obituary

Stories 1961 - 1980 | << Prev   Next >>

Gore Vidal Dead at 86
 Gore Vidal Dead at 86 
OBITUARY
Aug 1, 2012 4:00 AM CDT

Gore Vidal Dead at 86

Outspoken man of letters dies after long illness

(Newser) - Celebrated American man of letters Gore Vidal has died at the age of 86 after a long illness. Vidal—a novelist, essayist, playwright, screenwriter, and political commentator—died of complications from pneumonia at his home in the Hollywood Hills, reports AP . In his long career, he penned 25 novels, including...

Irish Author Maeve Binchy Dead at 72
 Irish Author 
 Maeve Binchy 
 Dead at 72 
obituary
Jul 31, 2012 6:25 AM CDT

Irish Author Maeve Binchy Dead at 72

Ireland mourns 'national treasure'

(Newser) - Beloved Irish writer Maeve Binchy has died at age 72 in Dublin, following a brief illness, the Irish Times reports. Binchy's books, among them short-story collections and the novel-turned-movie Circle of Friends, have sold more than 40 million copies, and addressed the tensions of a modernizing Irish society, the...

Man You Can Blame for Your Dusty Treadmill Dead at 96

William Staub last seen on treadmill just 2 months ago

(Newser) - William Staub, who took the treadmill—that ubiquitous piece of exercise equipment that is loved and loathed by millions—into homes and gyms, died Thursday at his Clifton, NJ, home. He was 96 and had been spied on a treadmill as recently as two months ago. Staub, a mechanical engineer,...

Sherman Hemsley Dead at 74
 Sherman Hemsley Dead at 74 
'mr jefferson'
Jul 24, 2012 3:33 PM CDT

Sherman Hemsley Dead at 74

He starred in 'The Jeffersons' as patriarch George

(Newser) - Sherman Hemsley of The Jeffersons fame is dead at age 74, reports TMZ . Hemsley starred as George Jefferson in the show—sure to earn the tag "iconic," along with its "Movin' On Up" theme song, in the obituaries to follow. The cause of death hasn't been...

&#39;Queen of Soul Food&#39; Dead at 86
 'Queen of Soul Food' Dead at 86
obituary
Jul 20, 2012 3:41 AM CDT

'Queen of Soul Food' Dead at 86

Sylvia Woods' Harlem restaurant a global landmark

(Newser) - A Harlem icon has passed on. Sylvia Woods, the "Queen of Soul Food," died yesterday at 86 after fighting Alzheimer's, her family says. Tourists and celebrities from all over the world have flocked to her restaurant, Sylvia's, for half a century to sample its corn bread...

Al Franken Comedy Partner Tom Davis Dead at 59

'SNL' alum had neck and throat cancer

(Newser) - One of Saturday Night Live's first writers, Tom Davis, has died of throat and neck cancer at age 59, reports TMZ . On SNL, he teamed with Al Franken—they actually filled one writer's slot and shared the $350 weekly salary—and had a hand in creating classic skits...

Guy 'Fesses Up to Everything in Own Obituary

Seems Val Patterson had a lot to get off his chest

(Newser) - Val Patterson died last week after a bout with throat cancer that gave him time to write a doozy of an obituary, in which the 59-year-old Utahan came clean about pretty much everything. "Now that I have gone to my reward," Patterson wrote with all the honesty of...

Deep Purple&#39;s Jon Lord Dead at 71
 Deep Purple's 
 Jon Lord Dead at 71
OBITUARY
Jul 17, 2012 12:58 AM CDT

Deep Purple's Jon Lord Dead at 71

Classically trained keyboardist left his mark on heavy rock

(Newser) - The rock world is mourning Jon Lord, the former keyboard player with British heavy rock pioneers Deep Purple. Lord, who has died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 71, co-founded the group in 1968 and co-wrote many of its biggest hits, including "Smoke On the Water." Lord'...

Encyclopedia Brown Creator Dead at 87

 Encyclopedia Brown 
 Creator Dead at 87 
OBITUARY
Jul 17, 2012 12:03 AM CDT

Encyclopedia Brown Creator Dead at 87

Donald J. Sobol wrote dozens of books starring boy detective

(Newser) - Donald J. Sobol, creator of the enduring popular Encyclopedia Brown children's detective series, has written his last case. Sobol, who has died at the age of 87, wrote a total of 28 books in the best-selling series, starting in 1963 and finishing with Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of ...

Stephen Covey, 7 Habits Author, Dead at 79

Author passes away after April bike accident

(Newser) - Stephen R. Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People as well as three other books that have all sold more than a million copies, has died. He was 79. In a statement sent to employees of a Utah consulting firm Covey co-founded, his family said the writer...

Oscar-Winning Producer Zanuck Dead at 77

He won for 'Driving Miss Daisy'

(Newser) - Film producer Richard Zanuck, who won the best picture Oscar for Driving Miss Daisy and was involved in such blockbuster films as Jaws and The Sting after his father, Hollywood mogul Darryl F. Zanuck, fired him from 20th Century Fox, died today. He was 77. Zanuck's publicist says he...

Daring French WWII Spy Dead at 88

Robert de La Rochefoucauld known for wartime exploits

(Newser) - A sort of real-life 007, one of the last living members of Winston Churchill's clandestine World War II SOE unit, has died at age 88. Robert de La Rochefoucauld died May 8, but his death proved to be just as secretive as some of his exploits, the New York ...

Celebrity Chef Anthony Sedlak Dead at 29

Canadian died suddenly from undiagnosed condition

(Newser) - One of North America's most promising young chefs has been found dead at his home in Vancouver. Anthony Sedlak, 29, died suddenly from a previously undiagnosed medical condition, his family said in a statement. The Canadian, who started his restaurant career as a 13-year-old busboy, won the Food Network'...

Andy Griffith Was &#39;Our Friend and Neighbor&#39;
 Andy Griffith 
 Was 'Our Friend 
 and Neighbor' 
appreciation
Jul 3, 2012 12:58 PM CDT

Andy Griffith Was 'Our Friend and Neighbor'

Dennis Rogers remembers late actor's struggles, triumphs

(Newser) - In later years, Andy Griffith revealed how difficult it was to constantly be held up to his most iconic character, Sheriff Andy Taylor of the Andy Griffith Show. "I am not any favorite dad; I am not any kind of all-American person," he said. "I have failed...

Andy Griffith Dead at 86: Friend
 Andy Griffith 
 Dead at 86 
UPDATED
Jul 3, 2012 12:00 PM CDT

Andy Griffith Dead at 86

His role as Mayberry's sheriff cemented his place in US culture

(Newser) - Television icon Andy Griffith has died at age 86. A local sheriff in North Carolina confirmed the news today via a family statement: "Mr. Griffith passed away this morning at his home peacefully and has been laid to rest on his beloved Roanoke Island," reports AP . It's...

Former Israeli PM Shamir Dead at 96

Prime minister expanded Israel with a muscular form of Zionism

(Newser) - Yitzhak Shamir, the former Israeli prime minister who expanded settlements and promoted a forceful brand of Zionism, died today at age 96. He reportedly suffered from Alzheimer's disease. The survivor of a Polish family killed in the Holocaust, Shamir made his mark in Israel's pre-state militia in the...

Nora Ephron &#39;Gave Women a Voice&#39;

 Nora Ephron 
 'Gave Women 
 a Voice' 
APPRECIATIONS
Jun 27, 2012 7:30 AM CDT

Nora Ephron 'Gave Women a Voice'

Groundbreaking screenwriter mourned

(Newser) - Nora Ephron, who has died at age 71 , gave women a voice and opened door for them, Lisa Belkin writes in a tribute at the Huffington Post , praising the late screenwriter, director, and author's gift for celebrating—and roasting—romance, sex, and aging. "By putting the female experience...

Sports Artist LeRoy Neiman Dead at 91
 Sports Artist 
 LeRoy Neiman 
 Dead at 91 
OBITUARY
Jun 21, 2012 1:22 AM CDT

Sports Artist LeRoy Neiman Dead at 91

Colorful depictions of sporting events made him American icon

(Newser) - Flamboyant sports artist LeRoy Neiman has died at the age of 91 after a long and colorful life and career. The artist, best known for his brightly colored, impressionistic paintings and sketches of major sport events, rivaled American artists like Norman Rockwell and Grandma Moses in popularity, notes the New ...

Goodfellas Mobster Henry Hill Dead at 69
 Goodfellas Mobster 
 Henry Hill Dead at 69 
OBITUARY
Jun 13, 2012 1:27 AM CDT

Goodfellas Mobster Henry Hill Dead at 69

Long illness whacks famous informant

(Newser) - Henry Hill has died at the age of 69—young for an American male, but a Methuselah for a mob turncoat. The former gangster, whose life story was made into the 1990 movie Goodfellas, died in Los Angeles after a long fight with an undisclosed illness, TMZ reports. Testimony from...

First Woman to Win Nobel in Economics Dead at 78

Elinor Ostrom's work showed how citizens could manage natural resources

(Newser) - Elinor Ostrom, an Indiana University professor of political science and the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in economics, died of cancer this morning at age 78, a university spokesman announced today. Ostrom shared the 2009 Nobel Prize for economics with Oliver Williamson from the University of California Berkeley....

Stories 1961 - 1980 | << Prev   Next >>