Remembrances

Pulitzer-Prize Winning Columnist Jimmy Breslin Dies At 88

6:04am March 20, 2017

Breslin was the tabloid voice of the little guy, famous for celebrating gritty New York City characters in newspaper columns, as well as several books of fiction and non-fiction.

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In this Sept. 2, 1995 file photo, Bruce Springsteen, left , and Chuck Berry laugh as they perform the Berry hit "Johnny B. Goode" at the Concert for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Berry was the opening act of the concert.

Tributes To Chuck Berry Pour In: 'One Of My Big Lights Has Gone Out'

12:10pm March 19, 2017

by Laurel Wamsley

Chuck Berry, one of the founders of rock and roll, died Saturday night at age 90. Almost immediately, the tributes started rolling in from some of the most famous names in music.

Music & Culture

A Father Of Rock 'N' Roll, Chuck Berry Dies At 90

8:23am March 19, 2017

Legendary musician Chuck Berry helped defined early rock 'n' roll has died. He was 90. NPR guest host Ray Suarez speaks with Rolling Stone music critic Peter Guralnick about his life and influence.

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Music & Culture

A Moment Of Chuck Berry's Music

7:52am March 19, 2017

Rock and roll legend Chuck Berry died on Saturday. NPR's Lulu Garcia Navarro remembers the musician with a moment of music.

Music & Culture

Record Producer Chuck Granata Remembers Chuck Berry

7:52am March 19, 2017

NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks to author and record producer Chuck Granata about Chuck Berry, who has died at age 90.

Books

A Reading Of Derek Walcott's 'Love After Love'

7:52am March 19, 2017

Poet Derek Walcott died this past week. Actor Tom Hiddleston reads his poem, "Love After Love."

National

Royal Robbins, Pioneer Of American Rock Climbing, Dies At 82

4:31pm March 17, 2017

by Graham Smith

In the 1950s and '60s, rock climber Royal Robbins put up big wall routes on cliffs in the Yosemite Valley that nobody had ever imagined. He also wrote influential books on climbing, and helped change rock climbing practices to be more environmentally sensitive. Robbins died on Tuesday at the age of 82.

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Poet and playwright Derek Walcott published his first poem at the age of 14. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1992.

Books
Arts

Derek Walcott, Who Wrote Of Caribbean Beauty And Bondage, Dies At 87

4:31pm March 17, 2017

by Tom Vitale

The Nobel Prize winner celebrated his Caribbean homeland and described its brutal colonial history. "You didn't make yourself a poet," he said. "You entered a situation in which there was poetry."

Legendary harmonica player James Cotton, who died aged 81 after a 72-year-long career.

Music & Culture

James Cotton, Giant Of The Blues Harmonica, Dies At 81

6:06pm March 16, 2017

by Andrew Flanagan

During his 72-year career, Cotton became one of the greatest and most respected bluesmen of the latter 20th century.

Bill Walsh died on Wednesday from complications of bile duct cancer. He worked at The Washington Post for 20 years as a copy editor.

Books
Arts

Remembering Bill Walsh's Way With Words

3:29pm March 16, 2017

by Linda Holmes

Language authority and Washington Post copy editor Bill Walsh died Wednesday after a long career making other people's writing better.