famous people who died – News Stories About famous people who died - Page 3

Dec 4, 2007 5:05 PM CST

Writer Hardwick Dead at 91

Critic, essayist, novelist co-founded New York Review of Books

(Newser) - Elizabeth Hardwick, co-founder of the New York Review of Books, died Sunday at 91, the Times reports. The Kentucky-born Hardwick moved north in 1939—“my aim was to be a New York Jewish intellectual,” she said later—and became a critical giant. "I have always written essays...

Evel Knievel Dead at 69

Nov 30, 2007 4:35 PM CST

Evel Knievel Dead at 69

Motorcycle daredevil and '70s showman had been in failing health

(Newser) - Evel Knievel, the motorcycle daredevil who never saw a canyon—or a row of vehicles—he didn't want to jump, died today at 69. He was known for his spectacular failures as well as successes, including an attempt to jump the fountains at Caesar's Palace that put him in a...

Norman Mailer Dead at 84

Nov 10, 2007 6:45 AM CST

Norman Mailer Dead at 84

Literary legend's 6-decade career included 2 Pulitzers

(Newser) - Norman Mailer, one of the 20th century's literary lions and a pioneer of the genre that came to be known as New Journalism, died this morning. He was 84. His career spanned 6 decades and more than 40 books, from 1948's The Naked and the Dead to this year's The ...

Hiroshima Bomb Pilot Dead at 92

Nov 1, 2007 3:19 PM CDT

Hiroshima Bomb Pilot Dead at 92

Pilot defended his role to the last, said he had 'no regrets'

(Newser) - The commander and pilot of the B-29 that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945—the first military use of nuclear weapons—died today, the Associated Press reports. Paul Tibbets was 92, and requested no funeral or headstone for fear that they might attract anti-nuclear protesters. Tibbets always...

Actress Deborah Kerr Dead at 86

Oct 18, 2007 11:07 AM CDT

Actress Deborah Kerr Dead at 86

British idol starred in 'From Here to Eternity' and 'The King and I'

(Newser) - British actress Deborah Kerr has died at age 86, the Telegraph reports. Kerr was a six-time Oscar nominee who is probably best remembered for her beach embrace with Burt Lancaster in 1953's "From Here to Eternity," and her starring role in "The King and I." The...

Discus Champ Al Oerter Is Dead

Oct 2, 2007 8:23 AM CDT

Discus Champ Al Oerter Is Dead

The first track athlete to win 4 straight Olympic gold medals was 71

(Newser) - Alfred Oerter, Jr., who overcame terrific odds to win the discus gold in 1956, 1960, 1964, and 1968, died yesterday in Fort Meyers, Florida, of either a heart attack or a blood clot. The 71-year-old had continued competing well into his sixth decade, despite life-long high blood pressure and later...

Jazz Giant Zawinul Dead at 75

Sep 11, 2007 7:28 PM CDT

Jazz Giant Zawinul Dead at 75

Keyboardist defended 'electric jazz' against purists

(Newser) - 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 Wrinkle in Time Author Dead at 88

Sep 7, 2007 3:52 PM CDT

A Wrinkle in Time Author Dead at 88

Children's, sci-fi favorite L'Engle wrote 60-plus books

(Newser) - 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...

Hotelier Helmsley Dead at 87

Aug 20, 2007 1:21 PM CDT

Hotelier Helmsley Dead at 87

'Queen of Mean' learns certainty of death, if not taxes

(Newser) - 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...

Reagan Aide Michael Deaver Dead at 69

Aug 18, 2007 5:11 PM CDT

Reagan Aide Michael Deaver Dead at 69

Controversial advisor who managed Gipper's image falls to cancer

(Newser) - 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...

Brooke Astor Dead at 105

Aug 13, 2007 4:40 PM CDT

Brooke Astor Dead at 105

Charity and society queen was victimized at the end of her life

(Newser) - 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...

Antonioni Dead at 94

Jul 31, 2007 9:36 AM CDT

Antonioni Dead at 94

Great Italian filmmaker was behind ‘L’Avventura’ and ‘Blow-Up’

(Newser) - Michelangelo Antonioni, one of Italy’s most beloved filmmakers, died yesterday at age 94, after directing 25 films over nearly 50 years. His masterpieces of alienation, known for their nearly wordless, melancholic style, included "Red Desert" and "The Passenger." Immobilized by a stroke that left him mute,...

Late-Night Icon Tom Snyder Dead at 71

Jul 30, 2007 12:24 PM CDT

Late-Night Icon Tom Snyder Dead at 71

'Tomorrow Show' host's conversational style enchanted insomniacs

(Newser) - 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...

Last King of Afghanistan Dead at 92

Jul 23, 2007 7:50 AM CDT

Last King of Afghanistan Dead at 92

Zahir Shah reigned for 40 years, returned from exile after occupation

(Newser) - The former king of Afghanistan, Zahir Shah, has died at the age of 92. Zahir Shah's 40-year reign ended along with the Afghan monarchy in a 1973 coup, and many Afghans have come to look back at the period as a time of peace, prosperity, and modernization. After living in...

Lady Bird Johnson Dead at 94

Jul 11, 2007 5:20 PM CDT

Lady Bird Johnson Dead at 94

Former first lady fought for civil rights

(Newser) - Lady Bird Johnson, wife of former president Lyndon Johnson, is dead today at 94. Johnson was a vociferous—if always graceful—campaigner for the beautification of the country and, during one of the most turbulent presidencies of all time, for civil rights and the betterment of the poor.

Opera Star Beverly Sills Dead at 78

Jul 3, 2007 4:44 AM CDT

Opera Star Beverly Sills Dead at 78

Soprano captured America's heart

(Newser) - Soprano Beverly Sills, whose ebullient personality and brilliant singing voice not only made her a star but helped demystify opera in America, died Monday night in her Manhattan home from inoperable lung cancer, the New York Times reports. She was 78. Sills spent much of her singing career with the...

Movie Critic
Joel Siegel
Dead at 63

Jun 30, 2007 10:26 AM CDT

Movie Critic Joel Siegel Dead at 63

GMA's long-time reviewer succumbs to colon cancer

(Newser) - Joel Siegel, the veteran film critic for Good Morning America known for concision and wit, died yesterday after a long battle with colon cancer. Siegel's good humor and enthusiasm for movies didn't stop him from delivering a well-aimed pan. "No one had more fun writing about a bad...

Liz Claiborne Dead at 78

Jun 28, 2007 5:03 AM CDT

Liz Claiborne Dead at 78

Designer was first woman to found Fortune 500 company

(Newser) - Designer Liz Claiborne, whose styles aimed at career women revolutionized everyday fashion sense in America and brought feminine new looks to the workplace, is dead at 78. She was the first woman founder of a Fortune 500 company. Claiborne died Tuesday in New York, after a lengthy battle with bone...

Ex-UN Head Waldheim
Dead at 88

Jun 15, 2007 6:50 AM CDT

Ex-UN Head Waldheim Dead at 88

Military service under Nazis shadowed Austrian president

(Newser) - Haunted by his World War II German army service to the end, former UN secretary-general Kurt Waldheim died yesterday at 88. Reports that he served in a German army unit that committed atrocities during the war emerged in 1985, during his successful campaign for the Austrian presidency; at his death,...

Ruth Graham Dead at 87

Jun 15, 2007 4:14 AM CDT

Ruth Graham Dead at 87

Motorcycle-riding evangelist's wife recalled as spirited, opinionated

(Newser) - Ruth Graham, wife of Billy Graham, stayed in the background of the legendary evangelist's ministry but was far from obscure. The missionary's daughter was at once demure, feisty, independent, and unpredictable, the LA Times reports. Graham, who died yesterday at 87, was also an accomplished poet and parent to five...