Def Jam recording exec found dead

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Shakir Stewart, the executive that succeeded Jay-Z as the head of Def Jam , reportedly committed suicide in Atlanta this weekend. Stewart was the responsible for signing Rick Ross and Young Jeezy to the Def Jam label. He was graduate of Morehouse college. His fiancée and family said he had been acting very unusual the past couple of weeks, but they are still in total shock.

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Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.

Star-Snitch remembers Aaliyah Jan.16, 1979 - Aug. 25, 2001

On the anniversary of a true loss, we honor Aaliyah's career and her legacy. She truly did impact the world of music and her star still shines bright today. Today we will remember her in photos, video, and in words.

Photos: A small collection of Aaliyah pics

Video: Some of my favorite Aaliyah videos

Aaliyah - Are you that somebody


Aaliyah – One in a Million


Missy & Magoo featuring Aaliyah – Up Jumps the Boogie

Aaliyah – We need a Resolution

Words: Aaliyah Quotes

Aaliyah on image:

"I put a lot of pressure on myself to be true to myself and not let anything else influence me to do what someone else is doing. Being a little edgy and sexy is me. My image isn't a put-on. I'm happy to put over that dark edge in my videos, because it's always been there. I used to wear my sunglasses or have my hair over one eye a lot more when I was younger. [Now] I'm happy with all aspects of myself."

Aaliyah on her dream movie role:

"I would have loved to have played Clarice Starling in Silence Of The Lambs, which is one of my favorite movies of all time. It's the best adaptation of a novel I've seen other than The Godfather."

Aaliyah on her personality:

"I'm a complex person! It's part of Aaliyah. What people don't know about me is that I've very kind and jovial, but there are also times when I'm very melancholy. When I'm with my close friends and my family--I'm very close to my parents [who are also her managers] and my brother--we laugh all the time.”

Aaliyah on the track “Try Again”:

"When I first heard that track, I went nuts for it!…I felt all the sounds and the beats. When it came time for me to do my verses, I was basically dancing while I was singing. That comes across on the melody. If you're feeling it, then everyone will feel it."

Aaliyah on her music:

"Lyrically, I want things to be different," she stresses. "Very deep. I love deep songs. I admire Stevie Wonder, because he's someone that can take a love song and really put you in a whole 'nother place. I want to touch everybody. I think I'm a sweet person, very laid-back, but I'm also very complex. I want my music and the work that I do to stress that. It can't be one-dimensional."

Aaliyah on New York:

"I love New York,…I'm really happy. It allows me to do what I want to do. I mean, basically, I'm a homebody. I go to the movies or play laser-tag or go bowling. But then I also like to dance. I wanna take salsa classes when I get back to New York. I don't wanna go to a [salsa] club and get out there [on the dance floor] and not be able to really dance."

R.I.P. baby girl, we love you

Update on Julius "Sho'nuff" Carey

It has been confirmed that the 56 year old character actor did indeed pass away on Tuesday August 19 in L.A. He is survived by his wife Naomi. We first reported news of his death yesterday afternoon.

He had recurring roles on TV shows including "Two Guys And Girl," "Boy Meets World" "Grown Ups,""The District," "Cosby," "Murphy Brown,""It's A Living" and "Duet."
Carry appeared in more than 100 guest roles including "Hill Street Blues" "Jag," "Spin City" and "Moesha."

His most famous performance was as the villain Sho'nuff in the cult pic "The Last Dragon."

Source

In memory of him, here is a clip from the movie "The Last Dragon"

RIP LeRoi Moore, and Happy B-day Issac Hayes

The saxophonist for the Dave Matthews Band, LeRoi Moore (46), died last night from complications from a June accident. He had started rehab in his home for broken ribs and a punctured lung.

Our prayers are with his family.

And Happy Birthday to Issac Hayes. The star would have been 66 today.

Details on Issac Hayes funeral revealed...

Issac Hayes’ funeral was held in Memphis over the weekend and Access Hollywood has new details about the service:

Tom Cruise, Denzel Washington, Kelly Preston, Wesley Snipes, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton, Maurice White (of Earth, Wind and Fire), "Shaft" star Richard Roundtree, along with Hayes' family (his wife, children and grandchildren) and the Mayors of both Memphis and Shelby County and members of his band were among the 500 invited guests to the late star's funeral.

The service was presided over by someone from The Church of Scientology, of which Hayes was a long-time member. The ceremony took place at an undisclosed cemetery in Memphis, where Hayes body is interred.

The source told Access the ceremony was a "celebration" rather than a wake and all the people in attendance had known Hayes or had worked with him or had been touched by his works.
Members of the royal family from the African Republic of Ghana came from Africa for the service, the source said. Hayes had been made an honorary member of the Ghanian royal family because of his work there with orphaned children.

RIP Issac Hayes

Music Legend: Issac Hayes Dead at 65

The music genius most known for writing and singing Shaft's theme music, was found dead in his home this Sunday afternoon. Apparently he had collapsed near his treadmill. He just recently finished working on the "Soul Men" movie with Samuel Jackson and Bernie Mac, who passed away yesterday at age 50. Two legends gone this weekend, but will be remembered for their great work! RIP Issac Hayes...

UPDATE: Some new details have surfaced about the sas loss of Isaac Hayes. People.com reports:

“The family had last seen him about noon,” says Steve Shular, public information officer for that office. “Family members had gone to the grocery store and left him home. When the family came home around 1, his wife’s cousin found him lying on the floor in the basement near a treadmill. The treadmill was running, so it is believed that he had been working out.”

Bernie Mac Passes Away...

The associated press reports:

"Actor/comedian Bernie Mac passed away this morning from complications due to pneumonia in a Chicago area hospital," his publicist, Danica Smith, said in a statement from Los Angeles. She said no other details were available and asked that his family's privacy be respected.

He suffered from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the body's organs, but had said the condition went into remission in 2005. He recently was hospitalized and treated for pneumonia, which his publicist said was not related to the disease.

"I came from a place where there wasn't a lot of joy," Mac told the AP in 2001. "I decided to try to make other people laugh when there wasn't a lot of things to laugh about."

Thanks Bernie, you did make us laugh. May you rest in peace.