PREACH IT! Feldman and other celeb friends mourn Corey Haim, dead at 38

When he passed away early this morning, actor Corey Haim was years past the mega-stardom he enjoyed in the 1980s. But he was far from forgotten. Fans and celebrity friends are remembering him warmly today, largely via the Twitterverse.

As we've already reported, fellow actors Alyssa Milano and Ralph Macchio both have expressed grief.

Director Kevin Smith, referring to two of Haim’s movie hits, Tweeted, "Lost Boy goes home: Corey Haim, dead at 38. G'bye, LUCAS. You gave hope to the weird & unlikely."

From Christina Applegate: “My thoughts go out to Corey's family and friends today. So sad."

"Sister Sister" actress Tamera Mowry declared, "RIP Cory Haim ... you were my first crush!"

“No way! I just saw him last week at a Lupus event! RIP!” Melissa Joan Hart Tweeted.

And Ashton Kutcher called Haim his “childhood hero.” But the most poignant expression of grief at this hour has come from "the other Corey" -- Corey Feldman, who shot to stardom with Haim in movies like "The Lost Boys."

In a statement on his blog, Feldman wrote:

"I was awakened at 8:30 this morning by my brother and sister knocking on my bedroom door. They informed me of the loss of my brother Corey Haim. My eyes weren't even open all the way when the tears started streaming down my face. I am so sorry for Corey, his mother Judy, his family, my family, all of our fans, and of course my son who I will have to find a way to explain this to when he gets home from school.

"This is a tragic loss of a wonderful, beautiful, tormented soul, who will always be my brother, family, and best friend. We must all take this as a lesson in how we treat the people we share this world with while they are still here to make a difference. Please respect our families as we struggle and grieve through this difficult time. I hope the art Corey has left behind will be remembered as the passion of that for which he truly lived."

Haim, 38, had struggled with drugs throughout most of his life. Exact cause of death is still pending, though foul play is not suspected.

--Leslie Gornstein

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Actor Corey Haim, star of 'The Lost Boys,' 'Lucas,' dead at 38

Top: Corey Haim, left, and Corey Feldman in "The Two Coreys"; credit: AP Photo / Courtesy AETN, L. Pief Weyman

Lady Gaga honors Alexander McQueen at Brits; hanging confirmed as cause of designer's death

Lady Gaga changed up her performance Tuesday night at the Brit Awards in the wake of her friend Alexander McQueen's death, which on Wednesday was confirmed by British officials to have been by asphyxiation and hanging.

The designer, known to friends as Lee, died Thursday, the day before his mother's funeral. A note was left behind, but no formal ruling on suicide will be made until the inquest is final; the next meeting is April 28. 

Gaga had originally planned a big-time production number -- according to the Daily Mail, she "was to arrive onstage in a wreck of a car, packed with musical instruments, to perform a medley of her biggest hits, including 'Poker Face.'"

But the McQueen's death changed all that -- she was by some accounts an unofficial muse to the designer, and to honor his memory she toned it down and performed an acoustic version of "Telephone" instead, rolling halfway into a more uptempo "Dance in the Dark," an album track with lyrics that include references to famous deaths:

Marion Cotillard, Sean Penn and Quentin Tarantino hit the Palm Springs International Film Festival awards

Just because they weren't leaning on the open bar doesn't mean the sober stars attending the 21st Annual Palm Springs Film Festival shouldn't get some love.

Mariah Carey may have stolen the spotlight with her spirited speech, but other heavyweights did show face at the Palm Springs Convention Center for the awards presentation.

Sean Penn attended the bash for his third consecutive year, presenting an achievement award to composer T Bone Burnett for his work on "Crazy Heart." After the show, Penn attended the celeb-packed Parker for cocktails with gay activist Cleve Jones (instrumental in the making of Penn's Oscar-winning "Milk") and directors Jason Reitman and Quentin Tarantino.  

Nearby, Marion Cotillard gushed about receiving her best actress award for "Nine," so soon after her 2008 breakthrough award win for "La Vie en Rose." 

Also in the crowd were Clint Eastwood, who drove himself to the event, and "Jennifer's Body" mastermind Diablo Cody. 

Jeff Bridges, star of "Crazy Heart," made it to the shindig to snag his trophy -- presented by Michelle Pfeiffer -- but with a bad case of walking pneumonia. Perhaps Mariah has a cure for what ails him?

See more photos from Palm Springs after the jump!

-- Matt Donnelly 

Photo: Marion Cotillard has been handsomely rewarded for her turn as a scorned Italian wife in "Nine." Credit: Dan Steinberg / Associated Press.

Brittany Murphy and Simon Monjack: Crazy in love

I suppose Brittany Murphy always seemed a bit unhinged -- the "Clueless" star had issues with fluctuating weight, a loopy persona and a whispered-about marriage to British screenwriter Simon Monjack. 

The rumors that had plagued the pair since their 2007 nuptials were varied and salacious: Monjack's visa had conveniently expired around their wedding; rumors of infidelity abounded on both ends; allegations that Monjack had bad debts and a worse business reputation. 

Neither would elaborate on these claims, consistently dismissing them through publicists or lawyers. Still, doubts lingered in the media and show business over the legitimacy of their love. 

In January 2008, I spent an afternoon with the couple at the Sundance Film Festival, where Monjack had been hired to photograph a series of celebs, including his wife, for a Rock the Vote campaign.

I was working for the New York Post at the time, and Murphy wasn't short on humor: When I introduced myself, she told me that her lawyer Martin Singer was quite familiar with the publication.

Still, she played ball. We had the kind of ice-breaking talk that's specific to an actress ...