Sheriff’s officers: Hayes likely died of stroke

Memphis, Tenn. – Isaac Hayes apparently died of a stroke, officials with the sheriff’s department said Tuesday.

The deep-voiced soul singer died Sunday after he was found unconscious at his Memphis residence. No autopsy was performed, but paperwork filed by Hayes’ family physician, Dr. David Kraus, lists the cause of death as a stroke, sheriff’s spokesman Steve Shular said Tuesday.

Deputies were among the emergency crews that responded after a 911 call, and sheriff’s department detectives were looking into the death. Kraus told investigators that he had been treating Hayes, 65, for high blood pressure, Shular said.

Mental disability groups protest ‘Tropic Thunder’

Los Angeles – “Tropic Thunder” is pushing the boundaries of good taste too far for groups representing the mentally disabled.

Dozens of people from organizations such as the Special Olympics and the American Association of People with Disabilities protested the movie-industry spoof across the street from the film’s Los Angeles premiere at Mann’s Bruin Theatre on Monday. The protesters held up signs with slogans such as “Call me by my name, not by my label” and chanted phrases like “Ban the movie, ban the word.”

The groups are outraged over scenes featuring the liberal usage of a disparaging term used to describe the mentally disabled.

“When I heard about it, I felt really hurt inside,” said Special Olympics global messenger Dustin Plunkett. “I cannot believe a writer could write something like that. It’s the not the way that we want to be portrayed. We have feelings. We don’t like the word ‘retard.’ We are people.”

Actor charged with stabbing ex-girlfriend

San Diego – An actor who appeared in “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” was charged with attempted murder Tuesday after police said he stabbed his former girlfriend more than 20 times.

Shelley Malil, 43, remained in custody on $2 million bail. He was arrested late Monday as he left a train in Oceanside, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said.

Malil was charged late Monday with attempted murder and was scheduled to be arraigned today in Vista, north of San Diego, said Paul Levikow, a spokesman for the San Diego County District Attorney’s office.

Authorities confirmed the victim’s identity as Kendra Beebe. According to her Facebook page, she is a 35-year-old mother of two who works as an insurance broker in Carlsbad, a coastal suburb.

She was listed in critical condition Monday, according to the San Diego Sheriff’s Department. Spokeswoman Jan Caldwell said Tuesday she had no update on Beebe’s condition.