Dolly Parton, savoring a chocolate mousse cake. Parton, the country singer, songwriter, entertainer and entrepreneur whose rags-to-riches story, outsize persona and prodigious vision and talent placed her in a class by herself, died in Nashville on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. She was 80. (Edward Keating/The New York Times) By BILL FRISKICS-WARREN Dolly Parton, a rhinestone-studded, rags-to-riches daughter of Appalachia who for six decades ruled country music — and much of pop cul

Caitlin Simmers, a world champion surfer, in New York, July 13, 2026. Now 20, Simmers was just 18 when she became the youngest women’s world surfing champion in 2024. (Photos by OK McCausland/The New York Times) By GIA KOURLAS For his ballet “Ondine” (1958), the great British choreographer Frederick Ashton spent hours studying the surge and swell of ocean waves. “I wanted the movement to be fluid like the rhythm of the sea rather than the ballet steps,” he once said. The role

“Heroes” By MAYA SALAM Hayden Panettiere, who died Aug. 16 at 36, had a prolific career that started when she appeared in a television commercial at just 11 months old. By the time she was 5, she had appeared in about 50 TV ads, Panettiere wrote in her memoir, which published in May. She soon moved on to soap operas, in “One Life to Live” and “Guiding Light.” Her big break came in 2006 with NBC’s superhero drama “Heroes,” on which she played Claire Bennet, the virtually indes

The handsome couple, Denise and Greg Platt (Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor), appear to anchor a picture-perfect unit, with their well-behaved children, Audrey (Maisy Stella) and Brian (Christian Convery), and a rambunctious dog, Starbuck (played by Brisket and Buzz). By ELISABETH VINCENTELLI Because it is set in 1982 and involves an American nuclear family facing extraordinary perils, David Robert Mitchell’s new film is bound to be compared to that decade’s finest Hollywood

From left: Frank Beard, Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill of ZZ Top before performing at the Arizona State Fair in Phoenix, Ariz., Nov. 4, 2005. Beard, whose drumming propelled the music of the hit-making Texas power trio ZZ Top for more than a half-century, died on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. He was 77. (Jeff Topping/The New York Times) By ISHANI DESAI Frank Beard, whose drumming propelled the music of the hit-making Texas power trio ZZ Top for more than a half-century, died Monday a

By DERRICK BRYSON TAYLOR and MATT STEVENS A preliminary investigation into the death of Hayden Panettiere, a 36-year-old actress known for her work in the TV shows “Nashville” and “Heroes,” did not produce evidence of “foul play or suspicious circumstances,” the Greenville, South Carolina, Police Department said in a statement Monday. Emergency responders found a woman in cardiac arrest Sunday at an apartment complex west of downtown Greenville, the Greenville County Coroner’

Bad Bunny performs during the Super Bowl LX halftime show at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. The Puerto Rican superstar will conclude his DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS World Tour with two shows at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in Hato Rey this weekend. (Doug Mills/The New York Times) Says Hiram Bithorn area has water supply By THE STAR STAFF Gov. Jenniffer González Colón wished Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio -- known as Bad Bunny -- success earlier this week wi

The actor Hayden Panettiere at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual Costume Institute gala in New York on May 5, 2014. Panettiere, a child actress who later won acclaim in TV series as a cheerleader with special powers on “Heroes” and a troubled country diva on “Nashville,” and who spoke openly about her mental health struggles, has died in South Carolina. She was 36. (Josh Haner/The New York Times) By MATT STEVENS Hayden Panettiere, a child actress who later won acclaim f

By ELISABETH VINCENTELLI ‘Project Hail Mary’ Working on this column involves watching a lot of despair-inducing stories about intractable challenges, from environmental wreckage to technology run amok. But problems always have solutions in the two movies based on Andy Weir novels — “The Martian” (2015) and now “Project Hail Mary.” Like its predecessor, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s film may be set in outer space, but it relies on quaint values like tinkering, perseveranc

“Obsession” By ERIK PIEPENBURG This month brings a catastrophic crush, underhanded ushers and a sinister St. Nick. ‘Obsession’ “It was fine,” my 14-year-old niece, Brianna, recently texted me after seeing “Obsession.” “It was really scary when she ran at Bear and screamed and stuff.” I couldn’t have said it better. This blockbuster supernatural thriller — which to date has grossed $370 million worldwide on a budget of $750,000 — is a solid scary movie. Written, directed and