She was a star in the 1960s and her meeting with Elvis changed everything

By
Monica Pop
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Most of you may have not heard of Rita Pavone, but this Italian’s singer life story is truly a fascinating one.

Possessing inner talent for singing and an enchanting voice, she seemed to be destined to reach stardom and become a famous name in the music industry.

For Pavone, it all started when she began singing at different student parties and then at various bars in her hometown of Turin. Her mother believed that music wasn’t the way forward for Rita. “It was the last resort. I had almost decided to drop everything. I had been singing since the age of nine, but I was unable to emerge and go beyond local notoriety. My mother advised me to put my dreams of glory on the back burner,” Pavone said.

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Her father, however, was very supportive of Pavone’s wish to make a name for herself one day and encouraged her to take part at one of the greatest competitions of the time, the “Rally of the Unknown.” He even wrote a letter to the organizer of the talent show, Teddy Reno, and asked him to give his daughter a spot. The number of people who took part was 20,000, but eventually, Pavone won the competition and she became a star almost overnight, with her first album being recorded mere weeks after winning the competition.

“To this day, I still wonder [what the secret to my success was], and I can’t explain it. Wherever I went, from Brazil to England, from France to Germany, I was able to enter the international hit parades with songs translated into foreign languages ​​or made specifically for that market,” Rita explained.

“I myself was the first to marvel at all this interest in me. Perhaps I possessed a particular type of vocality, a bit high-pitched, cutting, but deeply personal.”

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She added: “I think this strong personality was my trump card. Having personality means not going unnoticed. Today, however, there is a rampant tendency to copy others, and this has inevitably led to many “photocopied products.” In my case I also had a face halfway between a girl and a boy, red hair freckled face.”

After selling hundreds of thousands of albums in Italy, Pavone was asked to the United States to audition for RCA Records. A t the time, many predicted she would be the next great thing, but in the midst of the Beatlemania and people’s affection for Elvis, who was one of Pavone’s greatest idols, that didn’t seem to be an easy task.

While at the States, Pavone performed with the likes of Diana Ross and The Supremes, Ella Fitzgerald, and Tom Jones. Moreover, she appeared several times on Ed Sullivan Show and in performances at the legendary Carnegie Hall in New York.

Youtube/Elvis Presley

During an occasion, she met Elvis Presley in person and he gave her a signed painting.

One day, while recording with her producer, Chet Atkins, in the “Music City,” Pavone, who didn’t understand English at the time, overheard her “muse,” Brenda Lee, talking about Elvis. She didn’t understand why at first, but she soon learned that the King of Rock&Roll would visit the recording studio. There was a huge crowd gathered in front of it, waiting to meet Presley.

“Suddenly, there was a chill because I wanted to meet him. So I went to Chet Atkins, asking him the big favor of letting me know him when at one point,” Pavone recalled.

“I saw a crowd of people arming themselves, they seemed to be preparing the landing in Normandy, he absolutely didn’t want to be disturbed, they said. So I started whining like children do, it wasn’t possible to waste such an opportunity, I convinced them, but they made me a lot of recommendations.”

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She then added, “I waited until midnight in the RCA studios, until they entered: first, his lawyer, his secretary, his sound engineer, all his staff. And then him. He had yellow Ray-Bans that I had never seen before, the sideburns it was beautiful. He came in and greeted us and he came towards me. I asked him if I could have a photo of him and he was very helpful, he told me I could have even more. So he called his secretary who gave me a canvas where he wrote: Best wishes to Rita, then he gave me a kiss and left.

“His manager, the famous Colonel Parker, didn’t want me to meet him. But when he came out of the studio, he saw me and said, ‘But I know you! You went to the Ed Sullivan show.’ It was Elvis who recognized me. I asked him for a photo, but he even gave me one of his paintings.”

Meeting Elvis Presley is something Pavone will remember until the rest of her life.

“I have it at home! My son, who is very realistic and pragmatic, said that when I die, he will sell it! A man of that stature and popularity who was so down to earth blew me away,” she stated.

Vincenzo Lombardo/Getty Images

After spending some years in America, Pavone decided to return to Italy where she was adored by millions.

She married Teddy Reno, the organizer of the talent show that turned her into a star. However, Teddy being 20 years her senior wasn’t accepted well by her family and the public. Her father was even mad when he heard the two were dating, but some time after they tied the knot, he visited them in Switzerland, where they still live today, and told her he was sorry he didn’t respect her choice.

Many of her songs entered the charts of UK, Germany, and even Brazil and other countries.

Pavone announced her retirement from the stage in the mid-2000s, but she returned in 2016 and competed in the Italian version of Dancing with the Stars. She also performed at the legendary Sanremo Festival in 2020, and again the year after, in a Christmas special. 

One thing is certain, Rita Pavone has had an impressive career.

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Harry ‘snapped’ at Meghan during heated argument – he sought therapy after speaking ‘cruelly’ to her

By
Monica Pop
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The dust still hasn’t settled following the allegations and the secrets revealed in Prince Harry’s all-tell memoir Spare.

Described as “Vulnerable and heartfelt, brave and intimate,” Spare shook the royal family, despite them not commenting on anything related to the book that caused a stir not only in Britain but all over the world.

Among the rest, Harry spoke of his niece and nephews, saying that he wasn’t invited to William and Kate’s home as much as he wished to upon Prince George’s birth. Harry also spoke of Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis and said that he fears they could “end up” just like him.

But he also opened up about his relationship with wife Meghan Markle.

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When the two started dating, Harry was very pleased.

“Guys, I met a girl,” a friend who appeared in the couple’s documentary recalled Harry saying. “We just met, but I think she’s the one.” 

Meghan felt the same. She was aware the two were getting involved in a long-distance relationship, but that didn’t stop neither of them to continue seeing each other without anyone knowing about that.

“Everything was text and FaceTime, we’d talk for hours. It felt exciting but not in the way people would assume it would be,” Meghan said. “It was just relaxed and easy.”

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When Britain learned their favorite Prince was dating the American actress, all eyes were on them. Unfortunately, Meghan was treated poorly by the British media. Harry, however, knew that something like that was on the way because both his late mother and his ex-girlfriends were judged down to the finest detail. In the Netflix documentary, Harry explained that he wasn’t certain if he would ever be able to find a love interest “capable” and “willing” to go through with it to live a royal life.

“Every relationship I had within a matter of weeks or months was splattered all over the newspapers, and that person’s family harassed, and their lives turned upside down,” Harry said.

“After one or two girlfriends, the third or fourth girlfriend would say, ‘Hand on a second. I don’t know if I want this.” 

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Harry and Meghan, however, were able to overcome the obstacles. They married in 2018, and some two years later, they made the shocking decision to step down from their royal duties and leave Britain, probably for good. Ever since, they have been through thick and thin.

The two are much in love with each other and their lives seem picture-perfect. But in 2016, as revealed by Harry himself, he snapped at his then-girlfriend Meghan.

Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage

“Maybe the wine went to my head. Maybe the weeks of battling the press had worn me down. For some reason, when the conversation took an unexpected turn, I became touchy,” Harry wrote.

“Then angry. Disproportionately, sloppily angry.”

Harry explained that Meghan took a comment he had made “the wrong way” because of the “cultural difference” between them. He then spoke to her “harshly” and “cruelly.”

“I was also just over-sensitive that night, I thought: ‘Why’s she having a go at me?’ I snapped at her, spoke to her harshly [and] cruelly,” he continued.

“As the words left my mouth, I could feel everything in the room come to a stop. The gravy stopped bubbling, the molecules of air stopped orbiting. Even Nina Simone seemed to pause.”

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Meghan seemed to be deeply hurt and left the room.

“She was calm, but said in a quiet, level tone that she would never stand for being spoken to like that. I nodded. She wanted to know where it came from,” Harry explained in his memoir. He then recalled Meghan saying, “‘Where did you ever hear a man speak like that to a woman? Did you overhear adults speak that way when you were growing up?’ I cleared my throat, looked away [and responded], ‘Yes.’”

She said she wouldn’t tolerate her partner speak to her in that manner, but at the same time, she knew that those words weren’t a result of their conversation, but of something else.

Samir Hussein/WireImage

“It came from somewhere deep inside, somewhere that needed to be excavated, and it was obvious that I could use some help with the job,” Harry explained.

“‘I’ve tried therapy,’ I told her. ‘Willy told me to go. Never found the right person.’ [It] didn’t work. ‘No,’ she said softly. ‘Try again.’”

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This 1980’s beauty is unrecognizable today — 37 years after hit film that catapulted her into stardom

By
Monica Pop
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Everyone who has ever seen Top Gun, the 1986 legendary movie starring Tom Cruise, Tim Robbins, and Kelly McGillis among the rest, probably agrees that the cast was so iconic that it is hard to imagine other actors filing those roles. Sadly, the Top Gun: Maverick movie, which was released last year, showed that some could be completely excluded.

When the news of the sequel spread around, everyone assumed that actress Kelly McGillis would be part of it. Having been away from the spotlight for many years, many were looking forward to see her on the big screen one more time, but that’s not what happened.

Kelly McGillis, circ.1987 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Getty Images/Bob Riha, Jr.)

While Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer reunited in a very emotional scene, McGillis wasn’t asked to join the cast.

When asked by Entertainment Tonight back in 2019 if she was offered a role in the sequel, she said, “Oh my god no. They did not, nor do I think they would ever.”

The actress added: “I mean, I’m old and I’m fat, and I look age-appropriate for what my age is, and that is not what that whole scene is about.”

However, McGillis isn’t concerned she wasn’t part of the smash blockbuster movie. “I’d much rather feel absolutely secure in my skin and who and what I am at my age, as opposed to placing a value on all that other stuff,” she said. 

Kelly McGillis sits at a desk in a scene from the film ‘Top Gun’, 1986. (Photo by Paramount/Getty Images)

When she landed the role of Charlie Blackwood, an astrophysicist and training school instructor, she made a lasting impression as Maverick’s, played by Tom Cruise, love interest. Her impeccable looks, long legs, and blonde hair made many fall for her.

“I don’t think anything prepared me for what I guess was becoming a household name kind of thing,” McGillis said told LA Times.

“It was really intimidating to me. I don’t aspire to be famous. I just aspire to be an actress, and that movie kind of startled my reality in a big way. I got very insecure. I didn’t know who I could trust to be my friend anymore.”

Landing this iconic role was a pure serendipity.

McGillis was scheduled to do another movie, but it fell through so Paramount called her and asked if she could do Top Gun instead. She liked the script and drove to San Diego for the production.

”I felt it was a Western in the sky. I had no clue how visually impeccable it would be. I think Tony Scott brought so much to that movie visually,” she said.

McGillis was compared to Grace Kelly, Ingrid Bergman and Lauren Bacall, but she never took those comparisons seriously.

”I have never thought of myself as a great beauty. In my teen-age and prepubescent years when one forms one’s ideas of oneself, I think primarily I was very over-weight and had a very low self-esteem,” she told Intelligencer Journal in 1986. 

 

 
 
 
 
 
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McGillis eventually left Hollywood in order to raise her two daughter which she has with now-former husband Fred Tillman. After tying the knot with him, the couple opened a restaurant in Key West, Florida, Kelly’s Caribbean Bar & Grill.

Speaking of her decision to turn her back to the place where dreams come true, Hollywood, McGillis once said, “I was never really unhappy. It is just that I wanted to reclaim my anonymity, to live my own life. I think that if you have children, it is you who should look after them. I didn’t want my kids to think of me as a movie star, I wanted them to know me as Mommy.”

Following her divorce from Tillman, McGillis came out as a lesbian. She said it wasn’t something that she decided to do overnight and revealed that she struggled with her sexuality since she was 12.

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“Life is a freaking journey, and it’s about growing and changing, and coming to terms with who and what you are, and loving who and what you are,” she once said.

In 2010, McGillis tied the knot with Melanie Leis. Their relationship seemed to be a destructive one, as they both turned to substances and went into rehab.

Tillman, McGillis’ ex-husband, attended the civil ceremony. “He was my greatest, bestest friend, and he still is,” McGillis told Daily News, adding: ”I was gay before I had kids. I had a really tough time coming to accept myself.” 

Her relationship with her wife broke just a year later.

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Speaking of her appearance and the weight she has gained over the years, the actress said, “You hear women of my age talk about this all the time. I think this industry is not particularly kind to women who are over 50. I am not into the coloring of my hair, doing the Botox and getting a face lift, and I want to grow up to be a character actress.”

According to the Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski, McGillis being left out had nothing to do with her appearance, he simply wanted to add new characters and take the film to a different direction.

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Raquel Welch dead at 82

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Monica Pop
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Raquel Welch, the iconic 1960s sex symbol, died Wednesday aged 82 after a brief, undisclosed illness. The news of her passing has been confirmed by the family.

Gorgeous Welch attracted the attention of millions of people worldwide from the moment she landed her role in Fantastic Voyage and later in One Million Years B.C in 1966. No one really cared that her character only had three lines of dialogue in the film because it was her stunning appearance in her undergarments that stunned the audience.

“I had no other credentials as an actress outside of that one laughable line of dialogue: ‘Me Loana… You Tumak.’ It felt like I’d stumbled into a booby trap – pun intended. I’m a living proof that a picture speaks a thousand words,” Welch said.

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Soon after, images of her in the doe-skin bikini became best-selling posters that turned her into an international sex symbol. Playboy Magazine gave her the title of “the most desirable lady of the decade” in the year 1970 and she truly was one.

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Her roles, through which she portrayed strong female characters, helped break the mold of the traditional sex symbol and end Hollywood’s vigorous promotion of the blonde bombshell.

Throughout the years, Welch took part in many films and she even got her own television program called Raquel! Her healthy lifestyle and her passion for yoga resulted in her publishing a book with exercises.

Men’s Health named her second hottest woman of all time in their 2014 issue.

She also appeared on “The Cher Show” in 1975 and performed “I’m a Woman” with the singer.

Throughout her life, Welch was married four times. She married James Welch when she was just 18 but the two untied the knot in 1961 after which she moved to Texas with their two children. The brunette bombshell later married Patrick Curtis from 1967 to 1972; André Weinfeld from 1980 to 1990, and Richard Palmer from 1999 till their separation in 2003.

Welch is survived by her children, Damon, 63, and Tahnee, 61. 

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Raquel Welch, you will always be remembered as one of the most stunning Hollywood beauties. Rest in peace.

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The great actor is in our thoughts and prayers

By
Monica Pop
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Charlize Theron is one of the most stunning Hollywood actresses there are. Talented, gorgeous, and versatile, it doesn’t come as a surprise that she is one of the most loved celebrities in the world of film.

What many people don’t know about Charlize is that she has done her own stunts in a number of movies.

Before the release of the movie The Old Guard, the actress appeared on Howard Stern’s radio show and was asked how she prepares for the action scenes she films. Charlize said that she watches old fighting videos and added that she often stumbles upon those of actor Steven Seagal, who has a black belt in karate and practices martial arts.

Speaking of him, Charlize wasn’t afraid to speak her mind and said, “At night, I’ll go online to watch fighters or watch people fight, and you always come across that odd Seagal video of him ‘fighting’ in Japan, but he really isn’t.”

She then continued, “He’s just incredibly overweight and pushing people. He’s overweight and can barely fight … look it up; it’s ridiculous. He’s shoving people by the face. It’s a whole setup.”

This came as a surprise to the host, but the Max Mad: Furry Road star justified her opinion noting, “I have no problem talking s— about him because he’s not very nice to women so f— you!”

In the past, Steven Seagal was accused of sexual harassment by a number of women. Most recently, actress Rachel Grant claimed he pulled down her top and exposed himself to her during an audition.

Other women who came forward and spoke of Seagal’s treatment of them are Julianna Margulies, Regina Simons, Jenny McCarthy and Portia de Rossi.

Portia De Rossi took to Twitter to speak of one particularly disturbing casting experience she had with the actor.

“My final audition for a Steven Segal movie took place in his office. He told me how important it was to have chemistry off-screen as he sat me down and unzipped his leather pants. I ran out and called my agent. Unfazed, she replied, ‘Well, I didn’t know if he was your type’,” she wrote.

Seagal denied the accusations. He hasn’t been charged of any misconduct.

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Let’s send our prayers to Sharon Stone after such devastating news

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Monica Pop
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Almost a year and a half after losing her nephew River, who died of “total organ failure” at 11 months old, actress Sharon Stone experienced more heartbreak. Unfortunately, her brother Patrick, 57, died of heart attack in the early hours of Sunday morning in Pennsylvania.

Stone took to Instagram on Monday to confirm the news reports of her brother’s passing, posting photos of herself and Patrick as a sweet tribute.

“RIP my brother Patrick Joseph Stone,” the Basic Instinct star captioned her post.

Patrick’s wife, Tasha, also took to Instagram to share her devastation over her husband’s sudden death.

“My heart feels like it’s been ripped out of my chest. Patrick went to be with our sweet River around 3:30 this morning.“

She continued: “He gave me 3 beautiful children that he loved and adored.

“He made sure to make it a point to let me know how much he loved me and how much I meant to him… I knew the very first day that I saw him that I was going to marry him. I felt an immediate connection to him and for 20 years we drove each other absolutely crazy but we also loved each other so deeply. I feel lost without my best friend.”

Tasha added that her only comfort was that Patrick’s last days were filled with joy.

“What if I am meant to carry the memory of our near perfect day so that I can smile and feel love when I think of him and he was able to take the memories with him knowing without a shadow of a doubt that he was immensely loved.

“I don’t want to accept that though even if that is the purpose of his passing. I wanted a lifetime with him and even though 20 years is a long time it wasn’t enough time. He was my soul mate. We just got each other even at our ugliest.”

Back in 2011, when River left this world a month prior to his first birthday, Stone revealed that the thing that helped them most during the times of grief was the fact that River’s organs helped save three lives.

“The fact that my godson was able to save three lives, two infants and a 45-year-old man was sanctuary for our family,” she told People at the time.

“I can only say that you never, never know when a tragedy will happen in your life or in your family, but this opportunity be an organ donor, it saved us, saved our family.

“Many people have many different thoughts about this, but in the end, it gave us some peace.”

Rest in peace, Patrick. You are now reunited with your sweet son.

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Chris Stapleton gets fans incredibly emotional at Super Bowl

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Monica Pop
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The much-anticipated game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles was a delight to watch. According to Fox, this year’s Super Bowl made it the most-watched in six years with 113 million people tuning in.

The honor to open the game with a rendition of the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ was given to country music star Chris Stapleton. The moving performance brought both fans and players to tears inside Glendale, Arizona’s State Farm Stadium. The reaction by those watching the Super Bowl on TV was as strong and as emotional with many saying that it was so good that it gave them goosebumps.

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Stapleton’s version of the anthem drew comparison to Whitney Houston’s moving performance in 1991 which is considered one of the best in the history of the game.

“Grown-a** men crying to Chris Stapleton singing the national anthem,” one person wrote. “Wow, this one is right up there with Whitney Houston’s performance. Just amazing.”

Another fan added, “Best star spangled banner ever. God Chris Stapleton you are amazing.” Others commented, “Chris Stapleton just won the Super Bowl,” and “OK SING IT CHRIS STAPLETON! This is an excellent version of the national anthem.”

In addition to the impeccable performance of the National Anthem, R&B star Babyface sang “America the Beautiful” and veteran actress Sheryl Lee Ralph sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

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Before pursuing a career as a singer, Stapleton was a songwriter. Today, he is one of the most famous names in the world of country music with an incredible number of awards under his belt. Among the rest, he is a recipient of about 16 CMAs, eight Grammy Awards, and 10 Academy of Country Music Awards.

It was in 2015 that he began to make waves as a singer. At that year’s Country Music Awards, he and Justin Timberlake mashed up their respective songs “Tennessee Whiskey” and Timberlake’s “Drink You Away.”

NFL via YouTube

Speaking of his singing, Stapleton said in a 2022 interview, “I don’t probably sing like a traditional country singer you know, but, ultimately, I’m me. I’m just trying to be the best version of that that I can be.”

He then added: “And whether that’s playing a song that leans into blues or a song that leans into R&B or a song that leans into really distinctly outlaw country. I love all that music. And I don’t feel limited to playing one type of song.”

Other singers who have performed the national anthem in the past, among the rest, are Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, and Mickey Guyton.

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Child star Austin Majors known for ‘NYPD Blue’ dead at 27 years old

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Monica Pop
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Child star Austin Majors, known for playing Theo Sipowicz, the son of Detective Andy Sipowicz on ABC’s NYPD Blue was found dead. According to TMZ, Majors died Saturday night and the alleged reason for his sudden passing was a fatal ingestion of fentanyl. Reports are that the time of his passing, Major was staying at a Los Angeles shelter for homeless people.

The final results of the autopsy are yet to be revealed. Major was 27 years of age.

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His heartbroken family issued a statement and paid tribute to Major, describing him as “loving, artistic, brilliant, and kind human being.”

Further, the statement read, “Austin took great joy and pride in his acting career. He was an active Eagle Scout and graduated Salutatorian in high school,” the statement read. “He went on to graduate from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts with a passion of directing and music producing.

“Austin’s younger sister, Kali, says her fondest memories with Austin were growing up on set with him, volunteering at events with Kids With a Cause, and backpacking together.

“Austin was the kind of son, brother, grandson, and nephew that made us proud and we will miss him deeply forever.”

In 2002, Major was awarded the Young Artist Award for best performance in a TV series (comedy or drama) young actor age ten or under.

In a statement, actor Dennis Franz, who played Major’s TV dad, said working with the young actor was a joy.

“He never has lost his enthusiasm to be on the set,” Franz’s sentiment read. “He just loves coming to work. He thinks of this as his playground and all of us as his older playmates! It is Austin Majors Day when he is here, he runs the show. But when he hears his cue, he gets a twinkle in his eye and he is ready to work.”

Majors appeared in a number of TV shows, including ER, According to Jim and Desperate Housewives. His last television credit is believed to be in 2009 when he appeared on How I Met Your Mother.

He played his biggest role, that of Theo Sipowicz on NYPD Blue, for seven seasons.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the grieving family.

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