This time, J.R.'s dead

Larry Hagman, whose predatory oil baron J.R. Ewing on television's long-running nighttime soap opera "Dallas" became a symbol for 1980s greed and coaxed forth a Texas-sized gusher of TV ratings, has died at the age of 81. Hagman, who returned as J.R. in a new edition of "Dallas" this year, passed away yesterday afternoon (Central Standard Time) due to complications from his battle with cancer, according to a statement from the family. "Larry was back in his beloved hometown of Dallas, re-enacting the iconic role he loved the most," the family said. "Larry's family and closest friends had joined him in Dallas for the Thanksgiving holiday."

Also dead is Deborah Raffin, an actress who had roles in movies like “Forty Carats” and “Once Is Not Enough”. She died on Wednesday at 59. The cause was leukaemia, and the disease was diagnosed about a year ago. Besides her film roles, Raffin starred in television movies and mini-series, most notably playing the actress Brooke Hayward in “Haywire” and a business executive in “Noble House,” based on the James Clavell saga set in Hong Kong.

There is one more death to mention tonight, this time, it's somebody's career. Kevin Clash, the actor who created the voice and persona of Elmo on Sesame Street, resigned from the children's show this week in the wake of a new allegation that he had a sexual relationship with an underage boy. A federal lawsuit was filed this morning in New York, said Jeff Herman, the attorney for the second accuser, who he identified as Cecil Singleton. It was not yet known how much money Singleton sought in the suit, but the scandal could put millions of dollars at risk for the Sesame Street brand.