obituaries

A portrait of Reuters journalist Danish Siddiqui at the press club in Mumbai, July 2021.

Remembering some of those we lost in 2021, from literary legends to everyday heroes

4:03pm December 30, 2021

by Tien Le

2021 was filled with tremendous loss, from staggering COVID deaths to those of leading writers such as Joan Didion and bell hooks to a longtime abortion activist and politicians who shaped our world.

Author and cultural critic bell hooks poses for a portrait on December 16, 1996.

Books
Arts

Here's what bell hooks' friends and colleagues want you to remember about her

2:19pm December 29, 2021

by Jireh Deng

Since hooks' passing on December 15, social media has flooded with reflections on her public impact as an author and scholar. Here, her friends remember what she was like in private.

Then-Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada smiles as he speaks during the third day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on July 27, 2016.

'The guy from Searchlight': Former Senate leader Harry Reid is dead at 82

12:18pm December 29, 2021

by Susan Davis

Born into poverty in Searchlight, Nev., the onetime amateur boxer served in Congress for 34 years — first in the House and, later, for three decades in the Senate.

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Former Oakland Raiders coach John Madden practices the electronic charting device telestrator on Jan. 21, 1982, for the Super Bowl broadcast on CBS. Madden, the Hall of Fame coach turned broadcaster, died Tuesday morning.

NFL Hall of Fame coach and iconic sports broadcaster John Madden dies at 85

11:50am December 29, 2021

by Jaclyn Diaz

For 10 seasons, John Madden led the Oakland Raiders as head coach. After his retirement, he became a legendary NFL commentator for three decades.

Sports

John Madden, NFL Hall of Fame coach and iconic sports broadcaster, dies at 85

6:16am December 29, 2021

by Tom Goldman

For 10 seasons, John Madden led the Oakland Raiders as head coach. After his retirement, he went on to become a legendary NFL commentator for three decades.

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Politics & Government

Remembering Harry Reid, ex-Democratic Senate leader, who died at 82

6:16am December 29, 2021

NPR's Sarah McCammon talks to Faiz Shakir, a former senior adviser to Harry Reid, about the late senator's legacy. The Nevada Democrat died of cancer Tuesday.

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Politics & Government

Former Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid has died at age 82

6:03am December 29, 2021

by Susan Davis

The Nevada Democrat, a one-time amateur boxer who brought a pugilist approach to politics, died Tuesday afternoon after a four-year battle with pancreatic cancer.

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John Madden, NFL Hall of Fame coach and broadcaster, has died at age 85

10:54pm December 28, 2021

by Tom Goldman

Legendary NFL coach and broadcaster John Madden has died, according to the league. He was 85.

Jonathan Spence, Yale historian who specialized in China, dies at 85

7:55am December 28, 2021

by Anthony Kuhn

One of the keys to understanding present day China is grasping its past. Yale University historian Jonathan Spence helped many people to understand this vast field.

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Biologist E.O. Wilson, who influenced how people see evolution and nature, dies at 92

4:58pm December 27, 2021

by Geoff Brumfiel

Biologist and environmental activist E.O. Wilson died on Sunday at the age of 92. Wilson advocated for biodiversity and conservation.

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