According to reports, traffic on Geary at Gough and Franklin moves sluggish this morning after a dead body near St. Mary's Cathedral. SF Appeal notes: "Police responded to the area at 7:40, after a passer-by reported seeing a body. According to KTVU broadcast, police say they have recovered a gun from the scene, and say that the deceased person did not appear to be homeless." more ›

An inspiration for artists like John Waters, among others, local filmmaker George Kuchar died on September 6 following a battle with cancer. The San Francisco Art Institute released the following statement today: "It is with great sadness that the San Francisco Art Institute announces that George Kuchar, a longtime professor and influential figure in experimental and underground filmmaking, died on September 6, 2011 following a battle with cancer." more ›

Nancy Ho, the 25-year-old helmetless cyclist who was crashed into a truck at Fremont and Mission on Tuesday morning, succumbed to her injuries and died. If you recall, "Nancy Ho, of San Francisco, was traveling east on Mission Street when she was struck by a westbound Berkeley Farms truck as she turned left onto Fremont street around 8 a.m." Even though Ho and the driver saw a green lights ahead of them, "she was making an illegal left turn." [SFAppeal] more ›

Troy Holden of Caliber snapped these shots of a dead pregnant whale that washed ashore two weeks ago near Bean Hollow Beach in Pesacadero. Holden told SFist that, after arriving at the beach, the stench was "worse than the Old Transbay restroom on a hot Friday night." more ›

According to Associated Press, "a publicist for Patrick Swayze says the Dirty Dancing actor has died." He succumbed to pancreatic cancer. He was 57. more ›

In honor of Michael Jackson's 51st birthday, and in remembrance of his untimely murder, the San Francisco Wax Museum will get a new Jacko wax statue to go along with the one they already have. "Michael Jackson had a lot of styles and a lot of looks," said Wax Museum owner Rodney Fong. "In tribute to his legacy, to mark his birthday we’ll show 1991 Dangerous Michael Jackson from the video Black and White era, along with the “Motown 25th Anniversary” era Michael. We believe this makes us one of the only Wax Museums with two MJ figures." The new fax figure debuts tomorrow (his 51st birthday, by the way, would have been on Saturday; he was Leo Virgo too, which explains a lot) and "the first 10 people in line on Friday will be allowed to get their photos taken with the King of Pop and get free admission to the Museum’s entire collection." What's more, the first ten people will "be able to make a free 'wax hand' from the Museum to take home as a souvenir." Which: awesome. more ›

According to Henry Schulman at SFGate, San Francisco Giants senior general partner Sue Burns, the team's largest shareholder, died "overnight at 58 after learning she had cancer a little more than a week ago." Manager Bruce Bochy mourns, "These (players) were her kids. We're going to miss her, her smile, coming down by the dugout before every game." While Rich Aurilia said, "This is a huge loss not only for the Giants but everybody who knew her." The Giants are expected to release an official statement later today. Read more about it here. more ›

Karl Malden, star of stage, screen and TV commercials, died yesterday. He was 97. more ›

Billy Mays, 50, famously loud and bearded informmercial spokesman, died this morning. (Egads! First Ed, Farrah, Jackson, now this. Too much to bear, folks.) According to reports, Mays finished wrapping up an Oxiclean commercial in Philadelphia the other day, and returned home to Florida. He was found dead early this morning in his Tampa, Florida home by his wife. No word yet on his exact cause of death. But Deborah, Mays' wife, released the following statement, "Although Billy lived a public life, we don't anticipate making any public statements over the next couple of days. Our family asks that you respect our privacy during these difficult times." more ›

• A UPS man cries.
• A Chron staff writer goes to Rasputin, interviews folks.
• Toxicology results, predictably, not coming for weeks.

According to TMZ, "Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon and paramedics were unable to revive him. We're told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back." more ›

RIP, Farrah. more ›

Following on the heels of gay porn star Jack Wrangler's death, (in)famous porn star Marilyn Chambers died Sunday. She was 56. According to reports, her 17-year-old daughter found her body at her northern Los Angeles County home. Chambers, who once modeled for Ivory, "was among the first porn superstars when the stag films of the 1940s through 1960s gave way to the more polished sex films of the 1970s." Some of her well-known titles include Behind the Green Door (1972), Insatiable (1980), and The Marilyn Diaries (1990). She also starred in David Cronenberg's low-budget Rabid, but was unable to make a successful transition to mainstream films. more ›

In yet another close call with pederasty (thanks, Joel!), KGO sees tragedy befall another radio hosts. If you recall, news reporter George Weber was found dead in his NYC apartment with a stab wound to his neck. According to NY Daily News and NY Post, a 16-year-old male confessed to killing former WABC reporter. It seems the teen (who is certifiably insane and down with Satan) answered a sex ad on Craigslist posted by Weber. A police source claims, "He saw the victim's ad looking for violent sex and said 'I can smother somebody for $60' but it got out of hand." more ›

Baby boomer icon of mystery Deep Throat, AKA W. Mark Felt, died yesterday in Santa Rosa after suffering congestive heart failure. He was 95. elt was once second-in-command at the FBI. He snitched to Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward. on President Richard Nixon and his aides's shenanigans at the Watergate hotel, effectively bringing down the second-worst president in US history. In an effort to cash in on his popular alter ego, Felt revealed in a 1995 2005 Vanity Fair article that he was, in fact, Deep Throat. more ›

Although the car's driver has a green light and there was no indication of speeding, according to police reports, an unidentified elderly man was killed by a car after trying to cross Geary Blvd. and Webster yesterday afternoon near the Japan Center. The man, who was pronounced dead at the scene, darted out against a red light at a corner with no crosswalk. "At this point, it looks like he was hit where he shouldn’t have been crossing, but we’re not leaving anything to chance," says police Capt. Richard Correia. more ›

A body was stuck in the Crunch Fitness/Academy of Art elevator on New Montgomerey over the weekend. Word is that the unidentified male or female died while trapped in the elevator. more ›

At least he is in this elaborate, spooktacular, very San Francisco Halloween display, found outside a Glen Park home. Curious, yes? But we think they should have added pantyhose to Palin's legs -- you know, to go with the strappy, open-toed shoes. Because you know she would wear them together. more ›

Oakland Raiders Hall of Fame guard and union leader Gene Upshaw died last night at his Lake Tahoe home. He was 63. Having been diagnosed last Satuday with pancreatic cancer, the death comes as a surprise to fans, family, and friends. According to the Gate, his "illness, as well as his sudden death, stunned the sports world and caught even his closest friends by surprise. He had lost weight in recent months but continued to work at his usual breakneck pace." RIP, Upswhaw. more ›

No, no, thank you for being a friend, Sophia Petrillo. Sniff, sob. Getty died at her home on Hollywood Boulevard in LA. She was 84. more ›

A body so badly decomposed that the coroner's office has yet to determine its sex, age, race, or how it bit it, washed up on the "northern edge of the beach beginning around 8:20 p.m." The body reared its hear yesterday much to the chagrin of sweltering beach goers. The Marin coroner's office, it seems, is trying to figure out the person's identity and the cause of death. Stay tuned! more ›

Inspiration to many left-leaning political activists, writers, and observational humorists, comedian/social satirist/pottymouth George Carlin died of heart failure today at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica. He was 71. more ›

Speaking of Santa Cruz, the inventor of LSD, Albert Hofmann, died on Tuesday at his Switzerland home. He was 102. more ›

Just seconds ago we came across frantic police activity at Boss nightclub (on Harrison Street between Third and Fourth streets). Police informed us that they found a dead body, and declined to give any further details. We'll update you with more info as it comes in. more ›

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(Bye-bye, Ennis.) You might want to grab some tissues for this one...
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Australia-born actor Heath Ledger was found dead in his NYC apartment today. It is reported that he allegedly died of either a drug overdose or hanging at Mary-Kate Olsen's apartment. More details as they come in. Sad. Very much so. Read more about the actor here and here. more ›

Troubled star of one of our (well, you editor's) favorite movies, Apt Pupil, died today. According to the godly folks over at TMZ: more ›

At about 7:10 a..m. this morning, Lisa, a San Francisco Zoo zebra died. Named Lisa, the zebra was born in February of 1998. (An Aquarian? An even greater loss.) According to a spokesperson at SF Zoo, "reports of [Lisa] salivating while on exhibit in the African Savanna led to an examination by the Zoo veterinarian. The zebra was placed in her indoor stall in the Hoofstock Barn and treated with a common equine medication." more ›

The rock et roll pioneer and hardcore curmudgeon died today in San Marcos, San Diego. He made a name for himself when he discovered a young Tina Turner, and the rest is Academy Award-nominated history. Toward the end of his life, he was remorseful about his treatment of Tina. "I know what I am in my heart. And I know regardless of what I've done, good and bad, it took it all to make me what I am today." We hear you, Ike. We hear you. more ›