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Grandparents found hugging after being killed by fallen tree

Marcia Savage, 74, and Jerry Savage, 78, had already turned in for the night as Hurricane Helene roared outside. Their 22-year-old grandson, John Savage, had checked in on them to make sure they were fine after he heard a snap. “We heard one snap and I remember going back there and checking on them. They were both fine, the dog was fine." he recalled. But not long after disaster struck and John and his father heard a "boom" as one of the largest trees on their property in Beech Island, South Carolina came crashing down on top of his grandparents' bedroom, killing them. “All you could see was ceiling and tree,” he said. “I was just going through sheer panic at that point.” John said his grandparents were found hugging one another in the bed, in what he described as a final heroic act from Jerry who tried to protect his wife. “When they pulled them out of there, my grandpa apparently heard the tree snap beforehand and rolled over to try to protect my grandmother,” he said. Jerry did all sorts of handy work but worked mostly as an electrician and carpenter. Jerry went “in and out of retirement because he got bored”. “He’d get that spirit back in him to go back out and work," his grandson said. Marcia was a retired bank teller who was very involved in their church. Their daughter Tammy Estep said Marcia loved cooking for her family, especially for Thanksgiving, and was known for her banana pudding. The couple were high school sweethearts and were married for more than 50 years, with Tammy recalling that "their love was immediate, and it was everlasting”. “They loved each other to their dying day,” John said. The couple are among more than 150 people confirmed dead in one of the deadliest storms in US history. A GoFundMe organised for their funeral expenses says that they were survived by their son and daughter, along with their four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Images: Facebook

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Beloved Coronation Street star dies aged 89

Coronation Street star Joan Savage has passed away at 89. The actress, known for her role as Celeste Pickersgill in the ITV soap series, was reported to have passed away peacefully in her home in Twickenham earlier this month. Her cause of death has not been revealed. Tributes have poured in from the star's friends and family. In a touching tribute, her daughter Kelly wrote: "Mum always used to say 'I'd like to go with my tap shoes on' so the last few years have been extremely difficult for her and us as a family. "I hope she's reunited with her show biz contemporaries and putting on a show up there!" she added. Her friend, Cheryl Forbes paid tribute to the actress on X. "Our dear friend, the remarkable Joan Savage, passed away recently," she tweeted. "She was a real star and absolutely brilliant at everything she did," she continued. "An actress, comedienne, singer, impressionist and dancer. "She was truly a very special talent." <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Our dear friend, the remarkable Joan Savage, passed away recently. She was a real star and absolutely brilliant at everything she did. An actress, comedienne, singer, impressionist and dancer. She was truly a very special talent 💔 <a href="https://t.co/mDtL2YTeX6">https://t.co/mDtL2YTeX6</a> — Cheryl Forbes (@mezzocheryl) <a href="https://twitter.com/mezzocheryl/status/1724507318316859598?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 14, 2023</a></blockquote> Savage has spent over six decades in the show biz industry. She starred in an episode of Dad's Army in 1972, and made multiple appearances in The Arthur Haynes Show between 1956 and 1962. Aside from her glittering career on the screen, she also ventured out into music, theatre and entertainment. She toured as the leading lady in a George and Alfred Black revue called Music and Madness, where she met performer Ken Morris - who she later on married in 1955 - and the pair performed as a double act. The duo appeared in multiple big shows and advertisements at the time including Hi Summer, The Black and White Minstrel Show, The Jack Jackson Show and The Arthur Haynes Show. In 1960, they welcomed daughter Kelly, but their love story was cut short when Morris tragically passed away on July 3, 1968 following a brain tumour. Four years later, Savage remarried, and tied the knot with husband Bryan on November 1972. She continued performing and had also established herself as a solo artist, creating popular love songs, comedies and even went on to win the Nordring Radio Prize for her singing in 1974. Savage is survived by her husband Bryan, her daughter Kelly and her two grandkids. Images: Getty/ Youtube

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Savage Garden refuses to sell out their famous song

Hayes said he’s been approached recently by an advertising company wanting to use the band’s 1997 major hit – Truly Madly Deeply – which Hayes wrote. The singer made his fans laugh on Twitter by sharing the lyrics the advertising company wanted to use and Hayes posted: “If you knew how much money I turn down and how hard I fight to protect your high school memories.” The lyrics the company had pitched to him were: VERSE 1 I’ll bring you Greek, I’ll bring you French, I’ll bring you Japanese. I’ll bring you Thai, Steak from the Pub, bring all the food that you need. Close to your door with every step, I’m outside holding your food. It will be warm, It will be tasty ‘cause I’m counting on a real good rating. That’s the reason I’m bringing, you Deep Fried Chicken CHORUS 1 I want to stand with you on food mountain I want to float with you in some cheese. [insert brand name] Like this forever Until more fries rain down on me. Twitter users thanked the singer for not selling out and they described the advertising company’s lyrics as “truly madly cringy”, “awful” and “a travesty.” “These lyrics make me want to throw myself off food mountain,” tweeted <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/savage-garden-star-darren-hayes-rejects-companys-awful-pitch/news-story/@daggerandpe" target="_blank">@daggerandpen</a>. “‘I want to float with you in some cheese’ is my new pick-up line,” wrote <a rel="noopener" href="https://twitter.com/clairenelson/status/1422342652658425858?s=20" target="_blank">@clairenelson</a>. And <a rel="noopener" href="https://twitter.com/timbyrneses/status/1422343095534854154?s=20" target="_blank">@timbyrneses</a> tweeted: “Could you still record it? The people need to hear this cringe.” Truly Madly Deeply was a huge hit for Hayes and his Savage Garden bandmate, Daniel Jones, when it was released in 1997. The song went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the US and it became the first song in the chart’s history to spend a full 52 weeks inside the top 30. In Australia it won the ARIA award for Single of the Year and was nominated for Song of the Year but lost out to another Savage Garden song, To the Moon and Back. Savage Garden won 10 ARIAs that year from 13 nominations. Image: Wikimedia Commons

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Media outlet’s savage response to Meghan and Harry’s brutal letter

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex told a number of British tabloids on Sunday that they would never deal with their outlets again, and on Tuesday, The Sun’s editor issued a brutal response. The royals sent a letter to the editors of The Sun, Daily Mail, Mirror and Express where they wrote they would no longer respond to any questions or inquires made by journalists working for the outlets. Instead, they both said they would employ a policy of “zero engagement” with the tabloids, except through their lawyers. The representative who sent the message on behalf of the couple said they refused to “offer themselves up as currency for an economy of clickbait and distortion” and accused the outlets of running stories that are “distorted, false, or invasive beyond reason”. It is just a new log in the ever fiery battle between the Sussexes and the British media. The Sun’s Executive Editor Dan Wootton did not take the brutal letter lying down however and published an opinion piece where he said the ex-royals chose to “put their lifestyle before family or country” and need to cease “pathetic fights” and instead focus on different issues. “Harry and Meghan’s decision to flee to a sunny Californian mansion – on a carbon emitting private jet, of course – showed that their character is based on a desire to put their own lifestyle first before their family or country,” Wootton wrote in a brutal response to the couple. The tabloid editor went on to discuss Prince Harry’s claim that the British media was “lying” about how serious the coronavirus was in the UK. The royal told the podcast Declassified: “I think what has happened especially in the UK is the very best of the human spirit and it's proving that things are better than we are led to believe through certain corners of the media. “Certainly when you're in isolation it can be very worrying when you're sitting there and the only information you're getting is from certain news channels, but then if you're out and about and you're on the right platforms you can really sense this human spirit coming to the forefront.” Wootton criticised Prince Harry by writing the royal lived over “9,000km away in a luxury Hollywood mansion” and that as a “former senior member” he has virtually “no access” to government information to support his claims. “He has no qualifications or expertise whatsoever to comment on the severity of a pandemic,” the journalist went on to say. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their intention to withdraw from their position as senior royals in January. On April 1, the couple ceased using their HRH titles and currently reside in sunny Los Angeles.

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Grandparents found hugging after being killed by fallen tree

Beloved Coronation Street star dies aged 89

Savage Garden refuses to sell out their famous song

Media outlet’s savage response to Meghan and Harry’s brutal letter