obituaries

Screenwriter And Actor Buck Henry Dies At 89

4:21pm January 09, 2020

by Elizabeth Blair

Screenwriter and actor Buck Henry has died at age 89 after suffering a heart attack. Among his many credits, he co-wrote the screenplay for The Graduate and hosted Saturday Night Live 10 times.

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Arts

John Baldessari, Conceptual Art Pioneer, Has Died

4:31pm January 08, 2020

by Mandalit del Barco

Artist John Baldessari died last Thursday at his home in Venice, Calif. The artist helped shape not just a movement — conceptual art — but the LA art scene itself. He was 88.

Books

Elizabeth Wurtzel, Bestselling Author Of 'Prozac Nation,' Dies At 52

5:40pm January 07, 2020

Bestselling author Elizabeth Wurtzel was 27 when Prozac Nation, her sensational memoir of a difficult life complicated by depression, was published. Wurtzel had cancer. She died Tuesday at age 52.

National

David Stern's Work To Fight Housing Discrimination

8:11am January 04, 2020

Lee Porter, executive director of the Fair Housing Council, talks to NPR's Leila Fadel about the work done for the organization by David Stern prior to his time as NBA commissioner.

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Artist And Visual Futurist Syd Mead Dies At 86

4:12pm January 03, 2020

Artist and visual futurist Syd Mead died Monday at age 86. His visions of the future became the backdrops for sci-fi classics, including Blade Runner.

In this photo from June 28, 2012, New York Yankees great Don Larsen reacts during a news conference announcing the auction of his 1956 perfect game uniform. He died Wednesday at age 90.

Sports

Don Larsen, Only Pitcher To Throw Perfect World Series Game, Dies At 90

10:27am January 02, 2020

by Doreen McCallister

New York Yankee Don Larsen pitched a no-hitter in the 1956 World Series — a feat no other pitcher has accomplished. Larsen died Wednesday night after battling esophageal cancer.

Sports

Former NBA Commissioner David Stern Dies At 77

8:32pm January 01, 2020

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with sports columnist Christine Brennan of USA Today about the death of former NBA commissioner David Stern. He was 77.

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Jazz Trumpeter Jack Sheldon Dies At 88

6:01pm January 01, 2020

by Danny Hensel

Jazz trumpeter and singer Jack Sheldon has died. He was a fixture on the Merv Griffin Show and sang "Conjunction Junction" and "I'm Just a Bill" for Schoolhouse Rock.

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Former NBA Commissioner David Stern attends a game between the Houston Rockets and the Utah Jazz during the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs.

Sports

David Stern, One Of The Most Influential NBA Commissioners, Is Dead At 77

5:54pm January 01, 2020

by Tom Goldman

The long-time commissioner of the NBA — and a champion of the Women's National Basketball Association — died on Wednesday.

Books

Sonny Mehta, Publishing Industry Giant, Dies At 77

6:23am January 01, 2020

by Rose Friedman

Sonny Mehta, editor in chief at publisher Knopf, died on Monday after complications from pneumonia. He published books by John le Carré, Toni Morrison, Pope John Paul II and Patti Smith.

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