Ben Vereen

The 16-year-old daughter of entertainer Ben Vereen was killed when a mini-van driven by her mother was crushed by a tractor-trailer that toppled on a highway ramp, police said. Rescue workers took 3 1/2 hours Wednesday to remove the body of Naja Vereen of Saddle River from the flattened remains of the van, according to state police.

During the late 1960s, when he still was struggling to make it as an actor-singer-dancer, Ben Vereen figured he'd try tagging along with Sammy Davis Jr. to pick up some pointers. He recalls asking Davis' assistant to take him on the road. "He said, 'This man's been in the business all his life. Go out and find your own. Become your own.' And from that, I went out and found my own." Now Vereen, at 58, is doing his own tribute to Davis, who died in 1990.

The teen-age daughter of entertainer Ben Vereen was killed in an accident involving a tractor-trailer that flipped over and crushed the van in which she was riding, the New Jersey State Police said Thursday. Naja Vereen, 16, of Saddle River, N. J., was pronounced dead at the scene Wednesday by an Essex County medical examiner, police said. Her mother, Nancy Vereen, 43, was driving the Toyota minivan but was not injured.

On one side stands the mighty Brooklyn Bridge. On the other, the Manhattan Bridge. In between stands Ben Vereen, looking every bit as vital as the mammoth girders that loom above him. It is morning in Brooklyn, and Vereen can't wait to follow one of these two hulking spans into Manhattan and then Broadway, where the Tony-winning song-and-dance man has always gravitated like a moth to light. "I have a rehearsal today," he says. "You know what's a good feeling?

Song-and-dance man Ben Vereen has improved from life-threatening injuries sustained in an accident and is no longer in intensive care at the UCLA Medical Center, a hospital spokesman said Monday. The veteran performer was critically injured June 9 when he was struck by a vehicle while walking on a highway near his Malibu home.

Actor, singer and dancer Ben Vereen will be featured in the Norris Center for the Performing Arts' annual celebrity concert and gala Saturday at 8 p.m. in Rolling Hills Estates. The star of Broadway, television and film will headline the only fund-raising performance of the season, which supports all Norris Center programs, education and outreach activities.

Entertainer Ben Vereen supports a host of charitable causes, but when he was asked also to perform at Saturday night's record-breaking fund-raiser for Orange County's home for abandoned and abused children, he said he could not refuse. "Today's cry (from children) is much louder than anything we have heard before," Vereen said in an interview before the event. "If we don't do something to encourage them, to motivate them, to build self-esteem, then we're a lost nation."

Tony award-winning dancer and television actor Ben Vereen, making his first public appearance since being hit by a truck in June, told teachers in adult-education programs their role is important to society. Vereen told the 1,800 participants at the 10th annual Adult Education Conference at the Anaheim Hilton and Towers that they teach those who fell through cracks in the educational system, such as ex-prisoners, unwed mothers and immigrants.

Ben Vereen, Tony-winning dancer and television star, was in critical condition Tuesday after he was struck by a truck early Tuesday morning on a dark stretch of Pacific Coast Highway about two miles from his Malibu apartment. Vereen, 45, suffered internal and head injuries and a broken left leg in the 2:45 a.m. accident.

The man lies on his back on the floor of a Manhattan dance studio, arms stretched out at his sides. His athletic trainer grasps his right leg and slowly presses it upward until it is nearly vertical. Sweat breaks out on the man's forehead and he winces audibly. The trainer presses farther. "Uncle?" asks the trainer, Marijeanne Liederbach. "Come on," he says, and Liederbach presses his leg past vertical and nearly into his chest. His face is etched with concentration and pain.

Compared to the versions previously seen on local stages, a very different edition of the Broadway musical "Fosse" comes to the PBS "Great Performances" series tonight. In its pre-Broadway tour and national company performances, "Fosse" was not only a tribute to the acclaimed choreographer and director who died in 1987, but also a restaging of his dances for a whole new generation of virtuosos.

Actor, singer and dancer Ben Vereen will be featured in the Norris Center for the Performing Arts' annual celebrity concert and gala Saturday at 8 p.m. in Rolling Hills Estates. The star of Broadway, television and film will headline the only fund-raising performance of the season, which supports all Norris Center programs, education and outreach activities.

"An opportunity to thank all the people who prayed for me" is the way Ben Vereen describes his concert tour "On Broadway!," with Leslie Uggams. And Vereen's performance Sunday night at the Wiltern Theatre, a climactic event in the 42-city excursion, did indeed have the feeling of reaching out and touching the audience, both musically and emotionally. It's been nearly five years since Vereen was seriously injured when he was struck by a truck while walking on Pacific Coast Highway.

Comedian Paula Poundstone and actor Ben Vereen will headline a benefit dinner at the Century Plaza Hotel Saturday for Vista Del Mar Child Family Services, a Los Angeles residential treatment facility for youngsters who have suffered abuse, neglect or abandonment. Tickets for the 6:45 p.m. event are $250, $350 and $500. Information: (310) 836-1223, Ext. 270.

Vereen Bows: Ben Vereen did not break a leg but he did stop the show with cheers as he took the Broadway stage in "Jelly's Last Jam" 10 months after he was nearly killed in a highway accident. Vereen's doctors and therapists were in the audience Thursday night, as were Mayor David Dinkins and a celebrity support group. Vereen plays the role of Chimney Man, a death figure who has an opening monologue, sings and performs various stylized movements.

The man lies on his back on the floor of a Manhattan dance studio, arms stretched out at his sides. His athletic trainer grasps his right leg and slowly presses it upward until it is nearly vertical. Sweat breaks out on the man's forehead and he winces audibly. The trainer presses farther. "Uncle?" asks the trainer, Marijeanne Liederbach. "Come on," he says, and Liederbach presses his leg past vertical and nearly into his chest. His face is etched with concentration and pain.

Improving: Ben Vereen showed promising signs of recovery from injuries caused when he was hit by a truck while walking on Pacific Coast Highway last week, a hospital spokesman at UCLA Medical Center said Tuesday. Vereen, who suffered fractures, head and internal injuries in the accident, was upgraded from critical to serious condition at the hospital.

Vereen Released: After seven months of physical therapy, Ben Vereen was discharged Thursday from a rehabilitation center in New Jersey. Vereen, 46, was admitted in July, six weeks after being struck by a small truck in a pre-dawn accident near his home in Malibu. He has been an outpatient since October. "I couldn't say whether he is back 100%," said a spokeswoman, "but he's certainly markedly improved from when he came in here."

"The Colors of Christmas" show at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium today and Saturday will mark two returns to action. Most dramatic will be the appearance of singer-dancer Ben Vereen, his first performance since being critically injured when hit by a car on Pacific Coast Highway near his Malibu apartment last June.