The catastrophic flood that struck rural Tennessee claimed the lives of 21 people and dozens are still missing. The water swept away homes, cars, and trees, and damaged infrastructure.
Unfortunately, among those who lost their lives are 7-month-old twins Ryan and Rileigh. The babies were swept away from their father’s arms as he was struggling to hold them and his two other children who remained unharmed. The family was trying to escape the raising water when the tragedy struck.
Source: GoFundMe
After an extensive search, the bodies of the babies were found.
Charity Hooks, a cousin of the twins’ mother, set up a GoFundMe page in an attempt to help the family with the funeral expenses.
“The mother grabbed a tree and the father had the 2 twins the 5 year old and 19 month old and sadly the 2 babies left his arms!
“This money could help them with a lot! Expenses, flowers for the funeral, for the house they lost but Most important is the help for these beautiful babies that gained there wings today!” the page read.
So far, over $100,000 have been raised.
Absolutely heartbreaking 💔 7-month-old twins, Rileigh and Ryan have died after being swept away by flood waters in Waverly, their grandmother tells me. Please keep the people of Humphreys County in your prayers! 🙏🏼https://t.co/io3K6em9rB
Andy Griffith was a man of many talents. Years after his death, we still remember the roles he played.
Growing up, he was very shy and friends sometimes teased him because of that. Later on, however, he realized that his ability to make others laugh was his strength and he used that at the best of his ability, by making a name for himself.
Griffith’s first encounter with the stage was both petrifying and magical. When he was in third grade, he was supposed to perform along one of his classmates, but in the last minute, he was left all alone. He felt extremely nervous at first but then started singing Put on Your Old Gray Bonnet and realized that was it. He was born to perform, and he knew it.
Source: Youtube/JoeSimonetta
After years of struggling to find a job in operettas and different choirs, Griffith was approached by a man named Orville Campbell and was offered to record a monologue. That’s when “What it Was Was Football?” was born; the monologue which changed Griffith’s life forever.
Soon after, Griffith became the citizen of one of the most famous fictional places there are, the iconic town named Mayberry. The Andy Griffith Showfollowed the lives of the rest of the inhabitants and after the first day of filming, Griffith considered quitting because he believed the series won’t last long. At the time, he had no idea how wrong he was, as the sitcom aired for total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons.
“That day, I didn’t have much to say at all. Artie Stander, Danny Thomas, and Sheldon Leonard yelled at one another all day. I asked Sheldon (the executive producer) if I could talk to him at the end of the day and he walked me to the gate. I said, ‘If this is what television is, I don’t think I can handle it,’” Griffith recalled.
Luckily, he changed his mind and stayed on the show. And, well, the rest is history.
Speaking of how the series managed to last for so long and of the role he played, that of Andy Taylor, the widowed sheriff of Mayberry, Griffith told New York Times back in 1965: “I think it is because we–everyone on the show–have a real sense of community, of kindness toward one another. The basic rule by which we live comes through on the program, kindness comes through. The show also has a number of featured performers, each with a definite character we can write around for any episode.
“But equally important is the character of Mayberry itself. We try to make it a real little community with its small problems and those of its people put forth comedically.”
The Andy Griffith Show actors didn’t only gain worldwide fame, but they made friends for life on that set. Don Knotts, who played the role of Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife on the show, was one of Griffith’s closest pals until his passing in 2006, at the age of 81.
Once the show came to an end, Griffith started his own production company, Andy Griffith Enterprises, and later played in the series Matlock, for 181 episodes.
The legendary actor died of heart attack in 2012. He was 86.
At the time of his passing, Griffith was reported to be worth $60 million. He gave the film industry a lot and his roles continue to live even today. Who could ever forget the iconic Andy Taylor?
In Griffith’s honor, a statue of him as Andy Taylor has been placed in Raleigh, North Carolina. The inscription reads: “A simpler time, a sweeter place, a lesson, a laugh, a father, a son.”
Dogs make all the difference in the world. They are not only loving and friendly, but compassionate and caring too. Everyone who has ever owned a dog can say that these special animals have feelings more profound than anyone else. They are capable of feeling sadness when their humans are sad, and happiness when they see their owners smile.
Knowing just how important canines are to humans, the owners of a funeral home in Pennsylvania, the Soxman Funeral Home, decided to help the people who have lost a loved one cope with their grief by hiring the beautiful Labrador Retriever named Lilo as a “Bereavement Care Dog.”
Lilo is there to greet the mourners and provide a feeling of ease.
Anna Nesbit, the funeral home’s director and co-owner, spoke of Lilo and told WTAE: “She just has a way of bringing some warmth to a really sad time. She just looks up at you with those eyes and the families take that all in and you just watch them take a sigh of relief.”
Lilo was one of a litter of eight bright puppies who all grew up to be service dogs. She was trained by Perfect Fit Canines Service Dogs and the moments the funeral home owners laid eyes on her, they knew she would be the perfect fit for the job.
“She has a very sweet, gentle disposition which very much suits the needs of a funeral home,” Anna said in Facebook live video. “After some extensive training… we started to introduce her to some of the families around here during the services.”
Lilo’s job isn’t to distract people from mourning, but to help with the “intimidating feelings” some people have when they need to visit a funeral home.
One person who witnessed Lilo’s ability to provide comfort is Clyde Boyd. At the funeral of his 95-year-old mother Agnes Boyd, the deceased’s great-grandchildren were afraid to enter the funeral home, but Lilo did her job at the best of her ability.
“The part I really noticed was the great-grandchildren, they were very nervous and it was the first time they ever experienced anything like that, and she definitely made a difference, loosening them up, letting them be themselves,” Clyde told WTAE.
Lilo is happy she is surrounded by humans who need her. At the funeral home, she has her own place to sleep and a bunch of toys. When she’s not on the job, she splits time between Anna and the funeral home’s co-owner Brian and their families who love her unconditionally.
There are certain people in our life who do so much for us that no matter what we do, we can never repay them for their kindness. For a young woman named Jordan Stiers, from Lawrence, Kansas, that person is her grandma Roxanne Edwards.
Roxanne didn’t let Jordan and her four siblings end up in foster care. Instead, she raised them herself and she has always been there for them. And now, Jordan found herself in a position to do something nice for her loving granny.
Source: Twitter/ Kansas Basketball
As it turned out, this young lady was lucky enough to be chosen for a basketball contest to shoot the ball from mid-court in a chance to win $10,000. She was also allowed to pick a non-player to shoot the ball for her.
She chose Brennan Bechard, the director of Kansas basketball operations. Well, it turned out she picked just the right person, because believe it or not, he sank the big shot and earned Jordan the money.
She could spend it on whatever she wanted. She could travel, or buy herself a car, but instead, she chose to give it to her grandma. “She’s my mom, she’s my dad, she’s my grandma – she’s everything. She has done so much for me, taught me so much. There’s nothing I can do to repay her, but this will say thank you a little bit,” Jordan said.
She also added that she didn’t know how her granny would react. We are sure she would be overwhelmed with emotions knowing she did a great job raising someone as caring as Jordan.
Source: Facebook/ Jordan Stiers
For more heart-melting stories involving grandmas, the most special people in the lives of young children, check out the video below.
Can you believe it’s been 36 years since the last episode of our all time favorite series “Little House on the Prairie” aired? What is amazing is that even after so much time, we still feel close to the Ingalls family who treated us with their everyday adventures and made our days a bit more fun back in the day.
Now if you were a fan, you certainly remember Albert Quinn Ingalls who was played by a young Matthew Labyorteaux.
Both Matthew and Albert, whom he played on the series, shared the same fate as they were both adopted. While Albert was adopted by Charles and Caroline Ingalls after going from orphanage to orphanage for a very long time, Matthew was adopted as a 10-month-old baby by actress Frances “Frankie” Marshall and talent agent Ronald Labyorteaux.
Before they welcomed him in, his adoptive parents were told that little Matthew had a hole in his heart that would eventually close all by itself, but they were determined to have him and give him all the love.
Speaking to PEOPLE, Frankie said that her son didn’t walk until he turned three and couldn’t speak until he reached four. ”But they would never acknowledge he was also autistic. He slept standing up in his crib, and when anyone would try to pick him up he would scream and try to get away. I spent months on the floor with Matthew screaming and me holding him down telling him that no matter what he did I would love him.”
The role in the “Little House on the Prairie” was a huge success that put Matthew under the spotlight from a very young age. After the series, he took part in the 1983 made-for-TV movie ”Little House: Look Back to Yesterday” where his character was diagnosed with leukemia, but the viewers never learned what happened to him at the end.
“He never officially died in the episode and I think maybe it’s kind of left up in the air to debate… but it was sort of an unspoken thing that we knew he was going to die,” he said years ago.
As he had his debut on TV at a very young age in a commercial, acting was something that came naturally to this actor.
“I’ve been acting since I was four, so I’m used to being around adults on movie and TV sets. Acting isn’t something I had to learn to like. It’s something I’ve done since I can remember, and I love to do it,” Matthew said in one occasion.
After playing Albert Ingalls, Matthew played different roles in many movies and was nominated twice (1982 and 1983) for a Young Artists Award as Best Young Actor in a Drama Series.
In the movie “Whiz Kids” he played a computer prodigy who solved crimes by braking into computer systems. Matthew was into technology in his real life as well. In fact, in 1982, he became the United States Pac-Man champion.
Today, he’s focused on voice-acting and voice work for video-games. When it comes to his private life, he tends to keep it a secret.
Matthew is as charming as he was back in the day, don’t you think so?
Dubbed the most influential musician of the 20th century and the most selling artists of all time; who else if not iconic Frank Sinatra. Throughout his brilliantly distinguished career, Sinatra sold a staggering 150 million records worldwide and received eleven Grammy Awards, including one Lifetime Achievement.
Sinatra was a man of many talents. His incredible looks took him to the world of film and earned him an Academy Award for the movie From Here to Eternity.
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What Sinatra’s fans are happy for is that his legacy lives on all thanks to his family. Sinatra’s daughter, Nancy, followed into his footsteps and built an enviable career herself. One of her most famous hits which topped the charts is the single These Boots are Made for Walking. Now, Nancy’s daughter, Angela Jenifer “AJ” Lambert is pursuing a career in music as well and she often performs some of the Ol’ Blue Eyes hits, which were over 1,000 throughout his career.
AJ, who admires her grandfather a lot, shared some interesting details of the legendary singer’s life. In fact, when she was younger, she spent a great amount of time at Sinatra’s place Rancho Mirage and saw many famous people visit.
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“Gregory Peck and his wife, Veronique, and their kids, Tony and Cecilia, came all the time, so we knew them really well,” AJ told Desert Sun.
“I was a very angsty 13-year-old kid and (one night), I had my Walkman, sitting outside on one of these chairs and the stars were all out. I was listening to Learning To Fly and out comes Gregory Peck in a sweater and his eyebrows and all this stuff. He says, ‘What are you listening to?’ I opened my Walkman and showed him the tape and he said ‘Pink Floyyyd!’. I’ll never forget it! I’m pretty sure that’s the only time he said Pink Floyd ever. We had an enchanted childhood down here, I won’t lie. It was just as cool as you’d think it was,” she added.
Youtube/FrankSinatra
AJ has always been enchanted by her grandfather’s music and often listened to The Rat Pack, a group of A-list show business friends who met casually at the Los Angeles home of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Members of The Rat Pack were Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Joey Bishop, among the others. AJ also loved the music of Bob Dylan.
However, her interest was mostly related to goth and punk music. In fact, while studying for a screenwriter in college, she was part of a number of groups including HereWe Go Magic and TheHomosexuals.
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AJ once told Daily Mail how she played her grandfather Sinatra the Sid Vicious’s version of My Way, but he wasn’t a fan.
“I didn’t show him the video [in which Vicious shoots his audience]. That might have been too much for his old ticker! But I like that version way better – it takes My Way to the extreme. It’s a f***-you song, and that’s what it should sound like,” she added.
When she turned 40, AJ started performing Sinatra’s song, especially those who were closest to her heart. She sang the huge hits from his albums In the Wee Small Hours and Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely accompanied by a piano only. “It’s about my relationship with him, obviously, as a kid and as an adult, what the music meant to him and what it means to me now as an adult and a singer,” she told Las Vegas Sun.
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AJ has always been aware of her talent, but at the same time she felt the pressure the name Sinatra holds. At the age of 46, she released her first solo album in which she included the songs Sleep Warm and Ebb Tide among the rest.
Looking at her, it’s safe to say that she resembles Sinatra a lot.
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She recalled how great Sinatra wasn’t fond of all of his songs. In fact, “He didn’t like anything he didn’t have a say in – and he didn’t have a say in whether My Way was going to be his theme song. He was being defined against his will.”
Frank Sinatra passed away in 1998, aged 82. Speaking to the Daily Mail, AJ recalled the final months of his life and said, “I was 24 when he died and when I last saw him, a couple of months earlier, he was bed bound and had trouble remembering who people were. He was old and not quite there so it just didn’t seem right to make him listen to the kind of music I was playing.”
Frank Sinatra will forever be remembered as “the greatest singer of the 20th century.”
Probably best known for the characters of Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter movies and Dowager Countess Violet Crawley in Downton Abby, Dame Maggie Smith became one of our all time favorite actresses.
Speaking of these two huge role, she once told ES magazine, “I am deeply grateful for the work in Potter and indeed Downton, but it wasn’t what you’d call satisfying. I didn’t really feel I was acting in those things.”
This Academy Award-winning actress’ career is long and rich and she’s still delivering incredible performances even at the age of 85.
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Maggie Smith was born Margaret Natalie Smith in Ilford, Essex, England, but he family moved to Oxford when she was 4 years old. After high school, Maggie attended the Oxford Playhouse School from 1951 to 1953 and made her first stage debut in 1952 with the role of Viola in an Oxford University Dramatics Society production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.
At the time, she didn’t see herself as talented and told the Guardian, ”I longed to be bright and most certainly never was. I was rather hopeless, I suspect, I don’t know what. I think I was just very odd.” Luckily, the audience thought she was indeed exceptional so just a few years later she had her debut on Broadway in the play New Faces.
Facebook / Maggie Smith – The Actress
With a career spanning for over 60 years, it’s safe to say that it was her talent that helped her last for so long in a world full of fierce competence. Maggie won a Best Actress Oscar for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Best Supporting Actress Oscar for California Suite, Tony award for her role of Lettice Douffet in the 1990 comedy Lettice and Lovage, and four Emmy awards, three for Downton Abbey and one for the lead role in HBO’s television movie My House in Umbria.
She’s one of the few actresses who received the ‘Triple Crown’ of awards: an Academy Award, a Tony Award and an Emmy.
Facebook / Maggie Smith – The Actress
Maggie got married twice and has two sons from her first marriage with respected actor Sir Robert Stephens. Both their sons, Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens followed into their parents’ footsteps and became actors themselves. This marriage lasted for ten years.
The parents never really encouraged their children to pursue careers in acting, but they both wanted that and are very successful. Chris Larkin was born Christopher Stephens but he changed his name because he wanted to succeed for what he possessed himself, not because he was the child of a celebrity couple.
”I wanted to do it on my own. Robert, my father, was always trying to get me to trade on the family connection. He never got (understood) the changing of the name. He would go, ‘Why don’t you change it back?’ But that was the choice I made. And I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I had gone back on it. It would have been like admitting defeat… I’ve always been a fiercely independent soul…,” Chris Larkin told The Times in 2013.
Chris is probably best known to the wider audience portraying the Hermann Göring in the film Hitler: The Rise of Evil, his role in Valkyrie, and the role of captain Howard of the Marines Master and Commander: The Far Side of the world. Toby’s most remarkable role is that of the Bond villain Gustav Graves, the main antagonist in the 2002 James Bond film Die Another Day.
In 1976, Maggie married screenwriter Beverley Cross whom she considered the greatest love of her life. Cross passed away in 1998 but Maggie is still grieving. She had a hard time coping with the loss.
She has been through so much during her life, she even battled cancer but ended up winner. “I had been feeling a little rum. I didn’t think it was anything serious because years ago I felt a lump and it was benign,” she told The Telegraph in 2009. Even though she had to undergo chemotherapy treatments, she never stopped filming Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince because she didn’t want to disappoint her fans.
Today, she’s living in the small village of Lurgashall in West Sussex, England in a house she bought together with her husband Cross.
Stepping down from their royal duties and turning to a civilian life seemed like the right decision for the Sussexes, but now royal experts believe the couple is under huge financial pressure.
Harry and Meghan give the impression that they have settled in the States just perfectly. They welcomed their second child, daughter Lilibet Diana, and tend to spend quality time with their children. Besides being devoted parents, both Harry and Meghan are quite busy running their non-profit organization Archewell. “To do something of meaning, to do something that matters. Archewell is a name that combines an ancient word for strength and action, and another that evokes the deep resources we each must draw upon,” a statement by the couple read regarding the choice of name of their foundation.
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Their Archewell Productions company is behind the production of the Netflix new series Heart of Invictus. It will follow the competitors as they prepare for the 2022 games.
The games, which come in the form of international sporting events and competitions for wounded, injured, and sick servicemen and women, both veterans and current, were initiated by Harry back in 2014.
“Since the very first Invictus Games back in 2014, we knew that each competitor would contribute in their own exceptional way to a mosaic of resilience, determination and resolve,” Harry told Sky News.
“This series will give communities around the world a window into the moving and uplifting stories of these competitors on their path to the Netherlands next year.”
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At the same time, Meghan will be the executive producer for an animated program called Pearl which will feature the life and adventures of a 12-year-old girl, inspired by a numerous influential women from history.
At the moment, Harry is also working as a coach and an advocate for mental health for the the Silicon Valley startup company BetterUp. “I intend to help create impact in people’s lives,” Harry told the Wall Street Journal.
Besides Netflix, the couple also landed a contract with Spotify. It has been reported that they received $33.5 million from the company. As of Netflix, they will be getting between $1.85 and $3.7 million yearly.
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Oprah Winfrey earned herself an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series Or Special, for the Harry and Meghan interview, and now royal experts believe the Sussexes will likely need one themselves if they want to deliver for all the millions they received. The deals they made with the companies put a lot of pressure on the couple, as per Royal commentator Daniela Elser who said Harry and Meghan “have a lot to prove” and are “fighting against the clock.”
“So far, they haven’t exactly set Hollywood on fire. The problem with this paradigm is that their entire money-making ability is pegged to their ability to generate good PR,” Elser writes for News.com.au.
“Should interest in them wane, or public fatigue for the never-out-of-the-news duo set in, then their value could plummet.”
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Harry and Meghan spend huge amounts on money on their California home. It was also reported that they spent additional $3.3 million to cover the rent and renovations of Frogmore Cottage, their former home.
We hope the future will be bright for the Sussexes and they will be successful at what they do.
