Jurors have found Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, guilty of first-degree murder for orchestrating the death of rap legend Tupac Shakur.

The verdict was reached Monday after the roughly two-week trial came to a close three decades after the music icon’s drive-by shooting death in Las Vegas. The decision was read after only hours of deliberations.

The decision comes after weeks of testimony that largely focused on past interviews and other comments about the killing from Davis, a former gang member who is the only person to ever face criminal charges in the 1996 shooting.

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Jurors began deliberations Monday afternoon to consider the case against Davis, who faces one count of murder with a deadly weapon with gang enhancements. The panel of 10 women and six men heard from two dozen witnesses for the prosecution and three for the defense.

During the delivery of jury instructions Monday, the judge noted that Davis was accused in an indictment alleging an open charge of murder. The charge could have included first- or second-degree murder, a decision that was left to the jury.

Now convicted, Davis faces up to life in prison.

Davis isn’t accused of firing the gunshots that killed Shakur at age 25, but prosecutors have portrayed him as a shot-caller who orchestrated the attack as retribution for a casino lobby brawl earlier on the night of Sept. 7, 1996, that involved Shakur, his entourage and Davis’ nephew.

Much of the prosecution’s case focused on the defendant’s own words about the Las Vegas shooting that stunned the hip-hop world. The case remained unsolved for decades before Davis’ public interviews and 2019 memoir helped revive scrutiny of the killing.

“Under California and Nevada law, if you are the shot-caller, if you hand the gun to somebody, even if you didn’t pull the trigger, it’s all the same,” said NBC4 legal analyst Royal Oakes.

Prosecutors revisited those recordings during closing arguments, claiming the case is “drenched in circumstantial evidence.” Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told jurors that Davis acquired a gun and “went hunting” for Shakur and Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight.

Palal acknowledged Davis’ account changed over the years, but insisted a key element remained the same — Davis placing himself in the Cadillac.

Palal also told jurors the drive-by shooting was planned, suggesting premeditation warranting a conviction on a first-degree murder charge. He pointed to testimony and Davis’ accounts that the group initially searched for Shakur before later spotting him on the road and making a U-turn near the Strip.

“It’s a plan, not an impulse,” Palal said.

Prosecutors also played short clips of Davis’ YouTube interviews, during which he implored viewers to buy his book for what he referred to as “the real truth.” In one clip, Davis shared harsh words about Shakur and the attack at the MGM Grand.

Shakur, who was in Las Vegas for a heavyweight fight between Mike Tyson and Bruce Seldon at the MGM Grand, was riding in a BMW when a white Cadillac pulled up next to it at a red light near the Las Vegas Strip and gunfire erupted. Shakur was shot multiple times and died six days later. The driver of the BMW, Knight, survived.

In a 2008 police interview played for jurors, Davis said he provided the gun and his nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, opened fire. The other men in the Cadillac have since died, limiting eyewitness testimony.

“Let’s be clear, Duane Davis did not pull the trigger. But he did plan the shooting in retaliation of the beating of his nephew,” Palal told jurors during opening statements. “Remarkably, you will learn that from Duane Davis himself.

“Now, 30 years later, we’re going to ask you to finally hold Duane Davis accountable.” 

Davis’ attorneys have disputed the statements and fought unsuccessfully to get them excluded. Attorney Michael Sanft told jurors his client’s words did not represent the truth.

During the defense’s closing argument, attorney Michael Sanft described his client’s words as braggadocio meant to make money, not the truth. He pointed to a lack of physical evidence placing Davis in the Cadillac with the shooter.

Davis wasn’t previously charged because law enforcement knew that he was “full of crap,” Sanft said earlier in the trial.

But prosecutors attempted to portray Davis as an influential gang member. Among the final prosecution witnesses to testify was a former Compton gang detective who characterized Davis as a high-ranking “shot caller.”

Davis’ ultimate authority meant younger gang members would not have opened fire on Shakur with Davis present unless he allowed it, said Robert Ladd, a former Compton police officer who investigated gang homicides in the southern Los Angeles County community.

Davis did not testify.

“Very smart move for him not to testify because in this situation the prosecution was unable to come up with any corroborating evidence of his guilt,” Oakes said. “They can’t really establish, really, that he was in Las Vegas, much less that he was in that car.

“Now, he confessed all that in his memoir, to the police in 08 and 09, podcast interviews, but is that going to be enough,” Oakes said. “Critically, there were inconsistencies in the stories he told that allowed the defense to argue he was just makin it up, he wanted street cred.”

The shooting marked a flashpoint in a dispute with roots in the long-running feud between the Mob Piru Bloods, a gang Knight and Shakur were affiliated with, and the South Side Compton Crips, for whom Davis was a prominent leader. Ladd testified that Shakur’s shooting triggered a 10-day war in Compton between the South Side Crips and Mob Piru, resulting in three killings and 10 attempted murders.

Other witnesses called by the prosecution included former law enforcement officers, including the first to respond to the scene of the shooting; the man who snapped what is believed to be the last photo of Shakur before the shooting; and a former Mob Piru member who helped Knight with security.

Shakur remains a cultural icon and is considered one of the most influential and versatile rappers of all time. He was nominated for six Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.

After his death, Shakur and his influence lived on. He received a posthumous star in 2023 on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a street named after him in Oakland, and will be a character in the upcoming video adventure game “Stranger than Heaven.”

Parton, a Tennessee native, died on Tuesday, Aug. 25 after a brief battle with cancer. She was 80.

“I’d be remiss if I didn’t also talk about the passing of Dolly Parton,” Heupel said Monday. “All that she’s meant across the world, this country, and certainly, the queen of East Tennessee — a lady that was extremely proud of her roots.”

The iconic singer grew up in Sevierville, roughly 30 miles east of Knoxville, where the University of Tennessee is located.

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“You look at (Dolly’s) impact, you know, just her ability to give back, make an impact to people, certainly here in East Tennessee. She means a lot to people across this country,” Heupel said. “We’ll be wearing a sticker patch on the back of our helmet to recognize her accomplishments and everything that she’s meant.”

Parton often spoke about her upbringing as one of 12 children in what she described as a “dirt poor” family. Inspired by her youth, Parton led several initiatives to give back to her hometown, including her nonprofit Imagination Library, which provides children with access to free books.

The sticker, in the Volunteers’ signature orange, features a butterfly similar to the one in the Dollywood logo, with “Dolly” written in white at the center.

Tennessee, ranked No. 20 in the AP Top 25 preseason poll, hosts Furman in its season-opener on Saturday.

The singer and TikTok star known as D4vd pleaded not guilty Monday and was appointed a new attorney at his arraignment on murder and other charges in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

D4vd, whose real name is David Burke, was assigned a new attorney from the public defender’s office during the hearing in a Los Angeles courtroom. His now-former attorney, Blair Berk, told the judge during the brief hearing that her team wishes to step down as counsel.

The judge asked Burke whether that was his wish, to which he replied, “Yes.”

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Burke had already entered a plea of not guilty to charges in a criminal complaint against him. Monday’s plea was to evidence presented at the July preliminary hearing.

His former legal team issued a statement Monday about the change of counsel.

“This morning the court granted out request to withdraw as counsel and appoint the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office after it was determined that David qualified for appointed counsel,” the attorneys said in a joint statement. “We continue to support David and his defense against these serious charges. We are grateful that the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office has taken over the representation and that David has a highly capable and committed team of attorneys and investigators behind him.”

Deputy Public Defender Walid Kandeel was appointed to represent Burke.

“The Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office has been appointed to represent David Burke,” Kandeel said. “We recognize the loss of life underlying the allegations and extend our sympathies to those who are grieving. At the same time, David Burke is entitled to a defense that takes his circumstances seriously and carefully examines the evidence. We are committed to providing him with that defense.

The next proceeding in the case is a status conference on Oct. 19. A trial would be held within 90 days of that date.

“As soon as the defense is ready to proceed, the DA’s office will proceed,” said Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman.

Burke was arrested April 16 in the months-long investigation that began after decomposing remains were discovered in September 2025 inside the storage area of his abandoned Tesla. The car was impounded after it had been parked for an extended period in a Hollywood Hills neighborhood not far from a rental property where Burke had been living.

Police said Celeste’s death likely occurred in the spring of last year. The medical examiner’s office said the cause of death was multiple penetrating injuries caused by and object or objects, which indicates a stabbing.

Burke was charged April 20 with first-degree murder, including special circumstances allegations that can increase sentencing penalties. He also faces one count each of continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains.

Celeste, who disappeared in the Lake Elsinore area in 2024, was identified through forensics. She had been last seen April 5, 2024, in the western Riverside County community.

Burke was ordered to stand trial after a five-day hearing in July when a significant amount of evidence was presented in the case. Disturbing photos, details from forensics investigators and text messages, some from the night authorities said they believe Celeste was killed, were shown by prosecutors.

At a news conference after the judge’s ruling, Hochman said prosecutors methodically presented evidence that included a detailed yearslong timeline of interactions between Burke and Celeste at ages 12, 13 and 14.

Text exchanges were presented at the July hearing, including several from April 22 and 23, 2025, the date prosecutors said they believe Celeste was killed. They included messages in which Celeste threatened to end D4vd’s lucrative music career and the two argued over Burke’s relationship with another girl or woman.

The text messages indicated Burke called for a ride-share pickup on the night of April 23, 2025, at Celeste’s family home in Lake Elsinore to his Hollywood Hills residence.

At 10:10 p.m., Burke texted that the front door was open, according to the messages presented in court. At 10:31 p.m., he texted again to ask for an update on her location. The detective testified that Celeste’s death was likely within that 21-minute window between texts.

Burke’s phone and the Tesla left the residence around 11:30 p.m. and all communication between his phone and Celeste’s stopped after April 26, the detective said.

When questioning the detective, defense attorney Blair Berk — who is no longer his counsel after Monday’s hearing — argued that the text messages suggest it was Celeste who demanded to see him that night after he initially resisted.

She emphasized that the girl’s friends, family and other were aware of the relationship. Monday’s evidence included a notarized child consent form that revealed Celeste’s parents allow her to visit London with Burke in 2024.

Celeste’s decomposed body was found Sept. 8, 2025, after workers at Hollywood Tow reported a strong odor coming from the Tesla registered to the singer. Officers opened the front trunk, also known as a frunk, and found the remains in two cadaver bags.

They were found a day after what would have been Celeste’s 15th birthday.

Burke faces several special circumstances allegations, which can increase penalties at sentencing, including lying in wait, murder for financial gain, murdering a witnesses in an investigation and an allegation that Burke personally used a deadly and dangerous weapon, a sharp instrument, to commit the crime, Hochman said.

The financial gain allegation stemmed from the singer’s music career, which was being threatened by his alleged sexual relationship with the underage girl, Hochman said. Celeste was considered the key witness in that investigation, warranting the allegation of murdering a witness, he said.

Prosecutors told a judge at a hearing in mid-April that devices belonging to Burke contained a “significant amount” of child pornography.

Hochman said possible sentences, if Burke is convicted as charged, include life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. A decision will be made at a later date.

The “Romantic Homicide” singer’s world tour was in Minneapolis at the time of the discovery with a stop in Kansas City the next day. A representative told NBCLA at the time that D4vd was cooperating with authorities in their investigation.

D4vd is a singer-songwriter who rose to fame with viral hits on TikTok, where he has 3.8 million followers. That success led to signings with Darkroom and Interscope Records.

Born in Queens, New York, Burke moved to Texas in his early teens and gained a following on YouTube playing Fortnite and other online games. He started creating original music, some of which went viral on TikTok.

D4vd released his debut album “Withered” in April 2025 and embarked on a world tour.

In an interview on the “Zach Sang Show,” D4vd said the 4 substituted for the a in his name was for search-engine optimization and a representation of four cinematic universes with various characters that he was creating.

Closing arguments were delivered Monday in the Tupac Shakur murder trial after weeks of testimony that largely focused on past interviews and other comments about the killing from the only person to ever face criminal charges in the rap icon’s 1996 shooting death in Las Vegas.

After prosecutors and defense attorney made their final statements, juror began deliberations Monday afternoon in the case of Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, who faces one count of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon with gang enhancements. The former gang leader isn’t accused of firing the gunshots that killed Shakur at age 25, but prosecutors have portrayed him as a shot-caller who orchestrated the attack as retribution for a casino lobby brawl earlier on the night of Sept. 7, 1996 that involved involving Shakur, his entourage and Davis’ nephew.

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The panel of 10 women and six men heard from two dozen witnesses for the prosecution and three for the defense.

During the delivery of jury instructions Monday, the judge noted that Davis is accused in an indictment alleging an open charge of murder. The charge may include first- or second-degree murder, a decision that will be left to the jury if they deliver a conviction.

Much of the prosecution’s case focused on the defendant’s own words about the Las Vegas shooting that stunned the hip-hop world. The case remained unsolved for decades before Davis’ public interviews and 2019 memoir helped revive scrutiny of the killing.

“Under California and Nevada law, if you are the shot-caller, if you hand the gun to somebody, even if you didn’t pull the trigger, it’s all the same,” said NBC4 legal analyst Royal Oakes.

Prosecutors revisited those recordings during closing arguments, claiming the case if “drenched in circumstantial evidence.” Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told jurors that Davis acquired a gun and “went hunting” for Shakur and Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight.

Palal acknowledge Davis’ account changed over the years, but insisted a key element remained the same — Davis placing himself in the Cadillac.

Palal also told jurors the drive-by shooting was planned, suggesting premeditation warranting a conviction on a first-degree murder charge. He pointed to testimony and Davis’ accounts that the group initially searched for Shakur before later spotting him on the road and making a U-turn near the Strip.

“It’s a plan, not an impulse,” Palal said.

Prosecutors also played short clips of Davis’ YouTube interviews, during which he implored viewers to buy his book for what he referred to as “the real truth.” In one clip, Davis shared harsh words about Shakur and the attack at the MGM Grand.

Shakur, who in Las Vegas for a heavyweight fight between Mike Tyson and Bruce Seldon at the MGM Grand, was riding in a BMW when a white Cadillac pulled up next to it at a red light near the Las Vegas Strip and gunfire erupted. Shakur was shot multiple times and died six days later. The driver of the BMW, Knight, survived.

In a 2008 police interview played for jurors, Davis said he provided the gun and his nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, opened fire. The other men in the Cadillac have since died, limiting eyewitness testimony.

“Let’s be clear, Duane Davis did not pull the trigger. But he did plan the shooting in retaliation of the beating of his nephew,” Palal told jurors during opening statements. “Remarkably, you will learn that from Duane Davis himself.

“Now, 30 years later, we’re going to ask you to finally hold Duane Davis accountable,” 

Davis’ attorneys have disputed the statements and fought unsuccessfully to get them excluded. Attorney Michael Sanft told jurors his client’s words did not represent the truth.

During the defense’s closing argument, attorney Michael Sanft described his client’s words as braggadocio meant to make money, not the truth. He pointed to a lack of physical evidence placing Davis in the Cadillac with the shooter.

Davis wasn’t previously charged because law enforcement knew that he was “full of crap,” Sanft said earlier in the trial.

But prosecutors attempted to portray Davis as an influential gang member. Among the final prosecution witnesses to testify was a former Compton gang detective who characterized Davis as a high-ranking “shot caller.”

Davis’ ultimate authority meant younger gang members would not have opened fire on Shakur with Davis present unless he allowed it, said Robert Ladd, a former Compton police officer who investigated gang homicides in the southern Los Angeles County community.

Davis did not testify.

“Very smart move for him not to testify because in this situation the prosecution was unable to come up with any corroborating evidence of his guilt,” Oakes said. “They can’t really establish really that he was in Las Vegas, much less that he was in that car.

“Now, he confessed all that in his memoir, to the police in 08 and 09, podcast interviews, but is that going to be enough,” Oakes said. “Critically, there were inconsistencies in the stories he told that allowed the defense to argue he was just makin it up, he wanted street cred.”

The shooting marked a critical flashpoint in a dispute with roots in the long-running feud between the Mob Piru Bloods, a gang Knight and Shakur were affiliated with, and the South Side Compton Crips, for whom Davis was a prominent leader. Ladd testified that Shakur’s shooting triggered a 10-day war in Compton between the South Side Crips and Mob Piru, resulting in three killings and 10 attempted murders.

Other witnesses called by the prosecution included former law enforcement officers, including the first to respond to the scene of the shooting; the man who snapped what is believed to be the last photo of Shakur before the shooting; and a former Mob Piru member who helped Knight with security.

Shakur remains a cultural icon and is considered one of the most influential and versatile rappers of all time. He was nominated for six Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.

After his death, Shakur and his influence lived on. He received a posthumous star in 2023 on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a street named after him in Oakland, and will be a character in the upcoming video adventure game “Stranger than Heaven.”

If convicted, Davis faces life in prison.

During a show at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on Aug. 29, singer Harry Styles appeared to make a quick quip about his ex Taylor Swift, who married NFL player Travis Kelce at the storied arena in July.

“From the Madison Square Garden, home of the world champion New York Knicks,” Styles says, shown in a video that captured the musician’s comment on stage. “They also do weddings!”

Fans, understandably, went wild as the video captures a roar from the audience shortly after Styles’ comment.

The show was part of Styles’ 30-concert residency at the Garden, entitled the “Together, Together” tour, which kicked off on Aug. 26. He is currently promoting his most recent album, “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally,” which came out in March.

The venue just happens to be the site of the high-profile wedding between Swift and Kelce, which took place over the July 4 weekend and was attended by the likes of Tom Hanks and Jennifer Lopez. Their nuptials, according to a statement from the pair’s representatives sent to NBC News, were officiated by friend and comedian Adam Sandler. Instead of a traditional wedding party, Swift had her brother Austin Swift serve as the “man of honor,” while Kelce’s sibling Jason Kelce served as best man.

But more than a decade before the royal wedding, Swift and Styles, who fans lovingly referred to as “Haylor” at the time, were an item. They dated from late 2012 until early 2013. The two first met at the 2012 Kids Choice Awards. Rumors of their romance began to swirl in November 2012 when Swift was spotted, wearing a paper airplane necklace identical to that of Styles’. The next month, they were photographed walking around New York’s Central Park together.

The romance lasted just a few months with the pair breaking things off in January 2013. However, the two have seemingly stayed cordial over the years. And fans suspect that the relationship was the inspiration behind a few songs off of Swift’s album “1989,” including “Style” and “Is It Over Now?”

Styles is now reportedly engaged to actor Zoë Kravitz, though the couple has not publicly confirmed the news. During the opening night of Styles’ MSG residency, fans spotted Kravitz in the crowd. And the singer was filmed, giving her a thumbs up. 

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Lately at work or while running errands, she has seen people wearing Shakur shirts. The late rapper’s presence is everywhere since the Las Vegas trial began, she says, calling it a hopeful sign that answers are coming in the death of her favorite artist.

“His spirit wants this to come out and wants this to get justice,” Williams said.

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Nearly 30 years after Shakur’s death, the trial of the only person ever charged in his killing has drawn fans back to a loss many of them never stopped carrying. For them, the case not only offers the person who may be responsible for Shakur’s death, but a chance for resolution after decades spent keeping his music, message and memory alive.

Former Southern California street gang leader Duane “Keffe D” Davis has pleaded not guilty to orchestrating the drive-by shooting in Las Vegas.

After his death in 1996, Shakur and his influence lived on through fans and pop culture. He received a posthumous star in 2023 on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a street named after him in Oakland, California, and will be a character in the upcoming video adventure game “Stranger than Heaven.”

Fans see Shakur as a revolutionary

There’s no official memorial to Tupac where he was shot on the Las Vegas Strip on Sept. 7, 1996. But visitors stop at the intersection and fans gather regularly on his birthday, June 16, adding messages to a utility pole that is covered in remembrances, such as “RIP King,” “Tupac 4 Life” and “Gone but never forgotten.”

They leave balloons, cake or his favorite type of brandy, Hennessy. On a strip of concrete nearby, someone painted a rose with the phrase “the rose that grew from concrete,” a reference to Shakur’s posthumous book of poetry.

Atlanta resident Julie Hardy has been to the memorial three times on Shakur’s birthday to pay her respects.

“People still care, and he has not been forgotten,” said Hardy, 56.

For fans like Hardy, Shakur is more than just a rapper. Hardy categorized Shakur, the son of a Black Panther, among the likes of Black activists such as Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey and Martin Luther King Jr. because he wrote about the “revolution” and the ups and downs the Black community faces, she said.

Shakur’s philosophy that he dubbed T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E, which stood for “the hate U give little infants f—-s everybody,” called for the uplifting of marginalized communities and demanded accountability from systems that oppressed Black people and the youth.

Hardy gravitated toward Shakur when she was 19 living in Cincinnati, Ohio, and her cousin showed her Shakur’s first solo album, “2Pacalypse Now.”

Shakur’s “Brenda’s Got a Baby” resonated with Hardy because of the high rate of teen pregnancy at the time, she said. His song “Soulja’s Story” inspired her to write hip-hop songs because it told a story of things she also saw growing up in Black communities, such as police and gun violence.

When she saw on the news that he was shot, she called everyone she knew. Hardy then went to her friend’s house and prayed, hoping Shakur would survive like he did when he was shot in a robbery in November 1994.

She felt like a family member passed when she learned he died days later a hospital. He was 25.

“We looked up to him as an icon and a revolutionary, and now we’re looking up to him as a legend,” Hardy said.

Shakur inspired others in songwriting

Din “Lil Therapy” Malone took a bus from Denver, Colorado, to watch the trial in Las Vegas.

Malone was introduced to Shakur when he was 13 years old watching Shakur in his breakout starring role as a troubled teen in the 1992 movie “Juice.” Then, he started listening to his music.

“Tupac taught me how to translate my tears into words,” said Malone, a songwriter and artist. Outside of an overflow room in the courthouse, Malone wore a Shakur shirt and played Shakur’s music on his phone’s speaker.

Shakur wrote about his own hardships, and inspired Malone to do the same, putting into words experiences of being bullied as a kid or mourning family deaths, Malone said. He grew up in a Crips-run neighborhood in Denver and — like Shakur — learned how to “live through the hood.”

Shakur’s song “It Ain’t Easy” spoke to Malone about the importance of persevering when life isn’t easy. Even though he never met the rapper, he said he felt like he lost an older brother.

Shakur’s legacy continues

Williams, a North Carolina resident, runs a Facebook fan page for Shakur called All Eyez on Pac that has over 25,000 followers.

The 38-year-old has loved Shakur ever since she watched “Poetic Justice,” the 1993 movie starring Shakur as a postal worker and Janet Jackson as a grieving hairdresser. One of the first Shakur songs she heard was “Dear Mama,” and she said she was touched by Shakur’s deep love for his mother, Afeni Shakur.

Over the years, Williams watched every video about Shakur and every interview of people who knew him, she said.

“That’s what made me create the page because I really truly have a love for Tupac,” she said.

She saw Shakur as a sweet, kind-hearted person who was misunderstood. Shakur wasn’t perfect. He was convicted of sexual assault and acquitted on more serious charges in a sex abuse case in 1994. He was sentenced to 18 months to over 4 years in prison, but served nearly eight months before he was released. But Shakur was human, Williams said.

Some fans who sat in the courtroom during the trial still don’t believe Shakur died, believing he faked his own death and is living in Cuba.

Williams said she was in denial when she first saw Shakur’s autopsy photos but sadly came around to realize he was gone

“He would want to have justice,” she said. “He would want to keep his name and legacy alive.”

The beloved country legend and philanthropist, who hailed from rural Tennessee, died Tuesday at the age of 80.

The airport and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced the intent to name the airport in her honor to create “a lasting tribute to her indelible legacy and the generations of people she inspired across Tennessee and around the world,” they said in a news release.

Lee spoke with Parton’s team about the proposal this week and they expressed “their appreciation,” the governor said.

“Dolly Parton’s extraordinary life is forever woven into the fabric of our state,” Lee said. “From her rural mountain home in East Tennessee to global stages, Dolly carried the Volunteer Spirit with her. At a place where Tennessee welcomes the world, it is fitting that Nashville International Airport would bear the name of our state’s favorite daughter and greet travelers with the enduring legacy of Dolly’s music, generosity, faith, and kindness.”

The proposal to rename the airport will be addressed at the Metro Nashville Airport Authority’s meeting Sept. 17.

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A petition to rename the airport in honor of Parton, which was started more than a year before her death, has over 160,000 signatures as of Friday night and also garnered responses in support from a Nashville City Council member and a Tennesseee state representative.

The “Queen of Country” died surrounded by loved ones following a brief battle with cancer. Her death was felt across the nation and the world, and inspired heartfelt tributes from fans, celebrities and politicians alike.

Known beyond her music for her extravagant blonde hairdos, Southern charm, wit, generosity and kindness, Parton was beloved by generations. She was also a keen businesswoman and devoted philanthropist, creating the Dollywood Foundation for property relief and educational programs in East Tennessee, as well as Imagination Library, which mails free books to children around the world.

According to evolving data released early Friday afternoon by the industry data and analytics company Luminate, audio and video streams of Parton’s discography skyrocketed 2,458% on the day of her death, compared to Monday — climbing from 1.2 million to 30.5 million in the U.S. And by Wednesday, that number rose to 46.3 million.

Worldwide, her audio and video streams jumped 1,549%, from 2.5 million on Monday to 41.8 million Tuesday.

And on Wednesday, her on-demand audio streams jumped to 79.7 million, making her the most streamed artist, globally, on that date.

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In the U.S., 10 songs led the charge:

1. “Jolene” grew from over 196.2K streams on Monday to 3.3 million Tuesday and 4 million Wednesday.

2. “9 to 5” jumped from 208.6K on Monday to 3.0 million on Tuesday and 3.6 million on Wednesday.

3. “Islands in the Stream,” her duet with the late Kenny Rogers, climbed from 165.9K on Monday to 2.1 million Tuesday and 2.9 million Wednesday.

4. “I Will Always Love You,” Parton’s performance of her own classic, a song that was later made famous by Whitney Houston’s rendition, rose from 64.9K streams on Monday to 2.0 million Tuesday and 2.8 million Wednesday.

5. “Here You Come Again” followed, moving from 48.7K streams Monday to 1.5 million Tuesday to 2.1 million Wednesday.

6. Then there was “Coat of Many Colors,” with 28.9K streams Monday to 1.3 million Tuesday and 1.9 million Wednesday.

7. “Why’d You Come In Here Lookin’ Like That?” climbed from 22.1K Monday to 827K Tuesday and 1.3 million Wednesday.

8. “There Was Jesus,” her 2019 duet with Christian singer Zach Williams, rose from 85.2K streams Monday to 635.1K Tuesday and 682.0K Wednesday.

9. “My Tennessee Mountain Home” increased from 5.8K Monday to 562.3K Tuesday and 1.1 million Wednesday.

10. “Tyrant,” Parton’s collaboration with Beyoncé from Bey’s Grammy winning 2024 album “Cowboy Carter,” jumped from 47.8K Monday to 559.2K Tuesday and 755.5K Wednesday.

Sales for such Parton-related books as the memoir “Dolly Parton, Songteller” “My Life in Lyrics” and a picture story based on her classic song “Coat of Many Colors” were also soaring. As of early Friday afternoon, three Parton books were in the top 5 on Amazon.com’s bestseller list.

Curious to hear more Parton? Check out The Associated Press’ official playlist — from her country songs that challenge traditional gender dynamics to the greatest ballad ever committed to record — and read the stories behind them, here.

More than two dozen witnesses provided testimony this month before defense attorneys rested their case in the murder trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis in the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur.

The long-awaited trial is headed to closing arguments, scheduled for Monday in a Nevada courtroom where the defense called three former Las Vegas police officers to testify Thursday as their final witnesses.

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What happened in the first week of the Tupac Shakur murder trial

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After closing arguments and jury instructions, the panel of 10 women and six men could begin deliberations in the only criminal trial in the killing of the hip-hop icon. The presentation of evidence ended after nine days of testimony.

Davis, 63, described as a gang shot-caller, did not take the stand. He isn’t accused of firing the gunshots that killed Shakur at age 25 in 1996, but prosecutors argued that he orchestrated the killing in response to a brawl earlier that night involving Shakur, his entourage and Davis’ nephew.

Shakur, in Las Vegas for a heavyweight fight between Mike Tyson and Bruce Seldon at the MGM Grand, was riding in a BMW on Sept. 7, 1996, when a white Cadillac pulled up next to it at a red light near the Las Vegas Strip and gunfire erupted. Shakur was shot multiple times and died six days later. The driver of the BMW, Marion “Suge” Knight, survived.

Years later, Davis said he procured the gun and his nephew, who has since died, fired the shots.

Davis faces life in prison if convicted of murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang. He pleaded not guilty.

Defense attorney Michael Sanft has argued that Davis fabricated or embellished his accounts of the killing for money and notoriety and that investigators failed to independently corroborate his claims.

Key testimony from defense witnesses

Three witnesses were called by the defense to testify. Retired Las Vegas homicide detective Dan Long, the defense’s final witness, testified that he tried unsuccessfully to verify several details Davis provided during a 2009 police interview.

Davis told Long that his nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, had gone to a Las Vegas hospital after being beaten by Shakur and others in a casino brawl hours before the rapper was fatally shot. Long said he was unable to find hospital records confirming Anderson was treated there.

Long also tried unsuccessfully to locate records for a white Cadillac that Davis said had been rented before the shooting.

Asked by a juror whether he had been able to verify that Davis was actually in the Cadillac the night Shakur was killed, Long said Davis himself told him he was in the car and that the shooting came from it.

On follow-up questioning by Sanft, Long acknowledged he had no independent facts outside of what Davis told him confirming he was in the Cadillac.

Prosecutors countered that Davis’ account matched information already developed by investigators. On cross-examination, Long testified that Davis identified the same four men investigators already believed were in the Cadillac when Shakur was shot.

Long also said he returned to Las Vegas after interviewing Davis in 2009 intending to seek an arrest warrant for murder because he believed there was probable cause, but prosecutors at the time told him to stand down while they reviewed the matter.

The defense also called two former Las Vegas police officers who were assigned to keep the peace at Knight’s home on the night of the shooting. They testified about vehicles entering and leaving the gated residence, including a cream- or white-colored Cadillac.

Key testimony from prosecution witnesses

The case remained unsolved for decades before Davis’ public interviews and 2019 memoir helped revive scrutiny of the killing. Those elements were key parts of the prosecution’s case over the course of the Nevada trial

Prosecutors rested Wednesday after calling 24 witnesses.

On Wednesday, prosecutors played short clips of Davis’ YouTube interviews, during which he implored viewers to buy his book for what he referred to as “the real truth.” In one clip, Davis shared harsh words about Shakur and the attack at the MGM Grand.

Prosecutors also played a clip from earlier in the trial when Davis appeared to mouth words toward a witness testifying about the rivalry between Death Row Records and Bad Boy Entertainment.

Among the final prosecution witnesses to testify was a former Compton gang detective who characterized Davis as a high-ranking “shot caller.” Davis’ ultimate authority meant younger gang members would not have opened fire on Shakur with Davis present unless he allowed it, said Robert Ladd, a former Compton police officer who investigated gang homicides in the southern Los Angeles County community.

Ladd described Davis as a leader of the South Side Compton Crips who could order younger members to act. Ladd testified that Shakur’s shooting triggered a 10-day war in Compton between the South Side Crips and Mob Piru, resulting in three killings and 10 attempted murders.

Asked Tuesday who would have been the leader among the four men in the Cadillac, Ladd answered, “Mr. Davis.”

Defense attorney Michael Sanft emphasized the lack of physical evidence supporting that theory. Ladd acknowledged that, aside from Davis’ own admissions, he had no physical evidence placing Davis in Las Vegas that night and no phone records showing Davis ordered the shooting.

Other witnesses called by the prosecution included former law enforcement officers, including the first to respond to the scene of the shooting; the man who snapped what is believed to be the last photo of Shakur before the shooting; and a former Mob Piru member who helped Knight with security. Jurors also heard audio of Davis’ previous interviews.

But for Jake Reiner, the couple’s 35-year-old son, the nightmare feels like “eight years at the same time, and it also feels like eight minutes,” he told KABC-TV of Los Angeles in his first sit-down interview since the family tragedy.

“Every moment that I wake up, I’m reminded of my reality, and you’re living through that every single day,” he said.

Jake said he hasn’t spoken to his brother. Nor has he attended any of his brother’s court hearings, the station reported.

“He’s in jail, so, you know, it’s like I physically lost my parents and then Nick was arrested. And it’s like now, it’s just me and Romy,” he said, referring to his 28-year-old sister.

Jake opened up to KABC in the interview, which aired Thursday, about navigating grief and how it can manifest into anger.

“I’ll never understand. I don’t care how it’s explained to me. I don’t care what facts come out. I will never understand why this happened,” he told the station.

“It manifests into rage, into how unfair this was. How I didn’t get a say in what happened. I didn’t get to stop it from happening. I had no choice in the matter, and I just have to accept the reality of it. And to me that is just one of the most infuriating parts of all this,” he said.

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Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 70, were found brutally stabbed in their home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles on Dec. 14. Nick was arrested hours later.

Jake was at Los Angeles’ Union Station for a celebration of life event for a friend when his sister called. He didn’t pick up.

“She called immediately again, and I knew at that point something immediately was wrong. Romy told me our dad was dead, and then she said, ‘I can’t find Mom.’ And I immediately went into shock. I need to get out of this train station, and I need to get to my parents’ house,” he recalled.

Asked whether he was surprised to learn that his brother was the main suspect, Jake took a deep breath and said, “I feel like that’s something I don’t really want to answer right now.”

In April, Jake wrote about his heartbreak on Substack, saying, “We lost more than half of our family that night in the most violent way imaginable.” He affirmed that that included Nick.

Nick Reiner, 32, has a long history of drug addiction and has struggled with his mental health. He co-wrote the 2016 movie “Being Charlie” with his father, who directed it, about the experiences of a young man who struggles with recovery.

“I can tell you, they never stopped wanting to help him. They never stopped helping him,” Jake said of his parents’ supporting Nick. “And I think that project was a way for my dad to try and connect with him.”

Asked whether it was ever a fear that something like the murders could ever happen, Jake declined to answer.

Now his focus is on following in his parents’ footsteps working with the Children’s Institute, an organization that supports children and families. He’ll be at its gala in November.

“It’s going to be hard. I think everything that we’ve done so far without them has been hard and weird. But I do feel responsible for making sure people know them and they remember them,” he said.

Nick Reiner has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder in connection with special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and lying in wait. His case continues in court. Earlier this summer, he filed a petition seeking access to his more than $1.5 million trust fund to help pay for his defense.

KABC reported that Jake Reiner isn’t commenting about his brother’s attempts to access money from the trust.

The famous puppet troupe announced on their Instagram page Aug. 26 that Curry, who died this week at his Los Angeles home, has been posthumously bestowed the great standing of honorary Muppet.

In the post, the Muppets praised Curry, who starred as the iconic Long John Silver in 1996 film “Muppet Treasure Island,” describing the actor as “unparalleled.”

“Few humans have earned the title of honorary Muppet more than the legendary Tim Curry. As a performer he was unparalleled — witty, charming, unnerving, and deeply funny,” the post said. “We will always consider it one of our greatest treasures to have been part of Long John Silver’s crew. Thank you for everything, Tim.”

The actor, who died at 80 years old, joins Dolly Parton, who also passed this week on Aug. 25, as an honorary member of the beloved puppet troupe. Others, including comedians Robin Williams and Pee-Wee Herman are also part of the extremely selective group of human Muppets.

Curry, who’s known for his role in projects ranging from “Rocky Horror Picture Show” to “Home Alone 2,” has always been fond of the puppet crew. In his 2025 memoir “Vagabond,” he describes “Muppet Treasure Island” as “one of the best pictures I ever made” and “most apex of my big films from the 1990s.” The experience was truly life-changing for the actor.

“I cannot overstate how much I adored working with the Muppets,” Curry wrote in the book. “The extraordinary thing about them is that they are all characters in their own right, and you should treat them as such.”

Actors Aug 26

Actor Tim Curry dead at 80

The film, an adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic, revolves around the adventures of a young orphan named Jim Hawkins who gets wrapped up in a swashbuckling adventure with Curry’s Long John Silver to find buried treasure.

The film, Curry wrote in his memoir, allowed him to tap into his feelings around the death of his own father, who passed away when the actor was 12 years old.

“There’s a whole improvised scene where Silver is trying to establish a rapport and relationship between himself and young Jim,” Curry wrote. “Having lost my father at a similar age, and for that to have been such a formative time for me, made my heart go out to Jim’s character in a very authentic way. I tried to imagine how I wished people had spoken to me when I was a boy.”

Curry added that there was a “real honesty” in the way in which he delivered his lines.

“Opening myself up in such a personal way wasn’t something I’d ever really experimented with before in film, and certainly not on the stage,” Curry wrote. “I had not planned on that bit; it just happened. In the end, I was very happy with it, though; it felt like a real risk in a very different kind of way, and I was proud of how I’d pulled it off.”

When filming wrapped, Curry wrote, he found himself missing the project.

“I was genuinely saddened to return to dealing with humans again,” the actor said in the memoir.

The Muppets also have a special place in his heart for another reason. While Curry was famously committed to keeping his love life private, he was openly crazy about one particular gal: Miss Piggy. In the book, Curry describes the fabulous ham as “always funny, and never boring.”

“Although I did say at the outset that I wouldn’t speak about any of my romantic relationships, I will say that Miss Piggy and I had quite a good time together, both on set and in our trailers,” he joked. “Fortunately, our dalliances never led to any tension with Kermit—I was clever about it.”

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Has Sent Over 100,000 Braille Books to Low-Vision Kids: She ‘Cared About Everyone’
• Dolly Parton shares photo of her ‘real hair,’ reflects on love of wigs in new book
• Tim Curry Honored By ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ Co-Stars

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In a motion filed in Delaware federal court on Wednesday, Gomez’s lawyers asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit brought by investors of Wondermind, who allege they were misled into investing nearly $1.2 million in the 2021 start-up after being made false promises about the company’s leadership, resources, and infrastructure for years.

The lawsuit, filed for common-law fraud, breach of contract, and securities fraud, names Gomez, her mother, Mandy Teefey, and their former business partner, Daniella Pierson.

“The notion that Selena engaged in ‘fraud’ or any other wrongdoing is absurd — and in addition to filing our motion we are exploring other avenues of relief for Ms. Gomez including sanctions against plaintiffs for improperly including her,” Mathew S. Rosengart, an attorney for Gomez, said in a statement to NBC News.

Wondermind and Teefey did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Pierson, who has previously denied any wrongdoing, also did not respond to a request for comment.

According to the complaint — filed on Aug. 13 in federal court in Delaware by Wondermind SRS 44 LLC and Bespoke Wondermind SPV I LLC, limited liability companies that invested in the startup — the three founders allegedly told investors the sprawling “mental fitness” company would include a phone app, advertising deals and celebrity-driven content with Gomez “intimately involved” as head of marketing.

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Instead, the complaint alleges that many of those initiatives never happened, that investors received false updates, and that they were kept in the dark about Wondermind’s mismanagement and descent into financial turmoil. It alleges investors became aware of the company’s disarray after two bombshell stories by Forbes and The Cut.

Gomez’s attorneys, however, argue in the motion that the lawsuit does not specify any false statements the singer made personally to investors and that she was not even a member of the board. The motion added that Gomez never agreed to manage Wondermind and did not hold a minority stake in the company.

The “vague, generalized, and contradictory allegations concerning Selena Gomez demonstrate that Ms. Gomez could not possibly have engaged in any ‘fraud’ (she did not), is not liable to Plaintiffs (she is not) and, as a matter of law, must be dismissed from this lawsuit,” the motion states.

The motion notes that Teefy and Pierson handled management as Wondermind’s co-CEOs and board members, and Gomez was retained “as a consultant and conferred on her title of Chief Impact Officer.”

It notes that one of the few communications cited in the lawsuit that directly involved Gomez was a December 2022 email from Pierson discussing Wondermind’s growth. Gomez was copied on the email, according to the court filings, and her lawyers argue that there is no allegation she knew anything in it was false.

The motion asks the judge to dismiss all four claims brought against Gomez with prejudice.

Rosengart added in a statement that the “motion to dismiss demonstrates that plaintiffs never should have dragged Selena Gomez into this case as the claims against her are completely meritless if not frivolous.”

In a statement to NBC News earlier this month, Pierson says she categorically denied the allegations and said she “welcomes the opportunity to present concrete documentation and financial records that establish the facts.”

“To be clear, she has never used investor funds for personal expenses. Quite the opposite: Daniella invested her own money into the business and did not draw a salary from the company,” she said in a statement.

Chloe Melas and Joe Kottke contributed.

U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed Baldoni’s defamation and extortion lawsuit against Lively last year, and she was allowed to move forward with a request for financial damages under a California #MeToo-era law.

Liman wrote in his ruling that while “counsel’s rates were not unreasonable… the number of hours for which Lively seeks reimbursement is unreasonable.”

He also rejected her request for fees related to media relations expenses and some travel.

In a statement, Lively’s attorneys, Esra Hudson and Michael Gottlieb, said, in part, “Blake Lively’s case was never about money — it was about accountability. She lifted the curtain for other victims, and set the precedent for others to come forward and expose similar conduct. This result demonstrates that the legal system is not as easily manipulated as social media, and still functions as a force for accountability.”

A representative for Baldoni did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the judge’s ruling.

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Lively was seeking $8,035,040.88 in fees and costs, comprised of $7,495,526.87 in attorneys’ fees and costs in the amount of $539,514.01.

Liman awarded her $363,245.40 in attorneys’ fees and $44,206.35 in costs.

Lively and Baldoni settled their yearslong legal dispute in early May. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed. A source familiar with the matter previously confirmed to NBC News that no money changed hands.

The settlement headed off what had promised to be a blockbuster trial in New York.

Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment during the production of the 2024 movie “It Ends With Us,” which he directed. Lively had also alleged that Baldoni’s company, Wayfarer Studios, retaliated against her after she complained about allegations of misconduct on the set of the film.

Baldoni vehemently denied Lively’s claims.

In January 2025, Baldoni countersued Lively and her husband, “Deadpool” actor Ryan Reynolds, alleging defamation and extortion. He argued that Lively and Reynolds tried to wreck his reputation and accused her of using her grievances as a way to “seize control” of the movie.

Baldoni also brought a defamation suit against The New York Times over an article headlined: “‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.”

Liman tossed out both suits last year.

Austin Mullen and Adam Reiss contributed.

On Aug. 26, a day after the country icon died at the age of 80, her team shared an update on all the plans she had in development.

“Dolly worked up until the day she died. She loved seeing her dreams come to life, and loved knowing her work brought people joy,” her longtime manager Danny Nozell said in a press release. “Ever the planner, Dolly worked with the team that she handpicked, for the past several years to build a project roadmap that will guide us for decades to come.”

Parton died after being diagnosed with cancer, her estate announced Aug. 25 in a statement. She had not publicly disclosed her diagnosis, but had been open about her ongoing health challenges.

Celebrity News Aug 26

Dolly Parton locked away a song the world won't hear until 2045

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The Dolly Parton you may not know, in her own words

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While the beloved star’s death came as a shock to many, she prepared for her legacy to live on. Nozell said in his statement that he and Parton’s team will oversee the many projects she had been working on and “ensure the many dreams she had yet to fulfill are brought to life.”

He noted that many projects were in various stages of development, stressing that Parton approved everything that would be shared on her official channels.

“If you see unreleased music, products, books, experiences, and campaigns launched through official Dolly Parton channels, you can have confidence in knowing that she placed her personal stamp on it.”

The “9 to 5” singer’s team also shared a video compilation of Parton hard at work, promoting some upcoming content.

Parton’s team also said that details on additional projects, including an avatar show she previously spoke about, a biopic, docuseries, scripted series, a Billy The Kid animated series and many more “will be revealed soon.”

Below, an overview of the active Parton projects and some of their release dates.

• Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stops (celebrating National Truck Driver Appreciation Week beginning September 13, 2026)
• Dolly Parton’s SongTeller Hotel (stays begin September 14, 2026; grand opening September 29, 2026)
• Dolly Dolls (launching online September 15, 2026)
• Dolly’s Life Of Many Colors Museum (grand opening September 29, 2026)
• Dolly’s Cup Of Ambition Coffee (launching online September 29, 2026; retail launch Spring 2027)
• Dolly On The Holly (Coming Holiday 2026)
• DOLLY: A True Original Musical On Broadway (Previews begin December 7, 2026; Opening Night January 19, 2027 with tickets currently on-sale through November 21, 2027)
• Kendra Scott x Dolly — The 9 to 5 Collection (launching January 2027)
• Dolly’s Dog Treats (Coming Early 2027)
• Dolly Bedding & Home Decor (Coming Q3 2027)

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• Dolly Parton shares photo of her ‘real hair,’ reflects on love of wigs in new book
• Dolly Parton Honored By Fans, Fellow Artists and More After Her Death at 80
• What Dolly Parton Said About Not Having Children with Husband Carl Dean

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

William Applegate, 31, appeared in a Hollywood courtroom Tuesday for a mental competency hearing, during which he was found unfit to stand trial, and stalking and other charges against him were tossed despite the objection of city prosecutors, according to the City Attorney’s Office.

The stalking charge alleges that the crime occurred Aug. 23 of last year, while the other charges — including trespassing, disorderly conduct, attempting to enter a non-commercial dwelling and battery — involve alleged crimes May 23 of this year.

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In June, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge David Wasserman issued a stay-away order requiring Applegate to remain at least 100 yards away from Carpenter. The order came less than three weeks after the singer obtained a temporary restraining order against Applegate.

Carpenter contended in court papers that Applegate made multiple visits to her Los Angeles home and was caught on video by her doorbell camera.

During the June court hearing, Applegate repeated statements he made in a sworn declaration in opposition to an extension of the stay-away order, to the effect that he and Carpenter are both currently part of a classified “military government program.”

“Carpenter and I being together as soon as possible is essential not only to the success of the program, but to national and global security and the possibility of our continuing existence on this planet both as a global community and as a species,” Applegate said in his declaration.

Applegate said he and Carpenter met during a July 2025 concert when she performed in London.

Carpenter appeared virtually for the June hearing, but did not testify.

Attorneys for Carpenter say Applegate appeared May 23 at the singer’s home and tried to “force his way inside.” Applegate’s security team tried to get him away from the property, but he struggled and insisted that he knew Carpenter and that she was expecting him. Los Angeles police were ultimately called and took him into custody.

Jail records show he was booked into jail that night, but he was cited and released the next morning.

Applegate allegedly went back to Carpenter’s house later that same day, and he was again escorted away by security, according to court documents. But he then allegedly returned to the home the following day.

The singer’s court papers alleged that Applegate has been actively stalking her since the end of April, and his behavior has been on a “deeply troubling escalation pattern.” The court filing included a series of photos from her doorbell camera showing the man at her door.

Defense attorneys will begin calling witnesses to the stand later this week with closing arguments expected to begin Monday in the criminal case of the only person to stand trial in the 25-year-old hip-hop icon’s shooting death.

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What happened in the first week of the Tupac Shakur murder trial

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The defense is planning to call three witnesses, but they were not available to testify until Thursday.

Davis isn’t accused of firing the fatal shots, but prosecutors allege that he orchestrated the shooting in a revenge plot for a casino brawl hours earlier involving his nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, and Shakur. The rapper was in Las Vegas for the highly anticipated heavyweight fight between Mike Tyson and Bruce Seldon at the MGM Grand.

Under Nevada law, someone who helps another person commit murder can be convicted of the crime.

On Wednesday, prosecutors played short clips of Davis’ YouTube interviews, during which he implored viewers to buy his book for what he referred to as “the real truth.” In one clip, Davis shared harsh words about Shakur and the attack at the MGM Grand.

Prosecutors also played a clip from earlier in the trial when Davis appeared to mouth words toward a witness testifying about the rivalry between Death Row Records and Bad Boy Entertainment.

Among the final prosecution witnesses to testify was a former Compton gang detective who characterized Davis as a high-ranking “shot caller.” Davis’ ultimate authority meant younger gang members would not have opened fire on Shakur with Davis present unless he allowed it, said Robert Ladd, a former Compton police officer who investigated gang homicides in the southern Los Angeles County community.

Ladd described Davis as a leader of the South Side Compton Crips who could order younger members to act. Ladd testified that Shakur’s shooting triggered a 10-day war in Compton between the South Side Crips and Mob Piru, resulting in three killings and 10 attempted murders.

Much of the prosecution’s case rested on Davis’ own words from previous law enforcement interviews and documentaries. Davis has said he was riding in a white Cadillac with Anderson and two other men when they pulled alongside Shakur and Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight in a black BMW. In a 2008 police interview played for jurors last week, Davis said he provided the gun and Anderson opened fire.

The other men in the Cadillac have since died, limiting eyewitness testimony.

Asked Tuesday who would have been the leader among the four men in the Cadillac, Ladd answered, “Mr. Davis.”

Ladd said that Anderson, a younger-ranking gang member, could not have opened fire with Davis in the car without Davis’ permission. If Davis had told the others to handle the dispute later, Ladd testified, “there wouldn’t have been a shooting.”

Defense attorney Michael Sanft emphasized the lack of physical evidence supporting that theory. Ladd acknowledged that, aside from Davis’ own admissions, he had no physical evidence placing Davis in Las Vegas that night and no phone records showing Davis ordered the shooting.

Law enforcement experts said they collected bills and letters from Las Vegas hotels in Anderson’s and Davis’ residences, but they didn’t know when they were dated, or the current location of that evidence.

Sanft has characterized his client’s accounts as fabricated and accused investigators of failing to corroborate what he has said. During the initial stages of the trial, Sanft said Davis was not previously charged in the case because law enforcement knew that he was “full of crap.”

Other witnesses called by the prosecution included former law enforcement officers, including the first to respond to the scene of the shooting; the man who snapped what is believed to be the last photo of Shakur before the shooting; and a former Mob Piru member who helped Knight with security. Jurors also heard audio of Davis’ previous interviews.

Jonathan Landrum and Jessica Hill of The Associated Press contributed to this report.

An unreleased Dolly Parton track has been sealed inside a time‑capsule box at Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. It is a project she completed in 2015 when the resort first opened.

“I have written a song that no one is going to hear until I am 99 years old. I might be there, I might not be,” the star said on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” back in 2022.

The song now stands as one of the most unique pieces of her legacy following her death Tuesday at age 80 after a battle with cancer.

Parton wrote and recorded the track specifically for the capsule, which is set to remain closed for 30 years. She also packed the box with items meant to help future listeners understand how the song was created, including a cassette player and CD player.

In Memoriam Aug 25

Country music icon Dolly Parton dies at 80

In Memoriam Aug 25

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“I put stuff all in this box and it would preserve it, how we played those at the time,” she said.

The “Jolene” singer admitted the long wait for the song’s release was far from ideal for her.

“I had to write this song that no one was going to hear until then, and I tell you, you have no idea how that has bothered me,” she said. “I want to go dig that up so bad. It’s a really good song. I don’t know whose d— idea that was.”

Still untouched and unopened, the capsule stands as a quiet piece of Parton’s legacy awaiting its moment. Fans will have to wait until 2045 to finally hear it.

Those interviews captured a Parton who could be funny and self-deprecating but also clear-eyed about who she was and what she wanted.

Here is Parton, who died Tuesday at age 80, in her own words, as compiled by AP Music Writer Maria Sherman:

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‘There will never be another Dolly': Celebrities react to death of Dolly Parton

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Parton knew she would be famous before Hollywood came calling

“I never thought of myself as a movie star. I knew I’d be a star, but as a singer or as a writer of songs or books or poetry. I wanted to be a famous performer and wear flashy clothes, but singing in movies was not one of my ambitions. My family lived in the mountains and we didn’t see movies.”

“I can’t act a part, but if they allow me to be myself, then I can handle it. If they find me a story that allows me to be me, then I’m interested; if they don’t, I’m not.” (July 1979)

On kissing President Jimmy Carter at the White House

“My husband wants a picture of this, too.” (October 1979)

Critical in her self-review of her performance in ‘9 to 5’

“In places I was real good. In places I was real average and in others I was … (sticking out her tongue). All in all, for the first time out, I was proud of it.” (December 1980)

Parton worried ‘The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas’ would offend her preacher grandfather

“I’ll admit I had some misgivings about the title of the movie. After all, my granddaddy was a preacher, and I’m a spiritual person myself. I didn’t want to do anything that might be considered offensive. Then I saw the play and I realized it was just a foot-stompin’ good time.” (December 1981)

Parton saw Dollywood as a way to let Appalachia tell its own story

“It’s something I want to take pride in, to preserve the Smoky Mountain heritage rather than have Hollywood portray us as they often do.” (July 1985)

On husband Carl Dean and happiness

“It was love at first sight. I see people who turn my head all the time. It’s just that nobody’s turned my head around as much as him.” (May 1992)

On singing with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt

“We do love to sing. Your whole life you wait to find those compatible voices. It’s like making love. … I get off on it. I do. I get so thrilled. When it buzzes, it is good. It’s just like sex in that way. Don’t fight it.” (March 1999)

On Elvis’ legacy in eastern Tennessee

“I don’t think he will ever die down. He’s considered by many to be like a religious figure, like Jesus. … I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s there, and it’s real, and people love it.” (August 2002)

Why she never wanted to retire

“I’ll be like Bob Hope, touring when I’m 100. I love being busy. … I will never retire. I hope to fall dead in the middle of some great event or some great song I’m singing. Then they’ll say, ‘Oh well, she went happy and doing what she loves.’” (April 2004)

On her award show performance after Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake’s Super Bowl show

“There’s not going to be no wardrobe malfunction this evening. There’s not supposed to be, it’s not planned. But as tight as my clothes are there’s no telling what will happen. If it does happen, I’m going to wipe out the first three rows.” (April 2004)

Her label, Dolly Records, was an investment in herself

“I’m looking at it like an investment. I thought, ‘I’ve made enough money. I can afford to invest a little in myself.’” (March 2008)

On receiving her honorary doctorate

“Just think, I am Dr. Dolly! So when people say something about ‘Double-D,’ they will be thinking of something entirely different.” (May 2009)

Looking back on 25 years of Dollywood

“I always thought that if I made it big or got successful at what I had started out to do, that I wanted to come back to my part of the country and do something great, something that would bring a lot of jobs into this area. Sure enough, I was lucky, and God was good to me and things happened good.” (April 2010)

On being proud of Miley Cyrus

“I’m her fairy godmother. … I’m just real proud of her. She does not need my advice, but she’s often asking for information and advice, and I tell her what I know, but I think the girl’s doing all right without me.” (July 2010)

People thought Whitney Houston wrote one of her most famous songs

“People always tell me, ‘I thought that was Whitney’s song. I didn’t know you wrote it. I thought she wrote it.’ And I tell them, ‘She can have the credit. I’ll just take the cash.’” (December 2018)

On her charity work

“I don’t do it for attention. But look! I’m getting a lot of attention by doing it.” (October 2022)

On taking to rock music like ‘a duck on a June bug’

“I just didn’t think that I had done enough in the rock world to be considered, to be put in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame when there were so many great rock artists that are not even in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. … They were going to put me in anyway, so I just accepted it gracefully. But I thought, ‘Well, I’m going to have to earn my keep.’ … I jumped on that like a duck on a June bug.” (November 2023)

On her family album and legacy

“My grandpa used to say, when I got famous, he said, ‘Well, she came out crying in the key of D.’ I think we all did.”

“I hope that a lot of my songs may last that long. And I hope I’ll be remembered as somebody that tried to do some good in the world and left, you know, a few good things.” (November 2024)

On leaning into faith after losing husband Carl Dean and being a superstar

“I am a person of faith, and I truly believe that I’m going to see him again someday. And I see him every day in my memories and in my heart, and in all the things that we used to do and all the things that we’ve built together. You just kind of have to learn to kind of make new plans — but that’s the hardest part.”

“I don’t think about my life in terms of ‘superstar.’ I’m just a workin’ girl. I always say — and it’s the truth — that I am a workhorse that looks like a show horse. But I gotta keep it all up and I enjoy all of it. My husband always said, ‘If anybody was ever born to be a star, it’s you.’” (May 2025)

The quotes were compiled from interviews, including with AP journalists Maria Sherman, Gary Gerard Hamilton and Glenn Gamboa, as well as the late Bob Thomas and Frank Cormier and former AP journalist Mike Cidoni Lennox.

People began gathering Tuesday at the star, unveiled in 1984 at 6710 Hollywood Boulevard for the country music icon whose film and TV career flourished in the 1980s with hits like “9 to 5,” shortly after word her death at age 80.

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Her representatives said she had recently been diagnosed with cancer.

Parton’s star was unveiled in a dual ceremony with actor Sylvester Stallone, who co-starred with Parton in the movie “Rhinestone.” The 1985 musical comedy revolved around a bet that Parton’s character can turn a New York cab driver played by Stallone into a country music star.

One of the notes left at the Walk of Fame star read, “Thank you for loving me and accepting me before I knew how to love myself.”

Another borrowed the title of one of Parton’s award wining songs, “I will always love you Dolly.”

“Thank you, Dolly, Brazil misses you,” another card read, an example of Parton’s far-reaching influence.

“The glow of her being outshone every star,” was written on a piece of paper.

Flowers, candles, nail polish, Duncan Hines Dolly Parton cornbread mix, pink sunglasses and other items also were left at the star.

“I love Dolly,” said Walk of Fame visitor Jennifer Garza. “She means a lot to all of us girlies who really like music, and we write music and we play music and we look a different way. She was always about that.”

Parton earned nearly every major honor a musician could aspire to during her legendary career as singer-songwriter, but her influence spread well beyond country music and into the world of Hollywood films.

Parton, whose death at age 80 was announced Tuesday by her nephew and head of security Bryan Seaver, made her feature film debut with 1980s “9 to 5” and went on to amass a long list of acting credits. Parton, whose song by the same name became a workplace anthem, was already well established as a country music icon when she portrayed Doralee Rhodes in the story of three female employees who find creative and comedic ways to get even with their sexist boss played by Dabney Coleman.

Parton starred alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in the hit film, establishing herself as a pop culture figure with a broader audience. Parton’s song won two Grammy awards, and she was nominated for her first Academy Award (Best Music, Original Song).

Parton also became familiar to TV audiences with roles in variety specials and a long list of TV holiday films. She produced projects through her Sandollar Productions company.

She earned 11 Grammy Awards, a Country Music Hall of Fame induction and a Kennedy Center Honor.

Parton, who played at the Hollywood Bowl in July 2011 and October 2016, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

“Our heart breaks for everyone who was touched by the music, personality, and compassion that Dolly Parton brought to this world,” the Hollywood Bowl said in a statement on social media. “A country-music maverick who welcomed everyone to the fold, a world-class singer who could bring the house down with her voice, a woman of so many talents they could be hard to keep track of—did you know she was an expert banjo player? Sending our love to all those who mourn her loss today.”

She was named a Living Legend by the Library of Congress in 2004 for her enrichment of the American cultural heritage.

The 33-year-old star shared a touching social media post Wednesday honoring Parton, her godmother who died this week at the age of 80.

“The feeling of losing my Aunt Dolly is beyond what feels right to share,” Cyrus wrote. “Our most sacred moments were private and they’ll stay there behind the stage, beneath the glamour & between our hearts.

“What I KNOW is Dolly would want me to feel it, write a song about it, and then continue on and be strong. I have an angel by my side. I always have. One of our last conversations was about music and metamorphosis.

“I will always love her and want to make her proud. My heart breaks for the world, her family and friends who will miss her deeply. We’re in this loss together and we will see her in all of the most beautiful things.”

Parton revealed in 2023 on SiriusXM’s “The Howard Stern Show” that country singer Billy Ray Cyrus asked her to be his daughter’s godmother while the two were touring together in 1992.

“We just got to be good friends because he’s a Kentucky boy, I’m from Tennessee,” Parton said. “And he said … ‘We’re having a girl, and you’ve got to be her godmother!’ And I said, ‘Well, I’d be honored.’ So, actually, Miley and I took over from there. We’ve just stayed very, very close through the years.”

Billy Ray Cyrus made a Facebook post Tuesday honoring Parton.

“I have so many moments and memories with Dolly Parton, it’s hard to know where to start,” he wrote. “Like every little boy, I grew up loving Dolly Parton. She was a part of our lives, on our TV’s, right in our living rooms.

“In 1992, I’ll never forget walking into her dressing room to apologize for all the tabloid stories which claimed I was having an affair with her. In true Dolly fashion, she just looked at me, winked and said, “Honey, this trash sells records!”

“Dolly recently sent me a beautiful message, telling me she loved me with her whole heart. I will always love her in the same way ….. with my whole heart … and I always will.”

Parton made multiple appearances alongside Miley and Billy Ray on their Disney Channel show “Hannah Montana” — playing the role of “Aunt Dolly.”

“I’m her fairy godmother,” Parton told the Associated Press in 2010. “I’m just real proud of her. She does not need my advice, but she’s often asking for information and advice, and I tell her what I know, but I think the girl’s doing all right without me.”

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The two also shared the stage on many occasions, including at the 2019 Grammy Awards, and hosted a New Year’s Eve special to ring in 2023. Later that year, they also collaborated on a cover of Cyrus’s 2013 hit “Wrecking Ball” for Parton’s album “Rockstar.”

“I’ve grown up covering my Aunt Dollys music & it’s an honor to hear her singing one of my songs,” Cyrus wrote at the time in an Instagram post.

When Parton was named to TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2021, Cyrus wrote her profile for the section.

“Have you ever met anyone who doesn’t love Dolly Parton?” Cyrus wrote. “I never have. Dolly is not only my idol because of her incomparable career — she’s also my role model because of her steadfast morals and values. At her core, she is the definition of a humanitarian.

“She may be my fairy godmother,” Cyrus continued, “but I think she’s that to everyone else too.”

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Longtime manager and friend Marcia Hurwitz said Curry died peacefully at his Toluca Lake home. Details about a cause of death were not immediately available.

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LAPD responded to Curry’s residence late Tuesday for a death investigation, the agency said. No foul play was suspected.

Curry, who suffered a stroke in 2012, played Dr. Frank N. Furter in the 1975 musical comedy film. He also played the terrifying clown Pennywise in the 1990 film based on Stephen King’s novel “It” and was Mr. Hector in “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.”

Curry got his start on stage in the West End London production of “Hair” in 1968. He was part of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” musical when it began its stage run at the Royal Court’s Theatre Upstairs in London. The show brought him to Los Angeles for performances at The Roxy on Sunset Boulevard before it was turned into a mid-1970s film that retains a cult following today.

The Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles first screened the film on a regular basis in 1976 and still offers weekly showings.

Curry continued performing on stage, including in Broadway productions, as his TV and film career accelerated in the 1970s and 1980s with several villainous roles.

“I like playing the more curious corners of the human mind and human behavior, partly because they’re a tad more interesting,” Curry told The Associated Press in 1993.

Curry was born in Cheshire, England and was the son of a Navy chaplain and school secretary. His father died when he was 12.

He started acting in his teens when he attended a school for sons of Methodist ministers.

“I was lucky that it was a liberal kind of school; many of them in England are rather Dickensian,” he told The Associated Press. “There was a lot of theater, and I sang, too; I had been singing in church from the age of 7. I had enormous opportunities to express myself in that way. I just got hooked, really.”

Curry graduated from the University of Birmingham and found stage success in London.

In addition to his role as the smug concierge in a futile struggle with Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin McCallister in “Home Alone 2,” Curry portrayed Wadsworth the butler with a secret past in 1985’s “Clue.” He was a wealthy philanthropist in 1995’s “Congo” and starred opposite Carol Burnett in the movie “Annie.”

Curry talked about his Hollywood experience in a 1996 AP interview.

“Hollywood tends to use European actors, especially English ones, as villains because they prefer heroes to be Americans,” Curry said. “I think we come with a certain amount of style, which is hard for American actors to acquire. They have to choose early on between New York and the theater vs. Hollywood and television and movies. In England there is still regional theater, where you can be assured work for several years doing all kinds of things.”

Curry also took on several voice-acting roles, including in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” “The Wild Thornberrys” and “The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius.”

Curry, who never married and had no children, was private about his personal life, but he shared some personal thoughts in his memoir “Vagabond: A Memoir” He was convinced to tell his story because of so many moving encounters with fans, Curry wrote.

“The notion that my experiences might resonate helps me persevere — if they strike a chord with only one teenager, alone with a book in his room, as I so often was; or that young woman reading this on an interminably long bus ride; or that older queen, hopefully still in his fishnets, who saw “Rocky Horror” upstairs at the Royal Court; or that middle-aged mother who organizes ‘Clue’ watching parties and refuses entry to anybody out of costume; or that buttoned-up bank clerk who relishes musicals; or that woman who kicked me out of the Waverly for being myself.”

Curry is survived by his nieces, Kate Lewis, Julia and Patrick Bullman and great nieces, Josephine and Georgina and nephew, Mark Lewis

It has surfaced at pivotal moments, shaping her family story, her artistic evolution and now her grief.

To start, Cyrus’ father, Billy Ray Cyrus, was born on that day, giving it early significance within her family.

As her career accelerated, the date kept reappearing. In 2013, her transformation from teen star to global pop force crystallized on Aug. 25, the day she released “Wrecking Ball” and delivered her headline‑making VMA performance with Robin Thicke. The moment reshaped her public image and marked a turning point in her career.

A decade later, Cyrus made the date part of her narrative intentionally.

In a 2023 interview for the ABC special “Endless Summer Vacation,” Cyrus alum explained why she chose Aug. 25 as the release date for “Used to Be Young,” a single from her Endless Summer Vacation album. 

“I decided to release ‘Used To Be Young’ on Aug. 25 because this particular date historically has been important to me personally and in my career,” she said.

On Tuesday, that meaning behind the day deepened into something devastating.

Dolly Parton died on Aug. 25 at 80 after a battle with cancer. Parton, her godmother, had been a guiding figure throughout Cyrus’ life and helped her understand the music industry.

“The feeling of losing my Aunt Dolly is beyond what feels right to share,” Cyrus wrote in a tribute. “Our most sacred moments were private and they’ll stay there behind the stage, beneath the glamour & between our hearts.

“What I KNOW is Dolly would want me to feel it, write a song about it, and then continue on and be strong. I have an angel by my side. I always have. One of our last conversations was about music and metamorphosis.

“I will always love her and want to make her proud. My heart breaks for the world, her family and friends who will miss her deeply. We’re in this loss together and we will see her in all of the most beautiful things.”

Cyrus and Parton’s bond was also reflected in their work together. The two shared the stage several times over the years, including a widely praised duet of “Jolene” on “The Voice” in 2016. They reunited again during “Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party” in 2022, performing a mix of classics and fan favorites.

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Billy Ray Cyrus also honored Parton in a heartfelt tribute.

He said he had “so many moments and memories with Dolly” and recalled “walking into her dressing room” in 1992 to apologize for tabloid rumors linking them romantically. According to Cyrus, Parton simply winked and told him, “Honey, this trash sells records.” He added that Parton recently sent him a message saying she loved him with her whole heart and said he will always love her the same way.

While the world mourns the singer-songwriter, tributes are being placed to honor the late legend. One such tribute will include an illumination at Pacific Park’s Ferris wheel in Santa Monica.

The 90-foot staple will display pink hearts, stars and spirals to honor Parton, who was known for her flashy and fun sense of style.

“The Santa Monica Pier tribute joins a national outpouring of remembrance that includes New York City’s Empire State Building sparkling in pink, while fans are gathering at Parton’s statue in her hometown of Sevierville, Tennessee, the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville and her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to remember an entertainer and humanitarian whose music, generosity and joyful spirit touched generations around the world,” Pacific Park said in a statement.

Fans who want to catch the tribute can head to the Santa Monica Pier to watch it from sunset to 12 a.m. A livestream is also available to watch online.

She died after being diagnosed with cancer, her estate said in an Aug. 25 statement. Parton had not publicly disclosed before that she’d been getting treatment for the illness.

“After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” the statement read in part.

In the days before her death, Parton did disclose some details about the health challenges that caused her to step away from the stage in recent months.

Fans first began to worry about the music legend’s wellbeing when she postponed her Las Vegas residency in September 2025 due to “health challenges,” she said at the time.

She later shared in March 2026 at the opening day celebration for Dollywood’s 41st season that “I’ve had a few little health issues, and we’re taking good care of them.”

“I just kind of got worn down and worn out, grieving over Carl and a lot of other little things going on,” Parton said, referencing the death of her husband of 60 years, Carl Thomas Dean.

“I just got myself kind of where I needed to build myself back up spiritually, emotionally, and physically. But, all is good. It didn’t slow me down.”

In a longer announcement on her Instagram page in May, she offered more details. “I have some good news and a little bad news,” Parton said in the video posted May 4, 2026.

“The good news is I’m responding really well to meds and treatments, and I’m improving every day. Now, the bad news is it’s going to take me a little while before I’m up to stage-performance level.”

Although she wasn’t performing, Parton insisted she was still grinding, working on a Broadway musical and opening a hotel and museum in Nashville, all while recovering and giving her health the attention it deserved.

In the days leading up to her death, Parton continued to address the ongoing health concerns. Here’s what she shared.

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She was going through ‘hard times’

In an Aug. 21 interview with People, Parton said she was going through some “hard times with my health.”

Before Dean’s death, she’d focused her attention on his health, she said. As a result, she was “dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl,” she told the outlet.

No stranger to health struggles, Parton dealt with surgeries, kidney stones, a hysterectomy and suicidal ideation over the years. Parton said this time, however, she was going through it with a social media spotlight on her that never dimmed.

“But I think because we live in a 24/7 world with social media, everything gets magnified in ways it wasn’t years ago,” she told People of the concern over her health.

“I used to joke that I was the Queen of the Tabloids, but now I guess I can say I’m the Queen of Social Media AI,” she added.

She felt ‘dizzy’ and ‘dehydrated’

To maintain face time with her supporters, Parton was working with a team to develop an avatar of herself to stand in for her at appearances and events she couldn’t attend, she told People.

Until that came to fruition, she recorded videos. At the opening of a new Dollywood theme park ride, the NightFlight Expedition, on Aug. 14, Parton joined attendees from a screen. In a video message projected at the event, Parton revealed that she sometimes gets “a little dizzy, and I get dehydrated.”

But she assured fans that she was getting better.

“All is going well on the medical end of things, and I continue working away on all our other projects.” She wished Dollywood guests well and promised to see them “down the road.”

She died after a ‘brief battle with cancer’

In an Aug. 25 statement several hours after Parton’s death was announced, her team revealed that her cause of death was cancer and she’d been a patient at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Tennessee.

“Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched. Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there to offer a helping hand,” the statement from Team Dolly read.

“Whether it be the hundreds of millions of books donated through her invaluable Imagination Library or funding research that helped create a lifesaving vaccine used around the world, Dolly’s unconditional love for all people was the guiding force for her lasting impact. After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones.”

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• Read Dolly Parton’s Family’s Statement on Her Death in Full, Which She Hand-Selected Her Nephew to Deliver
• Tributes Pour in for Dolly Parton After Music Legend’s Death at Age 80
• 30 Dolly Parton Quotes and Words of Wisdom to Live By

While the country music legend had been in the spotlight since the ‘50s, her relationship with the businessman mostly remained out of the limelight.

Parton, a star on the stage, television and film, died on Aug. 25, 2026, at the age of 80. Her nephew Bryan Seaver confirmed her passing in a video message shared on her Instagram page. He did not mention a cause of death.

The news of her death came about a year after Parton had to postpone multiple concerts as a she faced “health challenges.”

Her death also followed the loss of her beloved husband, who died on March 3, 2025, at the age of 82.

She penned a sweet statement at the time reflecting on their decades of marriage.

“Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy,” she wrote on her Instagram, alongside the announcement of his death.

Dean, who was from Nashville, was a businessman without any industry ties. In a 2023 interview for “What Would Dolly Do? Radio,” the singer gave insight into her long-standing private relationship.

“Carl has never been in the limelight and all, never wanted to be in it. He don’t like it,” said Parton.

She shared that after one public outing, he knew that life wasn’t for him.

“He went to one thing with me early on when we first married to a BMI Song of the Year (event), and he came out there taking off his tuxedo, his tie and all that and said, ‘Don’t ever ask me to go to another one of these damn things because I ain’t going,’” she said. “I never asked him and he never did.”

But despite their different approaches to public life, the two had a lasting relationship, celebrating 58 years of marriage before his death.

Here’s a look back at the major events in their relationship, from their first meeting at a laundromat to his support for her music.

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Parton and Dean met in 1964

Many people can live in a city for years before going on a date, but Parton met her husband on her very first day in Nashville. She told the New York Times that she brought a lot of dirty clothes with her, and stopped at the “Wishy-Washy” laundromat.

“After I’d put my clothes in the machine, I started walkin’ down the street, just looking at my new home, and this guy hollered at me, and I waved,” Parton told the New York Times in 1976. “Bein’ from the country, I spoke to everybody. And he came over and, well, it was Carl, my husband.”

In that 1976 interview, Parton had more to say about their first meeting.

“I wouldn’t go out with him. I mean, that was somethin’ we was taught. You gotta know somebody or they may take you on a back road and kill you. But I said, ‘You’re welcome to come up to the house tomorrow because I’m baby‐sittin’ my little nephew.’”

She said he came over every day for a week, and they sat on the porch and talked. “I wouldn’t even take him in the house,” she said.

But the first day she didn’t have to babysit, she said that Dean took her to meet his parents. “Cause he said he knew right the minute he saw me that that’s the one he wanted.”

They had a secret 1966 wedding

After dating for about two years, Dean proposed to her and they wed in May of that same year. While preparing for her wedding, the upcoming nuptials caused tension between her and her then-manager, Fred Foster.

“He asked me not to get married. He said it’ll make it so much harder if you’re married with all this promotion,” she said in a 2012 interview with Chattanooga, Tennessee, NBC affiliate WRCB.

“My mother-in-law had already sent out invitations,” Parton said. “It broke her heart because I said we had to call the wedding off.”

But that didn’t stop the two from getting married in a more private ceremony the following weekend. Only her mother, Avia Lee Owens, and Pastor Don Duvall and his wife were present at Ringgold Baptist Church where they tied the knot.

Parton wrote ‘Jolene’ in 1973

One of her most famous songs, “Jolene” tells the story of a woman begging for Jolene not to “take her man.” Parton said this was inspired by a “flirtation” that her husband had with a woman working at the local bank.

“She got this terrible crush on my husband,” Parton told NPR in 2008. “And he just loved going to the bank because she paid him so much attention. It was kinda like a running joke between us — when I was saying, ‘Hell, you’re spending a lot of time at the bank. I don’t believe we’ve got that kind of money.’ So it’s really an innocent song all around, but sounds like a dreadful one.”

Parton got close with her bandleader in the 1980s

In a 1986 interview with Ladies’ Home Journal, republished in her book, “Dolly on Dolly: Interviews and Encounters with Dolly Parton,” the country icon spoke about how she had gotten “wrapped up” in an “affair of the heart” in 1982.

She told the outlet she’d faced the disloyalty of “a special friend, an affair of the heart, which just about killed me. Oh, I cried an ocean. But I ain’t gonna talk about it anymore,” she said, playfully. “I’ve got to keep some mystery.”

Parton said at the time that she and Dean were not divorcing, reiterating what she has said years earlier.

“We’ll just always be together,” she told People in 1982. “To him it’s all a joke. There ain’t a man in this world could ever live up to my husband. That’s one of the things that keeps me from going too far.”

In a 1982 interview with Barbara Walters, Parton confirmed that she’d been stuck at home in Tennessee for health issues alongside her husband. She joked that her months at home had “just about busted” their relationship.

“I’m glad to be going,” she explained. “He’s glad for me to be going and so we’re glad to get back to our abnormal.”

In the Walters interview, Parton added that she and her husband were “flirts” but were faithful “best I know how.”

“I just love people there and … being a woman away from home, there are these good looking guys that come on to you pretty strong. And every now and then I like to come on pretty strong myself,” she said. “But I know that I’ve got something at home, that I wouldn’t threaten or take a chance on losing for anything in the world.”

Parton said she and Dean were still a team in 1997

In a 1997 interview with Out Magazine in which she promoted her latest collection of dance club remixes, Parton explained that she and her longtime companion, Judy Ogle, was “just an old maid” and not her lover.

“People think because she’s never married that she must be a lesbian, and because we’ve been together, that we must be lovers. But the fact is, I think Judy would rather be called a lesbian than an old maid,” she quipped. ���If I was gay, I’d certainly never find a finer person than Judy as a mate. I’m as close to her just about as I am with (my) husband.”

She also responded to rumors about her husband being out of the picture.

“They don’t … see my husband because he hates being in the limelight. But I see him all the time,” she told the outlet.

Parton added that the secret to her decadeslong marriage was simple.

“We just make a point to enjoy the stuff we enjoy and stay out of each other’s faces. I don’t get in his s—, and he don’t get in mine. And we get along great.”

The Out interview, along with many others, were reported in the 2017 book “Not Dumb and Not Blonde: Dolly in Conversation.” The book — which cites Parton and Randy Schmidt as authors — collected and published interviews with Parton dating as far back as 1967.

Parton and Dean renewed their vows in 2016

In May 2016, Parton and Dean got the wedding they planned years ago, but never got to have. The private affair was held at their Nashville-area home, and she said they “just had fun with it.”

“I got all dressed up in the most beautiful gown you’ve ever seen and dressed that husband of mine up. He looked like a handsome dude out of Hollywood,” Parton told Rolling Stone.

“We had a few family and friends around. We didn’t plan anything big at all because we didn’t want any kind of strain, any kind of tension, any kind of commotion, so we planned it cleverly and carefully. We just had a simple little ceremony at our chapel at our place. We just had just a few people who needed to be there to make sure they got the pictures and the few things that we needed.”

Parton also said that their vow renewal inspired a large portion of her album “Plain and Simple,” which was released that August.

Parton surprised Dean with a Playboy look for his birthday in 2021

In honor of her husband’s birthday, Parton donned a throwback look that she knew he would love. In July 2021, she put on a Playboy bunny costume in his honor.

“Remember sometime back I said I was going to pose on the cover of Playboy Magazine when I was 75? Well, I’m 75 and they don’t have a magazine anymore,” she said in a video at the time. “But my husband always loved the original cover of ‘Playboy’ so I was trying to think of something to do to make him happy.”

Parton was the first country star to pose for the now-defunct magazine, appearing on the cover in 1978. According to her official website, her contract at the time had “very specific parameters that did not include nudity,” but she still wore the classic bunny suit.

In her 2021 video, she said that she had a new cover made with her fresh outfit and “the new Dolly.”

“Well, the old new Dolly,” she said, good-naturedly. “In the first one, I was kind of a little butterball in that one. Well, I’m string cheese now.”

“But he’ll probably think I’m cream cheese,” Parton said with a wink. “I hope!”

Parton released her 2023 rock album with Dean’s support

The singer released her “Rockstar” album in 2023. On “What Would Dolly Do? Radio,” she spoke more about her husband’s reaction to hearing the album.

“I played him the whole album and he said, which to me was the greatest compliment in the world, he said, ‘You know, it’s pretty good,’” she said. “That would be like anybody else saying, ‘Oh, that’s best I ever heard. That’s just so fantastic.’”

She said Dean has always been honest with her about his opinions.

“I had done a couple of things in the past, just some rock things. He said, ‘It’s OK. It’s OK,’” Parton added. “He’s very honest. We have such a great relationship. I know not to ask him if I don’t want an honest answer.”

Parton announced Dean’s death in 2025

On March 3, 2025, a statement was shared on Parton’s Instagram announcing the death of her husband.

“Carl Dean, husband of Dolly Parton, passed away March 3rd in Nashville at the age of 82. He will be laid to rest in a private ceremony with immediate family attending. He was survived by his siblings Sandra and Donnie,” the statement read, followed by a personal message by Parton.

“Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years,” the singer wrote. “Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.”

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

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Parton, whose death at age 80 was announced Tuesday by her nephew and head of security Bryan Seaver, made her feature film debut with 1980s “9 to 5” and went on to amass a long list of acting credits. Parton, whose song by the same name became a workplace anthem, was already well established as a country music icon when she portrayed Doralee Rhodes in the story of three female employees who find creative and comedic ways to get even with their sexist boss played by Dabney Coleman.

In Memoriam Aug 25

Country music icon Dolly Parton dies at 80

In Memoriam Aug 25

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Parton starred alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in the hit film, establishing herself as a pop culture figure with a broader audience. Parton’s song won two Grammy awards, and she was nominated for her first Academy Award (Best Music, Original Song).

Tomlin shared an X post that included a photo of Parton and the caption, “Friend. Songwriter. The Great Harmonizer of Humanity. Dolly. Dolly. Dolly. Forever Dolly.”

In an Instagram post, Fonda recalled Parton’s gifts and her charity.

“I know that millions are mourning and I want to say this – more than anyone I have ever known, Dolly will always be with us because she was so present, so powerful, so generous and playful that she is woven into all our lives and hearts forever,” Fonda said. “We have our memories of her, her songs, Dollywood, 9 to 5, the millions of books she got into the hands of children, all the iconic images that bring her to us. And they are all blessings. Let’s be grateful for all that she has left us to ease our sadness now.”

Parton, who had a home in West Hollywood, followed “9 to 5” with roles in several other films.

“The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” (1982): Parton played Miss Mona Stangley, the protective proprietor of the “Chicken Ranch” brothel. She starred alongside Burt Reynolds in the musical comedy that earned Parton a second Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress. Parton performed her stirring hit “I Will Always Love You” for the movie.

Parton released the song in 1974, and it later became a hit for Whitney Houston in 1992. In a 2021 interview with People magazine, Parton reflected on the song’s lasting success over the decades.

“You never know when you’re writing songs, how they’re going to turn out,” Parton told People in 2021. “But after ‘I Will Always Love You’ became a worldwide thing, it was in the movie ‘The Bodyguard,’ and it was No. 1. I really felt my worth.

“Whitney did such a fantastic job. And I thought, ‘Wow. I wrote that little song.’ That’s when I felt my worth as a songwriter. This is my gift and I’m going to do the best I can with it.”

“Rhinestone” (1984): Parton and Sylvester Stallone shared the screen in a musical comedy involving a bet that Parton’s character can turn a New York cab driver into a country music star. A few lessons later at her Tennessee home and Stallone’s character is on a path toward a dramatic career change.

“Steel Magnolias” (1989): Parton played Truvy Jones, a Louisiana beauty salon owner who shared her wisdom with customers. The comedy-drama about the friendship shared by a group of woman also featured Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine and Julia Roberts.

Field shared a heartfelt Instagram post Monday about her co-star.

“If there are truly angels on earth, then we have just lost one,” Field said. “Dolly Parton. There will never be another. I adored her with all my heart and will always cherish our time together. Forever. Rest in peace beautiful Dolly.”

“Straight Talk” (1992): Parton’s character leaves small town Arkansas life behind for the big city, in this case it’s Chicago, and accidentally becomes a radio talk show host.

“Joyful Noise” (2012): Parton teamed up with Queen Latifah in this feel-good film about a choir that takes a new direction under a new director entering a high-stakes national competition.

Parton also became familiar to TV audiences with roles in variety specials and a long list of TV holiday films. Parton also produced projects through her Sandollar Productions company.

She earned 11 Grammy Awards, a Country Music Hall of Fame induction and a Kennedy Center Honor.

Parton, who played at the Hollywood Bowl in July 2011 and October 2016, has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1984 and was later inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. Parton’s star is located at 6710 Hollywood Boulevard, where flowers will be placed Tuesday afternoon in her memory.

“Today, we will place flowers on the Walk of Fame star of our beloved Dolly Parton with profound sadness and gratitude,” aid Ana Martinez, Hollywood Walk of Fame producer. “Dolly was a once-in-a-lifetime talent whose music, films, generosity, and unmistakable spirit touched millions around the world. Her loss is immeasurable—not only to her family, friends, and fans, but to the entire world. The Hollywood Walk of Fame will forever shine a little brighter because Dolly Parton walked among us.”

She was named a Living Legend by the Library of Congress in 2004 for her enrichment of the American cultural heritage.

No cause of death was announced in Seaver’s Instagram post.

In her new Dazed interview, West was asked what she would be doing if she were not an artist.

“What would I be? I still wanna work. I wanna work at, like, Starbucks next year,” she said. “I think I can next year ’cause I am gonna be 14, so … I think I can. I want to have a regular job, I guess.”

West, the daughter of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, also spoke openly about the pressures of being a teenager today and how her priorities differ from her peers’.

“Everyone’s in love with boys, vaping and doing all kinds of bad stuff,” she said. “All I want is blue hair and piercings.”

Her look is inspired by Japanese virtual pop idol Hatsune Miku and her electric blue ponytails have quickly become a defining part of her emerging aesthetic.

As she continues to shape her identity as an artist, West revealed the worst advice she has ever been given and why she ignored it.

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“To start my career later. It’s like, nah, this is my hobby, this is what I like to do, this is what I wanna do with my life,” she said.

Many young artists are encouraged to wait, but West is already releasing music, performing at festivals and creating a clear artistic identity while also, apparently, craving the normalcy of having a job behind the counter.

The “Severance” star was one of the guests at the epic nuptials between the Kansas City Chiefs star tight end and the global pop superstar, set at Madison Square Garden on July 3.

“It was kind of on a grand scale,” Scott told Craig Melvin on TODAY Aug. 24. “There were more people than were at my wedding, but at its core, it just felt like a regular wedding with two people coming (together). Everyone was teared up. It was a really lovely, lovely event.”

Despite all the spectacle, the details of which have slowly trickled out from the star-studded guest list, Scott said all the emotions involved were heartfelt and genuine.

“It was incredible,” he said. “It was really terrific. The impression we had more than anything was that it was a real wedding. You had the sense that these are just people who love each other.”

Among the many people jealous of Scott for scoring a coveted invite was his teen daughter Francesca “Frankie” Scott, who is a diehard Swiftie. Craig asked the actor if going to the wedding scored him some dad points with his daughter.

“Sure did, except I didn’t bring her, so I lost some points at the same time,” Scott said. “But she stayed up and waited for us to come home that night to get all the details.”

Craig asked if Scott could reveal any of those actual details that he shared with his daughter.

“I can’t,” Scott said. “You can have her on, and she’ll tell you what happened.”

“Honestly, we would book her tomorrow if she would share,” Craig joked.

Scott attended the wedding with his wife, Naomi Scott, as well as Paul Rudd and wife Julie Rudd. The “Parks & Recreation” actor shared a photo of the two couples in their wedding guest best, with the caption, “❤️T&T❤️.”

After attending the wedding of the year this summer, Scott has now joined his castmates for the third season of “Severance,” which he said is “a few weeks in” to shooting.

He also stars in the new Netflix crime thriller “The Whisper Man,” which begins streaming on Aug. 28. Scott plays a widower whose 8-year-old son goes missing, and he reaches out for help to his estranged father, a retired cop played by Robert De Niro. 

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The domestic diva had quite the reaction to seeing the ad, which, unbeknownst to her, also featured “Off Campus” star Belmont Cameli.

“Oh, pumpkin spice latte? The drink that makes us all a little more basic?” she says in the spot before a barista hands her the latte she ordered.

“This smells like my house in the fall,” she says about the treat. “It’s perfect.”

Cameli, with drink in hand, then walks up the counter asking for a straw. Martha turns and the two size each other up.

“You would get it hot,” he tells her with a wry smile.

“Should I know him?” Stewart then says to the camera as she walks away. Cameli looks on at her before turning to the camera and winking.

It turns out, Stewart may be oblivious to Cameli because he wasn’t actually on hand when she shot the commercial, at least according to the lifestyle maven.

“Wow! The actor I was interacting with while we shot the commercial was a different guy — a ‘stand in.’ This guy is cuter,” she wrote in the comments of the clip shared on Starbucks’ Instagram page.

Stewart’s reaction certainly resonated with fans.

“@marthastewart48 save some Belmont for us, bestie,” someone replied.

“@marthastewart48 as always has impeccable taste,” another person commented.

“oh my heart breaks for the poor stand in whenever he sees this,” joked another fan.

“Martha slaying in her own comment section,” someone else wrote.

While Cameli may be new to Stewart, the actor’s star is actively on the rise. After appearing in “Along for the Ride” and “The Alto Knights,” his breakout role came with Prime Video’s college hockey drama “Off Campus.”

Cameli stars as hockey star Garrett Graham opposite Ella Bright as aspiring singer Hannah Wells. After leading Season 1, Cameli and Bright are set to return for “Off Campus” Season 2, which is already filming.

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In an Instagram post shared Aug. 21, Paquin blasted the industry, accusing it of failing to protect “pre-sexualized female, child ‘stars’” including Panettiere. Paquin, who made her acting debut in the 1993 film “The Piano,” was 9 years old when filming began. Panettiere’s television career began at 4 years old in the soap opera “One Life to Live.”

“It’s not a coincidence that so many former, specifically pre-sexualized female, child ‘stars’ have profoundly sad lives and untimely ends,” Paquin, now 44, wrote in the post, before likely referencing the deaths of Panettiere, Michelle Trachtenberg and Daveigh Chase. “We were not as protected by the ‘systems’ that look great on paper, as we are supposed to be. RIP HP, MT, DC and too many others.”

Trachtenberg died in 2025 at age 39 due to complications from diabetes. Chase died in June at age 35 from AIDS. Her father John Schwallier confirmed to NBC News that she was homeless at the time of her death.

Paquin also encouraged others who have backgrounds as child stars to reach out to her for support.

“It’s a strange small club we belong to and you are worthy of support no matter how our industry made us feel. Literally DM me,” Paquin wrote. “I believe you and I will stand by your side. You aren’t alone. Let’s have each other’s backs. It might make public disclosure less terrifying.”

Panettiere was found unresponsive Aug. 16 at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina and later pronounced dead. She was 36. Her passing has reignited discussions around the treatment of child stars. Panettiere, who’s also known for her roles in “Heroes” and “Nashville,” had begun to appear on screen when she was not yet a year old. In her book, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” published in May, Panettiere wrote that she had “lost the chance to have a ‘normal’ childhood.”

In her memoir, Panettiere described a collection of traumatic events, including when, at 19, she was asked to get in bed with an older celebrity. The actor also described moments when a television executive kissed her on the lips, and when an Oscar-winning actor and director exposed himself to her at a party.

When she was 15 years old, Panettiere was given “happy pills” before walking a red carpet — an incident that would kickstart a long battle with drug addiction, she has said.

“I had no idea that this was not an appropriate thing, or what door that would open for me when it came to my addiction,” she said in a 2022 interview with People.

Paquin, who’s also known for her roles in “X-Men” and “True Blood” has been open about her experiences as a child star in the past. The actor, who won the Oscar for best supporting actress at age 11 for her performance in “The Piano,” told The Guardian in a 2019 interview that she’s had “some absolutely horrific experiences” as someone growing up in the industry.

“People treat people who have no power, sometimes, in ways that are completely unacceptable,” Paquin told the outlet. “But when you’re a child and you don’t know any different, and you don’t want to get into trouble, you just keep your mouth shut.”

Paquin’s latest post has drawn praise from several other former child stars including Mara Wilson, who played the titular character in 1996 film “Matilda,” and Alyssa Milano whose breakout role was as character Samantha Micelli in 1980s sitcom “Who’s The Boss?” 

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“Criticizing the actions of the Israeli prime minister, a military technology contract, or the executives who supply it is not the same as criticizing Jewish people,” Ruffalo wrote in an X post Saturday. “This critical and necessary dialogue is then dishonestly framed as being anti-Israel.”

The dispute traces back to a social media post from the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement — a Palestinian-led campaign opposing Israel’s occupation, which began in 1967 — that Ruffalo had boosted.

The post featured comments from Oracle executive vice chair Safra Catz describing the company’s assistance to Israel following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack.

Catz said Oracle undertook efforts it couldn’t fully discuss to support the Israeli military, alluding to advanced technology the company made available for that purpose.

BDS captioned the clip by accusing Oracle of being“complicit in war crimes and crimes against humanity — including apartheid and genocide against Palestinians.”

Ruffalo reshared the post to his Instagram story Friday, taking aim at Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison — who backed his son David Ellison’s acquisition of Paramount Global through Skydance Media. Ruffalo argued that Larry Ellison is “using [Oracle] to fund his son David’s Warner Bros acquisition.”

“These ‘really profoundly scary technologies’ will most likely be merged into one of the largest media conglomerates in the world and one day used on you,” Ruffalo wrote. “Look how [Catz] revels in what we now have come to see as a genocide, which was built on an apartheid system of oppression powered by Oracle.”

Ruffalo urged his followers to push back against the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger, arguing it would be “catastrophic for our film industry” through job losses, higher cable costs, and reduced competition.

The merger remains on hold, possibly until next June, while a federal judge considers a lawsuit from a coalition of state attorneys general challenging the deal over antitrust grounds.

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Paramount responded over the weekend, saying it was “troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute.”

“Words like ‘genocide’ and ‘apartheid,’ applied to a corporate transaction, aren’t just wrong — they’re a bridge too far, and they cheapen the very real suffering those words are meant to describe,” Paramount said in a statement to multiple news outlets. “This doesn’t deserve a response in kind — and to be clear, we don’t tolerate prejudice of any kind, against anyone.”

In his Saturday response on X, Ruffalo reiterated that his criticism was not directed at Jewish people. He said the merger “has real consequences for real people, and for the entire country.”

“Scrutinizing the Ellisons, including Oracle’s business built on data, surveillance technology and government contracts, and the serious threat to editorial freedom and the loss of a livelihood for thousands of families, is fair and necessary,” the actor wrote. “The $111 billion deal would hand one family control over CNN, HBO and Warner Bros., backed in part by foreign money whose influence on editorial decisions has never been fully explained to the public.”

A Paramount spokesperson said the company has no further comment.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center, a pro-Israel human rights organization, took to social media Saturday to “commend Paramount for speaking clearly and refusing to allow prejudice to masquerade as political or corporate criticism.”

Jack Simony, president and director general of the nonprofit Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation, issued a similar statement via email.

“Paramount deserves recognition for confronting antisemitic tropes directly and unequivocally,” Simony wrote. “From the earliest days of Hollywood, Jews working in media have seen their participation recast as control and their success as conspiracy.”

Ruffalo’s comments also drew criticism from Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, a prominent pro-Israel advocacy group.

The actor has long been a critic of Israel’s military conduct in Gaza, frequently using his social media platforms and public appearances to draw attention to civilian suffering there.

In 2021, he apologized for social media posts suggesting Israel was committing genocide, calling the characterization inaccurate, inflammatory, and disrespectful, and warning that it risked fueling antisemitism. Since then, however, his criticism of Israel has grown more pointed.

Last September, a United Nations commission concluded that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Public opinion in the U.S. has also shifted: a February Gallup poll found that , for the first time, more Americans said they sympathized with Palestinians (41%) than with Israelis (36%).

Ruffalo was among thousands of film industry workers who pledged last year not to work with Israeli film institutions they say are “implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.”

In a September interview with Zeteo founder Mehdi Hasan, he described Israel’s actions in Gaza in blunt terms, calling them a famine, a genocide, and ethnic cleansing.

Amita Kelly contributed.

Actor Margaret Qualley, who’s currently promoting the upcoming Ridley Scott film “The Dog Stars,” stepped onto the red carpet at the film’s world premiere Aug. 20, wearing a pair of Chanel’s “shoeless shoes.” The look instantly went viral for its controversial aesthetic, with some loving the high-fashion shoes and others saying that they weren’t shoes at all.

The internet wasn’t quite sure what to make of the moment. One social media user on X joked that the shoes were just a reflection of “shrinkflation. And another jokingly predicted that next season, the fashion brand will likely “sell the front part.”

However, there were still a number of people who were living for it. A social media user wrote, “chic this chic that. THIS is chic, to me”

Another person also described the shoes as “kinda chic high key.”

The shoes have been drawing a lot of opinions since they debuted on the runway in April at a show in the French seaside resort city of Biarritz. At the time, Chanel’s creative director Matthieu Blazy, had already sparked debate for the design. And fashion insiders weren’t even united in their stances.

“Is it half the price as well?” one person wrote on Instagram.

Another described the shoes as an “updated anklet for the beach!”

So where do you stand on these haute couture shoes?

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Many of the basic facts jurors have learned are not in dispute.

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Jury hears from man who took photo of Tupac Shakur moments before murder

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Jury hears Duane Davis' 2008 interview with authorities in Tupac Shakur murder trial

Shakur and Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight were in Las Vegas to watch a Mike Tyson fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Just outside, Shakur, Knight and their entourage got into a brawl with Davis’ nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson.

Later that night, Shakur and Knight were in a black BMW at a red light near the Las Vegas Strip, when a white Cadillac with four men inside pulled up beside them and someone opened fire. Shakur was shot multiple times and died six days later. Knight survived with minor injuries.

Years later, Davis would say he procured the gun and his nephew fired the shots. Davis’ lawyers have disputed the statements and fought unsuccessfully to get them excluded. The other men in the Cadillace have since died, limiting eyewitness testimony.

The dispute had its roots in the long-running feud between the Mob Piru Bloods, a gang Knight and Shakur were affiliated with, and the South Side Compton Crips, for whom Davis was a prominent leader.

A jury of six men and 10 women — four are alternates — will decide whether Davis, 63, is guilty of one count of murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang. He has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he could get life in prison.

Here’s a closer look at the first week of the trial that is expected to last about a month.

Is Keffe D admitting old truths or as his lawyer says, ‘full of crap’?

A prosecutor said in his opening statement that Davis’ own words — in interviews with police, podcasters and filmmakers — would prove he orchestrated the killing.

“Let’s be clear, Duane Davis did not pull the trigger. But he did plan the shooting in retaliation of the beating of his nephew,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told jurors. “Remarkably, you will learn that from Duane Davis himself.”

“Now, 30 years later, we’re going to ask you to finally hold Duane Davis accountable,” Palal said.

Davis’ defense attorney Michael Sanft took the unusual approach of telling jurors his client’s words were all bloviating and braggadocio, and did not represent the truth.

“What they are telling you, they are representing as fact, when it’s really fiction,” said Sanft. He said Davis wasn’t previously charged because law enforcement knew that he was “full of crap.”

Who are the witnesses and what have they said about the 1996 shooting?

Seventeen witnesses testified through the first five days, a little under half the number prosecutors said they plan to call at the trial.

They included a police officer, Garry Dale, who first responded to the scene, jumped into the ambulance with Shakur and asked him who shot him. “We’ll take care of it,” was Dale’s best memory of what Shakur said.

Brent Becker, a homicide detective from the initial investigation, said that despite being able to get probable identification on the men in the Cadillac from confidential informants, it was of little use because no witnesses would say anything solid on the record.

That included Knight. “I thought he lied to us,” Becker said.

Some of the case’s most compelling witnesses — formerly gang-affiliated men who testified unwillingly under court order — essentially refused to help the prosecution that summoned them, but provided drama and humor that was absent from the more sterile official testimony.

They included James McDonald, a former Mob Piru member who helped Knight with security.

“I’m aware of a lot of things,” McDonald said on the stand, “things that was going on, people ain’t talked about them in 30 years. Today ain’t one of them.”

He directly addressed the defendant. “What you’re going through, brother, is what you’re going through,” McDonald said, adding “I didn’t want to be a part of it.”

Knight is on the prosecution’s witness list, but will likely take a similar approach should he be called. He’s in prison serving a 28-year sentence for an unrelated killing in California.

Leonard Jefferson, who took the last known photo of Shakur, also took the stand. Police developed Jefferson’s film and returned the photo negatives days after Shakur died.

In the frame, Shakur looks directly at the camera while Knight stares ahead, his hand on the steering wheel.

“The picture just took on a life of its own,” Jefferson told The Associated Press.

Jurors hear Keffe D’s damning statements

Decades of interviews starting from the late 1990s were played for jurors.

Key was a 2008 interview with law enforcement looking into the 1997 killing of the Notorious B.I.G., Shakur’s rap archrival. Davis had briefly been a suspect in that shooting, but one detective testified that “everyone was a suspect” in that case at one point or another.

Davis shifted the conversation to the Shakur shooting, and admitted his involvement from the passenger side of the Cadillac.

“If we would have been on my side, I would have blasted,” Davis said. Instead, Knight’s car was on the other side, so Davis passed his gun back to the guys in the backseat, he said.

Davis said his nephew took the weapon and started firing.

Several people in the audience shook their heads when they heard detectives tell Davis that the interview would not be used against him. But authorities argue he negated that agreement when, years later, he spoke publicly about the shooting.

Davis, with bald head and gray goatee, sat stoically through most of the testimony, wearing a suit and tie. He occasionally whispered and exchanged fist bumps with his lawyer.

And he spoke to the judge on Friday, saying his family’s safety is at risk because witnesses for the prosecution have shared his home address. “They keep giving out my address,” he said. “They broke into my house, vandalized my house, vandalized my wife’s car.”

“I’m not upset I’m being prosecuted,” Davis said, but “you’re endangering my family’s life.”

Its design is also part of a broader trend when it comes to celebrity engagement and wedding rings.

The 45-year-old supermodel announced her engagement to Palmer Aug. 11 on Instagram when she posted several images from the couple’s romantic beachside proposal. She also posted a close up of the engagement ring in another post.

In the pics, Ambrosio flaunts a whopper of a diamond ring on her left ring finger.

“It’s an elongated cushion cut,” Mallory Shelter of Shelter Jewelry tells TODAY.com of the diamond.

As for its size? “Probably six to seven carats,” Shelter estimates.

A mix of traditional and trendy

The diamond is “set in a very classic bezel setting,” says Shelter.

In other words, the ring features a custom-fitted metal rim that wraps around the diamond rather than encasing it in prongs.

“It’s a sleek, modern alternative to a more traditional prong setting,” Shelter explains.

A bezel setting offers “practical advantages, especially with stones of this size.”

“They’re a more secure setting, protect the edges of the stone and are less likely to snag on clothing, which makes it a really comfortable ring to wear,” Shelter adds.

The setting’s style is trendier than ever this year, she continues, noting, “I think we’re seeing a lot of them right now because they give a vintage but modern feel. It’s a great way to have a solitaire style feel more distinctive rather than mainstream.”

The understated, “unfussy” look, Shelter adds, “feels very aligned with the current move toward quieter, more design-forward luxury.”

A style that’s hot with celebrities

Anna-Mieke Anderson, founder and former CEO of MiaDonna, says the ring’s vintage look has been trendy with celebrities.

“We are certainly seeing a return to antique-inspired, metal-forward settings,” Anderson tells TODAY.com.

Zendaya’s wedding ring, for example, “is a true Georgian-inspired button-back design,” referring to a type of closed-back bezel setting that’s rooted in the Georgian era.

Taylor Swift’s ring “has a vintage-style yellow-gold bezel with hand engraving,” she adds.

“Alessandra’s (ring) belongs to that same broader movement,” explains Anderson.

Asher Wiener, CEO of Luma Jewellery, agrees Ambrosio’s ring probably features a button back — or possibly a closed back collet — setting.

“What I like is that it’s unforgiving,” says Wiener. “Close the back and light can only get in and out through the top, so the cut has to be good or the diamond goes flat on the hand. A tall claw setting will carry a mediocre stone. This one won’t.”

“The trend’s real and I think it’s a reaction to 15 years of very tall, six claw solitaires. Zendaya’s Jessica McCormack ring did most of the work, Taylor Swift’s bezel pushed it further, and we’re seeing more requests for it,” says Wiener.

A yellow gold band

The band on Ambrosio’s ring is yellow gold, “almost certainly 18k,” says Wiener.

“Gold does a diamond a quiet favor nobody talks about. The warm metal reflects up into the stone and hides a warmer color grade, so an H or an I looks white in gold when it would look tinted in platinum. That’s someone buying with their eyes, not off a certificate,” Wiener explains.

What’s the ring’s story?

The ring “is incredibly elegant, just like Alessandra,” says Anderson.

“The elongated cushion is timeless, while the yellow-gold setting gives it warmth and modernity. This ring will never go out of style, and it will go with absolutely everything,” Anderson adds.

All three experts noted Palmer, as a designer himself, knows his way around a ring.

“He’s a jeweler, so he made it at his own bench instead of walking into a store,” says Wiener. “There’s no showing off in it. Oldest setting in the book, plain band, every decision pointing at a ring she can live in rather than one she has to look after.”

The ring is likely worth $200,000 to $400,000

The estimated cost of the ring is anywhere from $200,000 to $400,000, says Anderson, who guessed Ambrosio’s diamond was closer to seven carats than six.

“Exceptional color, clarity, provenance, or designer craftsmanship could place it above that range,” Anderson notes.

“We would need to see the grading report to confirm the diamond’s origin and characteristics,” she adds.

Wiener agrees, more or less, with Anderson’s estimate.

“If it’s natural and grades around G color, VS clarity at six carats, roughly $200,000 to $350,000 at retail. Seven carats with better clarity takes it past $450,000. The gold work is maybe $5,000 of that.

“(Palmer) is in the trade though, so what he actually paid is a fraction of the numbers being reported,” adds Wiener.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• Anna Faris Details ‘Long Conversations’ She Has With Son Jack, 14, Over Religion
• Anna Paquin Blasts Hollywood’s Treatment of Child Stars In Tribute To Hayden Panetierre
• Travis Barker Shares Message His Late Mom Told Him That Fueled His Career

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Faris, who shares Jack with ex-husband Chris Pratt, described the teen as someone who is as “solid as a tugboat emotionally” during a recent appearance on comedian Chelsea Handler’s “Dear Chelsea” podcast.

“He just doesn’t get easily jarred. He handles situations really well,” Faris said.

The “Mom” alum, 49, added that Jack is far more “religious” than she is, which has prompted discussions between mother and son.

“I didn’t grow up with religion,” Faris said. “He’s asked me to accept Jesus Christ … and I told him that I would do anything for him, including this, but it’s still going to take a whole lot of long conversations.”

Faris said she found Jack “impressive” in his willingness to have discussions about their beliefs.

“I try to challenge him, I’m like, ‘Do you think it’s a luxury that you get to be pro-life? Do you think that’s kind of a luxury?’ He’s like, ‘Maybe,’” she said. “Or I’ll say, ‘So what do you think of this megapastor that’s kind of a grifter? What do you think?’ He’s like, ‘Oh, megapastors are the worst.’

“So it’s like, ‘OK …we’re getting there,’” she said.

“I’m appreciative that he’s examining religion the way he is in terms of recognizing hypocrisy, starting to recognize hypocrisy. And I’m appreciative that we can have these long conversations,” she added.

Faris and Pratt welcomed Jack in 2012 after tying the knot in 2009. The former couple parted ways in 2017.

Pratt has said he “made a deal with God” to protect Jack after he was born prematurely.

“I prayed hard to God. I was in a season of transition spiritually at that time and didn’t quite fully understand,” the “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise star told the Christian Post in 2025.

After God “saved” his son, Pratt’s faith was “cemented,” he said.

Faris and Pratt, 47, have continued co-parenting Jack together. Both have also found love again.

Faris eloped with cinematographer Michael Barrett in 2021, while Pratt married Katherine Schwarzenegger, whom he met at church, in 2019. The couple share two daughters, Lyla, 6, and Eloise, 4, and a son, Ford, who turns 2 in November.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• Alessandra Ambrosio’s Cushion Cut Engagement Ring Is Worth $200,000 to $400,000, Experts Say
• Anna Paquin Blasts Hollywood’s Treatment of Child Stars In Tribute To Hayden Panetierre
• Travis Barker Shares Message His Late Mom Told Him That Fueled His Career

The retired boxing legend posted a photo in remembrance of the late actor on Instagram Friday, five days after the “Heroes” and “Nashville” star was pronounced dead in South Carolina.

“Today is Hayden’s birthday. Instead of celebrating the way we had planned, today we celebrate her life, her spirit, and the love she brought into this world,” he wrote. “I want to thank all of Hayden’s fans, friends, and everyone who has reached out for the incredible outpouring of love and support. At a time filled with so much sadness, your kindness has reminded me that there is still so much good in humanity.”

In his post, Klitschko also called on fans to spread love.

“If you’re reading this, I ask just one thing: even if only for a moment, think about LOVE,” he continued. “Reach out to a friend. Forgive someone. Be kind. Love is a superpower. Use it.

He concluded with a sweet message to Panettiere.

“Happy Birthday, Hayden. ❤️ You are loved, you are missed, and you will never be forgotten,” he wrote.

Celebrity News Aug 20

Neutrogena addresses backlash over its past brand deal with Hayden Panettiere

Celebrity News Aug 18

Hayden Panettiere's mother shares first public comments since daughter's death

Klitschko is the father of the couple’s 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, and was engaged to Panettiere before they broke things off in 2018.

He previously shared an emotional message on Instagram two days after Panettiere’s death.

“To our daughter Kaya, I will always speak of her mother with respect and make sure she remembers the person she was,” Klitschko wrote.

Panettiere was found in cardiac arrest on Aug. 16 when emergency personnel responded to a 911 call at a residence where she had been temporarily staying in Greenville, South Carolina, according to a statement by the Greenville County Coroner’s Office. She was declared dead at 2:32 p.m. after EMS workers were unable to resuscitate her.

Dispatch audio from the emergency response references a possible overdose, but no cause or manner of death has been given by authorities.

The Drug Enforcement Agency has joined local authorities in the investigation into her death, a source familiar with the probe told NBC News on Aug. 20.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

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Friday’s testimony in the trial of former gang member Duane “Keffe D” Davis began with Leonard Jefferson, who took what is believed to be the last photo of Tupac Shakur before his death. Jefferson said he was visiting Las Vegas Sept. 7, 1996 for the highly anticipated Mike Tyson-Bruce Seldon heavyweight boxing match at the MGM Grand, but ended up selling his two tickets.

Celebrity News Aug 20

Jury hears Duane Davis' 2008 interview with authorities in Tupac Shakur murder trial

Celebrity News Aug 18

MGM Grand video from night of Tupac Shakur murder shown at trial

Jefferson testified Friday that he snapped a widely seen photo of Shakur in the passenger’s seat of a black BMW at a stoplight with hip-hop mogul Marion “Suge” Knight behind the wheel. The photo was later licensed for books and other projects.

Prosecutor Binu Palal asked Jefferson about conspiracy theories alleging he staged the scene at the stoplight.

“Well, I mean, the internet does what it does,” Jefferson said.

Palal then directly asked whether Jefferson staged the scene.

“I did not,” he responded.

Jefferson said he had previous interactions with Shakur in Los Angeles, where he sold cars, so he spoke with him through the cars’ windows. Moments after the brief conversation with the men in the BMW, Jefferson said he heard a “pop, pop, pop” sound.

He said he looked up to see cars from Knight’s caravan stopped on the street in front of him.

“I see that they they’re kind of like struggling with the door,” Jefferson said. “They get the door open and then they pull. I see them pull Tupac out of the car.”

Just before a midday recess, Davis spoke up as he was seated at a courtroom table with his attorneys. He referenced his address being given out in court in a brief exchange with the judge and a prosecutor before people filed out of the courtroom.

Jefferson’s testimony came a day after jurors heard Davis tell detectives in 2008 that his nephew Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson fired the shots that killed Tupac Shakur. Prosecutors allege Shakur was killed to avenge Shakur’s entourage attacking Davis’ nephew a few hours earlier at the MGM Grand after the Tyson fight.

Davis was at the fight but not the brawl.

Davis, who said in the 2008 interview that he was also in the car with Anderson, is accused of orchestrating the killing of the 25-year-old hip-hop superstar. At the time of the interview, his nephew had been dead for a decade.

Davis said the white Cadillac he and Anderson were riding in with two other men pulled up alongside a car with Shakur inside, along with hip-hop mogul and Death Row Records head Marion “Suge” Knight.

“If we would have been on my side, I would have blasted,” Davis said. Instead, Knight’s car was on the other side, so Davis passed his gun back to Deandre “Big Dre” Smith. But Smith didn’t want it, Davis said.

Anderson, who was also in the back seat, took the weapon and started firing, Davis said.

Jurors watched the screen as the transcript of the audio recording rolled. Some occasionally took notes. At the beginning of the audio interview, Davis and his attorney whispered to each other. Shakur’s family sat still, occasionally looking at the screen or looking down to the floor. The room was quiet as Davis described the shooting.

It was the first time Davis directly discussed his involvement in the killing with authorities. The interview is essential evidence in the state’s case against the 63-year-old Davis. Prosecutors told jurors in opening statements that they would lean heavily on Davis’ own admissions in interviews with police and on podcasts, as well as the 2019 memoir he co-authored, “Compton Street Legend.”

He also previously told the FBI that his nephew was not involved in the 1996 shooting of Shakur, and speculated that Knight or Sean “Diddy” Combs were involved.

Davis has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer has called the prosecution’s narrative “fiction” and said Davis was “full of crap” when he told stories of his involvement, and that authorities knew it. He argued investigators failed to back up the statements his client made with evidence.

The Los Angeles police detectives had actually brought Davis in to talk about the 1997 shooting death of Shakur’s archrival, the Notorious B.I.G.

Davis had briefly been one of the suspects in that still unsolved killing, but he was later discounted.

“Everybody was a suspect at that time,” Daryn Dupree, one of the detectives in the interview, said in court testimony Thursday.

The detectives tell Davis that their discussion is confidential.

“Nothing you say today can be used against you,” said Greg Kading, the other detective conducting the interview who described it in a book a few years later.

Some in the audience shook their heads when someone in the audio tells Davis that “nothing leaves this room.”

Dupree adds, “If you don’t say nothing, it’s cool, but if you go out there and start talking …”

Prosecutors say Davis did in fact “go out there and start talking” a decade later when he told stories about the shooting in interviews and the memoir. They said that nullifies any agreement he had with law enforcement over this and other recorded conversations.

Later in the evening, they were in the Cadillac and saw Shakur hanging out of a black BMW with people calling out “Tupac!”

Davis said that after Lane fired the shots, he thought Knight was dead.

Decades after his death, Shakur remains a cultural icon, and one of the most influential and versatile rappers of all time. He died as his popularity was peaking and his film career as an actor was taking off. His legend has only grown in the years since.

Panettiere, 36, was found unresponsive Sunday at an apartment complex in South Carolina and was pronounced dead at the scene. The coroner’s office said Panettiere’s cause of death is pending further investigation. An autopsy was completed on Monday.

After her sudden passing, fans began to resurface a podcast interview with the star from earlier this year in which she claimed that Neutrogena, which she described as “a huge part” of her life, severed ties with her over a “morals clause” when she spoke about her experiences with postpartum depression (PPD).

Neutrogena’s social media posts were flooded with negative comments toward the brand, with some calling for a boycott. Across TikTok, many people also shared videos describing the beauty brand’s reported treatment of Panettiere as disappointing.

Panettiere and her ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko welcomed a daughter, Kaya Evdokia Klitschko, in 2014. Four years later, Panettiere gave full custody of Kaya to Klitschko amid what she described to parenting outlet Momé as a “really challenging time in my life.”

Panettiere worked with Neutrogena from 2005 to 2015.

In its post on Instagram on Thursday, the brand described Panettiere as “a valued member of our Neutrogena community” for more than a decade.

“We are proud to have partnered with her and understand that we made her feel unsupported during a very difficult time,” the brand wrote. “This is not what Neutrogena stands for or who we want to be.”

The beauty company did not elaborate on the terms of Panettiere’s contract. A spokesperson for the brand did not respond to NBC News’ request for further comment.

During her appearance on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose Podcast in May, Panettiere told the host that she “had no intention or plan to talk about postpartum depression” but that “it just came up and I was just being honest and never for a second did I think that anyone cared or that anyone would have a bad reaction to it.”

She said she thought “this is the last thing that I thought they would ever fire me over.”

She continued, “And so when I got that call that Neutrogena wanted to fire me over that, and my representative at the time said, ‘That’s illegal you can’t do that,’ I knew that that was gonna be it, that I was not gonna be invited back the next year and I had worked with those people for 10 years.”

In her memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” which was published in May, Panettiere also elaborated on her struggles with PPD.

“Ever since Kaya’s birth, all my natural optimism and pep had vanished,” she wrote. “The three months I planned to take off seemed like an eternity, with long days of nothingness stretching before me. When Kaya cried, I struggled to soothe her, feeling desperate, inadequate, and out of control.”

She said she began self-medicating with wine. And in an art-reflecting-life moment, her private struggles drove the drama in Season 4 of “Nashville.”

Celebrity News Aug 18

Hayden Panettiere's mother shares first public comments since daughter's death

Celebrity News Aug 18

Hayden Panettiere's ex-boyfriend was at scene when she died, police report says

PPD affects 1 in 7 women, according to the Cleveland Clinic. More severe than just the “baby blues,” postpartum depression can be characterized by extreme sadness, anger, trouble bonding with the baby, insomnia or violent ideations.

Neutrogena said in the Instagram post that it held off on issuing a statement after Panettiere’s death until now “out of respect for Hayden’s family and loved ones.”

“Everyone at Neutrogena extends their deepest condolences to Hayden’s family and all who loved her.”

The company said that Panettiere’s “courage in sharing her challenges helped inspire important conversations and awareness.”

It pledged to make “a significant investment to a long-standing community health partner to help give more women access to the support they need, including care for postpartum depression.”

Rebecca Cohen and Corky Siemaszko contributed.

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Another source close to the couple tells NBC News they are moving back to the U.K. for an “extended period” of time.

A spokesperson for the couple did not deny the reported plans when reached for comment by NBC News.

Harry and Meghan have been living in Montecito, California, with their children, Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, since stepping away from their royal duties in 2021.

A source familiar with the couple’s decision told NBC News that Harry and Meghan will remain private citizens and non-working royals. They also said Harry’s father, King Charles III, was informed of the move on Aug. 16 and is open to seeing more of the family.

The news about their move comes in the wake of a meeting between the Sussexes and Charles and wife Queen Camilla in July at Buckingham Palace. That was the first time the king had seen his grandchildren in person since 2022.

Why are Harry and Meghan moving back to the U.K.?

There could be “multiple elements” to why the couple decided to return to the U.K., NBC News royal commentator Daisy McAndrew told TODAY on Aug. 20.

McAndrew cites Archie and Lilibet being of “school-going age here in the U.K.” She added that Archie and Lilibet have already been enrolled in a school not in London, but the countryside, as reported by People.

There is also the matter of Charles’ health. The king, 77, was diagnosed with an unspecified cancer in 2024, and Harry has since expressed his desire to make amends with his family.

“I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore … life is precious,” Harry told BBC News in May 2025. “I don’t know how much longer my father has.”

Charles continues to be treated for cancer, though he announced in December 2025 that his treatment schedule could be “reduced,” crediting early diagnosis, effective intervention and following doctors’ orders.

“It certainly shows that Harry is serious about wanting to spend more time with his family,” McAndrew said of the possibility Harry and Meghan are moving in part due to the king’s health.

Why did Harry and Meghan originally move to the U.S.?

The couple left for the U.S. in 2020.

Harry and Meghan sat down with Oprah Winfrey for a 2021 interview in which they alleged a fractured relationship within his family and said there were “concerns and conversations” among royals before Archie was born about “how dark his skin might be.” Queen Elizabeth II issued a statement in response stressing support for the couple, adding, “while some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.”

British Royal Family Aug 19

Prince Harry and Meghan will move back to the United Kingdom, source says

British Royal Family Jul 6

Fresh dispute clouds Prince Harry's U.K. return

But in his 2023 memoir, “Spare,” Harry again alleged a rift, including claims his brother, Prince William, once attacked him and pointed a finger at Meghan, calling her rude. Buckingham Palace did not formally comment on the book.

The Duke of Sussex has also been vocal in his disdain for the media and its treatment of him and Meghan. He claimed in “Spare” that Meghan’s background as a divorced American with a Black mother made her an easy target for the British press. He even issued a press release early in their relationship, blasting the media for what he said was a “wave of abuse and harassment,” including a “smear of the front page of a national newspaper” and “racial undertones of comment pieces.”

What about Harry and Meghan’s security in the U.K.?

What kind of security, if any, the couple receives upon their return to England is not clear, but Prime Minister Andy Burnham has called it a “private matter,” according to the BBC.

“It’s a matter for Harry and for Meghan, and we wish them well in the move that they are making,” he said.

The prince has fought to have his publicly funded security detail reinstated after losing it when he stopped being a working member of the royal family. He lost his request in court in 2025, despite his claims his family was placed at risk without having security.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• DEA Joins Investigation Into Hayden Panettiere’s Death
• Who Is Chanty Beluga? Meet the Comedian Behind the Unforgettable Name
• Bunnie XO Calls Life Post-Divorce a ‘Blessing,’ Shares She Wants to Have a Baby

The bestselling author and host of the hit “Dumb Blonde” podcast spoke on “TODAY with Jenna & Sheinelle” Thursday about what her life is like since Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason DeFord, filed for divorce on May 18, according to court records from Williamson County, Tennessee.

The split came two months before what would’ve been the couple’s 10th wedding anniversary.

“I know when something like that that’s deeply personal happens, it’s a beautifully tragic, but at the same time there’s always a silver lining, there’s always something better to look forward to,” Bunnie XO, whose real name is Alisa DeFord, told Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones. “There’s so much more to talk about with me especially, and with women, than their past lovers and people in their lives.”

On the June 18 episode of her “Dumb Blonde Podcast,” Bunnie XO confirmed the split. She also said it was “not mutual” and not her choice to break up.

She also revealed the surprising news that they still plan to have a baby together and would raise the child as co-parents. Jelly Roll has two children from previous relationships, daughter Bailee Ann, 18, and son Noah Buddy, 9.

Bunnie XO confirmed on “TODAY” that she still wants a child, but it was not clear if she wants the baby with her estranged husband.

“So I definitely still want to have a baby, and that’s going to be one of my newest chapters of my next book, and I can’t wait for you guys to read about it because it’s been one hell of a journey, let me tell you,” she said.

Clear the Shelters Aug 20

Actor Josh Hutcherson visits Long Beach animal shelter to promote adoptions

Celebrity Couples Aug 20

Post Malone is engaged to stylist Christy Lee 

Bunnie XO and Jelly Roll have previously talked about their desire to have a child together. The couple announced in 2024 that they were trying to conceive through in vitro fertilization. Bunnie XO said on her June podcast episode that they had lost four embryos during their relationship together.

She also revealed on her podcast that Jelly Roll had started dating. In her interview on “TODAY,” Bunnie XO made it sound like she is also enjoying the single life herself.

“Ladies, they should’ve never let me back out in the streets because I love it here, and I’m never going back,” she said.

“I feel like us as women, we put ourselves aside so much for partners or friends, kids, and it’s like we don’t pour into ourselves, and sometimes you need to be selfish and you need to pour into yourself,” she continued. “And I just hope my journey can show people, ‘Hey, you know what, no matter how hard the situation you’re going through, you’re going get through that, you’re going to rise up, and you’re going to be an even better version of yourself.”

Jelly Roll cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split, according to the court filing. He and Bunnie XO each spoke out separately about the divorce filing.

Jenna and Sheinelle asked if Bunnie XO’s direct messages have been blowing up since the news of her divorce.

“I’m having the freaking time of my life,” she said. “I’m just thriving. I never thought it would turn out to be such a blessing, but it’s such a blessing, and I’m so thankful.”

She called her DMs “a freakin’ smorgasbord” of men and women.

“It’s so much fun in there, I don’t even know who to reply to,” she said. “It’s a lot. I love reading everbody’s DMs. Some of these pickup lines are amazing.”

Bunnie XO is also grateful if her perseverance through a difficult time in her personal life can help others.

“I’m not anybody’s role model, but if there’s something I can do that can encourage and inspire anybody along the way, then I hope that they get to take bits and pieces of my mistakes and my journey and apply it to their life,” she said.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• Why Are Harry and Meghan Moving Back to the UK — And Why Now? Royal Expert Weighs In
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Actor Josh Hutcherson stopped by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles location in Long Beach on Tuesday as he advocates for shelter pet adoptions.

The visit included Hutcherson touring the facility, volunteering, walking dogs and playing with kittens.

“I’ve always loved animals and there’s a lot of great animals out there that need to find some good homes,” “The Hunger Games” and “I Love LA” star told NBCUniversal Local.

Hutcherson has teamed up with Hill’s Pet Nutrition for the second straight year to support Clear The Shelters, NBCU Local’s annual pet adoption and donation campaign.

The 33-year-old actor is a proud shelter dog dad to 14-year-old Driver and 11-year-old Manchi, both of whom are large pit bulls. Hutcherson was 19 when he adopted Driver before bringing home Manchi a couple years later, saying that they’ve been with him “through thick and thin.”

He described his lovable 70-pound canines as “lick you to the death kind of dogs.”

“It can be overwhelming, the idea of adopting an animal. But if you just lead with love and good intention, then it’s gonna work out,” Hutcherson said.

“Even if you’re not ready to fully adopt yet, you can donate, you can volunteer,” he added. “There’s a lot you can do to be involved with this.”

Hutcherson wants to see all pets find forever homes, but he’s hoping his voice and personal experience can drive adoptions for large dogs, specifically.

Large dogs are among the harder-to-place pets; they spent 70% more time in shelters than small dogs on average in 2025, according to Hill’s State of Shelter Pet Adoption Report.

“I think [large dogs] can get like a bad rap for being scary or for being too much to handle, or something like that,” Hutcherson said. “But even like a Great Dane is actually a great small apartment dog and…like some smaller dogs actually need more space.

“So breaking down some of the stereotypes of big dogs is important for me.”

Clear The Shelters’ adoption campaign is being held for the entire month of August, with the donation push running through Sept. 15.

For more information on Clear The Shelters, including participating shelters, along with details on local events and television programming, visit ClearTheShelters.com and the Spanish-language site DesocuparlosAlbergues.com. Follow Clear The Shelters on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. 

Jurors hearing evidence in the Tupac Shakur murder trial listened Thursday to previous statements provided to law enforcement by the man charged in connection with the 1996 shooting in Las Vegas.

Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, is the only person ever charged in Shakur’s drive-by fatal shooting at age 25 after a heavyweight boxing match and casino lobby brawl at the MGM Grand. Prosecutors contend that Duane “Keffe” Davis, a former LA gang leader, planned the shooting that shook the hip-hop world on the night of Sept. 7, 1996, and portrayed him as the “one person who has a hard time being silent.” Davis is charged with murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang in Shakur’s death.

Crime and Courts Aug 13

Jury selected for trial of man accused of ordering Tupac Shakur's killing

Celebrity News Aug 11

Who was there the night Tupac Shakur was killed in Las Vegas?

He pleaded not guilty. If convicted, Davis faces life in prison.

On Thursday, jurors heard Davis’ 2008 interview with authorities when he talked about the night of the shooting. Segments of the recording were played during opening statements. Davis described his vehicle pulling alongside the black BMW occupied by Shakur and Maron “Suge” Knight

Earlier this week, prosecutors showed jurors video of Shakur’s entourage attacking Davis’ nephew Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson outside the boxing match at the MGM Grand hours before the shooting. Shakur was at the Mike Tyson–Bruce Seldon heavyweight fight before the brawl in the casino lobby.

Davis spent the next two hours planning how to get even, prosecutors said.

Attorneys have repeatedly referenced Davis’ own words related to the killing, including in documentaries, an autobiography and the 2008 interview with a federal task force investigating the killing of Shakur’s rival, the Notorious B.I.G. The Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist was shot March 9, 1997 outside the Petersen Automotive Museum at Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue on LA’s Miracle Mile.

Instead of talking about that shooting with investigators, Davis spoke at length about the Shakur shooting and described handing a gun to the men in the back seat of a white Cadillac that fired on the black BMW.

The prosecution said it plans to call 35 to 45 witnesses in a trial expected to take about one month.

Davis’ attorney called the prosecution’s narrative “fiction.” After opening statements and the first testimony Monday, attorney Michael Sanft said he felt good about the case and reiterated that his client’s confession does not mean it was factual.

Sanft said Davis wasn’t previously charged for the 1996 killing because law enforcement knew that he was “full of crap.”

Davis was indicted in 2023.

Shakur remains a cultural icon and is considered one of the most influential and versatile rappers of all time. He was nominated for six Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.

The actor spoke in depth about Randall’s passing for the first time during an interview on the “Smartless” podcast, hosted by friends Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett.

At the start of the latest episode, Bullock mentioned she had previously been a guest five years ago. But she said she “was not mentally there during that show.”

When Bateman asked what Bullock was dealing with during the time, she opened up about her relationship with Randall, who died in 2023 at the age of 57 following a “three-year battle with ALS,” his family shared at the time.

Later in the podcast, Hayes said Bullock confirmed to him before they started recording that she was finally ready to speak out. “I feel safe to talk to you guys about it,” she told the co-hosts.

“What I have now, I would not have to share had I not gone through that. I would not ever want to go through it again,” she said. “Though you never know, life … it’s tricky. But I wasn’t allowed to speak about it. That was the request.”

She revealed that Randall asked her not to share his diagnosis with anyone, which “isolated” her throughout his treatment. She noted that he was diagnosed during the COVID-19 pandemic, further separating her from friends and family she could lean on.

Bullock said at that time she was also “panicking” as one of her two children, Louis and Laila, has “severe asthma” and she was trying to prevent them from contracting the virus.

The actor then discussed the process of Randall finding out he had ALS. She said he spent over a year completing different tests until doctors determined he had the disease, which affects the nervous system.

“His was not hereditary, which is, I think, a huge sigh of relief. But it was about a year and some of watching it to see what it is. It could have been this, could have been this. But what I saw, I knew. I knew it. And you have to quietly plan,” Bullock shared.

She said after caring for her father, who was ill, and her mother, who had cancer, she didn’t feel scared. But, she knew that she had to help her partner while also navigating being a mom to two young children, particularly daughter Laila, who viewed Randall “as a father figure.”

Eventually, Bullock told her sister about the diagnosis and she was the only other person who knew.

The actor recalled reaching out to different doctors to see if Randall could get on a list for trial drugs. She said she had “the privilege” of being able to pay for the caretakers that Randall needed.

“I think not talking for a while was good, and then when the physical illness was then coupled with the mental health aspect of things — it’s something that people don’t talk about, and it doesn’t happen to everybody — but it was a trifecta that was pretty dark. I had incredible nurses … they’re like four big brothers in my kitchen every morning,” she shared.

Additionally, she worked with a child therapist to help her explain Randall’s condition to her children. She said Louis and Laila noticed the physical change in Randall and handled it differently. While Louis realized about two years before Bryan’s death that he needed to step away, Laila stayed involved until around six months before he died.

“I was able to sort of wall off a whole section (of my house) and make it a different entrance where it had an outside garden and all these kinds of things,” she said about managing to keep the children away from the situation when they asked.

Bullock said she looks back at that time in her life and sees the toll it took on her. In some red carpet photos of herself, she notices her skin looks gray.

“I just felt there was this black shroud over me. Going, if my curse, which is the minute I say something about this, I don’t want anyone else to be blamed for something,” she explained.

She felt “relief” when she finally confided in her friends.

Jan 4, 2024

Sandra Bullock spreads late partner Bryan Randall's ashes in Wyoming

Aug 9, 2023

What is ALS?

In Memoriam Aug 7, 2023

Sandra Bullock's Longtime Partner Bryan Randall Dead at 57

While she said Randall would have to be the one to explain why he wanted his illness to be kept a secret, she added, “I think where he was in his journey, both physically and mentally, I started grieving Bryan four years before he passed. Like something in my head said, ‘Start the grieving now.’ Because I knew I would be the caregiver, and I could see, like, the bright eyes that I knew … there was something that had shifted.”

She continued, “It is a traumatic diagnosis. Anyone who can prevail through a diagnosis like that, I bow down. You know, my mother had cancer. We always had hope. You always have hope that there’s something. But I could see that there was a darkness.”

Bullock revealed that she had lingering “guilt” from Randall’s death up until about a year ago. She said as a mother she felt guilty that her children had to experience such a difficult time.

“Then someone said to me, you know, ‘If you believe children choose you, they also choose this journey. This journey is for them, as well,’” she said. “That sort of took a little weight off my shoulders.”

Still, she said she apologized to them for what happened.

Bullock and Randall, a model turned photographer, met in 2015 when he was hired to snap photos for Louis’ birthday party.

“He’s the love of my life,” Bullock gushed about Randall in a 2021 interview on “Red Table Talk.”

“I am someone who went through the divorce process. I found the love of my life,” she said at the time. “We share two beautiful children — three children, his older daughter. It’s the best thing ever. I don’t want to say, ‘Do it how I do it.’ But I don’t need a paper to be a devoted partner and a devoted mother.”

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• ALS Cut One United Pilot’s Career Short. His Son Made the Final Trip Unforgettable
• ALS Is Stealing Their Bodies. These Moms and Dads Are Fighting to Keep Parenthood
• Dad With ALS Who Went Viral for Sharing His Journey Announces His Own Death: ‘Deeply Grateful’

The actor, along with cast members from “The Fast and the Furious” reunited in Los Angeles on Aug. 17 to celebrate the action film’s 25th anniversary.

In attendance were also Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster, as well as the late Paul Walker’s 27-year-old daughter Meadow Walker.

Diesel expressed his love for his late friend’s daughter, sharing how having her in attendance gave him the fuel he needed to be at the special screening.

“It means everything,” Diesel told “Entertainment Tonight” about having Meadow Walker at the event. “Because I don’t know if I could have come to the red carpet.”

He recalled being at the original premiere 25 years ago “with my brother Pablo,” his nickname for the late Paul Walker. “I don’t know if the absence … I would have been able to survive.”

“And Meadow adds a grace,” he continued, before sharing more insight about their bond.

“She’s the first one to ever call me on Father’s Day. She’s the first one to show up to all the kids’ birthdays,” Diesel said. “She’s just such a blessing and I’m so grateful to have her in my family’s life.”

He called her “a true cousin to my angels” and added, “I would die for her.”

Paul Walker died in a car crash in November 2013, his daughter was only 15 years old at the time. Since then, the “Fast and Furious” franchise has continued to honor the actor’s memory by including his character, Brian O’Conner, in the films, whether it’s with archival footage or mentions of what Brian has been up to.

As for Meadow Walker, she also made a cameo in 2023’s “Fast X” and attended the premiere. The model has been close with Diesel’s family and over the years has shared photos with the actor’s kids Hania, 18, Vincent, 16, and Pauline, 11, named after Paul Walker.

“It felt like a way to keep his memory a part of my family and a part of my world,” Diesel told TODAY in 2015 about his youngest daughter’s name.

Diesel is also Meadow Walker’s godfather and walked her down the aisle when she married actor Louis Thornton-Allan in 2021. She and Thornton-Allan announced their separation in 2023.

Meadow Walker had previously shared videos and photos of her with Diesel from her wedding, but they have since been deleted.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• Frank Beard, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Drummer of Boogie-Rock Trio ZZ Top, Dies at 77
• ‘Sister Wives’ Star Janelle Brown Goes Public with New Boyfriend 4 Years After Kody Brown Split
• Salma Hayek Becomes a Grandma and She’s Already Given the Baby a Mexican Nickname

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

“I think Hayden was an amazingly talented person in so many departments and I think young people who grow up in the entertainment industry — it is a struggle and it’s a very challenging industry and it’s not unusual for them to sadly find the wrong path,” Vogel told NBC News in her first public comments since her daughter’s death.

“People, they feel pushed into things, even the managers and agents want to control them, and I think it becomes very difficult to be true to yourself, and I think Hayden sadly lost her way and I wish it were different.”

Panettiere died Sunday afternoon at a South Carolina apartment complex after authorities received a 911 call about a “reported cardiac arrest.” Her cause of death is pending further investigation. Officials said in a statement that an autopsy was completed Monday and “no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death.”

A heavily-redacted police report from the Greenville Police Department showed that Panettiere’s on-again off-again boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach Hickerson were with Panettiere at Judson Mill Lofts apartment complex when she died.

“This person in her life that we have been trying to get rid of for quite some time was with her at her death and that was Brian Hickerson,” Vogel told NBC News.

The responding officer said in the report that Brian Hickerson did not become visibly emotional until Panettiere was declared dead by EMS. The report says he also showed police a “bag of medication” Panettiere was taking at the time of her death.

“There is a lot of history in the past that Brian has enabled Hayden many times and this is why her father and I had been concerned for a long time about him and frankly, his family,” Vogel told NBC News. “It’s not just him, it’s his family. We are trying to get information.”

Vogel added that, because of Panettiere’s history with Hickerson, which included her filing a restraining order in 2020 around the time their romantic relationship appeared to end, she will speak with officers to get the facts.

“We had been concerned about this for many years,” she told NBC News. “At this point, I am not launching a private investigation. It might change, I don’t know yet. Depends on the facts I receive. I feel I owe her that.”

NBC News reported that Hickerson was arrested in 2019, based on an allegation of injuring a spouse or girlfriend, according to Los Angeles County criminal court records. He pleaded no contest in 2021 and was sentenced the next year to four years’ probation.

Vogel said she’s unaware why Panettiere and Hickerson were in South Carolina, where Hickerson is from, the night Panettiere died.

Celebrity News Aug 18

Hayden Panettiere's ex-boyfriend was at scene when she died, police report says

Celebrity News Aug 17

New details released amid investigation into Hayden Panettiere's cause of death

“I will be speaking to a detective, and we will figure that out,” Vogel said.

Asked whether Panettiere and Hickerson were together or broken up, Vogel said she “always knew they were together.”

Vogel expressed concern about the timing of the 911 call, which was made at 1:50 p.m. ET on Sunday, saying it’s “questionable because that is not the typical hour of the day that you are partying, generally speaking. That is a concern.”

Vogel said, beyond text messages, she had not had a conversation with Panettiere since October.

“That was a choice I made for very specific reasons, and you know, certainly not for lack of care, concern, love,” she told NBC News. “Last spoke probably when I was in California and I was trying to work with her to clean up quite a bit. Other than texting, but we had not texted in some time.”

Vogel lost her son Jansen Panettiere in 2023 after he died from cardiomegaly and aortic valve complications at 28.

Hayden Panettiere in 2024 spoke on the TODAY show about the loss of her brother.

“When you lose somebody that you saw in all the important moments in your life, standing right next to you, it just rocks your world,” she said.

Hayden Panettiere had opened up about her estranged relationship with her mother shortly before her death, including in her memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” which released in May 2026.

Vogel had managed her daughter’s career during childhood, which included Panettiere appearing in television commercials when she was just 11 months old. She starred in soap operas at age 4 and had her breakout in the movie “Remember the Titans” that was filmed when she was 10. She went on to star in “Heroes” and “Nashville,” earning two Golden Globe nominations for the latter.

“I wish she had stayed true to herself because she had many incredible attributes,” Vogel told NBC News of Panettiere. “So, I just feel that she’s with her brother and they’re at peace, and I guess that’s my takeaway.”

In the heavily redacted report, the Greenville Police Department said Panettiere’s on-again, off-again partner, Brian Hickerson, and his brother, Zach Hickerson, were at the scene inside the apartment complex, Judson Mill Lofts.

The responding officer, identified in the report as Matthew Bryan, said he first spoke with Zach Hickerson, who was “very emotional” while emergency medical services professionals were “working on Hayden.”

The report goes on to say that Brian Hickerson did not become visibly emotional until EMS declared the 36-year-old actor dead.

Brian Hickerson showed police a “bag of medication” that Panettiere was taking at the time of her death, the report added.

Bryan, the responding officer, said he was wearing a body camera throughout the emergency response. The video recorded on that camera has not yet been publicly released.

Brian and Zach Hickerson did not immediately respond to NBC News’ requests for comment on Monday and Tuesday.

The Greenville County Coroner’s Office has said Panettiere’s cause of death is pending further investigation.

In a statement, officials said an autopsy was completed Monday and “no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death.”

In Memoriam Aug 18

Hayden Panettiere's ex-partner Wladimir Klitschko shares ‘profound shock' in tribute

Celebrity News Aug 17

New details released amid investigation into Hayden Panettiere's cause of death

In Memoriam Aug 17

Stars share emotional tributes after Hayden Panettiere's death: ‘Don't be gone. Please'

Authorities received a 911 call around 1:50 p.m. Sunday about a “reported cardiac arrest” at the apartment complex, according to the coroner’s office. Police said an acquaintance of Panettiere’s made the 911 call.

“Panettiere was found unresponsive inside the residence, where she had been temporarily staying,” the coroner’s office said.

The first responders initiated cardiac life support measures, but resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, the statement added. Panettiere was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m.

Panettiere’s romantic relationship with Hickerson, an aspiring actor from South Carolina, appeared to end in 2020 amid allegations of domestic violence.

She wrote about some of those experiences in her memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” which was published three months before she died.

In the book, Panettiere wrote that one night, Hickerson beat her so badly that she did not leave the house for weeks. She wrote that she hesitated to report the alleged abuse to police because she did not want the public to find out.

Hickerson was arrested on May 2, 2019, based on an allegation of injuring a spouse or girlfriend, according to Los Angeles County criminal court records.

He pleaded no contest on April 20, 2021, and was sentenced the next year to four years’ probation.

Panettiere requested a restraining order against Hickerson on July 14, 2020. The court docket reviewed by NBC News does not identify the victim in the case of injuring a spouse or girlfriend, and the outcome of the request for a restraining order is unclear from the case record.

In a statement in 2020, Panettiere said she was going public about the abuse to inspire others in abusive relationships to seek help.

“I am prepared to do my part to make sure this man never hurts anyone again,” Panettiere said.

Hickerson’s criminal defense attorney in the case did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday afternoon.

Panettiere was best known for her television roles as a high school cheerleader endowed with special powers on NBC’s “Heroes” and a country music star on ABC’s “Nashville.”

Rudy Chinchilla contributed.

Testimony in the long-awaited murder trial of Tupac Shakur resumed Tuesday with jurors viewing security camera video from the night the hip-hop icon was shot and killed hours after a Las Vegas casino brawl.

Prosecutors contend that Duane “Keffe” Davis, a former LA gang leader and the only person ever charged in the crime, planned the shooting that shook the hip-hop world on the night of Sept. 7, 1996, and portrayed him as the “one person who has a hard time being silent.” Davis is charged with murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang in Shakur’s death.

Crime and Courts Aug 13

Jury selected for trial of man accused of ordering Tupac Shakur's killing

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He pleaded not guilty. If convicted, Davis faces life in prison.

“Let’s be clear, Duane Davis did not pull the trigger, but he did plan the shooting in retaliation of the beating of his nephew,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told jurors “Remarkably, you will learn that from Duane Davis himself.”

Palal showed jurors video of Shakur’s entourage attacking Davis’ nephew Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson outside the boxing match at the MGM Grand hours before the shooting on Sept. 7, 1996. Earlier that night, Shakur was at the Mike Tyson–Bruce Seldon heavyweight fight before the brawl in the casino lobby.

Davis spent the next two hours planning how to get even, Palal said.

On Tuesday, Michael Ingram, custodian of records at the MGM Grand, testified that he reviewed security camera video recorded on VHS tapes from the night of the fight. The videos, displayed for jurors in court as Ingram provided details about what was happening, showed Shakur and Knight moving through a crowd of people and leaving the casino toward the valet area.

The video then showed security and police arriving at the scene and talking to Anderson, who was wearing a number 13 Dan Marino Miami Dolphins jersey.

Shakur and Knight went back to their hotel before their BMW was pulled over by police in a traffic stop. Las Vegas police officer Garry Dale testified Tuesday how he and another officer stopped a car carrying Knight and Shakur because the vehicle didn’t have a license plate.

They let the pair go with a warning.

About 10 minutes later the two officers responded to a call about a shooting and found Shakur being pulled from the car by EMTs, Dale said. Knight had been grazed by bullets, but told the officers to take care of Shakur, he testified.

Autopsy images in court

A former Las Vegas police crime scene analyst who was present at Shakur’s autopsy and the forensic pathologist for Clark County also testified Tuesday morning. During their testimony, autopsy photos were presented in court as they forensic pathologist explained the wounds.

The images were not shown on the live video feed of the trial. Most of Shakur’s family members who were in court left before the images were displayed.

Dr. Lisa Gavin, who was not at the autopsy but called to testify because the examiner from 30 years ago has since died, said one of three bullets entered Shakur’s chest near his armpit and traveled through his chest, including through a lung. That caused his lung to collapse and bleed, and doctors ultimately removed the damaged lung in an effort to save his life, she said.

Additional bullets damaged his intestines and other parts of his body, she said.

Shakur died at a hospital six days after he was shot.

Attorneys have repeatedly referenced Davis’ own words related to the killing, including in documentaries, an autobiography and a 2008 interview with a federal task force investigating the killing of Shakur’s rival, the Notorious B.I.G. The Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist was shot March 9, 1997 outside the Petersen Automotive Museum at Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue on LA’s Miracle Mile.

Instead of talking about that shooting with investigators, Davis spoke at length about the Shakur shooting and described handing a gun to the men in the back seat of a white Cadillac that fired on a black BMW with Shakur and Marion “Suge” Knight inside.

Tuesday’s proceedings began with the jury of 10 women and six men hearing more of a recording with Davis and investigators following the shooting death of the Notorious B.I.G., aka Christopher Wallace.

The prosecution said it plans to call 35 to 45 witnesses.

Opening statements

Palal told jurors Davis held onto a hatred for Shakur for decades that drove him to finally speak on the killing. He said as early as 1998, the defendant talked to the FBI and admitted he had been in Las Vegas the night of the shooting. He spoke again in 1999 to the FBI and said again he was in Las Vegas then but denied responsibility.

In 2009, he admitted to his role in the killing in an interview with Las Vegas police, Palal said.

Davis’ attorney called the prosecution’s narrative “fiction.” After opening statements and the first testimony Monday, attorney Michael Sanft said he felt good about the case and reiterated that his client’s confession does not mean it was factual.

Sanft said Davis wasn’t previously charged for the 1996 killing because law enforcement knew that he was “full of crap.”

Palal showed jurors the 2019 memoir that Davis co-authored, “Compton Street Legend,” that the prosecution will use and that the defense fought to keep out of the trial, along with several of the defendant’s interviews.

No one had been charged in the shooting that gripped the hip-hop community until Davis. In court Monday, a graphic was displayed that showed the three other men in the Cadillac died in the years since.

Davis was indicted in 2023.

“When he says he’s the only person who can tell what happened, he’s right,” Palal said.

First day of testimony

Brent Becker, a former Las Vegas homicide detective, testified that Knight showed up to a police interview with attorneys, which Becker and other law enforcement officers thought was weird because Knight was a victim. Knight was timid, and his interview was practiced, Becker said.

“It was not the ‘Suge’ Knight I expected,” the detective said

Knight told investigators that he didn’t know anything.

“I thought he lied to us,” Becker said.

Becker described the difficulty of getting witnesses to talk. The four names of the people inside the Cadillac that investigators “were leaning on” were Davis, Anderson, Deandrae “Freaky” Smith and Terry “Bubble Up” Brown, the detective said. But he noted he had no living witnesses to tell him who was in the Cadillac.

Another witness, Ingrid Stokes, testified that she and her friends were heading home from Las Vegas when they encountered Shakur and Knight, who was friends with a woman in Stokes’ group.
Knight invited them to a nightclub, she said, and they decided to meet them there.

The car Stokes was riding in was one lane over and a car length ahead of Knights’ vehicle, when they heard gunshots while stopped at an intersection, she said.

Stokes said they feared more gunfire and drove away, almost hitting a white four-door vehicle in the process.

When they returned to the scene, police treated them like suspects, she said, and made them sit on the sidewalks. She was scared to talk about the case, worried about poor treatment from law enforcement and the potential for retribution from the unknown shooter.

“Snitches get stitches,” she said.

Members of Shakur’s family, including his stepbrother Maurice “Mopreme” Shakur, listened intently in the courtroom.

Shakur remains a cultural icon and is considered one of the most influential and versatile rappers of all time. He was nominated for six Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.

The actor became a grandma after stepson François Pinault Jr. and his wife, Lara Cosima Henckel von Donnersmarck, welcomed their first child together.

Hayek and husband François-Henri Pinault share 18-year-old daughter Valentina. Pinault is also father to Pinault Jr., 28, Mathilde Pinault, 25, and Augustin James Evangelista, 19, from previous relationships.

Sharing a first glimpse of Pinault Jr.’s newborn on her Instagram, Hayek posted a video of her cradling the baby while she spoke Spanish to him. The “Grown Ups” star shared that the little one is named after his father and grandfather — but has another name in mind for the baby.

“We are blessed to welcome the fourth living generation of Francois’,” she wrote. “Although I will call him Panchito. He seems to love it, and I cannot love him more.”

In Mexico, Panchito or Pancho is a common nickname for people named Francisco. The French equivalent of Francisco is François.

In Hayek’s video she asks little “Panchito” in Spanish, “What are you dreaming about?”

The baby coos and giggles in his sleep as she continues calling him by the moniker and speaking to him in Spanish. “Nos da mucha risa.”

When she calls him “chiquitito hermoso,” he smiles and continues to laugh in his sleep. She also calls herself “abue,” short for abuela or grandma in Spanish.

On Aug. 12, von Donnersmarck shared a slideshow filled with photos of her and her bundle of joy. It also included snaps of baby François with his father and one with Hayek holding him.

“my husband (the world’s coolest françois) and our son (the world’s cutest françois)… our first month as parents,” the new mom captioned her post, adding a hatching chick emoji.

Hayek has supported her stepchildren’s accomplishments over the years. When Augustin Evangelista graduated high school last year, she shared photos from the celebration and wrote how proud she was of him.

She also congratulated his mom, model Linda Evangelista, for the parenting milestone. Linda Evangelista welcomed her son in 2006 after a brief romance with Pinault.

In the comments section of her own post celebrating her son’s graduation, the supermodel wrote to Hayek, “Love you and all your support.”

In a 2017 Red magazine interview, Hayek shared how she “always wanted to have a lot of children” and how becoming a stepmother was a “blessing.”

“And I was not able to. My body, as a miracle, had one,” she said. “The huge blessing I’ve had is that my husband has three other children. So I have four. And they are all so different.”

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

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• Tony Goldwyn has the cutest response to becoming a grandpa
• The nickname Robert Pattinson’s daughter has for ‘The Batman’ star is too cute

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The office issued a statement Monday morning after completion of an autopsy in the death of the actor, who was known for roles in television’s “Heroes” and “Nashville” and had recently published a memoir.

Celebrity News Aug 16

Actor Hayden Panettiere, known for roles in ‘Heroes,' ‘Nashville,' dies at 36

In Memoriam Aug 17

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Authorities in Greenville, South Carolina responded at about 2 p.m. Sunday to a report of a cardiac arrest. Emergency responders arrived and found a woman in cardiac arrest, according to the coroner’s update.

Paramedics conducted life support measures, but she was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m.

“An autopsy was completed today,” according to the coroner’s Monday statement. “At autopsy no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death. The cause and manner of death remain pending further investigation and the completion of additional studies.”

Authorities said Panettiere had been temporarily staying at the residence.

“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” her father Skip Panettiere said in a statement provided by the actor’s representative. Her death drew tributes from other actors and Hollywood stars.

Panettiere revealed this year that she struggled with postpartum depression and addiction, which she said led to her decision to give up custody of her only child, daughter Kaya Evdokia Klitschko, in 2018. She had the child with former partner Wladimir Klitschko, the Ukrainian professional boxer.

Panettiere recently published a memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning.”

In 2024, she described the grief after her younger brother, actor Jansen Panettiere, died unexpectedly of an undiagnosed heart condition a year prior.

Panettiere was born and raised in Palisades, New York. She appeared in TV commercials at 11 months old, according to her Television Academy bio.

Panettiere started working at 11 months old, when she appeared in television commercials, it said. Her early acting credits included soap operas like “One Life to Live” and “Guiding Light,” beginning at age 4. She voiced the young princess ant in “A Bug’s Life,” the animated feature, and eventually appeared in big-screen stories, including “Remember the Titans,” “Ice Princess” and “Bring It On: All or Nothing.”

Panettiere portrayer Claire Bennet on the 2000s show “Heroes” before she starred at Juliette Barnes on TV’s “Nashville,” earning two Golden Globe nominations.

Police in Greenville, South Carolina, said in a statement that officers “accompanied by EMS personnel, responded to a report of an unresponsive female” at around 1:50 p.m. Sunday, NBC News reported.

“Upon arrival, medical assistance was administered; however, the individual, later identified as Hayden Panettiere, was pronounced deceased at the scene,” the statement said.

In its latest update, the Greenville County Coroner’s Office said it was called for a report of a “cardiac arrest.”

“First responders and Emergency Medical Services arrived on scene and located a female in cardiac arrest. EMS personnel initiated advanced cardiac life support measures; however, resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, and the individual was pronounced deceased at 2:32 PM,” the coroner’s office said in a statement.

The woman was later identified as Panettiere, who had been temporarily staying at the home where was found.

According to the medical examiner’s office, an autopsy conducted Monday showed “no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to her death.”

The cause and manner of death were not yet determined, with officials saying they are “pending further
investigation and the completion of additional studies.”

An investigation into her death remains ongoing, the medical examiner’s office said.

Police said a preliminary investigation did not show “signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances.” They noted they were called to the scene by an acquaintance of Panettiere.

Panettiere would have turned 37 on Friday.

“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” Panettiere’s father Skip said in a statement provided by the actor’s representative. “She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen. We ask for privacy as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.”

Panettiere began her career as a child actor in commercials and soap operas.

Her role as a cheerleader with superpowers in “Heroes” propelled her to fame in 2006, with the series revolving around the mantra “Save the cheerleader, save the world.”

She went on to win three Teen Choice Awards for that role and was a Grammy Award nominee for a children’s spoken word album recorded a few years after the release of the animated movie “A Bug’s Life.”

Earlier this year, Panettiere spoke about her struggles with alcohol addiction and depression, including after the birth of her daughter with Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko in 2014. Panettiere also recently published a memoir, “This is Me: A Reckoning,” which generated headlines over its revelations, including about her past relationships.

In an interview with podcaster Jay Shetty after her memoir came out in May, Panettiere talked about the custody arrangement for her 11-year-old daughter, who lives full-time with Klitschko in Ukraine. News of the 2018 decision prompted headlines about Panettiere giving up custody of her daughter.

“I think there’s been this very common misconception that I just gave up my child,” she said. “That could not be farther from the truth.”

Panettiere said Klitschko suggested their daughter live with him full-time when the child was 2, as Panettiere struggled with mental health challenges and addiction. She said she was in a “horrible cycle for years of battling depression and anxiety and alcoholism and substance abuse” while “just trying to find my way back, my way out of the darkness.”

She entered rehab in 2015, while filming “Nashville,” telling Shetty in in her tearful interview she was experiencing postpartum depression.

“That’s why I turned to substances — because the anxiety that I started having, the panic attacks that I started having,” she said. “I had this beautiful plan in my head, and then I had my daughter and I knew something was just terribly, terribly wrong. I was miserable. I was in tears all the time. Even though the alcohol helped my nervous system calm down, it is a depressant, so over time it made things worse, not better.”

“Nashville” co-star Britt Shaw posted a tribute to Panettiere on Instagram, saying the two “had so many good times together.”

“This is a shock,” Shaw’s post said. “Man, she was great. She had this way of making you feel at home. From the moment I walked onto the Nashville set, she made me feel like I belonged.”

Actress Viola Davis, who starred alongside Panettiere in the 2016 film “Custody,” also posted about Panettiere.

The screen actors’ union SAG-AFTRA released a statement, calling Panettiere’s death “sudden.”

“We join in mourning the sudden passing of Hayden Panettiere,” the screen actors’ union SAG-AFTRA, which counted her as a member since 1994, said in a statement. “Our hearts are with her daughter, family, friends and fans.”

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