Daniel Nestor, Pat Quinn among Order of Canada recipients

Tennis star Daniel Nestor and longtime NHL coach and general manager Pat Quinn are among the 44 Order of Canada honourees being recognized today.

Others receiving Order of Canada honours at an investiture ceremony at Rideau Hall include:

• Author and journalist Silver Donald Cameron.
• Writer Greg Hollingshead.
• Autism advocate Margaret Spoelstra.
• Columnist and CBC At Issue panelist Chantal Hébert.
• Architect Marianne McKenna.
• Journalist Craig Oliver.
• Retired Supreme Court justice Ian Binnie.
• Aaju Peter, an Iqaluit clothing designer, lawyer and activist.

The Order of Canada is bestowed four times a year at an investiture ceremony presided over by Gov. Gen. David Johnston. Anyone can nominate a living Canadian (politicians and judges must not be in office) for the honour, and appointments are recommended by an advisory panel chaired by the chief justice of the Supreme Court.

More than 5,000 people have been invested in the Order since its inception in 1967.

Watch the ceremony live. Here is the full list of Friday's 44 recipients:

Members of the Order of Canada

• Carolyn Acker, C.M., Toronto.
• Patsy Anderson, C.M., Toronto.
• Allan Gordon Bell, C.M., Cochrane, Alta.
• Robert B. Bourne, C.M., London, Ont.
• Silver Donald Cameron, C.M., O.N.S., Halifax.
• Franklin Delaney, C.M., Beaconsfield.
• Wadih M. Fares, C.M., Halifax.
• Anthony (Tony) Fields, C.M., Edmonton.
• Alia Hogben, C.M., Gananoque, Ont.
• Greg Hollingshead, C.M., Edmonton.
• Nancy Kilgour, C.M., Calgary.
• Henry Kloppenburg, C.M., Saskatoon.
• Merril Knudston, C.M., Calgary.
• Louis LaPierre, C.M., Dieppe, N.B.
• William Laskin, C.M., Toronto.
• Monique F. Leroux, C.M., Montreal.
• Kenneth Maybee, C.M., O.M.M., C.D. (deceased), Fredericton.
• Elizabeth McWeeny, C.M., Thunder Bay, Ont.
• Bernice Morgan, C.M., St. John's.
• Daniel Nestor, C.M., Toronto and Nassau.
• Aaju Peter, C.M., Iqaluit.
• Gordon Rawlinson, C.M., Calgary and Prince Albert, Sask.
• Jean-Guy Rioux, C.M., Shippagan, N.B.
• Michèle Rouleau, C.M., C.Q., Montreal.
• Marie Saint Pierre, C.M., C.Q., Montreal.
• Steven Schipper, C.M., Winnipeg.
• Margaret Spoelstra, C.M., Toronto.

Officers of the Order of Canada

• Elizabeth Dowdeswell, O.C., Toronto.
• Gordon Guyatt, O.C., Dundas, Ont.
• Chantal St-Cyr Hébert, O.C., Montreal.
• Paul F. Hoffman, O.C., Victoria.
• Maryse Lassonde, O.C., C.Q., Montréal.
• John Last, O.C., Ottawa.
• Jean-François Lépine, O.C., Montreal.
• Hadi-Khan Mahabadi, O.C., Toronto.
• Marianne McKenna, O.C., Toronto.
• Jean-Jacques Nattiez, O.C., C.Q., Montréal (Promotion within the Order).
• Craig Oliver, O.C. Ottawa
• John Brian Patrick (Pat) Quinn, O.C., Vancouver.
• The Hon. John D. Richard, O.C., Ottawa.
• Cecil H. Rorabeck, O.C., London, Ont.
• Gordon Semenoff, O.C., Surrey, B.C.
• The Hon. Marilyn Trenholme Counsell, O.C., O.N.B., Sackville, N.B.

Companion of the Order of Canada

• The Hon. William Ian Corneil Binnie, C.C., Toronto.

Corrections and Clarifications

• An earlier version of this story incorrectly mentioned Helene Campbell as a recipient of the Order of Canada. Campbell in fact received the Order of Ottawa on Nov. 22. Nov. 23, 2012 | 11:30 AM ET

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Dallas TV star Larry Hagman dies

Larry Hagman, the American actor who played the nefarious oilman J.R. Ewing in popular TV series Dallas, has died at age 81.

His family said in a statement that he died Friday afternoon in a Dallas hospital of complications of cancer.

"Larry was back in his beloved hometown of Dallas, re-enacting the iconic role he loved the most. Larry's family and closest friends had joined him in Dallas for the Thanksgiving holiday," the family said.

The actor was surrounded by friends and family before he passed peacefully, "just as he'd wished for," the statement said.

Hagman had undergone a liver transplant in 2005 and treatment for throat cancer as recently as 2011.

A stage actor early in his career, Hagman made his name primarily in TV, first in the soaps and later as astronaut Maj. Anthony Nelson in I Dream of Jeannie.

Dallas made him an international star, both in the original series, which ran 1978 to 1991, and the more recent show, which began its run in June 2012.

This 1981 file photo shows Larry Hagman in character as J.R. Ewing in the TV series Dallas. (CBS/Associated Press)

Linda Gray, his on-screen wife and later ex-wife in the original series and the sequel, was among those with Hagman in his final moments, said her publicist, Jeffrey Lane.

"He brought joy to everyone he knew. He was creative, generous, funny, loving and talented, and I will miss him enormously. He was an original and lived life to the fullest," the actress said.

With its twisted family dynamics, soapy plots and cliffhanger endings, Dallas was a phenomenon. As J.R. Ewing, Hagman was the man the world loved to hate. His scheming and greed kept the Ewing family divided and TV viewers mesmerized.

Hagman said he'd modelled J.R. after a Texan he'd known who had four sons "and when he died the four sons were all jockeying over who was going to take over the empire."

In 1980, the "Who Shot J.R.?" episode drew 83 million people, a record at the time for a single TV episode. It had 400 million viewers around the world. In an interview with the BBC, Hagman recalled travelling to Romania and being recognized.

"A guy came up to me with tears in his eyes and said 'Thank you, J.R. for saving Romania.' I said 'What?' He said 'You saved this country. We were allowed to have three television shows a day and two were political speeches and the other was Dallas to show how corrupt the morals of the United States was," Hagman recalled. "Big mistake. People saw what was happening in America and they wanted that."

2 Emmys for Dallas portrayal

Hagman's other major foray into American living rooms couldn't have been more different. He played genial astronaut Maj. Anthony Nelson on I Dream of Jeannie, the 1960s sitcom also starring Barbara Eden.

As Maj. Nelson, Hagman spent most of the series trying to hide the fact that he'd found a genie in a bottle. Eden, glamorous in her harem outfit, calls him "Master" and complicates his life by using her magic in an effort to fix problems.

Born in Fort Worth, Texas, Hagman was the son of actress Mary Martin and a local attorney, Benjamin Hagman. His parents divorced when he was five and he split his time between his grandparents in Texas and his mother in New York.

After falling in love with acting in high school, he attended Bard College in New York state and followed his mother into acting.

He appeared in the New York City Center production of The Taming the Shrew, did a year in regional theatre and five years in London as part of the cast of his mother's South Pacific.

This 1967 file photo shows Barbara Eden, left, and Larry Hagman in a scene from the TV show I Dream of Jeannie. (NBC/Associated Press)

He served in the U.S. air force during the Korean War, where he produced and directed several series for members of the service.

After completing his service in the air force, he appeared in Broadway and off-Broadway productions of plays such as Once Around the Block, Comes A Day and The Nervous Set.

Hagman began his television career in 1961 with a number of guest appearances on such shows as The Alcoa Hour before getting a role for two years on the popular daytime series The Edge of Night in 1956.

"They didn't have Teleprompters in that time and it was live and if you goofed up, you goofed up. There was no coming back," Hagman said of his time on the soap. "I did a couple of years of that and it really paid off. You got confidence after a while."

His other TV credits included The Good Life, Here We Go Again and Applause, a TV version of the Broadway musical in which he played opposite Lauren Bacall.

Then Dallas made him a household name. Hagman was nominated twice for an Emmy Award for his role as J.R. Ewing and became the highest-paid actor in television after it became clear to producers his character was driving the show. A couple of Dallas reunion movies followed.

Later projects included hosting Lone Star, an eight-part documentary series about the history of Texas, and appearing in Oliver Stone's movie, Nixon. He also had roles in recent TV series such as Desperate Housewives and Nip/Tuck.

Hagman told a Dallas fanzine he had never seen Desperate Housewives before he was offered the part of Frank Kaminsky.

"He's a terrible man: ultra, ultra rich and very profane and just awful. I mean he's much more awful than J.R.," he said. "J.R. had some subtleties to him - this guy's straight-out bad."

Heavy drinking leads to cirrhosis

In 1995, Hagman needed a liver transplant, after years of heavy drinking led to cirrhosis of the liver. He was successful in getting a donor and spent seven weeks in hospital, but the procedure was controversial among people who felt he had caused his own illness with too much alcohol.

After that experience, Hagman became a prominent spokesman for organ donation and adopted a healthier lifestyle. He also created the Larry Hagman's Stop Smoking for Life video for the American Cancer Society.

In his autobiography, Hello Darlin': Tall (And Absolutely True) Tales About My Life, he also admitted to trying LSD and finding it a "profound experience in my life that.. changed my pattern of life and my way of thinking."

He also spoke of marijuana and mescaline use in the book.

Later in life, Hagman became an advocate for a green lifestyle and showed off the solar energy he harnessed at his home.

In 1954 Hagman married Swedish-born Maj Axelsson, who he met in the U.K, They had two children, Heidi Kristina and Preston and lived in Ojai, Calif. In 2008 Maj Hagman was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

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'The Beachcombers' remembered 40 years later

Jackson Davies, one of Canada's most recognizable veteran actors, has just published a book about the 40th anniversary of the show that launched his career, and he's called it, appropriately, Beachcombers at 40.

When The Beachcombers began airing on CBC in 1972, it soon became a Sunday night viewing habit for many Canadian families at a time when there weren't 200 channels and homes had only one TV.

Davies, who played the tall, earnest and moustachioed Const. Constable, has watched a lot of the shows again in the course of writing the book.

"It's funny. There were some I looked at and I couldn't remember. I went, 'I did that?' Again, I think it's the carry-over of the shows we did," said Davies. "We were really ahead in doing First Nations stories as part of the community. I look back and realize just how much fun we had."

Heart of the show

The late Bruno Gerussi starred as Nick Adonidas, and really was the heart of the show, Davies said. The book is subtitled Bruno and the Beach.

Davies said Gerussi was a man of big passions, whether it was food, wine or acting, and around him were dozens of other cast and crew members who formed a community.

Davies hopes the book reflects that.

"We wanted it to be kind of like a family album, kind of a fun little look back at this show that wasn't supposed to survive but it ended up being the longest running show in Canadian television history."

The Beachcombers was an international hit and was the first look at Canada for many foreign viewers.

"Well, you know, it sold in 50 or 60 countries, and not just one or two episodes. We're talking hundreds of episodes for a number of years."

With files from the CBC's Tim Weekes

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Chinese film takes top prize at Golden Horse Awards

China's Beijing Blues has won the best film award and Hong Kong's Johnnie To took home the best director's award at Taiwan's Golden Horse Film Festival, an event considered the Chinese-language Oscars.

Beijing Blues portrays the lives of the urban dwellers through the work of a squad of plainclothes crime-hunters.

In receiving the award, director Gao Qun Shu was visibly shocked, and he thanked "the globe" for giving an inexperienced director like him such honour and recognition.

Hong Kong's To won best director for Life Without Principle, which is about ordinary citizens in Hong Kong who are caught in the fallout of the global financial meltdown.

The film also won veteran Hong Kong actor Lau Ching Wan the best actor award for his portrayal of a triad thug seeking to recover money lost in a loan shark scheme.

Lau said he was happy to receive the award "even though you don't act in order to win an award."

Taiwan's Gwei Lun-mei won the best actress award for portraying a woman involved in a romantic triangle in GF-BF (short for "Girlfriend-Boyfriend"). She burst into tears on receiving the award after beating out prominent contenders including Hao Lei and Bai Bai He, both of China.

Controversial Chinese filmmaker Lou Ye did not receive the widely expected director's award for his box-office hit Mystery. Lou's name was mentioned at the ceremony, though, in recognition of his finally directing a movie that was screened in Chinese theatres.

Mystery — about a woman's radical revenge after uncovering her husband's infidelity — is seen as marking Lou's entry into the commercial mainstream after years on the social and artistic edge.

Lou's films have long focused on sensitive subjects like sex, violence and politics, and have repeatedly been censored by China's cultural authorities.

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'The Beachcombers' remembered 40 years later

Jackson Davies, one of Canada's most recognizable veteran actors, has just published a book about the 40th anniversary of the show that launched his career, and he's called it, appropriately, Beachcombers at 40.

When The Beachcombers began airing on CBC in 1972, it soon became a Sunday night viewing habit for many Canadian families at a time when there weren't 200 channels and homes had only one TV.

Davies, who played the tall, earnest and moustachioed Const. Constable, has watched a lot of the shows again in the course of writing the book.

"It's funny. There were some I looked at and I couldn't remember. I went, 'I did that?' Again, I think it's the carry-over of the shows we did," said Davies. "We were really ahead in doing First Nations stories as part of the community. I look back and realize just how much fun we had."

Heart of the show

The late Bruno Gerussi starred as Nick Adonidas, and really was the heart of the show, Davies said. The book is subtitled Bruno and the Beach.

Davies said Gerussi was a man of big passions, whether it was food, wine or acting, and around him were dozens of other cast and crew members who formed a community.

Davies hopes the book reflects that.

"We wanted it to be kind of like a family album, kind of a fun little look back at this show that wasn't supposed to survive but it ended up being the longest running show in Canadian television history."

The Beachcombers was an international hit and was the first look at Canada for many foreign viewers.

"Well, you know, it sold in 50 or 60 countries, and not just one or two episodes. We're talking hundreds of episodes for a number of years

With files from the CBC's Tim Weekes

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Daniel Nestor, Pat Quinn among Order of Canada recipients

Tennis star Daniel Nestor and longtime NHL coach and general manager Pat Quinn are among the 44 Order of Canada honourees being recognized today.

Others receiving Order of Canada honours at an investiture ceremony at Rideau Hall include:

• Author and journalist Silver Donald Cameron.
• Writer Greg Hollingshead.
• Autism advocate Margaret Spoelstra.
• Columnist and CBC At Issue panelist Chantal Hébert.
• Architect Marianne McKenna.
• Journalist Craig Oliver.
• Retired Supreme Court justice Ian Binnie.
• Aaju Peter, an Iqaluit clothing designer, lawyer and activist.

The Order of Canada is bestowed four times a year at an investiture ceremony presided over by Gov. Gen. David Johnston. Anyone can nominate a living Canadian (politicians and judges must not be in office) for the honour, and appointments are recommended by an advisory panel chaired by the chief justice of the Supreme Court.

More than 5,000 people have been invested in the Order since its inception in 1967.

Watch the ceremony live. Here is the full list of Friday's 44 recipients:

Members of the Order of Canada

• Carolyn Acker, C.M., Toronto.
• Patsy Anderson, C.M., Toronto.
• Allan Gordon Bell, C.M., Cochrane, Alta.
• Robert B. Bourne, C.M., London, Ont.
• Silver Donald Cameron, C.M., O.N.S., Halifax.
• Franklin Delaney, C.M., Beaconsfield.
• Wadih M. Fares, C.M., Halifax.
• Anthony (Tony) Fields, C.M., Edmonton.
• Alia Hogben, C.M., Gananoque, Ont.
• Greg Hollingshead, C.M., Edmonton.
• Nancy Kilgour, C.M., Calgary.
• Henry Kloppenburg, C.M., Saskatoon.
• Merril Knudston, C.M., Calgary.
• Louis LaPierre, C.M., Dieppe, N.B.
• William Laskin, C.M., Toronto.
• Monique F. Leroux, C.M., Montreal.
• Kenneth Maybee, C.M., O.M.M., C.D. (deceased), Fredericton.
• Elizabeth McWeeny, C.M., Thunder Bay, Ont.
• Bernice Morgan, C.M., St. John's.
• Daniel Nestor, C.M., Toronto and Nassau.
• Aaju Peter, C.M., Iqaluit.
• Gordon Rawlinson, C.M., Calgary and Prince Albert, Sask.
• Jean-Guy Rioux, C.M., Shippagan, N.B.
• Michèle Rouleau, C.M., C.Q., Montreal.
• Marie Saint Pierre, C.M., C.Q., Montreal.
• Steven Schipper, C.M., Winnipeg.
• Margaret Spoelstra, C.M., Toronto.

Officers of the Order of Canada

• Elizabeth Dowdeswell, O.C., Toronto.
• Gordon Guyatt, O.C., Dundas, Ont.
• Chantal St-Cyr Hébert, O.C., Montreal.
• Paul F. Hoffman, O.C., Victoria.
• Maryse Lassonde, O.C., C.Q., Montréal.
• John Last, O.C., Ottawa.
• Jean-François Lépine, O.C., Montreal.
• Hadi-Khan Mahabadi, O.C., Toronto.
• Marianne McKenna, O.C., Toronto.
• Jean-Jacques Nattiez, O.C., C.Q., Montréal (Promotion within the Order).
• Craig Oliver, O.C. Ottawa
• John Brian Patrick (Pat) Quinn, O.C., Vancouver.
• The Hon. John D. Richard, O.C., Ottawa.
• Cecil H. Rorabeck, O.C., London, Ont.
• Gordon Semenoff, O.C., Surrey, B.C.
• The Hon. Marilyn Trenholme Counsell, O.C., O.N.B., Sackville, N.B.

Companion of the Order of Canada

• The Hon. William Ian Corneil Binnie, C.C., Toronto.

Corrections and Clarifications

• An earlier version of this story incorrectly mentioned Helene Campbell as a recipient of the Order of Canada. Campbell in fact received the Order of Ottawa on Nov. 22. Nov. 23, 2012 | 11:30 AM ET

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Stars from Bieber to Lightfoot ready for Grey Cup party

An all-star, all-Canadian roster of entertainers spanning the generations is set to perform over the next four days in Toronto as part of the Grey Cup Festival.

The younger generation is well-represented at the half-time show Sunday, with Stratford, Ont., teen sensation Justin Bieber and hot new artist Carly Rae Jepsen of Mission, B.C., to perform.

But Grey Cup organizers haven't forgotten the veteran fans. Somewhere during that short 20 minutes, Gordon Lightfoot will take to the stage and, for those who prefer their rock a little harder, Vancouver band Marianas Trench.

Lightfoot has no hesitation about sharing a stage with Bieber, saying he was impressed by the youngster's album, My World 2.0.

"It has that truly professional sparkle to it," said Lightfoot, who was singing himself as a teenager.

"It's a wonderful opportunity for me to have a show with Justin Bieber. It certainly is and I'm certainly going to give it a great shot."

Lightfoot told CBC News he's a long-time football fan and excited about being part of the Grey Cup experience.

"I learned about it from my Dad. I used to watch the Grey Cup games when I was in grade school My Dad, Gordon Sr., knew all about the CFL," he said.

The all-Canadian lineup and its refreshing diversity is a change from past years. Organizers offended many Canadian music fans by inviting American band Black Eyed Peas to play in 2005.

Last year, in Vancouver, it was Nickelback and only Nickelback, who performed at halftime, a band with as many naysayers as admirers.

In Toronto, before the Calgary Stampeders face the Toronto Argonauts on the field, there'll be yet more Canadian faces on the field.

A pre-show will feature singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards of Ottawa, Burton Cummings of Winnipeg and Johnny Reid, the Scottish-born country singer who has lept onto the pop charts with Let's Go Higher.

The festival staged around the 100th Grey Cup also features musicians from across the country. Some of the stars slated to perform:

• Thursday: Kardinal Offishall and K'naan with Mia Martina and Kreesha Turner.
• Friday: Sam Roberts Band, Matthew Good and Treble Charger.
• Saturday: Myles Goodwyn and April Wine, Kim Mitchell and Big Sugar featuring reggae artist Willi Williams.

Judging by the poor turnout for the hip hop concert Thursday at the Metro Convention Centre, Grey Cup organizers may have misjudged their crowd.

The concert by international star K'naan drew very few fans, CBC's Steven D'Souza reports.

Streets are already closed outside the Rogers Centre as a stage is erected to host yet more artists for a series of free concerts. The Grey Cup tailgate party and street festival begins at 4 p.m. Friday.

There was a poor turnout for Thursday's concert featuring K'naan. (Steven D'Souza/CBC)

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Dallas TV star Larry Hagman dies

Actor Larry Hagman, who soared to TV stardom in the 1980s, is dead at the age of 81. His family said in a statement that he died Friday afternoon in a Dallas hospital of complications of cancer.

"Larry was back in his beloved hometown of Dallas, re-enacting the iconic role he loved the most. Larry's family and closest friends had joined him in Dallas for the Thanksgiving holiday," the family said.

The actor was surrounded by friends and family before he passed peacefully, "just as he'd wished for," the statement said.

Linda Gray, his on-screen wife and later ex-wife in the original series and the sequel, was among those with Hagman in his final moments, said her publicist, Jeffrey Lane.

This 1981 file photo shows Larry Hagman in character as J.R. Ewing in the TV series Dallas. (CBS/Associated Press)

"He brought joy to everyone he knew. He was creative, generous, funny, loving and talented, and I will miss him enormously. He was an original and lived life to the fullest," the actress said.

Hagman was best known as ruthless oil tycoon J.R. Ewing in the TV series Dallas.

J.R. Ewing was a business cheat, faithless husband and bottomless well of corruption. Yet with his sparkling grin, Hagman masterfully created the charmingly loathsome oil baron — and coaxed forth a Texas-size gusher of ratings — on television's long-running and hugely successful nighttime soap.

Although he first gained fame as nice guy Capt. Tony Nelson on the fluffy 1965-70 NBC comedy I Dream of Jeannie, Hagman earned his greatest stardom with J.R. The CBS serial drama about the Ewing family and those in their orbit aired from April 1978 to May 1991, and broke viewing records with its "Who shot J.R.?" 1980 cliffhanger that left unclear if Hagman's character was dead.

Years before Dallas, Hagman played an astronaut whose life is disrupted when he finds a comely genie, portrayed by Barbara Eden, and takes her home to live with him.

Eden recalled late Friday shooting the series' pilot "in the frigid cold" on a Malibu beach.

"From that day, for five more years, Larry was the centre of so many fun, wild and sometimes crazy times. And in retrospect, memorable moments that will remain in my heart forever," Eden said.

This 1967 file photo shows Barbara Eden, left, and Larry Hagman in a scene from the TV show I Dream of Jeannie. (NBC/Associated Press)

Hagman also starred in two short-lived sitcoms, The Good Life (NBC, 1971-72) and Here We Go Again (ABC, 1973). His film work included well-regarded performances in The Group, Harry and Tonto and Primary Colors.

But it was Hagman's masterful portrayal of J.R. that brought him the most fame. And the "Who shot J.R.?" story twist fueled international speculation and millions of dollars in betting-parlour wagers. It also helped give the series a place in ratings history.

When the answer was revealed in a November 1980 episode, an average 41 million U.S. viewers tuned in to make Dallas one of the most-watched entertainment shows of all time, trailing only the MASH finale in 1983 with 50 million viewers.

It was J.R.'s sister-in-law, Kristin (Mary Crosby) who plugged him — he had made her pregnant, then threatened to frame her as a prostitute unless she left town — but others had equal motivation.

The oil tycoon also tried to get his alcoholic wife, Sue Ellen (Gray), institutionalized.

"I know what I want on J.R.'s tombstone," Hagman said in 1988. "It should say: 'Here lies upright citizen J.R. Ewing. This is the only deal he ever lost."'

On Friday night, Victoria Principal, who co-starred in the original series, recalled Hagman as "bigger than life, on-screen and off. He is unforgettable, and irreplaceable, to millions of fans around the world, and in the hearts of each of us, who was lucky enough to know and love him."

Ten episodes of the new edition of Dallas, in which Hagman returned as J.R., aired this past summer and proved a hit for TNT. Filming was in progress on the sixth episode of Season Two, which is set to begin airing Jan. 28, the network said.

There was no immediate comment from Warner or TNT on how the series would deal with Hagman's loss.

In 2006, he did a guest shot on FX's drama series Nip/Tuck, playing a macho business mogul. He also got new exposure in recent years with the DVD releases of I Dream of Jeannie and Dallas.

The Fort Worth, Texas, native was the son of singer-actress Mary Martin, who starred in such classics as South Pacific and Peter Pan. Martin was still in her teens when he was born in 1931 during her marriage to attorney Ben Hagman.

As a youngster, Hagman gained a reputation for mischief-making as he was bumped from one private school to another. He made a stab at New York theatre in the early 1950s, then served in the Air Force from 1952-56 in England.

While there, he met and married young Swedish designer Maj Axelsson. The couple had two children, Preston and Heidi, and were longtime residents of the Malibu beach colony that is home to many celebrities.

Hagman returned to acting and found work in the theatre and in such TV series as The U.S. Steel Hour, The Defenders and Sea Hunt. His first continuing role was as lawyer Ed Gibson on the daytime serial The Edge of Night (1961-63).

He called his 2001 memoir Hello Darlin': Tall (and Absolutely True) Tales about My Life.

"I didn't put anything in that I thought was going to hurt someone or compromise them in any way," he told The Associated Press at the time.

Liver transplant after years of heavy drinking

Hagman was diagnosed in 1992 with cirrhosis of the liver and acknowledged that he had been drinking heavily for years. In 1995, a malignant tumour was discovered on his liver and he underwent a transplant.

After his transplant, he became an advocate for organ donation and volunteered at a hospital to help frightened patients.

"I counsel, encourage, meet them when they come in for their operations, and after," he said in 1996. "I try to offer some solace, like 'Don't be afraid, it will be a little uncomfortable for a brief time, but you'll be OK.' "

He also was an anti-smoking activist who took part in "Great American Smoke-Out" campaigns.

Funeral plans were not immediately announced.

"I can honestly say that we've lost not just a great actor, not just a television icon, but an element of pure Americana," Eden said in her statement Friday night. "Goodbye, Larry. There was no one like you before and there will never be anyone like you again."

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Stones for My Father wins $30K Canadian children's book prize

Trilby Kent has won the Canadian Children's Book Award for Stones for My Father. She is congratulated by TD Canada Trust president Tim Hockey. (TD)

Stones for My Father, a young adult book set during the Anglo-Boer war, has won the $30,000 TD Canadian Children's Literature Award.

The novel by Toronto-born, London-based Trilby Kent was named winner Wednesday at a gala at The Ritz-Carlton in Toronto. Five other children's book awards were presented at the event, sponsored by the Canadian Children's Book Centre.

The $30,000 prize is the richest award for children's literature in the country. Stones for My Father, published by Tundra Books, is a second novel for Kent and was selected from a short list of five young adult novels.

"The Anglo-Boer War in South Africa is certainly not a subject covered today in most Canadian classrooms," Kent said.

"But this devastating time in South Africa is historically quite significant and I wanted to write a story for young readers that would investigate the heavy subject matter through a lens my readers could identify with."

The jury praised Kent's young heroine Corlie Rioux.

"Though this young heroine struggles with the loss of parental love, a special friendship, and her home, she holds steadfast, brave, and true and emerges a survivor," the jury said in its citation.

The $20,000 Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award went to Geneviève Côté of Montreal, who wrote and illustrated Without You, about a fussy rabbit and an exuberant pig who become friends. It is published by Kids Can Press.

"Minimal text speaks volumes about the give and take of friendships and the rewards of togetherness," the jury said in its citation. "Rabbit and Pig have distinct personalities that young children can easily relate to."

Other winners named Wednesday:

• Norma Fleck Award for Canadian children's non-fiction ($10,000): Loon written by Susan Vande Griek of Halifax, illustrated by Karen Reczuch of Acton, Ont., Groundwood Books.
• Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction ($5,000): The Hangman in the Mirror, written by Kate Cayley of Toronto, Annick Press.
• John Spray Mystery Award ($5,000): Charlie's Key, written by Rob Mills of Peterborough, Ont. Orca Book Publishers.
• Monica Hughes Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy ($5,000): What Happened to Serenity? written by P.J. Sarah Collins of Vancouver, Red Deer Press.

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Nicholas Hoare bookstore closing its doors in Westmount

After forty years in business, the Nicholas Hoare bookstore in Westmount is closing.

The store almost closed earlier this year due to high rent and pressure from online and big box retailers.

A note on the store's blog announces it will be closing "for good."

"We close with immense regret," wrote owner Nicholas Hoare in his bookstore's blog.

Over the summer, the community rallied to keep the bookstore open.

But Hoare said it's no longer feasible to keep the store going given the state of the publishing industry. He said the store will close on New Year's Eve.

Hoare thanks his landlord and Westmount mayor Peter Trent for their help and accommodation. He also thanks staff and customers for their "unwavering support" over the years

The Toronto store branch will remain open.

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