The accident involved no other vehicle and the Oscar winner was neither drunk nor under the influence of drugs at the wheel, police said in a statement.

“For unknown reasons, Mr Gibson steered his car to the right and struck the rock hillside,” the statement said.

“His vehicle was towed from the scene, DUI is not suspected in the accident,” it added.

The accident follows a troubled few weeks for the Australian-raised star, who is under investigation for domestic violence after his former partner Oksana Grigorieva released recordings of abusive telephone calls he allegedly made.

Gibson’s driving habits made the headlines in 2006 when he was arrested at the wheel with 1.5 times the legal blood alcohol limit.

He was sentenced to three years’ probation and fined $US1,300 after undergoing alcohol rehabilitation.

At the time, Gibson’s arrest exploded into a major scandal when he made anti-Semitic remarks to the highway patrol.

source

After Carradine’s body arrives back to the United States this weekend, an autopsy ordered by Carradine’s family will be conducted, according to the actor’s co-manager.

“They’re doing everything possible to get to the bottom of what really happened,” said Carradine’s co-manager Tiffany Smith.

Carradine, 72, became famous in the 1970s when he portrayed the traveling Shaolin monk Kwai Chang Caine in the television series “Kung Fu.”

Bangkok police said Carradine was found hanging by a nylon rope in a Bangkok hotel room closet Thursday morning.

“Our preliminary assumption is that the cause of death was suffocation, because there was a rope tied to his neck,” said Bangkok police spokesman Somprasong Yenthuam.

Autopsy results will not be available for three or four weeks, said a high-ranking Thai police source who asked not to be identified.

The actor’s body was released to the U.S. Embassy for a Saturday flight home after a judge signed the death certificate Friday, the police source said.

A member of the emergency crew who was called to the hotel after a maid found Carradine told CNN that a yellow nylon rope was tied around the actor’s neck and a black rope was around his genitals. Police later confirmed that information.

The same emergency crew source said Carradine’s hands were not tied, contrary to some media reports. Smith, the co-manager, also said media reports quoting the actor’s management saying the hands were tied were untrue.

“I do not know if you want to call it accidental,” Chuck Binder, Carradine’s manager, told CNN’s Larry King on Thursday. He said Carradine’s career was on a roll.

Binder said a producer of the movie, “Stretch,” which Carradine was to act in, called him from Thailand to tell him what was happening there.

“I do not want to get in the middle of this whole investigation, but this guy said to me for sure there was foul play,” Binder said.

Actor Michael Madsen told King that the one thing Carradine’s wife, Annie Bierman, wanted everyone to know is, “David was not suicidal.”

Investigators found no sign of a forced entry into Carradine’s room, Bangkok Police Lt. Colonel Pirom Chanpirom said.

Smith would not confirm Friday that Carradine’s family had hired private investigators to look into his death, but she did say a private autopsy would be done.

Modern audiences may best know Carradine as “Bill” in Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” films. He earned a 2005 Golden Globe nomination for his role in the second movie in the two-part saga.

Tarantino, also appearing on “Larry King Live,” called Carradine one of “Hollywood’s great mad geniuses.”

“He was a rock star at the time ‘Kung Fu’ came out,” Tarantino said, holding up a vintage metal lunch box with an image from the popular show.

“I’m in shock,” he said.

Carradine’s career included more than 100 feature films, two dozen television movies and theater work, according to the Internet Movie Database.

“He was clearly an actor who followed his own path,” said Leah Rozen, movie critic for People magazine.

“He was never a guy who talked a whole lot. You knew, as an actor, the characters he played, you knew they had a past, you knew there was probably some unhappiness there, but he wasn’t going to talk about it.”

Carradine was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role as folk music legend Woody Guthrie in the 1976 movie “Bound for Glory,” according to a biography on his official Web site.

He also made appearances in television series such as “Gunsmoke” and “Alfred Hitchcock Presents.” His first starring role in a series was as the title character in “Shane” in 1966.

Carradine was married five times and divorced four, according to People magazine.

He was the son of John Carradine, a character actor who appeared in hundreds of films, plays and television episodes.

“David’s career as an artist did not begin on the stage, though some of his early career was on and off Broadway. His earliest work was as a sculptor and painter,” Carradine’s official Web site says.

The site also includes an “Art Bio,” in which the actor opened up about his life.

“I’ve always had an especially hard time with everything I’ve tried to do,” Carradine wrote.

“I’ve made it pretty big as an actor in spite of being terminally shy. … Invariably, I had huge obstacles to overcome in anything I tried. Had to work against my genes to achieve my dreams.”

Carradine’s body to return home, while questions remain

Exodus Tyson was pronounced dead just before noon, police Sgt. Andy Hill said. She had been on life support and police have said their investigation showed her injury on Monday was a “tragic accident.”

“There are no words to describe the tragic loss of our beloved Exodus,” the family said in a statement. “We ask you now to please respect our need at this very difficult time for privacy to grieve and try to help each other heal.”

Police said Exodus either slipped or put her head in the loop of a cord hanging under the console. Her 7-year-old brother found her and told their mother. She took Exodus off the cord, called 911 and tried to revive her.

Responding officers and firefighters performed CPR as they took the girl to the hospital.

Former heavyweight champion Tyson was in Las Vegas at the time of the accident and flew Monday to Phoenix, where he was seen entering the hospital.

The family’s home is in a modest, quiet neighborhood. Neighbors say they saw Tyson there from time to time and the children played outside regularly.

Dinka Radic, who lives across the street, said Exodus would ask her if she had any chocolate. When Radic gave her some, Exodus would hug the woman’s knees and “kiss, kiss, kiss.”

“She’d say ‘hi’ to everybody. She was really friendly,” said Abdul Khalik, 53, who lives next door.

He said Exodus rode her bicycle in the neighborhood and often played with his two children and his niece. He said his 14-year-old daughter had cried all day after hearing of Exodus’ death.

Ben Brodhurst, 20, who lives across the street, said Exodus’ and her family went trick-or-treating at his house the last couple of Halloweens. She was “very lively, very enjoyable to be around,” he said.

The neighborhood contrasts starkly with the lavish lifestyle Tyson had through his tumultuous years of boxing, when he spent tens of millions of dollars and says he had millions more stolen from him by unscrupulous associates. During two years at the height of his career, he earned $140 million.

The death of his child in such an unusual accident adds an awful chapter to the boxer’s troubled life.

Tyson first began boxing in a facility for juvenile delinquents in upstate New York at the age of 12. Eight years later, he became the youngest heavyweight champion ever when he knocked out Trevor Berbick in 1986. But in 1990, he was defeated by James “Buster” Douglas in one of the biggest upsets in boxing history, and soon after was convicted of raping a beauty pageant contestant in Indianapolis.

Tyson, who still denies he raped the woman, served three years in prison.

A few years later, he served three months in jail for beating up two men after a minor car crash in suburban Washington.

As his career continued, so did his bizarre behavior. He bit off a piece of Evander Holyfield’s ear during a boxing match and once threatened to eat the children of heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis.

Although Tyson’s children had lived in their unassuming neighborhood for several years, he purchased a separate home in the tony Phoenix suburb of Paradise Valley in 2005 for $2.1 million, selling it two years later for $2.3 million.

In November 2007, Tyson spent 24 hours in Maricopa County’s “Tent City” jail after pleading guilty to one count of cocaine possession and one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence. Police found the drug when they pulled over Tyson’s car after he left a Scottsdale night club.

According to police, Tyson said after his arrest that he bought cocaine “whenever I can get my hands on it.”

At Tyson’s sentencing hearing, nearly a year after the arrest, his attorney David Chesnoff said his client had taken 29 drug tests without a relapse and was attending Alcoholic Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings.

Tyson had become an example of how one overcomes problems with drugs, a violent past and poor upbringing, Chesnoff said.

“He’s tried his hardest,” his attorney said, “despite coming from almost impossible beginnings.”

Police: Mike Tyson’s daughter dies following accident

An autopsy has been ordered to determine the cause of death, though it appeared to be a suicide, said an official with the Paris police headquarters. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of police agency policy, gave no details.

Gordon, who would have turned 29 on Friday, appeared in a dozen films, including as reporter Jennifer Dugan in “Spider-Man 3.” She portrays British singer and actress Jane Birkin in an upcoming biopic about Serge Gainsbourg.

Gordon’s father said the death was a “complete shock.”

Speaking from the family’s home in Oxford, Richard Gordon told Britain’s Press Association that his daughter was “a natural actress all her life, since she was about 2.”

“She’s always loved being on stage and in front of the camera and she has kept all her naturalness and charm all the way through. She has been the most beautiful daughter. We are obviously devastated.”

He said she loved her latest role, in the Gainsbourg film, and thought the cast was “wonderfully creative and supportive.”

He added that his daughter spent much of her childhood and her summer vacations in France and was bilingual. She recently moved to Paris after living in New York.

Gordon’s agents did not return phone calls seeking comment Thursday.

‘Spider-Man 3′ actress found dead

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Richardson, 45, daughter of actress Vanessa Redgrave, fell on a beginners’ slope at the Mont Tremblant resort in Canada on Monday.

Neeson’s publicist said the family were devastated by the death of their “beloved Natasha”.

She died in a New York hospital where she had been transferred.

The accident happened while the actress was taking a supervised skiing lesson at the Quebec resort.

Richardson initially showed no sign of injury after the incident but about an hour later she was taken to a nearby hospital after feeling unwell. It was later confirmed her injuries were critical.

Irish actor Neeson, 56, flew from the set of his new film in Toronto to be with his wife as soon as he heard news of the accident.

She was flown from Canada to Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, where her family live, on Tuesday.

Her husband, mother, Oscar-winning actress Vanessa Redgrave, 72, and two sons, Michael, 13, and Daniel, 12, had gathered at her bedside.

Her sister, the Nip/Tuck actress Joely Richardson, was also pictured visiting the hospital.

Richardson’s death was announced shortly before midnight GMT. Neeson left the New York hospital in the back seat of a black people carrier at about 2030 local time (0030 GMT).

Alan Nierob, Neeson’s publicist, said: “Liam Neeson, his sons, and the entire family are shocked and devastated by the tragic death of their beloved Natasha.

“They are profoundly grateful for the support, love and prayers of everyone, and ask for privacy during this very difficult time.”

Richardson starred in films and TV but won most acclaim for her stage work.

Part of the Redgrave acting dynasty, she is the daughter of Redgrave and director Tony Richardson

The Sunday Telegraph’s theatre critic, Tim Walker, said she never needed to ride on the coat-tails of her famous relations.

“The great thing about her was she was a great ensemble actress, she wasn’t one of these people who went out and decided that she wanted to be the big star and have everybody look at her,” she said.

“She had a sort of luminous presence on the stage, but off stage she was a very shy, easy-going, almost self-deprecating character who didn’t like being made a fuss of.”

Richardson, whose father director Tony died of Aids-related causes in 1991, was also on the board of the US-based charity amfAR, The Foundation for Aids Research.

A spokeswoman for the charity said she was a “dedicated Aids advocate” and an “eloquent spokesperson for amfAR”.

“She generously contributed her time and resources to amfAR for over 15 years,” she said.

“Natasha’s passion for the cause and tireless efforts gave hope and inspiration to the scientists and healthcare workers on the front lines of this deadly epidemic, as well as to the millions of people living with HIV/Aids around the world.”

BBC NEWS

Howard K. Stern and Drs. Khristine Eroshevich and Sandeep Kapoor were charged by Los Angeles County prosecutors after a two-year probe by the attorney general, state medical and insurance officials and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

“Doctors do not have a license to pump innocent and often vulnerable people full of dangerous chemicals,” Brown told a news conference. “Somebody died here, and this is bad business.”

In addition to conspiracy, the charges filed Thursday include unlawfully prescribing a controlled substance and prescribing, administering or dispensing a controlled substance to an addict. Stern faces six felony counts and the doctors face seven each.

Each defendant faces up to five years, eight months in prison, district attorney spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said.

“Howard K. Stern is the principal enabler, and Dr. Eroshevich and Dr. Kapoor are prescribing drugs excessively to a known addict and using false and fictitious names, all in violation of the law,” Brown said.

Medical Board of California spokeswoman Candis Cohen said action would be taken against the two doctors’ medical licenses after the criminal proceedings had been resolved. A range of disciplinary action could be taken, depending on the evidence, including possible revocation of their licenses.

Smith’s life had become a tabloid fixture by the time she died Feb. 8, 2007, in Florida. Embroiled in a battle to inherit millions of dollars from her late billionaire husband’s estate, her own son had died shortly after she gave birth to a girl.

Asked what may have been the motive for the alleged conspiracy, Brown suggested the potent allure of wealth and glamour.

“There’s a certain psychic gain here, part of the glitz and the celebrity and the power. There’s a lot of money floating around,” he said. “Is it self-indulgence? Is it some power trip? Is it just getting some contact high off of celebrity? That remains to be seen.”

Stern and Kapoor turned themselves in Thursday night and each posted $20,000 bond. Eroshevich was expected to surrender Monday.

Her attorney, Adam Braun, acknowledged Eroshevich wrote some of the prescriptions using fictitious names for Smith, but asserted it was for privacy reasons and not intended to commit fraud.

Braun said Eroshevich began treating Smith in September 2006 when she suffered a nervous breakdown stemming from the death of her 20-year-old son, Daniel Smith, from an accidental drug overdose three days after his mother gave birth to a girl.

Brown declined to comment when asked if there was a trail leading to Daniel Smith from doctors in California, nor did he comment on whether other individuals may face charges.

“We have given you the evidence that we think is ready for the prosecution,” he said.

Eroshevich, who was Smith’s psychiatrist, traveled several times over six months to the Bahamas, where Smith was living with Stern and wrote the prescriptions.

The criminal complaint also alleges Kapoor gave her excessive amounts of sleep aids, opiates, muscle relaxants and methadone-like drugs used to treat addiction, knowing she was an addict. Kapoor saw Smith in the spring of 2006 when she was treated at a Los Angeles County hospital for opiate withdrawal and prenatal care for the pregnancy of her daughter Dannielynn, according to the complaint.

Stern’s attorney L. Lin Wood said he anticipated releasing a statement about the case sometime Friday.

Kapoor’s attorney, Ellyn Garofalo, said the charges were without merit.

“I was surprised that after all this time, these charges surfaced suddenly like they did,” she said. “They are attempting to impose criminal penalties against a doctor who acted in good faith and provided the best medical care he was able to under the circumstances. If not for the fact this was Anna Nicole, I don’t think these charges would have been filed.”

Garofalo said her client specialized in gerontology and had inherited Smith as a patient when he took over the medical practice of her former doctor in Los Angeles about five years ago.

Smith was found unconscious in her room at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino near Hollywood, Fla. The former Playboy centerfold and Guess jeans model died the same day at a hospital. Her death was ruled an accidental drug overdose.

Aside from her time in the pages of Playboy, Smith gained notoriety for her marriage to J. Howard Marshall II, the Texas oil billionaire 63 years her senior whom she met while dancing at a Houston club. The pair married in 1994; she was 26, he was 89, and Marshall died the following year.

In 2002, Smith debuted her own reality TV show — the tagline for which was “she’s so outrageous” — in which cameras followed her through her daily life, often showing her in incoherent states. The star struggled with her weight and in 2003 became a spokeswoman for TrimSpa diet pills.

Stern originally claimed to be the father of Smith’s daughter, Dannielynn, but it was later established through a paternity test that photographer Larry Birkhead is the dad.

Jean Rosenbluth, a law professor at the University of Southern California, said prosecutors likely would have considered a range of charges including more serious ones.

They probably settled on the current charges, she said, because proving more serious allegations would have meant they needed to show malicious intent — something that may or may not have been present.

“The intent is always going to be key,” she said. “Was it always about making money, was it completely reckless and indifferent, or was there some, no matter how misguided, non-nefarious reason the defendant took the action?”

Loyola University Law School professor Laurie Levenson said prosecutors may have chosen not to file manslaughter or murder charges because “they did not establish exactly what caused her death. … It’s hard to say who is accountable for an accidental overdose.”

Brown, who is contemplating a run for governor next year, used his time at the podium to denounce abuse of prescription drugs and the “growing threat” from “people in white smocks in pharmacies … with their medical degrees.”

“Doctors do not have a license to pump innocent and often vulnerable people full of dangerous chemicals,” he said. “These cocktails of methadone and antidepressants and sleeping pills and Xanax — you put all that into a cocktail, it explodes.”

Arraignments had been set for May 13, he said.

Anna Nicole Smith’s boyfriend was ‘enabler