People in the News for May 6, 1998

Wednesday, May 6, 1998 | 11:18 a.m.

Pity the fool: Mr. T, once the world's premiere bejeweled badass, is battling a rare form of lymphoma and is near penniless. Our prediction for this fight: pain -- he reportedly undergoes almost daily radiation or chemotherapy. T seems alternately upbeat and fatalistic about his chances. One minute he vows to whomp the disease like a badly written Sylvester Stallone character: "Love, love, love. I can't help but get better," he says. "This is what gives me strength to go to the hospital." The next minute he's writing his epitaph. "If I get depressed, it's because I let my human side take over. Just as sure as I'm born, I know I'm going to go. But they say it's not how long a man lives. It's how well he lived." It's not how many gold chains he once wore, either; he's given those to his family. "I don't wear gold no more," he says. "The gold is in my heart. The gold couldn't save me." But it might help pay for an A-team of doctors; right now, T's wallet is getting mighty thin. "I'm probably broke," he says. "I've probably got $200 in the bank." It's not lookin' good, Hannibal!

Hodgepodge

Pam wins

Clothing-optional freedom-savoring is nothing new to Pamela Anderson, so it won't surprise you to hear that Pam has dropped her suit! No, that doesn't mean another Collectors Edition of Playboy; we mean the lawsuit she filed against the National Enquirer for reporting that she and estranged husband Tommy Lee had a secret deal to make millions from sales of their honeymoon sex tape. The paper has settled with Anderson for an undisclosed amount. Says her lawyer, "Pam's happy, the Enquirer's happy, everybody's happy." Anderson is still suing the Internet company that distributed the video. Just remember, Pam: Love, love, love and it can't help but get better.

Compiled by Scott Dickensheets