Actor Chris Penn died of heart disease
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 14 (UPI) -- Actor Chris Penn died last month from an enlarged heart, the Los Angeles County coroner's office has ruled.
Penn, 40, also had prescription medicines in his bloodstream, one of which may have been a contributing factor to his death, The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.
An autopsy and toxicology tests revealed Penn died of "nonspecific cardiomyopathy," a usually fatal disease of the heart muscle.
His heart was enlarged, weak and "could have given out at any time," coroner's spokesman Craig Harvey told the newspaper.
"Primarily, he just had a bad heart," Harvey said.
Phenergan, a commonly prescribed cough syrup that contains an antihistamine and codeine, played a role in his death as well, but "was not a direct cause," Harvey said. He had other prescription drugs in his system as well, but nothing illegal.
Phenergan can cause breathing problems in obese patients. Penn was 6 foot-2 inches and weighed 310 pounds when he was found dead at his Santa Monica, Calif., condo on Jan. 24.
Mineta scolds Britney for driving incident
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta blasted pop star Britney Spears as "irresponsible" for driving with her infant son on her lap.
"No matter who you are, there's absolutely no excuse for this display -- not instinct, not fear, not even reckless paparazzi," Mineta said as he kicked off National Child Passenger Safety Week Monday in Philadelphia.
"It's irresponsible to compromise the safety of a child for the sake of the moment," he added.
The photos taken Feb. 6 by paparazzi prompted Los Angeles County welfare workers to send sheriff's deputies to Spears's home. Law enforcement officials, however, said she would not be charged with a crime.
Spears released a statement saying she was being chased by paparazzi and was "instinctively" protecting her son by not returning him to his child seat.
Mineta said the pop star's actions "send the wrong message to millions of fans."
California law requires children under the age of 6 or weighing less than 60 pounds to be in special car safety seats.
Mob widow says 'Sopranos' stole her life
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Feb. 14 (UPI) -- The widow of a Boca Raton, Fla., mob boss is suing HBO because she says her family was used as the model for its hit drama, "The Soporanos."
Lynda Milito, wife of the late Louie Milito, told a Monday news conference in Fort Lauderdale "The Sopranos" creators used her life for the character of Carmella Soprano, played by Edie Falco, and her husband's for mob boss, Tony Soprano, played by James Gandolfini, WPLG-TV, Miami/Fort Lauderdale, reported.
Milito said she wants "fair compensation" from HBO, as well as "The Sopranos" production company and writers.
The show contains too many parallels to her own life to be a coincidence, she said.
Milito also repeated her claim that her husband killed Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa back in 1975.
She said her husband of 23 years disappeared two months after telling her he killed Hoffa.
Milito, the author of "Mafia Wife: My Story of Love, Murder and Madness" and "Mafia Widow," first made the Hoffa claim in her second book.
Les Paul out of hospital, 'feeling better'
MAHWAH, N.J., Feb. 14 (UPI) -- Rock and Rock Hall of Famer Les Paul has been released from the hospital and is back at his Mahwah, N.J., home, it was reported Tuesday.
The guitar icon and last week's double Grammy winner was "feeling much better," a spokeswoman told the Los Angeles Times.
Paul, 90, missed Wednesday night's Grammy Awards ceremony because of a bout with pneumonia, the newspaper said.
He won the Grammys for both pop instrumental and rock instrumental releases.
