Ask American Profile

How is the health of world-class cyclist Lance Armstrong, who once battled cancer?
—James S., Maine

Lance Armstrong, 29 and a two-time Tour de France winner, remains cancer free and an inspiration to cancer patients everywhere. He lives in the south of France with his wife, Kristin, and son, Luke, 1. Born in Plano, Texas, Armstrong began competing professionally in 1992 and was among the top-ranked bikers internationally when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1996, which spread to his lungs, brain, and abdomen. Doctors removed the brain tumors, and Armstrong underwent three months of successful chemotherapy, going into remission in December 1996. He won his first Tour De France in July 1999, repeating the feat in 2000. Armstrong, who says he’ll retire in 2004, recently released his autobiography, It’s Not About the Bike.

Whatever happened to Brook Benton? I loved his singing, especially the Boll Weevil Song.
—Molly R., Iowa

Benton, who sold more than 1 million copies of his 1961 international hit Boll Weevil Song, died at the age of 56 in New York in 1988 of complications from spinal meningitis. Benton was born Benjamin Peay in Camden, S.C., and began singing in church choirs as a child (perhaps it helped that his father was a minister). He moved to New York in 1953, selling clothes by day and auditioning for singing parts by night. He co-wrote Looking Back for Nat King Cole and A Lover’s Question for Clyde McPhatter. He soon landed a deal with Mercury Records and garnered three No.1 hits in 1959, including It’s Just a Matter of Time, which the Los Angeles Times calls one of the “great moments in early days of soul music.” As his career progressed, Benton varied his style from blues-rock and pop to folk-country. He recorded Rainy Night In Georgia in 1970, the year he had three songs on the national charts. In the last years of his music career, he returned to his first love, gospel music.

Can you give us some information on Lynne Russell of Headline News?
—Gail P., North Carolina

Lynne Russell has been a prime-time weekday anchor on CNN’s Headline News for more than a decade and has become one of the network’s most recognized faces worldwide. Before joining CNN in 1983, Russell anchored the evening news in San Antonio, Texas, from 1980-1983, where she also was investigative and courthouse reporter. Russell is a licensed private investigator and bodyguard, certified open-water scuba diver, a Fulton County deputy sheriff in Atlanta, and holds two black belts in Choi Kwang Do. Russell was born in Orange, N.J., but being in an Army family, she moved often before attending the University of Colorado, where she majored in nursing.

Dean Jones starred in many movies in the 1970s—most notably, Disney’s The Love Bug. What is he doing now?
—Ruth R., Michigan

The man who starred in 10 Disney films usually is remembered as Herbie’s friend in The Love Bug, but today he focuses on rescuing persecuted Christians and Jews around the world through his Christian Rescue Committee. His acting career continues in high gear, too; credits include 45 movies with everyone from Elvis Presley in Jailhouse Rock to Harrison Ford in Clear and Present Danger, and a seven-city tour in Showboat. He’s been named to the Dove Foundation board, which reviews movies and videos to recommend for family viewing. He and Lory, his wife of 27 years, live in Tarzana, Calif., where their three children and seven grandchildren meet twice a year. Decatur, Ala., his hometown, recently gave him the state’s “Barrett C. Shelton Freedom Award,” presented annually to honor an Alabamian for outstanding service to his community and state. His opinion column can be read weekly on www.christianity.com.

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