Obituary Stories

Pat Pecora, who built the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown wrestling program into a national power and led the Mountain Cats to more wins than any other coach in college wrestling history, died Sunday after a long, inspirational battle with cancer. He was 70 years old. Former Mountain Cats wrestler...

LOS ANGELES — James Darren, a teen idol who helped ignite the 1960s surfing craze as a charismatic beach boy paired off with Sandra Dee in the hit film “Gidget,” died Monday at 88. Darren died in his sleep at a Los Angeles hospital, his son Jim Moret told news...

NEW YORK — Fatman Scoop, the hip-hop artist who topped charts in Europe with “Be Faithful” in the early 2000s and later lent his distinctive voice and ebullient vibe to hits by artists including Missy Elliott and Ciara, died after collapsing on stage at a show in Connecticut, according to...

Sidney Raymond Eudy, a professional wrestler known as Sid Vicious who was known for his intense persona and imposing stature, has died, his son announced Monday. He was 63. Gunnar Eudy, one of the wrestler’s two sons, wrote on Facebook that his father died after “battling cancer for several years.”...

Phil Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible television genre that made household names of Oprah Winfrey, Montel Williams, Ellen DeGeneres and many others, has died. He was 88. NBC’s “Today” show, citing family members, said Donahue died Sunday after a long illness. Dubbed “the king of daytime...

NEW YORK — Jack Russell, the lead singer of the bluesy ’80s metal band Great White whose hits included “Once Bitten Twice Shy” and “Rock Me” and was fronting his band the night 100 people died in a 2003 nightclub fire in Rhode Island, has died. He was 63. “Jack...

LOS ANGELES — Peter Marshall, the actor and singer turned game show host who played straight man to the stars for 16 years on “The Hollywood Squares,” has died. He was 98. He died Thursday of kidney failure at his home in the Encino neighborhood of Los Angeles, publicist Harlan...

Gena Rowlands, hailed as one of the greatest actors to ever practice the craft and a guiding light in independent cinema as a star in groundbreaking movies by her director husband, John Cassavetes, and who later charmed audiences in her son’s tear-jerker “The Notebook,” has died. She was 94. Rowlands’...

HONOLULU — Wallace “Wally” Amos, the creator of the cookie empire that took his name and made it famous and who went on to become a children’s literacy advocate, has died. He was 88. Amos created the Famous Amos cookie empire and eventually lost ownership of the company — as...

Friends recall a favorite saying of the late Scott Williams of Monroeville. “There’s a right way, there’s a wrong way, and then there’s the Gateway.” A paraplegic since the age of 18, Williams, 59, died July 26, 2024, at UPMC Montefiore Hospital in Oakland after a prolonged battle with cancer....

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — William Laws Calley Jr., who as an Army lieutenant led the U.S. soldiers who killed hundreds of Vietnamese civilians in the My Lai massacre, the most notorious war crime in modern American military history, has died. He was 80. Calley died on April 28, according to his...

LONDON — John Mayall, the British blues musician whose influential band the Bluesbreakers was a training ground for Eric Clapton, Mick Fleetwood and many other superstars, has died. He was 90. A statement on Mayall’s Instagram page announced his death Tuesday, saying the musician died Monday at his home in...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Bernice Johnson Reagon, a musician and scholar who used her rich, powerful contralto voice in the service of the American Civil Rights Movement and human rights struggles around the world, died on July 16, according to her daughter’s social media post. She was 81. Reagon was probably...

NEW YORK — Abdul “Duke” Fakir, the last surviving original member of the beloved Motown group the Four Tops that was known for such hits as “Reach Out, I’ll Be There” and “Standing in the Shadows of Love,” has died at age 88. Fakir died Monday of heart failure at...

LOS ANGELES — Former co-stars and famous fans paid tribute to comedian and actor Bob Newhart, known for his deadpan humor and the sitcoms he starred in bearing his name, after his death Thursday at age 94. — “What a dream it was to witness the genius that was Bob...

NEW YORK — Lou Dobbs, the conservative political pundit and cable TV host who was a nightly presence on Fox Business Network for more than a decade, has died. He was 78. His death was announced Thursday in a post on his official X account, which called him a “fighter...

LOS ANGELES — Bob Newhart, the deadpan accountant-turned-comedian who became one of the most popular TV stars of his time after striking gold with a classic comedy album, has died at 94. Jerry Digney, Newhart’s publicist, says the actor died Thursday in Los Angeles after a series of short illnesses....

PHILADELPHIA — Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, the father of the late Basketball Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant, has died, his alma mater announced Tuesday. Bryant, who spent eight seasons in the NBA with three different franchises, was 69. The Philadelphia Inquirer, citing La Salle coach Fran Dunphy, reported that Joe Bryant...

LOS ANGELES — Shannen Doherty, the “Beverly Hills, 90210” star whose life and career were roiled by illness and tabloid stories, has died at 53. After years with breast cancer, Doherty died Saturday, according to a statement from her publicist, Leslie Sloane. “The devoted daughter, sister, aunt and friend was...

NEW YORK — Richard Simmons, television’s hyperactive court jester of physical fitness who built a mini-empire in his trademark tank tops and short shorts by urging the overweight to exercise and eat better, died Saturday. He turned 76 on Friday. Simmons died at his home in Los Angeles, his publicist...

Joe Bonsall, Grammy award winner and celebrated tenor of the country and gospel group the Oak Ridge Boys, died Tuesday. He was 76. Bonsall died from complications of the neuromuscular disorder Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, according to a statement from representatives of his family. “Joe loved to sing. He loved to...