Page 31 - AT

A31
PEOPLE & ARTS Friday 7 September 2018
Author, actor, Kennedy scion Christopher Lawford dead at 63

By MICHELLE R. SMITH libertine Los Angeles and
ANDREW DALTON the hyper-competitive Ken-
Associated Press nedy compound in Hyannis
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Port, Massachusetts, where
Author and actor Christo- he was a big-brother figure
pher Kennedy Lawford, to John F. Kennedy Jr.
who was born into politi- "You can't get much more
cal and Hollywood royalty, fawned over than being a
sank into substance abuse Kennedy male," Lawford
and addiction and rose to wrote.
become a well-known ad- His life with drugs began
vocate for sobriety and re- with LSD while at board-
covery, has died. ing school at age 14. In the
Lawford died of a heart at- years before he had expe-
tack Tuesday in Vancou- rienced the assassinations
ver, Canada, his cousin, of his two uncles and his
former U.S. Rep. Patrick J. parents' divorce in 1966.
Kennedy, told The Associ- With heroin and other opi-
ated Press. He was 63. oids as his substances of
Lawford was in Vancouver choice, Lawford leapt into
living with his girlfriend and deeper substance abuse
working to open a recov- in drug-heavy 1970s Holly-
ery center. He had been In this Sept. 16, 2005 file photo, Christopher Kennedy Lawford poses for a photograph in Encino, wood, where his father also
doing hot yoga, which he Calif., to promote his book, "Symptoms of Withdrawal: A Memoir of Snapshots and Redemption." abused drugs and alcohol
did often, but the strain of it Associated Press as his career faded. Peter
"must have been too much Lawford died in 1984. Patri-
for him at that point," Ken- Frank Sinatra's "Rat Pack." substance struggles. ting poolside as a child with cia Kennedy died in 2006.
nedy said. "I was given wealth, power He wrote that his parents his uncle and soon-to-be- In his memoir, Christopher
Lawford was the only son and fame when I drew my got telegrams predicting president John F. Kennedy Lawford told tales of mug-
and oldest child of Patricia first breath," Lawford wrote big things for him from Bing looming behind him. ging women for money,
Kennedy — sister of John, in his 2005 book, "Symptoms Crosby and Dean Martin He spent his youth frolicking panhandling in Grand
Robert and Ted Kennedy of Withdrawal: A Memoir of and said he once got a les- with Hollywood stars on one Central Station and getting
— and Peter Lawford — the Snapshots and Redemp- son in doing "The Twist" from coast and rubbing shoul- arrested twice for drug pos-
English actor and social- tion," the first of several Marilyn Monroe. The cover ders with political stars on session before getting so-
ite who was a member of books he wrote about his of his books shows him sit- the other, living between ber at 30.q

Signs brand Miss America boss Gretchen Carlson as 'So Fake'

By WAYNE PARRY Hopper to resign; 46 of the education should be more
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) 51 groups (the District of affordable and more wide-
— Signs appeared around Columbia is included) have ly accessible.
Atlantic City Thursday criti- signed letters seeking their Mund did not reference
cizing Gretchen Carlson, resignation. the leadership controver-
the chairwoman of the Miss They are unhappy with the sy in her opening remarks
America Organization, as way the decision to elimi- Wednesday, which fol-
"so fake" and a bully hours nate the swimsuit competi- lowed a prolonged stand-
before the second night tion from the pageant was ing ovation. But she did pay
of preliminary competition reached, among other is- tribute to local and state
was to take place. sues. officials without mentioning
Hung from traffic lights and The protest runs the risk of national ones.
glued to a utility box, signs overshadowing the sec- "This only exists because of
appeared Thursday morn- ond night of preliminaries our volunteers," she said.
ing. They turned up as bus that is scheduled to hap- "We wouldn't have any or-
stops, as well. No one had pen Thursday night. The first ganization if it weren't for
taken responsibility for put- night, on Wednesday, was them."
ting them up. free of any reference to the Scholarships totaling nearly
They reference claims from Miss Florida, Taylor Tyson and Miss Wisconsin, Tianna Vanderhei, controversy. $506,000 will be awarded,
talk to the media after the first night of preliminary competition
the outgoing Miss America, at the Miss America competition in Atlantic City, N.J., Wednes- Contestants from Florida including $50,000 for the
Cara Mund. Mund said day, Sept. 5, 2018. and Wisconsin picked up new Miss America; $25,000
that Carlson and CEO Re- Associated Press wins Wednesday in the first for the first runner-up;
gina Hopper bullied and si- night of preliminary com- $20,000 for the second run-
lenced her during her reign, The signs appear to parody America statue just outside petition. ner-up; $15,000 for the third
which ends Sunday. Carlson's book "Be Fierce." Boardwalk Hall, where the Miss Florida Taylor Tyson runner-up, and $10,000 for
Carlson, the former Fox They include the same competition takes place, won the talent competi- the fourth runner up.
News host and a former photo of her that appears that reads "Gretchen tion for a piano rendition of The third and final night of
Miss America, did not im- on her book cover, but with Sucks." "Mephisto's Waltz" by Lizst. preliminaries will be held Fri-
mediately respond to re- the words "So Fake" and This year's pageant is tak- Miss Wisconsin Tianna Van- day.
quests for comment, but "private bully, public liar." ing place amid a revolt by derhei won the onstage in- The next Miss America will
both women have repeat- In addition, someone hung state organizations, most terview competition for her be crowned Sunday night
edly denied bullying Mund. a pageant sash on the Miss of which want Carlson and comments on how higher in Atlantic City.q