obituaries

National

Remembering Voting Rights Activist Theresa Burroughs

5:27pm May 25, 2019

The Alabama civil rights foot soldier, who marched for voting rights and endured an attack on Selma's Edmund Pettus bridge, has died at age 89. She founded a civil rights museum in Greensboro, Ala.

Binyavanga Wainaina, Kenyan Writer And Gay Rights Activist, Dies At 48

5:59pm May 22, 2019

Binyavanga Wainaina, one of Africa's best-known writers and gay rights activists, died Tuesday at 48. NPR's Audie Cornish talks with Kenyan blogger and journalist James Murua about Wainaina's legacy.

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Kenyan author Binyavanga Wainaina, seen here during a January 2014 interview in Nairobi, has died at the age of 48. A founder of the Nairobi-based literary network Kwani?, Wainaina had come out as gay in a country where homosexuality was illegal.

Books
Arts

Binyavanga Wainaina, Kenyan Writer And LGBTQ Activist, Dies At 48

1:31pm May 22, 2019

by Colin Dwyer

The author founded a platform for young Kenyan authors and came out as gay in a place where homosexuality has long been illegal. "Binyavanga was unbound in his imagining," said a friend and colleague.

Former Formula One driver Niki Lauda stands in the Mercedes pit at the Interlagos race track in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2017. The three-time Formula One world champion has died at the age of 70.

Sports

3-Time Formula One Champ Niki Lauda Is Dead At 70

4:31am May 21, 2019

by Matthew S. Schwartz

Lauda survived a major crash during the 1976 German Grand Prix, racing again just weeks later. Lauda later went into the aviation business.

Comedian Sammy Shore arrives at the world premiere of Cirque du Soleil's "Viva ELVIS" production at the Aria Resort & Casino on Feb. 19, 2010 in Las Vegas.

Arts

Legendary Comic Sammy Shore, Co-Founder Of The Comedy Store, Dies At 92

11:08am May 19, 2019

by Samantha Raphelson

Shore died on Saturday surrounded by his family, his son announced on Twitter. The Comedy Store went on to become a hotbed for famous performers like David Letterman and Robin Williams.

Long Live Grumpy Cat: Remembering The Internet's Favorite Feline

5:16pm May 17, 2019

The Internet meme sensation Grumpy Cat died earlier this week at the age of 7.

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Novelist Herman Wouk, pictured here in 1955, wrote about a variety of subjects, including World War II, the publishing world and a fictional Caribbean island.

Books
Arts

Herman Wouk, 'The Jackie Robinson Of Jewish-American Fiction,' Dies At 103

5:15pm May 17, 2019

by Rose Friedman

Wouk was famous for writing The Winds of War, Marjorie Morningstar and The Caine Mutiny, which won a Pulitzer Prize. He also helped popularize themes that writers like Philip Roth later tackled.

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Pei described his work on the Suzhou Museum in Suzhou, China, as a "return to home."

Arts

I.M. Pei, Architect Of Some Of The World's Most Iconic Structures, Dies At 102

2:37pm May 17, 2019

During his influential career, the Pritzker-winning architect designed everything from schools to skyscrapers. Known for spare geometric forms, Pei said the goal was to "eliminate the inessential."

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Grumpy Cat, an Internet celebrity and meme darling, has died. She's seen here posing on the set of Cats on Broadway in 2016.

National

Grumpy Cat Dies; Her Spirit Will Live On, Family Says

11:12am May 17, 2019

by Bill Chappell

The cat with the withering stare, whose real name was Tardar Sauce, inspired books and won fans around the world who identified with her permanently unsmiling — yet adorable — features.

Architect I.M. Pei, Who Designed Many Iconic Structures, Dies At 102

7:42am May 17, 2019

One of the world's most well-known architects has died. He designed the Louvre pyramid in Paris and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, among other buildings.

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