RAPPER Young Bleed has tragically died aged 51 after suffering a brain aneurysm.
The star, whose real name was Glenn Clifton Jr, sadly passed away on Saturday, his son confirmed.
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Young Bleed died aged 51 after suffering complications from a brain aneurysmCredit: GettyThe rap icon’s son, Ty’Gee Ramon Clifton, confirmed the tragic news with an Instagram videoCredit: Instagram@ty_gee_ramonYoung Bleed passed away on SaturdayCredit: Getty
He had been rushed to hospital in the days leading up to his death after collapsing in Las Vegas.
Young Bleed rose to fame in the 90s with the hit “How You Do That” and went on to release nine studio albums.
The rap icon’s son, Ty’Gee Ramon Clifton, confirmed the tragic news with anInstagramvideo captioned: “RIP to the biggest legend I know.”
Addressing fans in the clip, he said: “As of November 1st, my dad gained his wings.
“This is a tough topic for me – not sure how it’s going to go. But I am here to clear up a lot of false narratives.”
He added: “I know with him being a legend worldwide, all lot of people were concerned for him, they wasn’t sure what they heard.
“So I’m here to confirm as his oldest child that he has gained his wings.
“My dad was 51 years out when this happened to him… The My dad didn’t have no real health issues, these are just chapters in life.
“I hope after this video that people that are going through grieving moments find peace in this video.
“My dad like most as you get in [older] in age take had high blood pressure. He would take his medicines… Once he collapsed he did pass from the aneurysm, the bleed to the brain.”
The late rapper’s mother has also set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the cost of medical and funeral expenses.
She had started the page when he had been hospitalized and admitted it was ‘completely unexpected and has turned our world upside down.’
Young Bleed was born on June 6, 1974, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and his passion for music was sparked at nine-years-old.
He shot to fame in the 90s and worked with fellow rappers C-Loc, Max Minelli, J-Von, and J-Von’s younger brother Chris Hamilton.
They created the group Concentration Camp in 1995 and his song with C-Loc How You Do That was released two years later, seeing him rise within the industry.
The song peaked at No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B and Hip Hop album charts the following year.
Young Bleed, whose real name was Glenn Clifton Jr, sadly passed away on SaturdayCredit: Getty
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Throughout the spring and summer of 2020, across the U.S. and the world, millions of quarantined citizens appeared nightly at their windows and balconies, offering thanks to the healthcare workers whose lives were dedicated to saving theirs. In my little corner of Silver Lake, 7 p.m. commenced a daily cacophonous communal concert of pots and pans banging, trombones and trumpets blaring, dogs and coyotes howling: a grateful group roar. I was 67 with a history of respiratory illness: extra high risk. My younger neighbors, knowing this, grocery-shopped for me, sweetening my mornings with fresh milk and fruit during those long, grim days.
“Sacrament” is Susan Straight’s homage to a small fictional band of ICU nurses battling the 2020 COVID-19 surge at a San Bernardino hospital. Her 10th novel follows the beat she’s been covering, and living, since her first. “Aquaboogie,” her 1990 debut, was set in Rio Seco, a fictional stand-in for Riverside, where Straight grew up and still lives. The first in her bloodline to graduate high school, Straight earned an MFA at the University of Massachusetts and brought it home to UC Riverside, where she’s been teaching creative writing since 1988. Her twin passions for her homeland and lyrical artistry bloom on every page. “All summer, there had been fewer cars on the road in Southern California, and everyone remarked on how with no smog, the sunsets weren’t deep, heated crimson. Just quiet slipping into darkness.”
As Susan Straight’s work invariably does, “Sacrament” challenges the prevailing notion that the overlooked Californians she centers in her work and in her life are less worthy, less interesting, less human than their wealthier, whiter, more visible urban counterparts.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
The Los Angeles Times dubbed Straight the “bard of overlooked California,” and “Sacrament” proves the praise. Straight’s African American ex-husband and three daughters; her Latino, Filipino, white, Native and mixed-race neighbors; and her immersion in overlooked California bring new meaning to the advice “write what you know.” Straight’s personal and literary missions extend to who she knows.
In “Sacrament,” Straight turns her singular focus to a handful of nurses camping in a wagon train of funky, sweltering trailers near the hospital they call Our Lady. Separated from their spouses and kids — “Six feet apart or six feet under,” Larette’s son Joey chants — Larette, Cherrise, Marisol and their colleagues are themselves underprotected from the virus, which they eventually contract, and from the domestic dramas that seep from home into their pressure-cooker days. Fearful that her mom will die, Cherrise’s teenage daughter, Raquel, convinces Joey to drive her to the hospital from the date farm where Raquel has been deposited into her Auntie Lolo’s care. The drive should take two hours, but the teens are MIA for two nightmare days. Having narrowly escaped a would-be captor, Raquel remains haunted by her near fate. “The fingers in her hair pulling so hard her scalp felt like it had tiny bubbles under the skin. Wait till I pull your hair for real, bitch. She heard him even now.”
Diving deeper than the quotidian insults of her characters’ loneliness, poverty and fear, Straight brings us inside their exhausted minds. Attempting a nap, Larette lies on the break room cot, eyes closed, to no avail. “Ghost fingers in her left palm. Her right hand holding the phone on FaceTime for the wives. The husbands. The children who were grown,” she writes. “All their faces. Stoic. Weeping. Biting their lips so hard.” Later, Larette tells her husband, “Everyone you see on TV, banging pots and pans, everyone doing parades, it’s so nice. But then I have to be all alone with — their breath. Their breath just — it slows down and it’s terrifying every time.”
Perhaps most painful among the nurses’ many miseries is their isolation: the secrets they keep in hopes of sparing their loved ones an iota of extra suffering. “None of us are telling anyone we love about anything, Larette thought. She hadn’t told [her husband] anything true in weeks.”
As Straight’s work invariably does, “Sacrament” challenges the prevailing notion that the overlooked Californians she centers in her work and in her life are less worthy, less interesting, less human than their wealthier, whiter, more visible urban counterparts. Programmed to equate “rugged independence” with success, many advantaged Americans first appreciated human interdependence (berries in our cereal, test kits on our porches) in lockdown. In Straight’s world, raising each other’s kids, feeding each other’s elders, keeping each other’s secrets, mourning the dead and fighting like hell for the living is not called exigence. It’s called life.
“Sacrament” broadens the reader’s understanding of community beyond flesh-and-blood friends, family and neighbors. The love and care that flow within her community of characters draws the reader into their bright, tight circle, making the characters’ loved ones and troubles feel like the reader’s own.
Spoiler alert: The nurses’ sacrifices, strengths and foibles; their families, robbed not only of their moms and wives and daughters but also of any shred of safety; and their patients — who have tubes stuffed into their urethras and down their throats, blinking their desperate last moments of life into iPads as they take their final breaths — will likely make the reader see and respect and love not only these characters, but the consistently brilliant author who gave them life on the page of this, her finest book.
Maran, author of “The New Old Me” and other books, lives in a Silver Lake bungalow that’s even older than she is.
Kylie Jenner revealed a family loss on Wednesday over social mediaCredit: HuluKylie shared an emotional tribute for her late dog NormanCredit: Instagram/kyliejennerNorman died at age 12Credit: kyliejenner/Instagram
She captioned a series of sweet photos, “In Loving Memory of My Sweet Norman.
“I still remember the day I brought you home. I had never loved anything so much. I always wanted an Italian Greyhound growing up, but my mommy never let me have one. Then, right after I turned 17, I got you for Christmas, and it was the best gift I could have ever received.”
Kylie added that her pooch has “filled” her live with “pure joy.”
She continued to pen, “Almost 13 years old, and yet I know I’ll remember you far longer than the time we got to share. I wish I wasn’t writing this post. I knew you were getting older, and I tried to prepare myself, but it’s hard losing you norm. It makes me happy knowing my kids got to meet you and love you.”
Kelly Osbourne broke down in tears on stage as she talked about her beloved dadCredit: Jam Press/Done For You Sales AgencyKelly was accepting a Lifetime Achievement Award for her late fatherCredit: Jam Press/Done For You Sales AgencyKelly became choked up as she talked about her late fatherCredit: SplashKelly seen here with her brother and mum Jack at her dad’s funeralCredit: Getty
Heartbroken Kelly, 40, took to the stage to accept a Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of her late father in his native Birmingham.
Ozzy was honoured at The Birmingham Awards, held at The Eastside Rooms.
Accepting the award, Kelly told the audience: “While most singers go their whole career without winning one but impressive as those awards are, this recognition tonight tops them all.
“He was proud to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame but what he was most proud of was his star on the Walk of Stars on Broad Street.
“He was forced to spend much of his life in America because of his work but Birmingham was always his heart and soul.’
“He loved this city, he loved the people as they loved him back. That’s why it was so important to come home one last time in July to say goodbye.”
At this point Kelly’s voice started to crack with emotion and she said: “The tens of people who lined the streets and brought the city to a standstill, the affection you all had for him, my family and I were so so moved by the outpouring of love.
“He performed thousands of shows for more than five decades but the most important gig he ever played was in Aston. Despite his health challenges in later years, he was determined his final concert had to be right here.
“He was a proud Brummy in the beginning of his career and he was a proud Brummy at the end.”
Kelly could hardly hold back the tears, as she ended her speech by saying: “Again, on behalf of my dad and my family, thank you for this wonderful lifetime achievement award. I know he’s looking down on us tonight smiling with pride.”
CRUZ Beckham has paid a sweet tribute to girlfriend Jackie Apostel to celebrate her milestone birthday.
The 20-year-old was performing with his band in Birmingham last night, where he paid tribute to his older partner.
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Cruz delivered a massive chocolate cake to JackieCredit: instagram/cruzbeckhamThe pair celebrated backstage in BirminghamCredit: instagram/cruzbeckhamThe youngest Beckham boy dedicated a sweet songCredit: Instagram/libbyyadams
Jackie, who’s just turned 30, was watching from the crowd as her friend filmed the adorable moment unfold.
Cruz has been doing secret sets all around the UK, including a gig wearing his dad David’s football shirt.
“Someone… very close to me. It’s her birthday. Erm, I wrote this song about them,” he said on stage on Saturday night.
As the camera pans to Jackie, she says, “I’m going to cry, that’s so…”
The youngest Beckham boy also shared a gushing tribute on his Instagram, uploading happy snaps alongside Jackie.
“Happy birthday @jackieapostel. Another time around the globe, I love you baby,” he wrote alongside a childhood snap of his partner.
“@jackieapostel I love you to the moon and back.”
The festivities appeared to continue backstage, with Jackie sharing videos as Cruz put on a mini party for his girlfriend.
Surrounded by birthday balloons, she posed for a mirror selfie as Cruz is seen in the background organising a cake.
Another angle shows the giant chocolate tray surrounded by candles as the singer hand-delivered the sweet treat.
It comes after Cruz’s parents, Victoria and David Beckham, also shared birthday messages for Jackie’s special day.
Taking to her Instagram, Posh Spice wrote: “To the sweetest, kindest, most beautiful soul. We all love you soooo much.”
Tagging Jackie in the Story post, she uploaded a series of slides with pictures of them both at various glitzy events.
“Happy birthday, we hope you have an amazing day and can’t wait to celebrate with you,” she added alongside a snap of Jackie and Cruz.
Victoria added: “We all love you @jackie.apostel.”
David also uploaded a couple of pics of the pair on his Instagram.
“Happy birthday to a very special person inside and out,” he said.
“Thank you for making my son the best version of himself.”
The couple faced cruel trolling for their age gap. Cruz, who turns 21 next year, met Jackie at Glastonbury Festival and they began dating in June 2024.
The pair made their love Instagram official back in October that year, coming under fire for their near decade-long age gap.
“Why is a 29-year-old dating a 20. That’s just weird. I’m talking about Jackie dating Cruz,” a troll penned on social media.
At the time, Jackie wrote back, “Because he’s kind, funny, smart, caring, driven, mature, talented, loyal, and also quite handsome.”
Cruz shared a sweet birthday message on his StoryCredit: InstagramJackie appeared to love his tribute on stageCredit: Instagram/libbyyadamsHe also uploaded a cute childhood snap of JackieCredit: InstagramCruz and Jackie have a 10-year age gap right nowCredit: Getty
SAM Rivers, bassist for rock-rap group Limp Bizkit, has died aged 48, according to an emotional statement from the band.
His fellow band members paid tribute to their “brother” on social media after he passed away on Saturday evening.
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Sam River was a founding member of the bandHis band members paid tribute to their “brother” on social media after he passed away on Saturday eveningCredit: InstagramSam Rivers performed onstage at KROQ Weenie Roast & Luau at Doheny State Beach in 2019Credit: Getty
Announcing the news to fans on Instagram, the band wrote: “In Loving Memory of Our Brother, Sam Rivers. Today we lost our brother.
“Our bandmate. Our heartbeat. Sam Rivers wasn’t just our bass player — he was pure magic.
“The pulse beneath every song, the calm in the chaos, the soul in the sound.”
They added: “From the first note we ever played together, Sam brought a light and a rhythm that could never be replaced.
“His talent was effortless, his presence unforgettable, his heart enormous. We shared so many moments — wild ones, quiet ones, beautiful ones — and every one of them meant more because Sam was there.”
“He was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of human. A true legend of legends,” the statement continued.
“And his spirit will live forever in every groove, every stage, every memory.”
The band concluded: “We love you, Sam. We’ll carry you with us, always. Rest easy, brother. Your music never ends. — Fred, Wes, John & DJ Lethal.”
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The 48-year-old’s cause of death is yet to be revealed.
In 2015, Rivers left the band after being diagnosed with liver disease due to excessive drinking.
He revealed that he had undergone a liver transplant before rejoining the band in 2018.
Rivers was a founding member of Limp Bizkit, having formed the band with Fred Durst and John Otto in 1994.
The band then added guitarist Wes Borland and DJ Lethal in 1996.
The group dropped six albums, including critically-acclaimed “Significant Other” and “Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water”.
Rivers has played on all six albums, four of which have been certified platinum or multi-platinum.
Limp Bizkit are best known for songs including “Behind Blue Eyes” and “Take a Look Around.”
Rivers was a founding member of Limp Bizkit having formed the band with Fred Durst and John OttCredit: GettyIn 2015, Rivers left the band after being diagnosed with liver disease due to excessive drinkingCredit: GettySam Rivers, Wes Borland, DJ Lethal and Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit backstage at Grant Park in 2021Credit: Getty
BBC Breakfast presenters Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty paid tribute to a late rock star on the show following news of his death
BBC Breakfast launched Friday’s programme (17 October) with heartbreaking news about a beloved rock legend’s passing, as the show delivered a touching tribute.
Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty returned to screens with another jam-packed edition of BBC Breakfast, packed with various interviews, news bulletins, and weather forecasts.
Just moments into Friday’s broadcast, Charlie and Naga revealed the tragic news of KISS guitarist Ace Frehley’s death, who died aged 74 on 16 October.
The musician, whose real name was Paul Daniel Frehley, was famous for his Spaceman character and served as a founding member of the American group, along with singer and guitarist Paul Stanley, bassist Gene Simmons, and drummer Peter Criss.
“Tributes have been paid to one of the founding members of the band KISS. Paul ‘Ace’ Frehley, who has died at the age of 74,” Charlie revealed on BBC Breakfast.
A compilation featuring multiple clips of Ace was subsequently shown, whilst Charlie added: “He was known for guitar solos and he wore the Spaceman outfit from the band’s formation in 1973 until he left the band in 1982.
“He later rejoined in the late 1990s. His bandmates Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley called him ‘an essential and irreplaceable rock soldier’.”
Ace’s passing was confirmed on Thursday evening through a statement issued by his family. He leaves behind his wife, Jeanette, and his daughter, Monique, reports the Express.
“We are completely devastated and heartbroken. In his last moments, we were fortunate enough to have been able to surround him with loving, caring, peaceful words, thoughts, prayers, and intentions as he left this earth,” the statement read.
The family continued: “We cherish all of his finest memories, his laughter, and celebrate his strengths and kindness that he bestowed upon others. The magnitude of his passing is of epic proportions and beyond comprehension.
“Reflecting on all of his incredible life achievements, Ace’s memory will continue to live on forever!”
Meanwhile, Ace’s bandmates Paul and Gene issued a joint statement, which read: “We are devastated by the passing of Ace Frehley.
“He was an essential and irreplaceable rock soldier during some of the most formative foundational chapters of the band and its history. He is and will always be a part of KISS’s legacy.”
JoJo Siwa became emotional on stage at her last gig of the tourCredit: TiktokThe star became overwhelmed and choked up as she sang one of her songsCredit: TiktokJoJo is currently loved up with Chris HughesCredit: Instagram / chrishughesofficial
At her last gig of the tour, JoJo appeared to become overwhelmed.
The Dance Moms star broke down in tears as she took to the stage for the final show of her Infinity Heart Tour.
In a video shared by a fan on TikTok, JoJo was seen welling up during her performance of Back To That Girl.
She then told the audience at the Klub Proxima in Warsaw, that she doesn’t usually get “so emotional”.
Continuing, JoJo said: “It’s been a while since I’ve done what I love which is being on stage being in front of you.
“And, most of you won’t really care, but today’s the last day of this tour.
“You don’t have to pretend you care, you came here because I’m in your city, you didn’t come here because it’s the last one.
“We’re all sobbing right now. But, it just, just to anybody who A, is in this building, B, came to any of these shows, or C, whether it be a good comment or a bad comment, left a comment, hit a like, watched a video, anyone who supported anything just a big massive thank you.”
An emotional JoJo then added: “I finally had myself pulled together and then I saw all these hearts in here.
“That caught me off guard that was good!’
The star’s emotional moment on stage followed a heartfelt Instagram post where JoJo paid a tribute to everyone on her tour who had supported her, which included Chris who has been cheering her on at the side of the stage.
She wrote: “I’ll definitely have a lot more to say once I’ve gathered some thoughts, but tonight is the final show on the Infinity Heart Tour and I am incredibly emotional.
“The amount of work that has gone into creating the show from choreographing it myself to all the creative direction to actually executing it on stage, the show represents who I want to be as a person and the artist that I wanna be in this lifetime, and it’s translated so well to the crowd and hearing your reviews that have been so positive, it just makes me flood with happiness and gratitude.
“Thank you so much for all the love on this tour, to everyone who showed up to the concerts, and to everyone who supported from the distance online.
“Means so very much.”
The US singer is on a tour around the UK and EuropeCredit: Getty
Chris then thrilled fans when he wrote in the comments: “Smashed it my love.”
Now, she has given a candid insight into the negative reactions and “extreme amount of hate” for being currently “in a hetero relationship”.
The dancer and singer opened up in a radio interview on Sirius XM’s Smith Sisters Live.
JoJo said: “From the very, very, very beginning of our relationship. He said, ‘So you can be anything you want. I just love you. I don’t want you to change. I just love you.’
“And I don’t know, I think we got to see on episode two of Big Brother, he was the only person in fact that stood up for me right away.
DIANE Keaton’s family have shared the acting legend’s cause of death in a touching tribute to her after the Oscar winner died on Sunday.
The Godfather and Annie Hall star tragically died aged 79 after her health had quickly declined, her family have confirmed.
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Diane Keaton’s family have revealed the star died of pneumoniaCredit: AlamyThe star’s health decline quickly, a source told PeopleCredit: Getty Images
They have now released a statement to People revealing the cause of her passing as pneumonia.
They said: “The Keaton family are very grateful for the extraordinary messages of love and support they have received these past few days on behalf of their beloved Diane, who passed away from pneumonia on October 11.
“She loved her animals and she was steadfast in her support of the unhoused community, so any donations in her memory to a local food bank or an animal shelter would be a wonderful and much appreciated tribute to her.”
A source told the outlet that Keaton’s health had “declined very suddenly, which was heartbreaking for everyone who loved her.”
“In her final months, she was surrounded only by her closest family, who chose to keep things very private. Even longtime friends weren’t fully aware of what was happening.”
When the news of her death broke on Sunday her family had only released a short statement asking for privacy in “this great moment of sadness”.
She is survived by her two children Dexter, 29, and Duke Keaton, 25.
Keaton won the Best Actress Oscar in 1978 for her role in Annie Hall starring alongside the film’s director Woody Allen.
Many speculated that the movie was in fact based on the pair’s real-life relationship.
Keaton told The New York Times in 1977: “It’s not true, but there are elements of truth to it.”
The emergency call to first responders has been released, with medics dispatched to a “person down” in the early hours of the morning, according to audio obtained byTMZ.
“Rescue 19, person down,” a dispatcher said before Keaton was transported to a local hospital by the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Acting giant Ben Stiller said of the late actress: “Diane Keaton. One of the greatest film actors ever.
“An icon of style, humor and comedy. Brilliant. What a person.”
The First Wives Club co-star Bette Midler said: “The brilliant, beautiful, extraordinary Diane Keaton has died.
“I cannot tell you how unbearably sad this makes me.”
She added: “She was hilarious, a complete original, and completely without guile, or any of the competitiveness one would have expected from such a star.
Keaton with actor and director Woody AllenCredit: Getty ImagesKeaton with Al PacinoCredit: Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
“What you saw was who she was…oh, la, lala!”
Hollywood legend Al Pacino – who starred alongside Keaton in the Godfather – is said to regret not marrying the star after their on-and-off relationship.
An insider told the Daily Mail: “For years after he and Diane split, Al used to say, ‘if it’s meant to be, it’s never too late for a do-over.’ But sadly, now it is.”
Diane Keaton, the beloved star of “Annie Hall,” “The Godfather” and “The First Wives Club,” wooed audiences as much as she did her multiple Hollywood boyfriends. It seems that much remains true for ex-lovers Woody Allen and Al Pacino, whose high-profile romances with the Los Angeles native are back in the spotlight in the wake of her death over the weekend.
“Her face and laugh illuminated any space she entered,” Allen, Keaton’s “Annie Hall” director and co-star, wrote Sunday.
The acclaimed and controversial filmmaker reminisced on his dating relationship with Keaton for the Free Press, recalling how they first met in Manhattan in the late 1960s for his stage production of “Play It Again, Sam.” Allen’s first impression of the eventual Oscar winner was, he explained, as “if Huckleberry Finn was a gorgeous young woman.”
“The upshot is that she was so charming, so beautiful, so magical, that I questioned my sanity. I thought: Could I be in love so quickly?” he wrote, later describing their evolution from collaborators to romantic partners.
Keaton and Allen collaborated on eight movies, also including “Stardust Memories,” “Sleeper” and “Love and Death.” The 89-year-old director wrote that he “made movies for an audience of one, Diane Keaton,” and heavily valued her opinions on his work. As Allen praised Keaton’s radiating personality (“She was a million laughs to be around”) he recalled learning about her struggles with bulimia and spending Thanksgiving with her family in Orange County.
“Why we parted only God and Freud might be able to figure out,” Allen wrote.
Pacino, who shared the screen with Keaton in three “Godfather” films and dated Keaton throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s, is also thinking about what could have been. “Looking back, Al admits the love of his life was Diane who he’s always called an ‘amazing woman,’ ” a source close to the 85-year-old actor told the Daily Mail.
“I know he will forever regret he didn’t make his move when he had the chance,” the source added. “For years after he and Diane split, Al used to say, ‘If it’s meant to be, it’s never too late for a do-over. But sadly, now it is.’ ”
After news of Keaton’s death spread Saturday, stars including Bette Midler, Steve Martin, Viola Davis and Kate Hudson paid tribute on social media. “What you saw was who she was,” Midler said of her “First Wives Club” co-star. Keaton never married and is survived by two adopted children, Duke and Dexter Keaton.
Allen closed his essay emphasizing the significance of Keaton’s death: “A few days ago the world was a place that included Diane Keaton. Now it’s a world that does not. Hence it’s a drearier world.”
“Still there are her movies,” he wrote. “And her great laugh still echoes in my head.”
Rea – who fights Lyndon Arthur on November 1 – is in attendance and opened up on his special bond with the heroic Hitman.
READ MORE ON RICKY HATTON
He told SunSport: “I was lucky that I did have a good relationship and we were friends.
“But I think so many people, even people that maybe just met him once, maybe people that just got a picture with him once, seeing him in the pub or whatever, because of the way he was, everyone feels like they have that kind of personal connection with him.
“He was just down to earth and he was just one of us at the end of the day, no matter how big he made it.
“I think that’s why it has affected so many people and everyone does kind of feel like they know him in a way because he was so down to earth.
“So it’s been a tough one for me to take. It’s been a tough one for most of the boxing scene to take.”
Despite becoming inseparable, Rea admits the novelty of Hatton’s presence in his life never wore off.
I was last person to interview Ricky Hatton – I was gutted when our chat ended
He said: “It just kind of merged into one. I was with him so much and I’d see him so often and we’d spend so much time together in the gym kind of every day.
“You do kind of forget how big he was, how loved he was, and how many people he had an effect on.
“Then every now and again you’d be out sparring or you’d be walking down a residential street somewhere and you’d go, ‘It’s Ricky.’ You know what I mean?
“It’s not just Rick, this is the Hitman and, yeah every now and again I kind of had to pinch myself a little bit and go, ‘This is Ricky Hatton I’m sat in Nando’s with.’ It was a bit surreal.”
Despite Hatton’s superstardom and unrivalled fanfare – he dreaded ever being looked at as anything other than a working class people’s champion.
Rea said: “He was just one of the boys at the end of the day.
“He was so down to earth and that was why the other side come with it he didn’t think he was better than anyone else.
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Hatton became part of Rea’s corner teamCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
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The two celebrate a victoryCredit: @bradrea_
“He didn’t think he was a superstar and I think they probably go hand in hand, kind of just being so down to earth and then still being taken back by all the support.”
Two-weight world champion Hatton would spend 12 hard weeks preparing for his fights – and the rest of his time down the pub with his friends.
Rea was fortunate enough to have socialised with the boxing great – preferring to leave some of their more chaotic tales forever untold.
He beamed: “Oh, there’s so many. There’s so many but all of them I’m just laughing, I’m smiling because it’s just stupid times, rubbish jokes, cracking rubbish jokes.
“I’m lucky that I got multiple different sides of him. I got him as a coach, I had him as part of my team in my corner. I had him as a friend.
“I’ve been to the football with him. I’ve been out for a beer with him, I’ve been on a weekend to Dublin with him, I’ve had all different sides of him.
“I’ve got many memories to kind of look back on. Some stories that I can tell and some I’ll probably keep to myself!”
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Hatton and Rea socialised away from boxingCredit: @bradrea_
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Some of their tales will always remain untoldCredit: @bradrea_
Rea was hit with the devastating news just months before his European title defence against Arthur at the Co-Op Live Arena.
And he has since returned to Hatton’s Hyde – where emotions are high.
Rea, 27, said: “I’d not been there for a while. It is a bit surreal. It is a little bit weird.
“Every time I’ve been in there, the majority of the time he’s in there, and he’s cracking jokes, you know, he’s being Rick.
“But at the end of the day there’s me, there’s a load of other lads in there that still got a job to do and he’d be disappointed if we were moping about and we weren’t training.
“He’d want us to get back at it and he want us to crack on and. So you’ve kind of just got to keep cracking on and do what you can to try and make him proud.”
And the best way to make City super-fan Hatton proud? Beat United supporter Arthur – a friend of former sparring partner – in their hometown.
Rea chuckled: “You know what it is? It’s more how we’d react if I let myself get beat by a United fan!
“He would never let me hear the end of it. He would be on my case and I can’t do that to him. I can’t let him down on that front.”
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Rea faces Man Utd fan Lyndon Arthur on November 1Credit: @queensberrypromotions
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Arthur and Rea are former sparring partnersCredit: @bradrea_
BBC Breakfast paid a touching tribute to the Dancing on Ice star ahead of his funeral today (October 10), featuring an interview with Hatton’s former coach Blain Younis. Younis described Hatton as “a hero” to the local community, reports the Manchester Evening News.
“People are coming to lay flowers outside the gym and his house and you can just see how it’s impacted the town,” he said. “It’s like it’s hit people hard.”
“He was like the hero of Hyde,” he continued. “The astonishing thing was the heights he reached in boxing and celebrity life. He still knew everyone on a personal level around this town.”
BBC Breakfast presenter Charlie Stayt informed viewers that thousands were expected to line the streets of Greater Manchester to bid a final farewell to Hatton, before his midday funeral.
The procession will begin from Gee Cross in Hyde, making its way to Manchester Cathedral.
Hatton, who built a gym for his community, will have his procession pause there, allowing fans to reflect on their loss.
As mourners pass a pub cellar where the Hattons constructed a boxing ring, doves will be released in honour of the late sports star.
The procession will then reach Manchester Arena, a venue where Hatton often showcased his boxing prowess.
Hatton was found dead on 14 September.
His family later paid tribute, stating: “He had a heart as big as his smile, and his kindness, humour and loyalty touched everyone who was lucky enough to know him.
“As a family, our loss is immeasurable, and words cannot truly capture the pain we feel. Yet in the midst of our grief, we have been deeply moved by the overwhelming outpouring of love and support.
“Richard’s memory will forever remain in our hearts, in the hearts of his fans, and in the sport he loved so dearly.”
Hello! I’m Mark Olsen. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.
Among the week’s new releases is “The Smashing Machine,” written and directed by Benny Safdie and starring Dwayne Johnson as Mark Kerr, an early mixed-martial-arts fighting champion who saw his career flame out before the sport became a lucrative cultural phenomenon.
Safdie is known for the movies he made with his brother Josh, such as “Good Time” and “Uncut Gems,” and more recently created the series “The Curse” with Nathan Fielder. Safdie won the directing prize at the Venice Film Festival for “The Smashing Machine,” his first solo feature.
Dwayne Johnson in the movie “The Smashing Machine.”
(A24)
In her review of the film, Amy Nicholson wrote about Safdie and Johnson, noting, “These two high-intensity talents, each with something to prove, seem to have egged each other on to be exhaustingly photorealistic. Johnson, squeezed into a wig so tight we get a vicarious headache, has pumped up his deltoids to nearly reach his prosthetic cauliflower ears. And Safdie is so devoted to duplicating the earthy brown decor of Kerr’s late-’90s nouveau riche Phoenix home that you’d think he was restoring Notre Dame.”
I spoke to Safdie earlier this week. He explained how he and Kerr held each other’s hands during the film’s emotional premiere screening at Venice and what it has meant for them to go through the process of seeing through the project together.
“I wanted him to feel some kind of ownership of the movie and his life. And it was very meaningful to me,” says Safdie of Kerr. “Now I hear him talk about it and it’s very interesting because he can say, ‘Oh, I see where I made mistakes in that relationship.’ And he can take ownership of them. And part of it is I wanted to make a movie about somebody’s perspective on life changing.”
A celebration of Jafar Panahi
A scene from the movie “It Was Just an Accident.”
(Neon)
The American Cinematheque is launching a tribute series to Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi this week. Winner of the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for the dramatic thriller “It Was Just an Accident,” Panahi has become Iran’s most high-profile dissident filmmaker, having been repeatedly jailed, placed under house arrest and officially banned from making films.
Yet none of that has stopped him. Panahi is now one of only four filmmakers ever to win the Palme d’Or, Berlin’s Golden Bear and Venice’s Golden Lion, alongside such giants as Michelangelo Antonioni, Robert Altman and Henri-Georges Clouzot. And “Accident” has been selected to be France’s entry for the international feature Oscar race.
Panahi was scheduled to appear at three events in Los Angeles next week as part of the tribute, but he may not make it. His appearances at the New York Film Festival (now in progress), including a scheduled talk with Martin Scorsese, had to be canceled due to a delay in Panahi receiving his visa to enter the country, reportedly a result of the federal government shutdown.
Even if Panahi does not make it to L.A., his films will play on and deserve to be seen. “Accident” will screen in a double-bill with 2003’s “Crimson Gold” at the Aero on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Panahi’s 1995 debut feature “The White Balloon,” co-written with Abbas Kiarostami, will play in 35mm at the Los Feliz 3. Later on Wednesday at the LF3, Panahi’s 2000 drama “The Circle” will screen in a 35mm print from the Yale Film Archive, along with the 2010 short “The Accordion.”
In 1996, Kenneth Turan had this to write about “The White Balloon”: “A completely charming, unhurried slice of life, it is both slow and sure-handed as it follows a small but fearsomely determined little girl on her amusing search for just the right ceremonial goldfish for her family’s new year’s celebration.”
Discussing “The Circle” in 2001, Turan said, “Restrained yet powerful, devastating in its emotional effects, ‘The Circle’ is a landmark in Iranian cinema. By combining two things that are relatively rare in that country’s production — unapologetically dramatic storytelling and an implicit challenge to the prevailing political ideology — this new film by producer-director Jafar Panahi creates a potent synthesis.”
With or without Panahi in attendance, these are deeply necessary films that speak to their respective moments — and all too much to our current one.
‘All the President’s Men’ and remembering Robert Redford
Robert Redford, right, and Dustin Hoffman in the movie “All the President’s Men.”
(Sunset Boulevard / Corbis via Getty Images)
Screenings have already begun to pop up in tribute to Robert Redford, who died recently at age 89. On Friday, Vidiots will screen Alan J. Pakula’s 1976 political thriller “All the President’s Men” in 35mm along with Phil Alden Robinson’s 1992 caper comedy “Sneakers.” On Sunday, Vidiots will also show Sydney Pollack’s 1973 romantic drama “The Way We Were.” (The Academy Museum will screen “The Way We Were” on Oct. 26.)
The American Cinematheque will also be a launching a Redford tribute series starting on Monday with a screening of Tony Scott’s 2001 thriller “Spy Game.” Other films currently scheduled include “Jeremiah Johnson,” “The Sting,” “Three Days of the Condor,” “Indecent Proposal,” “Sneakers” and a 35mm showing of “All the President’s Men.” That barely scratches the surface of Redford’s work as an actor, let alone as a director, so more events are likely to come.
Redford was deeply involved in bringing “All the President’s Men” to the screen as quickly as possible following the Watergate scandal. Writing about “All the President’s Men” in 1976, Charles Champlin said the film has “a clarity born of historical perspective but also a newly quickened feeling of national concern. The central drama and suspense of ‘All the President’s Men’ is a reminder of the narrow margin of our safety and how close the coverup came to working. … The film invites no comfort. It was a narrow and almost accidental escape and the weight of a corrupted government had been tilted against the truth as never before. But never again? The movie makes no preachment but you are bound to think anew that forgiveness and forgetfulness ought to be two starkly different commodities.”
Points of interest
‘Rosemary’s Baby’ in 35mm
Mia Farrow in the 1968 horror landmark “Rosemary’s Baby.”
(Criterion Collection)
“Rosemary’s Baby,” a 1968 adaptation of the novel by Ira Levin written and directed by Roman Polanski (and produced by exploitation impresario William Castle), is still considered one of the creepiest movies of all time. The film stars Mia Farrow as Rosemary Woodhouse, who has moved into a grand old apartment building in New York City with her actor husband, Guy (John Cassavetes). After she becomes pregnant, it begins to seem as if her nosy neighbors have been part of a coven of witches scheming to give birth to the son of Satan. Ruth Gordon won a supporting actress Oscar for her role as one of the neighbors. The movie plays in 35mm Tuesday through Thursday at the New Beverly.
Even back in 1968, the film touched off a nerve with reviewers, including our own. In his original June 1968 review, Champlin wrote, “Having paid my critical respects, I must then add that I found ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ a most desperately sick and obscene motion picture whose ultimate horror — in my very private opinion — was that it was made at all. It seems a singularly appropriate symbol of an age which, believing in nothing, will believe anything. … It is also all so sleazy and sick at heart. And the horror is that it presumes we are too indifferent to perceive what its horrors really are.”
‘The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie’
An image from Luis Buñuel’s “The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie.”
(Rialto Pictures)
Winner of the Oscar for international feature film and nominated for original screenplay, 1972’s “The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie” was directed by Luis Buñuel, who wrote the script with Jean-Claude Carrière. Screening at the Academy Museum as part of a series dedicated to Buñuel, the film is a bold satire of societal conventions — one that still largely holds up, as a group of friends meets for a series of meals.
In a November 1972 review, Charles Champlin wrote, “Watching a Buñuel film is a special experience because he creats a special world, somewhere west of hard reality but dealing — mockingly — with social reality and always reflecting Buñuel’s almost puritanical rage at any misuse of power, fiscal, political, ecclesiastical, military, social. … The surrealist attack sometimes makes him sound more formidable that he is. In fact he’s a sly humanist who has here created one of his most easily enjoyable works.”
In other news
PTA, ranked
Joaquin Phoenix in the movie “Inherent Vice.”
(Wilson Webb / Warner Bros.)
Last week, we mentioned Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another,” which Amy Nicholson declared “fun and fizzy.” So this week, I set about the popular task of placing the new film within a ranking of Anderson’s 10 feature films, from his 1996 feature debut “Hard Eight” onward.
As I noted in the introduction, “More so than with other directors, it’s always tempting to overly psychologize Paul Thomas Anderson’s films, looking for traces of his personal development and hints of autobiography: the father figures of ‘Magnolia’ or ‘The Master,’ the partnership of ‘Phantom Thread,’ parenthood in the new ‘One Battle After Another.’ Yet two things truly set his work apart. There’s the incredibly high level of craft in each of them, giving each a unique feel, sensibility and visual identity, and also the deeply felt humanism: a pure love of people, for all their faults and foibles.
“Anderson is an 11-time Academy Award nominee without ever having won, a situation that could rectify itself soon enough, and it speaks to the extremely high bar set by his filmography that one could easily reverse the following list and still end up with a credible, if perhaps more idiosyncratic ranking. Reorder the films however you like — they are all, still, at the very least, extremely good. Simply put, there’s no one doing it like him.”
Would you have a different title at No. 1? Let us know in the comments.
Manchester United and Manchester City will pay tribute to the victims of the Manchester synagogue attack before their Premier League fixtures this weekend.
United players will wear black armbands and hold a minute’s silence before their match against Sunderland at Old Trafford on Saturday, while the women’s team will do the same at their Women’s Super League match against Chelsea on Friday night.
Speaking at his news conference on Friday, United men’s manager Ruben Amorim said: “It is a crazy world we are living in at the moment, lot of big things happened, sympathy to victims, we will pay tribute tomorrow.”
United’s under-18 and under-21 sides will also wear black armbands in their games.
City will also wear black armbands when they travel to Brentford on Sunday and have agreed with the Bees to hold a moment’s silence before kick-off.
A commemoration was already planned by Brentford in memory of their head of academy goalkeeping Christopher Ramsey, who died on Wednesday of bowel cancer.
Brentford have agreed to change the tribute from a minute’s applause to silence given the gravity of Thursday’s attack.
Manchester City women will also pay their respects before their WSL match against Arsenal on Saturday.
It is understood both the Premier League and EFL will support any club wishing to pay tribute.
PC Faizaan Najeeb, 24, who sadly died on FridayCredit: Northants Police
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He was based with the Wellingborough response teamCredit: Northants Police
A man in his 20s was arrested at the scene of the fatal collision and has been bailed by police pending further investigation.
Chief Constable of Northamptonshire Police Ivan Balhatchet led the tributes, with former colleagues at Bedfordshire Police adding their own condolences.
The Chief Constable said: “Words cannot describe the sadness felt when an officer loses his life serving in the line of duty.
“The entire Northamptonshire Police family wish to pass on our deepest condolences to his family and friends at this truly awful point in time.
“Colleagues from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit are still investigating the collision, and specialist family liaison officers will continue to support Faizaan’s family in the coming days and weeks.
“We are also carrying out an internal health and safety investigation.”
PC Najeeb was responding to a single vehicle collision in Station Road, Raunds, near Wellingborough, on September 19 when he was hit by a blue VW Polo car.
Despite the best efforts of medical staff at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, he sadly lost his life a week later on September 26.
His former colleagues on the Bedford Community team said: “Those that knew him are absolutely devastated by his death, and he will be sorely missed.
“His ability to lift spirits was infectious, and he was always so happy.
Crash Shuts M4: Thousands of Drivers Face Delays at Junction 37
“Faizaan would do anything for anyone, and although he was only with us for a short time, his legacy and impact on those that worked with him remains.
“His memory lives on and will not be forgotten.
“The joy he brought to people that he met can never be replicated, and those on the Community Policing Team, as well as those in other departments will miss him.
“It is with great sadness that PCSO 7001 and PC 1967 has signed off from duty. His memory will live on.
“Thank you, Faizaan, for all the joy and the legacy you brought us.”
A spokesman for Bedfordshire Police said after the tragedy: “We are very sad to hear about the death of our former colleague, Faizaan Najeeb.
“Faizaan joined us in February 2021 as a PCSO with the Bedford Community Policing Team.
“He then moved onto to become a PC with Northamptonshire Police in May 2022.”
Alaa Abouzanad on behalf of the Northamptonshire Council of Mosques also paid tribute to the young officer.
In a letter to Chief Constable Balhatchet he said: “On behalf of the Northamptonshire Council of Mosques, we wish to extend our deepest condolences on the passing of your colleague, PC Faizaan Najeeb.
“His service and dedication to keeping our communities safe will always be remembered and honoured.
“At this difficult time, please know that our thoughts and prayers are with his family, his colleagues, and the wider policing community.
“We stand with you in solidarity and support.
“May Allah grant him forgiveness, mercy, and the highest place in Jannah – paradise – and grant his family patience, strength, and comfort in this time of grief.”
PC Najeeb joined Northamptonshire Police in May 2022 and had served with the Response team in Wellingborough ever since.
In line with tradition for officers who have passed away while in the line of duty, his collar number P1967 will be retired in his memory.
This week the Northamptonshire Police will hold a two-minute silence in memory of their fallen colleague at its Wootton Hall headquarters, where a flag has been flown at half-mast in his honour.
Channel 4 is making a documentary on the Dunblane massacre to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the tragedy next yearCredit: Tom Kidd
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The BBC has also announced it will be doing its own programme, which will also mark three decades since 16 pupils and a teacher were killed by a gunman at the schoolCredit: Derek Ironside
But I can reveal the Channel 4 one will have special meaning for its creators.
A TV insider said: “It is being made by production company Candour whose founder, Anna Hall, grew up in the Scottish town that was hit by the tragedy on March 13, 1996.
“So it will be imbued with real poignancy and, of course, it will be handled with extreme sensitivity.”
Chief Creative Officer Anna’s first ever film was about the tragedy — Dunblane: Remembering our Children premiered on ITV on the first anniversary of the shootings in 1997.
The programme was nominated for numerous awards including the RTS Best Single Documentary, an Emmy and a Prix Italia.
Now she and the rest of the Candour team — who also made the recent C4 documentary about the death of Jay Slater — are taking another look at the events of that dark day.
The massacre, which also left 15 people injured, remains the deadliest mass shooting in British history and led to a change in the law prohibiting the possession of most handguns in the UK.
Shooting
Last week the BBC announced it had commissioned a one-off hour-long documentary called Dunblane: The Shooting that Changed Britain.
Made by IWC Media it also looks at what happened in Dunblane, as well as the effect it had on the law.
Channel 4 have yet to confirm the commissioning of its documentary, though it is expected to be filmed this autumn, ready for broadcast in March.
Lorraine Kelly reveals Dunblane massacre was worst day of 40 year career
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Queen Elizabeth places a floral bouquet in front of Dunblane Primary SchoolCredit: Reuters
Vigil for third series
THE third series of BBC thriller Vigil sees Rose Leslie and Suranne Jones joined by newcomers Jeppe Beck Laursen, Tornike Gogrichiani and Steven Miller.
DCI Silva and DI Longacre head to an Arctic research station, where a special forces operative has been killed.
Top Bill in Caddy Craic
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Bill Murray is heading to Ireland for a new BBC travelogueCredit: Getty
The six-parter will see Ghostbusters and Caddyshack legend Bill and celeb pals tour the Emerald Isle’s top golf courses.
Insiders say the show’s about life, chance encounters and the joy of going off course.
Bill said: “I started out caddying, and golf was the best education I ever received.
“Ireland feels like the right place to put all that to work.
“They’ve got this wonderful word there, ‘craic,’ which means fun, but it means a lot of other things.
“A lot of good things.
“And this show will be about us finding it.”
Off Course (working title) is on BBC Two later this year.
Gemma future secured
HOLLYOAKS actress Gemma Bissix has signed a new contract to stay on the E4 soap after her explosive comeback as Clare Devine.
Incorrect rumours claimed she had quit but a source told me: “Gemma recently finished filming her first stint back as Clare – but she will be back after a short break.”
“I feel so grateful and honoured to have shared my life with such a beautiful soul, an angel and true friend.
“Bringing Roscoe into my life was the best decision I ever made, and I will forever cherish the memories we created together.”
Roscoe was adopted by Hamilton in 2013, alongside a second bulldog, Coco. Breeders told Hamilton that Coco’s life would be limited by problems surrounding her birth, and the dog died of a suspected heart attack in 2020.
Sharing pictures from Roscoe’s life on Instagram, Hamilton reflected on the loss of his second dog: “Although I lost Coco, I have never been faced with putting a dog to sleep before, though I know my mum and many close friends have.
“It is one of the most painful experiences and I feel a deep connection to everyone who has gone through the loss of a beloved pet.
“Although it was so hard, having him was one of the most beautiful parts of life, to love so deeply and to be loved in return.
“Thank you all for the love and support you’ve shown Roscoe over the years. It has been so special to witness and feel.”
