died

THE bodyguard who inspired the Minder TV character Terry McCann has died aged 75, it was revealed last night.

Michael “Danny” Francis was a former boxer and one-time drug dealer.

The Londoner guarded stars including Paul McCartney, Cher and members of Led Zeppelin and Kiss.

McCann — played by the late Dennis Waterman in the 1980s — was based on his combination of brawn and charm.

Millions of ITV viewers loved the fictional bodyguard and his wheeler-dealer boss Arthur Daley — the late George Cole.

Gary Webster, 61, and Lex Shrapnel, 46, later played other minders in reboots of the hit show.

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Waterman wrote of Francis in his autobiography: “If push came to shove, boy could he sort things out.”

Francis is survived by his wife June — who he married in 1970 — and their three children.

The show was set in working-class west London and was largely responsible for introducing the word “minder” into British slang.

Minder brought London’s criminal underworld to millions.

Waterman left the role in 1989 after his seventh series

He even sang the theme tune for the iconic telly show.

BREAKINGBREAKING,

US president says second National Guard member is ‘fighting for his life’ after the attack a day earlier in Washington, DC.

United States President Donald Trump said that one of the two National Guard troops shot a day earlier near the White House has died, while the other soldier is “fighting for his life”.

Trump said on Thursday evening that West Virginia National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom died from wounds following the double shooting on Wednesday, a short distance from the White House.

The president hailed Beckstrom as a “highly respected, young, magnificent person” and said the second member of the National Guard targeted in the gun attack was critical.

“He’s in very bad shape,” Trump said as he addressed troops in a video call to mark the Thanksgiving holiday in the US.

This is a breaking news story. More to follow soon. 

DIANE LADD’s cause of death has been revealed after the Oscar-nominated actress died aged 89.

Her daughter, Laura Dern revealed she had passed away on Monday, November 3 just two months after her husband’s unexpected passing.

Diane’s cause of death has been revealed as acute on chronic hypoxic respiratory failure, according to PEOPLE.

Having obtained the star’s death certificate, the outlet said interstitial lung disease, which she had suffered for years beforehand, was one condition leading to her death.

Esophageal dysmotility was listed as another contributing factor – she was reportedly cremated on November 10.

Ladd’s daughter, the actress Laura Dern, shared the sad news of her death in an emotional statement earlier this month.

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“My amazing hero and my profound gift of a mother, Diane Ladd, passed with me beside her this morning, at her home in Ojai, Ca,” Laura‘s statement began.

“She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist and empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created. 

“We were blessed to have her.

“She is flying with her angels now,” Laura concluded.

The Oscar-nominated actress was 89 years old and appeared to have no plans of slowing down anytime soon, as her last social media post shared her latest project.

In September, the actress posted a promotional photo on Instagram for her new film, The Last Full Measure, which was recently released on various streaming platforms.

Diane also shared a screengrab of one of her scenes in the movie, opposite Christopher Plummer.

She gushed about the production, which was halted due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and her co-stars, including Peter Fonda, William Hurt, Ed Harris, Samuel L. Jackson, and Sebastian Stan.

Diane also teased a potential career pivot into podcasting, sparking a slew of comments from fans excited for what’s to come for the movie star.

Her death came two months after her husband, Robert Charles Hunter, suddenly passed.

Robert, the former PepsiCo CEO, was 77 when he died in August while visiting his family in Fort Worth, Texas.

He was Diane’s third husband, following her marriage to Laura’s father, Bruce Dern, from 1960 to 1969, and businessman William Shea Jr. from 1973 to 1976.

Diane and Robert’s love story began when they met in Sedona, Arizona, and got married in 1999.

They launched a production company together, though Diane is most known for her showstopping performances in front of the camera.

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The Mississippi native was nominated three times for an Academy Award for her work in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), Wild at Heart (1990), and Rambling Rose (1991).

Diane is survived by her daughter, Laura, and her two grandchildren, Ellery and Jaya Harper.

A Turkish accident investigation has begun its work at the crash site in coordination with Georgian authorities.

All 20 personnel on board a Turkish C-130 military cargo aircraft that crashed in Georgia close to its border with Azerbaijan have died, the Turkish Defence Ministry says, as investigators examine the cause of the accident at the site.

The confirmation came on Wednesday, a day after the plane crashed after taking off from the nearby Azerbaijani city of Ganja.

“Our heroic comrades-in-arms were martyred,” Defence Minister Yasar Guler said in a social media post, alongside photographs of the deceased in their uniforms.

The ministry said a Turkish accident investigation, in coordination with Georgian authorities, had begun inspecting the wreckage at the crash site in the Sighnaghi municipality of Georgia’s Kakheti district early on Wednesday.

The crash, Turkiye’s deadliest military incident since 2020, happened about 5km (3.1 miles) from the Georgian-Azerbaijani border.

Georgia’s Sakaeronavigatsia air traffic control service said the aircraft disappeared from radar soon after entering the country’s airspace, sending no distress signal prior to the crash.

Dramatic footage published by Azerbaijani media appeared to show the aircraft sending a large cloud of black smoke into the sky after it crashed, leaving debris strewn across the ground.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was “deeply saddened” by the crash and expressed his condolences.

The leaders of Azerbaijan and Georgia, along with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, have conveyed condolences over the crash, while the United States ambassador to Turkiye, Tom Barrack, also expressed his country’s solidarity.

US firm Lockheed Martin, the maker of the C-130 Hercules, also expressed its condolences and said it was committed to assisting the investigation in any way required.

The C-130 is a four-engine, turboprop transport aircraft that is widely used by militaries around the world to carry personnel, cargo and other equipment.