Michael Jackson's tiger dies of lung cancer

Thriller, a tiger that belonged to Michael Jackson when the entertainer lived at his Neverland ranch, has died of lung cancer at actress-activist Tippi Hedren's wildlife preserve in California.

The 13-year-old, 375-pound tiger died June 11, Hedren said Wednesday. An autopsy was performed and the tiger was cremated. Staff workers will hold a private service when the ashes are buried in a section of the preserve set aside for animals that die there.

Thriller and her brother Sabu were born on Nov. 20, 1998, and lived with Jackson until May 4, 2006, Hedren said.

When Jackson left Neverland for good, his veterinarian asked Hedren to take the cats at her Shambala Preserve in Acton, about 50 miles north of Los Angeles.

http://news.ca.msn.com/to...iger-dies-of-lung-cancer

The rest of the story is just as sad. It seems MJ and family pretty much ignored these animals and didn't support them financially.

Few tigers get autopsies.  LOL!!!! 

I know smokers have all kinds of excuses, but they have some actual proof that anti-smoking policies are beneficial to the people and from all places NYC.  Biggest and dirtiest of them all. 

New York City heart-disease deaths have dropped 28 percent since 2002, a decrease the Health Department attributes to bans on public smoking, cigarette taxes and ads depicting tobacco-related illnesses.

The statistics were contained in a report Mayor Michael Bloomberg released yesterday giving babies born in New York a record life expectancy of 80.6 years, three years more than in 2000 and above the national rate of 78.2 years.

The Health Department analyzed data from death certificates to conclude that preventive measures and medical care contributed to the increase in life expectancy. Smoke-free air policies in city parks and laws against smoking in all workplaces -- including bars and restaurants -- cut smoking rates among women to 12.2 percent in 2010 from 19.8 percent in 2002, the department reported.

Officials also attributed reduced smoking to a 4.3 percent decrease in the cancer-death rate since 2002, to 162.9 deaths per 100,000 people from 170.2 in 2010.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-04/nyc-life-expectancy-is-seen-linked-to-anti-smoking-policy.html