obituaries

Miguel Algarin, Force Behind New York's Beloved Nuyorican Poets Cafe, Dies At 79

5:01am December 04, 2020

by Mandalit del Barco

Poet Miguel Algarin, founder of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, has died at age 79. His Lower East Side performance space was known for its collective of poets, musicians, actors and activists.

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Rafer Johnson, Olympic Decathlon Champion, Dies At 86

4:10pm December 03, 2020

NPR remembers Rafer Johnson, an Olympic champion in the decathlon, who died this week at age 86.

Former French President ValÃ©ry Giscard d'Estaing, pictured in 2017, died Wednesday in Paris at age 94.

World News

Former French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing Dies, Age 94

8:15pm December 02, 2020

The third president of the French Fifth Republic, Giscard d'Estaing expanded his nation's use of nuclear power and high-speed rail, but lost his bid for a second term.

Coronavirus Victims: North Carolina College Student Jamesha Waddell

3:54pm November 30, 2020

Jamesha Waddell, a senior at Livingstone College in North Carolina, spent nearly two months in the hospital with COVID-19. She died in November at age 23.

British actor David Prowse, who played Darth Vader in the first Star Wars trilogy, poses with a fan dressed in a Darth Vader costume during a Star Wars convention on April 27, 2013. On Sunday morning, Prowse's management company shared the news of his dea

Arts

David Prowse, Actor Behind Darth Vader, Dies At 85

11:35am November 29, 2020

by Suzanne Nuyen

Audiences heard James Earl Jones' voice as the iconic Star Wars villain, but it was Prowse behind Darth Vader's mask.

Sports

Filmmaker Richard Sanders Remembers Soccer Player Diego Maradona

7:14am November 26, 2020

Legendary soccer player Diego Maradona has died at the age of 60. NPR's David Greene speaks to filmmaker Richard Sanders about Maradona's life.

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News Brief: Trump Pardons Flynn, Hospitals See PPE Shortage, Diego Maradona Dies

7:14am November 26, 2020

President Trump has pardoned Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying about a Russian contact. Hospitals are still short on PPE, months into the pandemic. Also, a filmmaker remembers Diego Maradona.

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Diego Maradona celebrating Argentina victory of World Cup at Azteca stadium, Mexico City, World Cup 1986.

Photos: Remembering Maradona, Latin America's Patron Saint Of The Pitch

8:41pm November 25, 2020

by Laura Beltrán Villamizar

Plus: NPR's Latino staffers share their memories of the Argentine soccer legend.

Legendary Soccer Player Diego Maradona Dies At 60

6:44pm November 25, 2020

by Philip Reeves

Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona died on Wednesday at age 60. NPR remembers his life and legacy.

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Civil Rights Icon Bruce Boynton Dies At 83

4:52pm November 24, 2020

by Kyle Gassiott

Alabama civil rights icon Bruce Boynton, who helped inspire the Freedom Riders movement when he ordered at a whites only section of a restaurant, has died. He was 83.