Ellie Greenwich Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Mary Weiss, the former lead singer of the 1960s pop girl group The Shangri-Las, died Friday at 75 years old. Her death was confirmed by her husband, who offered no details.

Mary Weiss, the lead singer and focal point of the Shangri-Las — one of the truly legendary girl groups of the early 1960s with hits like “Leader of the Pack,” “Great Big Kiss,” “Remember (Walking in the Sand)” and “Heaven Only Knows” — has died. Her death was confirmed to Variety by Miriam Linna of Norton Records, who released Weiss’ only solo album in 2007.

Christmas has finally come home: In a sweet, new YouTube video, Darlene Love reunites with David Letterman and Paul Shaffer for the first time in nine years to resume a longtime holiday tradition that capped off the Christmas episodes of Letterman’s late night talk shows for 28 years.

Cynthia Weil, a Grammy-winning lyricist of notable range and endurance who enjoyed a decades-long partnership with husband Barry Mann and helped write “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling”, “On Broadway”, “Walking in the Rain” and dozens of other hits, has died at age 82.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Grammy-winning Songwriters Hall of Fame member Cynthia Weil — who co-wrote “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” “On Broadway,” “Make Your Own Kind of Music,” “On Broadway,” “Walking in the Rain,” “You’re My Soul and Inspiration,” “Uptown,” “Kicks,” “Here You Come Again,” “Through the Fire,” “Somewhere Out There” and many other hits with her husband and Brill Building colleague Barry Mann — has died, her daughter confirmed to TMZ on Friday morning. No cause of death was announced; she was 82. “My mother, Cynthia Weil, was the greatest mother, grandmother and wife our family could ever ask for,” Jenn Mann said. “She was my best friend, confidant, and my partner in crime and an idol and trailblazer for women in music.”

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Beyonce never does anything by half, and never until she’s ready. Thus, it’s not a big surprise that she paid musical tribute to her idol Tina Turner several days after the icon’s death last Wednesday — and with a stripped-down version of the song that is not only the most musically complex in Turner’s catalog, but one of the most complicated hit singles of all time: “River Deep – Mountain High,” the 1966 hit written by Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry with producer Phil Spector.

Will Swenson will reprise his Boston performance in A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical when the production moves to Broadway this fall, producers confirmed today.

Ronnie Spector, the rock 'n' roll siren who sang such 1960s hits as Be My Baby, Baby I Love You and Walking In The Rain as the leader of the girl group the Ronettes, has died at the age of 78.

LOS ANGELES -- Ronnie Spector, the cat-eyed, bee-hived rock ‘n’ roll siren who sang such 1960s hits as “Be My Baby,” “Baby I Love You” and “Walking in the Rain” as the leader of the girl group the Ronettes, has died. She was 78.Spector died Wednesday after a brief battle with cancer, her family said.