friends

Pat Finn, a veteran comedy actor known for playing the Heck family’s friendly neighbor Bill Norwood on “The Middle,” died Monday, reportedly following a three-year battle with cancer. He was 60.

“After a beautiful life filled with laughter, love, family, and friends, we share the heartbreaking news of the death of Pat Finn,” Finn’s family said in a statement to multiple outlets. Finn’s manager, Andrea Pett-Joseph, who described the actor as “the kindest, most joyful person in any room, told Deadline that he died surrounded by his family and friends. His death was first reported by TMZ.

Finn broke into show business in the 1990s, appearing in various sitcoms. His first major role was on “The George Wendt Show,” where he played Dan Coleman, the brother of Wendt’s character, George Coleman. He also had a recurring role on “Murphy Brown” as Phil Jr., the son of the original owner and bartender of Phil’s Bar (portrayed by Pat Corley) who took over the establishment in later seasons.

”Seinfeld” fans might remember Finn from his role as Joe Mayo in “The Reverse Peephole” episode. He also portrayed alternate-universe Monica’s boyfriend Dr. Roger in a couple of episodes of “Friends.” Finn’s credits also included roles on “The Drew Carey Show,” “3rd Rock From the Sun,” “That ’70s Show,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “The Bernie Mac Show,” “2 Broke Girls” and “The Goldbergs.” His most recent credits included the films “Unexpected” (2023) and “Diamond in the Rough” (2022).

Born in Evanston, Ill., Finn attended Marquette University in the 1980s, where he met his future wife, Donna, and Chris Farley, with whom he became friends. After graduating, Finn, along with Farley, joined Chicago’s Second City to hone his comedy chops.

In a 2022 interview published on Phoenix.org, Finn said he’d always gravitated toward comedy.

“My mom and I watched ‘The Carol Burnett Show’ and ‘The Odd Couple,’” he said. “I really liked the idea of sitcoms. Growing up in Chicago, nobody said they wanted to be an actor. They wanted to be firefighters or in sales. … A career in comedy didn’t become a reality until I was picked up by The Second City and then the main stage.”

According to a statement provided to the New York Post, Finn was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2022. Although he went into remission, the cancer later returned and metastasized.

A lifelong Bears fan, Finn “often showed the biggest signs when the Bears scored a touchdown” in his final days, the statement from the actor’s family said. “No pressure Bears — just saying — do it for Pat.”

Finn is survived by wife Donna and their three children, Cassidy, Caitlin and Ryan.

MAISIE Williams stripped down to nothing in a new post this week as she shared snaps of her bare body while skinny dipping with pals.

The Game Of Thrones star, 28, can be seen walking into the sea fully nude in a video clip taken from behind during a trip to Sardinia, Italy.

Joined by a group of friends, the trio all posed naked for pictures in the stunning blue sea before jumping off a nearby cliff into the water.

A far cry from Winterfell, and the crisp UK weather, Maisie shared a slew of pictures of the beautiful Italian surroundings.

She captioned the post: “Summer is so over but life is still happening in a big way x”

In the comment section, fans were quick to leave plenty of Game Of Thrones references.

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“So winter is no longer coming?” said one follower as they joked about Maisie’s lack of clothes.

Another said: “Did I just get flashed by Arya Stark”.

Maisie is known for portraying Arya in Game Of Thrones, a role she finished up in 2018.

While the popular series may not be returning, Maisie recently teased a new project with the show’s creator George R.R. Martin.

The author shared a post earlier this year which detailed how he met up with Maisie over the summer.

He said: “We also got together with Maisie Williams for pizza and pasta, and talked about… well, no, better not get into that, do not want to jinx it. But it could be so much fun.”

Maisie is yet to speak out on any potential collabs with her former colleagues.

She has appeared in a number of TV shows since GOT, including portraying Second World War resistance fighter Ginette “Catherine” Dior in The New Look.

While she also starred in Danny Boyle’s Sex Pistols series, Pistol.

The six-parter is based on guitarist Steve Jones’ 2018 memoir, Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol.

A group of Rob Reiner’s closest friends released a joint statement Tuesday praising the legendary film director’s masterful storytelling and remembering him as a “passionate, brave citizen” who did everything he could to make the world a better place.

“His comedic touch was beyond compare, his love of getting the music of the dialogue just right, and his sharpening of the edge of a drama was simply elegant,” the statement reads. “For the actors, he loved them. For the writers he made them better.”

It was signed by Billy and Janice Crystal, Albert and Kimberly Brooks, Martin Short, Alan and Robin Zweibel, Larry David and Ashley Underwood, Marc Shaiman and Lou Mirabal, Barry and Diana Levinson and James Costos and Michael Smith.

The friends wrote that, in addition to being an excellent comedic actor, Reiner had an unmatched range as a director.

“From comedy to drama to ‘mockumentary’ to documentary he was always at the top of his game,” they stated. “He charmed audiences. They trusted him. They lined up to see his films.”

The friends, many of whom worked closely with Reiner on film and TV projects, said that he was a truly collaborative partner. Reiner directed the 1989 film “When Harry Met Sally…,” starring Billy Crystal, and “Albert Brooks: Defending My Life,” a 2023 documentary about Brooks. He appeared as a recurring version of himself on Larry David’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

Crystal was one of the first people contacted by family members after Rob and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found stabbed to death in their home Sunday afternoon, family friends told The Times. He visited the home that afternoon and left in tears.

“If you had an idea, he listened, he brought you into the process,” the group of friends stated. “To be in his hands as a film maker was a privilege.”

They praised Reiner and his wife for their political activism and dedication to helping others.

“Strong and determined, Michele and Rob Reiner devoted a great deal of their lives for the betterment of our fellow citizens,” the statement reads. “They were a special force together — dynamic, unselfish and inspiring.”

The statement closes with a quote from one of Reiner’s favorite movies, “It’s a Wonderful Life”: ”Each man’s life touches so many other lives, and when he isn’t around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?”

“You have no idea,” the friends wrote.

Around 1:30 a.m. on a Saturday last month, two masked men approached a black Cadillac Escalade idling outside a Northridge apartment building.

One held a shotgun, the other a handgun. A surveillance system captured the sounds of what happened next: A gang challenge, confusion, a demand for property.

Then six shots and sounds of the Escalade speeding off.

In the passenger seat was Maria De La Rosa, 22, with a gunshot wound to the chest. A musician who performed as DELAROSA, she had a growing following at the time of her death on Nov. 22.

Authorities said De La Rosa was killed during a robbery but revealed little else about the case. The Times recently reviewed a search warrant affidavit written by the Los Angeles Police Department detective who investigated the homicide. According to the document, De La Rosa was set up by her friends — two of three people now charged with her murder.

Arrested the day after the homicide, Francisco “G Boy” Gaytan told police he’d known De La Rosa since they were teenagers, Det. Siranush Simonyan wrote in the affidavit.

Gaytan said his friend, Benny “Player” Gomez, made plans to meet De La Rosa on Bryant Street for a “drug buy,” but the plan was to rob the musician, the affidavit said.

Gaytan, Gomez and the two alleged gunmen are from Bryant Street, a gang in Northridge, according to the affidavit.

Gaytan claimed he took no part in the robbery, but after he consented to a search of his phone, Simonyan said she found text messages sent to one of the alleged gunmen, Eduardo “Active” Lopez.

“Go get ski mask,” Gaytan allegedly told Lopez five hours before De La Rosa was killed.

Gaytan’s lawyer didn’t return a request for comment.

Gomez was interviewed the day after Gaytan spoke to police, Simonyan wrote. He too said he was “childhood friends” with De La Rosa.

Gomez told detectives he met up with De La Rosa after going to a club. He was talking with her outside Gaytan’s apartment building when two masked men walked up and opened fire. He ducked and ran, he said, and only learned that De La Rosa had been killed when her mother called him.

Gomez insisted he had nothing to do with the shooting. His lawyer didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Gomez’s account was belied by surveillance video, Simonyan wrote. Cameras fixed to a nearby apartment building showed Gomez speaking with Lopez and the second suspected gunman minutes before De La Rosa arrived.

According to the affidavit, Gomez shook their hands and made a Bryant Street hand sign before gesturing for them to walk down an alley, Simonyan wrote.

De La Rosa called Gomez as he walked to greet her, the detective wrote. Meanwhile, the two alleged gunmen approached the Escalade from the alley, pulling a shotgun and handgun from their pants.

“This is Bryant gang, n—,” one said, according to the affidavit.

After De La Rosa was shot and the Escalade sped away, a voice — Gomez’s, detectives suspect — can be heard in surveillance video asking, “Why’d you shoot them, fool?”

After stashing their guns in a Chevrolet Astro van, Lopez and his accomplice got into Gaytan’s BMW 328i, Simonyan wrote. As he stepped into the sedan, the detective wrote, Lopez dropped a key piece of evidence — a court document with his name and case number.

Gaytan appeared to argue with the alleged shooters inside the car, the detective wrote. When he opened his door, surveillance cameras captured him saying, “Get out of here.”

“You fools are dumb,” Gaytan said. According to the affidavit, he could he heard saying what sounded like, “What you fools did — I told you what to make it look like.”

The alleged shooters got out of Gaytan’s car and sped off in a Honda Civic, presumably to Mexico, Simonyan wrote. About 13 hours after De La Rosa died, Gomez allegedly wrote in a text to Gaytan: “We good they left to tj.”

Gaytan and Gomez have yet to enter pleas to charges of murder and attempted robbery. Prosecutors also announced charges against Lopez, but it’s unclear if he’s in custody. Authorities have not said if the second alleged gunman is charged with De La Rosa’s murder, and his whereabouts are unclear.