June Pointer (Age 52)
June Pointer, the youngest member of the vocal group The Pointer Sisters, died of cancer on Wednesday, with her family by her side. She is survived by three sisters -- Ruth, Anita, and Bonnie -- and two brothers -- Aaron and Fritz. The sisters, who received their vocal training at their father's church in West Oakland, CA, began as a quartet in the 1970s and become a trio when their sister Bonnie left to pursue a solo career in the '80s.

Shin Sang-ok (Age 80)
South Korean film director, Shin Sang-ok, whose own life had more twists than most Hollywood thrillers, died Tuesday, after a long bout with liver problems. South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun sent his condolences to the family and awarded posthumously a national cultural medal. Shin learned his craft in Japan and rose to fame in South Korea after World War Two helping build up the country's fledgling film industry. His production company, Shin Films, turned out hundreds of movies in the 1960s but dropped off considerably in the '70s under a repressive government regime. In a bizarre turn of events, while filming in Hong Kong in 1978, Shin and his wife were abducted in separate incidents. After a failed escape, he spent the next four years in a North Korean prison camp. Current North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, who was then a rising power in the communist state, has long been suspected of being the mastermind behind the abductions. Shin reported having an audience with Kim -- a film buff who reportedly has thousands of movies -- who wanted him to find new ways to enliven the North Korean film industry, using his wife Choi as a leading lady. Shin and Choi escaped captivity during a 1986 trip to Vienna in 1986 and spent a several years in the United States. The couple returned to South Korea in 2000.

Rajkumar (Age 77)
An icon of south Indian cinema and star of more than 200 films, Rajkumar, died Wednesday. The revered actor, who gained nationwide fame when he was kidnapped by notorious forest bandit Veerappan, died at his home in Bangalore from an apparent heart attack. His death sparked a wave of violence, effectively closed down much of the city, with major businesses downing shutters out of respect but also in fear of violent mobs that swept through the city as news of the actor's passing spread.

Source: Reuters