Mugler, French fashion icon known for sculpted designs, dies

Updated: 3:12 AM EST Jan 24, 2022

French fashion designer Manfred Thierry Mugler, whose dramatic designs were worn by celebrities like Madonna, Lady Gaga and Cardi B, has died. He was 73.He died Sunday, his official Instagram account said. "May his soul Rest In Peace," it said in a post that was all black with no image. It did not give a cause of death.Mugler, who launched his brand in 1973, became known for his architectural style, defined by broad shoulders and a tiny waist. The use of plastic-like futuristic fabric in his sculpted clothing became a trademark. He defined haute couture over several decades, dressing up Diana Ross and Beyonce at galas, on red carpets and runways. His designs weren't shy about being outlandish, at times resembling robotic suits with protruding cone shapes. Mugler also had a popular perfume line, which he started in the 1990s.The fashion world filled with an outpouring of sympathy. Bella Hadid, an American model, said "Nonononono," followed by an image of a sad face, while American actress January Jones responded with a heart mark, from their official Instagram accounts. Besides clothes, Mugler created films and photographs, and was a dancer, acrobat as well as avid body-builder, stressing he always wanted to explore the human body as art. "I've always felt like a director, and the clothes I did were a direction of the everyday," Mugler told Interview Magazine. Queries on his funeral arrangements were not immediately answered.

Garth Brooks joins lineup of entertainers at Biden inaugural

Updated: 3:20 PM EST Jan 18, 2021

Add Garth Brooks to the lineup of entertainers at the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.“This is a great day in our household," the country music superstar said during a virtual press conference Monday, two days before Biden is to be sworn in. “This is not a political statement. This is a statement of unity.”Brooks, who joins Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez, among others, performed during the inaugural celebration of President Barack Obama in 2009. He turned down a chance to play for President Donald Trump in 2017, citing a scheduling conflict.Invited by incoming first lady Jill Biden, Brooks has known the Bidens for more than a decade, when Joe Biden was Obama's vice president.Brooks said that for this week's inaugural, he will perform solo doing “broken down, bare-bones stuff,” and hinted at covering material by songwriters from outside the U.S.He does not plan to sing his socially conscious “We Shall Be Free,” which he performed at the Obama inaugural.Video: Inauguration aims to engage, entertain and educate kidsBrooks praised the Bidens for being “hellbent on making things good” and said he welcomed the chance to help the country heal.“I want to spend the next 10 years of my life not divided. I’m so tired of being divided," he said.

Lady Gaga’s two French bulldogs, which were stolen by thieves who shot and wounded the dogwalker, have been recovered unharmed.

Los Angeles police Capt. Jonathan Tippett says a woman brought the dogs to an LAPD station Friday evening. Lady Gaga's representatives and detectives went to the station and confirmed they were her dogs.

Tippett says it's not immediately clear how the woman obtained the dogs. But she's not believed to have been involved or associated with Wednesday night's attack in Hollywood that wounded the dog walker, who's expected to recover. Lady Gaga had offered a $500,000 reward for the safe return of the dogs.

Police say the dog walker was taken to the hospital and his condition is unknown. However, a source told CNN the assistant is “recovering well.”

Officers said they were searching for the gunman, who reportedly used a semi-automatic handgun and fled the scene in a white sedan.