R.I.P.

Whitney Houston, one of the most successful female artists of all-time, died at the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel today. She was 48.

The singer's rep confirmed the news this evening to The Associate Press, with insiders saying a member of Houston's entourage discovered her body late in the afternoon; a hotel employee called 911; and paramedics arrived to find Whitney unresponsive.

She was pronounced dead at 3:55 local time.

Beverly Hill Police Lt. Mark Rosen said there was "no obvious signs of criminal intent," though no cause of death has been determined and detectives have already started a full investigation.

Houston leaves behind a daughter, Bobbi Kristina.

The two-time Emmy and six-time Grammy Award winner sold over 200 million albums worldwide. She had battled alcohol and drug addiction - last seeking treatment in early 2011 - for many years prior to her death and was spotted out twice in Los Angeles over the last week, first with occasional boyfriend Ray J and then with a pal on Thursday night.

Whitney was staying at the hotel in anticipation of Clive Davis' annual pre-Grammy party, which was scheduled to take place there last that night.

Our thoughts go out to her loved ones and, in her honor, we present the greatest national anthem performance in professional sports history:

Whitney Houston National Anthem: The Best Ever

Jesse Farrelly, the son of director Bobby Farrelly (Something About Mary, Hall Pass), passed away Wednesday night after paramedics arrived at his Costa Mesa apartment and found him unresponsive, authorities report. He was 20 years old.

TMZ cites sources who say Jesse was transported to a local hospital and pronounced dead a short time after his body was discovered. He passed away from a suspected overdose, as the coroner has ruled out foul play.

In response to the tragedy, the Farrelly family - which includes fellow director Peter, pictured above with Bobby - released a statement that reads:

"It is with profound sorrow that we accept the passing of our beloved Jesse following his struggle with addiction. We fully trust that he is now in the hands of our Lord.

"We are immeasurably grateful for the abundance of happiness and laughter he brought into our lives, and we will rejoice eternally for all the moments we got to breathe in his wondrous spirit. The family thanks you for your well wishes and kindly asks that you respect our privacy during this difficult time."

Jeffrey Fraza, a struggling boxer who competed on the reality show The Contender in 2005 and was looking to make a comeback, was killed in tragic fashion this week.

He was struck by an empty train on the commuter tracks in Haverhill, Mass.

"He was a great kid. I love him like a brother. I'm kind of in shock," trainer Micky Ward, the retired pro played by Mark Wahlberg in The Fighter, told the Boston Herald.

"He was going to try to make another run at it. It's just a shame."

Was Fraza's death an accident? The case remains under investigation, but according to his friends, Fraza walked those train tracks in his hometown regularly.

And though he struggled recently after being diagnosed with Chron's disease, which causes inflammation of the digestive tract, many believe it was an accident.

"He was a good man," ex-girlfriend Sylvia Pastrana said.

"He was training little kids at the Haverhill Boxing Club," said Pastrana, who lived nearby with their 14-year-old son, Antonio. "He was fine and he was in good spirits."

Per the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Fraza was on his cell phone when he was struck near Hale Street by a train inbound to Boston.

He was found dead at the scene at 1:24 a.m. R.I.P.

Ben Gazzara, a popular character actor, passed away Friday at the age of 81. The cause of death was pancreatic cancer, his lawyer told The New York Times.

His powerful dramatic performances brought an intensity to a variety of roles and made him a memorable presence in iconic productions over the years.

From the original Cat on a Hot Tin Roof on Broadway to the movie The Big Lebowski and countless others, he made an impact on stage, screen and film.

Accomplished as an actor, and known as dapper and irresistible to women, Gazzara (also known for Roadhouse) came by his many streetwise roles naturally.

He began his career on Broadway productions, later moving to California to appear in movies, including Anatomy of a Murder and The Young Doctors.

He also played his most famous role on TV, as a doomed attorney on NBC's answer to ABC's The Fugitive. Called Run for Your Life, it ran from 1965-68.

A few hours before Don Cornelius committed suicide, he talked to his son.

So said Tony Cornelius himself today in an interview on CBS, telling Gayle King that his famous father - who founded Soul Train in 1970 and ended his life via a gun shot to the head - called him just hours before pulling the trigger. Tony described the chat as a "call of urgency."

He was "unhappy about some things" in life, Tony added, expounding: "You have to be in a person's shoes really to understand. Obviously, me being extremely close to him, I could tell that he was uncomfortable."

Still, Tony says no one in the family had any idea that Don's state had grown so dire, nor that he would take this extreme, final step.

In a strange twist, the music icon's suicide will likely lead to a major payout to his ex-wife, due to Don's life insurance policies, despite a bitter divorce between the two in 2009.

An Egyptian soccer match between two longtime rivals descended into a violent melee yesterday as fans supporting the winning side rushed the field at the end.

They attacked players and fans in clashes that reportedly killed at least 79 people.

The clashes broke out in the town of Port Said after that city's team won a rare victory over the visiting Ahly, a powerhouse club from Cairo, by the score of 3-1.

Port Said "fans" swarmed the field immediately after the game, as Ahly players and fans ran for cover beneath the stadium and into locker rooms amid chaos:

Egypt Soccer Riot

The fighting quickly took on broad political overtones as The Muslim Brotherhood, which controls nearly half of the nation's parliament, blamed thugs connected to ex-President Hosni Mubarak who are plotting to destabilize the country.

There's a strange twist to the death of Don Cornelius.

As previously reported, the Soul Train creator took his own life early this morning via a gunshot to the head, as his son discovered his body and called 911. But it's another relative who will soon make news as a result of this tragedy.

According to documents obtained by TMZ, the music icon passed away with a pair of life insurance policies in his name - and because the suicide took place more than two years after he signed them, they cannot be challenged by California law and around $300,000 will be handed out to Don's ex-wife, Viktoria.

Who Cornelius despised.

Don Cornelius, the creator of Soul Train, was found dead this morning inside his Sherman Oaks home. He was 75.

Authorities discovered the body around 4 a.m. local time - his son called 911 - and say Cornelius was killed by a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. An investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department is ongoing.

In 1970, Cornelius - who worked as a disc jockey in Chicago - premiered his R&B-themed dance show on station WCIU. It was moved into syndication the following year, eventually relocated its studio to Los Angeles and ran until 2006, although Cornelius dropped out as host in 1993.

The producer underwent a bitter divorce in 2009 and told a Los Angeles judge he was experiencing “significant health issues" at the time.

Our thoughts go out to Cornelius' family and loved ones.

Leslie Carter, the younger sister of Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter and singer Aaron Carter, died Tuesday in upstate New York at the age of 25.

No details were provided on her cause of death.

"Our family is grieving right now and it's a private matter," a family spokesperson said. "We are all deeply saddened for the loss of our beloved sister, daughter, and granddaughter, Leslie Carter. We request the utmost privacy during this difficult time."

Leslie Carter - Like Wow

An aspiring singer herself, Leslie had a song "Like Wow!" that was featured on the Shrek soundtrack in 2001, and she appeared on House of Carters.

Her 1999 debut album was never released.

She is survived by four siblings, husband of three years Mike, and a daughter, Alyssa Jane, 10 months. Our hearts go out to all of them. R.I.P. Leslie.

Nick Santino, a struggling soap opera actor, apparently took his own life last week after he euthanized his dog due to pressure from his condo association.

Nick, who appeared on All My Children and Guiding Light, was found dead in his New York residence just a day after he put down beloved pit bull, Rocco

"Today I betrayed mand put down my best friend," Santino, 47, wrote in a suicide note. "Rocco trusted me and I failed him. He didn't deserve this."

Santino, who was raised in an orphanage and foster homes, adopted Rocco from a shelter several years ago, and wrote fondly of his dog on his Facebook page.

"I did not rescue Rocco, Rocco rescued me," he once wrote.

But in 2010, Santino began to have issues with residents in his building, after a strict dog regulation policy was announced, which included a ban on pit bulls.

The ban didn't affect residents who already had pit bulls in the building, many of Nick Santino's neighbors reportedly weren't fond of Rocco, and complained.