Kingswood Country star Ross Higgins dies aged 86

Australian comic actor Ross Higgins, most famous for his role as Ted Bullpitt in Kingswood Country, has died at the age of 86.

Higgins also starred in The Naked Vicar Show.

Family friend and former colleague Tony Sattler said he died in hospital today and had been unwell for some time.

"He has been in hospital for the past few weeks," he said

Higgins is survived by his wife Nadine and four adult children.

Mr Sattler said the actor had been committed to his craft.

"He was totally committed to comedy in his early years and he had worked in radio," he said.

Sports journalist Rebecca Wilson dead at 54

Award-winning sports journalist Rebecca Wilson has died in Sydney from breast cancer, aged 54.

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/sports-jour ... rwtt9.html

Pete Burns, Dead or Alive singer dies aged 57

Dead or Alive singer Pete Burns has died aged 57 after suffering a cardiac arrest, his management has said.

A statement on Twitter said it was with "greatest sadness" that it had to break the "tragic news" that Burns died suddenly on Sunday.

Burns had a hit with You Spin Me Round in 1985 and appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2006.

The management statement said: "All of his family and friends are devastated by the loss of our special star."

It continued: "He was a true visionary, a beautiful talented soul, and he will be missed by all who loved and appreciated everything he was and all of the wonderful memories he has left us with."

Florence Henderson, TV's Carol Brady, dies at 82

She was one of America's moms, a television mother many people grew up watching. Florence Henderson died Thursday from heart failure at the age of 82.

Henderson had not been sick, her manager, Kayla Pressman, said.

"We are all in a state of shock," said Pressman, who spoke with Henderson on Wednesday night.

The actress died at a Los Angeles hospital surrounded by family and friends.

Henderson played Carol Brady from 1969 to 1979 on "The Brady Bunch," a show that became a huge hit in syndication.

"The Brady Bunch," a comedy about two widows with three children each, was Henderson's first television series.

Henderson's life story wasn't as ideal as the character she played.

She grew up poor in Indiana, with an alcoholic father and a mother who left when she was just 12 years old.

Henderson used her singing talent to entertain the family and help make ends meet.

Her big break came in 1951 when she landed a starring role in Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Oklahoma!"

The singer-turned-actress then took her talents to television.

In 1959 she was on set as NBC's "Today Girl" and she became the first woman to guest host the "Tonight Show" in 1962.

In 1969, Henderson became Carol Brady.

And the fact that she was a young mother also helped her in the role.

Henderson had four children with her first husband, Ira Bernstein. They were married for 29 years.