Month: June 2025

Debbie Harry doesn’t want a huge party for her upcoming 80^th birthday. The Blondie frontwoman told People magazine that she hopes to spend her milestone day on July 1 honoring her late drummer and friend, Clem Burke.

“I hope to be with my friends and to celebrate the life of my drummer, Clem Burke, who recently passed, and celebrate my own life,” Harry said when asked about her birthday plans.

Burke, the longtime drummer for Blondie, died on April 6, 2025, at the age of 70 following a battle with cancer, Rolling Stone reported. The legendary drummer was part of Blondie for 50 years, joining founding members Harry and Chris Stein in 1975. The new wave pioneers went on to record a long list of hit songs, including “One Way or Another,” “Heart of Glass,” and “Call Me.”

In a statement issued by the group in April, Burke was described as “the heartbeat of Blondie.” “His talent, energy, and passion for music were unmatched, and his contributions to our sound and success are immeasurable,” Harry and Stein said in the statement. “Beyond his musicianship, Clem was a source of inspiration both on and off the stage. His vibrant spirit, infectious enthusiasm and rock solid work ethic touched everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.”

While Harry will spend her big birthday celebrating Burke’s life, three months before his death, she told The Sunday Times she planned to have “have a whopping great party with everyone there” to mark her 80^th. But she added, “Though one of the bad things about aging is everyone’s gone already.”

Related: Legendary Rock Drummer Dead at 70

Sam Gardiner, who starred in the second season of the British reality television show Race Across the World, died Thursday from injuries suffered in a serious car accident earlier in the week.

Gardiner, 24, was driving his white Volkswagen on the A34 near Manchester Monday night when his car left the roadway and rolled before landing on its side, according to the Greater Manchester Police.

Gardiner was the only occupant of the vehicle. He was taken to the hospital with severe head injuries, where he remained until his death three days later. 

In a statement, Gardiner’s parents Jo and Andrew confirmed his tragic passing.

“We are devastated by the loss of our beloved son Sam in a terrible accident,” the statement reads. “Sam left us far too soon, and whilst words will never fully capture the light, joy and energy he brought into our lives, we hold on to the memories that made him so special. Sam was adored by his family. As a son, brother and nephew, he was loyal, funny and fiercely protective.

“Sam brought warmth, laughter and a smattering of chaos wherever he went. He leaves behind a huge hole in our hearts. We will miss him endlessly, but we’ll also remember him with smiles, tall tales, and a depth of love that will never fade”.

Sam, a landscape gardener, and his mother were contestants on Race Across the World, where they finished fourth out of five teams. The experience “opened his eyes to the wonder of adventure and travel,” said Gardiner’s parents.

“We are all deeply saddened to hear the tragic news about Sam,” said a Race Across the World spokesperson. “Everyone who worked with him, and indeed everyone who watched Sam, could see just how precious and transformative the trip was for both him and his mum Jo.”

We would also like to extend our condolences to Gardiner’s family and friends during this difficult time.

Two juveniles, including a 14-year-old boy, have been arrested and charged with arson relating to a fire at a historic mill in the village of Victory Mills, New York.

The two minors are facing third-degree arson and second-degree criminal trespassing charges because of the massive blaze at the Victory Mill on Saturday afternoon, per Spectrum News. They were released to their guardians pending further action from authorities.

Firefighters were called to the scene at around 2:30 p.m. ET yesterday to find the entire building reportedly up in flames. 

According to WNYT, the fire was contained in about an hour, but firefighters remained on seen for multiple hours to complete the job. 

“We’ve already made the call that nobody is going into the structure unless there was immediate life at risk. We had no reports of immediate life, when I got on scene. I was told that there was nobody in the structure at that point. It was fully involved so we took a complete defensive approach to it,” said Chief Ryan Campbell of the Victory Mills Fire Department.

The Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office immediately said the fire was under investigation. It was determined to be an arson, which led to the arrest of the unnamed teenagers.

According to CBS6 Albany, the charges will be handled in family court.

The Victory Mill is nearly 180 years old and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“The Victory Mill, which began operating in 1846, made 1.8 million yards of cotton cloth per year,” says the official Victory Mills website. “In 1850, it employed 160 men and 209 women. Several companies owned and operated the facility over the years and unfortunately ended up closing its doors in 2000.”

WNYT’s Zach Richter said in a live video of the blaze that witnesses referred to the facility as “the Hogwarts in the neighborhood.”