obituaries

Bruce Swedien and Quincy Jones onstage together, speaking at the Pensado Awards for audio engineering in Culver City, Calif. in 2015.

The 'Sonic Genius' Behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Has Died

2:51pm November 18, 2020

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

Audio engineer Bruce Swedien, who shaped the sound of several albums with Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones, died Monday at age 86. He also collaborated with artists from B.B. King to Jennifer Lopez.

Coronavirus Victims: Wife, Mother And Grandmother Elisa Hinojosa

3:46pm November 12, 2020

Elisa Hinojosa died of COVID-19 at age 54 on Oct. 25. NPR remembers a wife, mother of three and grandmother of two from San Antonio.

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Lucille Bridges, Mother Of Anti-Segregation Icon Ruby Bridges, Dies At 86

2:42pm November 11, 2020

by Scott Neuman

In 1960, she braved death threats and racial epithets to accompany her daughter to the all-white William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, desegregating the school.

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat seen at a 2014 press conference at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.

Longtime Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erekat Dies Of Complications From COVID-19

7:20am November 10, 2020

Often the voice of the Palestinians in peace talks with Israel, Erekat's pursuit of peace through negotiation never prevailed. He was 65.

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Religious leader and philosopher Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks was the former chief rabbi of the U.K. He has died at the age of 72.

Religion

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Towering Intellect Of Judaism, Dies At 72

7:44pm November 09, 2020

by Tom Gjelten

A leading proponent of interfaith understanding, Sacks once wrote that, "God is the god of all humanity, but no single faith is or should be the faith of all humanity."

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Britain's Former Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks Dies At 72

5:05pm November 09, 2020

by Tom Gjelten

Jonathan Sacks, former chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations in the U.K. and a leading moral theologian, has died at age 72. His last book emphasized the importance of a "we" mentality.

Remembering TV's Alex Trebek Who Has Died At Age 80

5:01am November 09, 2020

For 36 years, Alex Trebek quizzed Jeopardy! contestants on history, geography, hip-hop lyrics, "Potent Potables" and "Potpourri." He died Sunday after battling pancreatic cancer.

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Trebek said he hated to see contestants lose for forgetting to phrase their answers as questions. "I'm there to see that the contestants do as well as they can within the context of the rules," he told Fresh Air's Terry Gross in 1987. Above, Trebek poses

Arts

What Is The End Of An Era? 'Jeopardy!' Host Alex Trebek Dies At 80

5:07pm November 08, 2020

by Mandalit del Barco

"I love spending time with bright people," said the longtime game show host. Trebek began hosting the trivia show in 1984 and continued for nearly four decades, even through bouts of chemotherapy.

Cuban-born percussionist Candido Camero, circa 1960.

Music & Culture

Cándido Camero, A Father Of Latin Jazz, Dies At 99

4:26pm November 07, 2020

by Felix Contreras

The Cuban percussionist brought the rhythms of Havana to New York's jazz clubs in the 1940s and never stopped performing.

Dayvon Bennett, better known as the rapper King Von .

Music & Culture

King Von, Emerging Chicago Rapper, Dead At 26

4:44pm November 06, 2020

by Will Schube

King Von, an emerging rapper who was quickly gaining attention for his incisive storytelling, was shot and killed in Atlanta on Friday morning.