Bill Clinton, mourning the loss of his stepfather, joined family and friends and hundreds of others who gathered on Saturday for the funeral of a man the former president says brought his mother the best years she ever had.

Richard Kelley, 91, died Wednesday at home after a long battle with cancer of the colon and liver. He was a retired salesman and was married to Clinton’s mother, Virginia, for 12 years before she died in 1994 from breast cancer.

Clinton spoke to more than 600 people at Kelley’s funeral, sharing his love for the man he said left the world with grace.

Former Cincinnati Reds pitching coach Vern Ruhle died Saturday after a year-long battle with myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow. He was 55.

Ruhle, who missed the entire 2006 season following his diagnosis, had recently undergone stem cell transplants in hopes the procedures would successfully treat his cancer. But complications of the disease rendered the attempts unsuccessful.

Ruhle served 12 years as a major league pitching coach and worked in Houston, Philadelphia, and New York before joining the Reds in 2004. He had a career record of 67-88 with a 3.73 ERA. Ruhle is survived by his wife, Sue, his daughter, Rebecca, his son, Kenny and his Cincinnati Reds family.

“The baseball and Cincinnati Reds families mourn the loss of an excellent coach, wonderful husband, and loving father,” the Reds said in a statement. “In his 35 years in professional and collegiate baseball, Vern touched many people inside and outside the game. We are privileged to have been a part of his life. He will be greatly missed.”

Longtime NASCAR driver Bobby Hamilton, winner of the 2001 Talladega 500 and champion of the 2004 Craftsman Truck Series, died Sunday of cancer. He was 49.

Hamilton was diagnosed with head and neck cancer in February 2006 after a malignant growth was found when swelling from dental surgery did not resolve.

Despite his diagnosis, Hamilton went on to race in the year’s first three events, with a best finish of 14th at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

“I love what I do; I love this business,” Hamilton said. “NASCAR has been good to me, and I just don’t feel comfortable when I am not around it.”

Hamilton did turn over the wheel to his son, Bobby Hamilton Jr., for a short time while undergoing chemotherapy and radiation — and then he was back to the races in August when CAT scans revealed he looked healthy.

But he learned all too quickly that microscopic cells remained on the right side of his neck.
“Cancer is an ongoing battle, and once you are diagnosed you always live with the thought of the disease in your body,” Hamilton said. “It is the worst thing you could ever imagine.”

Hamilton, who drove in all of NASCAR’s top three divisions, had four wins under his belt in what is now the Nextel Cup series. His wins came at Talladega, Phoenix, Rockingham, and Martinsville, and his best ever season was in 1996 when he finished ninth in the points standings. Also winner of 10 truck races and one Busch Series race, Hamilton boasted earnings of $14.3 million, raced to 20 top-five finishes, and became a full-time driver-owner in the truck series in 2003.

Magnus Magnusson, former host of the BBC quiz show Mastermind, died just days ago after a four-month battle with pancreatic cancer. He died peacefully at his Glasgow home at the age of 77.

Mike Evans was the actor who played Lionel on All in the Family and The Jeffersons. He died of throat cancer on December 14Th, he was only 57.

Evans also helped create and write for the sitcom Good Times. It was one of the first TV sitcoms that featured a primarily black cast.

His last role was in 2000 episode of Walker, Texas Ranger, he also played in some TV miniseries such as Rich Man, Poor Man and made appearances on the TV series The Streets of San Francisco.

Angelina Jolie is making even more headlines than usual as she speaks openly about falling in love with Brad Pitt. She also confirmed that her mother is battling ovarian cancer.

Jolie says in an interview with CNN host Larry King that her 56-year-old mom, Marcheline Bertrand, is doing good and she expects her to win her fight against the disease.

“She has fought for six years and she’s a remarkable woman, she’s very, very strong and her spirit remains unbroken.”

Jolie’s Larry King interview was aired on Monday, December 18.

Emmy award-winning actor and curmudgeonly patriarch of Everybody Loves Raymond Peter Boyle, who recovered from a stroke almost two decades ago, passed away last night after a battle with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow.

On Everybody Loves Raymond, Boyle played the inflexible, narrow-minded, and often abrasive yet somehow lovable Frank Barone, whose signature “holy crap” comment to so many family events and his own antics made the character most memorable.

Boyle began his acting career in theater, going on to appear in movies such as Young Frankenstein, Johnny Dangerously, While You Were Sleeping, Monster’s Ball, Malcolm X, Taxi Driver and most recently as Father Time in Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause.

Boyle is survived by his wife Loraine and daughters Lucy and Amy. He was 71.

WWE wrestler and a legend, ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper, have announced on his website that he has been diagnosed with lymphoma cancer. The cancer was found when Piper had a benign tumor removed from his back.

The WWE legendary star will begin treatment to battle the disease immediately, and this afternoon released a short statement via his website, saying “It seems like I have been fighting someone, something, someplace, in some manner, my whole life. But this fight, is one I am gonna win!”

We wish Roddy Piper and his family the best during what is sure to be a tough time.

Dr Abdul Qadeer has satisfactorily recovered from prostate cancer surgery as the minor complication has been overcome with medical treatment.

The Pakistani scientist who confessed to leaking nuclear weapons technology to North Korea, Iran and Libya is in “excellent health” following cancer surgery, the military said Saturday.

Abdul Qadeer Khan is considered the father of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program, making the country the known only Muslim nation to possess atomic bombs.

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Director Robert Altman, one of the most influential forces in American cinema, died of complications from cancer on Monday. He was 81.

A five-time Academy Award nominee and 2006 Lifetime Achievement Oscar recipient, Altman just recently directed A Prairie Home Companion — while at the same time battling the cancer that just took his life.

Altman worked while fighting cancer for last 18 months. No one expected he would die. His death was a surprise.
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