obituaries

Tim Conway told NPR in 2010 that he was destined to do comedy. When people inquired about what he might have done other than showbiz, he'd say, "Nothing, because I'm not capable of doing anything else." Conway is pictured here in February 1983.

Arts

Tim Conway, Who Relished The Role Of Comedic Co-Star, Dies At 85

7:11pm May 14, 2019

by Eric Deggans

Conway built a career playing goofballs who rarely took center stage. On The Carol Burnett Show, he developed a reputation for sidesplitting improvisations that cracked everybody up.

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President Bill Clinton stands with Alice Rivlin, director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, at the White House on March 19, 1996. Rivlin was the first woman to hold that post.

Alice Rivlin, First Woman To Serve As Budget Director, Dies At Age 88

3:48pm May 14, 2019

by Danielle Kurtzleben

Rivlin overcame sexism in the world of economics and was a heavweight, serving as former President Bill Clinton's budget director and the first head of the Congressional Budget Office.

Actress And Singer Doris Day Dies At 97

4:25pm May 13, 2019

by Sonari Glinton

Doris Day's career began as a singer in the big band era and she seemingly effortlessly made the transition to the big screen. Day died Monday morning at her home in California at the age of 97.

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Day attends a reception at Claridge's Hotel in London in 1955.

Actress And Singer Doris Day, Hollywood's Girl Next Door, Dies At 97

10:36am May 13, 2019

by Sonari Glinton

Day took on meaty roles in films like The Man Who Knew Too Much and Love Me or Leave Me, but in the late '50s she settled into romantic comedies and a persona that would stick: the good girl.

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National

Remembering Federal Judge Damon Keith

5:35pm May 11, 2019

Memorial services for Keith are happening this weekend. NPR's Michel Martin speaks to former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who clerked for Judge Keith, about what he meant to the legal community.

National

Bernie Dalton, Songwriter Who Battled ALS, Dies At 49

4:15pm May 09, 2019

Bernie Dalton, the fledgling songwriter whose battle with ALS inspired the band Bernie and the Believers has died.

Bernie and the Believers Featuring essence perform a Tiny Desk Concert on Oct. 16, 2018 (Cameron Pollack/NPR).

Music & Culture

Tiny Desk Contest Contestant Bernie Dalton Dies After Battling ALS

3:43pm May 07, 2019

by Bob Boilen

The musician won our hearts with his deeply moving 2018 Tiny Desk contest entry as Bernie and The Believers. He'd been fighting bulbar-onset ALS, an aggressive form of Lou Gehrig's disease.

Barbershop: Facebook's Purported Pivot To Privacy

6:15pm May 04, 2019

NPR's Michel Martin speaks to communications professor Alice Marwick, Atlantic staff writer Taylor Lorenz, and social media strategist Sara Li about whether Facebook's changes will make a difference.

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Rachel Held Evans amassed a loyal following over more than a decade of reflecting on faith issues. An Episcopalian, she was a popular and sometimes divisive figure among evangelicals. She died on Saturday.

Religion

Rachel Held Evans, Christian Writer Who Questioned Evangelical Beliefs, Dies At 37

6:00pm May 04, 2019

by Francesca Paris

Evans had been placed in a medically-induced coma after a severe allergic reaction to antibiotics. She was known for her progressive writings about Christianity and her own faith journey.

Religion

Progressive Christian Writer Rachel Held Evans Dies At 37

5:34pm May 04, 2019

by Shannon Van Sant

Progressive Christian writer and speaker Rachel Held Evans has died at the age of 37.