The latest news on today's hottest celebrities ...
EARL SCRUGGS: Bluegrass icon and banjo master Earl Scruggs died Wednesday at a Nashville hospital, his family said. He was 88.
CMT.com confirmed the musician's death, but didn't report the cause of it.
The North Carolina native is perhaps best known for performing with Lester Flatt the theme for "The Beverly Hillbillies" television series. The frequent collaborators won a Grammy Award in 1969 for "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" and were inducted together into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1985.
Throughout his career, Scruggs played with Zeke and Wiley Morris, Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys, the Carolina Wildcats, Lost John Miller, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and the Foggy Mountain Boys.
Among the classic songs Scruggs recorded with Monroe were "Blue Grass Breakdown," "Heavy Traffic Ahead," "Why Did You Wander," "Will You Be Loving Another Man," "Molly and Tenbrooks" and "I'm Going Back to Old Kentucky,"
CMT.com said.
Back problems forced Scruggs to stop touring extensively in 1980 but he continued to perform occasionally and record new music until shortly before his death, the country music Web site said.
He won a Grammy for his 2001 version of "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," featuring Steve Martin and Vince Gill, and was presented with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003.
Scruggs' wife and longtime manager Louise died in 2006. He is survived by two sons, Gary and Randy, both of Nashville. A third son, Steve, died in 1992.
Funeral arrangements are pending,
CMT.com said.
ROBIN GIBB: Robin Gibb's publicist says the British singer is recovering from intestinal surgery he had during the weekend in the United Kingdom.
E! News said Gibb remained hospitalized Wednesday. His exact condition and where he had the operation were not reported.
The 62-year-old performer recently said he was in remission from colon cancer that spread to his liver.
Gibb's latest health crisis led him to cancel several upcoming public appearances, however, he is still scheduled to attend the premiere of the London Royal Philharmonic's performance of his classical piece, "The Titanic Requiem," April 10, E! said.
"He is currently recovering in hospital and therefore, for the time being, all existing commitments prior to the 'Titanic Requiem' concert, have had to be canceled," his publicist said.
BOBBY BROWN: Bobby Brown's attorney says the R&B star wasn't driving erratically when he was arrested this week in Los Angeles for allegedly driving under the influence.
The 43-year-old New Edition singer was arrested Monday after police pulled him over for talking on his cell phone and determined he was impaired when he allegedly failed a field sobriety test. Brown was arrested and taken to the Van Nuys police station jail, then released on his own recognizance about two hours later.
"Everyone is innocent until proven guilty, and Mr. Brown was not driving erratically," Tiffany Feder, Brown's lawyer, told
People.com in a statement Wednesday. "He was speaking on his cell phone. Mr. Brown has not been convicted of anything associated with this incident. Mr. Brown is taking this matter seriously and an investigation is underway. The legal process shall run its course."
Brown has been in the spotlight since his ex-wife, multiple-Grammy Award winning recording star Whitney Houston, drowned last month in a hotel bathtub after using cocaine and prescription drugs.
The recording artists, who both battled addictions to drugs and alcohol over the years, have one child together, 19-year-old daughter Bobbi Kristina.
Brown has a history of arrests for battery, motor vehicle-related offenses and parole violations.
BRADLEY COOPER: Bradley Cooper and Zoe Saldana have ended their 3-month romance, sources close to the former Hollywood couple told
UsMagazine.com.
Cooper, 37, and Zoe Saldana, 33, worked together on the upcoming thriller "Words."
They were first seen kissing at a New Year's Eve party, but sources said their relationship was short-lived.
"They're definitely not together," an insider told
UsMagazine.comWednesday.
"She and Bradley weren't super-serious at all," another friend said.
Best known for his work in the "Hangover" movies, Cooper is People magazine's current Sexiest Man Alive title holder.
Saldana has starred in the films "Avatar" and "Star Trek."
By United Press International
