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Titanic Survivor Helped By DiCaprio, Winslet Passes Away At Age 97

Michael d'Estries — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:23:27 +0000

Earlier last month, we wrote about an effort from Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, James Cameron and others to help the last remaining Titanic survivor live out her days comfortably in a nursing home. 97-year-old Millvina Dean — who was only 2-months old at the time of the famous ship’s sinking — was running into trouble paying fees related to her care. At the time, Winslet and Dicaprio issued a joint statement urging others to donate and telling Millvina that she could “rest easier in knowing that her future will become more secure through this fund.”

Sadly, Dean passed away in her sleep yesterday in Southampton, England — the same city the Titanic launched from in 1912. It’s yet unclear what will be done with the money raised for Millvina’s care (see the official site here), but we imagine it will be put to some good use in her memory.

For more information on her life, click here.

DiCaprio, Winslet, Cameron Help Keep Lone Titanic Survivor Afloat

Michael d'Estries — Tue, 12 May 2009 13:18:40 +0000

There is only one remaining survivor of the Titanic disaster alive — and Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, and Director James Cameron are making sure she’s comfortable.

The two actors have thrown their weight behind a fund that would subsidize 97-year-old Millvina Dean’s nursing home fees. She was only 2 months old when the Titanic sank beneath the waves on the night of April 14, 1912. Her father was one of the ship’s 1,517 casualties. She has been living at a nursing home in the English city of Southampton since she broke her hip about three years ago but has struggled to pay the fees.

“We are honoured to contribute to the Millvina Fund. Our hope is that others will feel inspired by Millvina Dean’s remarkable story of survival and hope she can rest easier in knowing that her future will become more secure through this fund,” DiCaprio and Winslet said in a joint statement. All three donated $10,000 each to the fund.

Want to contribute as well? Payments can be made via the fund website at www.themillvinafund.com or via the British Titanic Society or Belfast Titanic Society at www.belfast-titanic.com.

James Cameron Grabs A Solar-Powered Taxi In Malibu

Michael d'Estries — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:17:02 +0000

James Cameron is a man who loves to embrace the future. He’s given us his take on the subject through such films like Terminator 2, Aliens, and the upcoming Avatar. So it’s not so surprising then to see him cruising around in a solar-powered taxi.

The famous director (who we should also mentioned embraced the past with Titanic), was spotted a couple weeks ago at the Malibu Arts Festival checking out and riding around in the Solartaxi; the first completely solar-powered car to drive around the world. As one would expect, this is an emissions-free vehicle that derives its power completely from the sun. It seats two, has three wheels and pulls a trailer covered in solar panels to charge the batteries in the front of the car. It has a top speed of about 50mph and can do roughly 100 miles on a six-hour charge. So far, the inventor, Louis Palmer, has taken the vehicle to Europe, the Middle East, Asia, New Zealand and now North America.

Want solar on your car? Look for the 2010 Prius to sport some panels up top — though the best you’ll get from it is some air conditioning and juice for your gadgets. More info on the Solartaxi is available here.

Thanks to MyRide for the tip!