CBS News is reporting that Patrick Swayze, best known for his many works on screens big and small, has succumbed to pancreatic cancer at the age of 57. His family was by his side when he passed on.

Swayze’s illness, much like the late Farrah Fawcett, was highly publicized and many people watched on as the actor made every effort to beat this impossible sickness. When it was first reported that he had the disease, he was only given an unbelievable two weeks to live — this was two years ago; proof positive that he fought tooth and nail with all his heart and soul overcome the odds, even continuing to work on shows like The Beast, which earned him a multitude of critical acclaim.

Patrick Swayze is perhaps best known for his many roles ’80s. He first made an impact with his roles in the gang fighting movie The Outsiders and the pre-World War III drama Red Dawn. His then moved onto movies like Dirty Dancing, Road House, and Ghost, which made the man a huge star in the business. Since then, he was seen in the action favorite Point Break, To Wong Foo Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar, Black Dog, and Donnie Darko. [...]

The man whose name was synonymous with the electric guitar and multiple important evolutions in rock ‘n’ roll music, Les Paul has died at the age of 94. The musician passed away in a hospital in New York due to complications from pneumonia.

Les Paul was born in Wisconsin in 1915 and was always big on music and inventing new things. A fighter from the start, Paul was a high school drop out who worked hard to get to his larger-than-life status. Even after he started making his unequivocal mark in music, he was in a terrible accident which almost claimed his life and left his arm in danger of never working properly the same. Still he fought, instructing the surgeons to set his arm at an angle where he would still be able to hold and pick the guitar.

He was one of the very first to build a solid-body electric guitar that was called “The Log.” This eventually moved on to become the legendary Les Paul guitar that’s been loved and used by greats of the electric guitar like Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, Pete Townsend of The Who, and Eric Clapton. [...]

TMZ is reporting that legendary writer and director John Hughes has died. The report is that Hughes was out for a morning walk in New York while visiting family when he suffered a fatal heart attack. The news has since been confirmed by multiple other top news sources.

John Hughes was not only a staple in popular ’80s cinema, the man was an ’80s cultural icon. His brain was responsible for some of the best comedies and teen angst movies ever created.

While most of his credits came as a writer and a producer, he’s best known for his work behind the camera. His directing resume only contains eight films, but those eight films have made more of an impact in cinematic history than most directors could pull off in 100 movies. Below are the eight films he directed. [...]

The LA Times is reporting that world famous product endorser Billy Mays was found dead in his home this morning by his wife. He was 50 years old.

Famous for his loud, in-your-face delivery of information of such products as OxyClean, Orange Glo, and Mighty Putty, Mays was also more recently featured on the fantastic Discovery Channel show Pitchmen, which followed him and Anthony Sullivan as they pitted “made for TV” products against one another, picking the superior one to provide their services to.

The cause of death is unknown, but a full autopsy is expected [...]

In what has turned out to be one of the more depressing days in entertainment, the “King of Pop,” Michael Jackson, has died at the age of 50. The news came mere hours after the report that actress Farrah Fawcett had lost her long battle with cancer.

The Michael Jackson news was surreal, as while it was unfolding, many thought it was simply inaccurate news. When word first broke, it was said that Jackson was found in cardiac arrest and not breathing; this news quickly took a turn for the worst when rumors started flying out that he had passed away; this shock was followed up by suggestions that he was actually in a coma, and the reports began alternating, leaving everyone confused as to what was actually going on. Sadly, as time moved forward, this news — first reported by TMZ — was confirmed by the LA Times to be true.

Many have been worried about the health of Jackson for a while now, but with a hopeful three-year world tour set to kick off with 50 sold out shows in London, it appeared that the star was feeling well and prepped for an attempted comeback of epic proportions. [...]

Farrah Fawcett, the ’70s bombshell with glowing blonde hair, has passed away at a hospital in California after her long battle with cancer. She was 62 years old.

Fawcett’s three-year battle had been very public, keeping fans well up-to-date on her progress in this incredibly difficult fight. She even appeared in a TV documentary called Farrah’s Story, which gave us a close-up look at the actress’s terrible struggles, and her determination to find beat it and find a cure.

Farrah Fawcett first showed up in the late ’60s, appearing briefly on legendary TV shows like I Dream of Jeannie and The Partridge Family. She made many other appearances as well, but it wasn’t until 1976 when she broke out in a big way with her highly-recognized run as one the beloved Angels on Charlie’s Angels, as well as her turn in Logan’s Run. Surprisingly, she only appeared in 29 episodes of Charlie’s Angels which ran from 1976 to 1981, yet she is known all over the world for it. After Angels, she became every man’s dream girl — her poster was on almost every young boy’s wall. She moved on from the show to do a lot more drama work, and she was in well-known movies like The Cannonball Run and Dr. T and the Women. [...]

Orange County’s OC Register has a story on a young girl named Colby Curtin — a ten-year old who had been battling a rare form of vascular cancer for three years now. The young girl was a big movie fan, and while seeing the movie Monsters vs. Aliens, she saw a preview for Pixar’s Up and declared it a must-see.

Unfortunately, before getting to see the movie, her condition worsened, and her family attempted to obtain a wheelchair so they could get her to the theater. The wheelchair didn’t show up in time, as Colby’s condition had declined her to immobility. In a desperate attempt, with no more options, a friend of the family began calling Pixar, making up names to try and get the automated phone system to recognize someone that they could reach out to. Eventually this worked and the family was able to explain their situation.

When Pixar agreed to try and get the movie to her, the news was passed on to the girl’s mother, who asked her daughter if she could hang on just a little more. The girl simply replied “I’m ready [to die], but I’m going to wait for the movie.” [...]

CNN is reporting that David Carradine, the star of ’70s TV show Kung Fu and title character in Kill Bill, has been found dead in a Bangkok, Thailand hotel room. Sadly, Mr. Carradine was found hanging by a nylon rope in the closet of the room, leading authorities to believe the cause of death to be suicide. He was 72 years old.

Just coming down the wire from TMZ within in the past hour or so is word from a representative of Carradine’s who says that there is no way it was suicide, explaining “We can confirm 100% that he never would have committed suicide. It was an accidental death. Everybody is in shock.”

An autopsy was being performed in a Bangkok hospital which will hopefully shed more light on this all.

Carradine was perhaps best known as the Shaolin monk Caine on the TV show Kung Fu which ran from 1972 to 1975, but he also appeared in hundreds of other shows and movies including Gunsmoke, and Quentin Tarantino’s two-part Kill Bill, where he played the infamous Bill. In all, he has 222 IMDB listings, including six of which are in post-production. The last well-known movie he starred in was the sequel Crank: High Voltage. [...]

Best-selling author David Eddings died yesterday in Carson City, NV, at age 77. No cause of death was given.

Eddings was a giant in the world of fantasy literature with most of his popularity stemming from his Belgariad and Malloreon book series. The now-classic Pawn of Prophecy launched the epic Belgariad series in 1982 and was instantly embraced by fans of the fantasy genre.

The author collaborated on most of his works with his wife Leigh Eddings, who died in 2007 at the age of 69. Born in Spokane, WA, Eddings studied literature and drama in college, receiving a Master’s Degree from the University of Washington in 1961 before being drafted into the U.S. Army. In 1973, Eddings wrote a fictional adventure novel High Hunt, but later switch to fantasy writing after seeing a copy of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings in its 78th printing made him realize that the genre was still a viable one [...]

The large and lovably energetic actor of stage, screen, and television — Dom DeLuise has passed away at the age of 75. He died quietly in his sleep after a long battle with illness.

The very best thing about Dom DeLuise is that he was completely generational. He first showed up in the ’50s and by the ’60s, he was often a guest on Dean Martin’s legendary variety show and roasts. The ’70s saw his perfect chemistry with Mel Brooks’ style of movies skyrocket as he appeared in Blazing Saddles and Silent Movie — he also appeared in The Muppet Movie that decade. The ’80s were epic for Mr. DeLuise. He continued on his torrent pace of appearing in great movies and comedies like Smokey and the Bandit II, both Cannonball Run movies, History of the World: Part 1, Haunted Honeymoon, and Spaceballs. He also really shined as the perfect voice for animated feature films with work on The Secret of NIMH, An American Tale, Oliver & Company, and All Dogs Go to Heaven. [...]

Beatrice Arthur, who is best known for her work on the hit TV show The Golden Girls, has died at her home of cancer at the age of 86. This is the second Golden Girl that we’ve lost in a considerably short amount of time — Estelle Getty passed away back in July.

In her time as a Golden Girl, Arthur played the role of Dorothy, who was also the daughter of Getty’s character. The show ran an impressive 180 episodes long from 1985 to 1992. Arthur is also very well-known for her Maude character, which first showed up on All in the Family as Edith Bunker’s loud cousin. The character was so popular that a spin-off was created entitled Maude, which ran 141 episodes from 1972 to 1978.

At the start, Bea graced Broadway as an actress trained for the stage. She won a Tony for her part in Mame, a production also starring Angela Lansbury which was named Best Musical of 1966. She then appeared in a movie adaptation of the play, with Lucille Ball taking on the role that Lansbury played. She even appeared in Mel Brooks’ History of the World: Part 1.

Bea Arthur had a couple of jobs to warm all of our geek hearts, as well. In 1978, she appeared as Akmena in The Star Wars Holiday Special. And in one of her final performances, she played a Femputer on Futurama. [...]

His name isn’t one you may know. His resume isn’t packed with top roles . He hasn’t won all kinds of awards. But when it comes to Andy Hallet, he is a man that has a big place in the hearts of geeks everywhere. Hallet is known for his work as the funny and lovable demon known as Lorne or The Host on the popular Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off — Angel. Hallet passed away on March 29, 2009 due to heart failure after a five-year battle with heart disease.

Even those who were simply only familiar with Angel, and who maybe saw an episode or two would have no problem identifying the green-skinned demon who was always wildly dressed in brightly colored suits. But those who knew and loved the show: those are the people that know that the heart that Andy Hallet brought to this character shined through in every one of the 76 episodes he appeared in.

Show creator Joss Whedon saw him singing at a Universal City Blues revue, which is when the idea for the character came to him. [...]

After a few days in critical condition after a skiing accident, actress Natasha Richardson has died from her injuries at age 45.

Natasha Richardson shined as a Broadway actress, winning a Tony award for her work in a production of Cabaret in 1998. She was also in many feature films, including Nell, The Parent Trap, Maid in Manhattan, and The White Countess — where she starred alongside her Aunt, Lynn Redgrave, and her Mother, legendary Oscar-winning actress Vanessa Redgrave. She was married to actor Liam Neeson.

If you’re not familiar with what happened, this is one of the more sad and scary stories we’ve heard in a while. When the news first showed up, all we really knew was that she was in a skiing accident. Eventually, though, we learned that it was a lot more tragic than that. Richardson was out skiing with one of her sons and was actually on one of the beginner hills just learning the basics when she fell and hit her head. Word is that there was nothing serious about the fall and that she may have even laughed about it at the time. [...]

Well-known actor of stage and screens both big and small — Ron Silver has passed away at the age of 62. He had been battling esophageal cancer for two years when he passed away this morning quietly in his sleep.

Along with his work on the stage, Silver appeared in many movies, including Silkwood, Romancing the Stone, Blue Steel, and Reversal of Fortune, as well as more recent movies like Ali, Find Me Guilty, and The Ten. He appeared on multiple big-time TV shows, with long stints on Chicago Hope and perhaps his best work on The West Wing. He was nominated for two Emmys, one for The West Wing.

Not only did Ron Silver leave us with a lot of great entertainment on many different platforms, he was also a longtime political activist. Most recently he even had his own public affairs show on Sirius satellite radio. Because of his passion for politics, it is likely that his work on The West Wing was his most passionate work, and the work that will leave his greatest mark on our world. [...]

A man who has been on the screen, large and small alike — Ricardo Montalban passed away today at his home in Los Angeles. He was 88.

One only need to look through his 160-plus acting listings on IMDb to see the vast amount of contributions and endless entertainment that he offered to countless fans. But what the Mexican-born actor is probably best known for is his role as the white-suit-wearing wish-fulfiller Mr. Roarke on the classic TV show Fantasy Island from 1978 to 1984. Though for us in the world of Geek, he is and always shall be known simply as Khan, Captain James T. Kirk’s most formidable foe. Montalban first portrayed the genetically engineered Khan Noonien Singh in an episode of the original Star Trek television series in 1967 called “Space Seed.” He triumphantly returned to the role 15 years later in the 1982 film Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, making the villain legendary. As Khan, Montalbon not only had some of the best dialogue in the Trek sequel, but his character also incited one of most famous lines in all Trek canon when Kirk screams Khan’s name in desperation (read about our love of this scene in our 12 Of The Best Payback Moments in Film) [...]

Majel Barrett Roddenberry, actress and widow of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, passed away today at her home in Los Angeles at the age of 76 after a battle with leukemia.

Barrett Roddenberry had been in the news recently, having just completed work as the voice of the USS Enterprise’s computer in the upcoming release of JJ Abrams’ Star Trek. She had been the voice of the ship’s computer in the all the Trek televisions series and in several of the movies. She also starred in the original 1960s series as Nurse Chapel after first starting out as a different character in the show’s pilot. In later years, the actress also played the reoccurring role of Deanna Troi’s mother Lwaxana Troi on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Barrett Roddenberry also did many non-Star Trek parts including The Lucy Show and Leave it to Beaver, many older movies, and also made appearances on other science fiction shows such as Andromeda and Babylon 5. She even was the voice of the ship’s computer in an episode of Family Guy.

In addition to her acting contributions, Barrett Roddenberry was integral in keeping her husband’s beloved creation alive after his passing in 1991 and made it a point to go to Star Trek conventions to interact with the fans of the ever-growing franchise [...]

It’s a very sad day today, as author Michael Crichton has passed away at the age of 66 after a battle with cancer.

This comes as a surprise to everyone because no one knew he was sick, but apparently it’s also a surprise to those who knew because he was supposedly making a lot of good progress in his battle.

Crichton is best known for his books, penning classics such as The Andromeda Strain, Congo, Sphere, and Jurassic Park among many others. On top of writing these books, he also directed some little-known films in the 70s and early 80s and then went on to help write the screenplays for Jurassic Park and Twister and co-create mega-show ER.

Oh, right, and did I mention that the man also graduated with a M.D. from Harvard Medical School?

In a world where many people struggle to find their path in life, Michael Crichton thrived and pretty much did it all [...]

Pink Floyd founding member Richard Wright is off to play in that great gig in the sky.

The keyboardist and songwriter of the iconic rock band died today at his home in Britain after battling cancer. He was 65.

Wright formed Pink Floyd in 1965 along with Roger Waters, Nick Mason, and the late Syd Barrett. Together the foursome made their recording debut with 1967’s jazz-influenced psychedelic rock album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, which contained “Astronomy Dominé,” co-sung by Wright.

Pink Floyd went on to achieve great commercial success and critical acclaim with over a dozen records, including the now-classic albums Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall. It was during the recording sessions for the latter album that Wright had a falling out with bassist/frontman Roger Waters leading to his forced resignation in 1980 as a full member of the band. He retained the role of session and touring musician during the album’s promotion, but did not appear on the band’s follow-up album, The Final Cut (which turned out to be its last with Rogers)…

Don LaFontaine, dubbed the “King of Voiceover” and best known for his unmistakable movie trailer voiceover work (”In a world…), died yesterday in L.A. at the age of 68.

No official cause of death has been released, but LaFontaine’s agent said he died after complications arose from Pneumothorax, which is when air or gas gets into the pleural cavity when you have a collapsed lung.

Along with his best-known movie trailer work, LaFontaine also did work most notably for his Geico commercial and also for big names like Entertainment Tonight, CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, UPN, TNT, TBS, Cartoon Network, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Ford, Budweiser, McDonalds, and Coke…

Actor/comedian Bernie Mac died this morning in a Chicago hospital from complications related to pneumonia. He was 50 years old.

The actor, who’s real name was Bernard Jeffrey McCullough, had been hospitalized and treated pneumonia this past week.

Mac also suffered from the inflammatory lung disease sarcoidosis and had been in remission for the disease since 2005. Mac’s publicist said that his death was not related to the disease.

Rising from an impoverished upbringing on Chicago’s South Side, which the actor wrote about in his 2004 memoir Maybe You Never Cry Again, Mac went from stand-up and bit movie roles to mainstream success with his Fox TV series The Bernie Mac Show, which ran from 2001 to 2006.