NOTORIOUS B.I.G.'S MOTHER DROPS WRONGFUL-DEATH SUIT

Notorious B.I.G.'s motherdrops wrongful-death suit
LOS ANGELES -- The mother of Notorious B.I.G. reportedly has dropped a wrongful-death lawsuit against a former suspect in the rap star's slaying.
Voletta Wallace had accused Amir Muhammad, aka Harry Billups, of shooting her son outside the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles after a music industry party on March 9, 1997.
Her decision to dismiss Muhammad as a defendant followed a pretrial deposition during which he denied any connection to the rapper's death and offered to take a lie-detector test, unidentified sources close to the negotiations told the Los Angeles Times.
The confidential settlement didn't include any payments, the sources said. Wallace's attorneys refused to discuss additional details of the agreement with the newspaper.
Muhammad could not be reached for comment Friday morning, but he has long maintained his innocence and was never questioned by police in the killing of Notorious B.I.G. (real name: Christopher Wallace).
Voletta Wallace's 2002 lawsuit still names the city of Los Angeles and Muhammad's former college roommate, David A. Mack, a Los Angeles policeman now serving a 14-year federal prison sentence for bank robbery. It accused Mack of hiring Muhammad to shoot the hip-hop artist and police of failing to investigate properly after a fellow officer came under suspicion.
Though police never interrogated Muhammed, they had once investigated whether he was paid to shoot Wallace by rival rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight and Mack.
Muhammad became part of the probe when a jail house informant familiar with Mack told detectives that the rapper's killer went by a "Middle East"-sounding name. Muhammad had also visited Mack in prison, at the request of Mack's family.
Investigators have not found a murder weapon or witnesses linking Mack to the shooting. He has denied any involvement in the murder.
British nudist group namesMirren naturist of the year
LONDON -- Helen Mirren was named naturist of the year Friday by Britain's main nudist group.
British Naturism said Mirren was selected from among "a number of well-known celebrities who have made their love of a naturist lifestyle public."
Mirren, who was named a dame -- the female equivalent of a knight -- by Queen Elizabeth II last year, was presented with an engraved rose bowl to commemorate the award.
"Many thanks to British Naturism for this great honor," she said. "I do believe in naturism and am my happiest on a nude beach with people of all ages and races."
British Naturism, which promotes going without clothes "as a friendly, relaxing and enjoyable way to spend your holidays and other free time," estimates there are some 2 million naturists, or nudists, in Britain.
The group's chairman, Mick Ayers, said high-profile supporters like Mirren helped dispel the image of naturism as "an eccentric activity pursued by a tiny minority."
The 59-year-old actress received Oscar nominations for 1994's "The Madness Of King George" and 2001's "Gosford Park."
Notable death
Vaughn Meader, who gained instant fame satirizing the presidency of John F. Kennedy in the multimillion-selling album "The First Family," only to have his star plummet when the president was assassinated, died Friday. He was 68.
When it came out in late 1962, poking gentle fun at JFK's wealth, large family and "vigah," "The First Family" became the fastest-selling record of its time, racking up 7.5 million copies and winning the Grammy for album of the year.
Meader's career was stopped short by news that Kennedy had been assassinated. It was also that day that Vaughn Meader died, he would say. He began going by his birth name, Abbott.
Today's birthdays
Ventriloquist Rickie Layne is 80. Actor Hamilton Camp is 70. Actor Dick Gautier is 67. Movie director Claude Lelouch is 67. Rock singer Grace Slick is 65. Songwriter Eddie Holland is 65. Actor Ed Lauter is 64. R & amp;B singer Otis Williams (The Temptations) is 63. Actor Henry Winkler is 59. Musician Timothy B. Schmit (The Eagles) is 57. Actor Harry Hamlin is 53. Actor Charles Martin Smith is 51. Country singer T. Graham Brown is 50. Actor Kevin Pollak is 46. Rock singer Joey Belladonna (Anthrax) is 44. Rock singer-musician Gavin Rossdale (Bush) is 37. Actress Nia Long is 34. Country singer Kassidy Osborn (SHeDAISY) is 28. Actor Gael Garcia Bernal is 26.
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