Bond Actress, 'That '70s Show' Star Tanya Roberts Dies at 65

Bond girl and 'That '70s Show' actress Tanya Roberts (pictured with agent Norby Walters in 2006) has died at the age of 65
Bond girl and 'That '70s Show' actress Tanya Roberts (pictured with agent Norby Walters in 2006) has died at the age of 65
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Bond Actress, 'That '70s Show' Star Tanya Roberts Dies at 65

Bond girl and 'That '70s Show' actress Tanya Roberts (pictured with agent Norby Walters in 2006) has died at the age of 65
Bond girl and 'That '70s Show' actress Tanya Roberts (pictured with agent Norby Walters in 2006) has died at the age of 65

Former Bond actress and "That '70s Show" star Tanya Roberts has died in Los Angeles at the age of 65, media reports said.

Roberts, who had been hospitalized since December 24 after she collapsed while walking her dogs, died on Sunday, her publicist Mike Pingel told The Hollywood Reporter.

"I'm devastated. She was brilliant and beautiful and I feel like a light has been taken away. To say she was an angel would be at the top of the list," he said.

"She was the sweetest person you'd ever meet and had a huge heart. She loved her fans, and I don't think she realized how much she meant to them."

Roberts is best known for her role as geologist Stacey Sutton in the 1985 James Bond film "A View to a Kill," which starred Roger Moore in his last appearance as 007.

Beside her Bond outing, Roberts starred in the 1982 sword-and-sorcery fantasy "The Beastmaster" and as the title character in "Sheena: Queen of the Jungle," a female version of Tarzan which was nominated for five Golden Raspberry Awards and has gone on to become a cult classic.

Other notable movie appearances included "Body Slam" and "Night Eyes."

Born in the Bronx, New York, in 1955, Roberts did some modeling and commercial work before getting her big acting break on the final season of "Charlie's Angels," where she played private investigator Julie Rogers helping the team of female crime fighters.

"It was my first steady job, and it launched my career," Roberts said on her website.

Nowadays Roberts is probably best known for her role in the sitcom "That '70s Show," where she played Midge Pinciotti, the dim-witted mother of Donna, played by Laura Prepon.

"'That '70s Show' was her favorite show, she really loved doing comedy," Pingel told USA Today.



'Wake-Up Call': Megan Thee Stallion Falls Ill during Broadway Show

FILE - Megan Thee Stallion appears at the 33rd Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party in West Hollywood, Calif., on March 2, 2025. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Megan Thee Stallion appears at the 33rd Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party in West Hollywood, Calif., on March 2, 2025. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)
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'Wake-Up Call': Megan Thee Stallion Falls Ill during Broadway Show

FILE - Megan Thee Stallion appears at the 33rd Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party in West Hollywood, Calif., on March 2, 2025. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Megan Thee Stallion appears at the 33rd Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party in West Hollywood, Calif., on March 2, 2025. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)

American rapper Megan Thee Stallion said Wednesday that she had a "wake-up call" after she was taken to hospital in the middle of a Broadway performance of "Moulin Rouge!" in New York City.

"I've been pushing myself past my limits lately, running on empty, and my body finally said enough. It honestly scared me," the 31-year-old wrote on Instagram.

"I thought I was gonna faint on stage, I really tried to push through my performance but I just couldn't."

Megan Thee Stallion, who has been playing club owner Harold Zidler in the musical, was replaced halfway through the show Tuesday night after she fell ill.

She said she would be back on stage Thursday after taking off Wednesday to rest.

A spokesperson for the artist, who has won three Grammy awards, said she was transferred to a hospital after experiencing "concerning symptoms."

"Doctors ultimately identified extreme exhaustion, dehydration, vasoconstriction and low metabolic levels as the cause of her symptoms," the spokesperson told AFP.

"Megan has since been treated, discharged and is now resting."

One of the leading women in American rap alongside the likes of Cardi B and Nicki Minaj, Megan Thee Stallion is known for her powerful stage presence, freestyles and aggressive flow.


Eurovision Song Contest Is Expanding with an Asian Edition Later This Year

 JJ from Austria stands on the stage with the trophy after winning the Grand Final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest, in Basel, Switzerland, May 18, 2025. (AP)
JJ from Austria stands on the stage with the trophy after winning the Grand Final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest, in Basel, Switzerland, May 18, 2025. (AP)
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Eurovision Song Contest Is Expanding with an Asian Edition Later This Year

 JJ from Austria stands on the stage with the trophy after winning the Grand Final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest, in Basel, Switzerland, May 18, 2025. (AP)
JJ from Austria stands on the stage with the trophy after winning the Grand Final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest, in Basel, Switzerland, May 18, 2025. (AP)

The music spectacle Eurovision is holding its first Asian edition in Bangkok later this year.

The Eurovision Song Contest Asia 2026 has confirmed artists from at least 10 countries across Asia competing: Thailand, South Korea, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. More are expected to join before the finale in November.

“As we mark the 70th anniversary of the Eurovision Song Contest, it feels especially meaningful to open this next chapter with Asia, a region rich in culture, creativity and talent,” Martin Green, the director of the contest, said in the announcement Tuesday.

Bangkok is the perfect city to host the contest because it “has always been a place where cultures come together, where music fills the air, and where celebration is part of everyday life,” said Chuwit Sirivajjakul, a representative of the Thailand Tourism Authority.

The main gala, run by the European Broadcasting Union, draws more than 100 million viewers every year.

This year's main competition with 35 competing countries is scheduled to be held in Vienna in May. Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain are boycotting due to discord over Israel’s participation.

The contest strives to put pop music before politics but has repeatedly been embroiled in world events. Russia was expelled in 2022 after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

It also has been roiled by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, stirring protests outside the venues and forcing organizers to clamp down on political flag-waving.

Similar tensions could emerge in Asia. Thailand and Cambodia engaged in deadly border clashes twice last year.


Celine Dion Announces Comeback Following Health Struggle

Celine Dion first disclosed in December 2022 that she had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome. POOL/AFP/File
Celine Dion first disclosed in December 2022 that she had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome. POOL/AFP/File
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Celine Dion Announces Comeback Following Health Struggle

Celine Dion first disclosed in December 2022 that she had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome. POOL/AFP/File
Celine Dion first disclosed in December 2022 that she had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome. POOL/AFP/File

Megastar singer Celine Dion on Monday announced her return to performing after a lengthy break prompted by a rare health condition, calling the comeback news revealed on her birthday "the best gift".

Addressing fans in a video released on social media, the 58-year-old Canadian said her condition had improved and she would perform a series of shows in Paris beginning in September.

"This year, I'm getting the best birthday gift of my life. I'm getting the chance to see you, to perform for you once again," she said.

Dion will also release a new single, her entourage confirmed to AFP, by one of her best-known composers, Jean-Jacques Goldman, who was behind the album "D'eux" that made her famous.

She is expected to perform the new song at the Paris shows -- an event that comes more than six years since she was forced to step away from the stage.

Her "Courage World Tour," launched in late 2019 was cancelled a few months after it began because of the Covid-19 pandemic, then due to the singer's health problems.

- 'Feeling good' -

"I want to let you know that I'm doing great, managing my health, feeling good," she said in her post on Monday.

Dion first disclosed in December 2022 that she had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome, an incurable autoimmune disorder.

The Quebec-born star was forced to cancel the remainder of her shows indefinitely.

Treatment can help alleviate symptoms of the condition that can cause stiff muscles in the torso, arms and legs.

The 2024 documentary "I Am: Celine Dion" provided an intimate look at the charismatic performer's career and the severity of her pain from the condition, including suffering a seizure.

Despite the diagnosis, Dion vowed she would fight her way back to the stage.

"I'm not dead," the singer told AFP in 2024 on the red carpet ahead of the premiere of the documentary.

Later that year Dion sang from the Eiffel Tower for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony, while athletes sailed down the river in pouring rain.

The Eiffel Tower was again lit up Monday for Dion, as crowds gathered to watch a light show with written messages on the side of the tower saying "Paris, I'm ready," followed by her cover of Edith Piaf's "L'hymne a l'amour" (Hymn to Love).

- Singing again -

Dion was launched onto the global stage in 1988 representing Switzerland at the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin.

Then aged 20, she sang "Ne partez pas sans moi" (Don't Leave Without Me), which won her the prize.

The following year, Dion opened the TV extravaganza for host Switzerland with her winning French-language song.

She then premiered the single "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" -- heralding her career switch into English, which set her on the path to global chart domination.

She has sold more than 260 million albums during a career spanning decades, and has won five Grammys -- two for "My Heart Will Go On", the hit song from the 1997 epic "Titanic".

On Monday, Dion told fans that she has continued to feel their support despite her years off stage.

"Even in my most difficult times, you were there for me. You've helped me in ways that I can't even describe, and I'm truly so fortunate to have your support," she said, describing that she was now "singing again, even doing a little bit of dancing".

Dion is set to perform 10 shows over five weeks at the Paris La Defense Arena beginning on September 12.