Jade Goody Dies

Controversial British reality-TV star Jade Goody died early this morning of cancer, CNN reports. She passed away in her sleep at her Essex home with her new husband at her bedside. Goody's death, at 27, marks the end of a strange tabloid saga. Diagnosed with cervical cancer on the Indian edition of reality show Big Brother, Goody battled her disease very much in the public eye.

The outspoken Goody was initially the reality star that Brits loved to hate after her Big Brother debut in 2002. But the plucky cancer fighter won them over as she lived out her last days in the headlines, saying she needed to secure the financial future of her two young sons by selling her story. Goody and the media "exploited each other," said her spokesman. "Both have benefited. In Jade's own words, she's loved the last 7 years." (More Jade Goody stories.)