NEWSMAKERS

NEWSMAKERS

Andy Rooney to exit ‘60 Minutes’ on Sunday

new york

With 1,096 essays for “60 Minutes” under his belt, Andy Rooney will deliver his 1,097th on Sunday’s broadcast. And it will be his last as a regular contributor.

The 92-year-old Rooney will announce his departure at the end of the program, where he has been featured since 1978, CBS News announced Tuesday. It will be preceded by a segment in which Rooney looks back on his career with “60 Minutes” correspondent Morley Safer.

Hudson opens Chicago weight-loss center

CHICAGO

Jennifer Hudson’s name has graced an Oscar and Grammy, but the Chicago native said she never imagined her name would be on a weight-loss center to inspire others.

The singer and actress stopped in her home town Tuesday for the opening of “The Weight Watchers Jennifer Hudson Center.” Hudson, who lost about 80 pounds, is a spokeswoman for the company.

Weight Watchers pledged to donate a portion of the center’s revenue to a foundation that Hudson co-founded in honor of her late nephew, Julian King.

Hudson, who first earned fame as an “American Idol” finalist, won a Grammy for her self-titled album and an Oscar for her role in “Dreamgirls.” Her album “I Remember Me,” came out this year.

Country music pioneer Johnny Wright dies

NASHVILLE, Tenn.

Johnny Wright, a country music pioneer who had hits as a singer and guided the career of his wife, Kitty Wells, has died. He was 97.

Close family friend Eddie Stubbs says Wright died of natural causes around 1 a.m. Tuesday at his home. Stubbs says he had been in failing health.

Wright was a lifelong Nashville resident who came to fame as a member of the country duo Johnnie and Jack, which recorded hits such as “Ashes of Love,” “I Get So Lonely,” “Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight” and “Poison Love” in the 1940s and ’50s.

Etheridge gets star

LOS ANGELES

Grammy- and Oscar-winning singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge, a breast cancer survivor, has received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star.

Tuesday’s ceremony in front of the Hard Rock Cafe Hollywood also marked the launch of Hard Rock’s monthlong Pinktober campaign, a series of concerts and celebrity events held to raise money and breast-cancer awareness.

The 50-year-old Etheridge is best known for the songs “Come to My Window” and “I’m the Only One.” She received the 2,450th sidewalk star in Hollywood.

Etheridge, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004, has been an artist ambassador for Pinktober for six years.

Vindicator wire services