L'Wren Scott, designer and Jagger's girlfriend, found dead

Fashion designer L'Wren Scott and longtime girlfriend of Mick Jagger has been found dead of an apparent suicide, reports the AP, ABC News and the New York Daily News.

Scott's body was found hanging from a scarf on a doorknob by her assistant at her New York apartment around 10 a.m. Monday, reports the Daily News. The AP reports an official as saying no note was found and there was no sign of foul play. The medical examiner's office will determine the cause of death.

Fran Curtis, a spokesperson for Jagger, tells USA TODAY that the singer is "completely shocked and devastated by the news." Scott had been in a relationship with the Rolling Stones frontman for more than a decade. Jagger is currently on tour with his band and recently arrived in Australia.

Scott, who began her career as a model, was an established designer whose designs were worn by A-listers including Nicole Kidman, Sarah Jessica Parker, Angelina Jolie, Penelope Cruz, Amy Adams, Madonna and Michelle Obama. In 2012, Jagger visited the White House where he was delighted to see the first lady wearing his girlfriend's designs. "It was so great to see the first lady wearing L'Wren Scott clothes when we were at the White House the other day," he proudly pointed out during an interview at the time with USA TODAY. "So that was really good. And I didn't see much of Fashion Week because I only came up for the last day. I'm not really that much of a Fashion Week groupie, but I went to L'Wren's show and that was great."

In December, a special limited edition collection of L'Wren Scott designs for Banana Republic made her style more attainable for the masses and quickly sold out. The company has tweeted that they are "stunned and saddened to learn of the loss of L'Wren Scott. Our hearts and prayers go out to her friends and family."
Other retailers and notables throughout the fashion world, as well as celebrities, took to Twitter to express their condolences.

Marc Jacobs: "Rest in peace, L'Wren Scott. You'll forever be missed."
Cushnie et Ochs: "RIP L'wren Scott, so sad to lose a beautiful strong female designer."
Bette Midler: "Just got news of the beautiful L'wren Scott's death perhaps by her own hand. I am devastated. A rare, wonderful, talented soul. Goodbye."
Olivia Munn: "Shocked and saddened by the passing of @lwrenscott ... she was an amazing soul, talented artist and an unbelievably giving friend. RIP."
Jaimie Alexander: "This is extremely sad news. RIP L'Wren Scott. You were most certainly one of a kind."
Nina Garcia: "Saddened over the loss of the very talented, generous and always gracious L'Wren Scott. You will be missed"
Neiman Marcus: "It is with great sadness that we've learned about the tragic loss of designer L'Wren Scott. #RIP"
Gilt.com: "Deeply saddened to hear about the passing of L'Wren Scott—a brilliant fashion mind and a beautiful woman. Our thoughts are with Mick."

Cindy Clark USA

 

 

Charlotte Dawson found dead at her Sydney home

ONE of Australia’s most popular television identities, Charlotte Dawson, has been found dead at the age of 47 after a long history of depression. 

The Kiwi-born former model is understood to have been found by a security guard in the early hours of this morning having failed to show up to a planned lunch date.

Police confirmed they were called to Wooloomooloo wharf at 11.18am and there were no suspicious circumstances to the death.

Charlotte Dawson was found dead in her apartment at Woolloomooloo today. Pictured is a police van entering the private wharf driveway. Source: News Corp Australia

 

Police at the doorstep of the apartment where Dawson died. Source: News Corp Australia

 

The tragic news led to an immediate outpouring of grief on social media networks.

Radio personalities Kyle and Jackie O were among the first to express their shock. “Heartbroken to hear news that Charlotte Dawson has died,” they tweeted.

At least one close friend contacted soon after Dawson was found dead admitted the troubled TV host and former model was in “the worst shape emotionally” they had ever seen her — and on more than one occasion had failed to meet friends at organised times in the three days leading up to her death.

It is understood it was Dawson’s failure to appear at a lunch appointment — as well as the fact her Twitter account had remained dormant for 19 hours — that alerted one friend to contact the building manager at Dawson’s apartment building early Saturday morning.

A security guard then made the discovery in Dawson’s unit, number 104, and raised the alarm, with police arriving soon after to remove the body.

Fellow Woolloomooloo wharf resident Russell Crowe was in tears as he heard the news today. Source: News Corp Australia

 

“She was in very bad shape. Terrible shape,” said a friend, who asked not to be named.
“She had failed to show up to a lunch a couple of days ago and then when I had seen she hadn’t tweeted in almost a day it was clear something was wrong.”

"She was in very bad shape. Terrible shape"

Police are believed to have entered Dawson’s up-market waterfront apartment complex through a back entrance, with diners at Woolloomooloo Wharf restaurants continuing lunch oblivious to the fact Dawson had only hours earlier taken her life in a nearby unit.

One waiter at the nearest eatery to Dawson’s apartment said there had been no visible sign of police entry.

A major anti-online bullying advocate, Dawson had long documented her struggles with depression via her Twitter account.

She had previously had one highly-publicised suicide attempt back in September 2012, after copping a barrage of abuse on social media.

Since then she had been vocal about her battle with mental illness and also wrote at length about it in her tell-all book Air Kiss And Tell.

A long-time judge on the popular cable modelling series Australia’s Next Top Model, it was announced last year that Dawson would not be returning the show after a cast shake-up.

Dawson with Australia's Next Top Model judges Alex Perry, Sarah Murdoch and Jaz Daly. Source: News Limited

 

Despite putting on a brave face at the time, friends admitted Dawson took the axing particularly hard but had recently talked optimistically about new ventures.

As news broke today of Dawson’s death, friends rushed to social media to share their grief — with former international modelling pal and fellow Kiwi Rachel Hunter writing; “I’m devastated, such an amazing & kind soul. Heartbreaking!”

Dawson’s former boss at Foxtel, Brian Walsh, also offered his condolences, releasing a statement that read: “This is tragic news and deeply sad. Everyone at Foxtel is devastated. Our sympathies are with Charlotte’s family and friends.”

For support and information about suicide prevention, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.

Dawson with good friend Alex Perry and Megan Gale. Source: Supplied

 

Dawson in a favourite holiday photo. Source: News Limited

 

RIP CHARLOTTE DAWSON 1966 - 2014

Leave your tributes below     Amy Harris

Devo Guitarist Bob Casale Dead At 61

Casale, a founding member of Devo, played on "Whip It" and all the group's albums

Devo guitarist Bob Casale, who played with the group alongside his brother Gerald from the original incarnation of the groundbreaking Akron new wave band in 1973 all the way through their recent tours, died suddenly on February 17th of heart failure. He was 61. 

"As an original member of Devo, Bob Casale was there in the trenches with me from the beginning," Gerald said in a statement. "He was my level-headed brother, a solid performer and talented audio engineer, always giving more than he got. He was excited about the possibility of Mark Mothersbaugh allowing Devo to play shows again. His sudden death from conditions that lead to heart failure came as a total shock to us all."

Though he often ceded the spotlight to his brother Gerald and Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh, Bob Casale played on every single album and was instrumental in their production.

The original members of Devo grew up in Akron, Ohio, and were inspired form a band after personally witnessing the Kent State massacre in 1970. "We came of age in the middle of a huge cultural war. This country was basically in the midst of a new civil war — the lines were drawn very clearly," Bob Casale said in a 2012 interview with Under the Radar. "[We formed the band because] it was a more immediate way of self-expression that required less money and no outside permission. You try to make a film and you have to come up with the money, you need a big crew, you need to ask people for favors and get permission. If you have an idea for a song you can pretty much go into your basement with your band mates and do it."

Devo broke up in 1991, but reformed five years later and toured steadily over the past two decades. They released Something for Everybody in 2010, their first album in 20 years. "We wanted to be Devo again," Bob Casale said. "And so you can’t help but sound like Devo – we weren’t going to try and sound like anybody else, we were just going to do what we do and try and write good songs with the same kind of attention to lyrical content and song structure as we’ve always given all of our work."

Bob is survived by his son, Alex, his daughter, Samantha, and his wife, Lisa.

By Andy Greene
February 18, 2014 12:24 PM ET