By David Comfort
“I was looking for justice, and justice, to me,would be the murder charge… Even his kidssay that he had told them that he would be murdered.” -- Joe Jackson, on "Larry King Live"
For several months after that fateful day of June 25, 2009, the Lapd investigative unit chiefs and the L.A. District Attorney hotly debated what charges could be brought against Dr. Conrad Murray in the death of his patient, Michael Jackson.
<img src="/files/u3568/conrad-murray.jpg" alt="Conrad Murray" style="margin: 10px; height: 240px; width: 200px; float: left;" /...
“I was looking for justice, and justice, to me,would be the murder charge… Even his kidssay that he had told them that he would be murdered.” -- Joe Jackson, on "Larry King Live"
For several months after that fateful day of June 25, 2009, the Lapd investigative unit chiefs and the L.A. District Attorney hotly debated what charges could be brought against Dr. Conrad Murray in the death of his patient, Michael Jackson.
<img src="/files/u3568/conrad-murray.jpg" alt="Conrad Murray" style="margin: 10px; height: 240px; width: 200px; float: left;" /...
- 4/13/2010
- by Lisa Horowitz
- The Wrap
By David Comfort
At Eastertime, 1994, Kurt Cobain was found in a storage room, a gunshot hole in his head, a heroin hypodermic hole in each arm. Suicide or murder? After 16 years of heated argument, authorities and amateur sleuths are no less divided on the question. Supporters of the Seattle Police Department’s suicide ruling include Cobain biographers, Charles R. Cross and Christopher Sandford, as well as journalists Charles Rawlins, Bradley Spears, and many others. Supporters of a murder conspiracy include biographers Max Wallace and Ian Halperin, as well as Courtney Love’s private detective, T...
At Eastertime, 1994, Kurt Cobain was found in a storage room, a gunshot hole in his head, a heroin hypodermic hole in each arm. Suicide or murder? After 16 years of heated argument, authorities and amateur sleuths are no less divided on the question. Supporters of the Seattle Police Department’s suicide ruling include Cobain biographers, Charles R. Cross and Christopher Sandford, as well as journalists Charles Rawlins, Bradley Spears, and many others. Supporters of a murder conspiracy include biographers Max Wallace and Ian Halperin, as well as Courtney Love’s private detective, T...
- 4/5/2010
- by Josh Dickey
- The Wrap
By David Comfort
John F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley.
The autopsies of such legends should have been the most painstaking and impartial. But there appears to be substantial evidence to the contrary in these historic cases and others.
Could the autopsy of Michael Jackson be the same? The full report has not yet been publicized by the Los Angeles Medical Examiner, Dr. Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran, who covered the murder cases of both Phil Spector and O.J. Simpson. But released details and conclusions from his report give cause for wonder even on basic issues. First, take...
John F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley.
The autopsies of such legends should have been the most painstaking and impartial. But there appears to be substantial evidence to the contrary in these historic cases and others.
Could the autopsy of Michael Jackson be the same? The full report has not yet been publicized by the Los Angeles Medical Examiner, Dr. Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran, who covered the murder cases of both Phil Spector and O.J. Simpson. But released details and conclusions from his report give cause for wonder even on basic issues. First, take...
- 4/2/2010
- by Lew Harris
- The Wrap
By David Comfort
Twenty-three years ago, on Feb. 4, 1987, Vladziu Valentino Liberace had his final curtain call. According to the original death certificate, signed by his personal physician, Dr. Ronald Daniels, the cause was cardiac arrest.
However, the county medical examiner ordered an autopsy, which concluded that America’s beloved Mr. Showmanship had died of cytomegalovirus pneumonia -- due to the AIDS virus. His estate’s executors filed a libel suit against the coroner’s office. They lost.
Combating rumors about the star’s declining health, Daniels had told the press...
Twenty-three years ago, on Feb. 4, 1987, Vladziu Valentino Liberace had his final curtain call. According to the original death certificate, signed by his personal physician, Dr. Ronald Daniels, the cause was cardiac arrest.
However, the county medical examiner ordered an autopsy, which concluded that America’s beloved Mr. Showmanship had died of cytomegalovirus pneumonia -- due to the AIDS virus. His estate’s executors filed a libel suit against the coroner’s office. They lost.
Combating rumors about the star’s declining health, Daniels had told the press...
- 2/5/2010
- by Lew Harris
- The Wrap
By David Comfort
At this time of the year, the magic of the season can be seen everywhere. But nowhere is the gaity and goodwill stronger than among the new hardcore carolers: rock stars.
Every season is ushered in with unexpected new Christmas tunes by everybody from Jethro Tull, to Lynyrd Skynrd, Strypr, the Sex Pistols, and Bitch Funky Sex machine. The holiday spirit is particularly remarkable in bringing together odd couple carolers. In 1977, Ziggy Stardust himself, David Bowie, joined Bing Crosby on his last Christmas special for a “Little Drummer Boy” duet. In his 2002 Osbourne Christm...
At this time of the year, the magic of the season can be seen everywhere. But nowhere is the gaity and goodwill stronger than among the new hardcore carolers: rock stars.
Every season is ushered in with unexpected new Christmas tunes by everybody from Jethro Tull, to Lynyrd Skynrd, Strypr, the Sex Pistols, and Bitch Funky Sex machine. The holiday spirit is particularly remarkable in bringing together odd couple carolers. In 1977, Ziggy Stardust himself, David Bowie, joined Bing Crosby on his last Christmas special for a “Little Drummer Boy” duet. In his 2002 Osbourne Christm...
- 12/23/2009
- by Lew Harris
- The Wrap
By David Comfort
The pregnancy hadn’t been an easy one. Due to her size and his shake, rattle & roll, the King’s mother thought she would have him around Christmas. But she didn’t go into labor until January 8, 1935.
At her bedside were her husband, the midwife, and the doctor whose $15 delivery fee would be paid by the state of Mississippi.
Her husband, Vernon, had just finished building their shotgun shack with a $180 loan. He was a carpenter, a moonshiner and 19 years old. Out in the yard that frosty, starlit predawn Tupelo morning were the family chickens and their co...
The pregnancy hadn’t been an easy one. Due to her size and his shake, rattle & roll, the King’s mother thought she would have him around Christmas. But she didn’t go into labor until January 8, 1935.
At her bedside were her husband, the midwife, and the doctor whose $15 delivery fee would be paid by the state of Mississippi.
Her husband, Vernon, had just finished building their shotgun shack with a $180 loan. He was a carpenter, a moonshiner and 19 years old. Out in the yard that frosty, starlit predawn Tupelo morning were the family chickens and their co...
- 12/22/2009
- by Lew Harris
- The Wrap
By David Comfort
"The phony must die, says the Catcher in the Rye.
Don't believe in John Lennon.
Imagine John Lennon is dead, oh yeah, yeah, yeah!”
--Mark David Chapman’s chant, overheard by his wife, days before the murder.
In his Sheraton Hotel suite, he stands at the bureau, carefully arranging an altar. To the left he places a snapshot of himself, smiling broadly, arms around Vietnamese refugee children at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. Next to it, he lays down his Ymca supervisor’s hand-printed letter of praise for exemplary service. Behind these, he tapes...
"The phony must die, says the Catcher in the Rye.
Don't believe in John Lennon.
Imagine John Lennon is dead, oh yeah, yeah, yeah!”
--Mark David Chapman’s chant, overheard by his wife, days before the murder.
In his Sheraton Hotel suite, he stands at the bureau, carefully arranging an altar. To the left he places a snapshot of himself, smiling broadly, arms around Vietnamese refugee children at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. Next to it, he lays down his Ymca supervisor’s hand-printed letter of praise for exemplary service. Behind these, he tapes...
- 12/9/2009
- by Lisa Horowitz
- The Wrap
By David Comfort
“You feel a responsibility. But I didn’t think of these things that you guys thought of, you in the press: this great loss of innocence, this cathartic end of the era ... I didn’t think of any of that.” -- Mick Jagger, to Rolling Stone’s Jann Wenner, 1995, explaining his reaction to the Altamont murder
Shortly after the Stones' disastrous concert 40 years ago, on Dec. 6, 1969, Rolling Stone magazine wrote a requiem, calling it “the product of diabolical egotism, hype, ineptitude, [and] money manipulation.” As for the latter charge, Jagg...
“You feel a responsibility. But I didn’t think of these things that you guys thought of, you in the press: this great loss of innocence, this cathartic end of the era ... I didn’t think of any of that.” -- Mick Jagger, to Rolling Stone’s Jann Wenner, 1995, explaining his reaction to the Altamont murder
Shortly after the Stones' disastrous concert 40 years ago, on Dec. 6, 1969, Rolling Stone magazine wrote a requiem, calling it “the product of diabolical egotism, hype, ineptitude, [and] money manipulation.” As for the latter charge, Jagg...
- 12/7/2009
- by Lew Harris
- The Wrap
By David Comfort
It was 30 years ago that newlyweds John Lennon and Yoko Ono ran their holiday message to the world in a full-page New York Times ad: Give Peace A Chance. The couple also posted on billboards in 11 cities around the globe: War Is Over! If You Want It.”
At the same time, an unseasonable war was escalating among the once harmonious Beatles.
In September 1969, Lennon had told the others that he was breaking the group up. McCartney begged him to delay a public a...
It was 30 years ago that newlyweds John Lennon and Yoko Ono ran their holiday message to the world in a full-page New York Times ad: Give Peace A Chance. The couple also posted on billboards in 11 cities around the globe: War Is Over! If You Want It.”
At the same time, an unseasonable war was escalating among the once harmonious Beatles.
In September 1969, Lennon had told the others that he was breaking the group up. McCartney begged him to delay a public a...
- 11/30/2009
- by Lisa Horowitz
- The Wrap
By David Comfort
Janis Joplin
In Memoriam
1/19/43 – 10/4/70
"I'm sure you're both convinced my self-destructive streak has won out again…
But I do plan on coming back to (secretarial) school…
I'm awfully sorry to be such a disappointment to you…
Please believe that you can't possibly want for me to be a winner more than I do."
Janis, 1966 letter to her parents,
after joining Big Brother and the Holding Company
<img src="/files/joplin.jpg" style="margin: 15px; height: 157px; width: 235px; float: left;" alt="" ...
Janis Joplin
In Memoriam
1/19/43 – 10/4/70
"I'm sure you're both convinced my self-destructive streak has won out again…
But I do plan on coming back to (secretarial) school…
I'm awfully sorry to be such a disappointment to you…
Please believe that you can't possibly want for me to be a winner more than I do."
Janis, 1966 letter to her parents,
after joining Big Brother and the Holding Company
<img src="/files/joplin.jpg" style="margin: 15px; height: 157px; width: 235px; float: left;" alt="" ...
- 10/4/2009
- by Glenn Abel
- The Wrap
Mike Ragogna: Since your new book discusses the deaths of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, and Jerry Garcia, of course, there's going to be a lot of controversy surrounding it since everyone wants to see their heroes in a good light. With all the information that's already out there, how does your book differ from others on the subject? David Comfort: Well, take Lennon, for example. People want to know, "What was John Lennon really like?" There's no black or white answer to that, there's no black or white answer to any of these seven people. They had very volatile, changeable personalities. I mean, what John Lennon was like depended on whatever moment you met him, you know? He went to a shrink once, and the shrink said, "Even with your wealth, you couldn't...
- 10/2/2009
- by Mike Ragogna
- Huffington Post
By David Comfort
James Marshall Hendrix, hailed as “the greatest guitarist who ever lived,” died September 18, 1970. On the thirty-ninth anniversary of his passing, the tragedy remains a mystery.
Or does it?
Like many short-lived rock icons -- John Lennon, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain -- Jimi heard his train coming early on. "I’m not sure I will live to be twenty-eight years old,” he'd told friends. “He kept repeating that he was going to die before he was thirty,” recalled his lover, Colette Mimram.
The guitarist’s last days w...
James Marshall Hendrix, hailed as “the greatest guitarist who ever lived,” died September 18, 1970. On the thirty-ninth anniversary of his passing, the tragedy remains a mystery.
Or does it?
Like many short-lived rock icons -- John Lennon, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain -- Jimi heard his train coming early on. "I’m not sure I will live to be twenty-eight years old,” he'd told friends. “He kept repeating that he was going to die before he was thirty,” recalled his lover, Colette Mimram.
The guitarist’s last days w...
- 9/17/2009
- by Michael Speier
- The Wrap
By David Comfort
Forty years ago, the Rolling Stones' Brian Jones drowned in his swimming pool.
At the time, 1969, authorities called it “death by misadventure.” But the Sussex police have just announced that they may reopen the case as a homicide. The decision is based in part on a recent eyewitness report that the guitarist was in fact drowned by his live-in carpenter, Frank Thorogood.
Before dying of cancer in 1994, Thorogood himself was said to have confessed the murder to Stones’ chauffeur, Tom Keylock. In her 2001 memoir, Jones’s girlf...
Forty years ago, the Rolling Stones' Brian Jones drowned in his swimming pool.
At the time, 1969, authorities called it “death by misadventure.” But the Sussex police have just announced that they may reopen the case as a homicide. The decision is based in part on a recent eyewitness report that the guitarist was in fact drowned by his live-in carpenter, Frank Thorogood.
Before dying of cancer in 1994, Thorogood himself was said to have confessed the murder to Stones’ chauffeur, Tom Keylock. In her 2001 memoir, Jones’s girlf...
- 9/13/2009
- by Michael Speier
- The Wrap
By David Comfort
It was 32 years ago, on Aug. 16, that the world was devastated by the news of the sudden death of the King of Rock 'n' Roll.
Recently, the passing of the the King of Pop -- the son-in-law Elvis Presley would never know -- was greeted with similar incredulity. In both cases, grieving family, friends, and fans alike demanded to know the cause of the tragedy.
“It may take several weeks to discover the exact cause of death,” Elvis’ personal physician, Dr. George Nichopoulos, a.k.a. “Needle Nick, told reporters the next day, the M...
It was 32 years ago, on Aug. 16, that the world was devastated by the news of the sudden death of the King of Rock 'n' Roll.
Recently, the passing of the the King of Pop -- the son-in-law Elvis Presley would never know -- was greeted with similar incredulity. In both cases, grieving family, friends, and fans alike demanded to know the cause of the tragedy.
“It may take several weeks to discover the exact cause of death,” Elvis’ personal physician, Dr. George Nichopoulos, a.k.a. “Needle Nick, told reporters the next day, the M...
- 8/14/2009
- by Lew Harris
- The Wrap
By David Comfort
Though Woodstock was a sublime event for many of its 500,000 attendees, it had been something less for the 400 in triage for bad acid trips, not to mention the three who died straight. And, though it launched some of its 36 bands -- notably Santana, Csn, Sly and the Family Stone -- it was a downer for others.
Pete Townshend of the Who called the historic festival of peace and love “horrible.” Grace Slick of the Jefferson Airplane described it as “a bunch of stupid slobs in the mud.” Barry Melton of Country Joe and the Fish noted: “When they...
Though Woodstock was a sublime event for many of its 500,000 attendees, it had been something less for the 400 in triage for bad acid trips, not to mention the three who died straight. And, though it launched some of its 36 bands -- notably Santana, Csn, Sly and the Family Stone -- it was a downer for others.
Pete Townshend of the Who called the historic festival of peace and love “horrible.” Grace Slick of the Jefferson Airplane described it as “a bunch of stupid slobs in the mud.” Barry Melton of Country Joe and the Fish noted: “When they...
- 8/11/2009
- by Lew Harris
- The Wrap
David Comfort is the author of three popular Simon & Schuster titles, and the recipient of numerous literary awards. His latest title from Citadel/Kensington, "The Rock and Roll Book of the Dead: The Fatal Journeys of Rock’s Seven Immortals," is an in-depth study of the traumatic childhoods, tormented relationships, addictions, and tragic ends of Elvis, Lennon, Janis, Morrison, Hendrix, Cobain, and Garcia.
For details see: http://www.rockandrollbookofthedead.com.
For details see: http://www.rockandrollbookofthedead.com.
- 8/11/2009
- by Lew Harris
- The Wrap
“Never in his two and a half years with the Experience had Jimi exhibited such disregard for professionalism.”
By David Comfort
Though Woodstock was a sublime event for many of its 500,000 attendees, it had been something less for the 400 in triage for bad acid trips, not to mention the three who died straight. And, though it launched some of its 36 bands -- notably Santana, Csn, Sly and the Family Stone -- it was a downer for others.
Pete Townshend of the Who called the historic festival of peace and love -- celebrating its 40th anniversary next week -- “horrible.” Grace Slick of the Jefferson Airplane described it as “a bunch of stupid slobs in the mud.” Barry Melton of...
By David Comfort
Though Woodstock was a sublime event for many of its 500,000 attendees, it had been something less for the 400 in triage for bad acid trips, not to mention the three who died straight. And, though it launched some of its 36 bands -- notably Santana, Csn, Sly and the Family Stone -- it was a downer for others.
Pete Townshend of the Who called the historic festival of peace and love -- celebrating its 40th anniversary next week -- “horrible.” Grace Slick of the Jefferson Airplane described it as “a bunch of stupid slobs in the mud.” Barry Melton of...
- 8/11/2009
- by Lew Harris
- The Wrap
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