All posts tagged: tragedy

Valerie Perrine, Oscar-nominated Lenny and Superman actor who narrowly avoided Manson tragedy, dies aged 82

Valerie Perrine, Oscar-nominated Lenny and Superman actor who narrowly avoided Manson tragedy, dies aged 82

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Valerie Perrine, the Oscar-nominated actor best known for her performances in Lenny and Superman, has died. She was 82. The Texas-born actor started her career as a showgirl in Las Vegas. Prior to her film career, Perrine was invited to a party at Sharon Tate’s home in 1969 by Hollywood hair stylist Jay Sebring. She was unable to attend, and that night the Manson Family murdered six people including Sebring. In 2022, Perrine was the subject of Stacey Souther’s documentary Valerie, which looked back at her career and her resilience after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2015. Her death was announced by Souther in a post on Perrine’s official Facebook page. She wrote: “It is with deep sadness that I share the heartbreaking news that Valerie has passed away. She faced Parkinson’s disease with incredible courage and compassion, never once …

Escaping the Tragedy of the Separating Mind

Escaping the Tragedy of the Separating Mind

In my four previous posts, I explored the possibility of transcending our paradoxical psychology. This contribution continues that exploration. Let us delve into the roots of our phenomenology. What is a mental experience? When we look at world news, we cannot ignore the paradoxical nature of our human psychology. The arms industry is operating at full capacity. The force of the bombings and the destruction they leave in their wake are impossible to overlook. Conversely, billions of mothers lovingly care for their children. Meanwhile, millions of healthcare workers are doing their best to help the wounded, and millions of teachers are trying to impart valuable knowledge to young people. How do we navigate this paradoxical situation? How do we navigate both the battlefield and the field of care? In an attempt to find an answer, I am connecting two masters of existential psychology. The Insight of Antonio Damasio Antonio Damasio, director of the Brain and Creativity Institute at the University of Southern California, seems to offer an ideal starting point. After a lifetime of researching …

Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man director explains new version of theme song: “There’s tragedy in his voice”

Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man director explains new version of theme song: “There’s tragedy in his voice”

More than a decade after he helmed three episodes of the opening season, Tom Harper is back in the director’s chair for big screen spin-off Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, which is currently showing in select UK cinemas. Ahead of the film’s Netflix release this week, we spoke with Harper about returning to the franchise now it’s a major global hit, and asking Nick Cave to record a new version of his iconic track – and Peaky theme tune – Red Right Hand. You worked on the very first series – what’s it like to come back to Peaky Blinders? We didn’t know what it would become, obviously, but we had real cinematic aspirations for it and to be able to realise that was too good an opportunity to miss. Did Nick Cave record a new version of Red Right Hand for a key scene with Cillian? Yes, when we put that scene together in the edit it immediately felt wrong with the original Red Right Hand, which feels like Tommy’s a young man, full …

A reverse timeline of tragedy reveals the warning signs of incel violence

A reverse timeline of tragedy reveals the warning signs of incel violence

A recent study published in the journal Deviant Behavior maps the warning signs and systemic failures that precede deadly attacks by men who identify as involuntary celibates. By working backward from four distinct tragedies, researchers identified a chain of severe social isolation, untreated mental health struggles, and missed opportunities for intervention. These insights offer a roadmap for recognizing the warning signs of misogynistic extremism and stopping future acts of mass violence. The internet hosts a vast array of communities, some of which are united by shared grievances. One such group is the “incel” subculture, a primarily online network of men who express deep frustration over their inability to form sexual or romantic relationships with women. This community exists within a broader digital space known as the manosphere, where extreme misogyny and male supremacy are common themes. Many incel forums operate as echo chambers that promote a highly distorted view of gender dynamics. Within these digital spaces, women are routinely dehumanized and blamed for the social rejection these men experience. Most individuals who participate in these …

The game-winning goal that lifted a hockey team and community from tragedy

The game-winning goal that lifted a hockey team and community from tragedy

Noise rose inside Schneider Arena as the puck slipped onto Colin Dorgan’s stick late in double overtime. Behind him, only one defender was in pursuit. Ahead of him, there was open net. About five seconds later, the crowd let out a roar. In his first season at the co-op with Blackstone Valley Schools (senior year), Dorgan scored a breakaway goal with 48.1 seconds left to go in double overtime during his team’s biggest upset victory (3–2) over the top-seeded Portsmouth in the Rhode Island Division II Championship Game (final). He said after that moment he realized that it was much more than just a playoff win. “It was the best moment of my life,” he added, as his teammates rushed the ice to celebrate the goal. A Season Cut Short Due To Tragedy Just a few weeks earlier, during the program’s senior night game at Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, the Blackstone Valley team experienced a devastating event that rocked the entire Rhode Island sports community. During the game, there were reports that a …

Tragedy as mother and her 2 children found dead in ‘horrific’ murder-suicide | World | News

Tragedy as mother and her 2 children found dead in ‘horrific’ murder-suicide | World | News

A mother shot dead her two children before turning the gun on herself while her husband was away. Monika Rubacha, 44, killed their 14-year-old son Josh and 11-year-old daughter in their bedrooms before shooting herself. The shootings took place while Monika’s British husband, Richard James, was away on a business trip. The 45-year-old, who is the brother of Sky Sports darts presenter Holly James, was in South America at the time and called police after being unable to get hold of his wife for 36 hours. Officers eventually arrived at their £1.4 million home in Florida where they found a “violent crime scene” on Thursday, February 26. The officers forced entry into the gated community home at Lakewood Ranch, Manatee County, before discovering the mother and children had suffered “traumatic injuries”. Mr James was told of the tragic incident after landing back in the US. According to local police, there had been “some planning involved” in the shootings. They believe Monika “knew what she was doing”, but are continuing to investigate exactly what happened. Sheriff …

“A tragedy, a scandal”: Hillary Clinton deposition rips Republicans’ handling of Epstein case

“A tragedy, a scandal”: Hillary Clinton deposition rips Republicans’ handling of Epstein case

In a heatseeking opening statement to her deposition on Jeffrey Epstein, Hillary Clinton tore into the Trump administration and the GOP over their handling of the Epstein files and human trafficking cases. The opponent of Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election charged the House Oversight Committee with using the Epstein files as a means to settle political scores. She accused the committee of a lack of transparency and dinged the Trump administration for limiting the federal government’s ability to investigate human trafficking. “Your investigation is supposed to be assessing the federal government’s handling of the investigations and prosecutions of Epstein and his crimes. You subpoenaed eight law enforcement officials, all of whom ran the Department of Justice or directed the FBI when Epstein’s crimes were investigated and prosecuted. Of those eight, only one appeared before the Committee,” she said. ” You have made little effort to call the people who show up most prominently in the Epstein files. And when you did, not a single Republican Member showed up for Les Wexner’s deposition.” The …

Martin Short: The cloud of tragedy around the comedy legend

Martin Short: The cloud of tragedy around the comedy legend

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Martin Short is considered one of Hollywood’s most prolific comedians, but unbeknownst to many of his audiences, his decades in the spotlight have been touched by enormous loss and tragedy. The death of Short’s 42-year-old daughter, Katherine Elizabeth Harley Short, was confirmed Tuesday with the family saying in a statement, “It is with profound grief that we confirm the passing of Katherine Hartley Short. The Short family is devastated by this loss, and asks for privacy at this time.” Katherine, the eldest of Short’s three children with his late wife Nancy Dolman, was found dead by suicide Monday inside her California home. Short, 75, has not spoken out about his daughter’s passing, but he postponed his comedy tour dates. Her death marks the most recent loss for Short, who has endured a number of tragedies over the years, including the deaths …

Pulp Fiction actor Peter Greene’s cause of death revealed as ‘accidental’ tragedy

Pulp Fiction actor Peter Greene’s cause of death revealed as ‘accidental’ tragedy

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Pulp Fiction actor Peter Greene’s cause of death has been revealed, two months after he was found unresponsive in his New York apartment. Greene, who played memorable villains in Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 film as well as Jim Carrey comedy The Mask, died on 12 December 2025. On Wednesday (18 February), the New York City medical examiner said that Greene’s death was caused by an accidental gunshot wound to the armpit. The cause was officially listed as “gunshot wound of left axilla with injury of brachial artery”. No other details were given. Greene won the Best Actor prize at the 1994 Taormina International Film Festival for his star-making role in Lodge Kerrigan’s Clean, Shaven, in which he played a man with schizophrenia. He later accepted numerous villain roles, in films including The Mask, where he played mafia kingpin Dorian Tyrell, and The …

Tragedy as eight skiers found dead after California avalanche | World | News

Tragedy as eight skiers found dead after California avalanche | World | News

Eight skiers have sadly been found dead, and one is still missing, following a horror avalanche in the northern California mountains, authorities have said. The avalanche hit the Castle Peak area of Truckee in California about 10 miles (16km) north of Lake Tahoe, at around 11.30am local time on Tuesday. The weather phenomenon swept over a group of backcountry skiers, and six people were rescued after becoming trapped. Authorities continued searching for nine missing individuals on Wednesday morning local time, and have now confirmed eight deaths with one person still unaccounted for. Nevada County sheriff Shannan Moon said: “Eight of the additional nine skiers have been located deceased. We are still looking for one of the members at this time.” Ms Moon said the difficult conditions and the risk of further avalanches had hampered rescue efforts, with the operation still ongoing. The heartbreaking incident comes after a powerful storm hit California this week, bringing heavy snow, strong winds, and severe thunderstorms to the mountain regions. The Sierra Avalanche Center issued an avalanche warning for the …