mahi.
During early 1970s,
Zeba, after her marriage with Mohammad Ali, was not allowed to work as heroine with Waheed Murad. Soon Shabnam's husband Robin Ghosh forced her to not work with Waheed. Even Nisho was not allowed to work with him. These were major setbacks for Waheed's career. Most of the top producers offered Waheed secondary roles in their films. In addition, Nadeem was giving him a stiff competition and in fact replaced him as the number one hero of Pakistani film industry in 1970s.[2] So Waheed had been casted by less popular directors and producers and had been given the role of 'stereotypical romantic hero'. Films like Naag Mani (1972), Mastani Mehbooba (1974) , Laila majnu (1974), Izzat (1975), Dilruba (1975), Raaste ka pathar (1976), Mehboob mera mastana (1976), and Naag aur nagan (1976) gave him major setbacks. By late 1970s and early 1980s, Waheed was being casted in supporting roles either with Nadeem or with Mohammad Ali in the films like Parastish (1977), Aadmi (1978), Khuda aur mohabbat (1978), Awaz (1978), Behan Bhai (1979), Wadey ki zanjeer (1979), Raja ki aaye gi barat (1979), Zameer (1980), Badnaam (1980), Gun man (1981), Kiran aur kali (1981), Gherao (1981), Ahat (1982) and Maang meri bhar do (1983). The films Hero (1985) and Zalzala (1987) were released after his death. Films Muqaddar, Aankhon ke taare, Aas paas and Andaaz were either incomplete films or not released by the producers.Hero was the last film of Waheed's life, directed by Iqbal Yousuf. The film was released after almost two years of Waheed's death in 1985. Another Waheed's delayed film Zalzala was released after 4 years of his death in 1987, which was also directed by Iqbal Yousuf. Zalzala did nothing on the box office, however, Hero completed its Silver Jubilee in Karachi.Waheed Murad, in his entire 25-year career, paired with several actresses like Zeba, Shamim Ara, Rani, Naghma, Aaliya, Sangeeta, Kaveeta, Aasia, Shabnam, Deeba, Babra Sharif, Rukhsana, Bahar, and Neelo. He acted in a total of 124 films (2 films were released after his death) of which 38 were black and white and 86 were in colour. He acted in 115 Urdu films, 8 Punjabi films and 1 Pushto film, and earned 32 prestigious film awards including ones for best producer and for best actor.

Waheed Murad produced several films under his father's established 'Film Art'. He was the youngest film producer in the industry at that time.[10] As producer, Waheed Murad was a successful producer. Most of his produced films were either Golden Jubilee or Silver Jubilee. During 1960s and early 1970s, he produced films like Insaan badalta hai (1961) (his first film as producer), Armaan (1966), Ehsaan (1967), Naseeb apna apna (1970) and Mastana mahi (Punjabi film of 1971). However, during his days of struggle, in late 1970s and early 1980s, he produced few films, including his last film Hero (1985).
As director, he had directed and also produced Ishaara (1969) with co-star Deeba. The film failed to achieve the viewers' expectances.
Waheed was the first Rock n' Roll dancing star in South Asia. He was famously known as the 'Chocolate Hero' and 'Lady Killer'. His dressing style, the hair style, dialogues and songs used to be liked and followed by people. Waheed's hair cut was very popular among the young and was called the 'Waheed Murad cut'.[5] In his hey days Waheed once went to Saddar area of Karachi in his white car. Realising it was Murad’s car, a group of 30 college girls covered the vehicle with lipstick kisses.[5]He enlivened the silver screen with his extraordinary talent in acting and picturisation esp. in romantic songs. Some of the songs that still turn many nostalgic are Tumhain kaisay bata doon, Kuch log rooth kar bhi, Dil tumko dey diya, Koko korina, Jhoom aye dil wo dera jaan-e-bahar aye ga, Beetay huway khuch din aisay hain tanhai jinhain duhrati hey, Mujhe tum nazar say gira to rahay ho, Yun kho gaiy teray pyar mein hum, Socha tha piyar na karan gain, Khamosh hein nazaray and Aye abre karam aaj itna baras.

Waheed Murad was born on October 2, 1938 in Karachi.[5] He was the only son of the famous Pakistani film distributor Mr. Nisar Murad and Mrs. Shireen Murad. Since childhood he has been given an exposure to famous actors who used to visit his father regularly and inspired him to pursue an acting career. In his childhood, he used to wear a guitar around his neck and was famous as a good dancer among his friends. In his school life he played parts in several plays, which made him more popular. His best friends were Iqbal Yousuf and Pervaiz Malik who joined the same profession Waheed joined and thus remained associated with him for the rest of his life. Waheed passed matriculation in 1954 from the Marie Colaco School, Karachi. Waheed's parents persuaded him to complete his education prior to embarking on a film career. He graduated in arts from S.M. Arts College, Karachi and then completed masters in English literature from the University of Karachi. A strong educational background placed Waheed Murad at an advantage compared to other film producers and actors of his time.

Waheed Murad fell in love with Salma[6], a daughter of Karachi based industrialist and a Memon[citation needed]Ibrahim Maker, when both were in grade nine in Grammar School, Karachi. Their marriage took place on Thursday, September 17, 1964. The wedding ceremony was arranged at Nisar Murad's house in Tariq Road, Karachi. He addressed his wife as Bibi at home.[6] They had two daughters (Aaliya and Sadia) and one son (Adil). Sadia died in infancy and both Waheed Murad and Salma were became inconsolable.[9] However, their two children, Aalia and Adil brought happiness and comfort to their lives.

By late 1970s, Waheed was being casted in supporting roles either with Nadeem or with Mohammad Ali, or being offered by 'B class' film directors. Most of the leading heroines like Zeba, Shabnam and Nisho were not allowed to play lead roles with Waheed by their husbands. The heart-throbing actor Waheed Murad could not take such an ignominious treatment meted out to him by industry, but kept silent and did not seek help from his friends. Pervaiz Malik, who was became an established director and producer by late seventies, wrote in a local newspaper: "Not even once during that time Waheed come to me seeking work in my films."[2] Waheed was becoming depressed. His close friends revealed that he was becoming addicted to alcohol, oral tobacco and sleeping pills. Even his domestic life suffered and his wife Salma left for the United States.

A combination of bad habits and stress caused ulceration in Waheed's stomach in 1981. He suffered from bleeding and had to undergo stomach removal to save his life. His many fans came to the hospital to donate blood to save the life of their favorite hero. Although, he recovered, he lost a significant amount of weight. Even then, Iqbal Akhtar and Iqbal Yousuf, who proved to be real friends in difficult times, cast Waheed Murad in their movies. Waheed appeared pathetic in Dil ney phir yaad keya and Ghairao. Even his loyal admirers felt that it was all over for him.
"Once my film
Hero is released, I will recapture my number one position."[2]
However, the keen observers could see that Waheed would be unable to spellbind the public as he did in the past. Only during the singing of Tumhe kaisey bata doun... by Aalamgir in the Silver Jubilee show, Waheed's smiles reflected a shadow of his former self-probably in his mind he was still the young hero 20 years earlier.
Babra Shareef, a top actress of the time, revealed that during filming of a scene of Hero, Waheed lost his balance while walking briskly toward her and fell down. He took several minutes to catch his breath prior to standing up on his feet again.[2]
In July 1983, Waheed was driving his car too fast, one of his favorite hobbies, his car struck a big tree. Waheed had a narrow escape, but was left with a large scar on his face. A few days after the accident, Waheed asked his friend Pervaiz Malik for a role. Malik knowing that Waheed was not ready for an acting assignment said, "Veedu you get better and you will be the lead in my next film." With his still razor-sharp mind , he replied, "You give me the role and I will get better." He was going to Karachi to get the scar fixed in order to complete the last few scenes of Hero when he met the chief editor, Ilyas Rasheedi, of the film magazine 'Nigar' at the airport. Rasheedi wrote in his magazine:
"By chance a famous film producer was also present in the waiting area and Waheed put him on the spot by asking if he had a role for him for
Javed Sheikh's father in his movie. The producer had a difficult time dodging Waheed."[2]During the flight Waheed was very bitter. He told Rasheedi that he was reduced to working in a Pushto film produced by Badar Muneer, who used to be his car driver and help him with his household work in the late sixties, and subsequently became a successful movie star.

Waheed's son Aadil was in Karachi staying with his grand mother. A day before his face surgery, Waheed celebrated his birthday. He bought several gifts for Aadil and wished him a happy year. He returned late to spend the night at Anita Ayub's mother Mumtaz Ayub's house. When Waheed did not wake up until late, the door had to be forced open and Waheed was found lying on the floor, dead for several hours. A paan leaf with 'something' in it was found in his mouth. Nobody knows for sure if it was a heart attack or suicide.
he rise and fall of Waheed is quite similar to that of Elvis Presley and analogies have been drawn between these two icons. According to a film critic, Waheed Murad was like Elvis Presley who enjoyed early success, the status of being the most mesmerising personality of his country. He earned great fame and then faced a sudden fall and had an untimely death. Despite hardship later in Waheed's life and suffering such a tragic death, he is born again. His movies are repeatedly shown on film festivals, cinemas and TV and are well received.
Ilyas Rashidi, the founder of
Nigar Awards, wrote in his magazine:
"Waheed Murad was a born hero."
Ghulam Mohiuddin, a famous Pakistani film actor, said:
"Waheed Murad was not an individual but he was an era in his own right which ended when he was sidelined by those who took over the industry in the early 1980s, ... he was a great artiste, who recreated the image of a romantic hero. His acting was natural; he had a great deal of musical sense and was matchless when it came to picturising a song."
Lehri, one of the greatest film comedian, said:
"He was a great companion, an unforgettable friend and a humble man so rich in terms of money and fortunes."
Sangeeta, well-known director and actress, said:
"For me, it was a great time when I had been working with him."
In the recent
Hollywood film Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London, actress Leilah Isaac’s character Sabeen remembers Waheed Murad. Frankie Muniz, reprising his role as Agent Cody Banks, discloses to his cosmopolitan band members that he is a secret agent. To this, a Nigerian boy claims to be Spiderman while another girl calls herself Lara Croft. As the actors associate themselves with their favourite comic book characters, Sabeen says: "And I’m Waheed Murad." This entices all to ask "what?" to which she replies, "Famous Indian actor."[15]
"Waheed Murad was a superb actor and probably one of the best who ever graced Lollywood. His failure in movies was not owing to lack of talent. In fact, he was the most stylish and original actor in Pakistan. He improved the image of industry by shining through their mediocre scripts; they repaid him by contributing to his downfall. Bad luck, his own strong personality and rendezvous with several actresses also ruined him. He, however, still lives on in the hearts of millions of fans. As his daughter Aaliya said, "If Dad knew that he had such a following, he would not have died.



Monday, November 24, 2008

Lupe Velez (Suicide)

Vélez was born María Guadalupe Villalobos Vélez in the city of San Luis Potosí in Mexico, the daughter of an army officer and his wife, an opera singer. Her father refused to let her use his last name in theater, so she used her mother's maiden name. Lupe was educated at a convent school in Texas before finding work as a sales assistant. She took dancing lessons and in 1924, made her performing debut at the Teatro Principal. She moved to California that year and was first cast in movies by Hal Roach.
Vélez's first feature-length film was
Douglas Fairbanks's (1927); the next year, she was named one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars, the young starlets deemed to be most promising for movie stardom. Most of her early films cast her in exotic or ethnic roles (Hispanic, Native American, French, Russian, even Asian).
Within a few years Vélez found her niche in comedies, playing beautiful but volatile foils to comedy stars. Her slapstick battle with
Laurel and Hardy in Hollywood Party and her dynamic presence opposite Jimmy Durante in Palooka (both 1934) are typically enthusiastic Vélez performances. She was featured in the final Wheeler & Woolsey comedy, High Flyers (1937), doing impersonations of Simone Simon, Dolores del Rio, and Shirley Temple.
Vélez was now nearing 30 and hadn't yet become a major star. Disappointed, she left
Hollywood for Broadway. In New York, she landed a role in You Never Know, a short-lived Cole Porter musical. After the run of You Never Know, Vélez looked for film work in other countries. Returning to Hollywood in 1939, she snared the lead in a B comedy for RKO Radio Pictures, The Girl from Mexico. She established such a rapport with co-star Leon Errol that RKO made a quick sequel, Mexican Spitfire, which became a very popular series. Vélez perfected her comic character, indulging in broken-English malaprops, troublemaking ideas, and sudden fits of temper bursting into torrents of Spanish invective. She occasionally sang in these films, and often displayed a talent for hectic, visual comedy. Vélez enjoyed making these films and can be seen openly breaking up at Leon Errol's comic ad libs.
The Spitfire films rejuvenated Lupe Vélez's career, and for the next few years she starred in musical and comedy features for RKO,
Universal Pictures, and Columbia Pictures in addition to the Spitfire films. In one of her last films, Columbia's Redhead from Manhattan, she played a dual role: one in her exaggerated comic dialect, and the other in her actual speaking voice, which was surprisingly fluid and had only traces of a Mexican accent.
Lupe Vélez was very popular with Spanish-speaking audiences, and lent her services toward improving the film industry in
Mexico.
Emotionally generous, passionate, and high-spirited, Vélez had a number of highly publicized affairs, including a particularly emotionally draining one with
Gary Cooper, before marrying Olympic athlete Johnny Weissmuller (of 'Tarzan' fame) in 1933. The fraught marriage lasted five years; they repeatedly split and finally divorced in 1938. In 1943, she returned to Mexico and starred in an adaptation of Emile Zola's Nana (1944), which was well received. Subsequently, she returned to Hollywood. Death: In the mid-1940s, she had a relationship with the young actor Harald Maresch, and became pregnant with his child. Vélez, following her Catholic upbringing, refused to have an abortion. Unable to face the shame of giving birth to an illegitimate child, she decided to take her own life. Her suicide note read, "To Harald, may God forgive you and forgive me too but I prefer to take my life away and our baby's before I bring him with shame or killing him, Lupe." She retired to bed after taking an overdose of sleeping pills. According to newspaper accounts, her body was found by her secretary and companion for ten years, Beulah Kinder.
Andy Warhol's film, Lupe (1965), is loosely based on this fateful night. Suggesting that she was found with her head in the toilet due to nausea caused by the overdose. Another report says she tripped and fell head-first into the toilet knocking herself unconscious and drowning. However, Kinder reports finding Velez peacefully asleep in her bed.
There is skepticism surrounding whether it was simply the shame of bearing an illegitimate child that led Velez to end her life. Throughout her life she showed signs of extreme emotion; mania and depression. Consequently it has been suggested that Velez suffered from
bipolar disorder, which left untreated ultimately led to her suicide. After all, Velez was known for her defiance of contemporary moral convention, and it seems unlikely that she could not have reconciled an "illegitimate child."[1]
The mortal remains of Lupe Vélez, are deposited in the Rotonda de las Personas Ilustres in México City.
Vélez's death was mentioned in the first episode of the sitcom
Frasier. Roz tells the story to Frasier -- the "head in the toilet" version.
In an episode of
The Simpsons titled "Homer's Phobia," a new family friend, John, tells the Simpsons that Lupe Vélez bought "the toilet that she drowned in" from a store in Springfield.


Saturday, November 15, 2008

Heath Ledger (Deid becouse of drugs over dose)


Heath Ledger 28 Australian actor of “Brokeback Mountain” fame was found tragically dead in his New York apartment leaving behind his two year old daughter Matilda. He split with his girlfriend of three years Michelle Williams this past September 2007 and moved to California with their daughter. Few people know the emptiness and sadness that takes place when a parent’s bond between a child and parent is severed with the breakup of a relationship. The mainstream news media fails to cover the many suicides and the hurt that family court does to families that drives parents to take their lives. I am not saying that Heath Ledger took his live over this issue. However, many parents will do crazy things when the court system is only going to award sole custody to one parent and not the other which creates an unnatural inbalance.
Ledger was very distraught over the separation from his child. It seems that people around him failed to see warning signs that he might have been suffering from depression and needed help. He was reported “dressed like a homeless guy” in public on numerous occasions and spent Thanksgiving and Christmas alone when before he spent this holidays with his ex and child.
Ledger’s own parents divorced when he was 11-years-old and he difficulty dealing with it as a child and got into drug abuse as an escape. He felt close to both his parents and blamed himself. He credited getting into acting helped him deal with his dark emotions he felt about his parents divorce. The court psychologists parrot off that children are really resilient and get over these situations easily. I beg to differ, these issues carry on into their adult relationships and repeat especially when the break up is contentious. Spending four days per month with a child is hardly a relationship with a parent and child, but this is sadly the norm in the United States which adversarial lawyers and judges encourage fighting between parents because it generates revenue and profits for the courts. Children should not have to choose which parent, they should get both parents 50/50 equally. Besides equal parenting is becoming norm in Europe and studies prove that equal parenting benefits the children, parents, and taxpayers all around. Let’s prevent tragic deaths like Heath Ledger and other parents and promote 50-50 equal parenting for all children. Visit
CRISPE.org and learn more about the benefits of equal parenting.

His Life: After performing roles in Australian television and film during the 1990s, Ledger moved to the United States in 1998 to develop his movie career. His work included nineteen films, including
critical and box-office successes such as 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), The Patriot (2000), Monster's Ball (2000), A Knight's Tale (2001), Brokeback Mountain (2005), and The Dark Knight (2008).[1][2] In addition to his acting, he produced and directed music videos and aspired to be a film director.[3][4] For his portrayal of Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback Mountain, Ledger won the 2005 New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor and the 2006 "Best Actor" award from the Australian Film Institute and was nominated for the 2005 Academy Award for Best Actor[5][6][1] and the 2006 Best Actor award from the BAFTA, as well as won an MTV Movie Award with Jake Gyllenhaal, for their "best kiss" in the film. He also received several award nominations for his work in Two Hands (1999), 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), A Knight's Tale (2001), Ned Kelly (2003), and Candy (2006). Posthumously he shared the 2007 Independent Spirit Robert Altman Award with the rest of the ensemble cast, the director, and the casting director for the film inspired by the life and songs of Bob Dylan, I'm Not There. Ledger portrayed a fictional actor named Robbie Clark, one of six characters embodying aspects of the Dylan legend.[3][7]
He died at the age of 28 after suffering an accidental overdose of prescription medication.
[5][8][9] A few months before his death, Ledger had finished filming his well-received penultimate performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight.[10][11][12] At the time of his death, he was performing the role of Tony in Terry Gilliam's forthcoming film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.[10][13][14][15]
As of October 2008, Ledger was listed as one of the world's highest-earning deceased celebrities, at USD $20 million, ranking third behind
Elvis Presley and Charles M. Schulz
Heath Ledger was born on 4 April 1979, in
Perth, Western Australia, the son of Sally Ledger Bell (née Ramshaw), a French teacher, and Kim Ledger, a racing-car driver and mining engineer, whose family established and owned the well-known Ledger Engineering Foundry.[17][18][19] The Sir Frank Ledger Charitable Trust is named after his great-grandfather.[17] Ledger attended Mary's Mount Primary School, in Gooseberry Hill and later Guildford Grammar School, where he had his first acting experiences, starring in a school production as Peter Pan at age 10.[6][17] His parents separated when he was 10 and divorced when he was 11.[22] Ledger's older sister, Kate, an actress and later a publicist, with whom he was very close, inspired his acting on stage, and his love of Gene Kelly inspired his successful choreography leading to Guildford Grammar's 60-member team's "first all-boy victory" at the Rock Eisteddfod Challenge.[17][23][24][25] Heath's and Kate's other siblings include two half-sisters, Ashleigh Bell (b. 1989), his mother's daughter with her second husband and his stepfather Roger Bell, and Olivia Ledger (b. 1997), his father's daughter with second wife and his stepmother Emma Brown.[26]Ledger was an avid chess player, winning Western Australia's junior chess championship at the age of 10.[27][28] As an adult, he often played with other chess enthusiasts at Washington Square Park.[29][30] Allan Scott's film adaptation of the chess-related 1983 novel The Queen's Gambit, by Walter Tevis, which at the time of his death he was planning both to perform in and to direct, would have been Ledger's first feature film as a director. Among his most-notable romantic relationships, Ledger dated actress Heather Graham for several months in 2000 to 2001,[32] and he had a serious on-and-off-again long-term relationship with actress Naomi Watts, whom he met during the filming of Ned Kelly and with whom he lived at times from 2002 to 2004.[33][34] In the summer of 2004, he met and began dating actress Michelle Williams on the set of Brokeback Mountain, and their daughter, Matilda Rose, was born on 28 October 2005 in New York City.[35] Matilda Rose's godparents are Ledger's Brokeback co-star Jake Gyllenhaal and Williams' Dawson's Creek castmate Busy Philipps.[36][37] Problems with paparazzi in Australia prompted Ledger to sell his residence in Bronte, New South Wales and move to the United States, where he shared an apartment with Williams, in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, from 2005 to 2007.[5][38][39][40][41] In September 2007, Williams' father, Larry Williams, confirmed to Sydney's Daily Telegraph that Ledger and Williams had ended their relationship.[42] After his break up with Williams, in late 2007 and early 2008, the tabloid press and other public media linked Ledger romantically with supermodels Helena Christensen and Gemma Ward and with former child star, actress Mary-Kate Olsen.[43][44][45][46]
From 2000 to 2005, he starred in supporting roles as Gabriel Martin, the eldest son of
Mel Gibson, in The Patriot (2000), and as Sonny Grotowski, the son of Billy Bob Thornton, in Monster's Ball (2000); and in leading or title roles in A Knight's Tale (2001), The Four Feathers (2002), The Order (2003), Ned Kelly (2003), Casanova (2005), The Brothers Grimm (2005), and Lords of Dogtown (2005).[2] In 2001, he won a ShoWest Award as "Male Star of Tomorrow".[47]Ledger received "Best Actor of 2005" awards from both the New York Film Critics Circle and the San Francisco Film Critics Circle for his performance in Brokeback Mountain,[48][49] in which he plays Wyoming ranch hand Ennis Del Mar, who has a love affair with aspiring rodeo rider Jack Twist, played by Jake Gyllenhaal.[50] He also received a nomination for Golden Globe Best Actor in a Drama and a nomination for Academy Award for Best Actor for this performance,[51][52] making him, at age 26, the ninth youngest nominee for a Best Actor Oscar. In The New York Times review of the film, critic Stephen Holden writes: "Both Mr. Ledger and Mr. Gyllenhaal make this anguished love story physically palpable. Mr. Ledger magically and mysteriously disappears beneath the skin of his lean, sinewy character. It is a great screen performance, as good as the best of Marlon Brando and Sean Penn."[53] In a review in Rolling Stone, Peter Travers states: "Ledger's magnificent performance is an acting miracle. He seems to tear it from his insides. Ledger doesn't just know how Ennis moves, speaks and listens; he knows how he breathes. To see him inhale the scent of a shirt hanging in Jack's closet is to take measure of the pain of love lost.

After Brokeback Mountain, Ledger costarred with fellow Australian
Abbie Cornish in the 2006 Australian film Candy, an adaptation of the 1998 novel Candy: A Novel of Love and Addiction, as young heroin addicts in love attempting to break free of their addiction, whose mentor is played by renowned Australian actor Geoffrey Rush; for his performance as sometime poet Dan, Ledger was nominated for three "Best Actor" awards, including one of the Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards 2006, which both Cornish and Rush won in their categories. A couple of weeks after the release of Candy, Ledger was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[55]
As one of six actors embodying different aspects of the life of
Bob Dylan in the 2007 film I'm Not There, directed by Todd Haynes, Ledger "won praise for his portrayal of 'Robbie [Clark],' a moody, counter-culture actor who represents the romanticist side of Dylan, but says accolades are never his motivation."[56] Posthumously, on 23 February 2008, he shared the 2007 Independent Spirit Robert Altman Award with the rest of the film's ensemble cast, its director, and its casting director.[3]
In his penultimate film performance, Ledger plays the
Joker in The Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan, the sequel to the 2005 film Batman Begins, first released, in Australia, on 16 July 2008, nearly six months after his death. While still working on the film, in London, Ledger told Sarah Lyall, in their interview published in the New York Times on 4 November 2007, that he viewed The Dark Knight's Joker as a "psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy."[57] To prepare for the role, Ledger told Empire, "I sat around in a hotel room in London for about a month, locked myself away, formed a little diary and experimented with voices — it was important to try to find a somewhat iconic voice and laugh. I ended up landing more in the realm of a psychopath — someone with very little to no conscience towards his acts"; after reiterating his view of the character as "just an absolute sociopath, a cold-blooded, mass-murdering clown," he added that Nolan had given him "free rein" to create the role, which he found "fun, because there are no real boundaries to what The Joker would say or do. Nothing intimidates him, and everything is a big joke."[58][59][60]
At the time of his death, on 22 January 2008, Ledger had completed about half of his final film performance as Tony in
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.[10][61]
Ledger had aspirations to become a film director and had made some
music videos, which director Todd Haynes praised highly in his tribute to Ledger upon accepting the ISP Robert Altman Award, which Ledger posthumously shared, on 23 February 2008.[3]
In 2006 Ledger directed music videos for the title track on Australian
hip-hop artist N'fa's CD debut solo album Cause an Effect[62] and for the single "Seduction Is Evil (She's Hot)".[63][64]
Later that year, Ledger inaugurated a new record label, Masses Music, with singer
Ben Harper and also directed a music video for Harper's song "Morning Yearning".[57][65]
At a news conference at the 2007
Venice Film Festival, Ledger spoke of his desire to make a documentary film about the British singer-songwriter Nick Drake, who died in 1974, at the age of 26, from an overdose of an antidepressant.[66] Ledger created and acted in a music video set to Drake's recording of the singer's 1974 song about depression "Black Eyed Dog"–a title "inspired by Winston Churchill’s descriptive term for depression" (black dog)[67]; it was shown publicly only twice, first at the Bumbershoot Festival, in Seattle, Washington, held from 1 September to 3 September 2007; and secondly as part of "A Place To Be: A Celebration of Nick Drake", with its screening of Their Place: Reflections On Nick Drake, "a series of short filmed homages to Nick Drake" (including Ledger's), sponsored by American Cinematheque, at the Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, in Hollywood, on 5 October 2007.[68] After Ledger's death, his music video for "Black Eyed Dog" was shown on the internet and excerpted in news clips distributed via YouTube.[66][69][70]He was also working with Scottish screenwriter and producer Allan Scott on an adaptation of the 1983 novel The Queen's Gambit, by Walter Tevis; he was planning both to act in and to direct it, and it would have been his first feature film as a director.
He was also working with Scottish screenwriter and producer Allan Scott on an adaptation of the 1983 novel The Queen's Gambit, by Walter Tevis; he was planning both to act in and to direct it, and it would have been his first feature film as a director
Ledger's relationship with the press in Australia was sometimes turbulent, and it led to his relocating to
New York City In 2004 he strongly denied press reports alleging that "he spat at journalists on the Sydney set of the movie Candy," or that one of his relatives had done so later, outside Ledger's Sydney home.[ On 13 January 2006, "Several members of the paparazzi retaliated ... squirting Ledger and Williams with water pistols on the red carpet at the Sydney premiere of Brokeback Mountain."[
After his performance on stage at the 2005 Screen Actors Guild Awards, when he had giggled in presenting Brokeback Mountain as a nominee for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, the Los Angeles Times referred to his presentation as an "apparent gay spoof."[76] Ledger called the Times later and explained that his levity resulted from stage fright, saying that he had been told that he would be presenting the award only minutes earlier; he stated: "I am so sorry and I apologise for my nervousness. I would be absolutely horrified if my stage fright was misinterpreted as a lack of respect for the film, the topic and for the amazing filmmakers."[
Ledger was quoted in January 2006 in Melbourne's Herald Sun as saying that he heard that West Virginia had banned Brokeback Mountain, which it had not; actually, a cinema in Utah had banned the film.[73] He had also referred mistakenly to West Virginia's having had lynchings as recently as the 1980s, but state scholars disputed his statement, observing that, whereas lynchings did occur in Alabama as recently as 1981, according to "the director of state archives and history" quoted in The Charleston Gazette, "The last documented lynching in West Virginia took place in Lewisburg in 1931.
Sleep difficulties and other work-related health issues:In their New York Times interview, published on 4 November 2007, Ledger told Sarah Lyall that his recently-completed roles in I'm Not There (2007) and The Dark Knight (2008) had taken a toll on his ability to sleep: "Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night. ... I couldn't stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going." At that time, he told Lyall that he had taken two Ambien pills, after taking just one had not sufficed, and those left him in "a stupor, only to wake up an hour later, his mind still racing."
Prior to his return to New York from his last film assignment, in London, in January 2008, while he was apparently suffering from some kind of respiratory illness, he reportedly complained to his co-star Christopher Plummer that he was continuing to have difficulty sleeping and taking pills to help with that problem: "Confirming earlier reports that Ledger hadn't been feeling well on set, Plummer says, 'we all caught colds because we were shooting outside on horrible, damp nights. But Heath's went on and I don't think he dealt with it immediately with the antibiotics.... [sic] I think what he did have was the walking pneumonia.' [...] On top of that, 'He was saying all the time, "dammit, I can't sleep"...[sic] and he was taking all these pills [to help him] [sic].' "In talking with Interview magazine after his death, Ledger's former fiancée Michelle Williams "also confirmed reports the actor had experienced trouble sleeping. 'For as long as I'd known him, he had bouts with insomnia,' she said. 'He had too much energy. His mind was turning, turning turning always turning.'

Death: At about 2:45 p.m. (EST), on 22 January 2008, Ledger was found unconscious in his bed by his housekeeper, Teresa Solomon, and his masseuse, Diana Wolozin, in his fourth-floor loft apartment at 421 Broome Street in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan.[
According to the police, Wolozin, who had arrived early for a 3:00 p.m. appointment with Ledger, used his cell phone "speed-dial button" to call Ledger's friend actress Mary-Kate Olsen for help. Olsen, who was in California, directed a New York City private security guard to go to the scene. At 3:26 p.m., "[fewer] than 15 minutes after Wolozin first saw him in bed and only a few moments" after first calling Olsen and then calling her a second time to express her fears that Ledger was dead, Wolozin telephoned,"to say that Mr. Ledger was not breathing." At the urging of the 9-1-1 operator, Wolozin administered CPR, which was unsuccessful in reviving him.[82]Emergency medical technicians (EMT) arrived seven minutes later, at 3:33 p.m. ("at almost exactly the same moment as a private security guard summoned by Ms. Olsen"), but were also unable to revive him.
At 3:36 p.m., Ledger was pronounced dead and his body removed from the apartment.
Memorial for Heath Ledger, outside 421 Broome Street, SoHo, Manhattan, 23 January 2008
As the news of Ledger's death became public, throughout the night of 22 January 2008, and the next day,
media crews, mourners, fans, and other onlookers began gathering outside his apartment building, with some leaving flowers or other memorial tributes.
On 23 January 2008, at 10:50
a.m., Australian time, Ledger's parents and sister appeared outside his mother's house in Applecross, a riverside suburb of Perth, and read a short statement to the media expressing their grief and desire for privacy.[Within the next few days, memorial tributes were communicated by family members, Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd, Deputy Premier of Western Australia Eric Ripper, Warner Bros. (distributor of The Dark Knight), and thousands of Ledger's fans around the world.[Several actors made statements expressing their sorrow at Ledger's death, including Daniel Day-Lewis, who dedicated his Screen Actors Guild Award to Ledger, saying that he was inspired by Ledger's acting; Day-Lewis praised Ledger's performances in Monster's Ball and Brokeback Mountain, describing the latter as "unique, perfect."[On 1 February 2008, in her first public statement after Ledger's death, Michelle Williams expressed her heartbreak and described Ledger's spirit as surviving in their daughter.After attending private memorial ceremonies in Los Angeles, Ledger's family members returned with his body to Perth. On 9 February 2008, a memorial service attended by several hundred invited guests was held at Penrhos College, garnering considerable press attention; afterward Ledger's body was cremated at Fremantle Cemetery, followed by a private service attended by only 10 closest family members, with his ashes to be interred later in a family plot at Karrakatta Cemetery, next to two of his grandparents.Later that night, his family and friends gathered for a wake on Cottesloe Beach.Autopsy and toxicological analysis
After two weeks of intense media speculation about possible causes of Ledger's death, on 6 February 2008, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of New York released its conclusions, based on an initial autopsy of 23 January 2008, and a subsequent complete toxicological analysis. The report concludes, in part, "Mr. Heath Ledger died as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine." It also states definitively: "We have concluded that the manner of death is accident, resulting from the abuse of prescription medications."[8][106] The medications found in the toxicological analysis are commonly prescribed in the United States for insomnia, anxiety, depression, pain, and/or cold symptoms.Although the Associated Press and other media reported that "police estimate Ledger's time of death between 1 p.m. and 2:45 p.m." (on 22 January 2008),[107] the Medical Examiner's Office announced that it would not be publicly disclosing the official estimated time of death.The official announcement of the cause and manner of Ledger's death heightened concerns about the growing problems of prescription drug abuse or misuse and Combined Drug Intoxication (CDI).
Federal investigation
Late in February 2008, a
DEA investigation of medical professionals relating to Ledger's death exonerated two American physicians, who practice in Los Angeles and Houston, of any wrongdoing, determining that "the doctors in question had prescribed Ledger other medications – not the pills that killed him."
On 4 August 2008, citing unnamed sources, Murray Weiss, of the
New York Post, first reported that Mary-Kate Olsen had "refused [through her attorney, Michael C. Miller] to be interviewed by federal investigators probing the accidental drug death of her close friend Heath Ledger ... [without] ... immunity from prosecution," and that, when asked about the matter, Miller at first declined further comment.Later that day, after the police confirmed the gist of Weiss's account to the Associated Press, Miller issued a statement denying that Olsen supplied Ledger with the drugs causing his death and asserting that she did not know their source." In his statement, Miller said specifically: "Despite tabloid speculation, Mary-Kate Olsen had nothing whatsoever to do with the drugs found in Heath Ledger's home or his body, and she does not know where he obtained them," emphasizing that media "descriptions [attributed to an unidentified source] are incomplete and inaccurate."After a flurry of further media speculation, on 6 August 2008, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan closed its investigation into Ledger's death without filing any charges and rendering moot its subpoena of Olsen.With the clearing of the two doctors and Olsen, and the closing of the investigation because the prosecutors in the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office "don't believe there's a viable target," it is still not known how Ledger obtained the oxycodone and hydrocodone in the lethal drug combination that killed him.
Controversy over will:After Heath Ledger's death, in response to some press reports about his will, filed in New York City on 28 February 2008,and his daughter's access to his financial legacy, his father, Kim Ledger, said that he considered the financial well-being of his granddaughter Matilda Rose the Ledger family's "absolute priority" and her mother, Michelle Williams, "an integral part of our family," adding "They will be taken care of and that's how Heath would want it to be."Some relatives of Heath Ledger may be challenging the legal status of his will signed in 2003, prior to his involvement with Michelle Williams and the birth of their daughter and not updated to include them, which was filed in New York and divides half of his estate between his parents and half among his siblings; they claim that there is a second, unsigned will, which leaves most of that estate to Matilda Rose.Williams' father, Larry Williams, has also joined the controversy about Ledger's will as it was filed in New York City soon after his death.
On 31 March 2008, stimulating another controversy pertaining to Ledger's estate, Gemma Jones and Janet Fife-Yeomans published an "Exclusive" report, in
The Daily Telegraph, citing Ledger's uncle Haydn Ledger and other family members, who "believe the late actor may have fathered a secret love child" when he was 17, and stating that "If it is confirmed that Ledger is the girl's biological father, it could split his multi-million dollar estate between ...
Matilda Rose ... and his secret love child." A few days later, reports citing telephone interviews with Ledger's uncles Haydn and Mike Ledger and the family of the other little girl, published in OK! and Us Weekly, "denied" those "claims", with Ledger's uncles and the little girl's mother and stepfather describing them as unfounded "rumors" distorted and exaggerated by the media.[On 15 July 2008, Fife-Yeomans reported further, via Australian News Limited, that "While Ledger left everything to his parents and three sisters, it is understood they have legal advice that under WA law, Matilda Rose is entitled to the lion's share" of his estate; its executors, Kim Ledger's former business colleague Robert John Collins and Geraldton accountant William Mark Dyson, "have applied for probate in the West Australian Supreme Court in Perth, advertising "for 'creditors and other persons' having claims on the estate to lodge them by 11 August 2008 ... to ensure all debts are paid before the estate is distributed...According to this report by Fife-Yeomans and earlier reports citing Ledger's uncles, which do not include his actual posthumous earnings, "his entire fortune, mostly held in Australian trusts, is likely to be worth up to
$20 million."
On 27 September 2008 Heath Ledger's father Kim stated that Matilda Rose would inherit the entire estate valued at 20 million U.S. Dollars. He is quoted as saying "There is no claim. Our family has gifted everything to Matilde.