Reports from early on seemed to state that Dees had been found dead in the home of James, 56, but police aren't sure how this came to pass. "We're just as bewildered as to how we could have mistaken the two," Wayne Tyner of the Los Angeles District Attorney's office told reporters. "I mean, how do you get a lame morning DJ mixed up with a washed-up funk star? I can't believe it."

Dees's attorney, Crazy McNeil (also a part-time contributor to the show) informed police that his client was seeking damages for undue emotional harm caused by the premature announcement of his client's demise. "We want the exact amount in fines as would be required for royalties from 'Disco Duck' circa 1978," the lawyer told reporters.

James's family, in the meantime, questions the efficiency of the LAPD to examine the cause of the "Super-Freak" singer's death. "If they get him mixed up with some white boy who ain't even funny," stated family spokesman Jimmy "J.J." Walker, "how are we supposed to believe them when they say whether or not he died of natural causes?"

Rick Dees, meanwhile, has turned the misunderstanding into another "wacky" bit on his show, "Dead People I'm Mistaken for", and promised some real zingers in the weeks ahead. "I'm gonna list people that everyone thinks were confused for me upon the reports of their passing. It should be fun!" The first such celebrity to receive the treatment (not surprisingly) will be Rick James.

Other celebrities whom Mr. Dees claims to have been mistaken for upon the moment of their deaths: Lloyd Bridges, Marlon Brando, Ronald Reagan, and Sally Struthers.

The LAPD will not comment further on the case, but a spokesman this week confirmed that the mistake was being taken care of in the police department's records. "We've got it nudged between the apology we owe Rodney King and the real facts behind Robert Kennedy's murder, so we'll get to it as soon as possible."

Written & Submitted by
Trev Danger - Entertainment Reporter (Allegedly)