As a child in Oregon, Daveigh Chase entered local talent shows where her vocal ability was warmly recognized and critically praised. On a trip to Los Angeles, she began attending casting calls, eventually landing a role in a Campbell’s Soup commercial at the age of seven.

In 1998, Daveigh was cast in a small role in the sitcom Sabrina the Teen-Age Witch. This led to more roles in episodic television, including a part in a Michael Landon biopic playing his daughter Shawna. Daveigh’s breakout role came in 2001 when she was part on an ensemble cast in the cult favorite Donnie Darko, portraying the title character’s little sister. The role spawned a universally-panned sequel nine years later. While the film was slammed, Daveigh’s performance was lauded.

Soon, Hollywood couldn’t get enough of the budding young star. She played the malevolent Samara Morgan in the American version of the Japanese horror film The Ring. She lent her voice to Disney’s Lilo and Stitch, giving life to the human part of the cartoon duo. Daveigh was tapped to continue the role when the film was made into a TV series. She contributed to the English dubs of the popular Japanese aminated film Spirited Away. She appeared in several more movies before taking a role in the HBO series Big Love with Bill Paxton. After wrapping up a role in the 2016 independent horror movie Jack Goes Home, Daveigh promptly withdrew from public life.

In late 2015, Daveigh failed to show up for a meeting with director Rob Reiner. She had no contact with friends and family. She began to abuse drugs and she experienced periods of homelessness, including living on the streets of Los Angeles’ notorious Skid Row. In 2017, Daveigh was questioned by police when she was seen leaving an unidentified and unresponsive man at a Los Angeles hospital. Later the same year, she was arrested for being a passenger in a car that been reported stolen. In 2019, she was arrested several times on drug charges, once spending a short time in jail. Her former manager, John Ryan, began researching and filming a documentary called Finding Lilo about his former client’s descent from fame.

In June 2026, 35 year-old Daveigh was admitted to Los Angeles General Medical Center for treatment of severe malnutrition. During her stay, her health quickly declined, exasperated by meningitis, blood infections, multiple substances abuse and AIDS. Doctors concluded that she had very little time left. Daveigh passed away on June 16.

In the wake of her death, her alleged boyfriend started a GoFundMe campaign, asking fans to pay her Daveigh’s accrued medical expenses and cremation fees. John Ryan, along with Daveigh’s estrange father, publicly denounced the campaign, advising fans not to donate. They did not know Daveigh’s boyfriend and feared ulterior motives for the funds. Ryan explained that Daveigh had an untouched trust fund, started by the Screen Actors Guild, and that funeral and cremation expenses were being handled by her family.

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Arthur “T-Boy” Ross grew up in a rough part of Detroit. He hung with a rough group until his sister, singer Diana Ross, brought him into Motown Records as a songwriter. T-Boy began a prolific and successful career as a songwriter. He collaborated with Leon Ware and the duo composed songs Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson, including the Top 20 hit “I Wanna Be Where You Are.” (The song was later covered by Dusty Springfield, The Fugees, Melissa Manchester, as well as Marvin Gaye.) T-Boy co-produced Marvin Gaye’s 1976 album I Want You. During production T-Boy and Ware had a falling out and the partnership was dissolved.

In 1979, T-Boy released his one and only solo album Changes. Despite a guest performance by jazz pianist Joe Sample, the album sold poorly. T-Boy was frustrated with the music business and he left the spotlight in 1980, disappearing into a very private life and living off of his royalties. He distanced himself from his family.

On June 22, 1996, police discovered the decaying bodies of T-Boy Ross and his wife Patricia in the basement of a house in suburban Detroit. They had been bound and gagged. Suffocation was determined to be the cause of death. Investigations revealed that the couplie had died approximately three weeks prior to their discovery. Since T-Boy had contact with very few people, no one had reported him missing. He was scheduled to appear in court for a hearing for drug possession charges. The court date was four days after his body was found.

T-Boy was 47 years old. His wife was 54.

In 2012, T-Boy’s solo album was re-issued on CD. It included a previously unreleased song called “To The Baby,” a tribute to his sister and her daughters Rhonda and Tracee Ellis.

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After a successful run on regional stage and summer stock, Queens-born Joy Harmon was a contestant on the final season of Groucho Marx’s game show You Bet Your Life. Groucho was so taken by Joy’s good looks and bubbly personality that she was tagged to appear regularly on his follow-up series Tell It to Groucho. The show’s soap manufacturer sponsor insisted that she be credited as “Patty Harmon,” hoping to avoid any association with “Joy” dishwashing soap, its main competitor.

Joy began to take small acting roles on 60s TV series like Gidget, Batman, That Girl and The Monkees. On the big screen, Joy appeared as the 30-foot tall “Merrie” in the teen sci-fi spoof Village of the Giants, where she famously dangled a regular-sized Johnny Crawford from her bikini top. In 1967, she took on her most memorable role as “Lucille,” the scantily-clad blond bombshell seductively washing her car to the delight of prison inmates Paul Newman and George Kennedy in the film Cool Hand Luke. Joy had a guest role in the short-lived sitcom Thicker Than Water, her final screen credit before leaving show business to raise her family.

Out of the spotlight for three decades, Joy opened Aunt Joy’s Cakes, a bakery in Burbank that catered to movie and TV studios. Joy worked with her three children and the business venture proved unbelievably successful. Aunt Joy’s Cakes became the “go-to” bakery for parties by nearly every studio in Hollywood. Joy continued to work in the bakery until she entered the hospital with pneumonia 2026. Her health declined and Joy entered home hospice. She passed away on April 14, 2026 at the age of 87.

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Dee Palmer attended the Royal Academy of Music, studying composition under Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, an Oscar-nominated composer. She began her career as a freelance arranger, working with various producers at various studios. In 1968, she was referred to Terry Ellis, then manager of up-and-coming rock band Jethro Tull, as an arranger and orchestrator. Jethro Tull was about to record their debut album and Dee was there to offer her musical touch for the horns and strings. The band loved her work and she was signed on for arrangements for Stand Up, their second album.

Dee worked with Jethro Tull for years, providing innovative and intricate arrangements for thirteen albums spanning two decades. In 1976, Dee was officially welcomed as a full-time member of the band, playing keyboards and other electronic instruments on Tull’s foray into folk-rock Songs from the Wood.

In 1980, the driving force behind Jethro Tull, founder, flutist and lead vocalist Ian Anderson was preparing to record his first solo album. The record label persuaded Anderson to issue it as a Jethro Tull album. He agreed, and promptly fired every member of the band, save for long-time guitarist Martin Barre. Dee and pianist John Evan went on to form the unsuccessful band Tallis. Afterwards, Dee returned to scoring films and session work.

In 1998, Dee came out as transgender and underwent several surgeries. She explained that she had struggled with gender dysphoria her entire life, but that it had intensified after the 1995 death of her wife Maggie.

Dee’s death in early June 2026 was announced by Ian Anderson on the official Jethro Tull website. Over the years, Anderson has revealed himself to be a crotchety, self-centered, mean-spirited, typical old British narrow-minded White guy. His attempted eulogy of his long-time collaborator, bandmate and friend was fraught with disrespectful language and arrogant, self-important sentiment.  It was an inappropriate and sad send-off for someone whose invaluable musical contributions deserved better. Ian Anderson should be ashamed.

Dee Palmer was 88 years old.

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June is Pride Month.

Billy Preston was an in-demand session musician. He contributed to songs by Ray Charles, Little Richard, the Everly Brothers, the Rolling Stones and, famously, the Beatles. Billy was often referred to as “the Fifth Beatle” and was the only musician ever credited on a Beatles recording.

In the 70s, Billy enjoyed a successful solo career with several Top Ten hits and two Number Ones.

In the early 1970s, Billy struck a friendship, both personal and collaborative, with legendary singer-songwriter Sly Stone. At the time, Billy was was engaged to actress and model Kathy Silva. One afternoon, Billy came home to find Sly in bed with Kathy. According to Billy’s friend and manager Joyce Moore, this affected Billy deeply. It triggered long-suppressed homosexual feelings and Billy never had a relationship with a woman again. Brought up in a very conservative Christian home, Billy fought his homosexuality nearly his entire life. At this time, he also sank deep into drug culture, specifically cocaine. He was arrested on several occasions for drug possession, as well as charges of child molestation and exhibiting pornographic material to a minor. He was sentenced to house arrest and ordered to enter a drug rehabilitation program.

Billy’s troubles continued with more arrests, jail time and and indictment for insurance fraud. Eventually, Billy turned himself around and was drug-free. Sadly, Billy dealt with kidney disease. Despite receiving a kidney transplant in 2002, his health deteriorated. In 2005, Billy suffered respiratory failure and slipped into a coma. He never regained consciousness and died in June 2006. He was 59 years old.

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