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JAMES ARNESS: Television actor James Arness died Friday of natural causes at his home in Brentwood, Calif., a family spokeswoman said. He was 88.

Arness family representative Ginny Fazer confirmed his death to the Los Angeles Times.

The actor is best known for starring in "Gunsmoke," a TV western that ran on CBS from 1955 to 1975. In it, Arness played the fictional Matt Dillon, the marshal of Dodge City.

His 6-foot-6 frame made him tower over most leading men and for that reason he could not get leading men roles in the few movies he made. His height, however, earned special recognition for years among cult fans for his portrayal of an alien spaceship crash survivor in the 1951 science-fiction drama, "The Thing." Arness' character was seen only at the climax of the picture when he runs amok at a military installation in Alaska where the space ship crashed.

Arness was born James Aurness on May 26, 1923, in Minneapolis. He was the brother of late actor Peter Graves.

As a recovering wounded World War II veteran, Arness took up acting in theater groups and supported himself as a real estate and advertising man. He made a screen debut under his real name Aurness in 1947 in "The Farmer's Daughter," but later shortened his name.

His film credits include "Battleground," 1949; "Wagonmaster," 1950; "The People Against O'Hara," 1951; "Carbine Williams," "Big Jim McLain," 1952; "Horizons West," 1952; "Lone Hand," "Hondo," 1953; "Them," "Her Twelve Men," 1954; "Many Rivers to Cross," 1955; "The Sea Chase," 1955; "Flame of the Islands," 1955; "Gun the Man Down," 1956; "The First Traveling Saleslady," 1956, and "Alias Jesse James," 1959.

Arness also starred from 1978 to 1979 in "How the West Was Won" and from 1981 to 1982 in the police drama, "McLain's Law."

Arness married Virginia Chapman in 1948, but they divorced in 1960 and she died in 1976, Wikipedia said. The actor wed Janet Surtees in 1978 and remained married to her until his death. In addition to his second wife, Arness is survived by a son, Rolf. He is predeceased by a second son, Craig, and a daughter, Jenny Lee Aurness.

ADELE: British singer Adele has canceled the remaining nine dates of her sold-out North American tour due to ongoing illness, Columbia Records said Friday.

Adele recently postponed five shows under doctor's orders when she was diagnosed with laryngitis.

While resting in Los Angeles, the 23-year-old recording artist met with an otolaryngologist who determined it was imperative she take the next few weeks to recover with absolute voice rest, her representatives said.

Adele had intended to resume her tour this week in San Francisco, before learning of her advanced condition.

"I'm really frustrated," she said in a statement Friday. "I was hoping with a week's rest I'd be better to sing again straight away. However, there is absolutely nothing I can do but take the doctor's advice and rest some more. I'm so sorry. See you soon."

Plans to reschedule these canceled tour dates are being explored; more information will be provided when available, Columbia Records said.

Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" is No. 1 on the U.S. record chart this week.

SEAN KINGSTON: Sean Kingston remains hospitalized in Miami after a jet ski crash, but he is showing signs of improvement, sources close to the singer told TMZ.

The celebrity news Web site said Friday Kingston still has a breathing tube in his mouth so he can't talk, but he is awake, alert and communicating through nods and sign language.

Doctors expect him to stay in the hospital for a few more weeks, TMZ said.

The 21-year-old recording artist and a female passenger were injured Sunday when their watercraft struck the Palm Island Bridge. Another person rescued Kingston and his companion from the water.

NAOMI CAMPBELL: Cadbury has apologized to Naomi Campbell for a controversial ad for its Dairy Milk Bliss chocolate in which the British supermodel is mentioned.

The slogan for the ad includes the line, "Move over Naomi, there's a new diva in town."

"It's upsetting to be described as chocolate, not just for me but for all black women and black people," Campbell told the British newspaper The Guardian. "I do not find any humor in this. It is insulting and hurtful."

Cadbury said in a statement issued to The Telegraph newspaper in England Friday it "understands that our latest advertising campaign for Cadbury Dairy Milk Bliss caused upset to Naomi Campbell and her family."

"Cadbury takes its responsibility to consumers very seriously indeed and we would never deliberately produce any marketing material we felt might cause offense to any section of society. It was not our intention that this campaign should offend Naomi, her family or anybody else and we are sincerely sorry that it has done so," the company said.

The Telegraph said the ads have since been pulled and Campbell has accepted the company's mea culpa.

"The advertisement was in poor taste on a number of levels, not least in the way they likened me to their chocolate bar. It is also a shame that it took so long for Cadbury to offer this apology," Campbell said in a statement.