1991: Giant of rock dies Freddie Mercury has died aged 45, just one day after he publicly announced he was HIV positive. The lead singer for rock group Queen died quietly at his home in west London of bronchio-pneumonia, brought on by Aids, his publicist said. The flamboyant star is thought to have had the disease for two years, but he continued to make music and the decline in his health was only rarely glimpsed. Mercury was born Farookh Bulsara in Zanzibar in 1946 and spent most of his childhood in India before his family settled in England in 1964. That year he enrolled in art school. Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor, Brian May and Mike Grose formed Queen in 1970. Regarded by fans and critics alike as a consummate showman, Mercury was openly bisexual and enjoyed a colourful rock-star lifestyle. Music critic Paul Gambaccini praised Mercury for his huge contribution to hard rock music. "He gave a form which was pretty staid and sour, a great personality," he said. The director of an Aids education charity, Dr Patrick Dixon, told the BBC that Mercury's greatest gift to his fans was admitting he was suffering from the disease. "His hope was no doubt that through his openness many people throughout the world would see that Aids is a real illness - that it's killing people every day," said Dr Dixon.
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Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Freddie Mercury (1991) of Queen
Robert Palmer
Singer Robert Palmer dies | |||||
He had been in the French capital on a two-day break with partner Mary Ambrose, after recording a TV appearance in the UK. His manager said he suffered the heart attack in the early hours of Friday morning. The Yorkshire-born singer had recently been on tour of Europe to promote his latest album Drive. Palmer had been performing since the early 1970s, playing in bands including Mandrake Paddle Steamer and Dada, featuring Elkie Brooks. He then went on to front Vinegar Joe, also with Brooks, releasing three albums with the band before launching his solo career.
"Robert was a star - he was a great writer, a fabulous musician and a great singer," she said. "And he was stunning looking." He had a strong influence over other musicians - especially visually, with his ground-breaking videos, she said. "Robert was always one that wanted to be different, wanted to be trendy - from the way he looked to the music. He wanted to be a step ahead," she said. Famous video He was also a member of 1980s supergroup Power Station, which also included members of Duran Duran. In a statement, Duran Duran said: "He was a very dear friend and a great artist. This is a tragic loss to the British music industry." It was it was during the 1980s that Palmer achieved mainstream solo recognition.
Known for his sharp dress sense, his solo album Riptide produced the top five hit Addicted to Love, which was backed with one of rock music's most famous videos. It featured Palmer backed by a band featuring identically-dressed woman, who were also made up to look the same. But after scoring hits with She Makes My Day and Mercy Mercy Me he turned he returned to his rhythm and blues roots. His Ridin' High album in 1992 was a mix of genres from Tin Pan Alley and cabaret classics. A greatest hits album was released in 1995 and reached number four in the UK charts. TV appearance Although born in Batley, West Yorkshire, he spent much of his childhood in Malta before moving back to the UK at the age of 19 where his family settled in Scarborough. Later on he spent time living in New York, the Bahamas and Switzerland, but also stayed close to his roots. Rock journalist Paul Lester, from Uncut magazine, said Palmer rose from northern clubs to become "elegant and sophisticated" and the master of several styles. "He was kind of a pioneer of blue-eyed soul, which is white men doing black music and R&B pretty well. He had two or three careers," Lester told BBC News Online. Palmer filmed his parts for a regional TV show, My Kinda People, about his musical influences, for Yorkshire TV on Wednesday. 'So much fun'
Suzanne Parkes, who worked as Palmer's publicist for Power Station's Living in Fear album in 1996, told BBC News Online: "He was something really rare in the music industry. His offstage persona was even nicer than that onstage, he was an absolute gent. "I'm really sad, but I remember the times with Robert as just so much fun. "I remember going with him to this secret karaoke club in Soho once - and he actually got up on stage and did karaoke to his own songs, to Addicted to Love, just for a laugh." | |||||
He was something really rare in the music industry - he was an absolute gent 
Click here to see Robert Palmer perform Looking for Clues on Top of the Pops in 1980 
Monday, March 28, 2011
Easy-E
Photo by Peter DokusBorn Eric Wright on Sep 7, 1964 in Compton, CA
Died Mar 26, 1995 in Los Angeles, CA
Years Active1910 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 2000
GenresRap
StylesGangsta Rap West Coast Rap Hardcore Rap G-Funk Dirty Rap
MoodsBoisterous Humorous Reckless Street-Smart Brash Confident Confrontational Harsh Menacing Provocative Rebellious Rowdy Sleazy Thuggish InstrumentsVocals Executive Producer
Other EntiresMovie Entry AMG Artist IDP 33Corrections to this Entry?Biographyby Steve Huey
Whether as a member of N.W.A., a solo act, or a label head, Eazy-E was one of the most controversial figures in gangsta rap. While his technical skills as a rapper were never the greatest, his distinctive delivery (invariably described as a high-pitched whine), over-the-top lyrics, and undeniable charisma made him a star. Following N.W.A.'s breakup, E's street credibility took a major beating, though his recordings continued to sell well when they appeared; unfortunately, he was diagnosed with AIDS in 1995, and died not long after.
Eric "Eazy-E" Wright was born September 7, 1964, in Compton, CA, a rough part of the Los Angeles metro area that N.W.A. would later make notorious. A high school dropout, Wright turned to drug dealing to support himself, and eventually used the profits to start his own rap label, Ruthless Records, with partner and music-business veteran Jerry Heller. E discovered a major performing talent in the D.O.C., and recruited Ice Cube and Dr. Dre to write songs for his stable of artists. When their composition "Boyz-N-the Hood" was rejected by Ruthless signee HBO, Cube, Dre, and E formed the first version of N.W.A. to record it themselves. Their first album, N.W.A. and the Posse, was released in 1987 and largely ignored; after a few tweaks of the lineup and the rough-edged subject matter, 1988's Straight Outta Compton made N.W.A. into superstars. E seized the opportunity to release a solo project later in the year, titled Eazy-Duz-It, which would be the only full-length album he would complete; it would sell well over two-million copies.
After Ice Cube's bitter departure from N.W.A. toward the end of 1989 (precipitated in part by Heller's business tactics), Eazy-E took over his not inconsiderable share of the rapping and songwriting duties, becoming the group's dominant voice on 1991's Efil4zaggin. His taste for cartoon-ish vulgarity began to undermine the claims of realistic inner-city reporting that the group had used to defend themselves. Disputes between the members led to N.W.A.'s breakup that summer, and a court battle between Ruthless and Dre's new label Death Row soon followed, with Eazy alleging that Death Row head Suge Knight had coerced Ruthless into releasing Dre from his contract. The case was eventually thrown out, but a bitter feud between Dre and Eazy raged for the next several years; Dre's seminal solo debut The Chronic made merciless fun of Eazy. E's 1992 solo EP 5150 Home 4 tha Sick sold well, but did little to dispel his increasingly cartoon-ish image; he found more success running the Ruthless label, with a roster that included Above the Law, N.W.A. bandmate MC Ren, the poorly received all-female group H.W.A. (Hoez With Attitude), and, eventually, the lucrative Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Eazy addressed his feud with Dre on the 1993 EP It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa, which famously included an actual photo of Dre wearing makeup and sequins during his World Class Wreckin' Cru days. Still, save for dissing Dre, Eazy didn't seem to have much to say, and despite healthy record sales, his artistic credibility was declining at an alarming rate. Eazy didn't help matters much when, in early 1993, he spoke out in support of Theodore Briseno, the only LAPD officer involved in the Rodney King beating to express displeasure; later in the year, he paid 2,500 dollars to attend a Republican fund-raiser, which his detractors saw as a further betrayal of his roots.
In early 1995, Eazy entered the hospital with respiratory difficulties, believing he had developed asthma. The diagnosis was far more serious: he had contracted AIDS. Eazy announced his plight to the public shortly thereafter, winning admiration for his straightforward attitude. Sadly, just a few weeks later, on March 26, 1995, the disease claimed his life. The record he had been working on, Str8 Off tha Streetz of Muthaphukkin Compton, was released posthumously (in unfinished form) later on in the year. In 2002, on the seventh anniversary of his death, some previously unreleased material from the Ruthless vaults was released as the EP Impact of a Legend, which was accompanied by a DVD.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Actor Chris Penn Found dead in L.A. home (Reservoir Dogs)
Actor Chris Penn found dead in L.A. home
No foul play suspected in death of Sean Penn’s brother
Chris Penn’s latest film, “The Darwin Awards,” was scheduled to premiere Wednesday at the Sundance Film Festival.
LOS ANGELES — Chris Penn, a younger brother of Sean Penn who played supporting roles in films such as “Reservoir Dogs” and “Starsky & Hutch,” was found dead in his Santa Monica home, authorities said. Police do not suspect foul play.
Penn’s body was discovered in bed inside the condominium on Ocean Avenue, said Capt. Ed Winter of the county coroner’s office. He said the actor’s housekeeper called authorities.
There were no obvious signs of foul play, Lt. Frank Fabrega said. Autopsy results were pending. Police said Penn was 40 years old, though several celebrity Web sites list his age as 43.
“The Penn family would appreciate the media’s respect of their privacy during this difficult time,” Mara Buxbaum, Sean Penn’s publicist, said in a statement.
Chris Penn’s credits included “Rumble Fish,” “All the Right Moves,” “Footloose,” “Rush Hour,” “Corky Romano” and “Starsky & Hutch.” He also played Nice Guy Eddie Cabot in the 1992 Quentin Tarantino crime drama “Reservoir Dogs.”
Although he was not as well known as his brother Sean, 45, critics said he often was underrated.
“Just as talented as Sean — just a lot less cocky,” Slate magazine critic Cintra Wilson wrote of him last year. He “makes you seamlessly believe in characters so much you barely even notice them.”
Penn’s late father, Leo Penn, directed television shows. His mother, Eileen Ryan, is an actress whose credits include “I Am Sam,” “Magnolia” and “Parenthood.” His brother is musician Michael Penn.
Chris Penn’s latest film, “The Darwin Awards,” was scheduled to premiere Wednesday at the Sundance Film Festival. The film also stars Joseph Fiennes, Winona Ryder and David Arquette.
Alice in Chains' Founding Bassist, Mike Starr, Found Dead in Salt Lake City
Alice in Chains' Founding Bassist, Mike Starr, Found Dead in Salt Lake City
- Posted on Mar 8th 2011 6:51PM by Benjy Eisen
- Comments (0)
Marty Temme, WireImageIn 1987, Starr was friends with guitarist Jerry Cantrell and agreed to join his new project with vocalist Layne Staley and drummer Sean Kinney, under the name Alice in Chains. The Seattle-based band was signed to Columbia Records two years later, in 1989, and cashed in on the Seattle grunge movement when it broke in the early '90s, following Nirvana's unexpected, massive success. Suddenly, Alice in Chains was branded as an alternative rock band, instead of the heavy metal machine they first imagined themselves as, and the group scored a hit with the song, 'Would?,' which was featured on the soundtrack to the generation-defining film, 'Singles.'
Starr either quit the band, or else he was fired, in 1993. The official reason for his departure was a lifestyle change. On the record, Starr wanted to spend more time with his family, less on the road, and the split was amicable. Years later, Starr publicly said that, in actuality, he was kicked out due to his drug use, which was spiraling out of control.
In 2010, Starr joined the cast of VH1's reality television series 'Celebrity Rehab' for its third season. The show documented his recovery from heroin addiction and Starr returned to the series the following season as a special guest, appearing as something of a mentor for that season's recovering addicts.
Last month, on February 18, Starr was arrested in Utah on suspicion of felony possession of a controlled substance. We'll update this tragic story as it develops.
Watch Alice in Chains' Video for 'Would?'
Download Alice in Chains Songs | Buy Alice in Chains Albums
Download Alice in Chains Songs | Buy Alice in Chains Albums
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Corey Haim
Corey Feldman (left) and Corey Haim in 2007
Frazer Harrison/Getty
Feldman, who appeared on Larry King Live Wednesday night, said Haim was "very destitute, very broke," had no car and few friends.
"At the end of the day, Larry, where were all these people the last 10 years, the last 15 years of Corey's life?" asked Feldman, also 38. "Where were all these people to lend a hand out, to reach out to him and say, you know, you're a legend, you're – you're an amazingly talented, wonderful person who's really never gone out of his way to hurt anybody other than himself?"
Feldman also said Haim was recently seeing a new treatment specialist who put him on a new line of medications. Feldman did not specify which they were, but said, "Let's just say that they may not have corresponded properly with the medications that he was currently taking."
However, Feldman had noticed a marked shift in his friend since his mother, with whom Haim was living in a month-to-month rental property, was diagnosed with cancer. "He shaped up. He got his act together," Feldman said. "When his mom got ill, it was the first time I ever saw Corey grow up."
Feldman said "a sizeable memorial" will be planned for Haim – which he hopes will be well-attended. "You see these people making great statements and that's wonderful and I hope they're all there for the memorial and I hope they're all there for the funeral. But where were they during his life?"
See what other readers have to say about this story – or leave a comment of your own
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Dana Plato - Death by Overdose May 8 1999 (Diff'rent Strokes)
The Overdose Death of Dana Plato
Saturday, 27 March 2010 10:11 Frank Wilkins
Diff'rent Drugs for Diff'rent Folks - Dana Plato
How The Gong Show and Wayne Newton Ruined Her Life
Her Career
Dana Michelle Plato led quite an interesting life, full of dizzying heights and shattering lows. She came to fame as a child star but found out soon enough that early fame often has its own pitfalls. Best known as Kimberly Drummond, the older sister on TV's "Diff'rent Strokes," Dana went through a lot while never quite escaping the scrutiny of the media and fans.
Dana Michelle Plato was born in Maywood, California on November 7, 1964. Her birth mother (Linda Strain who was a 16-year-old unwed mother already struggling to support an 18-month-old child) gave her up for adoption as an infant and she was taken in by a Southern California couple (adopted by Dean and Florine 'Kay' Plato in June 1965) who soon enough guided her into acting. Dana landed roles on over 100 TV commercials as a child, including appearances for KFC, Arco and Dole bananas. Her questionable luck kicked in early on -- Dana was chosen for the lead role in "The Exorcist" but her adoptive mother refused to let her appear in such a film. So while Linda Blair went on to huge stardom, Dana was left with roles in flicks like 1975's "Beyond the Bermuda Triangle." (Dana did grab a small part in "Exorcist II: The Heretic," a film that has been voted one of the worst of all time.)
The Bittersweet Irony of the Hollywood Machine
Dana's fortunes began to turn when she was spotted by a producer during a brief appearance on TV's "The Gong Show." He was casting a new sitcom for NBC which was to become "Diff'rent Strokes," and Dana landed the part of Kimberly. Her girl-next-door cuteness and seemingly effortless way with comedy won her lots of fans during the show's prime time run, which lasted from 1978 to 1986. Dana moved in with rock guitarist Lanny Lambert in December 1983. In April 1984, she married Lanny and on July 2nd, 1984 their son Tyler Edward Lambert was born. Dana was fired from Diff'rent Strokes after the 1983-1984 season because of her pregnancy, but she did return for the final season on ABC in 1985-1986. By the time the program was cancelled, Dana had blossomed into a striking young woman, but her acting career could never escape the long shadows cast by her sitcom stardom.
Dana Plato's mother, Florine 'Kay' Plato, who had guided her career died of a blood disease in January of 1988 and her husband reportedly left her the same week. Dana and Lanny would divorce in March of 1990 and Dana was allowed visitation of her son, but her husband won physical custody of Tyler.
A New Low
Dana Plato drifted in and out of the business over the next few years. She posed for a June 1989 Playboy pictorial (a 5-page nude layout, the shots were taken in November 1988 in Arizona and appeared in the June 1989 issue of Playboy Magazine), showing off the delectable figure that she'd kept hidden for all those years. The nude pictorial did nothing to help revive her career, however, and Dana continued to languish on the fringes of the entertainment industry. She blasted her way back into the headlines in January of 1992, when she was arrested for the armed robbery of a Las Vegas video store (which she used a pellet gun and netted her $164) - she was charged with armed robbery and was later sentenced to five years probation. Her ill-conceived grab for rent money (it was really a cry for help according to many people) sent her to jail for a short stint, but her new notoriety managed to get her work in the "no publicity is bad publicity" world of Hollywood. Dana was helped by Las Vegas singer, Wayne Newton, who posted the $13,000 bail for her. In January of 1992 she was arrested for forging Valium prescriptions. Cited for parole violation, she served 30 days in jail. In 1993, she spent a month in a drug and alcohol rehab center in Las Vegas - one of several times she went into rehab. She first went into drug rehab on January 20, 1992.
Sapphic Pride?
Following her jail term, Dana appeared in a string of B-grade features including such sterling gems as 1992's "Bikini Beach Race" and 1995's "Compelling Evidence." She was featured in a video game in 1992 called Night Trap as a scantily clad victim. In 1995, she was in a play called "Last of the Red Hot Lovers" where she received passing grades. Her experiences behind bars also seemed to change more than just her career prospects -- Dana came out as a lesbian in a 1998 issue of the Sapphic pride magazine "Girlfriends." (she had said in more recent interviews that she was not a lesbian and was only experimenting). She turned plenty of heads with her scintillating performance in the 1997 straight-to-video epic "Different Strokes." It's a steamy softcore tale of a guy and a girl and another girl, and Dana shows off her curvaceous figure and lust for her fellow femmes in a series of sensual scenes.
The End
On May 7, 1999, Plato made an appearance on The Howard Stern Show, where she announced that she was engaged to 28-year-old Robert Menchaca, and that he was managing her career. During the interview, Plato was quite frank about her life and career, even openly admitting to being a recovering addict. The interview began to go downhill however, when the phones were opened up to callers. A barrage of negative callers would hound Plato, calling her names and provoking her to the point of her offering to take a drug test while on the air. Even after the interview, Plato would never seem to get over the negativity and seemed depressed about how things were unfolding for her.
The next day, while returning to California, Plato and Menchaca would stop at Menchaca's mother's home in Moore, Oklahoma for a Mother's Day visit. Plato went to lie down inside her recreational vehicle parked outside the house and subsequently took a large dose of Lortab and Valium. Sadly and tragically, she never awoke from her sleep. Her death at the age of 34 was eventually ruled a suicide and her body was cremated.
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Following is an article detailing the death of Dana Plato:
Coroner officials in Oklahoma today ruled the troubled ex-Diff'rent Strokes star committed suicide--intentionally overdosing on a toxic batch of painkillers.
Dana Plato died May 8 in Moore, Oklahoma, as she slept in a mobile home parked outside the home of her fiancee's parents. She was 34. Police first said the actress' death appeared to be an accident.
But Dr. Larry E. Balding, Oklahoma's deputy medical examiner, said the number of pills found in her system, combined with what he termed a past history of suicidal tendencies, led his office to conclude Dana Plato meant to die.
The former child star left behind no note. Some have said Dana Plato was shaken the day before her death by an appearance on Howard Stern's radio show. During the interview, Plato alternately wept, volunteered to take a drug test, un-volunteered to take a drug test and declared herself "never...happier."
Lab work showed Dana Plato's system swimming with the painkillers carisoprodol (a muscle relaxant) and hydrocodone/acetaminophen. The equivalent of seven carisoprodol tablets were found. Initial reports fingered the prescription drugs Valium and Lortab (a brand name of hydrocodone/acetaminophen).
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The Internet Rumors Persist:
In 1999, Dana Michelle Plato was living with her fiance, Robert Menchaca, and had been living in an RV park in Navarre, Florida. Dana was priming the pump for another shot at the big time that included an interview with Howard Stern. She made the interview, and was dead two days later.
Since her death, Web sites have been popping up all over the electronic landscape. Writers are furiously cranking out books. Ebay is jammed with people buying and selling Dana memorabilia, and the revision of her history has begun.
The total lack of an investigation is troubling. The police took Menchaca's account of what happened as gospel, even though it was apparent that Plato had been dead for hours before he phoned the police. Even more troubling was that the police confiscated Polaroids he took of Plato as she laid dead or dying. The police determined death was accidental overdose, the medical examiner determined suicide based on old scars at her wrist. Good work, Quincy! You and Sheriff Lobo there in Moore, Oklahoma should be real proud. Let's see: Dana was attempting a comeback; was in Oklahoma to be with her son for Mother's Day, and it looked very much like she was going to leave Robert Menchaca. Add to the mix Dana's mother-in-law, a nurse, who recommended Dana try Lortab, even though she knew Dana was using Valium and the deadly combination of the two drugs. Menchaca was attempting to ride the gravy train of a Dana Plato revival, and with Plato leaving him out of her trip to New York to appear on Howard Stern, it looked like he was about to be cut out of the picture. He may have decided he could profit more from a dead, martyred Dana Plato than a live one hoping to get parts in international market sex thrillers, or making the talk show circuit. It's hard to imagine you could be in the extremely close confines of a small RV and not know your girlfriend was dead. Especially when she had a history of suicidal gestures, and drug problems, including a Valium OD when she was fourteen.
She was laid over in Dallas trying to meet him in Oklahoma City. Did Dana Plato die because of insane jealousy? Would this non-investigation of this death have happened in New York or Los Angeles or St. Louis? Would a city with a murder rate in the top 20 have just taken the deceased's boyfriend's word for what happened? Did these small town cops just assume some drug addict got what she had coming? Did Robert Menchaca get away with the perfect murder? Was Menchaca just an idiot who couldn't tell his fiancée was dead? Did Lee Harvey Oswald act alone? Was Marilyn Monroe murdered? Or was it suicide? Did Dana Plato simply give up?
The mystery of her death will forever make Dana Plato a name people will remember. The revisionists are hard at work building her into the greatest and most beloved actress of a generation. She is fast becoming a tragic figure and a martyr. A saint for the disillusioned. The Internet will keep the legend growing. Suicide, OD, Murder. Does it really matter why she died? The truth is, millions of dollars will continue to be spent on Princess Diana's incredibly straightforward death as the media tries to hunt down elusive Fiats, unable to accept she died because she got into a car with a drunk driver. But the mainstream media is all too eager to simply accept that Dana Plato took too many sleeping pills and died, end of story. With new books, Web sites, and a new documentary on The E! True Hollywood Story , maybe some investigation of her death may occur.
The Autopsy Report:
Following is the autopsy report from the Office of the Chief of Medical Examiners in Oklahoma City, OK
Decedent-Dana Plato; Age 35; Birth date - 11/01/63; Race - W; Sex - F; Marital Status - single; Authority for autopsy - Larry E. Balding, M.D.; Present at autopsy - Steve Mullins; Identified by - Toe Tag; Type of death - Violent, unusual, or unnatural.
The cause of death in this individual is toxic concentrations of the drugs carisoprodol and Hydrocodone / acetaminophetamin. There high levels of these drugs in the blood as determined by laboratory studies. Laboratory analysis of the gastric contents shows the equivalent of 7 tablets of Carisoprodol unabsorbed and still present in the stomach. The blood concentrations of these drugs along with the gastric concentration of Carisoprodol is indicative of an acute intentional overdose ingestion. This, coupled with past history of suicidal gestures has resulted in the determination of the manner of death as being suicide.
The body is that of a well developed, well nourished, white female clad in a pair of multicolored checkered shorts. Accompanying the body is a blue tank top, which has been cut from the body. Multiple emergency medical interventions are present on the body which are diagrammed in the included CME-182 series form. Eyes are clear and show no petechiae. Dentition is natural, intact and unremarkable as in oral mucosa. Blackish-brown vomitis is in the mouth and stains the face. Neck, chest, abdomen and back appear intact and unremarkable. Arms, hands, legs and feet show no acute injury. On the palmar aspect of the right wrist, there are two old scars. One is horizontal and approximately 1.0 in. in length and the other is somewhat curvilinear at approximately 1/2 in. in length. Hands are otherwise intact and unremarkable. Anal and genital regions appear intact and unremarkable.
Multiple professional style tattoos are present on both feet, as well as on the posterior aspect of the left shoulder and these are diagrammed on the included CME-182 series form. There is also a professional style tattoo in the right inguinal area that consists of a winged fairy and a star.
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More Bad Dana Plato Related News:
Seems the hunger for drugs runs in the Plato family as we lost Dana Plato's son to what is reportedly drug-related behavior:
May 13, 2010 - Tyler Lambert, the son of late Diff'rent Strokes star Dana Plato, has committed suicide, nearly 11 years to the day that his mother took her own life. He was 25 years old.
Lambert died of a self-inflicted gunshot to the head last Thursday in Tulsa, Okla., says his grandmother, Joni Richardson. Lambert, a cameraman and amateur songwriter, had been experimenting with drugs and alcohol, Richardson said, which she thinks contributed to his death.
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Recent News: Dana Plato's Diff'rent Strokes co-star, Gary Coleman has died. He was suffering from intracranial brain bleeding and was on life support in the intensive care unit of a Provo, Utah hospital, Coleman's spokesman said. Coleman, 42, fell ill at his Santaquin, Utah, home Wednesday evening and was rushed by ambulance to a hospital, the spokesman said in a statement released Friday.
Coleman, 42, has had a number of health emergencies this year, including a seizure he suffered on the set of "The Insider" in February. He has suffered from a kidney condition that caused his short stature.
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More Dana Plato Stuff:
Go here to view the Dana Plato Nude Playboy Photos - but be forewarned - NSFW.
Dana Plato
Dana Plato in one of her less glamorous moments.
Dana Plato's 1992 arrest mug shot.
Another image of the mug shot.
Dana Plato and the cast of Diff'rent Strokes.
Dana Plato with guitarist boyfriend, Lanny Lambert, circa 1983.
Dana Plato died in this RV outside the home of her fiancee's parents in Moore Oklahoma.
Entertainment Tonight piece on Dana Plato from 2000.
Dana Plato External Links:
Dana Plato's page over at Wikipedia.
Dana Plato - Plato's bio data over at IMDB.com.
The Dana Plato Memorial Site
Diff'rent Drugs for Diff'rent Folks - Dana Plato
How The Gong Show and Wayne Newton Ruined Her Life
Her Career
Dana Michelle Plato led quite an interesting life, full of dizzying heights and shattering lows. She came to fame as a child star but found out soon enough that early fame often has its own pitfalls. Best known as Kimberly Drummond, the older sister on TV's "Diff'rent Strokes," Dana went through a lot while never quite escaping the scrutiny of the media and fans.
Dana Michelle Plato was born in Maywood, California on November 7, 1964. Her birth mother (Linda Strain who was a 16-year-old unwed mother already struggling to support an 18-month-old child) gave her up for adoption as an infant and she was taken in by a Southern California couple (adopted by Dean and Florine 'Kay' Plato in June 1965) who soon enough guided her into acting. Dana landed roles on over 100 TV commercials as a child, including appearances for KFC, Arco and Dole bananas. Her questionable luck kicked in early on -- Dana was chosen for the lead role in "The Exorcist" but her adoptive mother refused to let her appear in such a film. So while Linda Blair went on to huge stardom, Dana was left with roles in flicks like 1975's "Beyond the Bermuda Triangle." (Dana did grab a small part in "Exorcist II: The Heretic," a film that has been voted one of the worst of all time.)
The Bittersweet Irony of the Hollywood Machine
Dana's fortunes began to turn when she was spotted by a producer during a brief appearance on TV's "The Gong Show." He was casting a new sitcom for NBC which was to become "Diff'rent Strokes," and Dana landed the part of Kimberly. Her girl-next-door cuteness and seemingly effortless way with comedy won her lots of fans during the show's prime time run, which lasted from 1978 to 1986. Dana moved in with rock guitarist Lanny Lambert in December 1983. In April 1984, she married Lanny and on July 2nd, 1984 their son Tyler Edward Lambert was born. Dana was fired from Diff'rent Strokes after the 1983-1984 season because of her pregnancy, but she did return for the final season on ABC in 1985-1986. By the time the program was cancelled, Dana had blossomed into a striking young woman, but her acting career could never escape the long shadows cast by her sitcom stardom.
Dana Plato's mother, Florine 'Kay' Plato, who had guided her career died of a blood disease in January of 1988 and her husband reportedly left her the same week. Dana and Lanny would divorce in March of 1990 and Dana was allowed visitation of her son, but her husband won physical custody of Tyler.
A New Low
Dana Plato drifted in and out of the business over the next few years. She posed for a June 1989 Playboy pictorial (a 5-page nude layout, the shots were taken in November 1988 in Arizona and appeared in the June 1989 issue of Playboy Magazine), showing off the delectable figure that she'd kept hidden for all those years. The nude pictorial did nothing to help revive her career, however, and Dana continued to languish on the fringes of the entertainment industry. She blasted her way back into the headlines in January of 1992, when she was arrested for the armed robbery of a Las Vegas video store (which she used a pellet gun and netted her $164) - she was charged with armed robbery and was later sentenced to five years probation. Her ill-conceived grab for rent money (it was really a cry for help according to many people) sent her to jail for a short stint, but her new notoriety managed to get her work in the "no publicity is bad publicity" world of Hollywood. Dana was helped by Las Vegas singer, Wayne Newton, who posted the $13,000 bail for her. In January of 1992 she was arrested for forging Valium prescriptions. Cited for parole violation, she served 30 days in jail. In 1993, she spent a month in a drug and alcohol rehab center in Las Vegas - one of several times she went into rehab. She first went into drug rehab on January 20, 1992.
Sapphic Pride?
Following her jail term, Dana appeared in a string of B-grade features including such sterling gems as 1992's "Bikini Beach Race" and 1995's "Compelling Evidence." She was featured in a video game in 1992 called Night Trap as a scantily clad victim. In 1995, she was in a play called "Last of the Red Hot Lovers" where she received passing grades. Her experiences behind bars also seemed to change more than just her career prospects -- Dana came out as a lesbian in a 1998 issue of the Sapphic pride magazine "Girlfriends." (she had said in more recent interviews that she was not a lesbian and was only experimenting). She turned plenty of heads with her scintillating performance in the 1997 straight-to-video epic "Different Strokes." It's a steamy softcore tale of a guy and a girl and another girl, and Dana shows off her curvaceous figure and lust for her fellow femmes in a series of sensual scenes.
The End
On May 7, 1999, Plato made an appearance on The Howard Stern Show, where she announced that she was engaged to 28-year-old Robert Menchaca, and that he was managing her career. During the interview, Plato was quite frank about her life and career, even openly admitting to being a recovering addict. The interview began to go downhill however, when the phones were opened up to callers. A barrage of negative callers would hound Plato, calling her names and provoking her to the point of her offering to take a drug test while on the air. Even after the interview, Plato would never seem to get over the negativity and seemed depressed about how things were unfolding for her.
The next day, while returning to California, Plato and Menchaca would stop at Menchaca's mother's home in Moore, Oklahoma for a Mother's Day visit. Plato went to lie down inside her recreational vehicle parked outside the house and subsequently took a large dose of Lortab and Valium. Sadly and tragically, she never awoke from her sleep. Her death at the age of 34 was eventually ruled a suicide and her body was cremated.
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Following is an article detailing the death of Dana Plato:
Coroner officials in Oklahoma today ruled the troubled ex-Diff'rent Strokes star committed suicide--intentionally overdosing on a toxic batch of painkillers.
Dana Plato died May 8 in Moore, Oklahoma, as she slept in a mobile home parked outside the home of her fiancee's parents. She was 34. Police first said the actress' death appeared to be an accident.
But Dr. Larry E. Balding, Oklahoma's deputy medical examiner, said the number of pills found in her system, combined with what he termed a past history of suicidal tendencies, led his office to conclude Dana Plato meant to die.
The former child star left behind no note. Some have said Dana Plato was shaken the day before her death by an appearance on Howard Stern's radio show. During the interview, Plato alternately wept, volunteered to take a drug test, un-volunteered to take a drug test and declared herself "never...happier."
Lab work showed Dana Plato's system swimming with the painkillers carisoprodol (a muscle relaxant) and hydrocodone/acetaminophen. The equivalent of seven carisoprodol tablets were found. Initial reports fingered the prescription drugs Valium and Lortab (a brand name of hydrocodone/acetaminophen).
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The Internet Rumors Persist:
In 1999, Dana Michelle Plato was living with her fiance, Robert Menchaca, and had been living in an RV park in Navarre, Florida. Dana was priming the pump for another shot at the big time that included an interview with Howard Stern. She made the interview, and was dead two days later.
Since her death, Web sites have been popping up all over the electronic landscape. Writers are furiously cranking out books. Ebay is jammed with people buying and selling Dana memorabilia, and the revision of her history has begun.
The total lack of an investigation is troubling. The police took Menchaca's account of what happened as gospel, even though it was apparent that Plato had been dead for hours before he phoned the police. Even more troubling was that the police confiscated Polaroids he took of Plato as she laid dead or dying. The police determined death was accidental overdose, the medical examiner determined suicide based on old scars at her wrist. Good work, Quincy! You and Sheriff Lobo there in Moore, Oklahoma should be real proud. Let's see: Dana was attempting a comeback; was in Oklahoma to be with her son for Mother's Day, and it looked very much like she was going to leave Robert Menchaca. Add to the mix Dana's mother-in-law, a nurse, who recommended Dana try Lortab, even though she knew Dana was using Valium and the deadly combination of the two drugs. Menchaca was attempting to ride the gravy train of a Dana Plato revival, and with Plato leaving him out of her trip to New York to appear on Howard Stern, it looked like he was about to be cut out of the picture. He may have decided he could profit more from a dead, martyred Dana Plato than a live one hoping to get parts in international market sex thrillers, or making the talk show circuit. It's hard to imagine you could be in the extremely close confines of a small RV and not know your girlfriend was dead. Especially when she had a history of suicidal gestures, and drug problems, including a Valium OD when she was fourteen.
She was laid over in Dallas trying to meet him in Oklahoma City. Did Dana Plato die because of insane jealousy? Would this non-investigation of this death have happened in New York or Los Angeles or St. Louis? Would a city with a murder rate in the top 20 have just taken the deceased's boyfriend's word for what happened? Did these small town cops just assume some drug addict got what she had coming? Did Robert Menchaca get away with the perfect murder? Was Menchaca just an idiot who couldn't tell his fiancée was dead? Did Lee Harvey Oswald act alone? Was Marilyn Monroe murdered? Or was it suicide? Did Dana Plato simply give up?
The mystery of her death will forever make Dana Plato a name people will remember. The revisionists are hard at work building her into the greatest and most beloved actress of a generation. She is fast becoming a tragic figure and a martyr. A saint for the disillusioned. The Internet will keep the legend growing. Suicide, OD, Murder. Does it really matter why she died? The truth is, millions of dollars will continue to be spent on Princess Diana's incredibly straightforward death as the media tries to hunt down elusive Fiats, unable to accept she died because she got into a car with a drunk driver. But the mainstream media is all too eager to simply accept that Dana Plato took too many sleeping pills and died, end of story. With new books, Web sites, and a new documentary on The E! True Hollywood Story , maybe some investigation of her death may occur.
The Autopsy Report:
Following is the autopsy report from the Office of the Chief of Medical Examiners in Oklahoma City, OK
Decedent-Dana Plato; Age 35; Birth date - 11/01/63; Race - W; Sex - F; Marital Status - single; Authority for autopsy - Larry E. Balding, M.D.; Present at autopsy - Steve Mullins; Identified by - Toe Tag; Type of death - Violent, unusual, or unnatural.
The cause of death in this individual is toxic concentrations of the drugs carisoprodol and Hydrocodone / acetaminophetamin. There high levels of these drugs in the blood as determined by laboratory studies. Laboratory analysis of the gastric contents shows the equivalent of 7 tablets of Carisoprodol unabsorbed and still present in the stomach. The blood concentrations of these drugs along with the gastric concentration of Carisoprodol is indicative of an acute intentional overdose ingestion. This, coupled with past history of suicidal gestures has resulted in the determination of the manner of death as being suicide.
The body is that of a well developed, well nourished, white female clad in a pair of multicolored checkered shorts. Accompanying the body is a blue tank top, which has been cut from the body. Multiple emergency medical interventions are present on the body which are diagrammed in the included CME-182 series form. Eyes are clear and show no petechiae. Dentition is natural, intact and unremarkable as in oral mucosa. Blackish-brown vomitis is in the mouth and stains the face. Neck, chest, abdomen and back appear intact and unremarkable. Arms, hands, legs and feet show no acute injury. On the palmar aspect of the right wrist, there are two old scars. One is horizontal and approximately 1.0 in. in length and the other is somewhat curvilinear at approximately 1/2 in. in length. Hands are otherwise intact and unremarkable. Anal and genital regions appear intact and unremarkable.
Multiple professional style tattoos are present on both feet, as well as on the posterior aspect of the left shoulder and these are diagrammed on the included CME-182 series form. There is also a professional style tattoo in the right inguinal area that consists of a winged fairy and a star.
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More Bad Dana Plato Related News:
Seems the hunger for drugs runs in the Plato family as we lost Dana Plato's son to what is reportedly drug-related behavior:
May 13, 2010 - Tyler Lambert, the son of late Diff'rent Strokes star Dana Plato, has committed suicide, nearly 11 years to the day that his mother took her own life. He was 25 years old.
Lambert died of a self-inflicted gunshot to the head last Thursday in Tulsa, Okla., says his grandmother, Joni Richardson. Lambert, a cameraman and amateur songwriter, had been experimenting with drugs and alcohol, Richardson said, which she thinks contributed to his death.
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Recent News: Dana Plato's Diff'rent Strokes co-star, Gary Coleman has died. He was suffering from intracranial brain bleeding and was on life support in the intensive care unit of a Provo, Utah hospital, Coleman's spokesman said. Coleman, 42, fell ill at his Santaquin, Utah, home Wednesday evening and was rushed by ambulance to a hospital, the spokesman said in a statement released Friday.
Coleman, 42, has had a number of health emergencies this year, including a seizure he suffered on the set of "The Insider" in February. He has suffered from a kidney condition that caused his short stature.
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More Dana Plato Stuff:
Go here to view the Dana Plato Nude Playboy Photos - but be forewarned - NSFW.
Dana Plato
Dana Plato in one of her less glamorous moments.
Dana Plato's 1992 arrest mug shot.
Another image of the mug shot.
Dana Plato and the cast of Diff'rent Strokes.
Dana Plato with guitarist boyfriend, Lanny Lambert, circa 1983.
Dana Plato died in this RV outside the home of her fiancee's parents in Moore Oklahoma.
Entertainment Tonight piece on Dana Plato from 2000.
Dana Plato External Links:
Dana Plato's page over at Wikipedia.
Dana Plato - Plato's bio data over at IMDB.com.
The Dana Plato Memorial Site
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