Legendary filmmaker Ingmar Bergman is one of a string of recent celebrity deaths. The Swedish movie director passed away at his home in Faro, Sweden, on Monday (30Jul07). He was 89.Famed for his contribution to modern cinema, the Oscar-winning movie-maker made a name for himself as a stage director before branching into celluloid, winning awards for The Virgin Spring, Through a Glass Darkly and Fanny And Alexander. Described by American film director Woody Allen as "probably the greatest film artist, all things considered, since the invention of the motion picture camera", Bergman spent sixty years directing over 40 films, 100 theatre productions and numerous television plays. In recent time, he left his film career and returned to the stage directing a series of highly acclaimed plays at Stockholm's Royal Dramatic Theatre. He was married five times and was father to nine children. Singer/songwriter Lawton Williams has also passed away in Fort Worth, Texas, aged 85.
His hits were recorded by Bobby Helms, Gene Watson and Townes Van Zandt, among others.
Williams also enjoyed his own chart success in the 1950s with songs like Anywhere There's A People and Everything's O.K. On The LBJ. His recording of Fraulein spent four weeks at number one on Billboard's country singles chart in 1957.
American TV personality Tom Snyder has died. He was 71.
Snyder passed away in San Francisco on Sunday (29Jul07) after suffering from complications with leukaemia.
The talk show host revealed he had chronic lymphocytic leukaemia in 2005, after posting the announcement on his website.
Snyder, known for his laid back, improvised style of interviewing, will be most remembered for his work on The Late Late Show and The Tomorrow Show, where he interviewed the likes of John Lennon, Charles Manson and Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols.
Producer and friend Mike Horowicz broke the news of Snyder's death on Monday (30Jul07) and paid tribute to the star saying: "He was a great guy and very talented."
He is survived by his daughter, Anne Mari Snyder, and two grandchildren.
U.S. reality TV star Cheryl Kosewicz has been discovered dead at her Nevada home, the victim of an apparent suicide.
The 35-year-old was found at her Sparks property on Friday (27Jul07).
Her death follows a bout of depression following the suicide of her boyfriend two months ago (May07) and the recent cancellation of reality show Pirate Master, in which she starred.
In a posting on her MySpace website page at the end of June (28Jun07), Kosewicz wrote, "Truthfully, I've lost the strong Cheryl and I'm just floating around lost.
"And this frik'n show doesn't help because it was such a contention between Ryan and I and plus its not getting good reviews."