Oscar winning director Michael Cimino has died. Director Thierry Fremaux tweeted the sad news on July 2nd. It is believed Cimino was born February 3rd, 1939. I say “believed” because Cimino is one of the most bizarrely controversial figures in Hollywood history. Nearly everything about him was a mystery from his age, to his appearance thanks to plastic surgery, and there were even questions about his gender identity as the years went on. One thing that cannot be denied, Cimino left a mark on Hollywood history with an Everest-like climb and a meteoric crash.

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1973 was a banner year for the horror genre. The Exorcist shocked audiences the world over receiving ten Academy Award nominations and winning two Oscars. But what if I told you that The Exorcist wasn’t the best horror movie of 1973? That honor, in this critic’s opinion belongs to The Wicker Man. Starring Christopher Lee, Edward Woodward and Britt Ekland, The Wicker Man is regarded as one of the greatest horror films in history. Its director Robin Hardy passed away Friday, July 1st at the age of 86.

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Best known for playing a young Pavel Chekov in the rebooted Star Trek franchise and for roles in films such as Terminator Salvation and Green Room, actor Anton Yelchin died this morning. He was 27.

The cause of Yelchin’s death, according to his representative, was a fatal traffic collision at his San Fernando Valley home. The rep stated, “His family requests you respect their privacy at this time.”

Famed comic book artist Darwyn Cooke, best known for his work at DC Comics, died today after a battle with cancer, his family confirmed via a statement on his official Web site. He was 53.

Cooke’s wife Marsha revealed yesterday that the Canadian artist had been battling an “aggressive” form of cancer, and was receiving palliative care.

The Eisner Award-winning cartoonist began publishing his work in 1985, and worked in Canada for 15 years as a graphic and product designer as well as magazine art director before landing a job in the early 1990s at Warner Bros. Animation under animator Bruce Timm. At WB, he worked as a storyboard artist for the hit animated TV show Batman: The Animated Series as well as on Superman: The Animated Series, and also animated the main titles for Batman Beyond.

Prince, one of the biggest luminaries in all of music history, was found dead this morning at his Paisley Park compound in Minnesota, according to TMZ and confirmed by the AP through the musician’s publicist. He was 57. There’s no confirmation of cause of death at this time.

It was reported last week that Prince’s private jet made an emergency landing in Illinois, where the musician was then admitted to the hospital, but he then continued his concert tour the following day, with reports that he been sick with the flu, but recovering

Born Prince Rogers Nelson on June 7, 1958 in Minneapolis, MN, the mononymous performer who was able to deftly, soulfully, and incredibly parlay a wide amalgam of sounds and styles into a kind of funk/R&B/rock fusion that continues to dazzle the globe.