obituaries

Steve Grossman, photographed while performing on July 1, 1991 in Nice, France.

Music & Culture

Steve Grossman, Saxophonist And Post-Coltrane Leading Light, Dead At 69

7:33pm August 17, 2020

by Nate Chinen

One of Grossman's earliest recording credits comes from his time in Miles Davis' band, a high-water mark he maintained through the decades. "He was the best of all of us."

English guitarist and lutenist Julian Bream.

Julian Bream, The Classical Guitar Giant With The Soul Of A Jazz Player

1:17pm August 17, 2020

by Tom Cole

Guitarist Julian Bream, who died Friday at the age of 87, was as important to the history of classical guitar as Andres Segovia.

Health & Safety

Remembering Bernard Fils-Aimé, Haitian Activist And Entrepreneur Who Died Of COVID-19

12:17pm August 16, 2020

NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks to Karl Fils-Aimé, son of Bernard Fils-Aimé, about his father, who recently died after becoming infected with the coronavirus.

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Fresh Air language commentator Geoff Nunberg became a regular contributor to Fresh Air in 1987.

Linguist Geoff Nunberg, Who Explored Our Ever-Changing Language, Dies At 75

9:58pm August 13, 2020

by Terry Gross

Nunberg became a contributor to Fresh Air in 1987. He wasn't interested in scolding people for not following the rules; he wanted to explore how language changes over time. He died Tuesday at 75.

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Inventor Of The Pixel Russell Kirsch Dies At 91

5:03pm August 13, 2020

Russell Kirsch was one of the scientists who built the U.S. government's first computer and laid the groundwork for digital photography. He died Tuesday at 91.

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Coronavirus Victims: Sister Of The Civil Rights Movement Winifred Fredericks

7:40pm August 12, 2020

Civil rights activist, New Yorker, and mother of three, Winifred Fredericks, died at the age of 92 in April of COVID-19.

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When Redstone was about 30, he went to work for his father who owned a few drive-in theaters in New England. He eventually turned his father's business, National Amusements, into a national theater chain.

Arts

Media Titan Sumner Redstone, Who Made Viacom A Global Empire, Dies At 97

1:31pm August 12, 2020

by Elizabeth Blair

"Content is king" was Redstone's mantra. Known for his shrewd deal-making and public family feuds, the powerful corporate leader reigned over an astonishing wealth of networks, studios and brands.

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Trini Lopez, 'If I Had A Hammer' Singer, Dies Of COVID-19 Complications At 83

10:03am August 12, 2020

Legendary musician Trini Lopez has died of coronavirus complications in a Palm Springs, Calif., hospital at the age of 83. NPR remembers his life and legacy.

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Dr. José Gabriel López-Plascencia spent over 60 years providing health care for low-income families in Phoenix.

National

'I Remember Him With That Smile': Beloved Phoenix Doctor Dies Of COVID-19 At 99

5:01am August 11, 2020

by Danny Hajek

Patients knew José Gabriel López-Plascencia as "the doctor that served the poor." He spent over 60 years caring for low-income families left out of the healthcare system in Phoenix.

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Arts

Remembering Pete Hamill, A Journalist With A Whitman-esque Embrace Of NYC

2:22pm August 07, 2020

by Maureen Corrigan

Book critic Maureen Corrigan remembers the veteran NYC newsman, who died Aug. 5, as "a tenement kid and high school drop out who never lost connection to where he came from."

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