Features

VIENNA — The proportion of the global wildlife trade that is illegal has risen, the UN reported on Monday, saying progress to end the crime was not on track.

Globally the intercepted illegal wildlife trade as a proportion of all wildlife trade increased from 2017 onwards, the Vienna-based United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said.

“Wildlife trafficking overall has not been substantially reduced over two decades,” said the body’s third “World Wildlife Crime Report”, with around 4,000 plant and animal species impacted in countries around the world.

“The global scope and scale of wildlife crime remain substantial,” it added, calling for measures, such as more consistent enforcement and effective implementation of anti-corruption and other laws.

The proportion reached its highest levels during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, when wildlife seizures made up around 1.4-1.9 per cent of global wildlife trade, compared to between 0.5-1.1 per cent during the previous four years, it said.

“We’re not seeing a reduction in that proportion of illegal trade... so that’s why we’re saying it’s not on track,” researcher Steven Broad involved in the report told AFP.

But in positive news, poaching, seizure levels and market prices have “declined solidly” for “iconic” commodities from elephants and rhinoceros over the past decade, the report added.

“We have seen a sustained decline over the last 10 years, which shows that it can be done,” Broad said.

UNODC warned that wildlife trafficking can “disrupt delicate ecosystems”.

“Some of the species worse affected — like rare orchids, succulents, reptiles, fish, birds and mammals — receive little public attention, though wildlife trafficking appears to have played a major role in their local or global extinctions,” it noted.

The report is based on, among others, 140,000 records of wildlife seizures reported to have taken place between 2015-2021.

Corals were the most frequently seized, accounting for 16 per cent of all seizures, followed by crocodilians with nine percent. 

The 169-page report is the UNODC’s third report on wildlife trafficking following reports in 2016 and 2020.

By Rania Sa’adi,
Rapid Transformational Therapist & Clinaicl Hypnotherapist

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

(OCD) manifests differently for each individual

Common obsessions include fears of contamination, doubts about safety or orderliness and intrusive thoughts of harm coming to oneself or others.

These obsessions trigger intense anxiety, leading to compulsive behaviours aimed at reducing the anxiety caused by the obsessions. Compulsions may involve repetitive actions such as handwashing, checking, counting, or arranging objects in a specific manner.

Causes

The cause of OCD is believed to be a result of combination of factors, including genetic, biological, environmental and psychological factors.

Additionally, and according to Marisa Peer, a renowned therapist and creator of Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT), the need to be ‘in control’ contributes highly to the development of OCD, a thought process that goes:

“If I can’t control the thoughts and feeling I have inside me, I can control everything outside of me”.

Symptoms

Symptoms of OCD vary in severity and intensity but generally include:

Obsessions: Persistent, unwanted thoughts, urges, or images that cause distress

Compulsions: Repetitive behaviours or mental acts performed in response to obsessions to alleviate anxiety or prevent a feared outcome

Avoidance: Avoiding situations or triggers that provoke obsessive thoughts or compulsive behaviours

Impairment: Significant distress or interference in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning

Addressing OCD

One of the unique approaches to resolving OCD is by addressing the underlying beliefs and emotions driving the condition. This is done by accessing and understanding the subconscious mind and reprogramming negative thought patterns through techniques such as RTT.

Here are some key strategies based on this approach:

Identifying the root causes: This emphasises the importance of unravelling the root causes of OCD, which often lie in past experiences, traumas, or negative beliefs formed during childhood. By exploring these underlying issues, individuals can gain insight into the origins of their obsessive-compulsive patterns

Challenging negative beliefs: Through RTT techniques, individuals can challenge and reframe negative beliefs that contribute to OCD symptoms. By replacing limiting beliefs with empowering ones, individuals can shift their mindset and develop healthier coping mechanisms

Cognitive restructuring: Here, we use techniques to change the way individuals perceive and interpret intrusive thoughts. By challenging irrational beliefs and replacing them with rational alternatives, individuals can reduce the intensity of obsessions and compulsions

Mindfulness and relaxation: Incorporating mindfulness practices and relaxation techniques can help individuals manage anxiety and stress associated with OCD. Techniques such as deep breathing, meditation and progressive muscle relaxation can promote a sense of calmness and reduce the urge to engage in compulsive behaviours.

Behavioural exposure: This means using gradual exposure techniques tailored to individual needs, allowing individuals to confront their fears in a supportive and controlled environment

Although OCD seems like a complex condition that can significantly impact an individual’s life, it is treatable if the correct approach is used.

By understanding the underlying root cause of OCD and implementing strategies, individuals can overcome obsessive-compulsive patterns and regain control over their thoughts and behaviours.

Seeking professional help from a qualified therapist or mental health practitioner is essential for developing a personalised treatment plan tailored to individual needs. With determination, support, and effective strategies, individuals can break free from the grip of OCD and experience a greater sense of well-being and fulfilment in life.

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

HUACHO, Peru — Dancing to the tunes of a local brass band, four pallbearers carry a coffin through the streets of a town in western Peru.

Headed for the cemetery, the so-called “dancers of death” show off intricate footwork with a coffin delicately balanced on their shoulders.

It is a ritual meant to take the sting out of death for funeral goers, who clap and dance, many through tears, and spray the coffin with beer from shaken bottles.

The practice is a relatively new one in Peru, started about eight years ago in a part of the country where funerals tend to be more festive than solemn, funeral home director Alex Canales — a pioneer in the field — told AFP.

“We try to give the family members the best experience,” he said in Huacho, a town of some 171,000 residents from where the practice spread to other parts of the South American country.

In Huacho, Canales’s dancing undertakers perform about 20 services a month, at a cost of some $106 per ceremony, he said.

‘Remember him with joy’

This month, AFP observed one such funeral for Marcelino Jamanca, a local farmer who died of cancer at the age of 72.

Four pallbearers in white shirts, ties and black pants carried his coffin from his house, through the village and to the cemetery to the rhythm of huayno and cumbia music.

“His passing hurts us, it hurts that we will never see him again, but we have to remember him with joy, as he was, with what he loved most: music,” said granddaughter Grace Florentine.

The festive procession lasted about 90 minutes, with breaks for the coffin bearers — university students, factory workers or taxi drivers who rehearse and carry coffins in their spare time.

“It’s a hard job, because there are some [deceased] who are heavy ... but we have to do our best, with the will to dance,” said Alexis Marengo, 35.

NEW YORK — From Bad Bunny’s Tudor-inspired hat and shoes resembling cloven hooves to the hummingbird perched delicately on Zendaya’s neck, the hosts set the tone at fashion’s biggest night — the annual Met Gala in New York.

Florals, animals and vintage couture abounded at the so-called Oscars of the East Coast, a mammoth fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.

The extravaganza’s dress code this year is “The Garden of Time” — which draws inspiration from the 1962 short story of the same name written by English writer J.G. Ballard.

In essence, it is about the ephemeral nature of beauty — perhaps a weighty theme to press on the luminaries attending this year’s gala.

For sheer drama, co-hosts Bad Bunny and Zendaya along with rapper Cardi B and singer Lana del Rey commanded the red carpet.

Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny evoked a kind of Tudor matador with a sweeping hat and a black bouquet, with the only pop of color his bright red inseam and the patent shine of his cloven shoes.

Zendaya’s look had been among the most highly anticipated.

For her first Met Gala since 2019 the 27-year-old star was wreathed in jewel-toned lame, organza and satin designed by John Galliano, with vines crawling up her duchess corset and arms and what appeared to be a hummingbird nestled into her neck.

Most attendees chose to evoke awakenings and life, and perhaps to defy the theme by demonstrating the immortality of fashion through the centuries, with many 17th and 18th century flourishes.

Some — such as singer Lana del Rey — emphasized decay, with stark sculptural twigs rising from her gown to hold a veil of tulle like a canopy over her head.

South African singer Tyla’s strapless Balmain gown evoking the sands of time — right down to the hourglass purse — was sculpted so tightly to her body that she had to be carried up the steps at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Cardi B was resplendent in funereal black, with a train so expansive it required nine tuxedoed men to lift it up the stairs. “It’s a black rose,” she told journalists.

‘Mysterious and unexpected’ 

Celebrity interpretation of Met Gala themes have been wide-ranging and often sparked social media debate — but attendees this year appeared to shrug off the pressure.

“I don’t even think there’s pressure at all, I think it’s more of an opportunity,” actor Colman Domingo, who also carried a bouquet in a lily-colored caped jacket and wide-leg trousers, told journalists.

The theme parallels the exhibit “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion”, which focuses on the most fragile pieces of the Costume Institute’s vast collection.

The show, which will be on view to the public from May 10 through September 2, features clothing so delicate it cannot be displayed on mannequins.

The Costume Institute relies on the blockbuster Met Gala to fund its work, including exhibitions and acquisitions.

The gala was first held in 1948 and for decades was reserved for New York high society. Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour, the high priestess of fashion, took over the show in the 1990s, transforming the party into a catwalk for the rich and famous.

This year, a ticket costs a cool $75,000, with tables starting at $350,000. The 2023 gala — which celebrated the late Karl Lagerfeld — raised nearly $22 million, a record sum.

But what exactly goes on inside is an enduring mystery.

“Something mysterious, I’m sure, and unexpected,” actor Jeff Goldblum told journalists on the red carpet, dressed as a count swathed in Tiffany jewels.

Guests are likely to peruse the exhibit, and stars such as Rihanna — whose command of the red carpet is usually unparalleled — have performed in the past.

Social media frenzy 

The spectacle is social media catnip for celebrity watchers — and once again, both the gala and the exhibit are co-sponsored by TikTok.

The tech world joined luminaries of music, film, politics and sports on the carpet, with TikTok CEO Shou Chew, also an honourary co-chair, in attendance.

BORLÄNGE, Sweden — Deep underground in a disused iron mine and under the bluish glow of a flashlight, a small crowd emerges from a sauna, steam rising off their bodies as they plunge into a crystal clear turquoise lake.

In Sweden and Finland, some unusual saunas have been built in recent years, offering truly singular experiences.

Nestled in the snowy forests of Bergslagen in central Sweden, hidden 90 metres below ground in this region known for its mines, lies this very special sauna.

The old iron mine in the town of Borlange closed in 1968 before reopening in 2022, redesigned to welcome visitors looking for a unique — and sweaty  experience, Daniel Karlsson, the head of Adventure Mine, told AFP.

“If you look at saunas today, it’s more like a luxury experience,” he said.

But “down here it’s not just a sauna. It’s also the experience that you get with nature”, he said, clad in a thick red parka to protect from the cold and a helmet with a headlamp.

The space offers visitors a moment of respite from the busy, connected world above.

“Because the sauna is down in the mine, there is nothing that disturbs you from enjoying the sauna.”

“You don’t have mobile phones, you don’t have the sun, you don’t have the wind,” he said.

Heat on a high 

Saunas are enjoyed around the world as a method of relaxation, claimed by some to provide health benefits.

They originated in Finland and Estonia, typically built as small wooden cabins where dry heat up to 100ºC with very low humidity is produced from a stove or hot rocks.

Having a sauna has been a social and hygiene tradition for more than 2,000 years.

Now, sauna enthusiasts who want to expand their horizons can reach new heights in Helsinki.

In the Finnish capital, a giant ferris wheel overlooking the city offers a sauna in one of its specially-built pods.

The sweat session could easily burn a hole in your wallet though, costing between 240 and 350 euros ($255 to $375).

“You can get a pretty good steam and heat here if you really want to,” said Shift Manager Viivi Makelainen.

“Although it’s pretty small, you can fit quite a few people in here, four or five. Also the views are more fun when you’re in the sauna.”

Saunas are an integral part of daily life for most Finns.

The country of 5.5 million inhabitants is home to 3.3 million saunas.

Traditionally considered a sacred space in Finland, “a church of nature”, the Finnish sauna culture was named a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2020.

‘Intimacy with the surroundings’ 

Saunas in the Nordic countries are typically small wooden cabins located near the shore (for a quick dip), deep in the forest (for a quick roll in the snow) or in a home (with a quick shower to refresh).

But one special sauna in the Stockholm archipelago is making waves — sailing on the waters of the capital city.

The “Big Branzino”, a luxury floating sauna measuring 30 square metres, was designed and built in 2022 at the request of a private person.

The structure resembles a square wooden cabin, featuring floor-to-ceiling glass windows and an open-air wheelhouse on the deck.

Inside, a custom-made wood stove with hot rocks is surrounded by wooden benches and chairs, while outside, a rooftop terrace features a large table and seating area to take in the view.

“A client came to the firm and he wanted a truly extraordinary sauna that he hadn’t seen before,” architect Johan Strandlund told AFP.

“So we came up with this shape in order to really maximise the intimacy with its surroundings, and we also wanted a truly breathtaking presence on the horizon,” he said.

Strandlund said the floating sauna appealed to nature- and sauna-loving Swedes.

“I think it’s the way that we really like to enjoy the beautiful nature that we have around here in Stockholm.”

And “even when you’re not using the sauna, the fire is a great source of heat, for example for cold summer nights.”

PARIS — This year’s Cannes Film Festival, which runs from May 14 to 25, has a heavy dose of Hollywood veterans, but it’s also the place to see the budding young stars who will take their place.

Here are five names to watch as they walk the red carpet on the French Riviera.

Sebastian Stan 

Bound to be the most talked-about role at the festival, Stan finds himself in the skin of Donald Trump in “The Apprentice” about the early years of the property mogul, reality TV star and US president.

The 41-year-old Romanian-born actor’s biggest role to date has been as the Winter Soldier in a number of Marvel films, but he received critical acclaim for his performance as rocker Tommy Lee in miniseries “Pam and Tommy” and won best actor at this year’s Berlin Film Festival for “A Different Man”.

Barry Keoghan 

Keoghan emerged from a difficult childhood — his mother died aged 12 from a drug overdose and he was raised in foster homes — to become one of Ireland’s most sought-after actors.

He earned Oscar and Golden Globe nominations, and won a BAFTA for his role in “The Banshees of Inisherin” and reached new levels of fame with the heavily-memed hit “Saltburn”.

Keoghan, 31, comes to Cannes with “Bird”, a coming-of-age tale set in suburban England from Oscar-winner Andrea Arnold, having reportedly given up a part in “Gladiator 2” for the role.

He has plenty of blockbuster fame to come as he plays Joker in “The Batman Part II”, due in 2026.

Anya Taylor Joy 

The lead of pandemic-era Netflix hit “The Queen’s Gambit”, for which she won a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award, Joy has appeared in a number of creepy and supernatural films like “The Witch”, “Split” and “The Menu” — as well as lighter fare such as “Emma” and “The Super Mario Bros Movie”.

The 28-year-old tries her hand at full-blown action in the latest “Mad Max” installment, “Furiosa”, which premieres at Cannes on May 15, playing a younger version of Charlize Theron’s character from “Fury Road”.

Margaret Qualley 

Still regularly referred to as the daughter of Andie McDowell, Qualley may soon eclipse her mother’s fame.

The 29-year-old has already had scene-stealing moments in films by Quentin Tarantino (as a Manson Family member in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”) and Ethan Coen (“Drive-Away Dolls”). She earned Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for Netflix hit “Maid” and mini-series “Fosse/Verdun”.

Now she features in two competition entries at Cannes: Yorgos Lanthimos’s “Kinds of Kindness” — she already had a small part in his “Poor Things” — and slasher horror “The Substance” alongside Demi Moore.

Karla Sofia Gascon 

The film with the most intriguing premise at Cannes is “Emilia Perez”, a musical about a Mexican cartel boss undergoing a sex change to escape the authorities and affirm her identity.

For the starring role, French director Jacques Audiard chose 52-year-old transgender actor Gascon from Madrid, known for a number of Spanish-language soap operas and films.

By Sonia Salfity,
Desperate Dieter

I don’t know about you, but I can get really creative at convincing myself that another piece of cheese won’t hurt.

 After all, it’s protein and not carb. In my mind, I should get a gold medal.

I conveniently forget that I just finished eating dinner and I already snacked on pistachios, yet I still crave biting into a piece of cheese as soon as the television is on.

It’s as if a secret signal is transmitted from the television screen to my brain reminding me it’s time to munch on something!

Reframing the scenario

I’ve found that trying to stop that pesky munching habit is easier when I change the narrative in my mind.

It’s a matter of reframing the entire scenario and flipping things around to work for me and not against me.

It takes practice to be our own best advocate. It also takes the willingness to accept that we’ll never do it perfectly, but that doesn’t mean we should stop trying.

Replacing habits

Here is the strategy that I’ve been using as I aim to replace harmful habits by adding new ones and calling them “a little of this and a little of that”. Here are a few examples and you can have fun coming up with your own.

A little of this broccoli and a little of that spinach will make the good bacteria in my gut happy.

A little of this water and a little of that dance workout will help me have more energy which I desperately need.

A little of this hard conversation and a little of that honesty will help me not to shy away from facing conflict or feeling uncomfortable.

A little of this walk with a friend and a little of that connection with that neighbour will give my mood a much-needed boost.

A little of this slowing down and a little of that patience will help me focus better on the more important things in my life.

A little of this vulnerability and a little of that courage will help me not to sugar coat the true reality of my challenges and frustrations.

A little of this salad and a little bit of those nuts will help me not to show up starving to that birthday party I’m invited to.

 Food, exercise and connections

As you can see, some of these habits have to do with food and exercise and others have to do with relational connections. This helps us take our focus off what we’re going to eat and think about other enjoyable things we all like to do.

This shifts our attitudes from “No Can Do” to “I can do anything I set my mind to do”.

This shift in attitude can be a game changer and I highly recommend you work on it daily.

As with any challenge in life, the more we practise the better we get. Think of it as retraining your brain and, above all, have fun doing it! You might as well embrace the process to take control of and not live at the mercy of those pesky habits!

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

KUMASI, Ghana — Ghana’s Asante King on Wednesday displayed for the first time dozens of royal artefacts looted during colonial rule, after they were returned by British museums on a long-term loan as part of his silver jubilee celebrations.

The British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum earlier this year agreed to give back 32 gold and silver treasures pillaged by British military forces from Asante leader Asantehene’s court during the 19th-century Anglo-Asante Wars.

They include the sword of the state known as Mpomponsuo and the gold badges of officials authorised to purify the king’s soul. The collection also features a gold lute harp presented by Asantehene Osei Bonsu to British diplomat Thomas Edward Bowdich during an 1817 trade treaty.

Speaking at the event dubbed “Homecoming: adversity and commemoration”, King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II said the first-ever exhibition of the artefacts at Manhyia Palace reflected the “soul of the Asante people”.

“[Though] not all have been returned, what we have here still embodies the soul of the Asantes,” the king said of the items looted in 1874.

“So, the spirit is back here, and today is a day for Asantes, a day for the black African continent, and the spirits are back with us again today.”

The Ghanaian King showcased the items in the refurbished Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi, the seat of the Asantehene kingdom. Each item offered visitors a rare glimpse into the splendour of Asante history and culture.

The exhibition will be opened to the public this week.

Cultural restoration 

The return of the objects came as pressure grows on European and US museums and institutions to restore African artefacts stolen during the rule of former colonial powers Britain, France, Germany and Belgium.

Dr Tristram Hunt, the Director of the Victoria & Albert Museum, said the artefacts, symbolising the rich heritage of the Asante Kingdom, were returned to address “the very painful history surrounding the acquisition of these objects, a history tainted by the scars of imperial conflict and colonialism”.

“These treasures have been witnesses to the triumphs and trials of a great kingdom, and their return to Kumasi is a testament to the power of cultural exchange and reconciliation,” he said.

A member of the Board of Trustees of the British Museum, Professor Chris Gosden, said the museum is “wholly committed to continuing this relationship, building on this loan in a manner based on friendship, trust, mutual respect and a willingness to discuss”.

He said the agreement reflects almost half-a-century of discussions between Manhyia Palace and especially with the British Museum.

The accord “provides the basis for enhanced cultural cooperation between the Manhyia Palace Museum and the British Museum, and this loan is its first tangible outcome”, Gosden said.

The Fowler Museum in the United States also returned seven royal artefacts to the Ghanaian Asante king, making the Manhyia Palace Museum now home to 39 artefacts that were lost to colonial powers.

King Osei Tutu II appointed two technical advisers — Ghanaian historian, Ivor Agyeman-Duah, and Scottish historian and former vice principal of the University of Glasgow, Professor Malcolm McLeod — to facilitate the return.

Nigeria is also negotiating the return of thousands of 16th to 18th-century metal plaques, sculptures, and objects looted from the ancient Kingdom of Benin and currently held in museums and with art collectors across the US and Europe.

The neighbouring Benin Republic received two dozen treasures and artworks stolen in 1892 by French colonial forces.

PARIS — American author Paul Auster who made his name with noirish, existentialist novels about lonely writers, outsiders and down-and-outers that were a huge hit in Europe particularly, has died aged 77.

He died on Tuesday evening at his home in Brooklyn surrounded by family, including his wife Siri Hustvedt and daughter Sophie Auster, his friend and fellow author Jacki Lyden said in a statement sent to AFP.

The author with the soulful, sunken eyes gained cult status in the 1980s and 1990s with his “New York Trilogy” of metaphysical mysteries and his hip film “Smoke”, about the lost souls who patronise a Brooklyn tobacco shop.

In March 2023, his wife, fellow author Hustvedt, announced he had been diagnosed with cancer. American media said he died of complications from lung cancer.

Auster’s work straddles the divide between the middlebrow and the highbrow.

His more than 30 books are as likely to be found in airports as on university reading lists and have been translated into more than 40 languages.

In later years his life was marred by tragedy, with his 10-month-old granddaughter dying after ingesting heroin and his son Daniel, the child’s father, dying of an overdose 10 months later.

Father-son stories 

Auster grew up in Newark, New Jersey, the son of Jewish Polish immigrants.

He moved to New York to attend Columbia University and after graduating spent four years in France, where he lived from translations while honing his craft as a writer.

He went through particularly dark times in the 1970s when he married, then four years later divorced, US short story writer Lydia Davis, with whom he had Daniel.

“I had run into a wall with my work. I was blocked and miserable, my marriage was falling apart, I had no money. I was finished,” he told The New York Times in 1992.

The turning point came with the sudden death of his father, which spurred Auster to write “The Invention of Solitude”, a haunting reflection on father-son relationships, a recurring theme in Auster’s work.

Published in 1982 it was a critical success and set Auster free with his writing.

The same year he married Hustvedt, forming one of New York’s starriest intellectual couples.

New York Trilogy 

His big breakthrough came with “The New York Trilogy”, a philosophical twist on the detective genre featuring a shady quartet of private investigators named Blue, Brown, Black and White.

That period also brought a downbeat dog tasked with getting his dead owner’s unpublished manuscript out of a bus station’s luggage locker in “Timbuktu” (1999) and a series of existential capers: “Moon Palace” (1989), “The Music of Chance” (1990) and “Leviathan” (1992).

His gift for sharp dialogue — Auster mercilessly edited himself for sentence rhythm — was key to the success of “Smoke”, which he wrote and co-directed, about a Brooklyn smoke shop owner played by Harvey Keitel.

He also co-directed the follow-up, “Blue in the Face” that featured Keitel again, alongside Jim Jarmusch, Michael J. Fox, Madonna and Lou Reed.

In 2017 he broke with his concise style to deliver a 866-page tome, “4 3 2 1”, charting American society through the life of an everyman, Archie Ferguson.

Auster presented it as his masterwork.

But while America’s National Public Radio found it “dazzling”, others were less positive. The Irish Times deemed it “the last fat novel of a collapsed American pride”.

Public and private tragedies 

“Bloodbath Nation” — the book he brought out in January 2023 with his photographer son-in-law Spencer Ostrander about gun violence in America — took him into new terrain.

Auster penned the text to accompany Ostrander’s haunting black-and-white pictures from the sites of 30 mass shootings.

Guns are “the central metaphor for everything that continues to divide us”, he wrote.

In the book, he revealed how his own grandmother had shot dead his grandfather in Wisconsin in 1919 but had avoided jail and raised her five children after arguing temporary insanity.

A century on, Auster faced his own private anguish.

In 2021, his son Daniel was found guilty of negligent homicide in the death of his 10-month-old daughter Ruby from an overdose.

The following year, Daniel died of an overdose at the age of 44.

Auster never publicly discussed their deaths.

He and Hustvedt also had a daughter, singer Sophie Auster.