Entertainment Shorts

Man to plead guilty in rapper Mac Miller's drug death

LOS ANGELES (AP):

An Arizona man accused of supplying the dealer who sold Mac Miller the drugs that killed the rapper has agreed to plead guilty to a federal charge, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Ryan Michael Reavis, 38, will admit to a single count of distribution of fentanyl, the US Attorney's Office in Los Angeles said in a statement.

According to a plea agreement, Reavis knowingly supplied counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl to co-defendant Cameron James Pettit, 30, of Los Angeles. According to prosecutors, Pettit sold the pills and other drugs to Miller, who suffered a fatal overdose two days later.

Another co-defendant, Stephen Andrew Walter, 48, of Los Angeles, agreed last month to plead guilty to one count of distribution of fentanyl. Prosecutors said Reavis supplied the pills to Pettit at the direction of Walter. Reavis and Walter are each expected to enter their pleas in the coming weeks.

The case against Pettit is pending.

Reavis, formerly of West Los Angeles, moved to Lake Havasu, Arizona, in 2019.

Miller's assistant found the rapper unresponsive in his Los Angeles home on September 7, 2018, and he was declared dead soon after.

Miller, a Pittsburgh native whose real name was Malcolm James Myers McCormick, was a beloved and respected figure among hip-hop fans. Circles, his sixth and final studio album, was released posthumously in 2020.

Jury rejects fragrance company's lawsuit against Jay-Z

NEW YORK (AP):

A fragrance company's lawsuit against rapper Jay-Z over breach of contract claims, and his subsequent countersuit against the company, were both rejected on Wednesday, with a jury finding that neither side had proven its claims and awarding no damages.

Parlux Fragrances had filed the suit in state Supreme Court in Manhattan in January 2016, saying that the rapper had not fulfilled promotional obligations connected to the 2013 launch and subsequent campaign for the Gold Jay-Z cologne brand.

The rapper filed a countersuit saying that Parlux had breached its contract by failing to pay him the royalties he was owed.

The case had gone to trial last month, with the hip-hop superstar taking the stand.

In a statement after the verdict, Jay-Z said, "I'd like to express my gratitude to the jury, especially during these difficult times," and his attorney said he was "pleased" with the result.

Parlux, in its statement, said, "it believes it presented a strong case and is disappointed that the jury rendered a verdict today finding that neither side proved breach by the other" and that it plans "to pursue all legal options available to it".

Texas A&M student hurt at Astroworld dies; death total at 9

HOUSTON (AP):

A 22-year-old college senior who was critically injured at the Astroworld festival in Houston has died, the family's lawyer said on Thursday, making her the ninth person to die after throngs of fans surged towards the stage during a performance by headliner Travis Scott.

Bharti Shahani died on Wednesday night, attorney James Lassiter said during a news conference.

Shahani's family said she had been studying electronics systems engineering.

Officials have not disclosed details about any of the fans who were hospitalised, but the family of a nine-year-old boy who attended the concert with his father has said the child was in a medically induced coma after sustaining injuries to his heart, lungs, and brain.

Hundreds more people were injured in the surge Friday night as Scott took to the stage. A criminal investigation into the deaths at Astroworld is under way.

Sean 'Diddy' Combs' charter school to move to larger campus

LOS ANGELES (AP):

Sean 'Diddy' Combs' charter school will relocate to a larger campus in New York City.

The music mogul announced on Thursday that Capital Preparatory School would move to Harlem's Church of All Saints and School building. The relocation will allow the school's capacity to grow from 500 to 700 students from grades 6 through 12, beginning with the 2022-2023 school year.

The school's new campus will feature 40 classrooms and offices, a sports room, science labs, a cafeteria, an outdoor communal courtyard, and an area called the 'Great Hall' for all school assemblies and performances.

Combs launched the Harlem charter school in 2016. He has been a long-time education advocate and gifted US$1 million to the Capital Preparatory Schools network for a new Bronx location, which opened last year. He is a Harlem native.

The Church of All Saints and School, which was constructed in 1883, was designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 2007. The parish and school were closed by the archdiocese of New York in 2015 before the church was deconsecrated two years later.