Latest news with #Gale
Buzz Feed
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
11 Celebrities Who Died Right In Front Of Their Fans
On Dec. 8, 2004, "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott — formerly of the legendary heavy metal band Pantera and widely regarded as one of the best guitarists of all time — was doing a club show with his new band, Damageplan. Only 90 seconds into their first song, Nathan Gale, 25, a six-foot-three, 250+-pounds man with a shaved head, strode through the crowd and onto the stage. Fans watched in horror as Gale, at point-blank range, raised a pistol and shot Abbott in the forehead. Pandemonium broke out as Gale killed two more people and took a hostage, inching toward the exit with the gun at the hostage's temple. However, before he could escape, a police officer shot him dead. Adding to the horror of it all, this happened on the anniversary of John Lennon's murder, when he, too, was shot and killed by a troubled fan. So why did Gale murder Abbott? It later came out that Gale, a former Marine with mental health issues, held Abbott responsible for the breakup of his favorite band, Pantera. In 2016, Irma Bule, 26, was an Indonesian pop singer specializing in Dangdut, a popular music genre in her country. A mother of three, she was not yet a nationally known singer but had a following in the Karawang area of West Java. For performers like Bule, who were still looking to go national, singing in rural areas wasn't especially lucrative, and net only $20 per concert (plus tips from the crowd). However, if they performed on stage with a snake, the pay jumped up to $25. Another Dangdut singer, Yeyen, told local media. "If there are snake dancers, there will be more audience. Therefore … we have snake dancers." Bule had performed with snakes onstage for three years, but the snakes were normally nonvenomous and/or had their mouths duct-taped closed. On the night of her death, the snake she was asked to perform with was neither nonvenomous nor duct-taped. Bule's show began as it always did, with her dancing and singing, until — in a flash — the snake bit her. Footage online shows Bule crouched at the side of the stage just after the bite, with the snake handler tending to her. Forty-five minutes later, she was dead. In the category of "Yikes! That Would Never Fly Today!" we have William Ellsworth Robinson, an American magician of Scottish descent who captivated audiences using the persona of "Chung Ling Soo," a Chinese conjurer. To sell the lie, he never spoke English on stage and wore face paint to pass as Chinese. That's bad enough, but it gets worse — his entire act was almost entirely stolen from an actual Chinese magician named Ching Ling Foo. (He didn't even try to hide the theft — he changed only two letters of his name!) The two magicians had a major rivalry, and honestly, there's probably a movie there, but this post is about dying in front of your fans so... On March 23, 1918, during a performance at the Wood Green Empire in London, Soo (the fake Chinese magician, to be clear) tried to perform his most famous act, the "bullet catch," which involved catching a bullet fired at it went terribly wrong. A malfunction caused a real bullet to be fired, striking Robinson/Soo in the chest. Breaking character and speaking English onstage for the first time, he exclaimed, "Oh my God. Something's happened. Lower the curtain." He died the following death shocked the public, revealing that the "Chinese" magician was, in fact, a white dude from America. His commitment to his stage persona was so complete that many were unaware of his true identity until his untimely demise. (From the vantage of 2025, you'd think a white guy in yellowface would be pretty obvious, but maybe not 100+ years ago.) On June 10, 2016, 22-year-old Christina Grimmie — the talented young singer who'd placed third on Season 6 of The Voice — had just finished a performance in Orlando, Florida, and was holding a meet-and-greet inside the venue. She was in good spirits as she worked through the line of fans, signing autographs and taking selfies. The joyful night took a horrific turn, though, when it was 27-year-old Kevin James Loibl's turn to meet Grimmie. According to a fan behind Loibl: "The one guy in front of us was walking up to meet her. Her arms were open, waiting to greet him with a hug. Then there was a sound of three pops, like balloons. People had brought balloons to the show, and the security guards were popping them, so at first I thought it was that." The sounds weren't balloons — Loibl shot Grimmie three times at point-blank range. Grimmie's brother tackled the shooter, and the two fought before Loibl broke away and shot himself. Grimmie was rushed to the hospital but pronounced dead less than an hour after offering Loibi that learned that Loibl was obsessed with Grimmie, spending his free time watching videos of the singer and poring over her social media accounts. He believed they were soulmates, so to make himself more attractive to her, he underwent Lasik eye surgery, got hair plugs, and lost 50 pounds. When he was told it was unlikely they'd ever be together, Loibl became angry and defensive. Somewhere along the way, he decided on this new, horrible course of Mohandie — a clinical, police, and forensic psychologist — told BuzzFeed News that social media can create an unnatural obsession for some fans. "There is all this social networking stuff that is happening right now and to an unstable person that can really complicate into them thinking they do have a relationship with this person. They read more into it because of their misperceptions." When Cleveland Indians' shortstop Ray Chapman arrived at the Polo Grounds in New York on Aug. 17, 1920, he was having one hell of a season, batting .303 with 97 runs scored. That wasn't out of character, though. Chapman had hit .300 twice before and to this day holds the single-season record for sacrifice bunts. It was rumored that Chapman, who was newly married to a pregnant wife, planned to retire when the season ended to focus on his family. Tragically, while facing Yankees' submarine pitcher Carl Mays, he was hit in the head with a fastball. This was before batters wore helmets, and the ball met Chapman's head with a sickening thud. The impact was so strong that the ball bounced into play, and Mays threw it to first, believing it must have hit Chapman's bat. A dazed Chapman stood, asked someone to call his wife, and added: "I'm all right; tell Mays not to worry." He then collapsed and was rushed to the hospital, where he died the next day. Following the incident, many felt Mays had hit Chapman on purpose for crowding the plate, and Hall of Famer Ty Cobb even suggested someone should do the same to Mays. Chapman's death led to some changes in baseball. Beforehand, pitchers were allowed to dirty up the ball with soil, licorice, or tobacco juice. That was forbidden after Chapman's death, as it reduced the visibility of the baseball and made it harder to see (and thus evade).A minor leaguer died the next season in the same manner, but even so, batting helmets weren't used widely until the 1950s. Barbara Weldens, 35, was an up-and-coming French singer-songwriter who had already won several prestigious music awards. Her fans loved her emotional lyrics, haunting voice, and theatrical stage presence — often performing barefoot. On July 18, 2017, Weldens was performing at a packed church during the Léo Ferré Festival. After finishing a particularly powerful song, Weldens smiled, soaking up the crowd's applause, then suddenly collapsed. At first, some audience members thought it was part of the show — a dramatic flourish. But Weldens didn't move. Paramedics arrived quickly, but it was too late. An autopsy determined that Weldens had been electrocuted; she was performing barefoot as usual, and when her foot made contact with a defective piece of electrical equipment, it sent electricity shooting through her body. Owen Hart may have been born into a legendary wrestling dynasty (his dad was Stu Hart; his brother was Bret "Hitman" Hart), but he was a star in his own right and at the center of some of the biggest '90s storylines of the WWF (now the WWE). However, on May 23, 1999, during the WWF's Over the Edge pay-per-view event in Kansas City, Missouri, his life (and those storylines) ended. Hart was set to make a dramatic entrance as his superhero persona, the Blue Blazer, by being lowered from the arena rafters into the ring. Tragically, a malfunction occurred, and Hart fell a long distance — approximately 78 feet — landing chest-first on the top rope. He was rushed to the hospital but pronounced dead not long after arriving; the cause of death was internal bleeding from blunt force trauma, resulting in a severed aorta. The incident was not broadcast live, as a pre-recorded segment was airing at the time. The audience in attendance witnessed the fall, though, and the frantic attempts to save his life afterward. Despite the tragedy, WWF owner Vince McMahon decided to continue the live broadcast after a 15-minute widow, Martha Hart, was horrified, writing in a book about her husband, "As he lay dying in the ring, he struggled to live for our children and me. After he lost his fight for life, they just scooped him up and ordered the next match out. Where's the humanity?" In the aftermath, Martha Hart filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the WWF, claiming they were negligent and hadn't hired qualified riggers. The WWF settled for $18 million, and she used the settlement to establish the Owen Hart Foundation, supporting various charitable causes. Tommy Cooper was a towering figure in British comedy — both literally (he was a big dude, standing 6′4″) and figuratively. He was famous for his bumbling magician act. Basically, his whole shtick was that his magic tricks always went hilariously wrong, which made what happened on April 15, 1984, during a live broadcast of a variety show extra horrific. Cooper walked on stage to thunderous applause, started performing, and then collapsed backward into the curtain. The audience burst out laughing, assuming it was part of the act. But it wasn't. For several agonizing seconds, Cooper lay on the stage floor, unresponsive. The host, Jimmy Tarbuck, told the show's producer: "This isn't it [part of the act]. 'Now', he said, 'you know how he is.' He's put this in... And...I said, No... this is not him!" The cameras kept rolling — broadcasting Cooper's death live to 12 million viewers. Stagehands eventually dragged him offstage as performers tried to keep the show going. It was later confirmed that Cooper died of a heart there onstage. Nick Zoricic was a 29-year-old Canadian freestyle skier, rising fast in the dangerous, high-speed world of ski cross — a sport that combines downhill racing with motocross-style obstacles (and has been referred to as "NASCAR on skis.") But on March 10, 2012, at a ski cross World Cup event in Switzerland, Zoricic's final race became a tragedy seen by hundreds of spectators. As he approached the finish line at full speed, Zoricic flew off the final jump — but something went wrong. Instead of landing cleanly, he veered off course and slammed into the safety netting and a solid boundary structure just past the finish. He hit the barrier with brutal force, disappearing in a spray of snow. When the snow cleared, Zoricic was lying motionless. Officials quickly waved off the other competitors and rushed to his aid, but Zoricic had suffered severe head trauma. He was pronounced dead a short time incident sparked international calls for greater safety measures in ski cross and other high-speed winter sports, especially since Zoricic's death was the second high-profile skiing fatality in two months — freestyle skier Sarah Burke previously crashed and died during halfpipe training. Japan's Sankai Juku dance company was famous for their version of Butoh, a rebellious dance movement that gave the middle finger to both Western culture and traditional Japanese art. Sankai Juku's version was different, gentle and poetic. They made their American debut at the Olympic Arts Festival in Los Angeles in 1984, then toured the country, eventually stopping in Seattle on Sept. 10, 1985. There, they planned to perform a piece entitled "Jomon Sho," where four dancers hang upside down from a building by ropes attached to their ankles (a metaphor for life and death or something artsy like that). They were supposed to dance while being slowly lowered to the ground, a process expected to take 30 minutes, but after only a couple of minutes — and while still 80 feet in the air — one of the company's most senior dancers, Yoshiyuki Takada, noticed his rope was He tried to carefully reach up and grab the rope above where it was fraying, but it snapped before he could. He fell the long distance to the ground silently, landing with a thud. A doctor in the crowd tried to help, but it was no use — Yoshiyuki Takada was later came to light that they only tested one of the four ropes to be used, and that they'd requested old ropes because new ropes caused the dancers to twist and turn too much. The company stopped performing the hanging outdoor dance after the tragedy, but has since added it back into their repertoire. (The photo above is an example from a more recent performance.) British actor and comedian Sid James was famous for starring in the Carry On films (a massive British comedy franchise comprised of 31 films released between 1958 and 1992). But his life ended on April 26, 1976 — in front of a packed Sunderland Empire Theatre — as he acted onstage in the comedy play The Mating Season. The performance was proceeding as usual, according to costar Olga Lowe. "I came on, said my first lines and he answered as normal. Then I sat on the sofa with him. I said my next line and he didn't answer." James had suffered a heart attack and slumped over on the couch. "I thought it was a gag," Lowe added. "Well, you would with Sid. He was such a rascal... Ten minutes earlier, he had been the same old laughing Sid." Once the gravity of the situation set in, the curtain was dropped. James was 62.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
This YC-backed startup wants to speed up US visa applications with AI. Read the pitch deck it used to raise $2.7 million.
Gale just raised $2.7 million to automate parts of US work visa applications with AI. The startup's immigrant founders say they experienced challenges navigating the US visa system. Gale's platform aims to speed up the process for applicants and free up lawyers' time. Gale, a startup that uses AI to streamline the US visa application process for employers and workers, has raised $2.7 million in seed funding. Its cofounders, who are all immigrants, launched the startup out of Y Combinator's 2025 winter cohort following their own frustrations navigating the US visa system. The trio — Rahul Gudise, Rishabh Sambare, and Haokun Qin — told Business Insider they found the process confusing, full of delays, and bureaucratic. "If I wanted a question answered about my visa status, it would take the attorneys like four business days to get back to me, minimum," said Gudise, who previously worked at Tesla and Nvidia. He added that the traditional approach of using law firms means cases can drag on for weeks unless clients are willing to pay premium fees. "Simple questions can take multiple steps to resolve because they have to be relayed up and down a chain of staff and attorneys," Gudise said. Gale's web-based platform automates much of the administrative work involved in visa applications. Instead of manually filling out lengthy forms, users can upload their résumés and passports for processing by the Gale platform. A licensed immigration lawyer conducts a final review before submission. Right now, the startup is focused on H-1B visas. Gudise said the goal is to make onboarding "as fast as possible" for applicants, and to free up time for lawyers by automating repetitive tasks. "Lawyers don't have to spend time on busywork or rely on paralegals for document prep," Gudise said. The team aims to answer client questions within hours, rather than days. Compliance is another key focus for Gale. Gudise said most law firms hand off the process once the visa is approved, leaving employers to handle ongoing requirements on their own. Gale is building out its platform to monitor changes like job titles or promotions that might impact a worker's visa status. The team is also developing integrations with company HR systems to help employers stay compliant as requirements change. Gale plans to use the new funding to boost its compliance tools and grow the team. Building new partnerships with employers and immigration lawyers is also a key focus as the company scales, Qin told BI."At the end of the day, we want to promote legal immigration to the States and help employers stay compliant. This is the way to do it sustainably," Gudise added. The startup's seed round was led by Axiom Partners, with participation from Pioneer Fund, 468 Capital, Elevation Capital, and Y Combinator. Here's an exclusive look at the pitch deck Gale used to raise $2.7 million. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
This YC-backed startup wants to speed up US visa applications with AI. Read the pitch deck it used to raise $2.7 million.
Gale, a startup that uses AI to streamline the US visa application process for employers and workers, has raised $2.7 million in seed funding. Its cofounders, who are all immigrants, launched the startup out of Y Combinator's 2025 winter cohort following their own frustrations navigating the US visa system. The trio — Rahul Gudise, Rishabh Sambare, and Haokun Qin — told Business Insider they found the process confusing, full of delays, and bureaucratic. "If I wanted a question answered about my visa status, it would take the attorneys like four business days to get back to me, minimum," said Gudise, who previously worked at Tesla and Nvidia. He added that the traditional approach of using law firms means cases can drag on for weeks unless clients are willing to pay premium fees. "Simple questions can take multiple steps to resolve because they have to be relayed up and down a chain of staff and attorneys," Gudise said. Gale's web-based platform automates much of the administrative work involved in visa applications. Instead of manually filling out lengthy forms, users can upload their résumés and passports for processing by the Gale platform. A licensed immigration lawyer conducts a final review before submission. Right now, the startup is focused on H-1B visas. Gudise said the goal is to make onboarding "as fast as possible" for applicants, and to free up time for lawyers by automating repetitive tasks. "Lawyers don't have to spend time on busywork or rely on paralegals for document prep," Gudise said. The team aims to answer client questions within hours, rather than days. Compliance is another key focus for Gale. Gudise said most law firms hand off the process once the visa is approved, leaving employers to handle ongoing requirements on their own. Gale is building out its platform to monitor changes like job titles or promotions that might impact a worker's visa status. The team is also developing integrations with company HR systems to help employers stay compliant as requirements change. Gale plans to use the new funding to boost its compliance tools and grow the team. Building new partnerships with employers and immigration lawyers is also a key focus as the company scales, Qin told BI. "At the end of the day, we want to promote legal immigration to the States and help employers stay compliant. This is the way to do it sustainably," Gudise added. The startup's seed round was led by Axiom Partners, with participation from Pioneer Fund, 468 Capital, Elevation Capital, and Y Combinator. Here's an exclusive look at the pitch deck Gale used to raise $2.7 million.
See - Sada Elbalad
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- See - Sada Elbalad
"Chucky" Actor Ed Gale Dies at 61
Yara Sameh Ed Gale, best known for playing Chucky, a doll possessed by a serial killer in Child's Play and other infamous 1980s movie characters, has died in Los Angeles. He was 61. His niece Kayse Gale wrote on Facebook, 'It is with a heavy heart and a surprisingly light coffin (see what I did there?) that we announce the sudden passing of our uncle, Ed Gale. Ed Gale has taken his final bow and is now headlining in the afterlife. Ed hitched a ride to California when he was twenty years old, with $41 and a dream, and he never looked back. He lit up the silver screens in cult classic films like Howard the Duck and Chopper Chicks in Zombie Town, earning himself some serious street cred at every con he attended. Which he never stopped bragging about. Ever. 'Over the course of his career he appeared in over 130 movies, TV shows, and commercials. With this wide ranging body of work, he leaves behind legacy full of questionable lighting and amazing one-liners. Ed's favorite role was that of the 'fun uncle.' His love language was sharing his love of the entertainment industry and the magic of Hollywood with his nieces. 'Ed loved 7 eleven hotdogs with disgusting amounts of ketchup. He enjoyed reminiscing about his glory days DJing at the Plainwell roller rink. He hated Bill Maher for no good reason. He delighted in the slow build up of telling a good story, and cheating at cribbage. He had one hell of a laugh, and he will be missed. Rest in love you cranky bastard,' she concluded. Gale went on to wear the devilish doll suit in 'Child's Play 2' and 'Bride of Chucky,' costumed as the possessed doll with the soul of a serial killer. In the TV series 'Land of the Lost,' Gale played the dinosaur Tasha. He had a brief appearance on 'My Name Is Earl' as a carnival performer, and he had a supporting role in the Matthew McConaughey film 'Tiptoes,' which revolved around a family of little people. His other appearances include 'Oh Brother, 'Where Art Thou,' 'Baywatch,' '3rd Rock From the Sun,' 'Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey' and 'Friday the 13th: The Series." Gale was also a familiar face at fan conventions and personal appearances for his films. Born in Plainwell, Mich., he moved to Los Angeles to become an actor and appeared in more than 130 movies, TV shows, and commercials. read more New Tourism Route To Launch in Old Cairo Ahmed El Sakka-Led Play 'Sayidati Al Jamila' to Be Staged in KSA on Dec. 6 Mandy Moore Joins Season 2 of "Dr. Death" Anthology Series Don't Miss These Movies at 44th Cairo Int'l Film Festival Today Amr Diab to Headline KSA's MDLBEAST Soundstorm 2022 Festival Arts & Culture Mai Omar Stuns in Latest Instagram Photos Arts & Culture "The Flash" to End with Season 9 Arts & Culture Ministry of Culture Organizes four day Children's Film Festival Arts & Culture Canadian PM wishes Muslims Eid-al-Adha News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia News Australia Fines Telegram $600,000 Over Terrorism, Child Abuse Content Arts & Culture Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's $4.7M LA Home Burglarized Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Sports Neymar Announced for Brazil's Preliminary List for 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers News Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies Arts & Culture New Archaeological Discovery from 26th Dynasty Uncovered in Karnak Temple Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War Arts & Culture Zahi Hawass: Claims of Columns Beneath the Pyramid of Khafre Are Lies News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
What Happened to Ed Gale? Chucky Actor Passes Away
Ed Gale, the actor known for bringing Chucky to life in Child's Play and wearing the iconic suit in Howard the Duck, has died at the age of 61. News of his death surfaced recently, following confirmation from his family. Gale made a lasting impact on cult cinema and remained a beloved figure at fan conventions for decades. Here's what we know so far about Ed Gale's death. Ed Gale, the actor behind iconic roles like Chucky in Child's Play and the title character in Howard the Duck, has died at age 61. His niece, Kayse Gale, confirmed the news on Facebook, stating that Gale passed away on May 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. They have not disclosed the cause of death. Gale began his career in Hollywood with Howard the Duck (1986), performing in the full-body suit while Chip Zien provided the voice. 'Yes, I was in the suit every day for nearly 10 months. I was the only actor who played the role of Howard The Duck,' Gale said in a 2018 interview with Rediscover The 80s. He gained further recognition for portraying the evil doll Chucky in the 1988 film Child's Play and its sequels Child's Play 2 and Bride of Chucky. Gale continued to appear in cult classics such as Spaceballs, Chopper Chicks in Zombietown, and Mom and Dad Save the World. His television appearances included Baywatch, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Land of the Lost, and My Name Is Earl. Born on August 23, 1963, in Plainwell, Michigan, Gale moved to California at age 20 with only $41. He went on to appear in more than 130 films, TV shows, and commercials. His film credits also include The Little Rascals, Unstrung Heroes, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, and Wes Craven's New Nightmare. 'He delighted in the slow build up of telling a good story, and cheating at cribbage. He had one hell of a laugh, and he will be missed. Rest in love you cranky bastard,' Kayse Gale wrote. Gale was also a frequent guest at fan conventions across the country. The post What Happened to Ed Gale? Chucky Actor Passes Away appeared first on - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
