Dead Celebrity Alert

Authorities were trying to determine why an Atlanta Falcons cheerleader died in her north Atlanta apartment Sunday.

Tara Tanner, who turned 22 last month, was found dead by a friend, said Atlanta police Sgt. Kevin Iosty.

The Roswell High School graduate’s body was sent to the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy, a routine procedure. On Monday, Iosty said the body showed no signs of trauma, and it was too soon to say what might have caused her death. … Read full obituary

Laurance Rockefeller, a leading businessman famous for his efforts to preserve nature in the United States, has died at 94 years of age. He died Sunday at his home in New York City. A family spokesman says the cause was pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease.

Forbes magazine says Mr. Rockefeller, who was the grandson of oil tycoon John Rockefeller, had a fortune worth $1.5 billion. He had invested in aviation and other risky enterprises in the 1930s. …

One of his children, Jay Rockefeller, is a U.S. senator. … Read full obituary

LOS ANGELES — Actress Isabel Sanford, best known as “Weezie,” Louise Jefferson on the television sitcom “The Jeffersons,” died of natural causes, her publicist said Monday. She was 86.

Sanford died Friday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she had been hospitalized since July 4, said Brad Lemack. … Her health had waned after undergoing preventive surgery on a neck artery 10 months ago, Lemack said. He did not give a cause of death.

Sanford co-starred with Sherman Hemsley from 1975 to 1985 on CBS’ “The Jeffersons,” a spin-off of the popular series “All in the Family,” in which she also appeared.

In 1981, Sanford became the first black woman to receive an Emmy for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on “The Jeffersons.” …

Sanford made her feature film debut in the 1967 classic, “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.”

Recently, Sanford lent her voice to “The Simpsons” and appeared in commercial campaigns for Denny’s restaurants and retailer Old Navy. … Read full obituary

Related:

Actor Franklin Cover, 77

Mike Evans, “Lionel Jefferson,” 57

NORWICH, Vt. — Ulysses J. “Tony” Lupien, Jr., a major league baseball player in the 1940s and coach at Dartmouth College, died after several years of declining health. He was 87.

Lupien died Friday at his home, the school said.

He played first base with the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox, batting .268 during his six-season career. … Read full obituary

Oscar-winning actor Kirk Douglas’ youngest son, who battled drug and alcohol problems for years, was found dead Tuesday inside an apartment building, police said.

Eric Douglas, 46, was discovered after someone flagged down a passing police car. There were no signs of foul play, police said. An autopsy was planned.

Eric Douglas was an aspiring actor and comedian, but he never found the success of his father or of his Academy Award-winning sibling, Michael Douglas. He had a short-lived acting career in the 1980s and early ’90s, playing supporting roles in movies such as “Delta Force 3: The Killing Game.”

He also appeared in an episode of the HBO program “Tales From the Crypt” opposite his father, who earned an Emmy nomination for his role on the show. … Read full obituary

Austrian President Thomas Klestil died yesterday aged 71, a day after he was taken to hospital after a heart attack, his doctors said.

They said he died at 11.23pm local time (7.33am AEST) in the Vienna hospital where he was taken yesterday.

The doctors had said earlier that Mr Klestil’s chances of survival were poor after he suffered multiple organ failure.

Mr Klestil, whose second six-year term as president had only two days to run, was on his way to a farewell press conference when he was struck down by a heart attack at his private residence late on Monday. … Read full obituary

The man called the greatest actor of all time has died.

CBS 5 News has learned Marlon Brando passed away Thursday in Los Angeles.

Brando may be best known for his roles in “The Godfather” and “On the Waterfront”. He won oscars for his work in those 2 films.

The cause of death is still unknown. … Read full obituary