Police Probe Linda's Death

Just where was Linda McCartney when she died -- and was her death an assisted suicide? The lack of answers to these questions prompted the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department to launch a probe into why no death certificate has been filed following the death Friday of the ex-Beatle's wife, who was suffering from breast cancer. As of Thursday morning, police were refusing to rule out the possibility of euthanasia. "This is an ongoing investigation," spokesman Sgt. James Peterson said, "and there are a lot of questions we want answers to."

Sir Paul's spokesman, Geoff Baker, offered one angry answer: "Any suggestion that her death was assisted is complete and utter rubbish," he said, "a total nonsense." However, Baker also tacitly admitted that Linda did not pass away in Santa Barbara, but "in a place that was private to her and her family." As reported exclusively Wednesday by People Daily, that place was the McCartney ranch near Tucson, Ariz. Sir Paul is likely guilty of no more than a little white lie to protect his wife -- but police in Santa Barbara, as well as the hundreds who gathered there in a candlelight vigil, would appreciate a full explanation.