obituary – News Stories About obituary - Page 134

Nov 2, 2007 5:07 PM CDT

Communicating Chimp Signs Off

Washoe, simian with impressive vocabulary, is dead at 42

(Newser) - Washoe, the first non-human to learn a human language, is being remembered as a linguistic pioneer and a "polite, cheerful person," even though she was a chimp. Washoe, who died this week at 42, could use around 250 different American Sign Language signs in conversation, the Seattle Times ...

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...

Robert Goulet Dies at 73

Oct 31, 2007 3:39 AM CDT

Robert Goulet Dies at 73

Acclaimed crooner was awaiting a lung transplant

(Newser) - Robert Goulet, whose deep baritone and matinee-idol looks propelled him to fame in the 1960s, died yesterday while waiting for a lung transplant. Goulet, 73, became a star almost overnight when he debuted as Lancelot in the Broadway production of Camelot, the LA Times reports, and went on to a...

Opry Star Wagoner Dead at 80

Oct 29, 2007 9:40 AM CDT

Opry Star Wagoner Dead at 80

Pioneer revolutionized country music

(Newser) - Grand Ole Opry star Porter Wagoner died of lung cancer in Nashville last night, just as the Country Music Hall of Fame—which enshrined him in 2003—gathered to induct new members. He was 80. Wagoner will be remembered as a rhinestone-clad innovator who pioneered the country concept album and...

DNA Pioneeer Kornberg Dies

Oct 27, 2007 4:05 PM CDT

DNA Pioneeer Kornberg Dies

Biochemist won in '59 for research; son received prize in 2006

(Newser) - Nobel laureate Dr. Arthur Kornberg, 89, a pioneering biochemist in the fields of DNA and human genetics, has died of respiratory failure, the New York Times reports. Kornberg shared the award in 1959 for his research into how DNA works, and that research is the foundation for many of today's...

Packers Great Max McGee Dies

Oct 21, 2007 9:50 PM CDT

Packers Great Max McGee Dies

McGee scored the first touchdown in Super Bowl history

(Newser) - Max McGee, the Green Bay Packer legend who scored the first touchdown in Super Bowl history, died yesterday after falling from the roof of his Minnesota home. McGee played 12 seasons with the Cheeseheads and served two years in the Air Force, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says. The Nevada native...

Last Rat Packer Joey Bishop Dies

Oct 18, 2007 5:27 PM CDT

Last Rat Packer Joey Bishop Dies

Comic and actor was the last living member of Sinatra's group

(Newser) - A comedian, actor, talk show host, and last living member of the Rat Pack, Joey Bishop died last night of multiple causes at age 89, CNN reports. Though many critics minimized Bishop's role, Sinatra termed him "the Hub of the Big Wheel." Bishop hosted Johnny Carson's "Tonight...

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...

Muschamp, Critic's Critic, Dies at 59

Oct 3, 2007 6:24 PM CDT

Muschamp, Critic's Critic, Dies at 59

Wrote during 'surge of exuberance' in architecture

(Newser) - Architecture critic Herbert Muschamp died of lung cancer last night at age 59, the New York Times reports. Muschamp wrote for the Times during a “surge of exuberance” in architecture, and his personal style grabbed readers for more than a decade. Said the Times editor who hired him, “...

Bond's Moneypenny Dies at 80

Sep 30, 2007 7:04 PM CDT

Bond's Moneypenny Dies at 80

Miss Moneypenny takes final bow

(Newser) - Lois Maxwell—better known as Miss Moneypenny, to James Bond devotees—has died at age 80 of cancer in an Australian hospital. She starred alongside Sir Sean Connery and Sir Roger Moore, and clocked a longer Bond career than either of the legendary 007's, the BBC reports. In 14 Bond...

Mime Marcel Marceau Is Dead

Sep 23, 2007 6:57 AM CDT

Mime Marcel Marceau Is Dead

'Bip' entertained millions without uttering a sound

(Newser) - The world's most famous mime, Marcel Marceau, died yesterday in Paris at 84. The beloved French performer traveled the globe to entertain millions with the agile movements of his dancer's body and the joy and pathos of his white-face expressions. "Mime, like music, knows neither borders nor nationalities,"...

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...

World's Smartest Parrot Is No More

Sep 11, 2007 3:27 PM CDT

World's Smartest Parrot Is No More

Alex was no bird brain: He amused millions, aided science

(Newser) - 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...

Body Shop's Roddick Dies

Sep 10, 2007 6:28 PM CDT

Body Shop's Roddick Dies

(Newser) - 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...

Oscar Winner Wyman
Dead at 93

Sep 10, 2007 5:39 PM CDT

Oscar Winner Wyman Dead at 93

Falcon Crest star was best known as Reagan's first wife

(Newser) - 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...

Thousands
Pay Respects
to Pavarotti

Sep 7, 2007 5:53 PM CDT

Thousands Pay Respects to Pavarotti

Bono, Kofi Annan plan to attend tenor's funeral tomorrow

(Newser) - 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...

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...

Opera World Mourns 'King of the High Cs'

Sep 6, 2007 8:05 AM CDT

Opera World Mourns 'King of the High Cs'

Pavarotti's legacy: That unforgettable, unmistakable sound

(Newser) - 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"...

Tenor Luciano Pavarotti Dies

Sep 6, 2007 1:00 AM CDT

Tenor Luciano Pavarotti Dies

Succumbs to cancer surrounded by family in hometown Italian villa

(Newser) - 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....

He Taught Starbucks How to Make Coffee

Sep 2, 2007 2:45 PM CDT

He Taught Starbucks How to Make Coffee

Alfred Peet, America's coffee king, dies at 87

(Newser) - 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...