HOSPITALIZED: PBS talk-show host and CBS "60 Minutes II" correspondent Charlie Rose, 60, is recuperating from elective heart surgery this week to repair a faulty valve, reports the Associated Press. His surgeon, Dr. Wayne Isom, was the same physician who performed David Letterman's heart bypass. . . DIED: Influential music writer and editor Timothy White, 50, died of an apparent heart attack in the New York offices of Billboard magazine Thursday, reports AP. Among his several books were 1998's "Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley" and last year's "James Taylor: Long Ago and Far Away." He also hosted his own nationally syndicated ABC Radio series, "The Timothy White Sessions" . . . HELD: A day after he stunned the nation by declaring the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional because of its inclusion of the words "under God," San Francisco Circuit Judge Alfred T. Goodwin put his ruling on hold Thursday, reports the Associated Press Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft said the government will seek a rehearing . . . BANNED: Pope John Paul II has approved a law that prohibits smoking in all enclosed areas of the 108-acre Vatican, reports Reuters. The "Vetatur Fumare" (Latin for "No Smoking") rule takes effect Monday.