remembrance

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.

Arts

Fred Willard, Scene Stealer Extraordinaire, Dies At 86

4:40pm May 16, 2020

by Colin Dwyer

The actor best known for roles in mockumentaries such as Best in Show and Waiting for Guffman died Friday, according to his daughter. The daytime Emmy winner had a knack for improvisation.

Former Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn, seen on Capitol Hill in 2013, has died at the age of 72.

Former Sen. Tom Coburn, Fiscal Hawk And 'Dr. No,' Dies At 72

12:33pm March 28, 2020

by Colin Dwyer

The Republican from Oklahoma died Saturday after a fight with prostate cancer. During his time in Congress, Coburn earned a reputation for fighting spending, no matter whom he crossed in the process.

Books
Arts

Elizabeth Wurtzel, Who Stirred Conversation With 'Prozac Nation,' Dies At 52

3:14pm January 07, 2020

by Colin Dwyer

The 1994 memoir opened a national dialogue about clinical depression and introduced readers to Wurtzel's brash, unapologetic voice. Wurtzel died of breast cancer at a Manhattan hospital Tuesday.

Philip "P.J." Thomas was a captain and harbor pilot who along with his three children died when Hurricane Dorian roared through Grand Bahama island on Sept. 1.

World News

Friends Remember One Of Dorian's Victims On Grand Bahama

8:05pm September 12, 2019

by Greg Allen

P.J. Thomas was an experienced boat captain and harbor pilot who guided some of the world's largest cruise ships to the dock. During the hurricane, he died saving his wife.

Tony Horwitz, seen hitchhiking in Australia in 1986, wrote about the experience later in his book One for the Road: Hitchhiking Through the Australian Outback. Horwitz, who would go on to win the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for national reporting, died Monday at

Books
Arts

Tony Horwitz, Pulitzer-Winning Journalist And Historian, Dies At 60

1:50pm May 28, 2019

by Colin Dwyer

Horwitz's publisher says he died of apparent cardiac arrest. A Pulitzer Prize winner for covering the hardships of low-wage workers, the peripatetic writer sought truths obscured by history's cliches.

Kenyan author Binyavanga Wainaina, seen here during a January 2014 interview in Nairobi, has died at the age of 48. A founder of the Nairobi-based literary network Kwani?, Wainaina had come out as gay in a country where homosexuality was illegal.

Books
Arts

Binyavanga Wainaina, Kenyan Writer And LGBTQ Activist, Dies At 48

1:31pm May 22, 2019

by Colin Dwyer

The author founded a platform for young Kenyan authors and came out as gay in a place where homosexuality has long been illegal. "Binyavanga was unbound in his imagining," said a friend and colleague.

John Singleton, seen in Los Angeles in July 1991, not long after the release of Boyz n the Hood. The movie earned the young filmmaker two Oscar nominations.

Arts

John Singleton, Pioneering Director Of 'Boyz N The Hood,' Dies At 51

6:20pm April 29, 2019

The 1991 film earned him two Oscar nods and a spot in history as the youngest person and first African American ever nominated for best director. Singleton died in Los Angeles after a stroke.

Queue Listen Now

Drummer Hal Blaine attends an awards ceremony in Anaheim, Calif., in 2014.

Hal Blaine, 'Most Recorded Drummer In History,' Dies At 90

6:11pm March 12, 2019

by Colin Dwyer

The session musician's ubiquitous drums beat a path through rock history. As a member of the Wrecking Crew, Blaine can be heard backing everyone from Frank Sinatra to Neil Diamond and the Beach Boys.

Queue Listen Now

Jonas Mekas, seen in 2015 in Venice, Italy, where the filmmaker's digital works were exhibited at the same time as the Venice Biennale. Mekas died Wednesday at the age of 96.

Arts

Jonas Mekas, Underground Filmmaker Who Cast A Long Shadow, Dies At 96

4:02pm January 23, 2019

by Colin Dwyer

The Lithuanian-born director, poet, archivist and critic, who died Wednesday, not only made dozens of experimental films — he helped carve a place for countless other filmmakers to do the same.