Latest Obituaries headlines

Justin Townes Earle, singer-songwriter in father’s footsteps, dies at 38

Justin Townes Earle, an accomplished alt-country singer and songwriter who was a son of country-rock firebrand Steve Earle, has died at age 38.

Mercedes Barcha, Gabriel García Márquez’s wife and muse, at 87

Mercedes Barcha, the widow, muse and gatekeeper of Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez, who played a crucial role in the publication of his breakthrough novel, “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” died Aug. 15 at her home in Mexico City.

Angela Buxton, who won Wimbledon doubles title with Althea Gibson, dies at 85

Gibson and Ms. Buxton were an early example of interracial harmony in sports, creating a dominant team to win the women’s doubles titles at the French and Wimbledon tennis championships in 1956.

Fern Cunningham-Terry, sculptor who put Black history in the public square, dies at 71

"Step on Board," Fern Cunningham-Terry's sculpture in Boston's South End of Harriet Tubman, was the first on city-owned property honoring a Black woman.

Geoffrey Nunberg, expert on how language works, 75

Mr. Nunberg, a linguist whose elegant essays and books explained to a general audience how English has adapted to changes in politics, popular culture and technology, died Aug. 11 at his home in San Francisco.

More Obituaries headlines

Nina Popova, dancer who fled Bolsheviks and Nazis, dies at 97

Nina Popova was a celebrated ballet dancer who escaped the Bolsheviks in Russia and the Nazis in Paris. It was the coronavirus that ultimately caught up to her.

Deidre Davis Butler, who fought for disability rights, dies at 64

Ms. Davis Butler was an important figure during the development of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which she helped draft, and in the years immediately after its passage, when attention turned to carrying out its guarantees.

Christine Jahnke, speech coach for women in politics, dies at 57

Christine Jahnke, a communications coach who prepared Democratic women to run for office and helped others, including Michelle Obama early in her White House years, become comfortable with public speaking, died on Aug. 4, her birthday, at her home in Washington. She was 57.

Steve Grossman, saxophonist picked by Miles Davis, dies at 69

Steve Grossman, a saxophonist who caught the jazz world’s attention at 18 when he was recruited by Miles Davis, died on Aug. 13 in Glen Cove, New York. He was 69.

Ray Cave, influential Time magazine editor, is dead at 91

Mr. Cave, who as the managing editor of Time magazine for eight years oversaw a revamping of its stodgy look, introduced new sections, expanded its lifestyle coverage and promoted long-form single-subject issues like “Children of War,” died on Monday at his home in Boothbay, Maine. He was 91.

Stephen F. Williams, US Appeals Court judge, dies at 83

(Those We've Lost)

Chi Chi DeVayne, popular contestant on ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race,‘ dies at 34

Chi Chi DeVayne, the self-proclaimed Southern bayou princess who dazzled viewers of RuPaul’s drag show competitions with impassioned lip sync performances and head-over-heels dance routines, died Thursday. DeVayne, known offstage as Zavion Davenport, was 34.

Ann Syrdal, who helped give computers a female voice, dies at 74

Ann Syrdal, a psychologist and computer science researcher who helped develop synthetic voices that sounded like women, laying the groundwork for such modern digital assistants as Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa, died on July 24 at her home in San Jose, California. She was 74.

Norman Carlson, forceful head of federal prisons, at 86

It was an inmate at the Iowa State Penitentiary who first suggested to Norman Carlson that he get a job at the federal Bureau of Prisons. It was more progressive than the state system, the inmate said, and might be a better fit.

Marvin Creamer, a mariner who sailed like the ancients, 104

Had Marvin Creamer not been a geographer, he very likely would not have lived to be 104.

Dan Budnik, who photographed civil rights movement, dies

Acclaimed photographer Dan Budnik, noted for his portraits of artists in New York in the 1960s and documenting the civil rights movement and Native American culture, has died. He was 87.

Gisèle Halimi, influential French lawyer and feminist, 93

Ms. Halimi championed feminist causes and other human rights efforts for more than seven decades.

Ben Cross, star of ‘Chariots of Fire,’ at 72

Mr. Cross was known to another audience decades later for his role in a reboot of “Star Trek.”

Slade Gorton, former Washington US senator, dies at 92

Mr. Gorton was a patrician and cerebral politician from Washington state who served as a U.S. Senate Republican leader before he was ousted by the growing Seattle-area liberal electorate in 2000.

Dan H. Fenn Jr., founding director of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, dies at 97

Dan H. Fenn was a staff assistant to President John F. Kennedy before becoming the first director of the JFK's presidential library.

Billy Goldenberg, TV, movie, and stage composer

Mr. Goldenberg was an Emmy-winning composer who worked with Barbra Streisand and Elvis Presley and scored Steven Spielberg’s early work.

Mr. Hawerchuk celebrated after scoring in the 1986 NHL All-Star game in Hartford.

Dale Hawerchuk, hockey hall of famer with a talent for scoring big, dies at 57

Dale Hawerchuk, hockey hall of famer with a talent for scoring big, dies at 57

Cesare Romiti, who steered Fiat through tough times, dies

Cesare Romiti, an industrialist and champion of Italian capitalism who steered automaker Fiat through years of strikes and domestic terrorism in the 1970s and 1980s, died in Rome on Tuesday, Italian state TV said. He was 97.

Mr. Fakhoury’s family said he fled Lebanon in 2001.

American released from Lebanon after being jailed for months dies

Amer Fakhoury, an American who was jailed for months in Lebanon and later released over decades-old murder and torture charges that he denied died Monday, his family said. He was 57.

Floyd Welch, survivor of Pearl Harbor, dies at 99

Floyd Welch, who was credited with saving the lives of fellow sailors during the battle of Pearl Harbor, has died in Connecticut. He was 99.

Mr. Yeoman, seen at Houston’s Robertson Stadium in 2012, led Houston to a winning record in 17 of his 25 seasons.

Bill Yeoman, who coached Houston for 25 seasons, at 92

Mr. Yeoman, the longtime Houston football coach who led the Cougars to four Southwest Conference titles and a school-record 160 victories, has died. He was 92.

Dr. Wetli, seen addressing reporters in 1996 on the TWA Flight 800 crash, was a pioneer in forensic pathology.

Charles Wetli, coroner for TWA Flight 800 crash, 76

Dr. Wetli, the Long Island medical examiner who was thrust into the national spotlight when Trans World Airlines Flight 800 exploded in 1996 and killed all 230 people on board, died July 28 at a hospital in Manhattan.

Former Illinois governor Thompson, who fought corruption, dies

Mr. Thompson, whose prosecutions of public officials — including a predecessor — helped catapult him to become the state’s longest-serving chief executive, was 84.

Julian Bream, maestro of guitar and lute, 87

Mr. Bream pushed the guitar beyond its Spanish roots and expanded its range by commissioning dozens of works from major composers.

Konrad Steffen; sounded alarm on Greenland ice, 68

Mr. Steffen was an Arctic scientist whose work showed that climate change is melting Greenland’s vast ice sheet with increasing speed.

Walter C. Carrington, US ambassador and lifelong civil rights activist, dies at 90

Walter C. Carrington served as US ambassador to Senegal and Nigeria, and in the late-1950s helped lead an investigation into racism in the Boston Red Sox organization.

Kurt Luedtke, screenwriter who won Oscar for ‘Out of Africa,’ dies at 80

Mr. Luedtke relinquished a top perch in journalism for a pipe dream of screenwriting, only to earn an Oscar nod for his first script.

Luchita Hurtado, artist who became a sensation in her 90s, dies at 99

Luchita Hurtado, an artist whose paintings and drawings emphasized the interconnectedness of all living things with a visionary intensity that was almost shamanic, but whose work was recognized by the art world only late in her life, died Thursday night at her home in Santa Monica, California. She was 99.

Russell Kirsch, computer scientist who scanned first digital image, dies at 91

Mr. Kirsch was a 27-year-old computer scientist and, not incidentally, a new father when he did one day in early 1957 what many parents do, and brought a photograph of his baby to the office.

Carol Brock, food writer who pushed at a ‘pyrex ceiling,’ dies at 96

A food writer who helped women advance in the male-dominated culinary world, Ms. Brock started an organization called Les Dames d’Escoffier New York.

Robert Ryland; first Black professional tennis player, at 100

Robert Ryland, the first Black professional tennis player and for many years a well-regarded coach of younger players and celebrities, died on Aug. 2 at his stepson’s home in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

James Harris, who wrestled as Ugandan warrior Kamala, dies at 70

James Harris, who wrestled as Ugandan warrior Kamala, dies at 70

Carroll Hardy, whose pinch-hit appearance was part of Red Sox history, dies at 87

As the only Major League player to ever pinch hit for Ted Williams, Carroll Hardy became the answer to an enduring trivia question.

Trini Lopez, singing star who mixed musical styles, dies at 83

Mr. Lopez, had worldwide hit records in the early 1960s by creating a unique mix of American folk, Latin, and rockabilly music.

Bill Mack, DJ beloved by truckers and country fans, 91

Mr. Mack, working as a DJ on the overnight shift on country radio, was anointed by long haul truckers as “the midnight cowboy.”

After leaving the Mindbenders, Mr. Fontana struggled to find similar success, but went on to perform in oldies tours.

Wayne Fontana, hitmaker with ‘The Game of Love,’ 74

Mr. Fontana, a British invasion-era singer best known for his 1965 hit song “Game of Love,” died Thursday at a hospital in Stockport, England. He was 74.

OBITUARY

Sumner M. Redstone, media mogul who controlled CBS and Viacom, dies at 97

The Boston native took a chain of 55 drive-in movie theaters built by his father and parlayed it into control of one of the world’s largest media empires.

Funeral Mass set for James E. Mahoney

Friends of Bank of America executive James E. Mahoney, who died Saturday, may attend his funeral Mass via livestream.

Noel R. Rose, scientist who advanced study of autoimmune diseases, dies at 92

Dr. Rose’s experiments in the 1950s helped launch the study of autoimmune diseases and his decades of research and teaching led colleagues to call him the ‘‘father of autoimmunity,’’

Mitchell Adams, former state official with ’a tremendous social conscience,’ dies at 75

Mitchell Adams "one of the most passionate and caring people I know," said former Governor William Weld, a longtime friend.

Niels Lauersen, fallen fertility doctor to the stars, 84

Dubbed “the Dyno Gyno,’’ Dr. Lauersen gained fame writing books about women’s health, appearing on television, and treating celebrities in an exclusive Park Avenue co-op.

Brent Carver, versatile Tony-winning actor, dies at 68

Brent Carver, a sensitive, soft-spoken yet nakedly emotional Canadian actor and singer who won a Tony Award for his starring role in the 1993 musical “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” died Tuesday at his home in Cranbrook, British Columbia. He was 68.

Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz; made the Talmud more accessible

Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, a towering scholar of the bedrock Jewish texts who spent 4 1/2 decades writing a 45-volume translation of and commentary on the Babylonian Talmud and made it accessible to hundreds of thousands of readers, died Friday in Jerusalem. He was 83.

Italy’s pioneering comic actor, Franca Valeri, dies at 100

Franca Valeri, an elegant, ironic and versatile actor who pioneered female comic roles in Italy’s post-war years and helped the nation laugh at its foibles, has died at 100.

James E. Mahoney, a bank executive who ’made the world a better place,’ dies at 67

Bank of America executive Jim Mahoney 'did his best work in crunch times,' a colleague said, and quietly worked to help those society had forgotten.