Cancer, Celebrity Deaths | featured news

Andy Whitfield, the 39-year-old star of the cable series "Spartacus: Blood and Sand," has died. "On a beautiful sunny Sydney spring morning, surrounded by his family, in the arms of his loving wife, our beautiful young warrior Andy Whitfield lost his 18 month battle with lymphoma cancer," Whitfield's wife Vashti said in a statement. "He passed peacefully surrounded by love. Thank you to all his fans whose love and support have help carry him to this point. He will be remembered as the inspiring, courageous and gentle man, father and husband he was."

A son dying young. A six-year battle with cancer. A humiliating betrayal. Americans knew Elizabeth Edwards in large part through her tragedies, but more importantly, they knew her for the vitality and determination she showed in dealing with them. Her cancer incurable and her former-presidential-candidate husband mired in a paternity scandal, she did not shrink from public life but shared her story and advocated for health care reform.

Penthouse magazine founder Bob Guccione died Wednesday of cancer at a Plano, Texas, hospital, his family said Wednesday night.

Critically acclaimed animation director Satoshi Kon, creator of "Millennium Actress," "Paprika" and " Tokyo Godfathers," died of pancreatic cancer Tuesday in Tokyo.

Martin Short's wife, Nancy Dolman, has died at the age of 58. The pair had been married for 30 years. News of Dolman's passing sent Web searches soaring for her biography, photos, and cause of death. E! Online reports that Dolman had been battling cancer for three years.

According to his friend and producer Solar, it was the love of the fans that helped keep rapper Guru going.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the liberal lion of the Senate and haunted bearer of the Camelot torch after two of his brothers fell to assassins' bullets, has died at his home in Hyannis Port after battling a brain tumor. He was 77.

Farrah Fawcett, the blond-maned actress whose best-selling poster and "Charlie's Angels" stardom made her one of the most famous faces in the world, has died. She was 62. Fawcett had been battling anal cancer on and off for three years.

British reality TV celebrity Jade Goody died early Sunday morning following a public battle with cancer, her publicist has announced.