Dick Clark was born in Mt. Vernon in 1929, and has plenty of ties to New York beyond what became his annual Times Square appearances—he even graduated from Syracuse University. Earlier today "The World's Oldest Teenager" died of a heart attack at age 82 (Clark was living in California, possibly in his Flintstone house). We've contacted the Times Square Alliance for a comment about the Clark's passing and will update when we hear back, but we would assume there will be some sort of tribute held—after all, the ball is there all year. In the meantime, Mayor Bloomberg has released the following statement: more ›

Fifteen years ago today, Christopher Wallace, aka Notorious B.I.G., was shot and killed while visiting Los Angeles to promote his upcoming album and record a music video for "Hypnotize". Wallace had just left an after party for the 11th Annual Soul Train Music Awards at 12:30 a.m. when he was shot in his car—he was pronounced dead at 1:15 a.m. more ›

The legendary performer Etta James has died at the age of 73. In 2010 she was diagnosed with leukemia, and according to CNN her longtime friend and manager, Lupe De Leon, has now confirmed her death. She was also suffering from dementia and hepatitis C at the time of her death. James was at a hospital in Riverside, California when she died. more ›

Comedian Patrice O'Neal died last night following a stroke he suffered from in October, according to radio hosts Opie and Anthony. Earlier this month, the duo (friends of O'Neal's) announced that it was uncertain if O'Neal, a diabetic, would recover, and today, Opie Tweeted: "Yes it's true that our pal Patrice O'Neal has passed away. The funniest and best thinker I've ever known PERIOD." more ›

Goodnight, sweet flash-frozen miniature prince: Dippin' Dots, the so-called "ice cream of the future," is facing the very real possibility of becoming a relic of the past, as the company filed for Chapter 11 this week. more ›

Frances Bay, the 92-year-old actress that once fought over a marble rye with Jerry Seinfeld, has died at the age of 92. You would also recognize the character actress in her roles on Twin Peaks, Happy Gilmore, Grease, and hundreds of other productions. But for the purpose of keeping it in New York City, let's revisit that memorable Seinfeld scene: more ›

George Kuchar, a prolific filmmaker whose campy yet heartfelt low-budget films inspired legions of followers like John Waters, died in San Francisco. His twin brother Mike confirmed the news last night, saying the cause was prostate cancer. Kuchar was 69. more ›

Last night news came out that Motown songwriter Nick Ashford died, and we hear another great songwriter of our time passed away yesterday. Jerry Leiber died of cardiopulmonary failure at the age of 78 yesterday. more ›

We first caught wind of Don Hill's by way of a downtown playwright who told us he needed to go home and get some rest instead of spending another night at Don Hill's "blowing rails off some model's ass." That such a utopia existed wasn't revealed to us until the turn of the century (we're not that cool?); by then the deliriously debauched nightclub had already been going strong for seven years, and to this day it's still a place where everyone can cut loose like a C-list rock star, or some nobody with infinite potential and nothing to lose. more ›

Pete Postlethwaite, a brilliant actor who was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in In the Name of the Father, died in England yesterday at the age of 64. The cause was cancer. Besides being a unique and talented performer, Postlethwaite was also a principled, decent man who protested the U.S.-led folly in Iraq and adapted his home to become environmentally-responsible, installing a wind turbine and other features, the Independent reports. more ›

We've been on such a long journey with the Houston Street Shepard Fairey mural (since April!), so it's only fitting that we recognize its death. Yes, now it's nothing but a memory. It hasn't been an easy journey—the mural has been criticized, dick-bombed, and had its legality questioned . Let's hope that the next mural is more welcome—and if you were one of the fans of this one, don't worry, Shep's got you covered. Now, let's all listen to Band of Horses and inhale some wheatpaste as we say goodbye. more ›

When Gary Coleman's death was immediately followed by Dennis Hopper's, the rule of threes came in to play. Well, turns out the third is Golden Girl Rue McClanahan, who has died at age 76 :( Her manager has told People magazine, "She passed away at 1 a.m. this morning. She had a massive stroke. [She] had her family with her. She went in peace." more ›

There hasn't been an Improv Everywhere video where we weren't able to spot John "Wimpy" Ward, the older prankster with the white beard. Sadly, word has come out that the 64-year-old died today. The IE folks have a nice tribute to him, recalling, "I first ran across John when he started taking classes at the UCB Theater in 2003. I approached him one night and asked if he would be interested in playing a prank at a Barnes & Noble where he gave an unauthorized reading as long dead playwright Anton Chekhov. Although he had never met me and had never heard of Improv Everywhere, he instantly said, 'Sure. That sounds like fun.' John was the kind of guy who said yes to life and jumped head first into new things." Ward wasn't just an agent, he was a member of the much larger New York comedy community as well. R.I.P. Wimpy! more ›

Following yesterday's news that a woman in an adult education class tore a 6-inch hole in a Picasso painting (whoops!), the NY Times has some details on what the consequences are for a clumsy catastrophe like that. more ›

Forget those dreams about showing up to school without your clothes on, how about showing up to art class — on site at the Metropolitan Museum of Art — and falling into an original masterpiece by Pablo Picasso! That's what one woman did in her adult education class on Friday afternoon. The NY Times reports that she lost her balance and fell into "The Actor," a rare Rose Period Picasso (circa 1905), leaving a six inch tear at the bottom right corner. The painting has hung there since 1952 and until now it has done so without incident. more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] A not totally unsurprising rumor is going around that downtown artist Dash Snow has died of a heroin overdose. Snow is the maternal grandson of Robert Thurman (and nephew of actress Uma Thurman), and his lifestyle was well-documented in a sprawling New York magazine piece two years ago. That lifestyle at one point included making what he called a Hamster’s Nest with friends, where they would "shred up 30 to 50 phone books, yank around all the blankets and drapes, turn on the taps, take off their clothes, and do drugs—mushrooms, coke, ecstasy—until they feel like hamsters." more ›

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Last September the NY Aquarium's walrus Ayveq, along with Kulu, brought a new baby Walrus into the world. Sadly, the Brooklyn Paper reports that the nearly one-year-old walrus is now fatherless; at age 14 Ayveq has died (most likely of a bacterial infection)...but at least he left a legacy. Aquarium Director Jon Forrest Dohlin told the paper “We are all still in shock about it. He was an absolute delight. He had a magnetism and a charm that was totally his own. He loved people and he knew how to work a crowd and entertain guests." The paper also mentions the walrus's "oddly compelling, masturbation rituals" which gave him international recognition. more ›

Yesterday afternoon the world learned of Heath Ledger's untimely death. Both old and new media gossiped, rumor-mongered, and pitched their circus tents outside of his building on Broome Street the moment word spread. Sadly, most of his close friends and relatives, including his parents, heard about the tragedy through the newswire. more ›