Keyboardist and songwriter Richard Bell, one-time member of Janis Joplin's band, died one June 15 of multiple myeloma in a Toronto hospital. He was 61.

Bell, who began playing with Joplin's Full Tilt Boogie Band in 1970, was diagnosed with cancer one year ago. He received intensive treatment and made a comeback, despite his poor prognosis. This past spring, however, his cancer returned.

Bell is also known for his musical work with artists such as Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Joe Walsh, Paul Butterfield, The Cowboy Junkies, Bruce Cockburn, and Bonnie Raitt. His most recent gig was with the Toronto jazz and blue group Pork Bellies Futures.

He is survived by his mother, his sister, and his nieces and nephews.

The Utah Jazz's Derek Fisher finds himself in a whole new ballgame lately as he helps his 10-month-old daughter, Tatum, fight for her life.

Tatum was diagnosed last week with retinoblastoma, a cancerous tumor in her left eye. Fisher, who was excused from his team to begin dealing with his daughter's illness, flew his family -- his wife Candace, Tatum, and Tatum's twin brother Drew -- to New York on Monday to see a specialist.

Fisher and his wife must decide on a course of treatment for their daughter. Their options are removal of the eye or a combination of surgery and chemotherapy. Their most pressing goal is to save Tatum's life. They also want to save her eye. And they think in her case, she should be able to keep her eye.

Award-winning jazz musician and former basketball star Wayman Tisdale revealed this week on his website that he has been diagnosed with cancer, that he will begin a six-month course of chemotherapy this week, and that his prognosis for recovery is excellent.

The 6-foot-9 former Oklahoma Sooners basketball great -- who played 12 seasons in the NBA with the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings, and Phoenix Suns and helped score gold on the 1984 U.S. Olympic team -- reports that he broke his leg in a fall at his Los Angeles home last month.

After his fall, Tisdale's doctors determined a cyst in his right knee caused the injury. The cyst, identified as cancer, was then removed. Following chemotherapy, Tisdale, 42, will undergo knee-replacement surgery.

Tisdale has been told to hold off on his touring and public appearance schedules so can fully recover. But he plans to begin performing again in January 2008. In the meantime, he will focus on his new album with the working title Rebound.

Michael Brecker, Grammy Award-winning jazz saxophonist who performed with the likes of Joni Mitchell and Herbie Hancock, died Saturday of cancer. He was 57.

Brecker, considered one of the most influential saxophonists of the past 25 years, died at a hospital in New York City as a result of myelodysplastic syndrome -- a form of cancer in which the bone marrow stops making healthy blood cells.

The Philadelphia native, who began his solo career in 1987 with a self-titled debut recording that turned into Jazz Album of the Year, was forced by his illness to stop playing music at times. So he channeled his creative efforts into raising awareness of a very important cause -- bone marrow donation.

Brecker is survived by his wife, Susan; his children, Jessica and Sam; a brother and a sister.

While Anaia Bedford, wife of Emmy award winning photographer Ken Bedford, underwent chemotherapy and radiation for breast cancer, both Anaia and Ken conducted research and asked many questions of experts. According to what they learned, early detection, a healthy diet, exercise and a strong immune system are the keys to breast cancer survival and that "breast cancer awareness and education among African American and other minority women in general is vital because there is a lack of medical attention due to financial hardships, spousal rejection fears and being so terrified that the disease will take their lives."

Anaia felt that had she been diagnosed earlier, her chances of survival would have been greater. Anaia lost her struggle to survive breast cancer in 2004.

The Anaia Breast Cancer Awareness Program was founded by her family to increase breast cancer awareness and promote early detection in minority communities. As a tribute to Anaia and to educate women about breast cancer, an annual gala is hosted at the Galleria Marchetti in Chicago. This year's keynote speaker was Dancing with the Stars Vivica A. Fox. Governor Rod Blagojevich, Mayor Richard Daley, Angela Winbush, Phil Perry, Glenn Jones, Howard Hewett and jazz Sax Man Ray Silkman also attended the event.

Anaia believed "Knowledge is power, the more you know and understand will reduce many of the fears and myths you hear about breast cancer." Her family and friends are continuing the cause of raising breast cancer awareness Anais felt was important to surviving cancer. To learn more, visit the Anaia Breast Cancer Awareness Program.

The legendary Eartha Kitt, known as a sultry seductress of song, television and movies, was diagnosed with colon cancer when she went in to see the doctor about carpal tunnel syndrome. Her wrist was bothering her, and when she went in to have it looked at, it was determined she was anemic. The diagnosis of anemia led to the diagnosis of cancer.

At 79, Kitt has led a very vibrant life. She is probably most recognized as Catwoman from the 60s television series Batman, where she introduced viewers to her trademark feline purr. Kitt ran into trouble in the late 60s, when attending a White House luncheon, she made anti-war statements that reportedly brought first lady Lady Bird Johnson to tears. Shunned in this country, she went to Europe to perform. She has returned to the U.S. and appears on stage in New York.

Kitt has written four books of memoirs: Thursday's Child; Alone with Me; I'm Still Here: Memoirs of a Sex Kitten; and Rejuvenate! It's Never Too Late. A movie is said to be in the works that will chronicle her life, with former Destiny's Child singer Beyonce playing the role of Kitt. When the movie is released, she will gain a whole new generation of fans. Eartha Kitt is a consummate entertainer and a woman of admirable strength -- we wish her wellness.

Ian Copeland, music booking agent who represented acts like Joan Jett, R.E.M., Squeeze, The Police, B-52s, Ramones, and the Cure; who wrote Wild Thing, and was brother to Police drummer Stewart Copeland, has lost his life to skin cancer.

Copeland wrote his autobiographical memoir, Wild Thing: The Backstage, on the Road, in the Studio, Off the Charts Memoirs of Ian Copeland, chronicling his early life as the son of a father who was both jazz musician and CIA intelligence officer and a mother who was both spy and archeologist -- to his wild adventures as a rock music agent. He spent most of his adult life working in the music industry.

"Everybody has always said my brother Ian would have been a more charismatic rock star than anybody he has ever represented," Stewart Copeland told People magazine in 1995. "But instead of shouting to a sea of faces, he'd much rather sit at the dinner table and regale everybody personally." Copeland was 57.

Photo: Ian Copeland (left) with brothers Stewart (centre) and Miles (right)