Beatles' firm chief Aspinall dies

Many have proclaimed themselves to be the "fifth Beatle" over the years, but when it comes to making sure the Fab Four will continue getting paid into infinity, Neil Aspinall holds the crown. Aspinall, who was the band's first road manager and served as the guardian of the Beatles' commercial interests as head of its Apple Corps record company until last year, has died in New York City. He was 66.

Aspinall, who lived in England, had been receiving treatment for lung cancer at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center when he died. His death was announced in a statement released by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, the widows of John Lennon and George Harrison, and Apple Corps.

"All his friends and loved ones will greatly miss him, but will always retain the fondest memories of a great man," the statement said.

The statement didn't say when Aspinall died, but Britain's Mail on Sunday newspaper reported Sunday that McCartney had flown out to see him.

Aspinall's death comes at the same time that Apple Corps has filed a federal lawsuit in Miami in an attempt to stop bootleg recordings from the Star-Club in Germany from being released. The complaint targets Fuego Entertainment, which announced in January that it had acquired 15 tracks of previously unreleased performances of the Beatles at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany, that were made just before the group signed its record deal with EMI's Parlophone in 1962.

The complaint contends that the band's contract with the club did not permit any recording.

Soulja Boy's bus hit with rock

Contrary to popular belief, not every 12-year-old boy in the country likes Soulja Boy. A 12-year-old resident of Bloomington, Ill., was arrested late last week and accused of throwing a rock through Soulja Boy's tour bus windshield, police told the Bloomington Pantagraph newspaper. Bloomington Police Lt. Pete Avery said the boy told officers, "I hate Soulja Boy."

The boy threw the rock at the bus about 7:40 p.m. outside the Hampton Inn West, 906 Maple Hill Road, department spokesman Dave White said. Soulja Boy performed Wednesday night at nearby US Cellular Coliseum.

Several readers posted comments on the paper's Web site about the incident, including one named "laurenmarie123." "This kid should be awarded a medal of honor. I applaud him and next time he should use a brick for more damage," she wrote.

Another, "buckeye," wrote, "This boy should be arrested, wasting a perfectly good rock, its criminal."

Corinne Bailey Rae's husband dies

Tragedy has hit breakout British singer Corinne Bailey Rae, as her 31-year-old husband, Jason Rae, was found dead Saturday in an apartment in Leeds, England. According to BBC News, a police spokesperson said officers arrested a 32-year-old man on suspicion of supplying controlled drugs following the discovery of the body.

Rae was a saxophone player and a member of the Haggis Horns, which has served as a backing band for Bailey Rae, Amy Winehouse, and Mark Ronson. The Haggis Horns released its debut album, Hot Damn! in September 2007. Bailey Rae, 29, met her husband while working as a cloakroom attendant at a Leeds jazz club. They married in 2001. Police are awaiting toxicology reports on Rae following an inconclusive autopsy.

"EMI Records would like to offer its sincere condolences to Corinne Bailey Rae and the Rae family at this tragic time," Bailey Rae's label said in a statement. "We ask that the media respect Corinne's privacy and that of her entire family."

The Times Online reported that Bailey Rae has always been adamant that she's never taken drugs, and that earlier this year she was involved in a project for young people who were asked to use their songwriting talents in the war against drugs.

"Helping to raise awareness among teenagers about the danger of drugs is vital, and combining this with the chance to showcase local songwriting talent is a great idea," she said at the time. "The impact of drugs in our local communities cannot be underestimated."

Adele inks deal with Columbia

The wave of British soul singers shows no signs of letting up. The latest emerging songstress from the UK, Adele, has inked a deal with Columbia Records to release her debut album, 19, in the US. The 19-year-old singer is riding a heap of buzz in recent weeks following her Brit Award win for the artist "most likely to make it big in 2008."

19 topped the UK album charts when it was released in January, riding the success of the single, "Chasing Pavements." Adele is currently in the middle of a short North American tour, which has included two sell-out shows at New York's Joe's Pub, and a gig at LA's Hotel Cafe.

Tejano singer Navaira injured

Grammy-winning Tejano singer Emilio Navaira was critically injured when his band's bus crashed on a highway in Houston early Sunday morning, city officials told the Associated Press. Navaira and his band Rio had performed at a Houston nightclub on Saturday night. At about 5 a.m. Sunday, the band's bus slammed into traffic barrels on the highway, Bellaire police Sgt. Daniel Kerr said.

Navaira was one of eight passengers on the bus who was injured, said Houston assistant Fire Chief Omero Longoria. Navaira was listed in critical condition at Memorial Hermann Hospital, where he was being treated in the intensive care unit, said hospital administrator Lisa Lagrone.

Navaira underwent two hours of emergency surgery to relieve a large blood clot on the surface of his brain underneath the skull, and he has been put into a chemically induced coma, Dr. Alex Valadka told Reuters Monday.

Navaira, 45, and Rio have released more than a dozen albums, including Acuerdate, which won the 2003 Grammy for best Tejano album.