Update: Elizabeth Edwards Has Died

Elizabeth Edwards has lost her long-time battle with cancer. She died at home today. She was 61. (WRAL)

West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd Dead at 92

Good-bye Robert Byrd. Our relationship was complex. I'll always remember you as that one Democratic Senator who used to be a Klansman, but hated the Republican Party so much that even after all your Dixiecrat friends switched parties in the 1970s you just said, Eff it. I'll take my chances with the hippies and the Negro lovers. (Really. How bad must he hate the GOP? Did they shoot his dog or something?) He later renounced his 1930s Klan past and apologized for all that putting his foot on the colored person's neck stuff, including his part in the filibuster of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. (He turned around and voted for it when it came up again in 1968.)

Becoming the George Wallace of the Senate without having to get shot first, Byrd, for the most part, was a somewhat Liberal Senator (He hated the Iraq War!) who sometimes held conservative views. (OMG! Gays! The gays are COMING!) He was also an early Obama endorser in 2008.

Byrd was also the ultimate Senate insider and was a master of getting government money for West Virginia. He was pretty shameless about it, in fact. If you drive through that state you will quickly learn that 50 years in the Senate will get your name on just about any ding dong dang thing. Byrd was the longest serving senator in U.S. History. The previous record holder was ol' Strom Thurmond of South Carolina. (Politico)

Legendary Singer, Actress Lena Horne Dead at 92

"I was unique in that I was a kind of black that white people could accept. I was their daydream. I had the worst kind of acceptance because it was never for how great I was or what I contributed. It was because of the way I looked." -- Lena Horne

Lena Horne, ground-breaking performer and star of film and stage, was one of the most popular vocalists of her era. In the 1940s she was among the first black performers to integrate the popular Copacobana night club. While she was featured in many films, her parts (usually as a lounge singer) were often cut out when shown in the South. She is probably best known for her featured roles in "Stormy Weather" and "Cabin in the Sky."

More after the jump.

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Football QB Steve McNair Found Shot to Death

As if there wasn't already enough sadness to go around, former NFL quarterback Steve McNair was found dead Saturday, shot in the head. He and a 20-year-old woman along side him were killed inside his downtown condo.

More after the jump.

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Cabaret star, singer, actress, icon and Catwoman: Eartha Kitt dead at 81

I wanna be eeeeevil! (From YouTube via Defamer, story People Magazine)

Sad News: Barack Obama's Grandmother Dies Hours Before Election Day

This has to be an emotional whirlwind for Barack and his family -- to be on the verge of the biggest night of their lives and to lose a loved one.

From CNN:

(CNN) -- Sen. Barack Obama's grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, has died following a bout with cancer, Obama and his sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, said Monday.

She was 86.

"She was the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility," their statement said.

"She was the person who encouraged and allowed us to take chances. She was proud of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and left this world with the knowledge that her impact on all of us was meaningful and enduring. Our debt to her is beyond measure."

Obama and Soetoro-Ng asked that donations be made for the search for a cure for cancer in lieu of flowers. A small private ceremony will be held "at a later date."

Dunham passed away peacefully at her home shortly before midnight Sunday night (5 a.m. ET), campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki told CNN. She said Obama learned of her death around 8 a.m.