Tom Snyder died today, at age 71, after losing a long battle with leukemia. There are many videos with footage of his long career, because just about everyone wanted to talk to him (especially on "The Tomorrow Show" which aired after Johnny Carson in the '70s and '80s). Throughout his career he interviewed Kiss, argued with Howard Stern and Cosell...and if you watch this video you'll see plenty of others who found themselves sitting across......

Crikey! Steve Irwin, best known as the Crocodile Hunter, was killed by a stingray while filming in the Great Barrier Reef today. The AP reports that Irwin had been filming series, "Ocean's Deadliest," "when he swam to close to one of the animals." Irwin's friend, John Stainton, who had been on board the boat during the accident said, "He came on top of the stingray and the stingray's barb went up and into his chest......

New York lost yet another of our great newscasters yesterday when Bill Beutel, host of WABC's nightly newscast for more than 30 years, passed away in his Pinehurst, N.C., house. He was 75. A winner of several Emmy awards and a Peabody, Beutel worked his magic in radio and television, even hosting "AM America" the show which became "Good Morning America." After a stint as ABC's London bureau chief he took over the local anchor......

First off, two sad pieces of news: - Betty Friedan, the founder and first president of the National Organization for Women whose manifesto "The Feminine Mystique" helped lay the groundwork for the modern feminist movement, passed away today, her birthday. She was 85. It is impossible to think about the role of women in the U.S. now without taking Friedan's words and ideas into account. She began a discourse that continues to shape American......

- Bob Denver passed away at age 70; Gothamist spent so many hours of our youth watching Gilligan's Island on Channel 5 that we really feel like we've lost a bumbling friend who looked great in the color red - The police have arrested a man in connection with the shooting death of a 10 year-old bystander in the Bronx - Lance Arthur explains why San Francisco is superior to New York City at The......

Most of the world is on PopeWatch, while the media is taking a break from TerriWatch to cover the latest on the terrible ailments of Pope John Paul II. The Vatican says he's in very grave condition, after the past few weeks of a trachetomy, a UTI, septic shock, and a heart attack of sorts. New Yorkers of Polish descent have been convening in Greenpoint at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church to pray for the......

Gothamist was so sad to hear about Ossie Davis's death today. Davis was a wonderful actor, as well as an activist for civil rights. The Georgia-born Davis arrived in NYC in 1939 and became active in the arts scene in Harlem. The first thing we thought of when we heard was "Oh, no! Ruby Dee!" Davis and Dee had been married for over 50 years and performed together on numerous occasions. Davis starred in many......

In some more tragic news this week, music legend, Rick James died today. There is little information available right now, but a breaking news banner on CNN.com said, "Singer Rick James was found dead in his home Friday by his caretaker, a Los Angeles police department spokesman said." More recent updates have James passing at 9:45 am of natural causes. James is of course best known for his "Super Freak" and had a career that......

Dr. Robert C. Atkins, whose all protein, high fat diet became all the rage lately, died today. He had been in a coma for over a week, after slipping on a sidewalk (icy, due to the erratic weather of late) - his associates stressed his coma and the heart infection that ultimately caused his death were not "diet-related." From the AP obituary: To Atkins, the key dietary villain in obesity was carbohydrates. He argued they......