By Jessica Wedemeyer
8:14am PST, Mar 8, 2019
Luke Perry dies at 52 following stroke
"Beverly Hills, 90210" and "Riverdale" star Luke Perry died at 52 on March 4 after suffering a massive stroke in late February. His rep released a statement saying that the beloved actor died surrounded by his two adult children, his fiancée, his ex-wife, his mother and stepfather, his brother and sister, and other close family and friends.
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Gayle King wins praise for her "unflappable" composure during explosive R. Kelly interview
Gayle King earned raves for keeping her cool while speaking with an extremely emotional R. Kelly during an interview for "CBS This Morning" that aired on March 6. The singer became agitated — crying, yelling into a camera and gesturing wildly while standing over the newswoman — while denying allegations that he sexually abused multiple women.
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Wendy Williams returns to talk show, explains two-month hiatus
Wendy Williams returned to her eponymous talk show on March 4 following a two-month hiatus, explaining that she decided to take some time away from the show when she started to feel "thyroid-ish" over the holidays. (The hostess announced in early 2018 that she'd been diagnosed with Graves disease, which causes the immune system to attack the thyroid.) She went on to say that she "wanted to take some time for myself" as her doctors adjusted her meds. She spent her time away from the show hanging out with her family, meditating and going to the gym, she said, adding that health-related absences are "not going to happen anymore" and that she feels "good."
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"Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek diagnosed with pancreatic cancer
On March 6, "Jeopardy!" star Alex Trebek released a video announcing that he's been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer at age 78. The iconic game show host vowed to "fight" and promised that he's "going to keep working," joking that under the terms of his contract, he's committed to hosting "Jeopardy!" for three more years. "With the love and support of my family and friends and with the help of your prayers also, I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease," he said.
Colton Underwood explains his decision to jump the fence on "The Bachelor," says he needed "alone time"
On the "The Bachelor: Women Tell All" special, which aired on March 5, Colton Underwood explained why he hopped the fence following Cassie Randolph's decision to leave the show after he told her he loves her and that she's "the one," saying that he snapped when he returned to the Fantasy Suite alone. "Having the time to myself, I realized I'd been pushed pretty hard, and as much as I say this is the best thing for me, it was a challenge, too, at times," he said. "So I would say having that alone time, [I realized] I needed more of it. The only way to get that was … to say goodbye [to everyone]."
Former "The Voice" contestant dies at 33
Janice Freeman, who competed on Season 13 of "The Voice" in 2017, died at 33 on March 2 following an extreme case of pneumonia and a blood clot in her lungs that traveled to her heart. According to her management team, the singer's husband, Dion, performed CPR at their home in the Los Angeles area until paramedics arrived to transport her to a local hospital, where she passed away shortly after.
How Robin Roberts really felt about that Jussie Smollett interview
During a March 4 appearance at The Cut's How I Get It Done event, Robin Roberts opened up about her mid-February "Good Morning America" interview with Jussie Smollett — during which he recounted the racist and homophobic attack he allegedly suffered in Chicago in late January — calling it "one of the most challenging interviews I've ever had to do." The newswoman said that initially, she was hesitant to sit down with the "Empire" star but ultimately decided that, as a journalist, the opportunity was worthwhile. She went on to say that as a gay black woman, the interview was "a no-win situation" for her because whether she was too hard or too soft on the actor-singer, viewers would be critical of her. Robin also said that because she interviewed Jussie 48 hours before reports surfaced alleging that he staged the attack, she had no reason to believe he wasn't a victim.
"The Facts of Life" actress Mitzi Hoag dies at 86
Mitzi Hoag — who portrayed the mother of Mindy Cohn's Natalie Green on "The Facts of Life" and starred opposite Paul Sorvino on the short-lived CBS sitcom "We'll Get By" — died at her home in the Los Angeles area on Feb. 26. She was 86.
