Vesta Williams: '80s R&B diva found dead in a hotel room at 53

Vesta Williams, the R&B singer who rose to fame in the '80s, was found dead Thursday evening in an El Segundo hotel room. She was 53.

Though no official cause of death had been determined Friday, John Kades of the L.A. County coroner's office told the Associated Press that it "could be a drug overdose." An autopsy will be conducted, though foul play was not suspected.

Williams' hits included "Sweet Sweet Love," "Once Bitten Twice Shy" and "Congratulations," a tale of heartbreak over a love marrying someone else that she later described to Mo'Nique as "a premonition that came true" (video below). Williams appeared on the sitcom "Sister Sister" several times in the late 1990s, playing a best friend to Jackée Harry's character.

"Just received truly devastating news: R&B great, and my friend of many yrs, Vesta Williams (@vesta4u) has passed away," Harry said early Friday on Twitter. 

Law enforcement sources told TMZ that multiple bottles of prescription pills were found in the room, where Williams' body was discovered around 6:15 p.m. Toxicology test results typically come in around six weeks after an autopsy is conducted.

 

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-- Christie D'Zurilla
Twitter.com/dzurillaville

Photo: Vesta Williams at the 41st NAACP Image Awards in February 2010. Credit: Jason Merritt / Getty Images.

 

George Michael admits 'turbulent' Kenny Goss relationship is over

George Michael and longtime partner Kenny Goss have indeed broken up, with the singer admitting the split after months spent denying rumors and careless whispers that they'd gone their separate ways.

The "Faith" singer 'fessed up Monday to the audience at the opening night of his "Symphonica: The Orchestral Tour" at the Prague State Opera House.

"It's time to be honest," Michael said of his relationship with the businessman, which began in the mid-1990s.

"Kenny and I haven't been together for two and a half years," the 48-year-old announced when he dedicated his new song, "Where I Hope You Are," to his former partner. They split, he said, in part because of Goss' longtime struggle with alcohol addiction after his parents died.

"My love life has been a lot more turbulent than I've let on," Michael added. "This man has brought me a lot of joy and a lot of pain."

Together, Goss and the former Wham! singer founded the Dallas-based Goss-Michael Foundation, which exhibits British contemporary art.

During the concert, Michael also paid tribute to Amy Winehouse, saying the late singer was the only British artist to have left him in awe during his three-decade career.

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-- Nardine Saad
Twitter.com/NardineSaad

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photo: Kenny Goss, left, and George Michael in December 2005. Credit: Junko Kimura / Getty Images

Jani Lane autopsy: No quick answers in Warrant singer's death

An autopsy on rocker Jani Lane has revealed no conclusive cause of death, an L.A. County coroner's official said Friday.

That leaves family, friends and fans of the former Warrant singer to wait on results of toxicology and other tests that will, according to Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter,  come in over the next two months or so.

Lane, 47, was pronounced dead early Thursday evening after paramedics found him unresponsive in a hotel room in Woodland Hills, far from his Redondo Beach home. A half-bottle of alcohol and prescription medications were found in the hotel room where he died, though police officials said there was no indication that the father of two girls had intentionally taken his own life.

A cause of death similarly in limbo is that of 27-year-old singer Amy Winehouse, found dead July 23, whose autopsy yielded no clear answers. In that case, Winehouse's family reportedly believes sudden withdrawal from alcohol will be revealed as the culprit after toxicology and other tests results are returned.

Lane, whose lead-singer relationship with Warrant was on-again, off-again, wrote hits for the hair-metal band including "Heaven," "Cherry Pie" and "Down Boys." Warrant's first two albums -- "Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich" in 1989 and "Cherry Pie" in 1990 -- both went double-platinum. Lane first left the band in 1992, but returned years later.

"We are deeply saddened to hear the news of Jani's passing," the band said Friday on its website, also posting a concert video of Lane performing "Heaven," embedded below.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family. Jani was a very important part of our lives for a long time.
We will always be incredibly proud of the music we created together. He was a true talent and will be missed by all of us."

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— Christie D'Zurilla
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photo: Jani Lane with Warrant in January 1990. Credit: Marty Temme / WireImage.

Jennifer Grey gives her support to Kenny Ortega's 'Dirty Dancing'

The "Dirty Dancing" remake has found itself a fan -- perhaps only one, but it's a big one -- in Jennifer Grey.

"I love @Kennyortega and trust that he will do something special #DirtyDancingRemake," Grey tweeted.

Grey played Baby -- she of "You don't put Baby in the corner" -- in the original 1987 film starring the late Patrick Swayze that grossed $214 million worldwide. The musical love story follows a 1963 summer romance that develops between a rebellious and smoldering dance instructor (Swayze) and a teenager (Grey) vacationing in the Catskills with her conservative family.

The 51-year-old actress professed her love for Ortega, the original movie's choreographer, who was signed by Lionsgate to direct the reboot, which promises to portray "the emotional excitement of first love, the thrills and complexity of sexual awakening ... and the soul-stirring power of dance."

"I'm so excited about this news, and I think there's nobody better to do this than my beloved Kenny Ortega, who is as responsible as anyone for the success of the first one. I can't wait to see what he's going to do with it," she said through her publicist.

News of the reboot was greeted coldly by naysayers who hold the original in high regard and are mindful of the franchise's failed sequel. But that didn't seem to shake Ortega.

"The opportunity to direct 'Dirty Dancing' is like returning home for me," said Ortega, who has Michael Jackson's "This Is It" and juggernaut "High School Musical" under his belt.

"I believe everywhere you look there is evidence that the talent is out there and I can't wait to begin the process of discovering the next breakout triple-threats."

We hope Ryan Gosling'S "Crazy, Stupid, Love" stunt with Emma Stone shoots him to the top of that list.

Who do you think should be cast in the remake? What role would you want Jennifer Grey to play if she came back? Tell us in comments.

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Photo: Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey in 1987's "Dirty Dancing." Credit: Vestron Pictures

Jimmy Kimmel joins Boyz II Men — to say goodbye to Oprah Winfrey

Boyz II Men is back (back, again) just in time for Oprah Winfrey's last episode and with a little help from Jimmy Kimmel.

"It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Oprah Winfrey" made its debut on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" on Tuesday night to bid adieu to the daytime diva. The smooth-singing boyz from Motown Philly spoofed their classic song by giving it an even more melodramatic spin.

Kimmel filled in as the fourth member of the group, and, may we say, we may actually prefer it this way. (Whatever it takes to get them to make more sweet music!)

Watch the clip above and tell us your favorite part in comments.

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Lady Gaga debuts 'Edge of Glory,' partners to bring tunes to FarmVille

Lady Gaga on Tuesday premiered "The Edge of Glory," the latest single off her upcoming "Born This Way" album.

Her newest anthem, a tad slower and less electro than "Judas" and "Born This Way," keeps in theme with her '80s- and '90s-sounding tracks thanks to a sax solo from Clarence Clemons of the E Street Band. Listen to it above.

Fans responded to the track immediately, which brought the singer to tears -- in a good way.

"Been crying reading all your beautiful messages for my new song. It means so much to ME," Gaga tweeted.

The song, less shock-provoking than her other recent singles, allows Mother Monster to bare it all about someone she's ready to fall in love with, singing:

There ain't a reason you and me should be alone tonight,
I got a reason that you're who should take me home tonight
I need a man that thinks it's right when it's so wrong tonight
Right on the limits where we know we both belong tonight
It's time to feel the rush
To brush the dangerous
I'm gonna run back to, to the edge with you
Where we can both fall over in love

I'm on the edge of glory
And hanging on a moment of truth
I'm on the edge of glory
And I'm hanging on a moment with you
I'm on the edge

The album "Born This Way" -- which almost feels like it's out already? -- goes on sale May 23. But fans who simply-can't-wait-till-then can travel to "GagaVille," a neighboring farm in the online game FarmVille, to hear three singles from the new album May 17-19. Players who fulfill GagaVille tasks can unlock one song each day. Gaga is the first musician to partner with maker Zynga, which has added music to the game for the first time.

Don't ever say Gaga doesn't think about how to expand her monster-ific fan base: About 46 million people worldwide play FarmVille each month, AP reported. Which means there could be a whole lot of farm monsters out there.

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Photo: Lady Gaga. Credit: Henry Romero / Reuters

Royal Wedding: Prince William, Kate Middleton juggle something old, something new

This post has been corrected. See the note below for details.

Like any couple prepping to tie the knot, Prince William of Wales and his fiancée, Kate Middleton, have their hands full. But thanks to his regal lineage, and unlike "any couple," the royal couple have a litany of additional traditions they must adhere to.

The Ministry talked with an expert on the royal family to see how the couple will juggle something old and something new, to make comparisons with Prince Charles and Princess Diana and to check in on contemporary attitudes toward the monarchy.

"The royal family has thought about how to balance tradition and modernity since 1981," said royals expert Susan D. Amussen, a British historian at UC Merced. "Since Diana's death, they really had to figure out where royal tradition got in the way of making sense in modern society.

"When Diana died, there were things they wanted the queen to do which the palace said she didn't do, and that wasn't satisfying to observers."

Timeline: Windsor family weddings

The public is obsessing less over this wedding than they did over Diana and Charles' nuptials, Amussen said, despite the glut of coverage the event has received.

"The monarchy has had a rough 30 years, with Charles' divorce, the death of Diana and Anne and [Andrew's] divorces," she said. "The queen's children have not been great moral exemplars and have been seen often as too much interested in their own pleasure by many critics."

That unfairly puts the pressure on William. But he's smashingly getting away with quite a few modern touches. Since, unlike his father Prince Charles, Wills isn't the direct heir to the thone, it's easier in his case for the monarchy to be more flexible when it comes to embracing modernity. This modernity was instilled in William by his late mother, who "gave him a sense of the world outside the royal bubble," Amussen said.

Keanu Reeves talks 'Bill & Ted' three-quel

Keanu Reeves says there will be a third installment of the cult "Bill & Ted" franchise.

Dude.

The actor, who played Ted in the films, had previously said that original writers Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon were "going to try and see if they can write something."

And while promoting his indie comedy "Henry's Crime," he told MTV Monday that he believed "the writers are six weeks away from a draft."

The previous films, "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" and "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey," hit theaters in 1989 and 1991, respectively, and costarred Alex Winter as Bill. The actors, who in "Excellent Adventure" played high schoolers traveling through time to piece together a history project, are now in their mid-40s -- and Reeves says that's "pretty excellent."

"The Matrix" star said the third film will likely build on the previous story lines.

"When we last got together, part of it was that Bill and Ted were supposed to have written the song that saved the world, and it hasn't happened," Reeves told MTV. "So they've now become kind of possessed by trying to do that. Then there's an element of time and they have to go back."

Do you think a third installment would be excellent or bogus?

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Photo: Keanu Reeves attends a screening of "Henry's Crime" at Landmark's Sunshine Cinema on April 4, 2011, in New York City. Credit: Larry Busacca / Getty Images

Ricky Gervais sings and dances in '80s pop duo Seona Dancing!

We knew about "The Office," "Extras" and his various other shows but, oh, Ricky Gervais... why did you never tell us about this?

The controversial Golden Globes host and sharp-tongued comic used to be in the '80s synth duo Seona Dancing.  And for the '80s and its unfortunate hairstyles, he looked real good.

Watch the music video for the band's chart topping single "Bitter Heart" above. A bounty that will live forever on YouTube. And yes, it's really Ricky!

Maybe he sees this as an unwanted blemish on his less-than-squeaky-clean career, but we see it as a goldmine. Are you as in love with this version of Ricky as we are? Tell us in comments.

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Singer Bryan Adams gets a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

Classic rock balladeer Bryan Adams' name will forever be engraved in the Hollywood pavement now that he's received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The songwriter-guitarist-bassist of "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?" fame was presented the 2,435th star Monday by hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, who was treated to Adams' performance of the Canadian National Anthem at "The Great One's" final game.

Adams' star is fittingly in front of the Musicians Institute on Hollywood Boulevard.

"Gonna bring my surf board to the ceremony tomorrow...just in case the rain continues..." the singer tweeted Sunday.

He showed up for the ceremony recalling his visit to Hollywood when he was 16 and marveling at the stars. He said he was humbled to see his own star.

Adams got his start in 1980 with a nine-song self-titled album, hitting his stride in the early '80s with his third and fourth albums, "Cuts Like a Knife" and "Reckless" released in 1983 and 1983, respectively.

The 51-year-old won a Grammy Award for best song in a motion picture in 1991 for the power ballad "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" from "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves."

His other hits include "Straight From the Heart," "Summer of '69" and "Run to You." He is promoting his newest album, "Bryan Adams: Bare Bones," and touring. He will perform at UCLA's Royce Hall on April 9.

Adams also moonlights as a photographer shooting dozens of celebrities, including Sienna Miller, Jared Leto, Amy Winehouse and Tilda Swinton.

He set up the Bryan Adams Foundation in response to the December 2004 tsunami that hit southern Asia. The charity gives grants to projects supporting victims of natural disaster or mental or physical abuse as well as the elderly.

Star No. 2,434, presented by Kirk Douglas, went to Indian conductor Zubin Mehta on March 1.

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— Nardine Saad
twitter.com/NardineSaad

Right photo: Canadian singer Bryan Adams is honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 21. Credit: Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press.

Left photo: Wayne Gretzky, left, congratulates his Canadian friend Bryan Adams at the star ceremony. Credit: Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press.

A new Times database puts readers on the sidewalks of Hollywood, using more than a century of archives to track the lives of the stars past and present.