Oscar-winning Actress Louise Fletcher Dies at 88

Louise Fletcher, pictured in February 2007, died at her home in southern France VINCE BUCCI GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
Louise Fletcher, pictured in February 2007, died at her home in southern France VINCE BUCCI GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
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Oscar-winning Actress Louise Fletcher Dies at 88

Louise Fletcher, pictured in February 2007, died at her home in southern France VINCE BUCCI GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
Louise Fletcher, pictured in February 2007, died at her home in southern France VINCE BUCCI GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File

Louise Fletcher, the US actress who won an Oscar in 1976 for her performance as villain Nurse Ratched in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," has died, her family said in a statement to AFP Saturday.

While she was best known for her portrayal of Mildred Ratched, Fletcher had an acting career that spanned more than six decades, including numerous appearances in television shows.

Fletcher, who was 88, "died peacefully at her home in France surrounded by her family," the statement said.

She had a recurring role on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," and garnered Emmy nominations for guest-starring roles on "Picket Fences" and "Joan of Arcadia" in 1996 and 2004 respectively.

Born in 1934 in Birmingham, Alabama to hearing-impaired parents, Fletcher used sign language to thank them for their support during her Oscar acceptance speech.

Her last credited work was a two-episode run guest-starring on the Netflix show "Girlboss" in 2017, according to IMDb.com.

Fletcher died at her home that she built "out of a 300 year old farmhouse" in France's south, her family said in the statement.

She is survived by two sons, US media reported.



Kendrick Lamar Surprises with New Album 'GNX'

FILE - Kendrick Lamar performs at Coachella Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club, April 16, 2017, in Indio, Calif. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Kendrick Lamar performs at Coachella Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club, April 16, 2017, in Indio, Calif. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)
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Kendrick Lamar Surprises with New Album 'GNX'

FILE - Kendrick Lamar performs at Coachella Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club, April 16, 2017, in Indio, Calif. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Kendrick Lamar performs at Coachella Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club, April 16, 2017, in Indio, Calif. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)

Kendrick Lamar gave music listeners an early holiday present Friday with the surprise drop of a new album.

The Grammy winner's 12-track “GNX” is his first release since 2022's “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” and his sixth studio album overall. It also comes just months after his rap battle with Drake.

Lamar first teased the album with a cover art and video snippet of “GNX,” which features multi-instrumentalist Jack Antonoff as a co-producer on every track except for “Peekaboo.” Other notable producers include Sounwave and DJ Mustard, who both contributed production on the hit “Not Like Us,” the ubiquitous diss track emanating from the Drake feud.

Lamar's former Top Dawg Entertainment labelmate SZA appears on a couple songs including “Gloria” and “Luther,” which also features sampled vocals from Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn through “If This World Were Mine."
On the opening track “Wacced Out Murals,” Lamar raps about cruising in his Buick GNX (Grand National Experimental) car with listening to Anita Baker. He brings up Snoop Dogg posting Drake's AI-assisted “Taylor Made Freestyle” diss track on social media and Nas congratulating Lamar for being selected to headline February's Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show in New Orleans.
Lamar also shows admiration for Lil Wayne, who expressed his hurt feelings after being passed over as the headliner in his hometown.
Lamar, 37, has experienced massive success since his debut album “good kid, m.A.A.d city” in 2012. Since then, he’s accumulated 17 Grammy wins and became the first non-classical, non-jazz musician to win a Pulitzer Prize for his 2017 album “DAMN.”
The surprise release caps a big year for Lamar, who was featured on the song “Like That” with Future and Metro Boomin — a track that spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this year.
Lamar is up for seven Grammys, fueled by “Not Like Us,” which earned nods for record and song of the year, rap song, music video as well as best rap performance. He has two simultaneous entries in the latter category, a career first: “Like That” is up for best rap performance and best rap song, too.