Marvin Gaye Died at 45 (1939-1984)

Marvin Gaye was killed April 1, 1984,  after an argument with his father. Gaye Sr., a retired minister of the House of God Church, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to five years of probation.

On April 1, 1984, a day before his 45th birthday,  Marvin Gaye was shot to death by his own father, Marvin P. Gay Sr. During a heated argument over an insurance letter involving the musician and his parents at the family home in the Crenshaw district. Gay Sr. shot the music legend three times in the chest. The weapon: a revolver given to Gay Sr. by his son. The location: in the home that Marvin Gaye gave to his father and mother.

Marvin P. Gay Sr. pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was given a six-year suspended prison sentence. He died of pneumonia at a retirement home in California in 1998.

By all accounts, the iconic musician and his father had a very troubled relationship. Gay Sr. was a former minister in the House Of God church who reportedly ran a violent and abusive household. It was also said he had a penchant for dressing in women’s clothing. Reportedly Marvin Gaye added the ‘e’ in his last name, among other reasons, to distance himself from his family and any questions of sexuality.

Marvin Gaye’s sister Zeola has forgiven her father for shooting her famous brother, saying while she did not condone it in any way, “that is something he would have to answer to with God.”

A Grammy award-winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Marvin Gaye is known as one of “Motown’s renaissance men” who “could do it all.” Even after his death, legal battles follow his estate. In March 2015, Gaye’s family was awarded a $7.3 million settlement after accusations that Robin Thicke and Pharrell’s hit “Blurred Lines” blatantly infringed upon “Got To Give It Up.”

Though his life was cut short on the eve of his 45th birthday, Marvin Gaye leaves behind a rich legacy in music and popular culture. Share your memories and comments below.

Police said the argument between the father and son began when Gaye was unable to find an insurance company letter that had nothing to do with the singer.

Probation investigators said Gaye had apparently beaten his father shortly before the shooting. Shortly after the arrest, it was discovered that Gaye Sr. had a brain tumor.

The two men reportedly had a troubled relationship, with the son never believing that the father appreciated his success. "I'm sorry.... I loved him," Gaye Sr. said at his sentencing.

"If I could bring him back, I would. I was afraid of him. I thought I was going to get hurt. I didn't know what was going to happen. I'm really sorry for everything that happened. I loved him. I wish he could step through this door right now. I'm paying the price now."

The father died in 1998 at age 83.

Marvin Gaye Jr. had 13 records in the top 10 from 1963 to 1977. Among his best-known hits were "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," "Sexual Healing," "Let's Get It On" and "What's Going On."

John Lennon Died at 40 (1940-1980)

Chapman spent months stalking Lennon, travelling from his home in Hawaii to New York City. He even managed to smuggle his gun the almost 5,000 miles to the crime scene.

Famously, Chapman was carrying a copy of JD Saligner's The Catcher in the Rye 

Culturally, the murder of John Lennon was one of the 'remember where you were' moments.

Lennon was shot outside the Dakota Building. The doorman told the first police to arrive at the scene: 'He just shot Lennon! He just shot Lennon!'

NYPD officer Tony Palma picked up Lennon with his partner Herb Frauenberger and dragged him into the back of a squad car. Lennon was lying face down in a growing pool of blood.

According to Palma, Lennon was still alive at this stage, but in a critical condition.

The squad car took Lennon to Roosavelt Hospital where medics battled to save his life.

Palma took the hysterical Yoko Ono, who witnessed the shooting to the hospital. But within 15 minutes, Lennon was declared dead, around 11pm.

At the time, the Beatles' song 'All My Loving' was playing in the background.

Chapman had been arrested at the scene and was taken to the 20th Precinct, where he made a statement admitting the murder.

He boasted about the amount of time and preparation it had taken. He said it involved 'incredible stalking' and 'incredible planning'.

Speaking after the murder he said he committed the crime because he wanted 'that bright light of fame, of infamy, notoriety was there,' he said. 'I couldn't resist it.'

Chapman was sentenced to 20-years to life after pleading guilty to second degree murder.

He became eligible for parole in 2000, but officials have rebuffed each attempt.

Lennon's wife, Yoko Ono, who still lives in the Dakota Building, is said to be vehemently opposed to Chapman's release.

During his most recent parole hearing in August 2014, the court asked how he was able to afford to travel between Hawaii and New York to commit the murder. 

The court also asked how he was able to financially handle traveling back and forth between Hawaii, where he lived with his wife, and New York where he followed Lennon.

He says they sold a Norman Rockwell painting, and he was supposed to give the money to his father-in-law. Instead, he pocketed the money and used it for his trips to New York.

Chapman went on to talk about the amount of thought that went into the shooting.

He said it took 'incredible planning...incredible stalking' and that it was 'very well thought out'.

He finally decided to carry out the crime in December, 1980, when he told his wife he was travelling to New York to get some space and write a children's book.

She wasn't concerned at all because 'I was very convincing'.

'This wasn't a, you know, naive crime. It was serious, well thought out crime.'

Chapman also boasted about the media attention he continues to receive from the shooting, saying he's still approached for interviews.

'I haven't had an interview in 24 years and believe me they come. It's not my interest anymore at all...

'Believe me I am not interested in any press whatsoever at all, and there has been many times where I could have and very recently too. I won't mention names, but you would be surprised,' he said.

Chapman fired five shots on December 8, 1980, outside the Dakota apartment where Lennon lived on Manhattan's Upper West Side, striking the ex-Beatle four times.

Chapman was sentenced in 1981 to 20 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder.


WHERE DID THE GUN COME FROM?

Chapman bought the gun legally six weeks before the shooting from J&S Sales, LTD, a shop in Honolulu, Hawaii, where Chapman had been living. He reportedly paid $169. Chapman had a permit and no police record and the dealer wouldn't have had any reason to block the sale.

HOW DID IT GET TO NEW YORK?

Authorities at Honolulu's airport said Chapman probably got the gun past airport security simply by placing it in his luggage. At the time, baggage checked with an airline was not searched or X-rayed. Chapman flew first to Atlanta, then on to New York City.

WHERE'S CHAPMAN'S GUN NOW?

The revolver is stored behind bullet-resistant glass at the Forensic Investigative Division in Queens, New York, where it has been in police custody for 35 years, stored alongside the gun wielded by 'Son of Sam' killer David Berkowitz. The division has about 800 guns, most of which are hung on the walls.

WHAT ABOUT CHAPMAN?

Chapman waited for police to arrive and was arrested. He pleaded guilty after initially planning to mount an insanity defense. Chapman is serving a 20 years-to-life sentence at Wende Correctional Facility in western New York.

Sam Cooke Died at 33 (1931-1964)

On December 10, 1964, Los Angeles at around 9 p.m., everybody in Martoni’s Italian restaurant had their eye on Sam Cooke. In his Sy Devore suit, the 33-year-old R&B singer cut a dashing figure. With his recent Live at the Copa album climbing the charts, Sam was on the brink of stepping up to the big leagues, a crossover figure on par with Nat King Cole and Sammy Davis, Jr.

He was having dinner with producer Al Schmitt and Schmitt’s wife, Joan. Well-wishers kept stopping by the table, interrupting their conversation. Sam, who’d already had three or four martinis, eventually got pulled away to the bar.

When their orders arrived, Al Schmitt went to get Sam and found him laughing it up with a group of friends and music business associates. Sam was buying, and he flashed a wad of bills, what looked like thousands of dollars. He told Al that he and his wife should go ahead with their meal.

At a booth near the bar, there was a baby-faced 22-year-old Asian girl, sitting with three guys. Sam caught her eye. He’d seen her around. One of the guys, a guitar player Sam knew, introduced them. The girl’s name was Elisa Boyer. Before long, the pair were cozied up in a booth.

They left Martoni’s around 1 a.m. in Sam’s brand new red Ferrari and headed to a nightclub called PJ’s, where they were going to meet the Schmitts. By the time they arrived, the Schmitts were gone. In the club, Sam got into a heated argument with some guy who was hitting on Boyer. She asked Sam to take her home, and they left at 2 a.m.

According to Boyer, Sam raced down Santa Monica, and against her protests, pulled onto the freeway. She later told police that she asked again to be taken home, but Sam said, “Don’t worry now. I just want to go for a little ride.” He stroked her hair and told her how pretty she was.

They exited the highway at Figueroa Street, near LAX. Boyer asked again to be taken home, but Sam drove straight to the Hacienda Motel. He got out of the car and walked up to a glass partition at the manager’s office while Boyer remained in the car. He registered under his own name with the clerk, Bertha Franklin. Franklin eyed Boyer in the car, and told Sam that he’d have to sign in as Mr. and Mrs.

Sam drove around to the back of the motel. Boyer claimed he then dragged her into the room, pinned her on the bed and started to tear her clothes off. “I knew he was going to rape me,” she told the police. She went into the bathroom and tried to lock the door, but the latch was broken. She tried the window but it was painted shut. When she came out, Sam was already undressed. He groped her, then went into the bathroom himself. Boyer, wearing a slip and a bra, picked up her clothes and fled.

  

Franklin after shooting Cooke

The first thing she said she did was pound on the night manager’s door. Franklin didn’t answer. Boyer ran half a block, dumped her clothes on the ground and got dressed. Tangled among her clothes were Sam’s shirt and pants. She left them on the ground, found a phone booth and called the police.

Meanwhile, Sam, wearing one shoe and a sports jacket, had come out of the room, frantically looking for Boyer. He drove the Ferrari back to the manager’s office, and banged on the door of Franklin’s office. “Is the girl in there?” he yelled. According to Franklin, when she said no, Sam began to work at the locked door and ram it with his shoulder. The frame ripped loose and the latch gave. Sam charged in, looking around for Boyer. He grabbed Franklin’s wrist. “Where is the girl?” They got into a tussle.

Franklin, though shorter than Sam, outweighed him by about 30 pounds. She told the police, “He fell on top of me … I tried to bite him through that jacket: biting, scratching and everything. Finally, I got up, when I kicked him … I run and grabbed the pistol off the TV, and I shot … at close range … three times.”

Two of the bullets missed. But the third entered his left side, passed through his left lung, his heart and his right lung. Sam fell back and in astonishment, said what would be his last words: “Lady, you shot me.”

Franklin claims that he got up again and ran at her. She hit him over the head with a broom handle. This time, he stayed down. When the police arrived, Sam Cooke was dead.

At 6 a.m., Sam’s widow Barbara greeted the news with hysterics, trying to shield their two young children from reporters and fans who were gathering at their house.

On December 11, 1964, in response to a reported shooting, officers of the Los Angeles Police Department were dispatched to the Hacienda Motel, where they found Sam Cooke dead on the office floor, shot three times in the chest by the motel’s manager, Bertha Franklin. The authorities ruled Cooke’s death a case of justifiable homicide, based on the testimony of Ms. Franklin, who claimed that Cooke had threatened her life after attempting to rape a young woman with whom he had earlier checked in.

Even as the lurid details of the case were becoming common knowledge, some 200,000 fans turned out in the streets of Los Angeles and Chicago to mourn the passing of Sam Cooke, a man whose legacy seemed able to transcend the scandal surrounding his death. That legacy was built during a brief but spectacular run as a singer, songwriter, producer and music publisher in the 1950s and early 1960s.

Born in 1931 to a Baptist minister and his wife, Cooke’s early musical development took place in the church. Like other early figures in what would eventually be called “soul” music, Cooke began his professional career singing gospel. A member of the legendary Soul Stirrers since the age of 19, Cooke was given permission by his record label to begin recording secular music in 1956.

“You Send Me” (1957) was Sam Cooke’s first pop smash, and it was followed by such classics as “Chain Gang” (1960), “Cupid” (1961), “Twistin’ the Night Away” (1962) and the Dylan-inspired posthumous release that became an anthem of the Civil Rights Movement: “A Change Is Gonna Come” (1964). His voice has been called the most important in the history of soul music, but just as important to Sam Cooke’s historical standing is the fact that he also wrote all of the aforementioned hits—a remarkable fact for any popular singer of his time.

In the years since his death, the circumstances surrounding Cooke’s shooting have been called into question by his family and others. Though the truth of what happened on this day in 1964 might remain uncertain, Sam Cooke’s place in the history of popular music is anything but.

Cooke’s body carried out of motel

Bertha Franklin, an ex-madam with her own criminal record, was forced to quit her job after receiving several death threats. She filed a $200,000 lawsuit against Sam Cooke’s estate for punitive damages and injuries, but lost.

As for Barbara Cooke, her husband’s infidelity was nothing new to her. But she also had some action going on the side with a local bartender. On the day of Sam’s funeral, this guy was seen wearing Sam’s watch and his ring. Two months after Sam’s death, Barbara had dumped the bartender and married Sam’s friend and back-up singer Bobby Womack.

For Sam’s part, he was always a womanizer. As his friend Bumps Blackwell once said, “Sam would walk past a good girl to get to a whore.” There were all kinds of theories around his death—a drug deal involving someone close to Sam in which Sam tried to intervene, a Mafia hit, a set-up devised by a jealous Barbara Cooke. Many believed it was a racist plot in the entertainment business. As with any rising star (not to mention one of color in the early 1960s), Sam had made some enemies. As one woman friend of his said, “He was just getting too big for his britches for a suntanned man.”

Was Sam Cooke lured into a trap at the Hacienda Motel? Were Elisa Boyer and Bertha Franklin working in tandem? Was Barbara Cooke involved somehow? Or was it all just a tragic accident? Over the years, various investigators have made noises about reopening the case, but with most of the principle players dead and gone, it seems unlikely it will ever be solved.

Elisa Boyer testifying during the coroner’s inquest, Dec. 16, 1964

Five days later, at the coroner’s inquest, Boyer and Franklin recounted their stories in a hasty proceeding that barely allowed Sam’s lawyer one question. Tests showed that at the time of death, Sam had a blood alcohol level of .16 (.08 is considered too drunk to drive). Sam’s credit cards were missing, but a money clip with $108 was in his jacket pocket. The shooting was ruled “justifiable homicide.” Case closed.

There are many problems here. Let’s start with Elisa Boyer. She testified that she met Sam at a “Hollywood dinner party” and that he sang a song at the party. No mention of Martoni’s or PJ’s. She said she was “kidnapped” by Sam and couldn’t escape because his car was going too fast. Yet when Sam went to the motel window to register, Boyer was left alone in the car. She could’ve escaped or yelled for help. Moreover, if it was Sam’s intention to rape Boyer, why would he have registered under his real name? Boyer said she mistakenly took Sam’s clothes from the room when she grabbed her own. Wouldn’t it make sense that she was merely trying to prevent his pursuit? And what about the wad of cash that she spied earlier in the night? Surely she knew right where it was.

The truth about Boyer came out a month later when she was arrested in Hollywood for prostitution. The Hacienda Motel, which offered $3-per-hour rates, was known as a hangout for hookers. What probably happened is that Sam paid for Boyer’s services, and when he stepped into the bathroom, she ran out with his cash and credit cards. In 1979, Boyer was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of a boyfriend.

Otis Redding Death (1941-1967)

Otis Redding was born in Dawson, Georgia, approximately 100 miles south of Macon, on Sept. 9, 1941. His family moved into a Macon housing project when Redding was three. He began singing in the choir of the Vineville Baptist Church. Now home to the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, Macon is arguably the vital center of soul. Little Richard, James Brown and Otis Redding – three men who shaped American blues music in from the 1950s to the 1970s and beyond — all launched their careers here. Strangely, although he consistently impacted the R&B charts beginning with the Top Ten appearance of “Mr. Pitiful” in 1965, and he is remembered for producing some of the toughest, sweetest, most enduring soul music ever created, none of Redding’s singles fared better than #21 on the pop Top Forty.

There’s one noteworthy aspect to Redding’s life not often touched upon: No one has anything unflattering to say about him. No scandals lurking in the closet, no unsavory incidents of rampant egotism to shatter his clean image, no shafting of his sidemen on long road jaunts. Just a sincerely talented soul man who enhanced the lives of everyone associated with him but died much too soon.

When he left his final recording session in Memphis, Otis Redding intended to return soon to the song he’d been working on—he still had to replace a whistled verse thrown in as a placeholder with additional lyrics that he’d yet to write. In the meantime, however, there was a television appearance to make in Cleveland, followed by a concert in Madison, Wisconsin. On its final approach to Madison on December 10 in 1967, however, the private plane carrying soul-music legend Otis Redding would crash into the frigid waters of a small lake three miles short of the runway, killing seven of the eight men aboard, including Redding. “Sittin’ On The Dock Of The Bay” would be released in its “unfinished” form several weeks later, with Redding’s whistled verse a seemingly indispensable part of the now-classic record. It would soon become history’s first posthumous #1 hit and the biggest pop hit of Redding’s career.

In the six months leading up to his death, Otis Redding had gone from one great success to another. In June, Aretha Franklin had taken a cover version of his song “Respect” all the way to #1 on the pop charts. Later that same month, the adulation of the young audience of rock fans at the Monterey International Pop Festival had transformed him into an icon of the blossoming counterculture thanks to his blistering, now-legendary live performance there. But if Otis Redding was only beginning to gain momentum within the largely white mainstream in 1967, he was already a giant in the world of soul music.

During a period in the mid-1960s when the Beatles and Motown ruled the pop charts, Otis Redding established himself as arguably the most exciting singer on the roster of Memphis-based Stax/Volt Records—itself arguably the most exciting soul and R&B label of the era. Singles like "I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” and “I Can’t Turn You Loose” (both 1965) were among Redding’s numerous top-20 hits on the R&B charts in that era, as were his soulful renditions of "(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” (1966) and “Try A Little Tenderness” (1967). It was the latter song, rendered in the impassioned style that was by then familiar to soul audiences, that brought down the house at Monterey just a few months before his death at the age of 26 on this day in 1967.

Soul singer Otis Redding had acquired his own plane to make touring less hectic, but the twin-engine Beechcraft H18 would prove his fatal undoing. At around 3:30 p.m. on a foggy Sunday afternoon, December 10, 1967, the plane, which encountered a storm en route from Cleveland to a concert in Madison, plunged into the frigid depths of Lake Monona. Redding, 26, and four members of his Bar-Kays band were killed. The musicians were headed to The Factory nightclub, scheduled to perform at 6:30 p.m.

The crash killed six others, everyone on board except for trumpeter Ben Cauley (bassist James Alexander had luckily avoided the flight altogether). On the cusp of achieving pop superstardom, Redding, best known for his hit, “(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay,” recorded just three days earlier and released after his death, was dead. The tune was Otis’ first posthumous release and his biggest-selling single ever, topping both the R&B and pop charts on its way to going gold. Engineers tastefully overdubbed the sound effects, the mournful cries of seagulls, the singer’s lonesome whistling, after Otis’ death.

About 4,500 mourners, including a dazzling array of soul giants such as James Brown, Solomon Burke, and Wilson Pickett, crowded Macon’s City Auditorium for Redding’s funeral, a week later.

On December 3, 1997, thirty years later, hundreds of people showed up to the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center to Georgia-born soul singer and songwriter. They’d never met the man, but they loved his music, and came to express their appreciation of the full impact of Otis Redding as a soul pioneer who inexorably altered the rhythm & blues landscape – and, ultimate, all of pop music- with his gritty, lustrous vocal, sexy, slinky lyrics and unforgettable songs.

Cauley, who hadn’t visited Madison since the crash, received a standing ovation. He told his audience how he’d awakened early that Sunday four decades ago and headed to the Cleveland airport for the trip to Madison. That day, he said, Redding told him he’d just finishing recording the supremely meditative “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay.” A few hours later, Cauley was flung out of the plane on impact. As he floated in the icy waters of Lake Monona, clinging to a cushion, he watched the rest of the plane’s passengers — including the man he once described as “…a groovy cat, like an older brother” — drowned.

When his short speech was finished, Cauley sang some of the songs that might have been on the bill at The Factory, including a trumpet-laced version of Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay.”

Silk Smitha - Interview from Filmfare

WHO WAS SILK SMITHA?

SILK Smitha's rise from an aspiring starlet to super star status can only be described as meteoric. Coming from an obscure Andhra village, this star struck peasant girl, had acted in over 200 films in Tamil, Telugu, Malyalam Kanada and Hindi in short span of 4 years.

Her first film surprisingly, was in Malayalam, Innayaihhed. She had a minor role. It was her second film, Vandichakram (her first Tamil film} that she became SILK Smitha after her portrayal of an arrack waitress. The role won her tremendous acclaim. A host of roles cast in glamourous moulds followed.

She was born on 2nd December, 1960 and In 1996, Smitha was found dead in her Chennai apartment. She had tried to turn int a film producer but financial problems, a disillusionment in love and an alcohol dependency apparently led to depression. It is suspected that Smitha committed suicide by poisoning herself. Her Filmfare interview is dated December 1984.

Vamp, seductress, night club dancer par excellence with few inhibitions about shedding her clothes, Silk Smitha has become a household name for film goers in South India. And with ‘Sadma’, she has become familiar to Hindi audiences.

I heard to lot about her. That she was a sizzler; a piece of red hot property ensuring success of any film. That she was ruthless in her dealings with press; that she treated producers and film makers like scum. That she was haughty, unsocial and disrespectful towards colleagues and senior artistes. I had heard…

It was unthinkable that anyone with such a reputation could continue to thrive in any profession, leave alone be at the top. It was, therefore, with considerable trepidation that I set out to meet “Silk” Smitha and out what made here click. I was in for surprises.

I was granted a audience without the usual starry fuss. Standing before me was not the glamour puss of over 200 films, but a dark looking girl with those hauntingly dreamy eyes so characteristic of her. She was neither haughty nor curt. On the contrary, she appeared eager to talk to us. The interview (conducted in her comfortably furnished living room) in Telugu accented Tamil with a few English words thrown I, took nearly two hours. And what unfolded was the story of a star-struck village girl’s struggle against tremendous odds.

Today, ‘ Silk’ is at the top as far as glamour roles are concerned. But the peak is narrow and precarious. But the peak is narrow and precarious. Others like Anuradha and already crowding the summit. How long will the ‘Silky’ days last before the inevitable fall comes?

I understand that you were born and brought up in a rural atmosphere with no film background. How then did you enter films?

Some uncles and cousins of mine are in Telugu films. But that had nothing to do with y entry into films. Even as a small girl I wanted t become a great actress, so when I came to Madras and got a role in the Malayalam film ‘In-ayaithedi’. I was very happy.

How did your family react to your entry into films? 

At first there was considerable opposition. They did not want me to become an actress. But now I have a good name and money. Now there are no problems.

You seem to be specializing in glamour roles…
Well, actually I wanted to become a character actress like Savithri, Sujta and Saritha. But in my second film ‘Vandichakram’ (her first film in Tamil), I was put in a glamour role. It was in that film that I played the character called ‘Silk’ Smitha….. (Laughs). It was actually a very good role and people liked my performance. It led to more and more glamour roles. I cannot afford to displease my producers and directors so I continue to accept them. But my ambition remains the same. To become a good character role for ‘Alaigal Oviathikillai’, which was a hit. But somehow I continue to get more glamour roles.

But now that you have a standing in the film industry, will you be more choosy in your roles? Will you insist on switch-over to serious roles when you are approached for future films?
I’d love to make a name for myself as a character actress. But I’ll never insist that I will d only serious roles. You see I depend onn my producers and directors for my success. They have utilized my talents to sell their films, but in the process they have also made me what I am. I shall do whatever roles they want me to. 

You have acted in over 200 films-you must have worked with various directors and actors. With whom do you like working the most? 

Bharathi Rajaa is a very good director. I like working with him, so also with Balu Mahendra. He is a perfectionist. He will retake the same shot several times until he gets the effect he desires. But he is very pleasant in his behaviour and can extract work and maximum co-operation from the actors and actresses.
 

Kamal Haasan is the best actor I have acted with. In Telugu, Chiranjeevi is very good. Both of them are very good dancers too. I love doing dance scenes with them.
There has been a lot of criticism about you in the press. That success has gone to your head. That you are very discourteous and disrespectful in your dealings with film makers and co-artistes. Any explanations? 

These are malicious allegations made against me in magazines which claim to be film magazines but are actually purveyors of yellow journalism. They have written a lot of bad things about me which are simply not true. They have accused me of treating my producers and others badly. Now, that is totally untrue. If it were true, then nobody will be casting me in their films. Why should I treat my producers badly when I know very well that I wouldn’t have been what I am but for them?
They have accused me of being disrespectful towards senior colleagues and artistes like Sivaji Ganesan, because I sit with my legs crossed in front of them. It is my habit to sit with my legs crossed when I am relaxing. I have been that way since childhood. Nobody had ever told me that was bad manners. But now, just because it does not suit the social norms of some narrow-minded journalists, it is being turned into a big issue.
 

 They have accused me of being disrespectful toward MGR sar by boycotting a function at which he was presiding. (In Tamil Nadu where movie stardom is an adjunct to political ambitions, it is considered blasphemy for actors and actresses to keep away from a function presided over by chief minister M.G. Ramchandran.) I would not even dream of boycotting any such function. You see, I had given dates for the shooting of a Telegu film with Chiranjeevi who was leaving the country the next day. And this particular function was also fixed for the same date. I am working to a very tight schedule and if I do not agree to shooting on that particular date, the producers would have had to wait for some months before I could give them a date again. I never dreamt that would be misconstructed as showing disrespect to the chief minister. (shrugs}

If, as you say, all these allegations against you are false, then why are these stories spread?
My career has been short. Just about 4 years and in this time I have acted over 200 films. Naturally, there must be several people who are jealous of my success.  I think it is such people who are behind all this malicious propaganda. They're trying to damage my reputation. Quite recently, you were involved in an enforcement case...? 

Yes, there is a story behind that incident. I had to go to Singapore on a publicity tour at the request of music director, M.S. Viswanathan. MSV's family was accompanying us. Though I have acted in so many films, I am basically a shy person. I get nervous when I have to address people. I develop stage fright if I have to dance before a lot of people. I agreed to accompany MSV's party only on the condition that I would not be asked to dance. At a function in Singapore, I was introduced to the audience. I said namaskaram and left the stage but the people started clamouring for me to dance. That day I was escorted by the police to the room.
 

Then MSV came to my room and told me that my fans would not let the programme go on unless I danced before them. He asked me to oblige. I refused. The very next day, without even telling me MSV and his family left for India, leaving me alone. I think that was highly irresponsible behaviour on the part of a senior, respectable person like MSV  leaving a woman alone to fend for herself in a strange land. I somehow persuaded the organisers of the trip to return my passport and I too flew back to Madras.

At the airport, I was cleared by the customs. I had to pay a small amount of duty on some of the things I had brought for me. It was later that some enforcement officials come to check up on me. There were six of them from the CBI I think. They searched all my things, then apologised and went away. They said they had received information that I was smuggling something. I don't know who gave such information. I also don't know what happened to that case after that.Is it your ambition to get into Hindi films in a big way? 

I want to act in as many films as possible it does not matter which language. I had an opening in Hindi films through Jaani Dost. Then there was Sadma which is a remake of  Moonram Pirai. I had a longish role in another Hindi film. I don’t remember the name. I am now doing few more films... I am not familiar with Hindi names...
Well, if I continue to continue to get glamour roles, i cannot continue for a long. You see in such roles there are several limitations. But my ambition in life is to become a good character actress. I know I can succeed if only I am given a fair chance.
What about plans of matrimony? 

(Laughs} I will marry and settle down at some stage. But not just yet. Only after I have achieved all I want in acting.

Silk Smitha - The mystery of India’s biggest sex symbol

The sheer mention of this name increased the heart rate in thousands of men, and envy and disgust to thousands of women in the darkest era of Indian cinema, the over-the-top and sleazy 80’s. And to this day, her sultry personality, her mesmerizing eyes and her irreverently sexy aura hasn’t left our memories even 18 years after her mysterious death in 1996. Such was her legacy that it even spawned Vidya Balan’s most successful movie till date, The Dirty Picture and numerous adaptations in regional cinema.

Some loved her, some hated her, and some loved to hate her. But she will never be forgotten.

When we look back on ‘Silk’ Smitha’s short yet fiery roller-coaster of a life, from being a gutsy young girl in a remote village in Andhra Pradesh to becoming the biggest sex symbol this country has ever seen.

Before ‘Silk’, Early life:

She was born in 1960, to a couple of poor parents in the non-descript village of Somavarappadu, Andhra Pradesh as ‘Vijayalakshmi’.

‘Letting go’ was not a strange concept to her

Due to her family’s financial constraints, she left school after the fourth grade. Not too much later, her parents married her off at a considerably young age. And when her husband and in-laws started ill-treating her, she fled to Madras to live with an aunt, and pursue her dreams.

From Vijayalakshmi to Smitha

Before the ban on female make-up artists, Vijayalakshmi started out as one herself for a D-grade artist. It was at this time when director Vinu Chakravarthy was awestruck by her raw beauty, and saw potential in her. He took her under his wing, got his wife to teach her English and even arranged dancing lessons for her. Vinu felt that she needed a new name, a new identity. On a late summer afternoon, Vijayalakshmi became ‘Smitha’.

And from Smitha to ‘Silk’ Smitha

Her first major role came in the form of a bar dancer in Vandichakkaram(1979). In the film, the regular drunks at the bar called her Silukku, which roughly translates to ‘oomph’ in Tamil, much to her character’s disdain. Little did she know, ‘Silukku’ would become ‘Silk’, a name that the world would have on its lips for a long time to come.

She brought back the dead, and buried the dying

In a brief period, Silk had become the queen of erotica, with her item numbers and ‘special’ performances set the screens on fire, the audience hungry for more and the cash registers running. It’s believed that shelved films that were lying in the cans for years were brought back from the dead, with a simple addition of a Silk Smitha song. On the other hand, she also inadvertently destroyed the careers of many a starlet who were on their way to oblivion anyway.

She was a sex siren, nonetheless, but she shut her critics up every now and then

Many bigwigs in the industry, even after exploiting her for their own success, panned her for being a sellout and that she wouldn’t last long. And while never refused the glamorous roles offered to her for the sake of a few producers and directors, she stuck it back to her critics with nuanced performances like in Alaigal Oivathillai and Moondram Pirai. She always wanted to be a character actor, and working with her favourite directors Bharathiraja and Balu Mahendra gave her those rare chances to expand her horizons.

She was highly misunderstood by most people

Like how our society is even today, Silk was often met with preconceived notions and was written off by many dailies and magazines of those days as a rude, disrespectful and curt. In reality, the people who really knew her loved her for her surprisingly plain, generous and honest personality. One incident that got her a lot of bad press was her refusal to perform at MS Viswanathan’s party in Singapore, following which MSV and his family abandoned her there and left for India. Her firmly-rooted principles were often misjudged, and got her into trouble every now and then.

She knew that she would never last as a glamorous heroine

After having done around 200 films, she still believed that her image would not last forever. To find her true calling, she turned a film producer in the mid-90’s and set out to invest everything into her new ambition.

Her sudden death shocked many, and haunts a few to this very day

On September 23, 1996, Kannada actor Ravichandran, a close friend of Silk, was busy shooting and found out that she had frantically tried to reach him. He tried to speak to her, but the call never got through due to poor connectivity. But he sensed that evening that she might have been wanting to tell him about something that troubled her.

The very next day, Ravichandran along with the rest of the world was shocked to hear that Silk had taken her own life. Though no one knows for sure, Silk was going through many problems which might have caused this decision: financial issues, disillusionment in love and severe depression. Like a burning star, Silk was all of just 35 years of age when she left us.

Rose Siggins 43 dies with Sacral Agenesis Disorder

'American Horror Story' Star Rose Siggins 43 died saturday morning on 12 December 2015 in Denver, Hospital. 

She had gone in for a kidney stone surgery on Monday and never came out of the hospital alive. Rose had contracted an infection, which spread through her body and ultimately became fatal. Rose was born with a rare genetic disorder called sacral agenesis and we're told she suffered from kidney and pancreas issues her whole life.

She was born with a rare genetic disorder known as sacral agenesis in which her legs were deformed and the feet pointing in opposite directions. The condition causes abnormal fetal development of the lower spine.

Siggins' legs were amputated.

She had gone on to have a normal childhood, get married and have two children: a son, Luke, and a daughter, Shelby Cecilia.

 A Gofundme page has been setup to cover final expenses and the continuing support of her children.

Brittany Murphy (November 10, 1977 – December 20, 2009)

Brittany Murphy was suddenly found dead in her home on December 20, 2009, but it's still hard to believe that she's actually gone. For someone who lived such a short life, she managed to impact so many people with her work. For me, watching some of my favorite movies, like Clueless and Uptown Girls, is truly not the same knowing Murphy's no longer with us. But now, Lifetime is attempting to bring Murphy back to life with their unauthorized biopic, The Brittany Murphy Story — and the results are probably going to be disastrous.

And despite the fact that Murphy's father, Angelo Bertolotti, is furious that the movie has been made, even to the point of unrightfully harassing Amanda Fuller, who plays Murphy in the film, it's still happening. There's no telling how accurate (or not) the movie might be, especially since it was created without the help or approval of those close to the beloved actress. So before the movie premieres on Saturday and gives its version, here's everything we know for sure about Murphy's death.

Murphy's death was sudden & unexpected


Murphy was only 32 when her mother, Sharon, found her unconscious in the shower in the early morning of December 20, 2009. Murphy's mother immediately called 911, and the heartbreaking audio of the call was released later. Despite the attempts of Murphy's mother and husband to revive her, Murphy was pronounced dead at 10:04 a.m. at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Murphy suffered from anemia and was battling a case of pneumonia at the time, which would later be ruled the official cause of her death.

The coroner's report showed no alcohol abuse or illegal substances in her system

Two months after her death, autopsy results done by the Los Angeles Coroner confirmed that her body showed no signs of alcohol abuse or illegal substances at the time of her death, and that there could be no other cause for her death than pneumonia. According to People, they did find elevated traces of Vicodin and over the counter cold medicine — unsurprising, considering that Murphy wasn't feeling well at the time of her death. The coroner called her death "accidental but preventable," and stressed that there was no evidence of foul play.

Murphy was laid to rest in a small, private funeral

On Christmas Eve 2009, a small group of Murphy's closet family and friends came together to say goodbye at Hollywood Hills' Forest Lawn Memorial Park, where guests sang "Amazing Grace." Murphy's husband, Simon Monjack, spoke tribute, and family friend Alex Ben Block gave the eulogy.
Murphy's husband, Simon Monjack, died just five months later

Shockingly, Monjack was found dead on May 23, 2010 at his Hollywood home after the Los Angeles County Fire Department was called. At the time of his death, Monjack was only 40, and his mother, Linda Monjack, had told People earlier in the year that he had suffered a heart attack shortly before Murphy's death. Later that year, the assistant chief coroner announced that Monjack's death was ruled "pneumonia, just like Brittany."

Monjack was later buried beside Murphy, and a rendition of "Smile" sung by Murphy with Monjack accompanying her on the piano played as they closed the casket. It's difficult to imagine a more heartbreaking scenario for their friends and family to have to deal with.
Coroners Have No Plans To Reopen Murphy's Case.

Bertolli obtained DNA samples from Murphy for further testing and reportedly received results that said there were 10 types of heavy metals found in Murphy's system at the time of her death. "It's very suspicious," Bertolli said, according to CNN. "I feel she was poisoned and there's no question about that. She was murdered."

However, the Los Angeles Coroner told the Huffington Post that they plan to stand by their original reports. As of November 2013, the coroner's office had never been sent any third-party lab results, and so her case remains closed.


Buried Evidence

Brittany had died of ‘natural causes’ following an autopsy performed on December 21st 2009, even though certain toxicology samples were not examined, most notably her hair, tissue and fingernails. In addition, we learned that a Mees’ line examination was not conducted during the autopsy due to the polish that was still present on Brittany’s fingernails.

Mees’ lines, are prominent horizontal marks that can appear on a person’s fingernails when they’ve died due to toxic heavy metal poisoning. It is often listed that renal failure (kidney failure) has occurred when Mees’ lines are present on a body after death, particularly, acute kidney failure giving a person the appearance of ‘shock kidneys’ from the traumatic septic shock they have undergone.

Even though Brittany is said to have suffered from diabetes and hypoglycemia, it is clearly listed in the apparently leaked autopsy report, that she had shock kidneys according to the coroner, suggesting the strong possibility that she could have died from poisoning.

If Brittany did display acute trauma to her kidney’s, why wouldn’t the coroner perform a Mees’ lines examination, as the sudden shock to her kidney’s could have suggested a different cause of death?

In February of 2010 the The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner once again concluded that  Brittany died of community acquired pneumonia, citing – pneumonia, iron deficiency anemia and multiple drug intoxication. It should be stated that No illegal drugs were found in her system, as the substances in her blood were consistent with medicine taken for cold and respiratory infections. Here is a passage from the apparent autopsy report that confirms the types of over-the-counter medications in her system at the time of her death:

If this autopsy passage above is real, then what was behind the massive push to portray Brittany as a drug addict, claiming she was hooked to a number of illegal substances, surely the coroner’s office could have set the media straight with these facts following her death?

It’s well-known that the dead circus that is Hollywood media, likes to cook-up trashy headlines and bloated tabloid features – but in the case of Brittany Murphy, it appears as though there was a blatant disregard of facts contained within her autopsy.

The House and Molding - The Story

Brittany’s mother, Sharon Murphy sold the Hollywood Hills property formerly owned by the film star, which narrowly avoiding foreclosure after claims of toxic mold being in located somewhere in the house. She subsequently filed suit against her attorney’s after apparently not being made aware of the possibility that Brittany and Simon Monjack could have died from mold.

What’s odd here, is that L. A. County coroner Ed Winter, put the toxic mold queries to rest following Brittany’s autopsy, stating they specifically looked for evidence of mold in the death of both celebrities and did not find that it was a factor in either person’s death.

You have to wonder why was Sharon trying to sue for wrongful death, when there clearly seemed to be no case for it?

And why has she tried to put to rest theories about her daughter’s death, when there seems to be evidence of foul play?

Soundarya Raghu (18 July 1972 – 17 April 2004)

The daughter of the Bangalore-based producer/director Satyanarayana, Soundarya gave up a career in medicine to become an actress. She adopted only one name and made her first film in 1992. Over the next 12 years, Soundarya appeared in nearly 100 movies. Although she avoided racy roles, Soundarya worked opposite leading actors like Amitabh Bachchan and Rajnikant.

Soundarya died in a plane crash near Bangalore in 2004. She had  recently joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is seeking another term in national elections. She was traveling to the adjoining state of Andhra Pradesh to campaign for the party when the four-seater Cessna 180 caught fire and crashed minutes after takeoff from a Jakkur airstrip. Her brother Amarnath, BJP worker Ramesh Kadam and pilot Joy Phillips were also killed. The beautiful actress was only 32 when she passed away.

 In 2003, Soundarya won the Nandi Award, the most prestigious prize in Telugu cinema.

Silk Smitha (2 December 1960 – 23 September 1996)

Silk Smitha, the sultry actress and B-grade movie queen from South India, has a rags to riches story. Silk Smitha’s real name was Vijayalakshmi, she was born on December 2, 1960. Her active period where she flourished as an item girl and seductress was between 1979 and 1996.

Silk Smitha also known as Silk Sumitha, was born in a poor family, in Eluru, Andhra Pradesh. Due to financial problems in the family, she had to drop out of school in fourths standard itself. She blossomed to grow as a sultry looking girl and she was constantly propositioned and physically ‘exploited’ by men, which is why Vijayalakshmi’s parents married her off at a very young age. However, the ill-treatment from her husband and in-laws made Silk Smitha leave her husband’s home and move over to Madras where she lived with her aunt.

Silk began her career as a touch-up girl to B-grade actresses in B-grade films and then got break in small character roles. Vinu Chakravathy, a director chanced up her in a flour-mill and found that she had potential for bigger things. He renamed Vijayalakshmi as ‘Silk’; his wife taught her English. The girl proved to be a fast learner and she even took dancing lessons from another teacher.

In 1979, Silk Smitha got a role in a Malayalam film called ‘Inaye Thedi’; her sex appeal found her a lot of takers who wanted to star as a cabaret dancer or vamp in their films. Soon, she began to get typecast in these films. In the same year in 1979, Silk got her major role in a Tamil film called ‘Vandi Chakkaram’ and the movie was a superhit. The character that she played was also called ‘Silk’, so Vijayalakshmi as she was known to everyone, changed her name forever to ‘Silk Smitha’. But her sensous appeal and dusky skin gave her only movies where she was to play the seductress, the vamp or the cabaret dancer, limting her choice in roles.

Silk Smitha began to drop her clothes to get more attention and attention she did get, as she became most men’s secret fantasy in the 80s as she flourished rapidly in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam cinema. Her dance numbers and bold sequences had men eating out of her palms, so much that they would buy tickets only to watch Silk Smitha. She was indeed a hot property who would outshine the heroine too. Silk Smitha truly was the first red-hot item girl, but then critics dismissed her as a cheap actress. Most of her subsequent movies had the softcore appeal while in some she would be a cheap version of a desi-Bond girl wearing bikinis and strutting her stuff .

Silk Smitha’s signature rolling of tongue, biting of her lower lip, looking at her lover in a trance-like manner through hazy, sultry eyes and her voluptuous figure had the junta rushing to the movies with a pretext of watching the film, while the real reason was to check her out. Silk Smitha would charge as much as Rs. 50000 per dance sequence and she would do two or even three sequences in a day. There was even a movie called Silk, Silk , Silk where Silk Smitha played a triple role. In less than 10 years of her entry, Silk Smitha had done 500 films which included A, B and C grade films.

But there was much more to Silk Smitha beyond her sex appeal, she was an accomplished actress too. Some of the best performances of Silk Smitha are in movies like Alaigal Oivathillai (1981) where she played the role of a neglected wife who is hurt by her husband’s infidelity. Writer Jerry Pinto says, “Watch Silk Smitha’s sequences and you will find a sense of lingering sorrow. It’s almost as if there were two Silk Smithas there: One watching her own self dance, detached and dispassionate about being put through these calisthenics.”,

Layanam (1989) is one of the most famous adult films in India and it starred Silk Smitha in her sizzling best. The movie was dubbed in many languages across the country including in Hindi as Reshma ki Jawani (2002). Most people know about Silk Smitha’s sensuous yet brilliant performance as a woman who has a huge crush on Kamal Hassan in Balu Mahendra’s Moondram Pirai, which was remade as Sadma. Silk Smitha had fulfilled her dream of working with A-grade stars, she had brushed with the best of male stars in her time, Shivaji Ganeshan, Rajnikanth, Kamal Hassan, Chiranjeevi and Mithun Chakraborthy.

Silk Smitha had a string of lovers and some of them were producers, directors and even A-grade actors who were besotted by her. Director Velu Prabhakaran confessed that he had an intimate relationship with Silk Smitha and had cheated on his girlfriend for her. Director Vinu Chakravarthy who was already married, had a secret relationship with Silk Smitha as well

Silk Smitha Death

Silk Smitha was found dead in her Chennai apartment, having committed suicide. The cause of her death is not known, it may have been her disillusionment of

Silk Smitha’s popularity began to wane by mid 90s. She had a live-in boyfriend who had promised to start her luxury life from scratch and lured her into producing films. If reports are to be believed, Silk Smitha’s two movies that she had produced flopped and she was in debt for Rs. 20 million while the third one was stuck due to loss of funds.

Silk Smitha could not reconcile to the fact that she was back to her impoverished day that she never wanted to go to, after she had reveled in luxury. She did get the odd film over, the last one beign a movie called Subaash, a Tamil film, that released two days before her death.

The police directed examining doctors to send a part of Silk Smitha’s body parts to forensic scientists to find out if there were traces of poison in her body, she might have been poisoned before hanging her by the fan; they felt. A post-mortem report on Silk Smitha revealed a large amount of bananas and chocolates in her stomach.

On September 23,1996, Smitha was found dead in her Chennai apartment, Saligramam, hanging by a rope from the ceiling fan of her bedroom. She had tried to turn int a film producer but financial problems, a disillusionment in an unrequited love and an alcohol dependency apparently led to depression. It is suspected that Smitha committed suicide by poisoning herself. She had left a suicide note in which she had written that she was frustrated with repeated failures in her life and so she was taking the extreme step.