actors & performers
Remembering Matthew Perry: A Tribute to the Legacy of a Talented Actor
Remembering Matthew Perry, the talented actor from Friends, whose legacy in Los Angeles and beyond will forever be cherished.
Last Updated on September 13, 2025 by Rod Washington
Hollywood has lost one of its beloved talents with the passing of Matthew Perry, best known for his iconic role as Chandler Bing on the hit TV series “Friends.” The Emmy-nominated actor, aged 54, was found dead at his Los Angeles home, leaving fans and the entertainment industry in shock.
Perry’s portrayal of Chandler Bing, the sarcastic yet lovable character, made him a household name. His quick wit and impeccable comedic timing brought laughter to millions around the world. Alongside his talented co-stars, Perry’s presence on the show was instrumental in its success over ten seasons.
Beyond the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, Perry was open about his personal struggles with addiction, which he candidly shared in his memoir. Despite his challenges, he continued to captivate audiences with his talent and dedication to his craft.
The loss of Matthew Perry is a tragic reminder of the fragility of life. His comedic genius and contributions to the entertainment industry will forever be remembered. Our hearts go out to his family, loved ones, and devoted fans during this difficult time.
Rest in peace, Matthew Perry. Your legacy will live on in the hearts of those who cherished your work and the laughter you brought into our lives.
Breaking News
Dolly Parton Dies at 80, Leaving Behind an Extraordinary American Legacy
Dolly Parton, the legendary singer, songwriter, actress, entrepreneur and philanthropist, has died at 80. We look back at the remarkable journey that took her from rural Tennessee to becoming one of America’s most beloved cultural icons.
Last Updated on August 25, 2026 by Daily News Staff
Country music legend, songwriter, actress and philanthropist Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80, bringing to a close one of the most remarkable careers in American entertainment.
Dolly Parton Dies at 80
Dolly Parton, whose unmistakable voice, songwriting talent, humor and generosity made her an American cultural icon far beyond the world of country music, died Tuesday, August 25, 2026, in Nashville.
Parton died at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center following a brief battle with cancer, according to her publicist. She was surrounded by loved ones. The specific type of cancer has not been publicly disclosed.
For millions of fans around the world, the news marks the loss of an entertainer who seemed almost timeless.
From the Tennessee Mountains to Stardom
Born Dolly Rebecca Parton on January 19, 1946, in Sevier County, Tennessee, Parton grew up as one of 12 children in a family with little money.
Those beginnings would become an important part of both her identity and her music.
Rather than distancing herself from her Appalachian upbringing after becoming famous, Parton repeatedly returned to those experiences in her songwriting. Songs such as “Coat of Many Colors” transformed childhood memories into stories about poverty, family, dignity and love.
After moving to Nashville, Parton eventually became a nationally known performer, including through her partnership with Porter Wagoner.
But it was her ability to write songs that helped establish her as one of the defining artists of her generation.
Her catalog would eventually include classics such as “Jolene,” “I Will Always Love You,” “Coat of Many Colors,” “Here You Come Again” and “9 to 5.”
“I Will Always Love You,” originally written and recorded by Parton in the 1970s, would find an entirely new audience when Whitney Houston recorded a soaring version for the 1992 film The Bodyguard.
More Than a Country Singer
Calling Dolly Parton simply a country music star never quite captured the full scope of her career.
She crossed into pop music, television and Hollywood while maintaining her country roots.
Her starring role alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in the 1980 comedy 9 to 5 helped turn her into a major movie star. The film’s title song became another Parton classic and an enduring anthem about the frustrations of working life.
Parton later appeared in films including The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk.
She also became an extraordinarily successful businesswoman.
Her association with Dollywood, the Tennessee theme park bearing her name, helped transform the attraction into one of the state’s best-known tourist destinations while bringing jobs and investment to the region where she grew up.
A Legacy Built Around Giving
Parton’s impact may ultimately be measured by more than records sold, awards won or movies made.
Through the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, founded in 1995, free books have been provided to children from birth to age five.
What began as a literacy program serving children in Parton’s home county in Tennessee grew into an international effort distributing books to children in the United States and several other countries.
Parton also contributed to disaster relief, education and medical research. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center research that helped support development of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
Her philanthropy became almost as recognizable as her music.
An Artist Who Crossed Generations
Perhaps one of Parton’s most unusual achievements was her ability to remain relevant without abandoning the personality that made her famous.
Parents who grew up hearing Dolly Parton records introduced her music to their children and grandchildren. Country fans embraced her, but so did rock musicians, pop artists, actors and audiences who might rarely listen to country music.
Her enormous blonde hair, rhinestones and colorful outfits became instantly recognizable, and Parton frequently made herself the punchline of jokes about her appearance before anyone else had the opportunity.
Behind that carefully cultivated public image was a songwriter responsible for thousands of compositions and a businesswoman who maintained considerable control over her work.
Even late in her career, Parton continued exploring new musical territory. Her 2023 album Rockstar featured collaborations with major figures from rock and pop music and demonstrated yet again her ability to move between genres.
Tributes Pour In
News of Parton’s death quickly prompted tributes from across entertainment and public life.
Musicians, actors, friends and admirers remembered not only her extraordinary career but also the kindness and generosity for which she had become known.
The reaction reflects something that made Parton unusual among celebrities of her stature: she became a figure whose appeal extended across generations, regions and many of the cultural divisions of American life.
Her husband, Carl Dean, died in March 2025 at the age of 82. The famously private Dean and Parton had been married for nearly 60 years.
The Music Remains
Dolly Parton’s career is difficult to summarize because it was never confined to one thing.
She was a country singer who became a pop star.
A songwriter who became a movie star.
A girl who grew up poor in the mountains of Tennessee and became a highly successful entrepreneur.
And a celebrity who turned much of her wealth and fame toward helping children she would never meet.
Dolly Parton died at 80, but the songs, stories and institutions she created will continue long after her passing.
For generations of listeners, hearing the opening guitar of “Jolene,” the tenderness of “Coat of Many Colors,” or the unmistakable opening of “9 to 5” will immediately bring her back.
And perhaps that is one of the greatest legacies a songwriter can leave behind.
STM Daily News will publish a more comprehensive look at Dolly Parton’s extraordinary life, career and lasting cultural impact in the coming days.
Sources:
Associated Press — Dolly Parton dies at 80
Reuters — Dolly Parton dies at 80
Related Links:
Official Dolly Parton Website
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Entertainment
BronzeLens Film Festival Returns to Atlanta for Two Weekends of Global, Diverse Storytelling
BronzeLens Film Festival Brings International Lineup to Atlanta Across Two Weekends
Atlanta becomes a hub for filmmakers and film lovers this month as the BronzeLens Film Festival marks its 17th annual celebration of cinema. Running August 21–23 and August 27–30, 2026, the festival brings together industry leaders, emerging creators, and audiences for two weekends centered on one idea: diverse storytelling deserves the biggest possible stage.
Founded to elevate underrepresented voices in film, BronzeLens says its 2026 lineup continues that mission with more than 150 Official Selections. The slate spans projects connected to creators and stories from across the globe, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ghana, Guadeloupe, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, South Africa, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Festival organizers note that every film in the program is either produced by creators of color or focuses on stories about people of color.
Opening Night spotlight: “Love Patrick: Nothing is Impossible”
This year’s Opening Night feature is Love Patrick: Nothing is Impossible, directed by the Horne Brothers. The documentary chronicles the life and legacy of fashion designer Patrick Kelly, whose work and vision helped reshape how Black creativity and style were seen on a global stage.
For audiences, it’s a fitting kickoff: a story about artistry, identity, and ambition—exactly the kind of conversation-starter BronzeLens aims to put in front of the public.
A festival built for films—and the conversations after
BronzeLens founder and executive producer Kathleen Bertrand says the festival’s purpose goes beyond screenings.
“We believe the true magic of film happens both on the screen and in the conversations it inspires,” Bertrand said. “Our mission is to champion outstanding filmmaking while creating dynamic opportunities for filmmakers, creators, talent, and audiences to connect, collaborate, and help shape the future of storytelling.”
That emphasis on community and connection has helped BronzeLens become a key cultural event in Atlanta’s film ecosystem—one that continues to grow in reach as the industry increasingly looks for authentic, globally resonant stories.
Notable names tied to the 2026 Official Selections
This year’s Official Selections are associated with a wide range of acclaimed artists, including:
- Academy Award® winner Viola Davis, narrator of The Ebony Canal: A Story of Black Maternal & Infant Health
- Academy Award® winner Jordan Peele, producer of Spilled Milk
- Emmy Award winner Loretta Devine, co-star in Black Seeds Continue to Grow
- Golden Globe nominee Blair Underwood, producer and co-star in The Listeners
- Grammy Award-winning artist T.I., featured in The Birth of Trap Music and director of Da’Partments 2
- Ambyr Michelle, co-star in Escape Room
- The late Erica Ash, starring in The Making of a Classic
- Lauren E. Banks in Channels
Where it’s happening
Festival headquarters will be located at The Tara Atlanta, 2345 Cheshire Bridge Road NE.
For the full schedule, the complete list of Official Selections, and ticket information, visit www.BronzeLens.com. The official hashtag is #BronzeLens2026.
If you’re looking for a late-summer event that blends culture, craft, and community—BronzeLens is positioning itself as one of the film festivals where the industry (and the audience) will be paying attention.
Source
- PRNewswire press release: “The World Will Be Watching as BronzeLens Celebrates Its 17th Annual Film Festival”(BronzeLens Film Festival), published Aug. 7, 2026
Related links
- BronzeLens Film Festival (schedule, Official Selections, tickets): www.BronzeLens.com
- Official hashtag: #BronzeLens2026
- Festival HQ venue info: The Tara Atlanta, 2345 Cheshire Bridge Road NE, Atlanta
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Entertainment
30 years after ‘Reasonable Doubt,’ Jay‑Z’s career embodies hip‑hop’s biggest contradictions
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“Reasonable Doubt” was not the first rap album I ever owned. But Jay-Z’s debut was the first hip-hop album I bought with my own money.
30 years after ‘Reasonable Doubt,’ Jay‑Z’s career embodies hip‑hop’s biggest contradictions
Jabari M. Evans, University of South Carolina
“Reasonable Doubt” was not the first rap album I ever owned. But Jay-Z’s debut was the first hip-hop album I bought with my own money. More importantly, it was the first one I studied as a young writer who aspired to become a rapper, a dream that eventually came true.
Jay-Z sounded cool in a way that resembled a jazz musician more than a conventional rap star. He rapped with a quiet calm that also conveyed supreme confidence. His lyrics were layered, skillful and unorthodox.
Yes, the tracks often revolved around drug dealing. But the hustlers who populated “Reasonable Doubt” weren’t degenerates. They were refined and astute thinkers. And unlike other gangsta rappers, there was a moral quandary at the heart of his storytelling. In tracks like “D’Evils,” Jay-Z’s narrator turns crime, aspiration and paranoia into meditations on capitalism and the psychic cost of wealth:
We used to fight for building blocks
Now we fight for blocks with buildings that make a killing
The closest of friends when we first started
But grew apart as the money grew, and soon grew black-hearted
And later:
My soul is possessed by D’Evils in the form of diamonds and Lexuses
The cinematic complexity displayed in its tracks helps explain why “Reasonable Doubt” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and why it still matters 30 years later.
But the album also launched the career of a rapper whose own trajectory has come to mirror hip-hop’s own transformation.
In 1996, hip-hop was still fighting for legitimacy. Three decades later, it had been folded into the mainstream. Kendrick Lamar can win a Pulitzer Prize, Nas can have an endowed fellowship at Harvard University, and Jay-Z, who once couldn’t get signed to a label, can create a label of his own and become a billionaire business mogul.
Is it even possible for hip-hop to be seen as countercultural in 2026? And what happens when hip-hop’s most successful outsider becomes central to the very institutions he once seemed to challenge?
From moral panic to corporate behemoth
When “Reasonable Doubt” was released, hip-hop was both ascendant and under siege.
In February 1996, Tupac Shakur came out with “All Eyez on Me,” which became one of the bestselling rap albums of all time; seven months later, he was shot and killed. His friend-turned-rival, The Notorious B.I.G., was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting the following year. The media often cast these high-profile deaths as proof that rap music was inseparable from street violence, and the moral panic around hip-hop’s influence on young listeners only intensified.
How times have changed. Today, hip-hop powers advertising campaigns, luxury branding and streaming platforms. According to Nielsen, rap surpassed rock music as the most popular music genre in the U.S. in 2018. Today, it accounts for roughly 1-in-4 on-demand audio streams.
Jay-Z has played an outsized role in that transformation.
Since 1998, he’s won 25 Grammys for his own music. In that time, he’s also built a business empire. There’s his talent agency, Roc Nation; his streaming platform, TIDAL; his venture capital firm, Marcy Venture Partners; and his luxury alcohol brands, Armand de Brignac and D’Ussé. Through Roc Nation, he’s also a strategic partner with the NFL, advising the football league on its entertainment programming.
Forbes currently pegs his net worth at US$2.8 billion.
Confronted on capitalism
In April 2026, GQ published a long interview with Jay-Z.
This was a big deal: Jay-Z hadn’t interacted with the media like this since 2017, when he was promoting his 13th solo album, “4:44.”
How would one of hip-hop’s elder statesmen reflect on his career and his many successes?
In the interview, Jay-Z didn’t present his riches as a complicated outcome of capitalism’s contradictions. Instead, he talked about his wealth as if it were something his critics had failed to understand. When asked about the belief that there’s something inherently suspect about accumulating so much money, he pushed back:
“It’s almost like a cop-out. You get to demonize this group of folks without fixing the actual system that exists […] Your morality defines who you are. Your morality is not defined by a dollar amount.”
As for the notion that his career trajectory was somehow hypocritical:
“The only thing I heard coming up was the American dream. You could make it, if you pull yourself up by the bootstraps. I heard that my entire life – until we started being successful. Then it was like: You’re selling out because you’re making money.”
He then went on to insist that being handsomely paid is not some sort of betrayal to hip-hop, art or his community.
“I make art first and then I make sure that I’m compensated for my art. … That [capitalist] structure exists; I just see the world for what it is, not for what I want it to be. I’m a realist.”
To me, Jay-Z certainly sounded persuasive. He also sounded defensive. I think that’s because hip-hop has long been haunted by the idea that wealth compromises credibility, even as the tracks have always contained aspirational themes of luxury and entrepreneurship.
Don’t hate the player, hate the game
For my generation, Jay-Z sold aspiration in addition to albums.
I wore Rocawear denim suits in high school with a kind of conviction that now feels almost funny to admit. In college, drinking Belvedere vodka, which appeared in many a Jay-Z track in the early 2000s, felt like a rite of passage.
That’s because Jay made luxury seem urbane, sophisticated and distinctly Black. Even later in life, when I’d smoke Cohiba cigars, drink D’USSÉ or read about art collecting, I felt like I was living inside a script he had helped write.
Looking back, I can see that much of my admiration for him was cloaked in materialism. Now, I think about the work of political scientist Cedric Robinson, who wrote extensively about what he called “racial capitalism.”
He argued that capitalism has always been structured through race. It does not merely tolerate racial hierarchy; it depends on it. That means Black wealth – even spectacular Black wealth – does not automatically equal Black liberation. One Black billionaire can be held up as evidence of progress, while the broader system that continues to produce Black inequality remains intact.
In other words, if Jay-Z’s ascent becomes shorthand for Black progress, then the critique of the system that continues to oppress those at the margins starts to fade. The culture begins to confuse exceptional mobility with collective freedom.
At the same time, I don’t think Jay-Z can be simply understood as a sellout. Communication scholar A.J. Escoffery has written a lot about what he calls “reparative media.” Essentially, he calls for media institutions to do more than offer tokens of representation to marginalized communities. Media companies need to be built or owned by those communities.
Jay-Z’s defenders will sometimes describe him along these lines – as a Robin Hood-like figure who has taken capital from historically white-owned institutions and redirected some of it toward Black communities or Black entrepreneurs. Even if those gestures remain, at heart, capitalist – like his investments in cannabis brands – he’ll often use his positioning and clout to fund minority-owned businesses.
In the GQ interview, the rapper seemed to acknowledge the compromises he felt compelled to make, and he spoke of the limits Black artists face in industries they do not own:
“[There’s] nowhere you’re going to go that Black people control distribution and control media. At some point you’re going to have to partner with somebody.”
In that, Jay-Z highlights what hip-hop continues to grapple with. The genre no longer has to prove it belongs in the mainstream. But it has to figure out what it means to survive without being fully absorbed by it.
Jabari M. Evans, Assistant Professor of Race and Media, School of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of South Carolina
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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