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DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY,

The assailant was shot by police officers and arrested minutes ‌after he ​opened fire at people in central Krakow.

The gunman who killed six people in central Krakow last week has died in hospital, police have said.

Police announced early Monday morning that the 24-year-old attacker had died.

The assailant was shot by police officers and arrested minutes ‌after he opened fire at people at Krakow’s historic main square from his car on Saturday.

The government said the attacker may ⁠have been inspired by far-right ideology, without providing further details.

This is a developing story.

TELEVISION guitarist Richard Lloyd has died aged 75, after a brave battle with cancer as Smiths star Johnny Marr leads tributes.

Pennsylvania-born Lloyd appeared on all of the influential New York punk band’s studio albums.

Television are best known for Marquee Moon 1977, Adventure 1978 and their self-titled third LP released in 1992.

Lloyd was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a form of bile duct cancer, in March this year.

Sadly, a post on Television’s official X account announced: “We are so very sad that Richard Lloyd has today passed away at the age of 75.

“Deepest condolences to Sheila and to all of is family and friends.”

With Television, Lloyd’s style helped form the post punk and indie movements.

Bands such as Pixies, Sonic Youth and Gang Of Four credit Television as an influence.

Former The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr lead tributes to Lloyd, posting touching words to his Instagram.

He said: “RIP Richard Lloyd. A seeker and finder and a true inspiration with and without the guitar.

“It was an honour to know him and a blessing to have been a fan. Thank you Richard. Carry on my friend.”

Singer Lloyd Cole also paid tribute, posting on X: “I just heard. RIP Richard Lloyd.

“I only saw Television once – all those amazing riffs that drive the songs – Richard played them all.”

Television are best known for their 10-minute epic Marquee Moon, from the album of the same name.

The song reached number 30 in the UK singles chart and is known for its repetitive guitar riff.

They also had two further hits with Foxhole and Prove It.

Television were one of the first punk bands to play at the legendary CBGB’s club in New York.

The venue would go on to launch the careers of bands such as Blondie, Patti Smith and The Ramones.

It had previously been intended to host country and bluegrass music.

The band’s line-up on their first album was made up of Lloyd, singer and guitarist Tom Verlaine, bass player Fred Smith and drummer Billy Ficca.

Verlaine died in 2023, aged 73, having been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and Television disbanded following his death.

Alongside his work with the band, Lloyd also released nine studio albums beginning with 1979’s Alchemy.

He married his wife Sheila O’Keefe in 2010, he also had a son named Dylan.

SANTIAGO, Chile — Oscar-winning Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Lelio, whose acclaimed drama “A Fantastic Woman” broke ground with its portrayal of a transgender woman, has died in Santiago, Chile, at 52.

His family announced his death Friday in an Instagram post, citing health reasons but not specifying the cause.

“His memory will remain forever among us,” the family said. “He was a beautiful person who contributed to Chilean culture in great moments of its history.”

Lelio won the 2018 Academy Award for foreign language film (now international film) for “A Fantastic Woman,” starring trans actor Daniela Vega as a waitress and nightclub singer whose life is torn by the death of her boyfriend.

It was Chile’s second Academy Award, following the animated short “Bear Story” in 2016.

Lelio’s other films include “Gloria,” “The Wave,” “The Wonder,” “Disobedience” and “The Year of the Tiger.” Throughout his career, he collaborated with Julianne Moore, Rachel Weisz and Florence Pugh.

He had begun filming “Poeta Chileno” (Chilean Poet) based on the book by Alejandro Zambra in September.

He was born in the Argentine city of Mendoza and moved to Chile at the age of 2. He studied journalism for a year before enrolling at the Chilean Film School.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Jay Rockefeller, the last member of his family’s political dynasty — and the only Democrat — who served as West Virginia’s governor and later a longtime U.S. senator, has died. He was 89.

Rockefeller died Thursday night at his home in Washington, said Mary Stewart, vice president for external affairs at WETA, the public broadcasting station where Rockefeller’s wife, Sharon, serves as president and CEO.

Rockefeller came from one of the nation’s richest families to spend a half century in public service in one of the poorest states. He arrived in 1964 as a worker in an anti-poverty program, was elected governor a dozen years later and served two terms, then spent 30 years as a U.S. senator.

“I could not imagine a more rewarding career,” Rockefeller said upon his retirement in 2015.

He was born John D. Rockefeller IV in New York City. His great-grandfather, Standard Oil Co. founder John Rockefeller, died a month before Rockefeller’s birth. His father, John D. Rockefeller III, was a well-known philanthropist. Uncles Winthrop (Arkansas) and Nelson (New York) were Republican governors. Another uncle, David Rockefeller, ran Chase Manhattan Bank.

Jay Rockefeller went in a different direction.

A few years out of college at age 27, Rockefeller moved to the West Virginia mining community of Emmons to participate in the Volunteers in Service to America program, a time that Rockefeller said proved transformative.

“It explains every policy I pursued and every vote I have cast. It was where my beliefs were bolted down, and where my passions met my principles,” he said in an emotional farewell speech from the Senate floor on Dec. 4, 2014.

While he intended for his stay in the state to be brief, Rockefeller broke from his family’s Republican tradition and was elected to the state House of Delegates as a Democrat in 1966. By combining money with hard work in a traditionally Democratic state, Rockefeller overcame suspicions of political opportunism and rose from state legislator to secretary of state to governor.

A turning point came after Rockefeller’s only political defeat in the 1972 governor’s race to Republican Arch A. Moore Jr., whose daughter, Republican Shelley Moore Capito, was elected in 2014 to Rockefeller’s Senate seat upon his retirement.

After the defeat, Rockefeller remained in West Virginia, a decision he called the most important of his career. He became the first without a theological degree to become president of West Virginia Wesleyan College in 1973. His popularity there — and a change in his stance to embrace strip mining — translated to a landslide win over Republican Cecil Underwood in the 1976 governor’s race.

As governor, Rockefeller emphasized development of the state’s infrastructure, such as roads, sewers and bridges. Those issues, he said, are “not very sexy things, I grant you but very, very necessary in West Virginia.”

After Rockefeller defeated Arch Moore in a rematch in 1980, he won a U.S. Senate seat in 1984 after the retirement of longtime Democrat Jennings Randolph. It came despite a landslide victory that year for Republican President Ronald Reagan.

Rockefeller and his wife, Sharon, daughter of former Republican Sen. Charles Percy of Illinois, fit easily into the capital’s social scene, purchasing a multimillion-dollar estate for their family. Never shy or apologetic about using his inherited $150 million fortune to win his races, he spent millions upon millions from his own pocket. He won by comfortable margins in each of his five terms.

Rockefeller’s vast wealth was always a source of conversation and an undercurrent in his political races. He spent at least $21 million of his own money in his political campaigns, including $9 million to win a close 1984 Senate race against Republican novice and fellow multimillionaire John Raese. In Rockefeller’s 1980 gubernatorial race against Republican Arch Moore Jr., bumper stickers appeared saying: “Make Him Spend It All, Arch.”

The state’s junior senator for 25 years, Rockefeller carved his own path of influence in Sen. Robert C. Byrd’s immense shadow. Byrd died in 2010 as the longest-serving senator in U.S. history, winning an enduring reputation for steering billions of dollars over many decades to boost his impoverished state.

Rockefeller’s influence was less showy. As chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, he championed consumers’ rights, upgrading broadband infrastructure and sponsoring a bill to block companies from tracking online activity of their customers. He authored legislation in 1997 that created the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which assists poor families whose incomes are too high to qualify for Medicaid.

He also was head of committees on Veterans Affairs and Intelligence, frequently sparring with President George W. Bush over foreign policy. Rockefeller said he regretted his 2002 vote to authorize the war against Iraq.

But Rockefeller also differed with the Democratic administration of President Barack Obama over mining-related regulations. With his state the nation’s second-biggest coal producer, Rockefeller was among several West Virginia officials who opposed the Obama-era Environmental Protection Agency’s oversight of the mountaintop removal method of surface mining.

College studies in Tokyo laid the groundwork for Rockefeller’s efforts to bring business from Japan to West Virginia. He had known Toyota’s founding family since the 1960s and was instrumental in helping the Japanese automaker pick a Buffalo, West Virginia, cornfield for an engine parts plant in 1996. The $2 billion plant now employs about 2,200 workers.

Raby writes for the Associated Press.

Tinto Brass, the avant-garde Italian director best known for 1970s erotic films “Caligula” and “Salon Kitty,” died Wednesday in Rome. He was 93.

His wife, Caterina Varzi, and children Bonifacio and Beatrice Brass confirmed the director’s death to Italian press agency Ansa.

Brass was born in Milan in 1933 but grew up in Venice. The son of a criminal lawyer, Brass graduated from the University of Padua in Northern Italy with a law degree in 1957, but he never felt the vocation suited him and instead packed his bags for Paris, where he followed his passion for cinema. In Paris, he worked as an editor and assistant at the Cinémathèque Française, an acclaimed film archive that doubled as a school for cinephiles founded by Henri Langlois and three friends.

When he returned to Italy, Brass worked under prominent Italian neorealist director Roberto Rossellini as an editor and assistant director.

In 1963, Brass made his feature directorial debut with “Who Works Is Lost,” a day in the life of an unmoored designer in Venice who questions the societal expectation of labor, which screened at the 1963 Venice International Film Festival. The decade cemented Brass’ reputation as an experimental director with a rebellious spirit, and in the late ’60s, he was approached by Warner Bros to direct the film adaptation of Anthony Burgess’ dystopian novel, “A Clockwork Orange.” The deal fell through due to scheduling conflicts, but Brass would go on to work with the film’s title star, Malcolm McDowell, in his most famous film, “Caligula,” which was written by Gore Vidal and produced by Penthouse magazine founder Bob Guccione.

McDowell starred as the sexually deviant emperor, alongside Helen Mirren, Peter O’Toole and John Gielgud. Brass was fired from the project and nixed as an editor over creative clashes with Guccione, who wanted to amp up the raunchy scenes, Penthouse-style. After Guccione took control, he added pornographic scenes to the final cut, which prompted Brass and Vidal to sue to have their names scrubbed from the film. Naturally, the movie has gained a cult following since its release more than four decades ago.

Malcolm McDowell and Helen Mirren starred in 1979’s “Caligula,” directed by Tinto Brass.

(Drafthouse Films)

While Brass decried Guccione’s hardcore take on sex in cinema, he celebrated eroticism and pivoted to the genre with “Salon Kitty” (1976), “The Key” (1983), “Paprika” (1991), “All Ladies Do It” (1992), “Frivolous Lola” (1998) and “Cheeky” (2000).

“I made so many erotic films because I believed eroticism to be a fundamental key to human expression and, above all, the key to portraying women,” he told La Repubblica newspaper. “That was what interested me most.”

Brass also directed the Western “Yankee” (1966) and the murder mystery “I Am What I Am” (1967).

Brass is survived by his wife, Caterina, whom he married in 2017, and his children.

Alan Jones’ time at the very peak of F1 was short – essentially just under three years from mid-1979 to the end of 1981 – but he left a lasting impression.

Jones is synonymous with the Williams team, having become their first world champion in 1980, and he formed a close, almost brotherly bond with co-founders Frank Williams and Patrick Head.

Williams and Head loved Jones’ pugnacious, no-nonsense approach, and between them they were the leading force in F1 for a short time, as the team first emerged at the forefront of the sport.

Future Williams drivers, whoever they were, were almost always measured against Jones, and usually came up wanting in Williams’ and Head’s eyes.

After making his debut, it took a little while for Jones’ abilities to be appreciated. But victory for the unfancied Shadow team in the 1977 Austrian Grand Prix, beating Niki Lauda’s Ferrari fair and square, was an indicator of his potential.

Moving to Williams in 1978, the team showed well with their neat FW06 design, the first led by Head at the start of his iconic career.

But it was 1979 when Jones and Williams really turned it on. When the new FW07 car debuted mid-season, it and Jones soon became the standard setters.

Early reliability problems meant he was unable to challenge Ferrari drivers Jody Scheckter and Gilles Villeneuve for the title under the season’s bizarre split scoring system, but he won four of the final six races to set the tone for the following year.

In 1980, with the upgraded FW07B, Jones and Williams were the team to beat. Pushed hard to the title by Brabham’s Nelson Piquet, for whom Jones had little time, he won five of the 14 races and clinched the title with a race to spare.

He could and arguably should have won again in 1981, but a couple of retirements and some errors restricted his victory tally to the first and last grands prix.

A dominant victory on the unloved new circuit in the Caesars Palace car park in Las Vegas was overshadowed by team-mate Carlos Reutemann’s bizarre capitulation in the championship fight with Piquet.

After it, although at the height of his powers, Jones retired at the age of 34, to return to his beloved Australia.

He thought it was the right move, but he soon got the itch to return. A one-off outing for Arrows in 1983 was followed by a full-time comeback for the new US-based Haas team – no relation to the current one of the same name.

But the project was not a success. The car did not debut until the 12th race of 1985, and in 1986 was unreliable and slow, despite help from a then unknown Adrian Newey.

It collapsed at the end of the season, and Jones left F1 for good. He continued to race intermittently into his 50s, and also spent time as an F1 driver steward.

GRAMMY-winning music producer Phil McDonald has died at the age of 80.

The celebrated music veteran manned the desk for some of The Beatles’ greatest final records, shaping both the White Album and Abbey Road.

He also engineered iconic solo projects including John Lennon’s Imagine and George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass.

Phil’s stellar work on Abbey Road behind the scenes earned him a Grammy.

Born Philip John McDonald in Leeds on February 3 1946, he relocated to Earl’s Court in London with his family during the early 1960s.

Gifted with perfect pitch, he landed a job at EMI Studios in 1964, long before the legendary facility was renamed Abbey Road Studios in 1976.

Starting out in the tape library, he quickly progressed into the cutting rooms before ultimately securing his role as a tape operator and balance engineer.

His inaugural session with The Beatles took place on June 17 1965 to work on Yesterday.

Paul McCartney debuted the track to an exclusive audience of just two people: McDonald and producer George Martin.

The eventual collapse of The Beatles only caused his workload to surge.

Paul McCartney would sneak tapes from his secret debut solo album into Abbey Road’s Studio Three for McDonald to mix and edit.

At the exact same time, the tireless producer was stationed in Studio Two, assisting Ringo Starr with his album of standards, Sentimental Journey.

Phil Spector arrived on the scene a few months later with a mission to salvage the chaotic Let It Be sessions.

Working closely alongside McDonald, the pair successfully transformed the messy tapes into a releasable record.

Spector and McDonald went on to form a formidable studio partnership between the summers of 1970 and 1973.

Together, they delivered George Harrison’s sophomore solo effort, Living in the Material World, alongside the acclaimed All Things Must Pass.

During this highly productive window, McDonald also helped shape John Lennon’s initial post-Beatles output. He engineered both the John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band record and the legendary Imagine.

Away from the Fab Four, he recorded a raft of talent for EMI’s prog and folk imprint, Harvest.

His diverse roster included Roy Harper and Syd Barrett, with McDonald working on the latter’s 1970 release The Madcap Laughs.

He also proved instrumental in the studio for Linda Lewis, steering four of her albums between 1972 and 1975 and later secured credits on the landmark 1970 album Deep Purple in Rock.

That very same year, he collaborated with Eric Clapton to capture the defining Derek and the Dominos record, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs.

By 1973, he had secured his second Grammy nomination for his work on Harry Nilsson’s A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night.

Leaving the music business behind, Phil and his wife Sandra – who survives him – moved to New York in 2001 and remained in the US.

Nicole Taylor, one of Christian country band Taylor Red’s identical triplets, has died. The singer and musician succumbed to breast cancer on Sept. 28 in Nashville. She was 35.

“We are shocked and heartbroken to announce the passing of our sister Nicole Taylor. This isn’t the video we thought we’d ever be making,” Natalie said in a video posted to YouTube.

Nika continued, “We thought she would be here sharing her story of earthly healing, but instead we’re here sharing her story of heavenly healing, and she’s at peace and no longer suffering, so we’re thankful for that.”

The surviving sisters explained that Nicole was diagnosed in 2022 with Stage 3 breast cancer. Treatment put the disease into remission, but it returned as Stage 4 cancer. Eventually, doctors said Nicole had three months, Nika recalled in the video with Natalie revealing, “She lived around a year later after that prognosis.”

In between telling their sister’s story, Nika and Natalie read Bible verses they turned to in their grief.

“Nicole told us even before she passed that she had peace, and we were really thankful for that,” Natalie shared.

Nika continued, “Yes, things did not turn out as we hoped. We lived every day expecting full miraculous healing here on Earth and lived every day in hopes of that. Of course, we all had our moments of fear and doubt, but we fought it and fought it. And God gave us so much peace and hope in him along the way. We were so shocked and still shocked of her passing.”

The Mississippi natives are also known for their social media presence, with 16.7 million subscribers on YouTube and 13.5 million followers on TikTok.

The sisters created viral videos capitalizing on their red-haired identical-triplets identity. Using humor and social trends, the sisters filmed themselves wearing matching outfits, dancing in sync or playing instruments, including the guitar, banjo, fiddle and mandolin. They appeared in a national Sonic Drive-In commercial and also partnered with major commercial brands, including Crocs, Lipton, Skittles, Redken and Frito Lay.

“Country Money,” released in 2021, became one of the band’s most well-known songs with more than 810,000 streams on Spotify, while “Rent Free” has surpassed 664,000 streams. “Fresh off the Farm,” “Bringing Country Back” and “What They Seem” each have over 345,000 streams on the music site.

Nicole was also a Taste of Country morning radio show host. In a tribute on the country music-focused website, her colleague Evan Paul related the story of first meeting Nicole and her sisters and his later interactions with her at the media outlet.

“Nicole was such a warm soul. She was so smart and so talented that it was hard to even share a room with her. Her light was so bright. I am convinced that when you see a star shooting across the sky at night, it’s Nicole giving us a wink and letting us know she’s all right,” Paul said.

“Nicole, the oldest of us three sisters, will be greatly missed,” Nika and Natalie posted on their official site. “She was our leader and our best friend. We are heartbroken, but we know she is in Heaven and will see her again.”

Rachel Apa, a former Division I field hockey player and first-time marathon runner, died Sunday after she collapsed while participating in the New York City Marathon. She was 24.

Apa experienced a “medical incident” during the race, according to marathon organizers New York Road Runners, and a bystander administered CPR until medical staff arrived. Staff continued with CPR and also used a defibrillator in their efforts to revive her. EMS transported Apa to Mount Sinai Medical Center, where doctors tried to save her life for more than six hours, her father, Steve Apa, told the New York Times.

“We are deeply saddened by Rachel’s passing following running in Sunday’s race,” the Road Runners said in a statement. “Our thoughts and sincere sympathies are with her family, friends, and the entire running community.”

According to multiple media outlets, the family was told by doctors that Apa had died of rhabdomyolysis — “a rare condition in which muscle cells break down and release a substance into the blood that can lead to kidney failure,” according to the Mayo Clinic. Marathon runners are listed as people that could be affected by the condition.

The Office of Chief Medical Examiner in New York did not immediately respond to an inquiry for this article.

Apa spent four years with the Bucknell University field hockey team before graduating in 2024 with a degree in business administration. She made 42 starts in 63 overall games, compiling 40 points on 17 goals and six assists.

A product manager at TE Connectivity who was pursuing an MBA at Charleston Southern University in South Carolina, Apa decided earlier this year to run the New York City Marathon as part of the Parkinson’s Champions team.

“My grandfather was my role model growing up,” she wrote on the team’s fundraising page. “He taught me to stay active, push my limits, and embrace challenges, shaping my love for sports and movement. Later in life, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and I watched as the disease slowly took away the freedom to move that he once loved so much. He passed away in 2022, but the lessons he taught me continue to drive me forward.”

The fundraiser garnered more than $21,000 in donations, far surpassing Apa’s stated goal of $4,000.

Her father, Steve Apa, told the New York Times she had been training for the marathon for months.

“It’s unfathomable,” he said of his daughter’s death. “Perfect health, perfect shape, 24 years old.”

He told multiple media outlets that his daughter was accompanied to the race by her mother and some friends, while he stayed home in Lewisberry, Pa., and tracked her progress on an app, texting with her along the way.

Several miles into the race, Steve Apa told NBC News, his daughter texted “I feel amazing” and “I’ve never felt this good.”

Soon after, at around the 14-mile mark, Apa’s mother shot a video of her daughter smiling and waving as she ran by.

A few miles later, Steve Apa told the outlets, he started receiving texts from his daughter that said things like “ugh” and “ow.” He stopped hearing from her around mile 20 or 21 but could see on the app that she was still running, until her progress stopped at mile 24.

According to the New York Police Department, police officers assigned to the marathon “observed a 24-year-old female experiencing a medical episode near mile marker 24” at around 1:40 p.m. “EMS responded and transported the female to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition,” NYPD said in an email.

Apa’s mother rushed to the location and was told by an EMS worker that her daughter had been taken away in an ambulance, Steve Apa told NBC News. Michelle Apa received a ride to the hospital in another ambulance.

Apa was declared dead at around 9:40 p.m., Steve Apa told the New York Times.

According to the Road Runners, the last time a New York City Marathon participant suffered a medical incident during the race and later died at a hospital was 2024.

JOHN Leeson – best known for voicing the beloved robodog K9 in Dr Who – has died aged 83.

The actor, born John Ducker, passed away after a “summer of illness” his family revealed earlier today.

Leeson was the iconic voice behind the metal dog K9 as well as working on TV shows including Dad’s Army, Sorry!, Crown Court and Longitude.

Earlier this year he reunited with Dr Who co-star Tom Baker to starr as Doctor Watson alongside Baker as Sherlock Holmes in the audio drama Sir Sherlock: The Red Letter Day.

Sharing news of his father’s death to Facebook, Guy Ducker said: “I regret to announce the death of my father, John Ducker, a.k.a. John Leeson, at 3:03pm today after a summer of illness. The end was peaceful.”

Guy added a William Shakespeare quote saying: “Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.”

Tributes for the actor have poured in from co-stars, colleagues and fans.

Dr Who writer Russell T Davies said it was “impossible to imagine anyone else” in the role of K9 and praised John as “a fine, fine actor”.

Reminiscing on his performance as the beloved robodog, he added: “What a character: a posh dog, uppity, haughty, wry, but somehow innocent too, and so funny. ‘Maximum defence mode!’ God he was good.”

He ended his heartwarming tribute writing: “A true gent, and a great loss. Good night, sir. Affirmative!”

John played the role of K9 for the majority of the show’s run over six decades – starting in the 1977 episode ‘The Invisible Enemy’.

He has been remembered as “the voice, heart and soul of K9” and a “firm favourite of countless fans”.

“John was a stalwart of the Dr Who universe and is going to be much missed, particularly since literally millions of us can’t think of or hear the word ‘Affirmative’ without hearing it in K9’s voice” said one fan under Russell Davies’ post.

“Such an important part of Doctor Who. Such a sad loss”, added another.

“So soon after sir Patrick Stewart. Terrible time for sci-fi fans.”

One wrote: “Such sad news. John was a true icon. invested K9 with so much charm, character and nobility – he was absolutely integral to K9’s appeal.”

Leeson reprised the role in several Dr Who audio dramas and spin-off series, including CBBC’s The Sarah Jane Adventures, before returning to the original programme after its revival.

His other credits include The Bill, Vanity Fair, Doctors and Blake’s 7, and he was also regularly heard as a continuity announcer on Channel 4.

He also portrayed the original Bungle the Bear in the children’s TV series Rainbow.

European champion and two-time Olympian Ciara Mageean has died at the age of 34.

Mageean, from Portaferry in Northern Ireland, revealed in July last year that she had been diagnosed with cancer.

A statement on her social media said: “At 6.30am this morning, Ciara lost her battle with cancer surrounded by her loved ones.

“A beloved daughter, sister, wife, friend and inspiration to so many, she will be deeply missed.”

More to follow.

Need to know

Rachel was on holiday with her husband when everything went terribly wrong

A 42-year-old Brit mum died suddenly in Spain while on holiday – what you need to know

• A British mum collapsed and died on holiday in Spain despite the best efforts of paramedics to save her life.
• Rachel Weston, 42, from Bury, Greater Manchester, had been to see a pharmacist about what she thought was just a cold, but her condition later worsened significantly – and she suddenly collapsed in her hotel room in Puerto del Carmen in Lanzarote in the Canary Islands.
• Local reports said she suffered a cardiac arrest, although no underlying cause has been confirmed. Hotel staff and paramedics tried to save her but tragically she couldn’t be saved.
• Her husband, Mark, said: “My world was completely turned upside down with the sudden and heartbreaking loss of my gorgeous wife, Rachel.” Rachel was a loving stepmum to his three children and he described her as “the absolute heart of our home”.
• Mark has launched a fundraiser to help cover funeral costs and has asked mourners to wear purple, Rachel’s favourite colour, at her funeral on November 6.

READ THE FULL STORY: ‘My gorgeous wife died suddenly in Lanzarote – it’s heartbreaking’

Patrick Stewart, the acclaimed British actor who played Captain Jean-Luc Picard in “Star Trek” and Professor Charles Xavier in the “X-Men” films, has died. He was 86.

Stewart died on Wednesday in Los Angeles following “a brief and poignant journey” with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia, spokesperson Kelly Bush Novak said in a statement on Thursday.

Although best known for his film and television roles, Stewart spent much of his career onstage, performing Shakespeare and other classics.

His career included performances as Claudius and Macbeth, a one-man adaptation of “A Christmas Carol”, and West End and Broadway productions of Harold Pinter’s “No Man’s Land” and Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” alongside longtime friend Ian McKellen.

Stewart earned some of the best reviews of his career for his 2007 portrayal of Macbeth, including his only Tony Award nomination. The Times of London described his Macbeth performance as “an enthralling creation of frailty, appetite, egotism and grim humour”.

“Nearly 50 years I’ve waited,” Stewart told the Associated Press news agency in 2008. “I learned it when I was 14. I memorized all the soliloquies just because I thought they were great. And they stuck, so I didn’t have to learn those bits of the play, which is a blessing, because learning lines has now become the one curse of this job.”

From working-class Yorkshire to Shakespeare

Raised in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, a working-class corner of northern England, the future 24th-century commander of a starship grew up without a bathroom in his house.

He joined an amateur drama group at 12 and, as a teenager, memorised Shakespeare for fun. A scholarship to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School helped launch his acting career.

Stewart, who developed alopecia at a young age, had been bald since he was 19.

His childhood was also marked by domestic violence. His father, a former regimental sergeant major in the British Army, was prone to outbursts of “repeated violence against my mother,” as Stewart wrote in a newspaper piece. “Violence is always a choice a man makes and he alone is responsible for it.”

Stewart later became a patron of Refuge, a charity supporting survivors of domestic abuse.

From Shakespeare to Captain Picard

Stewart spent 14 years with the Royal Shakespeare Company, playing everyone from Mark Antony and Henry IV to Shylock and Oberon.

“People who were not in the company would say to me, ‘Give it a break. Why don’t you go somewhere else?’ And I would say, ‘To do what?’” he told the AP. “Telly?”

He eventually left and appeared in the 1981 film “Excalibur”. In 1987, shortly after performing in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”, he was offered a role in a science fiction series.

“I found myself in Hollywood shooting a syndicated science fiction series, which I was assured would fail,” he said.

But “Star Trek: The Next Generation” ran for seven seasons and 178 episodes. Stewart became known worldwide as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, whose command, “Make it so”, became one of the show’s best-known lines.

Stewart also played Professor Charles Xavier, the leader of the X-Men, beginning with the 2000 film “X-Men”. He returned to the role in several sequels, including 2017’s “Logan”, alongside Hugh Jackman as Wolverine.

Stewart died just days after Walter Koenig, who played Ensign Pavel Chekov in the original “Star Trek” series, which aired from 1966 to 1969.

Queen Elizabeth II knighted Stewart in June 2010. He also served as an ambassador for the International Rescue Committee.

Actor Barbara Barrie, best known for films in which she elevated the role of Mom — including her Oscar-nominated turn in “Breaking Away” (1979) — died Wednesday in her Manhattan home. She was 95.

Barrie’s death was confirmed to the L.A. Times by the actor’s representatives, who said it was medically assisted. Her daughter, Jane Harnick, told the New York Times that her mother’s death followed a terminal cancer diagnosis.

Barrie’s representatives said in a statement to the L.A. Times that the actor was a proponent and advocate of New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act, a law that took effect on Aug. 5.

Born Barbara Berman in Chicago in 1931, Barrie and her family moved to Corpus Christi, Texas, where she attended Del Mar College. She would later transfer to the University of Texas, where she received multiple awards for drama.

After graduation, she took her acting dreams to the Big Apple, where she made her Broadway debut in the 1955 play “The Wooden Dish.” Throughout her career, Barrie starred in various Broadway productions, among them “The Selling of the President” (1972), “California Suite” (1976) and, most notably, the 1970 musical “Company,” by Stephen Sondheim, for which she received a Tony Award nomination for featured actress in a musical.

Her last Broadway stint was in 2017 in the original role of Helene Berman in the Joshua Harmon play “Significant Other.”

Barrie extended her acting expertise beyond the stage, however, making her first television appearance on “Kraft Television Theater” in 1955. A year later, she made her film debut, albeit uncredited, in the western epic “Giant” while she was in Texas visiting her family.

With more than 120 credits to her name, Barrie began appearing in popular TV shows in the 1950s and ’60s, such as “Naked City,” “The Twilight Zone,” “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour,” “The Nurses” and more. Later TV credits included “Barney Miller” and “Suddenly Susan,” where she played an on-screen grandmother to Brooke Shields.

Her first major film role came in 1964, when she played divorcée Julie Cullen Richards in “One Potato, Two Potato.” She portrayed a white woman who falls in love with a Black man, Frank Richards (played by Bernie Hamilton). The film was released during a time when interracial marriage was not yet legalized nationwide. Barrie earned a Cannes Film Festival Award for the performance.

The actor went on to star as the mom Evelyn Stroller in the 1979 coming-of-age comedy-drama “Breaking Away,” which earned her an Academy Award nomination for supporting actress, and later an Emmy nomination when she reprised the role for the 1980 television series.

Other film credits include 1980’s “Private Benjamin,” 1997’s “Hercules” (where she voiced Alcmene, Hercules’ mortal mother) and 1999’s “Judy Berlin.” According to her IMDb profile, her last credit was in 2025 for the queer romantic comedy “Things Like This.”

In 1994, Barrie was diagnosed with rectal cancer, prompting her to raise awareness about the disease. She published two books on the matter, including “Second Act,” a 1997 memoir about resolute optimism and acceptance, and “Don’t Die of Embarrassment: Life After Colostomy and Other Adventures,” a 1999 memoir where she dives deep into her diagnosis and experience with a colostomy procedure.

Barrie married actor, director and producer Jay Harnick in 1964. He died in 2007. The two are survived by their children, Jane and Aaron.

“The Daily Show” writer Kevin Bleyer died in a car crash on Sunday. He was 54.

The death was confirmed via his wife, Nella Vera, who shared the tragic news on her Instagram account on Tuesday. Multiple news outlets report that the Oct. 25 crash occurred in Millrift, Pa., a rural town near Bleyer’s country home.

“The last eleven years have had their ups and downs, as life does, but above all, they have been filled with immense love, laughter, dogs, and travel,” Vera wrote in her Instagram caption. “I was in awe of his intellect, dazzled by his wit, amazed by his fearlessness and spirit of adventure, besotted by his loving heart, and smitten by his beautiful blue eyes.”

The two met in 2010 at a production of “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” at the NYC Public Theater and shared a love for political comedy. Bleyer was an esteemed staff writer on “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” for nine years, during which he won four Emmys for writing for a variety, music or comedy program.

The couple began dating in 2015 and married in June 2025.

“I feel incredibly lucky to have shared the past decade with such a brilliant, complicated, funny, stubborn, and wonderful man,” Vera added in her caption. “He had many public accomplishments and awards throughout his long and successful career, but to me, he was my soulmate, my partner in crime, and the one who made life so much more fun.”

Prior to “The Daily Show,” Bleyer also wrote on the satire show “Politically Incorrect” led by comic commentator Bill Maher, the improv comedy show “Significant Others” and late-night talk show “Dennis Miller.”

In 2010, Bleyer co-wrote the book “Earth (The Book): A Visitor’s Guide to the Human Race,” a comedic travel guide for aliens that details the history of humanity, alongside Stewart and dozens of other comics. He was also the solo author of 2012‘s “Me the People: One Man’s Selfless Quest to Rewrite the Constitution of the United States of America,” which poked fun at the way in which Americans choose to interpret the historic document.

In 2013, he moved to Kyrgyzstan, where he was the executive producer of “Studio 7,” the first political satire news show in Central Asia, according to his website. When he returned to the States, he co-founded Pilot Media Initiatives, which launched civics-minded media programs in democratically-challenged countries, including North Macedonia, Nigeria, Moldova, Kenya, Jordan and Estonia.

Bleyer also served as a writer and producer for NBC News’ “Today” show, as a supervising producer for MSNBC’s “Ronan Farrow Daily” and as a writer and producer for a CNN talk show pilot starring Kal Penn.

The humorist was also a gifted speechwriter for various NASA astronauts, political diplomats — once serving as deputy chief speechwriter for New York Mayor Bill de Blasio — and Colombian pop star Shakira.

Bleyer also contributed to the funnier speeches made by President Obama, including all of his White House Correspondents’ Assn. dinner addresses. In a 2017 TED Talk, Bleyer pointed out Obama’s famous 2011 monologue, which aimed multiple shots at Donald Trump and his ability to lead the country; various political analysts believe the humiliating moment set the groundwork for Trump’s 2016 presidential run.

“Before I go any further, I feel like I should offer an apology. The rumors are true, Donald Trump is president of the United States of America, and there’s a good chance it’s my fault,” joked Bleyer in his 2017 TED Talk. “I’m told he ran for president, in part because he couldn’t take a joke, a few jokes actually.”

In her Instagram tribute, Vera described him as a “private person,” although some of his own political commentary aired as a guest on National Public Radio, “CBS Sunday Morning,” CNN and MSNBC.

Bleyer was born in Maryland but grew up in Washington state. He later attended Stanford University, where he switched his engineering major for communications.

He began his career as a dramaturge and assistant to actor-playwright Anna Deavere Smith at the New York Public Theater and Broadway’s Cort Theater. He later moved to London, where he worked for journalist David Brancaccio at the London bureau of the public radio business affairs program “Marketplace.”

There will be a private gathering in a few months to honor Bleyer’s life, Vera said. Individuals are welcome to donate funds to the Alzheimer’s Assn. New York City Chapter, where he volunteered, or the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Bleyer is survived by Vera, his father, brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew.

An experienced keeper at a Dutch zoo has died days after being mauled in a leopard enclosure, the safari park has confirmed.

The woman, who had worked at Beekse Bergen park for 40 years, was caring for two Persian leopards in an indoor facility when she was attacked on Saturday.

She sustained injuries to her head and neck but despite undergoing surgery, the park confirmed her death on Tuesday.

An independent investigation will be launched into the incident, it added in a statement.

Announcing her death, Beekse Bergen – in the south of the Netherlands – said the keeper began her career there when she was 17 and had worked there on-and-off for four decades.

“Her passing has deeply affected us all, and our hearts go out to her family, friends, and loved ones. At this moment, our primary focus is on supporting her family and her colleagues,” the statement added.

The two leopards, which are usually kept away from staff, had been brought inside due to bad weather conditions.

It is not clear exactly what happened in the enclosure because there are no CCTV cameras inside.

Local news website NL Times reported that despite her injures she managed to alert colleagues via her walkie-talkie. She was then taken to hospital in a helicopter in a critical condition before she died days later.

A park spokesperson told Omroep Brabant, a local media outlet, that the leopards were behaving naturally and they would not be euthanised.

“They are, and remain, predators.”

Beekse Bergen said it would create a memorial location for guests and staff members to share their condolences.

WASHINGTON — An immigrant detainee died Saturday morning at the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, marking the 61st such death under the Trump administration.

In an emailed statement, an unnamed spokesperson with CoreCivic, the Tennessee-based private prison company that operates the facility, confirmed the death. Per the spokesperson, a staff member at the Otay Mesa facility called in a medical emergency around 11:36 a.m. Saturday after finding an unresponsive person in their assigned living area.

Medical staff arrived quickly, began lifesaving measures and called for emergency medical services, the spokesperson said. EMS arrived and continued those efforts, but the person was pronounced dead at the facility.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of anyone in our care,” the spokesperson wrote, adding that Immigration and Customs Enforcement was immediately notified.

ICE and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment. CoreCivic did not provide information about the person’s identity.

The death was first reported by Daylight San Diego.

San Diego County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre, in a statement Tuesday, wrote that ICE and CoreCivic must quickly reach the person’s family, cooperate with a thorough investigation and share what they find with the public. Aguirre said she asked the county public health officer to determine what kind of follow-up is possible under a state law that allows local public health authorities to inspect ICE facilities.

“Somewhere, a family is waiting for a phone call, and my heart is with them,” she wrote.

This is the seventh person to die while in ICE custody in California under this administration, and the first to die at the Otay Mesa facility since 2023.

Deaths have increased as the Trump administration detained record numbers of people, with the population at one point ballooning past 70,000 nationwide.

The most recent death reported by ICE was that of Luis Sandoval, 48, a Salvadoran immigrant who died of apparent suicide Friday. Staff at the Folkston D. Ray ICE Processing Center in Georgia found Sandoval with a ligature around his neck, according to an ICE news release.

ICE policy is to notify the public and Congress within two business days of a detainee’s death. More extensive reports about each death, which were typically three pages, must be released within 90 days, though those have been reduced to a few paragraphs.

The suggestion caught Ross Newhan off guard.

The Angels had just reached the promised land, after more than four decades of wandering through baseball’s wilderness. Who better than Newhan, who had been there since Day 1, to write a first-person account of that long and winding road to their first World Series?

Newhan was reluctant. That would make the story about himself, which he despised. The editors prevailed, and within the story he delivered a sentence that struck deep within the heart of every loyal and long-suffering Angels fan.

“I can’t help but feel a sweep of emotions seep through the cynicism and dispassion that is the byproduct of being present for all or part of every Angel season,” he wrote on Oct. 14, 2002.

To this day, the Angels have one guy in the Hall of Fame: Vladimir Guerrero. The Times has two: Jim Murray, the Pulitzer Prize-winning sports columnist, and Newhan.

If Vin Scully provided the voice for the first half-century of Major League Baseball in Southern California, Newhan provided the words.

Newhan died on Sunday, at 89, after what his wife Connie called a “cardiac event.” His reporting — first at the Long Beach Independent Press-Telegram, then over 37 years at The Times — distinguished The Times as a national source for baseball coverage.

Ross Newhan, center, interviews Jim McGlothlin, left, and Jim Fregosi of the California Angels during the 1969 season.

(The Sporting News via Getty Images)

He was so renowned within baseball that the Dodgers, MLB, and the players’ union posted condolences.

Bud Selig, the former commissioner and occasional antagonist in Newhan’s columns, told The Times: “I mourn the passing of Ross Newhan. He was an excellent sportswriter, and I always had a great amount of respect for him personally and for his work.”

In his Hall of Fame acceptance speech, he reserved a special mention for a teacher at Wilson High in Long Beach, the one that envisioned a writer blossoming within a student dozing in class.

“If a high school journalism instructor named John Gartner hadn’t hollered my name and pounded my desk one day, I might still be sitting there asleep,” Newhan said, “with no real clue what I wanted to do in my life.”

Ross Newhan, receives the J.G. Taylor Spink Award from Jane Forbes Clark, chairman of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, in Cooperstown, N.Y., on Aug. 5, 2001.

(Associated Press)

In the 1990s, as a young reporter at the Riverside Press-Enterprise, I was among a small group of writers talking with Tony Gwynn, the San Diego Padres’ Hall of Famer. Newhan was there too, and as the group dispersed, he told me: “You ask good questions.”

Talk about inspiration: It was as if Clayton Kershaw had seen a kid throw a curveball and said, “Not bad.”

Behind a gruff and occasionally intense exterior, Newhan had a heart of gold. Mike DiGiovanna, the longtime Times baseball writer, called Newhan “a security blanket” for colleagues needing a fact check, a phone number or an introduction to someone famous.

“He was a giant without the giant ego,” DiGiovanna said.

Newhan trained former Times colleague Jason Reid on how to cover baseball. Reid affectionately called him “Boss Ross.” The two were such relentless reporters that, amid the wild initial days of the McCourt family ownership of the Dodgers, Reid got co-owner Jamie McCourt so frazzled that she actually said this: “This is bad because you guys remember everything and you write everything down.”

Newhan and Reid had reported on concerns with the McCourt financing before the ownership deal closed, and six years before Frank McCourt’s divorce attorney admitted in court that McCourt had put “not a penny” of his own money into the deal. That did not make Newhan and McCourt the best of friends, but neither did it make them bitter enemies.

“He seemed to take a sort of pride in being the guardian of Los Angeles baseball, for lack of a better term,” said Hall of Fame president Josh Rawitch, then the Dodgers’ publicist. “He had an ability to garner respect from people even when he was writing something you weren’t happy about.”

Said Mike Scioscia, on whom Newhan reported as a Dodgers player and Angels manager: “Ross was a true gentleman and had a real matter-of-fact way of asking questions that put you at ease.”

Ross Newhan shares a happy moment with his great granddaughter, Bailey, earlier this year.

(Courtesy of the Newhan family)

There was nothing flashy about Newhan, not in his writing, certainly not in the way he conducted himself. He let his work and its credibility speak for itself.

Newhan is survived by his wife, Connie; his son, David, and daughter-in-law, Karen; his daughter, Sara, and son-in-law, Mike; five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

The story about David is the one most often recalled Monday, because it really was a story about his father.

David, the kid that tagged along with Newhan when the Angels held spring training in Palm Springs, developed into a major leaguer. He had joked with reporters that he hadn’t been sure if rumors of his call-up were true because “as everyone knows, you can’t believe what’s in the paper.”

In 2004, as Newhan and I covered a game at Dodger Stadium, David appeared as a pinch-hitter for the Baltimore Orioles against the Colorado Rockies, in his first major league at-bat in three years. Newhan was glued to his laptop, where these words suddenly appeared: “In play, run(s).”

Waiting, waiting, waiting … and then I heard one of the loudest screams I have ever heard. Rawitch heard it too. Everyone in the press box heard it.

“Home run.”

The scream was out of character for a professional writer, entirely in character for a proud father. He aced both, and we’ll miss him.

LOONEY Tunes actor Eric Bauza, who voiced iconic cartoon characters such as Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, has died aged 46.

The award-winning star’s family posted on Instagram that he had died “suddenly” and there would be “more details to come”.

The Canadian voiced dozens of beloved characters over more than 25 years in the industry, winning three Emmys for his Looney Tunes roles.

He died as a result of heart disease, according to Los Angeles County Medical Examiner records.

Bauza had multiple characters in this summer‘s hit animated comedy Coyote vs. Acme.

These included Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Foghorn Leghorn, Pepé Le Pew, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd and The Road Runner.

The actor told NBC News in 2021 that he was a huge fan of Looney Tunes growing up and used to copy the voices.

He said: “Looney Tunes transcends all languages and all cultures.

“It doesn’t matter what part of the planet you’re from. You get the comedy.”

Bauza was also known for playing Toad General in 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie and its sequel The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, this year’s fifth highest-grossing film internationally.

He won three Emmy Awards for outstanding voice performance in 2022, 2023 and 2025 for different animated shows.

Channing Dungey, the chairman of Warner Bros. Television Group and US Networks, said in a statement: “Eric Bauza was a unique voice talent who brought joy and laughter to millions around the world.

“He followed in the footsteps of giants like Mel Blanc. Eric said that carrying on the legendary legacy of the Looney Tunes was among the greatest honors of his life.”

Born in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough in Ontario, Bauza made his voice acting debut in the Canadian animated series The Ripping Friends.

Before stepping behind the microphone, he began his journey in animation as a character designer for Hollywood production studios.

He would go on to have more 421 voice acting credits in film, television and video games listed on his IMDb profile.

Bauza’s extraordinary vocal range allowed him to become the definitive modern successor to legendary voice actor Mel Blanc, and he first took on the iconic Bugs Bunny role in 2018.

He was hired by showrunner Peter Browngardt to audition during breaks in recording sessions for Uncle Grandpa.

His official debut episodes eventually premiered with the launch of the HBO streaming series Looney Tunes Cartoons in 2020.

Film producer and screenwriter Christopher DeFaria, who worked with Bauza on Coyote vs. Acme, told Variety the voice actor would be remembered for his “incredible impact”.

DeFaria said: “He’s a voiceover artist for animated characters that have historic precedents and roles, and somehow out of that, he carved out a place in this business.

“This past year, he had such an incredible impact, both on our movie, of course, but also on bringing attention to this amazing art form.”

Bauza is survived by his son and his family.

Lawrence McCutcheon, a five-time Pro Bowl running back for the Rams who went on to have a long career in the team’s front office, died Friday. He was 76.

McCutcheon’s family announced his death through the Rams. In a statement, the family said McCutcheon had “a long, courageous battle with Parkinson’s disease.”

McCutcheon played his first eight NFL seasons for the Rams, who drafted him out of Colorado State in 1972. The native of Plainview, Texas, quickly emerged as one of the most dynamic running backs of the 1970s, earning a Pro Bowl selection and leading the Rams in rushing each year from 1973 to 1977 in coach Chuck Knox’s productive offense.

McCutcheon, nicknamed “Clutch,” was a second-team AP All-Pro selection in 1974.

Rams running back Lawrence McCutcheon carries the ball against the St. Louis Cardinals in a divisional round playoff game at the Coliseum in December 1975.

(Associated Press)

He appeared in 11 postseason games for the Rams. In the Super Bowl in January 1980, he even threw a touchdown pass to Ron Smith to put Los Angeles ahead before the Pittsburgh Steelers rallied to win.

McCutcheon was the Rams’ career rushing leader when he left in 1980. After he finished his playing career with stops in Denver, Seattle and Buffalo over two seasons, McCutcheon became an executive for the Rams, eventually spending more than three decades in their front office.

McCutcheon rose to become the St. Louis Rams’ director of player personnel from 2003 until his retirement in 2016, shortly before the team moved back to Los Angeles.

“Through a decade-long playing career and another 32 years in the Rams’ front office, Clutch earned the respect and admiration of teammates, opposing players, colleagues and fans alike,” McCutcheon’s family said in its statement. “Clutch will be missed and remembered forever.”

McCutcheon’s son, Daylon, was a cornerback for the Cleveland Browns from 1999 to 2006. Lawrence McCutcheon’s grandson, Dyson, is a defensive back at Middle Tennessee.

Beacham writes for the Associated Press.

Ron Duguay, a longtime New York Rangers star who finished his NHL career with the Kings, has died of cancer. He was 69.

The Rangers announced the loss of “one of the most popular players in franchise history” on Thursday morning after being informed by Duguay’s family.

“Ron’s signature skating style — with his hair flowing as he moved down the ice — captivated The Garden Faithful, and his skill, tenacity, and charisma earned him the admiration of all New Yorkers,” the team said in a statement. “We join the hockey community in sending our condolences to Ron’s friends, family, and loved ones during this difficult time.”

Former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican U.S. vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, who dated Duguay over the last several years, posted on social media that the one-time NHL All-Star “passed away peacefully” Thursday “after a hard-fought battle with cancer.”

“It’s with a shattered heart, but also deep peace knowing Ron is with Jesus now,” Palin wrote. “He fought so hard. Love never ends.”

On Sunday, Palin posted photos that appeared to show her holding Duguay’s hand while he was in a hospital bed. “Prayers for Ron Duguay are felt & appreciated,” she wrote.

Born in Sudbury, Ontario, Duguay was selected by the Rangers at No. 13 overall in the 1977 draft. Known for his long, curly hair and flashy lifestyle — “why, he even danced with Cher at one of Manhattan’s best-known discos,” the New York Times wrote in 1983 — Duguay became a star during the six seasons of his initial stint in New York. He helped the Rangers make the 1979 Stanley Cup Final and earned his only All-Star nod in 1982.

Ron Duguay, front left, blocks out New York Rangers’ Carey Wilson as Kings teammate Marty McSorley winds up to shoot Feb. 27, 1989, at Madison Square Garden.

(Ron Frehm / Associated Press)

Duguay was traded to the Detroit Red Wings in the summer of 1983 and had the two best seasons of his career, including career highs of 89 points on 38 goals and 51 assists during the 1984-1985 season. He also played for the Pittsburgh Penguins and a second time for the Rangers before wrapping up his career with the Kings from 1988 to 1989.

Overall, Duguay had 673 points (305 goals, 368 assists) in the NHL regular season and playoffs. He went on to play in the minor leagues, including two seasons with the IHL’s San Diego Gulls, and spent 12 years calling Rangers games as an MSG Network analyst.

“Ron greeted each day with the biggest smile, an incredible zest for life, and a positive outlook that shone through everything he saw, everything he did, and every life he touched,” the NHL Alumni Assn. wrote on X. “He will be remembered not only for the player he was, but for the extraordinary person he was. His warmth, his laughter, his kindness, and his beautiful spirit will forever remain in the hearts of his family, friends, teammates, and the entire NHL Alumni community.”

The Kings reposted the alumni association’s statement and added: “Our hearts are with Ron’s family & loved ones and we join them in mourning his passing.”

In 2024, Duguay was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, which had started in his colon before spreading to his liver and other parts of his body, according to a post on the GoFundMe page set up by his three adult children to help pay for his medical and travel costs. He lived in Florida but had to make regular trips to Orange County for treatment.

“Early this morning, our beloved father took his final breath after fighting a long and courageous battle. He fought with everything he had, right until the very end,” daughter Shay Thomas wrote on Thursday in a separate GoFundMe post. “Our hearts are shattered, and the world feels a little less bright without him in it. He will be missed by so many, but we find peace in knowing that he is finally free from pain and suffering.

“He fought the good fight until his very last breath, and today, Heaven gained a truly special angel.”