Although plenty of people have died last week, none of the fuckers were famous. We’re literally scraping the bottom of the proverbial bucket this week. Luckily for us, plenty of news to be getting on with, but I’m on the verge of sending out those flying monkeys again!

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Héctor Babenco, 70, Argentine-born Brazilian film director, producer and screenwriter (Kiss of the Spider Woman, Ironweed, Carandiru), heart attack.
• Qandeel Baloch, 26, Pakistani model and social media celebrity, strangled.
• Emma Cohen, 69, Spanish actress (The Glass Ceiling, Voyage to Nowhere, The Grandfather), cancer. 
• Helen Bailey, 51, British author. (body discovered on this date)
• Alan Vega, 78, American singer and musician (Suicide).

In Other News

The Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry has been rushed to hospital after collapsing on stage during a gig in New York. Perry, 65, was performing with his Hollywood Vampires bandmates Alice Cooper and Johnny Depp at The Amphitheater in Brooklyn when he suddenly slumped onto the drum stage before staggering off. One witness described how Perry went behind a small wall and then passed out in a post on Instagram. “FDNY and NYPD carried him off quickly,” the user named ‘leeniepics’ wrote. Cooper said Perry is in a “stable condition” and “under the best care” in hospital. Perry, Cooper and Depp joined forces in 2015 to form the Hollywood Vampires. Perry’s agent could not immediately be contacted for comment.

Chaka Kahn and her sister have entered an intensive rehabilitation programme to tackle an addiction to prescription pain killers. The  Grammy-award winning singer said she was entering a programme voluntarily with her sister Yvonne Stevens, also known as Taka Boom. Khan, 63, said the death of her friend Prince had forced her into action. Khan’s 1984 cover of Prince’s “I Feel For You” is one of her most famous songs and the pair were friends for decades before his death aged 57 in April. Autopsy results showed the iconic musician had died of an overdose of an opioid painkiller. Khan told the press she had been struggling with an addiction to the same prescription drugs used by Prince. “Unfortunately, I will miss concert appearances over the summer,” she said in a statement. “However, it’s vital that I put my health and well-being first. I know that I am disappointing some of my fans, but I also know they would want me to recover and be well and healthy. “The tragic death of Prince has had us both rethinking and reevaluating our lives and priorities. We knew it was time to take action to save our lives. My sister and I would like to thank everyone for their support, love and prayers.”

England batsman c has been diagnosed with a cancerous tumour, his county Hampshire have confirmed. The 35-year-old was sent for tests after missing this week’s County Championship match against Warwickshire because he felt unwell. He will have more examinations before receiving treatment. Hampshire chairman Rod Bransgrove said: “I would like to send him and his family our very best wishes at this very difficult time.” Left-hander Carberry missed an England Performance Programme tour in late 2010 and part of the 2011 season because of blood clots on a lung.

Japan’s Emperor Akihito has expressed his desire to abdicate in the next few years, public broadcaster NHK reports. The 82-year-old, who has had health problems in recent years, reportedly does not wish to remain emperor if he has to reduce his official duties. But a palace spokesman denied that there is any official plan for the monarch to abdicate in what would be an unprecedented move in modern Japan. Crown Prince Naruhito, 56, is next in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne. An unnamed government source told Japan’s Kyodo news agency that the emperor, who plays a largely ceremonial role but is respected deeply by many Japanese, has been contemplating the move for about a year. His family had accepted his decision, an unnamed palace source told NHK. Emperor Akihito had surgery for prostate cancer in 2003 and a heart bypass operation four years ago, so there’s no wonder he wishes to take a rest.

US Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning tried to kill herself in prison last week, her lawyers have confirmed. Ms Manning, who is transgender, is serving a 35-year sentence at an all-male military facility. Her lawyers accused the US military of violating her privacy by revealing that she had been admitted to hospital. The army had not disclosed the reason for the hospital admission but it was linked to a suicide attempt in media reports. Ms Manning’s legal team said in a statement: “Last week, Chelsea made a decision to end her life. “She would have preferred to keep her private medical information private, and instead focus on her recovery. “She knows that people have questions about how she is doing and she wants everyone to know that she remains under close observation by the prison and expects to remain on this status for the next several weeks.” A tweet was sent from Ms Manning’s account on Monday, reading: “I am okay. I’m glad to be alive. “Thank you for all your love. I will get through this.”

And finally, a campaign to prevent the slaughter of the mother of the bull that killed a Spanish matador has attracted thousands of supporters. Victor Barrio, 29, became the first bullfighter to die in the ring in 30 years when he was gored to death by a bull on live television while fighting in Madrid on Saturday. The matador was fatally pierced in the chest by the animal in the eastern town of Teruel. The bull was subsequently killed. According to Spanish tradition, the mother of any bull that kills a human is also destined to be slaughtered, in order to “kill off the bloodline”. But animal rights campaigners have protested against the killing of the bull’s mother, named Lorenzo, in a movement that has attracted swathes of support through social media. PACMA, a political party in Spain that defends the rights of animals, has set up a petition to oppose the killing and promoted it under the hashtag #SalvemosALorenza – “save Lorenzo” – which has been trending across Spain. Carmen Fraile Martin wrote: “It is shameful that the mother is killed because her son killed a human being. That is absurdity! The fate of Lorenzo is not clear, but Spanish media is reporting that Lorenza is already dead.

On This Day

• 1902 – Willis Carrier creates the first air conditioner in Buffalo, New York.
• 1918 – The RMS Carpathia, the ship that rescued the 705 survivors from the RMS Titanic, is sunk off Ireland by the German SM U-55; five lives are lost.
• 1955 – Disneyland is dedicated and opened by Walt Disney in Anaheim, California.
• 1975 – Apollo–Soyuz Test Project: An American Apollo and a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft dock with each other in orbit marking the first such link-up between spacecraft from the two nations.
• 1989 – First flight of the B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber.

Deaths

• 1959 – Billie Holiday, American singer-songwriter and actress (b. 1915)
• 2003 – David Kelly, Welsh weapons inspector (b. 1944)
• 2004 – Pat Roach, English wrestler and actor (b. 1937)
• 2005 – Edward Heath, English colonel and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1916)
• 2009 – Walter Cronkite, American journalist and actor (b. 1916)

Last Week’s Birthdays

Suzanne Vega (57), Leon Spinks (63), Richard Simmonds (68), Cheryl Ladd (65), Anna Friel (40), Michelle Rodriguez (38), Patrick Stewart (76), Harrison Ford (74), Cheech Marin (70), Harry Dean Stanton (90), Jackie Earle Haley (55), Linds Ronstadt (70), Forest Whitaker (55), Brigitte Nielsen (53), Dianne Kruger (40), Jesse Ventura (65), Michael Flatley (58), Phoebe Cates (53), Will Farrell (49) and Corey Feldman (45).

The Last Word

“It’s okay! Gun’s not loaded… see?” – Johnny Ace, 1950s rhythm and blues singer.

• Ace was playing Russian roulette (or something similar; exact accounts vary) with his revolver on Christmas Day 1954, during a backstage break in his concert that day. Contrary to Ace’s assertion, there was a bullet in the chamber, which, when he pulled the trigger with the barrel of the gun to his face, killed him instantly.

Next week peeps!

Let’s start off by saying well done to Martin, 37 points for guessing that Gladys Hooper would pop her clogs this year, not many points, but that’s the gamble you take listing supercentenarian’s, you just hope for little and often. Plenty to read this week, so best get on with it!

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Noel Neill, 95, American actress (Superman).
• John McMartin, 86, American actor (Sweet Charity, Blow Out, Law & Order), cancer.
• Goldie Michelson, 113, Russian-born American supercentenarian, nation’s oldest living person.
• Gladys Hooper, 113, English supercentenarian.

In Other News

Chelsea Manning, the military whistleblower serving a 35 year sentence, was rushed to hospital after reportedly trying to take her own life. A US media report said that Manning, who us being held at in a cell at the US Military Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, was taken to hospital early on Tuesday morning. CNN said that it was believed that the 28-year-old had tried to kill herself. Manning’s lawyer, Nancy Hollander, said in a statement that she was “shocked and outraged” that an official at Fort Leavenworth provided “confidential medical information” about Manning to the media but had not shared anything with her team. She said she had been due to speak with her client at 2pm on Monday but was told she could not be connected.

Sarah Silverman says she is “insanely lucky to be alive” after developing a serious condition which landed her in intensive care. The comedian was kept  in an intensive care unit for a week after experiencing a “freak case of epiglottitis” she says almost killed her. Epiglottitis is an inflammation of the epiglottis – the flap of tissue beneath the tongue at the back of the throat. Silverman explained in a lengthy Facebook post she initially sought treatment for a sore throat. However, doctors soon diagnosed her with the condition. Silverman underwent surgery and required assistance from a breathing pipe. “When I woke up five days later I didn’t remember anything,” she told her Facebook followers. “I thanked everyone at the ICU for my life, went home, and then slowly as the opiates faded away, remembered the trauma of the surgery and spent the first two days home kind of free-falling from the meds/lack of meds and the paralysing realisation that nothing matters. The 45-year-old also thanked her friends and family, paying a special tribute to her partner, the actor Michael Sheen, who she called her “real-life hero”.

Vladimir Putin has cancelled a series of scheduled appointments and meetings amid mounting speculation surrounding his failure to appear in public since July 1st. The last time the Russian president made a public appearance was at a summit in Finland, in which he warned the Kremlin could take action if the country joined Nato. According to Russian news channel RBC, Mr Putin cancelled a meeting on tourism in Altai on 5th July, postponing it for an “indefinite period”. He also failed to arrive to the opening ceremony he was supposed to attend on Wednesday at VI International Sports Games for the Children of Asia in Yakutia. This was blamed on the President having “a specific schedule that has the ability to change”. The President has also cancelled meetings on 7 July in Novogorod where he was due to visit the production site of Akron, a metal and mining company. The various cancellations had already sparked rumours as to the President’s whereabouts, and the Kremlin is yet to address the matter. Rumours abounded the last time the Russian President vanished from the public eye for a few days, back in March 2015. The lengthy list of reasons included suggestions he was dead, had been overthrown, had a bad back, that his alleged secret girlfriend was having an alleged secret baby, and the theory that Mr Putin had been recovering from plastic surgery to preserve his youthful good looks. Reuters reported at the time that the president was ill, but this was refuted by the Kremlin.

A jockey from Northern Ireland was run over by an ambulance on its way to treat him after he had been kicked in the face by a horse. Chris Meehan, from  County Down, suffered a broken leg when the vehicle drove over him during a hurdle race in Merano, northern Italy, and now faces two months out of action. He was left lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood after falling from his horse and being kicked in the face, before being placed in the recovery position by the race starter. Meehan also had his nose broken in the accident and suffered a gash to his jaw which required 27 stitches. “The racecourse ambulance came up alongside us and reversed up onto my leg,” Meehan told Racing Post. “They stopped it on top of my leg so I started screaming. It broke it straight away. “Everyone around me had to push it off me. You have to laugh really.”

And finally, if you think that chap was having a bad day, two Spanish men are in a serious condition after being gored during the fourth day of the running of the bulls at Pamplona’s San Fermin festival. The men, aged 29 and 34, were from the south-eastern town of Valencia, and were injured in an alleyway leading to the bullring. No further details were revealed. It comes the day after a well-known matador was killed during a bullfight in eastern Spain, the first such incident to occur in the country this century. Professional bullfighter Victor Barrio, 29, was killed by a bull which flipped him over with a horn, then continued to gore and push him along the ground. The fight was taking place at the festival Feria del Angel in Teruel, during an event which was being shown live on TV. No sympathy…

On This Day

• 1212 – The most severe of several early fires of London burns most of the city to the ground.
• 1553 – Lady Jane Grey takes the throne of England.
• 1913 – The temperature in Death Valley, California, hits 134 °F (57 °C), the highest temperature ever to be recorded on Earth.
• 1962 – Telstar, the world’s first communications satellite, is launched into orbit.

Deaths

• 138 – Hadrian, Roman emperor (b. 76)
• 1806 – George Stubbs, English painter and academic (b. 1724)
• 1851 – Louis Daguerre, French photographer and physicist, invented the daguerreotype (b. 1787)
• 1989 – Mel Blanc, American voice actor and singer (b. 1908)
• 2015 – Omar Sharif, Egyptian actor and screenwriter (b. 1932)

Last Week’s Birthdays

Montel Williams (60), Tom Cruise (54), Yardley Smith (52), Bill Withers (78), Huey Lewis (66), Rza (47), Ned Beatty (79), Sylvester Stallone (70), Geoffrey Rush (65), 50 Cent (41), Dalai Lama (81), George W. Bush (70), Ringo Starr (76), Jeffrey Tombor (72), Anjelica Huston (65), Kevin Bacon (58), Brian Dennehy (78), Richard Roundtree (74), Tom Hanks (60), Kelly McGillis (59), Courtney Love (52) and Fred Savage (40).

The Last Word

You can be a king or a street sweeper, but everyone dances with the Grim Reaper. Executed in California’s gas chamber. – Robert Alton Harris, d. April 21, 1992

Next week peeps!

Another shockingly early death on our list of doom this week and for one of you it’s good news! Martin correctly guessed that Caroline Aherne would succumb to throat cancer this year and thus gains himself 98 points. Well done that man!

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Aharon Ipalé, 74, Moroccan-born Israeli actor (The Mummy, Fiddler on the Roof, Alias), cancer.
• Mack Rice, 82, American songwriter (“Mustang Sally“, “Respect Yourself“) and singer, complications of Alzheimer’s disease.
• Alvin Toffler, 87, American writer and futurist (Future Shock, The Third Wave).
• Gordon Murray, 95, British puppeteer and television producer (Trumpton, Camberwick Green, Chigley).
• Robin Hardy, 86, British film director (The Wicker Man).
• Michel Rocard, 85, French politician, Prime Minister (1988–1991).
• Caroline Aherne, 52, English comedian, actress and writer (The Royle Family, The Mrs Merton Show, The Fast Show), throat cancer. 
• Michael Cimino, 77, American screenwriter and director (The Deer Hunter, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, Heaven’s Gate).

In Other News

An American woman was arrested this week for flooding Stephen Hawking’s email with death threats, then stalking him at an astronomy festival in the Canary Islands. The woman, a US citizen who lives in Norway, sent emails to Hawking telling him she would kill him at the Starmus Festival, a legendary astronomy conference that’s happening this week in Tenerife. According to El Pais, there were over 100 emails and tweets which threatened things like “I am very close to you. I am going to kill you.” The tweets appear to have been deleted, and it’s unclear how the messages were directed at Hawking since he doesn’t have an account. Hawking’s daughter alerted Spanish police, who provided extra security during the festival, including escorting him onstage. Police arrested the woman on Wednesday at a hotel in Tenerife not far from where Hawking was speaking. She had an itinerary showing where Hawking would be each day, as well as detailed notes on his home and office and how she planned to end his life. A Spanish court issued a restraining order barring her from going within 500 meters of Hawking or sending him messages for eight months. Only eight months?

The Queen met Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness at Hillsborough Castle as she began a two-day visit to Northern Ireland. When asked if she was well the monarch replied: “Well I’m still alive…” Either that was her taking the piss out of the fact that McGuinness failed to kill her during The Troubles of that HRH is starting to feel her age creeping upon her. At 90 years of age The Queen still has an active schedule that belittles some of her sprightly siblings. Maybe listing her has been a waste of time as she still seems to be showing the rest of us how it should be done!

Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader and President Robert Mugabe’s chief rival for the past 17 years has announced he is undergoing treatment for colon cancer. Morgan Tsvangirai, 64, who was prime minister in an uneasy coalition government with Mugabe from 2009-13, said it was important for national leaders to disclose their health status. Morgan Tsvangirai, 64, who was prime minister in an uneasy coalition government with Mugabe from 2009-13, said it was important for national leaders to disclose their health status. “As a leader and a public figure, I have taken a decision to make public my condition,” Tsvangirai said, adding that he had an operation last month and was receiving chemotherapy treatment in neighbouring South Africa.

On This Day

• 1844 – The last pair of great auks are killed.
• 1886 – Karl Benz officially unveils the Benz Patent Motorwagen: The first purpose-built automobile.
• 1938 – World speed record for a steam railway locomotive is set in England, by the Mallard, which reaches a speed of 125.88 miles per hour (202.58 km/h).
• 1969 – Space Race: The biggest explosion in the history of rocketry occurs when the Soviet N-1 rocket explodes and subsequently destroys its launchpad.
• 1996 – Stone of Scone is returned to Scotland.

Deaths

• 1935 – André Citroën, French engineer and businessman, founded the Citroën Company (b. 1878)
• 1937 – Jacob Schick, American-Canadian captain and businessman, invented the electric razor (b. 1877)
• 1969 – Brian Jones, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer (The Rolling Stones) (b. 1942)
• 1971 – Jim Morrison, American singer-songwriter (The Doors and Rick & the Ravens) (b. 1943)

Last Week’s Birthdays

Chris Isaak (60), J.J. Abrams (50), Toby Maguire (42), Mel Brooks (90), Kathy Bates (68), John Cusack (50), Gary Busey (72), Katherine Jenkins (36), Cheryl Cole (33), Michael Phelps (31), Mike Tyson (50), Jamie Farr (82), Debby Harry (71), Dan Aykroyd (64), Pamela Anderson (49), Missy Elliott (45), Liv Tylor (39), Carl Lewis (55), Larry David (69), Jerry Hall (60), and Lindsay Lohan (30).

Next week peeps!

Short and sweet this week, I’m sure you would rather be reading something about the EU Referendum anyway… No points awarded, but you have to be sad over the death of Anton Yelchin who managed to squish himself with his own car.

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Anton Yelchin, 27, Soviet-born American actor (Star Trek, Alpha Dog, Fright Night), blunt traumatic asphyxia.
• Harry Rabinowitz, 100, British music composer (Reilly, Ace of Spies) and conductor (Chariots of Fire, Cats).
• Bill Ham, 79, American band manager (ZZ Top)
• Michael Herr, 76, American author (Dispatches) and screenwriter (Full Metal Jacket, Apocalypse Now).
• Patrick Mayhew, Baron Mayhew of Twysden, 86, British barrister and politician, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1992–1997).

In Other News

Selma Blair is feeling especially grateful on her 44th birthday. The actress celebrated her special day with her 4-year-old son, Arthur, on Thursday, and also took some time out to thank everyone on Instagram for their “spirit of loving and forgiveness.” Earlier this week, Blair apologised for having to be removed from an airplane on Monday, after she admitted to mixing alcohol with medication. The actress was coming back from a Father’s Day trip in Mexico on Monday with Arthur and her ex-boyfriend, Jason Bleick, when she allegedly had an outburst while the plane was in the air. She was reportedly taken off the plane on a stretcher. “I made a big mistake yesterday,” Blair said in a statement to Vanity Fair, taking full responsibility for the incident the next day. “After a lovely trip with my son and his Dad, I mixed alcohol with medication, and that caused me to black out and led me to say and do things that I deeply regret.” “I take this very seriously, and I apologize to all of the passengers and crew that I disturbed and am thankful to all of the people who helped me in the aftermath,” she continued. “I am a flawed human being who makes mistakes and am filled with shame over this incident. I am truly very sorry.”

Kelly McGillis, best known for playing Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood in the 1986 box office hit “Top Gun, was a victim of a house assault last week. The actress told police she heard someone inside her Henderson County, North Carolina house when she returned home, and before she knew it she was under attack. “I was trying to get rid of the stuff in my hand to better assess what was going on when a stranger, a woman, came barreling down the hallway and began yelling at me. I asked her who she is and why she was in my house and she said, ‘You know why. You’ve been stalking me on Twitter.’ From there the woman “began punching and scratching me trying to grab the phone out of my hand.” Finally a neighbour called the cops and the woman, who had a young girl with her, was taken away. Kelly added, “I’m alright. Scratched and bruised. I feel very thankful it turned out well. But who I feel heartache for is the little girl that was with her. Mental illness takes many hostages. I don’t know her name…but I would like to ask that you pray for her and her mother.”

On This Day

• 1483 – Richard III becomes King of England.
• 1870 – The Christian holiday of Christmas is declared a federal holiday in the United States.
• 1906 – The first Grand Prix motor racing event held.
• 1963 – U.S. President John F. Kennedy gave his “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech, underlining the support of the United States for democratic West Germany shortly after Soviet-supported East Germany erected the Berlin Wall.
• 1974 – The Universal Product Code is scanned for the first time to sell a package of Wrigley’s chewing gum at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio
• 1977 – The Yorkshire Ripper kills 16-year-old shop assistant Jayne MacDonald in Leeds, changing public perception of the killer as she is the first victim who is not a prostitute.

Deaths

• 2003 – Denis Thatcher, English soldier and businessman (b. 1915)
• 2005 – Richard Whiteley, English journalist and game show host (b. 1943)
• 2012 – Nora Ephron, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1941)

Last Week’s Birthdays

Kathleen Turner (62), Paula Abdul (54), Mia Sara (49), Zoe Saldana (38), Gena Rowlands (86), Salman Rushdie (69), Olympia Dukakis (85), Martin Landau (88), Danny Aiello (83), Brian Wilson (74), Lionel Richie (67), John Goodman (64), Nicole Kidman (49), Juliette Lewis (43), Prince William (34), Lana Del Rey (31), Kris Kristofferson (80), Cindy Lauper (63), Meryl Streep (67), Francis McDormand (59), Selma Blair (44), KT Tunstall (41), Mick Fleetwood (69), Carly Simon (71), Ricky Gervais (55) and George Michael (53).

The Last Word

I’ve never felt better. – Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., actor, d. December 12, 1939

Next week peeps!

Welcome all, another edition of The Dead Pool hits the press! This week we saw the senseless death of a Labour MP at the hands of a bigot and the passing of ALF, which should be good news to all cats. Alas, we didn’t have space to cover kids being eaten by alligators at Disney World, those rides are getting more and more dangerous I tell you, maybe you should rethink your next holiday!

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Mimmo Palmara, 87, Italian actor (A Long Ride from Hell, Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis, Hercules Unchained).
• Tom Leppard, 80, British tattooed man.
• Janet Waldo, 96, American actress and voice artist (The Jetsons, The Flintstones, Wacky Races).
• Michu Meszaros, 76, Hungarian-born American actor (ALF).
• Ronnie Claire Edwards, 83, American actress (The Waltons, The Dead Pool, Designing Women).
• Lois Duncan, 82, American writer (I Know What You Did Last Summer, Hotel for Dogs, Who Killed My Daughter?).
• Jo Cox, 41, British politician, MP for Batley and Spen (since 2015), shot and stabbed.
• Rubén Aguirre, 82, Mexican actor (El Chavo del Ocho, El Chapulín Colorado, Chespirito), pneumonia.
• Attrell Cordes, 46, American rhythm and blues singer (P.M. Dawn), renal disease.
• Ron Lester, 45, American actor (Varsity Blues, Popular, Good Burger), liver and kidney failure.

In Other News

Status Quo guitarist Rick Parfitt is in hospital after suffering a heart attack after performing with the band at Expo 2016. He is currently being treated in Antalya and is said to be in a serious but stable condition. In a statement, his management  said: ‘Whilst his condition is serious, he has already demanded his customary cup of tea with two sugars and a sweetener.’ The band’s manager Simon Porter added: ‘No further comment will be made at this stage until the completion of the next round of tests and assessments to be made over the next few days. ‘We would ask you to respect the family’s privacy at this difficult time.’ A self-confessed former drug addict, Parfitt has suffered a catalogue of health problems, including a quadruple heart bypass in 1997, a throat cancer scare in 2005 and a heart attack in 2011.

Meat Loaf is stable and recovering after collapsing on stage in Canada due to “severe dehydration”. Meat Loaf, whose real name is Marvin Lee Aday, collapsed mid-way through performing his hit ballad “I Would Do Anything for Love” in Edmonton on Thursday evening. Video footage posted on Twitter showed the singer lean heavily to his right and drop his microphone before collapsing to the ground. Several members of his band and crew then rushed on stage to assist him before he was taken to Edmonton Hospital. A statement posted on the 68-year-old’s Facebook page said the collapse was caused by severe dehydration and he is now in a stable condition and “recovering well”. Prior to the incident, Meat Loaf had cancelled two planned performances due to ill health. The singer has the heart condition Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome and had minor heart surgery in 2003, a week after he collapsed on stage at Wembley Arena.

Lil Wayne has reportedly suffered a seizure forcing his private jet to make an emergency landing. The New Orleans rapper, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr, was flying from Milwaukee to California when his pilot was forced to land in Omaha on Monday. He apparently blacked out when the plan touched down. Carter suffered two seizures in 2012 and another in 2013. He’s previously said that he’s epileptic and has suffered seizures since his childhood. “This isn’t my first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth or seventh seizure,” Carter the media in 2013. “I’ve had a bunch of seizures. Y’all just never hear about them. But this time, it got real bad because I had three of them in a row.”

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been placed in intensive care after undergoing an operation to replace a defective heart valve. The procedure lasted four hours, Milan’s San Raffaele hospital said, giving no further details. But sources told Ansa news agency the operation had been a success. He is likely to take a month to recover. Berlusconi, 79, was admitted to hospital last week after suffering a heart attack his doctor said could have killed him. He is expected to remain in intensive care for another 48 hours. On Monday, Berlusconi wrote on his Facebook page he was “concerned” by the looming operation. “But I am also very moved by the very many demonstrations of appreciation, support and affection which I have received from everywhere, even from political rivals,” he added.

The BBC’s religious affairs correspondent Caroline Wyatt is to step down from her position after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Wyatt, who has worked at the corporation for more than twenty years, has had the condition for 25 years but was only diagnosed at the end of last year. She recently announced she had been off work because of the illness on social media. The veteran reporter said she is very sad to be stepping down but is overwhelmed by the support she has received. “I have lived with the condition for the past 25 years, so the diagnosis came as a relief as it enables me to have treatment and to do all I can to manage it. I am tremendously sad to be stepping down from my religious affairs correspondent at a time that understanding religion has rarely been more important.”

And finally, an Indian cinema-goer has died of a heart attack while watching new horror sequel The Conjuring 2. The unnamed 65-year-old male collapsed from chest pains at Sri Balasubramaniar Cinema in Tiruvannamalai, a town residing in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, as the film reached its climax. The man was rushed to a nearby hospital where he later passed away. Times of India reports that a strange turn of events then followed; after doctors sent his body to Tiruvannamalai Government Medical College Hospital, both the cadaver and the person tasked with transporting it both went missing in the process. It is believed that the unknown person may have possibly absconded with the body. Fresh news is yet to be reported on the subject but we’re sure that when it arrives there’ll be a perfectly rational explanation as opposed to the supernatural forces several commentators clearly believe were at hand.

On This Day

• 1862 – The U.S. Congress prohibits slavery in United States territories
• 1865 – Over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, slaves in Galveston, Texas, United States, are finally informed of their freedom.
• 1910 – The first Father’s Day is celebrated in Spokane, Washington.
• 1949 — The first ever NASCAR race was held at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
• 1953 – Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are executed at Sing Sing, in New York.
• 1978 – Garfield, holder of the Guinness World Record for the world’s most widely syndicated comic strip, makes its debut.

Deaths

• 1937 – J. M. Barrie, Scottish novelist and playwright (b. 1860)
• 1993 – William Golding, English author, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
• 2013 – James Gandolfini, American actor and producer (b. 1961)

Last Week’s Birthdays

Jason Mewes (42), George H.W. Bush (92), Malcolm McDowell (73), Tim Allen (63), Ally Sheedy (54), David Grey (48), Steve-O (42), Olsen Twins (30), Donald Trump (70), Boy George (55), Steffi Graf (47), Jim Belushi (62), Helen Hunt (53), Courtenay Cox (52), Ice Cube (47), Neil Patrick Harris (43), Barry Manilow (73), Jason Patric (50), Will Forte (46), Newt Gingrich (73), Venus Williams (36), Paul McCartney (74), Isabella Rossellini (64), Alison Moyet (55) and Richard Madden (30).

The Last Word

Ah, that tastes nice. Thank you. – Johannes Brahms, composer, d. April 3, 1897

Next week peeps!