On Dec. 28, 1968, the first big East Coast rock festival opened in Miami. Performers at the Miami Pop Festival included Chuck Berry, Country Joe and the Fish and Richie Havens.
In 1976, bluesman Freddie King died in Dallas at age 42. He was a major influence on British rockers like Eric Clapton.
In 1983, Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson drowned while swimming in the harbor at Marina Del Rey, California. He was 39.
In 1991, nine people were killed at a charity basketball game at City College in New York that featured Run-DMC and LL Cool J. The victims were crushed when the crowd surged to get into the gym where the game was to be played.
In 1993, country singer Shania Twain married producer Mutt Lange. They divorced in 2010.
In 1996, actor Ken Wahl was arrested for allegedly threatening a bartender with a hunting knife in Los Angeles.
In 2005, the body of singer-bassist Barry Cowsill of The Cowsills was found on a New Orleans wharf. He had been missing since Hurricane Katrina three months earlier. Cowsill was 51.
In 2016, actor Debbie Reynolds suffered a stroke and died in Los Angeles. She was 84. She died the day after the death of her daughter, actor Carrie Fisher.
- Today's birthdays: Actor Nichelle Nichols ("Star Trek") is 89. Actor Maggie Smith ("Harry Potter") is 87. Singer-keyboardist Edgar Winter is 75. Actor Denzel Washington is 67. TV personality Gayle King ("CBS This Morning") is 67. Drummer Mike McGuire of Shenandoah is 63. Actor Chad McQueen (the "Karate Kid" films) is 61. Country singer-guitarist Marty Roe of Diamond Rio is 61. Actor Malcolm Gets ("Caroline in the City") is 58. Political commentator Ana Navarro ("The View") is 50. Comedian Seth Meyers ("Late Night With Seth Meyers") is 48. Actor Brendan Hines ("Suits," "Lie To Me") is 45. Actor Joe Manganiello (mang-ah-NEL'-oh) ("True Blood") is 45. Actor Vanessa Ferlito ("NCIS: New Orleans") is 44. Singer John Legend is 43. Actor Andre Holland ("Selma") is 42. Actor Sienna Miller is 40. Actor Beau Garrett ("The Good Doctor") is 39. Actor Thomas Dekker ("Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles," "Heroes") is 34. Actor Mackenzie Rosman ("7th Heaven") is 32. "American Idol" runner-up David Archuleta is 31. Actor Mary-Charles Jones ("Kevin Can Wait") is 20. Actor Miles Brown ("Black-ish") is 17.