Former astronaut John Glenn dies aged 95

Former astronaut and US Senator John Glenn has died in Ohio aged 95.

Glenn became a national hero in 1962 when he became the first American to orbit the Earth.

Glenn was the third US astronaut in space and the first of them to get into orbit.

He circled the Earth three times.

Glenn then spent 24 years as a Democrat from Ohio in the Senate and briefly made a run for president in 1984. He returned to space in 1998, at age 77, aboard space shuttle Discovery.

He was the last survivor of the original Mercury 7 astronauts.

Carrie Fisher, Child of Hollywood and ‘Star Wars’ Royalty, Dies at 60

Carrie Fisher, the actress, author and screenwriter who brought a rare combination of nerve, grit and hopefulness to her most indelible role, as Princess Leia in the “Star Wars” movie franchise, died on Tuesday morning. She was 60.

A family spokesman, Simon Halls, said Ms. Fisher died at 8:55 a.m. She had a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles on Friday and had been hospitalized in Los Angeles.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/27/movie ... -news&_r=0

Debbie Reynolds Dies at 84

Debbie Reynolds, the wholesome movie ingénue in 1950s films like “Singin’ in the Rain,” “Tammy and the Bachelor” and “The Tender Trap,” died Wednesday, a day after the death of her daughter, the actress Carrie Fisher. She was 84.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/28/movie ... -dead.html

Veteran actor Sir John Hurt dies at 77

Veteran actor Sir John Hurt has died aged 77, his agent has said.

The Bafta-winning star, known for his roles in Alien and The Elephant Man, continued working despite being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2015.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-38778145