NEWSMAKERS

NEWSMAKERS

‘When A Man Loves a Woman’ singer dies

MUSCLE SHOALS, ALA.

Percy Sledge, who soared from part-time singer and hospital orderly to lasting fame with his aching, forlorn performance on the classic “When a Man Loves a Woman,” died Tuesday in Louisiana. He was 74.

His family said in a statement released through his manager, Mark Lyman, that he died “peacefully” at his home in Baton Rouge after a yearlong struggle with cancer. The cause of death was liver failure, Lyman said.

Recognizable by his wide, gap-toothed smile, Sledge had a handful of other hits between 1966 and 1968, including “Warm and Tender Love,” “It Tears Me Up,” “Out of Left Field” and “Take Time to Know Her.” He returned to the charts in 1974 with “I’ll Be Your Everything.”

He is survived by his wife and 12 children, Lyman said.

Another news victory for ABC over NBC

NEW YORK

NBC’s “Nightly News” has lost to ABC in the ratings for the second-straight week and only the second time since 2009, increasing pressure on the network to decide whether suspended anchor Brian Williams will return.

The Nielsen company said ABC’s “World News Tonight” averaged 8.3 million viewers last week to NBC’s 8 million.

Here are Nielsen’s top programs for April 6-12: 1. NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Wisconsin vs. Duke, CBS, 28.26 million; 2. “NCAA Championship Pre-Game,” CBS, 18.45 million; 3. “NCIS,” CBS, 16.85 million; 4. “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS, 14.78 million; 5. “NCIS: New Orleans,” CBS, 14.33 million; 6. “Dancing With the Stars,” ABC, 13.75 million; 7. “60 Minutes,” CBS, 12.6 million; 8. “Madam Secretary,” CBS, 11.39 million; 9. “The Voice” (Tuesday), NBC, 11.07 million; and 10. “The Voice” (Monday), NBC, 10.97 million.

Billy Joel, girlfriend expecting a baby

NEW YORK

Billy Joel has a new release this summer: a baby.

A representative for the 65-year-old singer said Joel and girlfriend Alexis Roderick are expecting their first child. They have been dating since 2009.

Roderick will be 34 next month.

The baby will be Joel’s second child and first with Roderick. He is the father of singer-songwriter Alexa Ray Joel.

Associated Press