JERUSALEM - Officials say leading Israeli entertainer Dudu Topaz has died after apparently hanging himself in his jail cell.

The 62-year-old Topaz was a household name in Israel for his popular variety shows and a decades-long showbiz career. He was arrested in May for allegedly ordering a spate of assaults targeting Israeli TV executives who had reportedly rebuffed his ideas for a new show.

A statement from the prison services said Topaz was found Thursday hanging in the shower of his cell. Paramedics were unable to revive him.