Karrueche Tran rang in her 29th birthday at Cipriani’s Wednesday night with a slew of guests that included boyfriend/Migos rapper Quavo. They arrived and left separately, but the secret — if it ever was one — is way out. They’ve been on the…
Thursday, May 18, 2017
Roger Ailes Dies; Fox News Founder Was 77
Roger Ailes, the controversial founder and longtime CEO of Fox News, has passed away, according to a statement released by his wife.
He was 77.
Regardless of your political views or views of him personally, Ailes reshaped TV news over five decades in the entertainment industry.
“I am profoundly sad and heartbroken to report that my husband, Roger Ailes passed away this morning,” Elizabeth Ailes said.
She called him “a loving husband” and “patriot.”
Fox News host Sean Hannity tweeted his tributes to his onetime boss, saying that Ailes was like a “second father.” to him.
“Today, America lost one of its great patriotic warriors. He has dramatically and forever changed the political and the media landscape.”
“Single-handedly for the better.”
The cause of death of Roger Ailes was not immediately clear, and Fox News of all networks was slower than most to announce the news.
Fox anchor Bill Hemmer, looking shaken, first reported Ailes death to his audience, ending his brief report by saying, softly, “Wow!”
Ailes resigned from Fox News last summer following a storm over a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by former anchor Gretchen Carlson.
The suit triggered similar claims from other women and an in-house investigation at Fox, and indirectly to Bill O’Reilly getting fired as well.
Ailes strongly denied the claims against him, but stepped down with a multi-million dollar settlement from Fox that softened the blow.
Gabriel Sherman, who wrote a biography entitled The Loudest Voice in the Room, called this tragic, “whatever you think of Roger Ailes.”
“It is a “tragic, sad morning,” Sherman tells MSNBC, noting, “After all he built in his career, he for all practical purposes died alone.”
Twenty-First Century Fox, the parent company of Fox News chaired by Rupert Murdoch, issued its own statement moments ago.
Murdoch praised Ailes for his “remarkable contribution” and said he “shared my vision of a great and independent television organization.”
Ailes, he said, “executed it brilliantly over 20 great years” after beginning his career in the 1960s as a producer at The Mike Douglas Show.
He went on to serve as a media consultant for several Republican presidents of the U.S., including Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan.
In 1996, Murdoch, seeing a market for a conservative cable news outlet in a sea of liberal-leaning media, hired Ailes to create Fox News.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Ailes molded the network to run more like a campaign operation, with shows that were unabashedly conservative and politically divisive.
People gravitated to this model, which began to influence not only political coverage but politics itself in a way that was unprecedented.
Even those who came to loathe the network cannot help but acknowledge its status as a perennial, game-changing ratings juggernaut.
Fox News eventually ousted CNN as the highest rated cable news network and became one of the most popular networks of all genres.
More than 90 million households regularly tune in, a figure that would have been scoffed at had it been predicted in the late ’90s.
Ailes’ crowing achievements were sullied somewhat, however, in his final months at the network by the charges of sexual misconduct.
The parent company confirms that it has paid upwards of $ 45 million in settlements related to harassment allegations against Ailes.
Chris Cornell Remembered by Celeb Friends and Fans
Chris Cornell was so respected and loved by other musicians, his friends, and millions of fans. They’re all honoring the iconic singer as they get the sad news of his death. I AM SO SADDENED BY CHRIS CORNELL PASSING. @soundgarden TOTAL SHOCK.GREAT…
Chris Cornell: Cause of Death Revealed?
This morning, the world woke to the news that legendary Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell had died unexpectedly at the age of 52.
Given Cornell’s past struggles with alcoholism and prescription pill addiction – as well as the assumptions we tend to make about rock stars who pass before their time – many believed that substance abuse played a role in the singer’s death.
However, TMZ is reporting today that the cause of Cornell’s death does not appear to be related to
According to the site, Cornell died of an apparent suicide.
While there’s been no official word from medical examiners investigating the case, police reports do seem to indicate that grunge-era icon took his own life.
TMZ claims to have confirmed with the Detroit Police Department that a family friend stopped by Cornell’s hotel room after receiving a panicked call from the singer’s wife.
The friend reportedly knocked repeatedly but received no response.
He then forced his way into the room and found Cornell non-responsive with a “band around his neck.”
Cornell’s representative, Brian Bumberry, has stated only that the father of three’s death was “sudden and unexpected,” and came as a “complete shock” to his family.
Just hours before his passing, Cornell tweeted several upbeat messages about his excitement for playing a sold out show in Detroit.
Like so many in his profession, Cornell battled substance abuse issues throughout much of his life, but has reportedlt been sober since checking into rehab in 2003:
“I actually like rehab a lot. It’s like school; it’s interesting. I’m learning that I can be teachable at age 38,” he told Spin magazine shortly after completing the program
“I would sometimes drink before we played. It wasn’t a big deal. It became a bigger deal when I stopped doing the other things I liked to do.”
He added:
“I used to ride mountain bikes around with my friends, and we’d keep 40-ouncers where the water bottle was supposed to be. But once I removed the mountain and the bike, there was just the drinking.”
Cornell was one of the rock world’s most beloved figures, and social media tributes from family, friends, and his legion of fans began pouring in within minutes of the news of his death.
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