DIED: McDonald's chief executive James R. Cantalupo, 60, who was helping to revive the flagging fortunes of the Golden Arches, died unexpectedly Monday of an apparent heart attack in Orlando, at the opening of a company convention to celebrate the fast-food-firm's turnaround. Cantalupo, credited with putting healthy items on the McDonald's menu, had been at the helm for 16 months.
QUOTED: "The withdrawal was so hard that I was ready to kill -- which was actually helpful for the role I was playing." -- "Troy" star Brad Pitt, 40, to the German magazine Cinema, about quitting smoking
NAMED: Miramax Films co-chairman Harvey Weinstein, 52, will be made an honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II for his "outstanding contribution to the British film industry." Among Miramax's releases was "Shakespeare in Love."
OFFERED: A 1980 signed sketch believed to be the last thing John Lennon wrote before being assassinated about half an hour later is on sale for $325,000, reports Reuters. The seller, Rabiah Seminole, said she was working at a Manhattan recording studio on Dec. 8, 1980 when Lennon left the building with Yoko Ono at about 10:25 p.m. She asked him for an autograph and he dashed off a sketch of two faces, signing it "for Ribeah, love, John." Ono also signed it. Seminole said she had decided to sell the sketch to raise money for a horse rescue center she runs in Chesapeake, Va.
SOLD: Elton John's antique piano sold for $164,500 and a guitar owned by Kurt Cobain during his early days with Nirvana was purchased for $117,500 at a Dallas auction, reports the Associated Press. Buyers' names were not disclosed. Heritage Galleries of Dallas conducted the "Icons of 20th Century Music Auction" Saturday night in conjunction with the 27th annual Dallas Guitar Show and MusicFest 2004. The Cobain guitar, which was the only known right-handed Mark IV-style guitar in the world, had been modified so Cobain could play it left-handed.
UNTANGLED: James Brown, 70, has cleared several hurdles in his desire to re-marry his current wife, Tomi Rae Brown, 30, who was still married to her first husband, Javed Ahmed of Pakistan, when she married the Godfather of Soul three years ago. A family court judge in Charleston, S.C., recently dissolved the Ahmed union, permitting James to annul his marriage to Tomi Rae for the purpose of remarrying her, say wire reports. Brown first sought an annulment after he was charged with domestic violence in January. (A South Carolina sheriff's report alleges he pushed Tomi Rae to the floor during an argument and threatened to kill her while menacing her with a chair.) Brown later denied the accusations, saying, "I would never hurt my wife. I love her very much."
