Even if you hate Heidi...

"The Hills" star Heidi Montag lost her stepbrother--an Iraqi and Afghanistan war veteran-- Thursday in a freak accident.

Eric O'Hara, 24, slipped off a roof attempting to remove snow at the Steamboat Grand Resort Hotel in Steamboat, Col. He survived 15 months of service, but died just one a month after he returned home.

"I just loved him more than anything. He was very much a brother to me.” - Heidi Montag, to PeopleMagazine.com

Even if you're a member of Team Lauren, this is really sad.


And at the risk of sounding insincere... On a lighter note, I caught a quick teaser for the next eight episodes of The Hills--which premieres March 24--and that led me to the video below: the ultra incredible-looking "Season Three Continues" trailer. If you have not yet seen it, please indulge. It's dripping with faux reality drama, but it looks sensational.



One final note, Lauren posted a bulletin on MySpace with pictures of her new puppy, Chloe. How cute!