Newsmakers
Newsmakers
Wagner not suspect in Natalie Wood’s death
LOS ANGELES
Investigators reopened the case of Natalie Wood’s 1981 drowning after receiving new information they deemed credible enough to warrant another look at one of Hollywood’s most enduring mysteries.
A detective said Friday, however, that the three-time Oscar nominee’s husband, actor Robert Wagner, was not a suspect.
Los Angeles Sheriff’s Lt. John Corina said nothing yet has changed the official view that Wood’s death in the chilly waters off Southern California’s Santa Catalina Island was anything but an accident.
“Right now, her death is an accidental drowning,” Corina said.
Corina said Friday that two detectives would delve into the case and interview witnesses, including some who have come forward since the announcement a day earlier that the actress’ death is being reviewed again.
Corina declined to say whether all the new information came from Dennis Davern, who was a captain of the yacht that Wagner, Wood and actor Christopher Walken were sharing Thanksgiving weekend in 1981. Davern said on national television Friday that he lied to investigators about events on the yacht Splendour when he was interviewed after Wood’s death.
Davern accused Wagner of having a fight with Wood before she went missing and delaying the search for her after she went missing from the boat.
On Nov. 29, 1981, Wood drowned after spending several hours drinking in a yacht with Wagner, Walken and Davern.
‘Itsy Bitsy’ bikini songwriter dies
HARTFORD, Conn.
Lee Pockriss, who wrote pop hits such as “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” for an eager, youthful post-World War II generation, has died in Connecticut after a long illness. He was 87. His wife, Sonja Pockriss, confirmed his death. She says he died at home in Bridgewater.
on Tuesday.
Associated Press