In a heartfelt plea, Melissa Gilbert has urged Hollywood to enhance the protection of its young stars, coming just days after the untimely death of Hayden Panettiere at 36.

Tragically, Panettiere was found unresponsive in a South Carolina apartment on Sunday, August 16, and was later pronounced dead, with an overdose suspected as the cause.

The 62-year-old actress, best known for her role in Little House On The Prairie, expressed her concerns through an emotional Substack essay published on Saturday. In it, she strongly criticized the entertainment industry for ‘exploiting’ child actors and stressed that urgent action is required.

This comes amid legal troubles for Gilbert’s husband, Timothy Busfield, who faces charges of four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child under 13. He has entered a plea of not guilty.

In her essay, aptly titled ‘Enough Is Enough,’ Gilbert highlighted a disturbing trend by acknowledging the deaths of Panettiere, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Daveigh Chase within a single year.

‘Three former female child actors of the same generation are gone. Tragically, heartbreakingly, agonizingly too soon,’ she wrote. 

The star added, ‘They are gone and the question I have been turning over and over in my head is, “WHY?”. Why are these three sweet, wildly talented, vibrant, vital young women gone?’ 

Gilbert reflected on growing up as a child on the screen while naming other celebrities including Britney Spears, sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning, Drew Barrymore and Jodie Foster. 

‘We are all members of the same tribe; Female Former Child Performers, and when one of us dies, it runs through all of us like an electrical current.’

She continued, ‘When three of us die so close together, something is very, very wrong.’ 

Gilbert claimed that the ‘invention of the mobile phone’ has possibly caused young stars to be ‘exploited’ far worse over the years.

‘The real question haunting me is “How do we fix or end this before someone else dies?”‘ she further penned. 

The actress wrote that it ‘is likely a combination of many factors, but it is incumbent on those of us who came before to support those experiencing it now.’ 

Gilbert also referred to Doctor Show Syndrome, which ‘kicks in and enables us to perform when we are sick both physically and emotionally.’ 

The Miracle Worker star claimed to have worked while ‘horribly sick, injured or worse.’ 

Just months after her father passed away when she was 11 years old, the actress ‘was back working’ on Little House On The Prairie. 

‘And not one single adult on that set discussed it with me or offered condolences. I later found out that the fear was I would become too upset to work. I was eleven, my Daddy had just died and I was shattered.

‘Thank God my character cried in every single episode. That, as twisted as it sounds, was my therapy. My release.’ 

Gilbert also claimed in the essay that she ‘nearly worked to death a few times.’ 

One instance occurred when she was filming a movie in Oregon when she ‘had an emergency appendectomy.’

She was back to work three days later and wrapped shooting. By the time she got home, she had been ‘on the verge of sepsis.’ 

‘That is what we are taught as young actors. These young professionals are children, and we should make sure they are allowed to be children.’

Gilbert also called on ‘studios and networks to establish accessible free mental health support for all child actors as they transition into young adulthood. That can only be accomplished with industry-wide cooperation.’ 

Towards the end of the essay, the actress said that ‘something has got to be done.’

‘I have this image in my mind of Hayden’s little girl who will now grow up without her Mama. She is eleven years old. That’s the same age I was when my father died. 

‘And now I am weeping as I type this and I just want to scream from the rooftops, “ENOUGH!”‘ 

The Daily Mail has contacted a representative for Gilbert for comment.  

Anna Paquin, who notably won an Oscar at the age of 11 for her role in The Piano, also slammed Hollywood’s treatment of ‘presexualized’ underage actresses on Friday. 

She wrote on Instagram on what would have been Panettiere’s 37th birthday: ‘It’s not a coincidence that so many former, specifically presexualized female, child “stars” have profoundly sad lives and untimely ends.

‘We were not as protected by the “systems” that look great on paper, as we are supposed to be said. RIP HP, MT, DC, and too many others.’

Back in June, Gilbert also made a lengthy post on Instagram lecturing child star parents in response to the death of The Ring actress Daveigh Chase.

Chase died aged 35 on June 16 from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which is the most advanced stage of HIV infection, according to the LA County Medical Examiner.

However, Gilbert was criticized on social media as her husband fights child sex accusations in court. Others were supportive of the actress’s post. 

Busfield is charged with four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child under 13, which he has pled not guilty to.

Prosecutors in New Mexico announced on February 6 that Busfield had been indicted in connection with four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child under 13.

The allegations against Busfield involve two child actors who worked with him on the TV series The Cleaning Lady, which he produced and worked as a director on from 2022-2025. 

The trial is currently slated to commence in May of 2027. 

Busfield said his career is over, as he has allegedly been ‘canceled.’

He told a grand jury in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in February that his ‘career’s done’ in the wake of the allegations, according to testimony from the district attorney’s office that was obtained by USA Today. 

‘I’m canceled,’ Busfield said. ‘I’ll never, I don’t, I’ll never work again just based on people’s fear that I would do this again and, and even if it wasn’t true, I’m done.’

He continued: ‘I’ve lost TV shows, a movie they’ve digitally replaced me from. My agency fired me. I’m done. This is not about me or a pity thing.’

Busfield said in two hours of testimony to the grand jury that his last hope was that Gilbert’s career was not sunk by his legal troubles.

A flight operated by American Airlines made a secure landing in Dallas after an unexpected incident where a laptop battery ignited inflight. This prompted swift action from flight attendants and a swift response from emergency teams upon the aircraft’s arrival, as shared by officials with News Media.

The drama unfolded on American Airlines Flight 2398. The aircraft was nearing Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) on Friday, originally departing from Atlanta, when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) received reports of the alarming laptop battery fire from the crew.

Quick-thinking flight attendants managed to extinguish the flames using a thermal containment bag, detailed the FAA.

Touching down safely at DFW around 6:55 p.m. local time, the Airbus A321 concluded its flight without further incident. The FAA is currently conducting a thorough investigation into the events.

American Airlines separately confirmed to News Media that smoke was reported from a customer’s device during landing.

“American Airlines flight 2398 landed safely at DFW after reports of smoke from a customer’s device during landing. We thank our crew for their professionalism and swift response to quickly contain the device,” a spokesperson said.

The aircraft taxied to the gate under its own power, where emergency personnel met the plane in accordance with procedure, the airline said.

One passenger received medical attention at the scene and was released, the spokesperson said. DFW separately confirmed to News Media that emergency crews met the flight and one patient was treated and released.

The flight was carrying 133 people when the incident occurred, according to air traffic control audio obtained by CBS News.

Jessica Irgens, a passenger aboard the flight, told CBS News the fire began roughly 30 minutes before landing when another passenger’s laptop began smoking and caught fire.

Irgens said she was sitting two rows away and moved toward the back of the aircraft because of the heavy smoke. She told the outlet the laptop’s owner placed the device in the aisle and other passengers attempted to help.

The pilot reported to air traffic controllers that about four to five passengers may have suffered burns from the laptop, according to audio obtained by CBS News.

Lithium batteries used in laptops, cellphones and other electronic devices can overheat through a process known as thermal runaway, according to the FAA.

The FAA said thermal runaway can occur without warning and can result from several factors, including a battery being damaged, overheated, exposed to water, overcharged or improperly packed.

In Northern California, a dangerous section of river has tragically claimed the lives of two brothers. Authorities confirmed the devastating incident occurred on the Trinity River near Willow Creek in Humboldt County.

The victims, Lex Rincon, aged 45, and his younger brother Krishna, 18, were both pronounced dead after authorities responded to the area on Wednesday.

Sheriff’s deputies arrived at Tagmeyer Beach at 10:14 a.m., initially following up on reports from the day prior about a man struggling in the river’s powerful current.

Upon arrival, deputies noticed a vehicle abandoned at the river’s edge, indicating the presence of individuals who had been at the scene.

The law enforcement team then embarked on a comprehensive search effort, scouring the river and the surrounding river bar in hopes of finding the missing brothers.

Authorities pulled two bodies from the water, later identified as 45-year-old Arcata local Lex Rincon and his 18-year-old brother from New York, Krishna (also known as Ganesh) Rincon.

While autopsies are pending for next week, officials say the deaths appear to be consistent with accidental drowning.

Since most of the brothers’ family is based in New York, loved ones will have to travel to Humboldt County to say their final goodbyes.

“Last minute plane tickets are not cheap,” the family said in a statement, urging the community to help a family navigate their “extremely difficult time.”

“Our friend Lex was unrelentingly kind, determined, creative, and funny, and I am privileged to have known him for so long, and to have been introduced to his gentle and curious brother Ganesh.

“I am heartbroken by their deaths, as are all that knew and loved them,” said Lex’s friend, Gregory Terry.

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Three decades ago, Mopreme Shakur found himself driving at breakneck speed down the I-15, leaving his Los Angeles home in the dust. His destination was Las Vegas, and he hoped against hope that the news he had received was somehow mistaken.

In the dead of night, he had been jolted awake by a phone call with devastating news: his stepbrother, Tupac Shakur, who was four years younger than him, had been shot in Las Vegas.

In his recent memoir, Mopreme recalls how disbelief gripped him. “I thought they had it wrong again,” he confides, convinced that the attackers must have targeted someone else.

But sadly, it was no mistake. Tupac had been rushed to the hospital, suffering from four gunshot wounds. The bullets had struck his right arm, thigh, and twice in the chest. Those injuries led to catastrophic internal bleeding and a collapsed lung, resulting in his death six days later, on September 13, 1996, just shy of his 26th birthday.

This week, at the age of 59, Mopreme returned to Las Vegas. His destination this time was not a hospital, but a courthouse. At last, someone stands trial for Tupac’s murder, a moment that has been awaited by Mopreme and his family for far too long.

‘Just think: 30 years,’ he told the Daily Mail, speaking by Zoom from his Los Angeles home on the eve of the trial.

‘I haven’t heard from the Las Vegas homicide police department, and I don’t think anyone in the family has in 30 years.’

He shakes his head in disgust.

‘And that’s just the truth. Now they decided to do something. I’m cautiously optimistic. Hopefully, Pac will see just a smidgen of justice.’

Mopreme was sitting front row on Monday as prosecutors laid out their case against Duane ‘Keffe’ Davis, 63.

Davis, a known drug dealer and Crips gang leader, is accused of orchestrating the drive-by shooting of Tupac in retaliation for Tupac beating up his nephew Orlando Anderson after a Mike Tyson fight in the city.

Tupac was in a car driven by Marion ‘Suge’ Knight, the boss of his West Coast-based record label, Death Row.

Davis was one of four people in the car that pulled up alongside Knight’s vehicle and is the only one of the four still alive. Anderson was named as a suspect in the shooting, before he himself was shot and killed aged 23 in 1998.

‘Duane Davis did not pull the trigger, but what he did do is plan the retaliation for the beating of his nephew,’ said Binu Palal, the chief deputy district attorney, addressing the jury on Monday.

‘You will learn that Duane Davis got the gun. You will learn that he got into a white Cadillac. You will learn when the opportunity presented itself for retribution, Duane Davis made sure that the shooter was armed and ready to execute (Shakur). And remarkably, you will learn that from Duane Davis himself.’

Indeed, Davis was arrested in 2023, following a 2018 documentary in which he discussed the shooting and a 2019 memoir in which he describes ‘tossing’ a gun into the back seat of the car, so another man could open fire.

Knight, the only other person from the two cars still alive, has no love for Davis, but has refused to testify, declaring: ‘Leave me out of it.’

He is in prison for the 2015 murder of a businessman and has repeatedly ruled out taking the stand.

Mopreme is sanguine about the 61-year-old hip hop mogul’s obstinacy.

‘It’s quite typical,’ said Mopreme. ‘He’s a gang member. He’s a loud and proud Bloods gang member. So that tracks for gang rules.

‘He claimed to be Pac’s best friend. You would think he would want to help, but that’s still not how they do.’

Palal, the prosecutor, said on Monday that Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs hired Davis as his security guard when he was on the West Coast.

Davis has previously claimed, in a 2008 secret police recording, that Combs, who ran rival East Coast record company Bad Boy Records, offered him $1 million to kill Tupac – something Combs has repeatedly denied.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Combs’s representatives for comment.

Combs called Mopreme in the early 2000s to insist he had nothing to do with his brother’s killing.

Davis’s defense team will insist that their client made much of the book up, for profit, with his lawyer Michael Sanft warning against believing ‘statements that are made for entertainment purposes only.’

Was Tupac – born into poverty in Harlem, raised in a tough neighborhood of Baltimore, living his few years of adulthood in California – always destined to die young?

‘There was always the chance,’ admitted Mopreme. ‘We were young black men in America. There’s always a chance, more than the average, that we would die in a violent death.

‘And Pac himself admitted he had a big mouth. He was always ready to back it up, and he was fearless. He felt like we had a right to be in this game.’

Indeed, both Shakur brothers felt they had earned their stripes.

Mopreme Shakur was born Maurice Harding to Sharan Harding and Jeral Williams, who would later change his name to Mutulu Shakur. Harding and Williams were just 16 years old when their son Mopreme, as he became known, was born.

Mopreme was around five when his father became involved with Afeni, mother to the then one-year-old infant, Tupac.

The two boys were close, despite spending some of their teenage years apart – Mopreme with his mother in Queens, and Tupac with his mother in Harlem.

Tupac was 17 when his mother kicked him out of their Baltimore home, and he relocated to California.

About a year later, Mopreme found himself living nearby, in Oakland, having recently completed a stint in the army.

Mopreme and his little brother soon reconnected – with music and showbiz a unifier.

‘We were theater geeks,’ Mopreme said, describing how the siblings would drive through California singing along to the soundtrack to the musical Les Miserables. ‘People now are familiar with Pac’s early days, at the Baltimore School of the Arts, where he was doing his thing. I was vice president of my drama department.’

In his memoir, out in February, Mopreme writes that his brother was ‘a superstar you think you know but don’t.’

What is the biggest misconception about Tupac?

‘People try to act like Pac wasn’t a thinking person,’ said Mopreme. ‘He was just a young, wild rapper – undisciplined and up against the rock. As history dictates: Heavy is the head that wears the crown. And he was wearing it at 20. How much do any of us know at that age?

‘Another misconception is that they don’t understand the extent of the poverty that we grew up in. We were refusing to be poor any more, so we busted our ass trying to make something for our generation.

‘Our culture was the new rock and roll. We were young guys, having success and having influence. Learning how to use that success and influence and still keep the haters at bay.’

Mopreme’s favorite image with his brother is from the video of the 1991 song If My Homie Calls – the two are walking side by side, with Tupac grinning broadly and then fist-bumping Mopreme.

Mopreme, who had a hit song before his brother, sidelined his own solo career to join and support his mercurial sibling.

‘It made sense to rock with my little brother,’ he said. ‘My successful little brother. We had been through a lot and we had been poor, and those days were turning around. So, we had to make it for the family, for everybody.’

He admits his brother was quick tempered, violent and, at times, maddeningly chaotic.

‘Pac became a lot, a lot,’ he writes in his memoir, of his brother’s growing fame. ‘He had always been a lot. S***, we called him King Lear years before, because of how extra he would get with those of us closest to him.’

Still, he sees his sibling as a creative genius, who cared about his community.

‘A lot of our efforts, especially Pac’s efforts, were to try to look out for the young black male,’ said Mopreme. ‘Young people in general, Pac championed them, because he felt the youth was often overlooked and disrespected – people wouldn’t fully listen to their ideas.

‘It’s why people love Pac today.’

But what about the violence? His brother is one of the key figures in the East Coast-West Coast rap wars of the 1990s, that cost many young men their lives. It was a vicious, grim time. Has it changed?

‘A bit,’ said Mopreme. ‘It’s changed some. It’s nothing like the 90s. Unfortunately, our communities are too familiar with violence. We’re all a work in progress.

‘If we fix these things, we could be a powerful force. You know, gangs look out for their own in their neighborhood, they take care of the old folks in their neighborhood – but the other s*** is also there.

‘Those are the communities that are also neglected. So they appreciated getting some attention. And, you know, there’s a lot of those type of entertainers that doesn’t touch the hood, doesn’t address the people. So that’s another reason why Pac was loved.’

What would he be doing if he were alive today?

‘You mean if his head wasn’t exploding?’ he said. ‘He would be doing more international things, to help communities around the world.

‘I used to think he might want to be a lawyer, because often he thought like that, but I don’t think he had the patience or the temperament to do law.’

Mopreme himself is still making music and working on documentaries about his family’s story.

His brother’s death was ‘devastating,’ and still haunts his family to this day, he said.

Tupac’s mother died in 2016, aged 69. His biological father Billy Garland is still alive, age 77: the two were not close, and Tupac thought his father was dead until he was in his 20s.

Mutulu Shakur, Mopreme’s father and Tupac’s stepfather, died in 2023, aged 72, after serving 37 years in prison for the murder of two police officers during a robbery.

‘We need justice for my guy, for me, for the family, for Pac’s fans who’ve been with me on this ride,’ Mopreme said. ‘Because of the lack of anything done on the case, I’ve been part of several documentaries over the years, trying to dig and find out what happened. Find that last piece.’

He said he feels a responsibility to his brother and to their associates – many of whom have died from gun violence, drug overdoses and suicide.

‘The guys that came up with Pac and I – there’s maybe like four of us left out of 20,’ he said. ‘It’s been rough. I gotta do it, you know.

‘We’ve got a saying over here: “till the wheels fall off.” And I’m still here, so the wheels ain’t fell off yet.’

LAKE COUNTY, Ind. (WLS) — In the wake of severe weather disturbances and subsequent NIPSCO power outages, World Central Kitchen stepped up to provide complimentary meals to the residents of northwest Indiana, particularly in Gary. This benevolent non-profit is renowned for delivering fresh meals to communities grappling with the aftermath of natural calamities and conflicts.

Since August 11, following a series of fierce storms that swept through the Chicago region, thousands of Indiana residents have been enduring the challenges of living without power.

NIPSCO, as of Sunday afternoon, revealed that power outages were still impacting over 17,000 customers in northwest Indiana. They projected that all services should be restored by Tuesday. Notably, Gary and Portage in Indiana remain the most affected, still plunged in darkness.

Amidst this dire situation, a beacon of hope arrived on Saturday when ComEd teamed up with the Chicago Bears to announce new aid for the beleaguered region.

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By early Sunday afternoon, just before 2 p.m., the community witnessed a heartening sight— a truck brimming with food and water arrived at the Lake Ridge Fire Department, staffed entirely by volunteers. Over the preceding days, local allies have steadily intensified their efforts to bolster community support.

“Our community has no water. No toilets. No sewers. They can’t brush their teeth,” said Tim Kuiper with the Lake Ridge Fire Protection District. “They have no power, so we’re just getting whatever resources we can get to help them.”

What started with water giveaways has grown to a full-fledged effort that now includes mobile showers. But it is the food that is most needed. Those hardest hit by the storms here are already among the region’s most vulnerable.

“I go to food banks for food,” said resident Sharon Dickerson, who is still without power. “I had to throw my food in the garbage, so I’m trying to survive now.”

“I make maybe $15 an hour. I’m barely surviving,” said resident Amanda Finlay, who is also still without power. And everything that’s going on it’s not making it any better.

Among those providing aid and comfort are Lilly and World Central Kitchen, founded by celebrity chef José Andrés. the non-profit is most often seen in disaster areas across the world providing hot meals to those hardest hit. On Sunday, the organization handed out about 700 meals, not just in Lake Ridge, but across Gary, just miles from the high-end restaurants Andrés owns and operates in Chicago. Local volunteer and chef Jack Velasquez has been hard at work mobilizing other local chefs to join in the effort.

“There’s 11 different sites that we went to yesterday just to see,” Velasquez said. “There were some centers set up to see where they great need was and this is one of them here today.”

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Indiana Governor Mike Braun is asking the federal government to issue a major disaster declaration to help with relief efforts across the state. The request estimates property damage costs have topped $5 billion.

In an effort to accelerate restoration work, ComEd dispatched more than 60 employees to northwest Indiana on Saturday to assist NIPSCO crews. The workers are expected to remain in the area for several days.

Also on Saturday, the Bears announced $200,000 in donations to storm relief efforts in southeast Cook County and northwest Indiana. The NFL team said $100,000 is going to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago and $100,000 is going to Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Gary.

Meanwhile, a class-action lawsuit against Northern Indiana Public Service Company has been filed. The lawsuit claims NIPSCO inadequately performed vegetation management in and around power lines and that fallen trees led to power outages that impacted people’s lives.

The lawsuit filed on behalf of Indiana residents alleges the widespread outages could have been prevented. Attorneys representing plaintiffs claim NIPSCO failed to properly manage vegetation and did not conduct adequate inspections of utility poles and power lines.

NIPSCO denied the allegations, saying it maintains an active vegetation management program and plans to vigorously defend itself through the legal process.

The utility also addressed concerns from customers who remain without power while continuing to receive utility bills.

“With respect to customer’s bills, we’ve suspended any kind of disconnection through the next week,” said NIPSCO President Melody Birmingham. “We’ll continue to work with our customers and put programs in place for any customers who have a difficult time paying that bill.”

NIPSCO issued the following statement Friday:
“We strongly disagree with the characterization of NIPSCO’s vegetation management practices in the Amended Complaint and the various press conferences held by the law firm of Kenneth Allen Law Group. We will vigorously defend the company through the legal process. NIPSCO’s electric operations, including its active vegetation management program, are overseen by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. NIPSCO’s vegetation management spend has more than doubled since 2016, demonstrating our commitment and focus on maintaining a safe and reliable electric system. NIPSCO understands the impact that prolonged outages can have on our customers and communities, particularly following storms, and in particular, the severe weather events that caused unprecedented damage across NIPSCO’s electric system that recently transpired. Safety and reliability are fundamental to how we operate, and we have established processes and procedures to maintain our electric system, including our vegetation management program. Our immediate focus remains on restoring service to affected customers safely and as quickly as possible.”

A young black bear found itself in a precarious situation in Denver on Sunday, taking a hard fall from a tree after being tranquilized by wildlife officers. This measure was taken to relocate the bear to a safer environment.

In a social media update on X, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) detailed the incident that took place near the intersection of Louisiana Avenue and Pennsylvania Street in Denver.

“Today, we encountered a bear up a tree… in Denver,” the post humorously noted. “No mistake here. Yes, in Denver.”

According to CPW, after sedating the bear, wildlife officers collaborated with the Denver Police Department to ensure a safe catch as it descended from the tree.

“It didn’t have the smoothest landing, but the bear is ok!” authorities said.

Video posted as part of the X thread showed the bear dropping through branches before officers secured the animal on the ground.

CPW identified the animal as an approximately 1.5-year-old male yearling weighing about 100 pounds. The agency said the bear would be transported to better habitat and released.

The unusual Denver encounter comes as Colorado wildlife officials report an increase in bear activity this year, which they have linked to drought conditions and dwindling natural food sources.

CPW received 6,129 reports of bear sightings and conflicts between Jan. 1 and Aug. 13, compared with 3,115 during the same period last year, according to the agency.

CPW also said in the X thread that drought conditions are driving more bears into neighborhoods in search of food.

“You’re not crazy, we are seeing more bear conflicts this year,” CPW wrote. “The drought is forcing bears to seek food in our neighborhoods.”

Wildlife officials are urging Coloradans to secure their trash until the morning of pickup, remove bird feeders and keep cars and windows locked to prevent bears from finding food around homes.

The Denver encounter also came just days after a mother bear and cub wandered into the city’s Harvey Park neighborhood. CPW tranquilized and relocated those animals after they remained in the populated area for several days.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife warns that bears can become increasingly active as they prepare for winter and search for enough calories to build their fat reserves.

Wyndham Clark found himself in a commanding position after Saturday’s performance at the BMW Championship, both on the greens and in life beyond the course.

With a five-stroke advantage, Clark was firmly in the driver’s seat as he prepared for Sunday’s decisive round. Additionally, news emerged that he is taking a big step forward personally, moving in with his girlfriend, Emily Tanner, which surely added to his celebratory mood.

Following his Saturday round, Clark addressed the press, opening up about his strategies for maintaining focus with such a significant lead going into Sunday.

“Thankfully, I have an amazing girlfriend who I can spend time with,” Clark mentioned, according to Chris McKee. “She keeps me grounded, diverting my mind away from any worries and helping me remain in the moment. She’s a huge help,” he added.

It’s clear that when Clark made these comments, he was saying his girlfriend was a distraction in a good sense.

Fast forward to Sunday afternoon and Clark’s five-stroke head has evaporated. He’s 4 over par on the day and was tied with Rory McIlroy for the lead at 14 under par with four holes left to play.

Therefore, if Tanner distracted Clark on Sunday morning, it didn’t have the intended effects.

There’s still time for Clark to right the ship, reclaim his lead and secure the BMW Championship. But if he doesn’t, Clark might have to think long and hard about what his pre-round preparation with Tanner entailed on Sunday and whether it warrants any changes.