Milestones

By Unmesh Kher, Nadia Mustafa and Aatish Taseer

ADMITTED. By RUSH LIMBAUGH, 52, conservative commentator; his addiction to prescription painkillers, for which he said he was checking into a rehab facility; on his nationally syndicated radio program. Limbaugh, who resigned from ESPN after making statements viewed by some as racially insensitive, said his addiction began "some years ago" after spinal surgery. Two weeks ago, his name was linked to an investigation into an illegal-drug ring in Florida. Limbaugh was said to be a possible buyer but has not been charged with any crime.

CONVICTED. JUDITH SCRUGGS, 52, mother of J. Daniel Scruggs, a victim of bullying at school who at age 12 hanged himself in his closet in January 2002; of one felony count of risk of injury to a minor for creating an unhealthy, unsafe home environment that contributed to his suicide; in Meriden, Conn. Legal experts said Scruggs, who faces up to 10 years in prison, was the first parent in the state--maybe the country--to be convicted in connection with her child's suicide.

KILLED. ANNALENA TONELLI, 60, humanitarian worker from Italy who founded two hospitals in Somalia and spent 30 years there assisting patients suffering from famine and tuberculosis; by a gunman; in Borama, Somalia.

DIED. NEIL POSTMAN, 72, spirited social critic and New York University professor who formulated thought-provoking warnings on TV and other mass media; of lung cancer; in New York City. In more than 17 books and 200 articles, he cast a critical eye on the "information revolution," warning that its onslaught could lead to "culture death."

DIED. EUGENE ISTOMIN, 77, classical pianist; of liver cancer; in Washington. A renowned soloist, he won national acclaim at 17 after debuts in the same week with both the New York and the Philadelphia philharmonic orchestras. He was also celebrated for his later work in a trio with violinist Isaac Stern and cellist Leonard Rose.

DIED. CAROLYN HEILBRUN, 77, feminist literary scholar who wrote detective novels under the name Amanda Cross; a suicide; in New York City. The longtime Columbia University professor initially worried that her academic reputation would suffer if she wrote the novels under her own name. Her son said she had not been ailing but "wanted to control her destiny."

DIED. FRED TUTTLE, 84, Vermont dairy farmer turned cult movie star turned U.S. Senate candidate; of a heart attack; in Tunbridge, Vt. He adopted the farmer-candidate role as a publicity stunt after making the satirical 1996 film Man with a Plan. Tuttle won the G.O.P. nomination in the '98 race, then lost to Patrick Leahy.

DIED. ELEANOR LAMBERT, 100, a.k.a. the Empress of Seventh Avenue, who as a publicist championed American fashion designers such as Bill Blass and Halston; in New York City. In the early 1940s, when Paris was deemed the industry's sole center, she organized press previews in New York, a precursor to Fashion Week; established the International Best-Dressed List; and nudged reluctant magazine editors to cover American designers. In 1962 she founded the Council of Fashion Designers of America.