Entertainment
Country Music Legend, Kenny Rogers Dies at 81
Kenny Rogers, the country musician behind such hits as “The Gambler” and “Lady” over a six-decade career, has died at the age of 81, his family announced early Saturday.
“Rogers passed away peacefully at home from natural causes under the care of hospice and surrounded by his family,” according to a statement from his management firm, SKH Music.
His family plans a small private service due to the coronavirus outbreak, the statement said.
Rogers is well-known for hits like “The Gambler,” “Lady,” “Islands in the Stream,” “Lucille,” “She Believes In Me” and “Through the Years.”
The three-time Grammy winner and county music icon Dolly Parton were frequent collaborators and paired to make some of country music’s most enduring duets, including “Islands in the Stream,” “Love is Strange,” “Real Love,” and “You Can’t Make Old Friends.”
Rogers announced in 2015 that after spending more than 50 years in the business, he planned to retire and told NBC’s “Today” then that he was saying goodbye.
“I’ve done this long enough,” the Texas native said, adding that he wanted to spend more time with his children.
Rogers had 24 number-one hits over his career and is a six-time County Music Association winner. He had Grammy awards and was nominated 19 times.
The entertainer was inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013, the same year he was awarded the County Music Association’s Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award.
Entertainment
Actor Lalude Laments Unpaid N1.5m Promised Him by MC Oluomo to Campaign for Tinubu, Sanwo-Olu
Nollywood actor, Fatai Adekunle Adetayo, popularly known as Lalude, has accused the president of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), MC Oluomo, of failing to fulfil financial promises made to celebrities who campaigned for President Bola Tinubu and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, during the 2023 general elections.
Speaking during a recent episode of the Beyond the Fame podcast, Lalude expressed deep disappointment over what he described as abandonment, revealing that he and other entertainers were promised N1.5 million each by MC Oluomo but never received a dime.
Lalude, known for his iconic ‘babalawo’ roles in Yoruba movies, said he and other actors, including comedian Ganiu ‘Alapini’ Nofiu, were lodged and made to campaign for weeks without proper compensation.
According to him, they initially received N10,000 daily for feeding, but even that was stopped abruptly.
“We were camped for seven weeks. We trekked long distances every day while MC Oluomo followed us in his car. In the end, we were abandoned,” he lamented.
He claimed that both he and Alapini were promised N1.5 million each, a promise that was never fulfilled.
‘We finished the work and no dime was given to us. Is it good? It was MC who called us.
“MC promised me and Alapini. He asked us to demand for whatever we wanted. We did but we got nothing up till date.
“He took us to where we lodged to campaign for the president. He promised to give us N1.5 million each.
“Whoever is behind these misdeeds will not prosper. I know they will still come to us by 2027 and we are waiting for them?” He added bitterly.
This comes just days after veteran Nollywood actor Ganiu Nafiu, popularly known as Alapini, and actress Bukky Adekogbe Raji, also known as Aminatu Papapa, expressed deep regret for supporting President Tinubu during the 2023 presidential campaign.
Popular Nigerian film and stage producer, Kayode Peters, has passed away in Canada.
“Yes, he is,” Yaw told Peoples Gazette when asked if Mr Peters had died. “I am still trying to speak with his brother but he is not picking.”
Circumstances surrounding the producer’s death remain unclear as of the time of this report.
Mr Peters was known for his work on several stage plays and sitcoms, including Extended Family, and he was behind the hit comedy sitcom Flatmates in the early 2000s. He was also regarded as a significant contributor to Nigeria’s contemporary theatre and television space.
Anna Wintour has stepped down as the editor-in-chief of Vogue after an impressive 37-year tenure.
According to recent reports, Condé Nast, the publisher of Vogue, has initiated the search for her successor.
This significant development marks a new era in the fashion industry, given Wintour’s unparalleled influence in shaping Vogue’s editorial direction and cementing its position as a global fashion authority.
As Wintour’s legacy continues to inspire future generations of fashion enthusiasts and industry professionals, her departure raises questions about Vogue’s future direction and the potential shifts in editorial focus.
However, the circumstances surrounding her departure remain undisclosed.
