It was announced earlier today that once teen heartthrob and 80’s movie superstar Corey Haim passed away from a drug overdose. Best known as being one half of The Two Coreys, along with his long time friend Corey Feldman the couple took cinema by storm with a string of hits from the mid eighties to early nineties. The double act starred in movies such as Dream a Little Dream, Licence to Drive and most notably The Lost Boys before the pressures of teen stardom took their toll.

While Both Corey’s were plagued with drug addictions, Feldman eventually managed to get back on his feet, Haim on the other hand seemed to be struggling. After publicly going off the rails, he attempted to start anew. Placing an add in Hollywood magazine Variety which stated “I’m clean, I’m ready to work” Haim started focused his efforts on the reality show The Two Coreys and starred in the direct to DVD sequel to The Lost Boys. However, his clean streak was short lived as ghosts of old vices soon caught up with him.

Whatever your opinion of Haim, today is surely a sad day for any fan of 80’s escapism movies.  With their big hair and beat up Nike’s  – the Corey’s defined an era of cinema which evokes feelings of nostalgia for anyone currently in their mid twenties. It’s a shame that Haim died so young without experiencing redemption in the eyes of his fans and the public.  Both on screen and off, he’ll forever be remembered as the original lost boy.

Standing awkwardly on stage, his long brown hair covering his grinning face and his eyes masked with sunglasses, to look at Mitch Hedberg you’d think he hated being a stand-up comedian. Born in St.Paul Minnesota, Hedberg quickly became well known in the local comedy circuit performing with the Minneapolis Acme Comedy Company.  It wasn’t long before he got his own Comedy Central special and broke into the big time. Known for his unusual style and laid back delivery, he invented his own brand of off-the-wall observational humour and quirky one-liners. By analysing the most ordinary aspects of everyday existence, he’d find the inspiration for his unique off- the-wall comedy.

A regular on The Late Show with David Letterman, he had minor roles in 2000’s Almost Famous, 2005’s Lords of Dogtown and appeared briefly on That 70’s Show.  However, his on stage persona combined with his tendency to mumble, didn’t really translate well to sitcoms or television roles and when most comics moved into television work, Hedberg found it difficult. Although this was no major downfall; tipped by Time Magazine as the next Jerry Seinfeld, it was on stage where Hedberg really came alive.  At times audiences weren’t quite sure what to make of him, his relaxed tone made many people think he was high or drunk, and in most cases they were right. Despite being born with a heart defect, Hedberg was known to be a frequent drug user, occasionally appearing on stage high in order to help him ease into his sets.  Things took a more serious turn in 2003 when he was arrested in Austin, Texas for possession of heroin. On March 30th 2005, Mitch was found dead in his New Jersey hotel room.  The official cause of death was heart failure caused by the injection of a ‘Speedball’ – a deadly mix of heroin and cocaine.  The same drug-cocktail which claimed the lives of comedians John Belushi and Chris Farley. Mitch Hedberg would have been 42 this year; a comedian passed before his time.  His brief career has received a second lease of life since his untimely death. Makes you wonder what Mitch would say to of all of this.  With a microphone in one hand and a vodka on the rocks in the other, he’d probably something like “ha . . . alright”.

Spotify: Do You Believe In Gosh? (2009) / Mitch All Together (2003) / Strategic Grill Locations (1999)

A tortured soul hidden behind the face of a creative genius, with a mind for making the unconvenional, theatrical and avant garde come to life through his collections.

Lee Alexander McQueen has always used shock tactics throughout his career. From an early catwalk show titled ‘Highland Rape’, to his futuristic shoes that stormed the catwalk last year, he never ceases to amaze and surprise. Yet as the news of his death spread like wild fire today, is this the greatest shock of them all?

In my eyes he is the only designer who so perfectly sums up English style – original, imaginitive and wonderfully eccentric. We have lost an irreplaceable icon of British fashion.

Goodbye McQueen, take your final bow.

Sadly last night garage rocker Jay Reatard pasted away during his sleep at the young age of only 29.

TV Chef Keith Floyd passed away yesterday, He will generally be remembered for his exuberance and love of food and alcohol. To me he represents somebody who enjoyed the finest quality things in life, largely without the hedonism we encourage in our own generation he died of a heart attack but survived a stroke and severe cancer prior to that. It was his natural enthusiasm for cooking and the enjoyment of eating that has spawned our current crop of fashionable TV foodies. watch him make a wicked fish stew after the jump featuring two whole bottle of wine

Continue Reading Keith Floyd Dies

Surely the greatest achievement a filmmaker can hope for is to be remembered, to speak to your audience directly so that even if the filmmaker fades away into obscurity, his or her films endure. It would be fair to say that writer and director John Hughes, who sadly passed away this week aged 59, did just that.

Continue Reading John Hughes, 1959-2009

On June 25th Michael Jackson died at the age of 50 after suffering a cardiac arrest at his Los Angeles home.

Veteran star of the screen David Carradine, probably best known for his roles as Kwai Chang Caine in the popular 70’s television series Kung Fu and the eponymous Bill in Tarrantino’s Kill Bill two part-er passed away this week aged 72. Suicide? Accidental death? Murder? All these rumours surround Carradine’s passing. As of yet the true cause of death is not known, what is though is that another movie icon is gone.

If Hollywood has shown us anything, it’s that rarely does a star die peacefully at home after a long accomplished life. Carradine was fortunate enough to leave a long and varied legacy; here is a list of five who were not so fortunate.

Continue Reading Live Fast…

Jay Bennett died on sunday, aged 45. The former Wilco member was a driving force behind the bands phenomenal “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” album. The cause of death is not yet known.

“We are all deeply saddened by this tragedy. We will miss Jay as we remember him — as a truly unique and gifted human being and one who made welcome and significant contributions to the band’s songs and evolution. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends in this very difficult time.”
-Jeff Tweedy (Wilco)

On May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard piloted the Freedom 7 mission on its 15-minute ascent 116 miles above the Earth and became the first American to travel into space. He later went on to commanded the Apollo 14 mission and was the fifth person to walk on the moon. Alan died on July 21, 1998 but 48 years later his legacy still lives on.