Obituaries

September 2007

Jazz Giant Zawinul Dead at 75

newser | Associated Press | Sep 11, 07 7:28 PM CDT

Joe Zawinul, the keyboardist who plugged America into "Electric Jazz" in the 1970s, has died at age 75. Best known for playing jazz-rock fusion with Miles Davis and starting up Weather Report with Wayne Shorter, Zawinul defended his electric sound against jazz purists. "There is no difference between a Stradivarius or a beautiful synthesizer sound," he once said. More »
World's Smartest Parrot Is No More

newser | Boston Globe | Sep 11, 07 3:27 PM CDT

Brandeis researchers feel as though they’ve lost a colleague: Alex, the African gray parrot they studied for 30 years, died Friday. He helped them reach surprising new conclusions about the avian brain and “was extraordinary in breaking the perceptions of birds as not being intelligent,” according to scientist Irene Pepperberg, who bought him in 1977. More »
Body Shop's Roddick Dies

newser | Reuters | Sep 10, 07 6:28 PM CDT

Dame Anita Roddick, who as founder of the Body Shop championed socially and environmentally responsible business practices, died tonight of a massive brain hemorrhage at age 64. The plucky Brit saw her lone natural-ingredient shop grow into more than 2,000 stores worldwide, and she sold her share of the company to L'Oreal last year. More »
Oscar Winner Wyman Dead at 93

newser | Los Angeles Times | Sep 10, 07 5:39 PM CDT

Academy Award-winning actress Jane Wyman, who was Ronald Reagan's first wife, died today at her home in Rancho Mirage. She was 93—or, according to some sources, 90. Wyman was named best actress for her portrayal of a deaf-mute rape victim in the 1948 film Johnny Belinda. She was married to Reagan from 1940 to 1948. More »
Thousands Pay Respects to Pavarotti

newser | Reuters | Sep 7, 07 5:53 PM CDT

Thousands lined up today to pay respects to opera superstar Luciano Pavarotti at the cathedral in his hometown of Modena, Italy. Though the tenor's family wants a private funeral tomorrow, an international array of celebrities and fans–among them Bono, Andrea Bocelli, and Kofi Annan–are planning to attend, Reuters reports. The tenor died of cancer yesterday at age 71. More »
A Wrinkle in Time Author Dead at 88

newser | New York Times | Sep 7, 07 3:52 PM CDT

Madeleine L'Engle, author of more than 60 works of science fiction, religious meditation, poetry, drama, and young adult fiction, died yesterday in Connecticut, the New York Times reports. She was 88 years old. Her most famous book, A Wrinkle in Time, has sold more than 6 million copies since its 1962 publication and is now in its 67th printing. More »
Opera World Mourns 'King of the High Cs'

newser | New York Times | Sep 6, 07 8:05 AM CDT

Placido Domingo is the better musician, but no other voice could match the late Luciano Pavarotti's, Anthony Tommasini writes in today's Times . The music critic looks at a career dotted with highs as lofty as the high Cs Pavarotti "tossed off" with "ease, pinging tone and utter glee" and concludes his take on Pavarotti's "Nessun dorma" with an unapologetic "Wow!" More »
Tenor Luciano Pavarotti Dies

newser | New York Times | Sep 6, 07 1:00 AM CDT

Opera star Luciano Pavarotti, one of the greatest tenors of the last century, died early this morning of pancreatic cancer, surrounded by his wife, sister and four daughters, in his hometown villa in Modena, Italy. He was 71. "The Maestro fought a long, tough battle," said his manager. "Fitting with the approach that characterized his life and work, he remained positive until finally succumbing to the last stages of his illness." More »
He Taught Starbucks How to Make Coffee

newser | Los Angeles Times | Sep 2, 07 2:45 PM CDT

The Dutchman who gave America an early jolt of caffeine culture died Friday at his home in Oregon, the Los Angeles Times reports. Before there was Starbucks, Alfred Peet opened Peet’s Coffee & Tea in 1966, distinguishing his coffee with high-quality beans and pioneering a roasting system that Starbucks would later adopt with the entrepreneur's help. More »

August 2007

Writer Grace Paley Dies at 84

newser | Los Angeles Times | Aug 23, 07 6:07 PM CDT

Acclaimed writer and activist Grace Paley, who in only three collections of short stories gave earthy voice to the interior life of the Bronx Everywoman, died yesterday at age 84 in her Vermont home, the Los Angeles Times reports. Paley—whose sensibility admirer Philip Roth called "splendidly comic and unladylike"—suffered from breast cancer. More »
Hotelier Helmsley Dead at 87

newser | New York Daily News | Aug 20, 07 1:21 PM CDT

Leona Helsmley, the notoriously tyrannical real-estate baroness dubbed New York’s “Queen of Mean,” died of heart failure today at 87. The Brooklyn native took the reins of her husband Harry's real-estate empire in the 70s, and soon her name was synonymous with both luxe hotels and the churlish, hard-nosed style of public figuredom she helped forge. More »
Reagan Aide Michael Deaver Dead at 69

newser | Associated Press | Aug 18, 07 5:11 PM CDT

The man who crafted Ronald Reagan’s public persona died today of pancreatic cancer at age 69, the AP reports. Michael Deaver, part of the so-called “troika” that directed the Reagan presidency, specialized in managing the president’s image in the media. His own image was damaged by a 1987 perjury conviction, which temporarily put a rift between him and the Reagans. More »
Yankees Legend Rizzuto Dies

newser | New York Post | Aug 14, 07 2:02 PM CDT

Phil Rizzuto, who filled the annals of the New York Yankees as both a shortstop and a broadcaster, is dead today at 89. The Scooter tended the infield for 13 years with the Bombers, alongside Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio, and took home seven World Series titles. After being cut he became one of baseball's most iconic broadcasters, thrilling fans with his trademark "Holy Cow"-laden color for 40 years. More »
Brooke Astor Dead at 105

newser | New York Times | Aug 13, 07 4:40 PM CDT

Brooke Astor—philanthropist and former queen of New York society -- has died at 105. The socialite had been in the news for being abused and exploited by her descendants, but her enduring legacy was her tireless charity work. "Money is like manure; it’s not worth a thing unless it’s spread around," she used to say. More »
Painter Elizabeth Murray Dies

newser | New York Times | Aug 13, 07 8:59 AM CDT

Elizabeth Murray, a painter whose vivid, cartoon-based work was part of a contemporary movement away from minimalism, died yesterday of lung cancer. She was 66. A leading figure in the New York art scene, Murray won a MacArthur genius grant in 1999 and enjoyed a retrospective at MoMA last year. More »
Merv Griffin Dies at 82

newser | USA Today | Aug 12, 07 12:06 PM CDT

Merv Griffin, a TV impresario who found success both in front of and behind the camera, died of prostate cancer this morning at 82. Griffin is perhaps best known for creating "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune," two of television's most successful and iconic game shows. A string of smart investments in hotels, casinos and racehorses kept him on the list of America's richest from then on. More »
Oliver Hill, Civil Rights Crusader, Dies

newser | Richmond Times-Dispatch | Aug 6, 07 3:37 AM CDT

Oliver Hill, a Virginia civil rights crusader whose work contributed to the Brown v. Board of Education decision against school segregation, died yesterday at 100. Described as "last lion of the civil-rights movement," Hill was a survivor of D-Day's Omaha Beach landing, and close friends with Justice Thurgood Marshall, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports. More »

July 2007

Ex-49er Coach Bill Walsh Dies

newser | San Francisco Chronicle | Jul 31, 07 3:04 AM CDT

Bill Walsh, the coach who led the San Francisco 49ers to three Super Bowl championships in the 1980s, died of leukemia yesterday at the age of 75. During his decade-long tenure, Walsh won six National Football Conference division titles, transforming a club that had won only 10 games in 1987 into a football dynasty within three years. More »
Ex 49-ers Coach Walsh Dies At 75

newser | Sports Illustrated | Jul 30, 07 7:02 PM CDT

Bill Walsh, known as "The Genius" in football circles for leading the San Francisco 49ers to three NFL championships, has died. He was 75. Walsh, who had been in failing health in recent months, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2004. Walsh was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993. He leaves behind an indelible legacy on professional football as a coach, teacher and innovator. He took over a horrid San Francisco team in 1979 and turned it into a dominant team in the '80s. Under Walsh's leadership, the 49ers won three Super Bowl championships and six NFC West division titles. During his 10 seasons as coach, the 49ers went 102-63-1. Walsh died of leukemia at his home in Woodside, California, with family members by his side. More »
Late-Night Icon Tom Snyder Dead at 71

newser | Associated Press | Jul 30, 07 12:24 PM CDT

Talk show host Tom Snyder, known for his interviews with celebrities like John Lennon and Johnny Rotten, died yesterday after battling leukemia for 2 years, the AP reports. The man who paved the way for David Letterman and Conan O'Brien as the host of NBC's "Tomorrow Show" and gained immortality through Dan Aykroyd's dead-on "Saturday Night Live" impersonation was 71. More »

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Jazz Giant Zawinul Dead at 75

World's Smartest Parrot Is No More

Body Shop's Roddick Dies

Oscar Winner Wyman Dead at 93

Thousands Pay Respects to Pavarotti

A Wrinkle in Time Author Dead at 88

Opera World Mourns 'King of the High Cs'

Tenor Luciano Pavarotti Dies

He Taught Starbucks How to Make Coffee

Writer Grace Paley Dies at 84

Hotelier Helmsley Dead at 87

Reagan Aide Michael Deaver Dead at 69

Yankees Legend Rizzuto Dies

Brooke Astor Dead at 105

Painter Elizabeth Murray Dies

Merv Griffin Dies at 82

Oliver Hill, Civil Rights Crusader, Dies

Ex-49er Coach Bill Walsh Dies

Ex 49-ers Coach Walsh Dies At 75

Late-Night Icon Tom Snyder Dead at 71

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