David Gilmour’s ‘The Black Strat’ guitar (Courtesy of Christie’s)
A guitar previously owned by Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour has broken records at auction.
Gilmour’s black Fender Stratocaster, known as “The Black Strat,” brought in a record-setting $14.55 million from an online bidder at a Christie’s auction on Thursday. According to the auction house, the guitar was part of a 21-minute online bidding war.
That price tag for Gilmour’s guitar is now the highest amount ever paid for a guitar at auction, beating Kurt Cobain’s Martin D-180E, which he played during Nirvana’s Unplugged episode, which brought in over $6 million in 2020.
According to Christie’s, Gilmour’s guitar was used in the recording of six Pink Floyd albums, including 1973’s The Dark Side of the Moon, 1975’s Wish You Were Here, 1977’s Animals and 1979’s The Wall. He also recorded most of his 1978 self-titled solo debut on the guitar.
In 2019 the guitar was purchased at auction by the late Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay for $5 million. The latest sale was part of a larger Christie’s auction of Irsay’s vast memorabilia collection.
Other records set in Thursday’s auction include: a guitar Cobain used for Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video sold for $6.9 million, the highest price for one of the rocker’s instruments; a custom Jerry Garcia-owned guitar known as “The Tiger” brought in $11.56 million, the highest price ever for a Garcia guitar; and John Lennon’s Broadwood upright piano, on which he composed songs for The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, sold for over $3.2 million, the most expensive Beatles item ever sold.
The Jim Irsay Collection auction, featuring over 400 items, continues through Tuesday.
Elegant Weapons, the band featuring Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner, has announced a new album called Evolution.
The sophomore follow-up to the group’s 2023 debut, Horns for a Halo, is due out April 24. The first single, titled “Bridges Burn,” is out now.
Alongside Faulkner, Elegant Weapons features Rainbow vocalist Ronnie Romero, Uriah Heep bassist Dave Rimmer and Accept drummer Christopher Williams
“This record represents growth in every sense,” Faulkner says in a statement. “When the four of us come together, we sound like Elegant Weapons. We’ve spent time on the road, we’ve developed a chemistry, and you can hear that evolution in the performances.”
The most recent Judas Priest album is 2024’s Invincible Shield. They will be touring Europe over the summer.
Here’s the Evolution track list: “Evil Eyes” “Generation Me” “Bridges Burn” “Holy Roller” “Come Back to Me” “The Devil Calls” “Thrown to the Wolves” “Shooting Shadows” “Rupture” “Mercy of the Fallen” “Keeper of the Keys”
Quincy Jones is honored with Hand and Footprint Ceremony at TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX on November 27, 2018, in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
The Quincy Jones estate is putting new measures in place to keep the late producer’s legacy alive. The estate has signed a deal with HarbourView Equity Partners, granting it ownership of select music and non-music assets from Quincy Jones, including portions of his recorded music, publishing assets and his participation in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
HarbourView will also work with the estate on future initiatives tied to Quincy’s name, image and likeness, helping ensure his legacy is preserved and his music is protected against “unauthorized and exploitative uses,” according to a press release. The goal, the release adds, is to ensure that “future generations can fully understand and appreciate his global impact on music and culture.”
“Our father was endlessly curious and always ahead of his time. Long before anyone talked about ‘multi-platform,’ he was already building bridges and connecting the dots across music, film, television, publishing, technology and culture, creating iconic juggernauts like Thriller, The Color Purple, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Vibe,” Quincy’s daughter Rashida Jones said in a statement on behalf of the Jones family. “These projects didn’t just succeed; they became the gold standard. As his children, our responsibility is to protect not only the catalog, but the spirit and love behind it. HarbourView understands that legacy and has the vision and expertise to help ensure future generations can feel the full scope of his everlasting impact.”
His son, Quincy Jones III, added that the family has great confidence that his “father’s legacy will be thoughtfully protected and carried forward” through the partnership with HarbourView.
Law enforcement respond near Temple Israel following reports of an active shooter on March 12, 2026 in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Police continue to investigate as emergency personnel remained on the scene. (Photo by Emily Elconin/Getty Images)
(WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich.) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called on people to “lower the temperature” and call out antisemitism following Thursday’s attack on a Detroit-area synagogue that she said on Friday “could have looked a lot more like Sandy Hook” had it not been for security.
And while the governor and other leaders said law enforcement is trying to comb through more evidence about the incident, more information is coming to light about the man who was killed by security guards after he rammed his truck into the temple.
Dearborn Heights Mayor Mo Baydoun said that 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, who lived in his city, had “lost several members of his own family … in an Israeli attack on their home in Lebanon.”
Baydoun joined other leaders in condemning the attack, which took place as children were inside the temple.
“This tragedy comes at a time when communities everywhere are confronting rising hate and senseless violence. No matter where violence occurs, whether in West Bloomfield or anywhere around in the world, harm against innocent people is something we must all stand firmly against,” he said.
“The tensions we see across the world too often find their way into our own neighborhoods, reminding us how deeply connected our shared safety is,” the mayor added.
The suspect was armed with a rifle, and the truck contained fireworks and an unidentified chemical agent that ignited soon after the crash, law enforcement sources told ABC News.
Nobody inside the synagogue was hurt, and the synagogue noted that all 140 students as well as staff, teachers and security all returned home, Whitmer told reporters Friday morning.
The sheriff’s office said one synagogue security guard was hit by the suspect’s truck in the incident and was “knocked unconscious” but was expected to be okay.
Whitmer said she was angry at the situation and said the Jewish community has been on heightened alert because of the rise in antisemitic attacks, threats and rhetoric over the last couple of months.
“People like the person who attacked this community yesterday get fulminated by rhetoric that they see online and they see on television and hear on the radio. It radicalizes them,” she said.
The governor reiterated that there were children under a year old inside the synagogue during the incident.
“My friend Brian said this could have looked a lot more like Sandy Hook. Let’s not lose sight of that,” Whitmer said.
“This is not a political debate, this is targeting babies who are Jewish. This is antisemitism at its absolute worst,” she added.
A Boeing C-135 Stratotanker / Stratolifter military aircraft known as KC-135 of the United States Air Force USAF configured as Air Tanker Transport for aerial refueling. (Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Six service members were killed when their refueling aircraft “went down” in friendly airspace in western Iraq, according to U.S. Central Command.
“All six crew members aboard a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft that went down in western Iraq are now confirmed deceased. The aircraft was lost while flying over friendly airspace March 12 during Operation Epic Fury,” CENTCOM said Friday.
The KC-135 aircraft went down at approximately 2 p.m. ET on Thursday when two aircraft were involved in “an incident,” CENTCOM said in a brief statement, confirming that “one of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely.”
Gen. Dan Caine addressed the crashed refueling plane, saying the incident is being treated as an active rescue and recovery mission.
“The incident occurred over friendly territory in western Iraq while the crew was on a combat mission, and again, was not the result, as CENTCOM has said, was not the result of hostile or friendly fire,” Caine said Friday. “We’re still treating this as an active rescue and recovery operation, as CENTCOM announced this morning, four airmen have been recovered, and the Air Force and US Central Command will provide updates as information becomes available.”
The other aircraft involved was also a KC-135 tanker, according to a U.S. official.
The circumstances of the incident are currently under investigation and the identities of the service members who died in the incident are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified, officials said.
KC-135 aircraft are not equipped with parachutes and do not have ejection seats, which are primarily in fighter aircraft, officials have told ABC News.
Passengers and crew members of KC-135s instead are trained on how to exit the aircraft when it is on land or on water, officials said.
According to a 2008 Air Force profile of the tanker crews, the move to get rid of parachutes was made because the tankers “seldom have mishaps, and the likelihood a KC-135 crew member would ever need to use a parachute is extremely low.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
‘Celebrity Jeopardy! All-Stars’ host Ken Jennings (Disney/Eric McCandless)
Celebrity Jeopardy! is back with a twist. This season’s tournament, Celebrity Jeopardy! All-Stars, sees past celebrity contestants returning for another shot at the Jeopardy! crown. In addition, the three previous champs — Ike Barinholtz, Lisa Ann Walter and W. Kamau Bell — head right to the second round for a chance to defend their titles.
Host Ken Jennings tells ABC Audio he admires any celeb who comes to compete because “they’re really putting themselves out there.”
“Anything can happen on the Alex Trebek Stage,” he says, noting that while the celebs may be playing for charity, they still want to win and make a good impression.
“You know, they don’t wanna go viral with a wrong response,” he says. “This is not SNL Celebrity Jeopardy! where we’re just throwing them a bunch of softballs. They have to know real facts and do it fast.”
While the celebrities take the competition seriously, there’s certainly a looser feel on set, which Jennings believes is because the stars are more comfortable in front of a camera than regular Jeopardy! contestants are.
“On Celebrity, if anything they’re too comfortable,” he says. “They’re having a good time. They’re joking around.”
Jennings says one perk for the celebrity contestants is they get to prove to the public just how smart they are and that “they’re not just pretty faces.”
“It does seem unfair, by the way, that they have pretty faces,” Jennings jokes. “Like can’t Jeopardy! be our thing? Like, can’t nerds have one thing?”
He adds, “I always get a little upset when someone very talented is also good at Jeopardy! Like, come on.”
Celebrity Jeopardy! All-Stars debuts Friday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and will stream on Hulu the next day.
Billy Joel, Pink, and Willow Hart attend ‘The Music of Billy Joel’ at Carnegie Hall on March 12, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)
It wasn’t 9 o’clock on a Saturday, but the crowd that shuffled into New York’s Carnegie Hall at 8 p.m. on Thursday night were definitely in the mood for a melody — written by Billy Joel.
An all-star cast lined up to pay tribute to The Piano Man during the latest installment of the annual Music Ofcharity concert series, which raises money for music education for underserved youth. Thursday night’s show netted $225,000 for the cause.
While Billy himself didn’t take the stage, he did watch from the balcony, accompanied by his friend Pink and her teenage daughter, Willow Sage Hart. He smiled and waved as the adoring crowd chanted, “Let’s go, Billy!”
And speaking of daughters, Billy’s eldest, Alexa Ray Joel, was on hand to perform for her dad, who she called “my musical hero.” She thanked Billy — and her mom and “golden muse,” Christie Brinkley — “for making me,” before singing “This Night,” from Billy’s 1983 album An Innocent Man. She was backed by Billy’s longtime touring band, who accompanied every artist on the bill, and also took their own turn in the spotlight to play “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant.”
While many artists delivered faithful renditions of Billy’s songs, such as Rob Thomas singing “Vienna,” Gavin DeGraw rocking through “Big Shot” and Train’s Pat Monahan doing “She’s Always a Woman,” others offered their own interpretations. Former 10,000 Maniacs singer Natalie Merchant turned “Allentown” into a somber piano ballad, while jazz-pop singer Sammy Rae did “River of Dreams” solo, accompanied only by her own ukulele.
Matt Nathanson sang an introspective solo acoustic guitar version of Billy’s hard-driving 1990 rocker “I Go to Extremes,” and followed that with a full-band rendition of “Miami 2017,” earning him one of the night’s many standing ovations. Another ovation came when legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman accompanied O.A.R. frontman Marc Roberge on “The Downeaster ‘Alexa.'”
The night concluded with an all-star version of “You May Be Right,” which had fans literally dancing in the aisles.
Here’s who performed what:
Yola — “Movin’ Out” Rob Thomas — “Vienna” Pat Monahan — “She’s Always a Woman” Mary Chapin Carpenter — “And So It Goes” Matt Nathanson — “I Go to Extremes” and “Miami 2017” Jon McLaughlin — “Everybody Loves You Now” Alexa Ray Joel — “This Night” Rufus Wainwright — “Lullaby (Goodnight My Angel)” Ledisi — “Turn the Lights Back On” Marc Roberge & Itzhak Perlman — “The Downeaster ‘Alexa'” Bettye LaVette — “(He’s) Got a Way” David Rosenthal (Billy’s musical director) — “The Longest Time” piano sonata Music Will students and Wyclef Jean — “My Life” Neal Francis — “Stiletto” Sammy Rae — “River of Dreams” and “Get It Right the First Time” Natalie Merchant — “Allentown” Billy Joel Band — “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant” Curtis Harding — “Uptown Girl” Gavin DeGraw — “Big Shot” Lawrence — “Only the Good Die Young” Andrew McMahon — “Piano Man” Ensemble — “You May Be Right”
A Boeing C-135 Stratotanker / Stratolifter military aircraft known as KC-135 of the United States Air Force USAF configured as Air Tanker Transport for aerial refueling. (Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Four service members were killed when their refueling aircraft “went down” in friendly airspace in western Iraq, according to U.S. Central Command.
“Four of six crew members on board the aircraft have been confirmed deceased as rescue efforts continue,” CENTCOM said Friday.
The KC-135 aircraft went down at approximately 2 p.m. ET when two aircraft were involved in “an incident,” CENTCOM said in a brief statement Thursday, confirming that “one of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely.”
Gen. Dan Caine addressed the crashed refueling plane, saying the incident is being treated as an active rescue and recovery mission.
“The incident occurred over friendly territory in western Iraq while the crew was on a combat mission, and again, was not the result, as CENTCOM has said, was not the result of hostile or friendly fire,” Caine said Friday. “We’re still treating this as an active rescue and recovery operation, as CENTCOM announced this morning, four airmen have been recovered, and the Air Force and US Central Command will provide updates as information becomes available.”
The other aircraft involved was also a KC-135 tanker, according to a U.S. official.
The circumstances of the incident are currently under investigation and the identities of the service members who died in the incident are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified, officials said.
KC-135 aircraft are not equipped with parachutes and do not have ejection seats, which are primarily in fighter aircraft, officials have told ABC News.
Passengers and crew members of KC-135s instead are trained on how to exit the aircraft when it is on land or on water, officials said.
According to a 2008 Air Force profile of the tanker crews, the move to get rid of parachutes was made because the tankers “seldom have mishaps, and the likelihood a KC-135 crew member would ever need to use a parachute is extremely low.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
People wait in long TSA lines as the partial government shutdown continues for several weeks at airports like Chicago OâHare in Chicago, IL, United States on March 09, 2026 (Photo by Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — The Transportation Security Administration rolled out a new video at airports across the country Friday warning travelers of longer-than-usual wait times and staffing shortages, blaming Democrats for the partial government shutdown.
“You may be experiencing longer-than-average wait times due to the ongoing Democrat shutdown of TSA and the Department of Homeland Security,” the agency’s video message says.
At several airports nationwide, passengers have seen security wait times ranging from 20-30 minutes to as long as two hours at certain points, with travelers being advised to arrive at the airport early to allow adequate time for screening.
The roughly 30-second video message was released as TSA officers begin receiving their first $0 paycheck Friday, with the length of the shutdown nearing a month. The message also encourages travelers to show gratitude toward the TSA officers.
“The TSA Officers you are interacting with have shown up to work despite having missed paychecks. Please take the opportunity to thank the dedicated men and women of the TSA when you fly today,” the video message says.
Assaults on TSA officers have increased during the shutdown, Acting Deputy Administrator Adam Stahl told ABC.
“We’ve seen increases in assaults on our TSA officers which is always completely unacceptable, particularly unacceptable right now,” he said in an interview. “And so we just ask our passengers to please be respectful, thank them because they’re doing an incredibly difficult job under incredibly difficult circumstances.”
Stahl said the agency has “zero tolerance” for such behavior and works with the law enforcement authorities, including the Department of Justice, so those responsible face ramifications for their actions.
Though the rate of unscheduled absences by TSA officers has more than doubled since the shutdown began, Stahl said there are no safety concerns about TSA’s operations and that the agency’s focus remains on the impact to wait times.
“We don’t have any significant concerns about the integrity of the screening process right now as it stands, but again this is going to continue to worsen as the days continue and we’re really focused and really urge Senate Democrats to get back to the drawing table, get back to negotiating table, so we can get back to normal operations,” Stahl said.
A similar video featuring outgoing Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was rolled out by the agency during last year’s government shutdown. It received pushback from several major airports that refused to play it, citing the Hatch Act — a law that restricts the political activities of federal employees, as well as some state and local employees who are involved in or work in federally funded programs.
On Thursday, Senate Democrats blocked a fourth vote to fund the Department of Homeland Security, refusing to fund the agency without any reforms to ICE and CBP.
The package would have provided funding for the Department of Homeland Security through September. The agency has been shut down since Feb. 14.
Ahead of the vote, Democrats once again attempted to get support to fund other agencies, besides ICE and CBP, that are a part of DHS and that have been shut down. After their effort to fund all other agencies besides CBP and ICE was blocked Wednesday by Republicans, Democrats took a piecemeal approach Thursday, making individual requests to pass funding for TSA, CISA, Coast Guard and FEMA.
“What Republicans are saying is that we want to hold TSA, our airports, the protection of our coastline, the defense of this nation from cyberattacks and our response to emergencies hostage to their determination to continue to fund a law enforcement operation at ICE that is out of control,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said during a speech on the floor as part of the Democratic effort to pass the bills to fund the individual agencies.
Republicans blocked each of those efforts, arguing that the whole of DHS should be funded.
“To my Democrat colleagues, if you have a bill that you want to defund ICE with, put it on the floor. I guarantee you it will get voted down because it is an extremely unpopular position. We are not going to let you get to that result by way of holding everyone else hostage. If you want to support all the agencies in this negotiated bill you have a way to do it,” Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mont., said.
ABC News’ Allison Pecorin contributed to this story.
