“Patrick Swayze passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months," said a statement just released by his publicist, Annett Wolf. No other details were given.

We first learned of his illness in March 2008, but he kept working despite the diagnosis and pain, writing a memoir with his wife, Lisa Niemi, and shooting “The Beast” TV series for A&E. Some reports earlier this year gave him an optimistic prognosis, and he fought a hard battle, telling Barbara Walters that he wasn’t going to give up.

"I’d say five years is pretty wishful thinking," Swayze told Walters in early 2009. "Two years seems likely, if you’re going to believe statistics. I want to last until they find a cure, which means I’d better get a fire under it."

He danced his way into our hearts as bad-boy Johnny Castle in “Dirty Dancing,” and we’ll never forget that romantic spinning wheel scene with Demi Moore in “Ghost.”

My heart goes out to his wife and family during this sad time.

Image: Pacific Coast News; Source: ABC News

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Now the filmmaker extraordinaire has passed away at the age of 59 after suffering a heart attack during a morning walk while visiting family in Manhattan. His movies, including "The Breakfast Club," "Ferris Bueller’s Day Off," and "Sixteen Candles," never made made fun of or talked down to teens.

Movie critic Roger Ebert wrote about "Sixteen Candles," "This is a fresh and cheerful movie with a goofy sense of humor and a good ear for how teenagers talk. It doesn’t hate its characters or condescend to them, the way a lot of teenage movies do; instead, it goes for human comedy and finds it in the everyday lives of the kids in its story."

As usual, Ebert is echoing my thoughts about the greatness of John Hughes. I’d say that this generation needs a John Hughes, but I doubt there will ever be another filmmaker quite like him. More recently, he wrote screenplays under the pen name of Edmond Dantes for "Maid in Manhattan," "Drillbit Taylor," and others.

Hughes is survived by his wife of 39 years, Nancy, two sons, John and James, and four grandchildren.

Image Details: © Universal Studios

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Her friends and family, including partner Ryan O’Neal, their son Redmond, and her best friend Alana Stewart, are just a few of the mourners who attended Farrah’s funeral at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

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After much discussion, Universal Pictures removed a scene from the movie where Bruno, the flamboyant Austrian journalist played by Sacha Baron Cohen, interviews an unsuspecting Latoya Jackson about several topics, including her brother.

The sketch included jokes about Jackson’s high-pitched voice and his trademark white glove.

I mean, basically, the movie is really over-the-top anyway, so had Jackson not died, the scene probably wouldn’t have been that outrageous. But I’m glad they took it out, because that would have been in really poor taste.

Any thoughts on this? Should filmmakers cut inappropriate Michael Jackson scenes from upcoming movies?

Image Credits: © Universal Studios; Bauer-Griffin

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But lest we forget, Farrah also did a lot of movies during her career, including the critically acclaimed TV movie "The Burning Bed," about an abused wife who sets her husband’s bed on fire with him in it (which won a Golden Globe), and "Extremities," about a woman who takes revenge on the man who invades her home and tries to rape her (also nominated for a Golden Globe). It was a period of dark roles for the poster girl.

Other films included "The Apostle" with Robert Duvall, "Dr. T and the Women" with Richard Gere, and the very early (1976) "Logan’s Run" with Michael York. Did you know she was on "The Dating Game," though? Here’s the proof (and watch all the way through for an awkward surprise!):

Image: INF

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I mean, it sure sounds like suicide, right? Who knows for sure, and the police suspect that’s indeed the case, but Carradine’s manager doesn’t believe it.

"I can tell you 100 percent that he would have never committed suicide," Tiffany Smith, who along with Chuck Binder managed the star, told People.com. "He was too full of life."

Then again, you never know what’s going on inside a person, and maybe his manager’s just trying to put a good spin on it. In the past, he spoke openly about his battle with drugs and alcohol, and even his thoughts of suicide.

Still, Hill said he’d been in good spirits and had several other films lined up. His niece, actress Martha Plimpton, said in a statement that the family was stunned by the news.

"My Uncle David was a brilliantly talented, fiercely intelligent and generous man. He was the nexus of our family in so many ways, and drew us together over the years and kept us connected. I adored him as a child, and as an adult I admired and respected him. We will all miss him terribly."

Ironically, he starred in a 2008 movie called "My Suicide." He played Bill in "Kill Bill" Volumes 1 and 2, along with dozens of other movies and TV shows, but I’ll always think of him as the peaceful Kwai Chang Caine in the 1970s TV series "Kung Fu." 

Photo: Newscom

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The same was true in his private life, as he was married to the same woman for 54 years (a rarity in Hollywood). He’s survived by his wife, Carol Arthur, and three sons, Peter, Michael and David.

After the jump, my tribute to Dom DeLuise – my top five favorite movie roles…

1. The Glass Bottom Boat (1966). One of the funniest scenes in movie history is when DeLuise’s character Julius Pritter gets his foot caught in an urn, along with Doris Day’s foot. Watching them try to disentangle themselves and get un-stuck is pure comedy at its best.

2. Blazing Saddles (1974). DeLuise played Buddy Bizarre, a musical director whose set is interrupted when the townsfolk come up against Lamarr’s thugs. A bonus is that we get to see him dance in the movie. He was a master at physical comedy.

3. The Cannonball Run (1981). He played Burt Reynolds’ bumbling buddy Victor Prinzim, whose alter-ego was goofy caped crusader Captain Chaos. If you’ve ever seen the outtakes of this movie, it’s clear that he and Reynolds shared a deep and abiding friendship through thick and thin.

4. An American Tail (1986). DeLuise voiced the part of Tiger, companion to Fievel Mousekewitz. Their duet “Duo” is one-of-a-kind in animated films.

5. Spaceballs (1987). DeLuise’s character name says it all: Pizza the Hutt. If you have a teenage kid in the house, you should definitely tune them in to this movie, a take-off on “Star Wars” and other space movies.

Share your own favorite Dom DeLuise movie moments in the comments below.

Image: PR Photos

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LONDON – OCTOBER 17: Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson arrive at the BFI 52 London Film Festival: ‘The Other Man’ Premiere at the Odeon West End on October 17, 2008 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

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I was so sad to hear that Natasha Richardson died of a head injury from a skiing lesson on Monday. It sounds like one of those freak accidents where she didn’t hit a tree or anything, and was actually walking and talking after the accident.

But an hour later, she developed a headache and was taken to a hospital. She was later confirmed to be brain dead from the injuries, and died just a short while ago after being removed from life support. That can’t be an easy decision for any family to make in that situation.

A spokesman for the family said, "Liam Neeson, his sons and the entire family are shocked and devastated by the tragic death of their beloved Natasha. They are profoundly grateful for the support, love and prayers of everyone and ask for privacy during this very difficult time."

Richardson, who was an accomplished stage actress (“Cabaret” and “High Society,” to name two) and movie star (“The Parent Trap,” “Evening”) comes from a long line of actors. Her maternal grandparents, Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson, were British stage stars from the 1930s and beyond. Her parents are Vanessa Redgrave and the late director Tony Richardson.

She married Liam Neeson in 1994, and it sounds like they had one of those rare celebrity marriages that was actually genuine and true.

She’s survived by Neeson, their two sons, Michael Richard Antonio and Daniel Jack; her mother; her sister Joely Richardson; and a half-sister, Katherine Grimond.

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