obituaries

Music & Culture

Remembering Joseph Shabalala, Founder Of Ladysmith Black Mambazo

1:52pm February 14, 2020

by Terry Gross

Shabalala, who died Feb. 11, fronted of the South African a capella group. He spoke with Terry Gross in 1991 about collaborating with Paul Simon on Graceland and growing up on a farm.

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Music & Culture

Joseph Shabalala, Founder Of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Dies At 78

4:49pm February 11, 2020

by Elizabeth Blair

Joseph Shabalala, founder of the acclaimed South African musical group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, died in Pretoria on Tuesday. He was 78.

Joseph Shabala leads Ladysmith Black Mambazo in performance in 2011.

Music & Culture

Joseph Shabalala, Ladysmith Black Mambazo Founder, Dies At 78

2:38pm February 11, 2020

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

The founder of the South African vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, which brought an innovative version of Zulu singing to a worldwide audience, died Tuesday in Pretoria. He was 78 years old.

Chinese Doctor Who Sounded Early Warning About Coronavirus Dies After Contracting It

4:32pm February 06, 2020

by Nurith Aizenman

A hospital in China says a doctor who was reprimanded by authorities for sounding an early warning about the coronavirus has died from the illness. Dr. Li Wenliang was a 34-year-old opthalmologist.

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Douglas and Lana Turner dance in a scene from Vincente Minnelli's 1952 film, The Bad and the Beautiful.

Arts

Kirk Douglas, Hollywood Tough Guy And 'Spartacus' Superstar, Dies At 103

8:12am February 06, 2020

by Bob Mondello

Douglas was often cast as a troubled tough guy in films, most famously as a rebellious Roman slave named Spartacus. Off-screen, he was devoted to family and to humanitarian causes.

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Kirk Douglas, Last Great Movie Star Of His Generation, Dies At 103

5:57am February 06, 2020

by Bob Mondello

Kirk Douglas was often cast as a troubled tough guy in films, most famously as a rebellious Roman slave named Spartacus. He was devoted to his family and humanitarian causes.

Daniel arap Moi, shown in a photo from 2002, ruled Kenya for nearly a quarter century, a period marked by repression, widespread corruption and economic stagnation. Moi has died at 95.

World News

Daniel Arap Moi, Kenya's Longtime Strongman, Dies At 95

12:23pm February 04, 2020

Moi ruled Kenya for nearly a quarter century from 1978 to 2002, a period marked by repression, widespread corruption and economic stagnation.

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Guitarist Andy Gill of Gang Of Four, performing on Oct. 17, 2005 in Los Angeles.

Music & Culture

Andy Gill, Gang of Four Guitarist Who Gave Punk Space And Groove, Dead At 64

10:48am February 04, 2020

by Andrew Flanagan

Gill and his bandmates rewrote the playbook for punk in 1979 with the release of Entertainment! -- incorporating new angles and room to breathe into the frenzied genre.

Pianist Peter Serkin, in concert with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 2012.

Music & Culture

Remembering Peter Serkin, The Searching Pianist

4:18pm February 03, 2020

by Tom Huizenga

A thoughtful musician from a distinguished family, Serkin interpreted the classics and expanded the repertoire by commissioning new works.

Mary Higgins Clark has died at 92, the author of over 50 bestselling suspense novels. Her longtime publisher, Simon & Schuster, announced the news on Friday.

Books

Mary Higgins Clark, 'Queen Of Suspense,' Dies At 92

7:39pm February 01, 2020

by Emily Kwong

Beloved suspense writer Mary Higgins Clark died Friday at age 92. Under her longtime publisher Simon & Schuster, Higgins Clark authored more than 50 bestselling novels.