Another ‘Potter’ character to die

London — “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling said Friday that one of her characters will not survive the next book in her series about the young wizard.

Asked on her official Web site whether she planned to kill off any more characters, Rowling replied, “Yes, sorry.” But she refused to identify that character.

The sixth book in the series, “Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince,” is due to be published next year.

Potter himself is safe, at least for now. Rowling has previously said her teenage hero will survive until the seventh and final book in the series, but has refused to say whether he will reach adulthood.

Cancer cancels tour

Los Angeles — Singer Melissa Etheridge has been diagnosed with breast cancer and has canceled upcoming tour dates to undergo treatment, her publicist said Thursday.

Etheridge, 43, will undergo surgery, and a “speedy and complete recovery” is expected by her doctor, publicist Marcel Pariseau said in a statement.

The cancer was detected early and Etheridge has been receiving treatment, Pariseau said.

Etheridge’s latest album, “Lucky,” was released in February. Refunds for tickets to her upcoming shows will be available where they were bought; the entertainer’s Web site says she had been scheduled to play 11 dates in seven cities this month.

P. Diddy making new band

New York — Sean “P. Diddy” Combs is on the prowl for some ladies — who can sing and dance.

On Thursday, he announced dates for an open-call audition for his new MTV series, “Making the Band 3,” a reality show about Combs producing an all-girl pop group.

“I want a group of women that can sing like Christina Aguilera and dance like Usher,” Combs said. “I’m looking to create an international supergroup to follow in the footsteps of the Supremes and Destiny’s Child.”

Combs hosted “Making the Band 2” for three seasons in which he formed the hip-hop group, Da Band, before disbanding them. This time around, Combs sees less opportunity for failure.

“Diddy with the ladies! How can you go wrong?” he asked.

Designs on motherhood

London — Fashion designer Stella McCartney, daughter of former Beatle Paul McCartney, has announced that she is expecting her first child.

McCartney made the announcement Thursday at the launch of her new spring/summer collection during Paris Fashion Week. A spokesman for the designer confirmed she was 3 1/2 months pregnant.

McCartney, 33, married former publisher Alasdhair Willis in August 2003.

The baby will be the third grandchild for the former Beatle. His eldest daughter, Mary, has two sons.

His wife, Heather Mills McCartney, gave birth to a daughter, Beatrice, last year.