Pernell Roberts, the ruggedly handsome actor who shocked Hollywood by leaving TV's "Bonanza" at the height of its popularity, then found fame again years later on "Trapper John, M.D.," has died. He was 81.

Roberts, the last surviving member of the classic Western's cast, died of cancer Sunday at his Malibu home, his wife Eleanor Criswell told the Los Angeles Times.

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Three of Roberts' marriages ended in divorce. His first, to Vera Mowry, produced a son, Jonathan, who died in 1989 at age 37.

Rest In Peace, Pernell.

Across the nation, entertainment centers are going dark. Everytime someone mentions Washington, D.C. and transparency in the same sentence I think of this image.

What happens after all of the televisions go dark? Does stuff stop happening entirely or is it just hidden from us for the rest of our lives? I really want to know because it seems the definition of transparency keeps changing.

Frances Buss Buch, a pioneer of network TV and the first female TV director, has died. She was 92.

Buch died Tuesday at a rest home near Hendersonville in western North Carolina, her great-nephew, Mark Spencer, confirmed Saturday.

"She was presented with an opportunity, especially as a woman, at a time when broadcasting was definitely a man's world. She seized it and had no problem getting in there and mixing it up with the guys," said Spencer, of Northbrook, Ill. "It was that boldness as a woman that led to her success."

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Buch is survived by her sister, Mary Buss Keating, of Hilton Head Island, S.C., nieces, a grandniece, Spencer, and a brother-in-law.

Rest In Peace, Frances.