Muppets co-creator Jane Henson dies at 78

CBS New York:

Puppeteer and philanthropist Jane Henson, the widow of the legendary Jim Henson, died Tuesday at her home in Connecticut.

Mrs. Henson, who was the co-creator of the iconic Muppets, passed away following a long battle with cancer, according to a news release from the Jim Henson Foundation. She was 78.

Photo: Jane Henson, co-creator of the Muppets, participates in a ceremony at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History on Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2010, in Washington, DC. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Everest mountaineer George Lowe dies at 89

AP: George Lowe, the last surviving climber from the team that made the first successful ascent of Mount Everest has died at 89, his wife says. Mary Lowe said her husband died Wednesday at a central England nursing home after an illness.

Lowe and Edmund Hillary were the only two New Zealanders on the 1953 British-led attempt to climb Mount Everest.

Read more about Lowe via The Telegraph.

Photo: Lowe loading film into his camera. (George Lowe Collection/PolarWorld via The Telegraph)

‘One Day At A Time’ actress Bonnie Franklin dies at 69

Actress Bonnie Franklin, best known for a playing single mom Ann Romano to two teenage daughters on the long-running CBS sitcom “One Day At A Time,” died this morning. She was 69.

Franklin disclosed last year that she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Deadline Hollywood reports.

Photo: “One Day at a Time” cast member Bonnie Franklin. (CBS via Getty Images)

Mindy McCready dead at 37

UPDATE, 10:43 pm ET: Cleburne County, Arkansas, sheriff says Mindy McCready’s cause of death “appears to be a single self-inflicted gunshot wound.” (via NBCNews)

Country music singer Mindy McCready has died at age 37, sources confirm to NBC News and E! Online. Read more from E! Online.

Photo via Today Entertainment.

Strom Thurmond’s mixed-race daughter dies at 87

AP: Essie Mae Washington-Williams, the mixed-race daughter of one-time segregationist Sen. Strom Thurmond, has died at 87.

Washington-Williams was the daughter of Thurmond and his family’s black maid. Her father’s identity was rumored for decades in political circles and the black community. After Thurmond’s death in 2003 at 100, Washington-Williams came forward and said her father was the white man who ran for president on a segregationist platform and served in the US Senate for more than 47 years.

She said she kept his secret because, “He trusted me, and I respected him.”

Photo: This Jan. 31, 2005 file photo shows Essie Mae Washington-Williams during a book signing in Washington. (Lawrence Jackson)

Patty Andrews, last surviving member of Andrews Sisters, dies

AP: Patty Andrews, the last surviving member of the Andrews Sisters, died Wednesday at 94 of natural causes. The singing trio was known for hits such as “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B” and “I Can Dream, Can’t I?” capturing the home-front spirit of World War II.

Patty Andrews was the lead singer. As she remarked in 1971, “There were just three girls in the family. LaVerne had a very low voice. Maxene’s was kind of high, and I was in between. It was like God had given us voices to fit our parts.”

Photo: This 1947 publicity photo shows pop vocal trio, The Andrews Sisters, from left, Maxine Andrews, Patty Andrews, and LaVerne Andrews. (Anonymous / AP Photo / File)

JUST IN: Jazz musician Dave Brubeck dies at 91

Dave Brubeck, a pioneering jazz musician who attained pop-star acclaim with recordings such as “Take Five” and “Blue Rondo a la Turk,” died this morning in Norwalk, Connecticut, his longtime manager-producer-conductor Russell Gloyd says. Brubeck was one day short of his 92nd birthday. He died of heart failure. Read more from the Chicago Tribune.

Photo: Kennedy Center honorees Mel Brooks, left, and Dave Brubeck in the East Room of the White House on Dec. 6, 2009. (Alex Brandon / AP)

Hip-hop mogul Chris Lighty found dead in NY apartment

Chris Lighty, longtime manager of 50 Cent, Diddy, Ja Rule and Mariah Carey, died Thursday morning after he shot himself during an argument with his ex-wife inside his Bronx, NY, apartment, sources tell the Daily News.

Photo: Chris Lighty is seen with Sean “Diddy” Combs. (Johnny Nunez/WireImage.com)

BREAKING: Actor Andy Griffith has died, friend says

Andy Griffith died this morning in Dare County, North Carolina, according to former UNC President Bill Friday. Friday, a close friend of the actor, confirmed the news to WITN News.

(Photo: AP file, via msnbc.com)

Levon Helm, former leader of The Band, dies at 71

From The Times Herald-Record: “We lost Levon at 1:30 today surrounded by friends and family and his musicians have visited him,” said Larry Campbell, Helm’s longtime guitarist and band leader. “As sad as this was, it was very peaceful.”

(Photo: John DeSanto/Times Herald-Record)