Jim Carrey talks about death of ex-girlfriend

Plus: Fran, Sammy and Dean – the Rat Pack reunited; The Who return to the road; Lady Gaga is woman of the year; Pharrell Williams to donate 50,000 books to children.

Actor Jim Carrey. AP Photo

Actor Jim Carrey has spoken of his shock and sadness over the death of former girlfriend Cathriona White. He says that hearing the news was like being hit by a bolt of lightning. White, a 30-year-old makeup artist, was found dead in a property in Sherman Oaks on Monday, Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office said. Her death is being investigated as a possible suicide. Carrey said that White was a “kind and delicate Irish flower, too sensitive for this soil”. The 53-year-old actor dated White briefly in 2012. They were photographed together again in May this year. – AP

Frank, Sammy and Dean – Rat Pack reunited

A street near the Las Vegas Strip has been renamed in honour of Sammy Davis Jr. A dedication ceremony on Tuesday was held at a three-way intersection where Sammy Davis Jr Drive, Frank Sinatra Drive and Dean Martin Drive meet. Family members including Davis’s son, Manny Davis, joined Clark County commission members and local entertainers for the event on what used to be called Industrial Road, west of the Strip. Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani hailed it as a fitting way to honour the trio of Rat Pack members who helped put Las Vegas on the map in the 1960s. Davis Jr died in 1990, Martin in 1995 and Sinatra in 1998. Frank Sinatra Drive was completed in 2004, and Dean Martin Drive was named in 2005. – AP

The Who return to the road

The Who have announced the rescheduled dates for their postponed United States autumn tour, which will now kick off in February. The band said that The Who Hits 50! tour – which kicked off in Abu Dhabi in November – will restart in Detroit on February 17. The latest leg of the tour was cancelled this month to allow lead singer Roger Daltrey to recover from viral meningitis. He said: “I am now on the mend and feeling a lot better.” Guitarist Pete Townshend added that the band “will be coming back stronger than ever”. The 50th anniversary tour has been widely billed as the band’s last. – AP

Lady Gaga is Woman of the Year

Lady Gaga is the woman of the year, according to Billboard. The leading United States music magazine announced on Tuesday that the pop star will be honoured at its December 11 Women in Music event in New York City. Gaga released the collaborative jazz album Cheek to Cheek with Tony Bennett last year. It won a Grammy Award, and the duo performed songs from the album during a 36-date tour. Gaga also plans to release an album next year and will star in FX’s American Horror Story: Hotel, which will premiere in the United States on October 7. The decade-old Women in Music event also honours the year’s 50 most powerful female executives in the music industry. – AP

Pharrell plans to donate 50,000 books to children

Pharrell Williams and his book publisher have launched a “Happy” campaign for young readers in the United States. Along with Penguin Young Readers, the singer has partnered with FirstBook, a nonprofit literacy organisation, to donate up to 50,000 books to children from low-income families. “Every child on this planet deserves to experience the joy of reading,” the singer said. Pharrell’s picture book, Happy, based on his hit song, will be published next week. – AP