Music fans were shocked as word spread last night of the death of Alex Chilton, of Big Star — possibly the ultimate cult-favorite band — and the Box Tops.

Alex Chilton was age 59. The apparent cause of death was a heart problem.

The Associated Press obituary covers the basics, but here's more:

• Rolling Stone obituary.
• MTV.com obituary.
• A remembrance by Rob Sheffield for Rolling Stone.
• An MTV analysis of his influence.
• EW.com reports from the South by Southwest festival, where Big Star was scheduled to play Saturday.
• An item from The New York Times' Arts Beat blog.

Here's a Big Star classic in a latter-day "Tonight Show" performance. This song, "In the Street," was adapted into the theme song for TV's "That '70s Show."

More video at the end of this post.

Other entertainment items of note on the web today:

MOVIES

• Press attention is building for next week's Ann Arbor Film Festival, with previews showing up today from the Detroit Free Press and from The Detroit News. If you missed Jenn McKee's preview for AnnArbor.com, it can be found here. And watch AnnArbor.com next week for coverage of the festival.

TELEVISION

• Talks between Conan O'Brien and the Fox network about a new show are still in the preliminary stages, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Meanwhile, TMZ reports that Fox is pressuring its stations over the possible move.

• "American Idol" went from 12 contestants to 11 last night. For a recap, MTV.com's "Idol in 60 seconds" is here, while People.com's full rundown is here. EW.com continues to report from the scene, while the Seattle Times has a pretty entertaining commentary on the pointlessness of an hourlong results show.

• Amy Poehler is pregnant, but according to BuddyTV, her character on "Parks & Recreation" won't be.

MUSIC

• Fans of old Detroit R&B rejoice: Andre Williams is returning to town for a book signing and show, The Detroit News reports. The Free Press has five questions with the man who dared record songs like "Jail Bait" and "Bacon Fat."

• The Detroit News' Adam Graham reviews Tuesday's Bon Jovi show at the Palace.

• The New York Times' ArtsBeat blog has an interesting item on the declining importance of the South by Southwest music festival.

COMEDY

• The Detroit News previews the Laugh Detroit comedy festival, which Lewis Black kicks off.

ART & EXHIBITS

• The Detroit News' Michael Hodges takes a look at the "black cat" exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit.

BOOKS

• More Captain Underpants books are in the works, according to the Associated Press.

AND FINALLY ...

• Let's close today with a couple more video remembrances of the late Alex Chilton. Here's a nice rendition of "The Ballad of El Goodo" from 1993:

I really wanted to include "September Gurls," and I did find this, though the sound isn't the greatest:

And lest we forget Chilton's earlier days, here's a horribly lip-synched version of the Box Tops' "The Letter":

RIP, Alex Chilton.

Renee Tellez contributed to this roundup. Bob Needham is director of entertainment content for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at bobneedham@annarbor.com or 734-623-2541, and follow him on Twitter @bobneedham.