Devastating news out of Chicago; Jennifer Hudson’s mother, Darnell Donnerson, and brother, Jason, were found murdered earlier today.

Their bodies were discovered around 2:45pm at the home of Donnerson by a cousin who lives nearby.

They had both been shot to death and were not alive when help arrived.

UPDATE:

A 7-year-old boy is missing as well, and an Amber Alert has been issued in this case. Police think they know who the suspect is and are asking for the public’s help in finding the man in question.

From ChicagoBreakingNews.com:

A Chicago police spokeswoman also said a 7-year-old boy was reported missing. Police identified him as Julian King (right), but they would not say whether he is a relative of the actress. He is 5-foot tall, weighs 135 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair. An Amber Alert has been issued for the missing boy.

The police said that they are searching for a William Balfour as a suspect in the double homicide. They said he is considered to be armed and dangerous, and may be driving a white 1994 Chevrolet Suburban with Illinois license plate No. X584859 or a teal/green Chrysler Concord four-door with a left front headlight hanging out that is scratched all along its left side. The Chrysler is displaying temporary tags of 332K823.

Hopefully they will find the child alive and well. How tragic this whole story is.

Update 2:

Here is a photo of the suspect. And the boy who is missing has been identified as Hudson’s 7-year-old nephew.

From TMZ:

Police are looking for looking for William Balfour (bottom left), who they claim could be with the missing 7-year-old. According to records, Balfour listed Hudson’s mother’s address as a place of residence within the last year. According to the Illinois Department of Corrections website, Balfour is currently on parole after serving jail time for attempted murder.

It’s also been reported that Jennifer was not in Chicago at the time, but Los Angeles, as she was to begin shooting a music video on Monday.

UPDATE 3:

It has been confirmed that the two victims were indeed Jennifer’s mother, Darnell Donnerson, 57, and Hudson’s brother, Jason Hudson, 29. At least one of the victims has defensive wounds.

TMZ is reporting that the mother of 7-year-old Julian is also missing. However, ChicagoBreakingNews.com has not reported this. The only thing they have mentioned about the mother is that she reported her son missing sometime today. From TMZ:

Jennifer’s sister, Julia, mother of the missing 7-year-old, is reportedly also missing. She is a bus driver in Chicago and did work her shift today, however, she has not been seen since.

A WBBM reporter is saying that neighbors have said a family member in the Hudson household apparently tried to steal a car a few weeks ago, an argument ensued, and he vowed revenge. A photo on Julia’s MySpace page (bottom) posted prior to today’s events alludes to some kind of dispute with William over a car.

UPDATE 4 (Saturday):

The car in question was owned by Hudson’s family and was recently stolen by the suspect and sold without their consent. When confronted, an argument ensued, with the suspect vowing to kill the entire family. Julia told police she did not report it because she did not take the threat seriously.

Still, no word on Julia being missing, so TMZ must have been wrong about that one. However, 7-year-old Julian is still missing.

__________________________

Keep Jennifer in your thoughts today, and pray for Julian.

This poor girl has been through the highest highs and the lowest lows that any of us can even imagine. I hope she has a good support system to help her through this awful time.

Mr. Blackwell, world renowned for his annual worst-dressed list, has died at the age of 86.

He died Sunday of complications from an intestinal infection.

Richard Blackwell started critiquing celebrity fashion faux pas back in 1960. He was also a fashion designer who specialized in dresses.

Some of his past criticisms:

Madonna: “The Bare-Bottomed Bore of Babylon.”

Barbra Streisand: “She looks like a masculine Bride of Frankenstein.”

Christina Aguilera: “A dazzling singer who puts good taste through the wardrobe wringer.”

Meryl Streep: “She looks like a gypsy abandoned by a caravan.”

Sharon Stone: “An over-the-hill Cruella DeVille.”

Lindsay Lohan: “From adorable to deplorable.”

Patti Davis: “Packs all the glamour of an old, worn-out sneaker.”

Ann Margret: “A Hells Angel escapee who invaded the Ziegfeld Follies on a rainy night.”

Camilla Parker-Bowles: “The Duchess of Dowdy.”

Bjork: “She dances in the dark — and dresses there, too.”

Spears: “Her bra-topped collection of Madonna rejects are pure fashion overkill.”

[AP]

Gidget Gein, former bassist of Marilyn Manson, was found dead in his home last Thursday from an apparent heroin overdose.

Gein, whose real name is Bradley Stewart, was fired from the band back in 1993 after recovering from another overdose. He was soon replaced by Twiggy Ramirez, who has also battled from substance abuse and has since been fired and rehired by the band.

Gein’s death has been ruled accidental.  He was 39 years old.

Like other MM band members, Gein got his name from a famous woman and a serial killer. (Gidget was derived after the Sally Field character, and Gein is after the notorious Ed Gein.)

He had recently completed rehab and just started a band called, People.

Manson himself once wrote about his friend in his 1998 autobiography, “The Long Hard Road Out of Hell.” He spoke about how it pained him to lose his very good friend to drugs.

“My entire message and everything I’d begun striving to be as a person ran in direct opposition to Brad. I wanted to be strong and independent, to think for myself and help other people think for themselves.”

Gein was also a renowned artist whose work was often displayed at local parties.

Olivia Newton Bundy, another former bandmate of Manson’s, wrote about his friend’s death on the LA Weekly website, “That totally sucks. But lessions [sic] should be learned from this. He lost a great gig due to drugs and now he’s lost his life. R.I.P.”

[MTV]

Above: The ‘50 Eggs’ scene from Cool Hand Luke - one of the greatest movies of all time.

One of Hollywood’s greatest actors, Paul Newman, has died at the age of 83.

He was surrounded by friends and family at his Westport, Conn. home before losing his long battle with cancer.

Famed for his intense blue eyes, his love of car racing and one of the coolest demeanors ever to heat up the silver screen, Newman was nominated for Oscars ten times.

But perhaps his proudest accomplishment, besides his 50-year marriage to actress Joanne Woodward, was starting Newman’s Own, which since 1982 has made popcorn, spaghetti sauce, lemonade and salad dressing and has donated more than $250 million to charities selected by Newman himself.

Paul was Hollywood royalty, indeed.

You will be missed.

[People]

Travis Barker’s clothing company Famous Stars and Straps released this video in memory of his friend, Lil’ Chris.

[People]

A body has been found in the Southern California desert and it’s been confirmed to be that of UFC champion, Evan Tanner.

Tanner, 37, had been missing since last weekend. He was reportedly in the deep desert to seek “treasure hunting and lost gold, and my own insatiable appetite for adventure and exploration.”

A couple weeks ago he blogged,

“I’m hoping that very soon I’ll be sitting out in the quiet of the desert beneath a deep blue midnight sky, listening to the calm desert breeze.  I plan on going so deep into the desert, that any failure of my equipment, could cost me my life.”

Tanner’s motorcycle was discovered at a camp site in Clapp Springs, in the Palo Verde mountains after friends reported him missing last Friday.  His body was discovered in the same area by a Sheriff’s deputy in a plane.  Tanner had failed to respond to text messages since the Wednesday before.

Tanner had overcame alcohol addiction and personal demons to make a comeback earlier this year, although he lost to Kendall Grove in a split decision.

Dr. Dre’s son has been found dead at the age of 20.

He was discovered in his home in Woodland Hills on Saturday morning by his mother.

Around 10 am Saturday morning Andre Young Jr.’s mother went to check on him and found him unresponsive. She immediately called 911.

The cause of death is currently unknown and is pending the toxicology report.

Andre was reportedly out partying the night before and returned home around 5:30AM.

Possible overdose?