Obituaries

Politics & Government

Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked the Pentagon Papers, dies at 92

9:26am June 18, 2023

by Ayesha Rascoe

Daniel Ellsberg, the whistleblower who leaked what's known as the "Pentagon Papers," has died at the age of 92. He said his whole focus was on truth-telling, even at the risk of going to prison.

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Books

Remembering comic book legend John Romita Sr.

9:26am June 18, 2023

by Ayesha Rascoe

NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks to Marvel Comics editor Nick Lowe about legendary comic book artist John Romita Sr., who died last week. He was known for creating many iconic Spider-Man moments.

Health & Safety

Donald Triplett, the 1st person diagnosed with autism, dies at 89

2:58pm June 17, 2023

by The Associated Press

The Mississippi man known as "Case 1" was the first person to be diagnosed with autism. Triplett was the subject of a book and documentary titled In a Different Key and many medical journal articles.

Editor to many great authors, Robert Gottlieb has died at 92

4:55pm June 15, 2023

by Chloe Veltman

Robert Gottlieb was the editor of powerful authors like Robert Caro, Toni Morrison, Joseph Heller and Nora Ephron. Gottlieb has died at age 92.

British actor Glenda Jackson in April, 1974.

Arts

British star Glenda Jackson has died at age 87

9:43am June 15, 2023

by Jeff Lunden

Jackson was one of the finest British actors of her generation, winning Oscar, Emmy and Tony Awards. Fiercely political, she also served as a member of Parliament for decades.

This image released by Knopf shows Robert Gottlieb. Gottlieb, the inspired and eclectic literary editor whose brilliant career was launched with Joseph Heller's Catch-22 and continued for decades with such Pulitzer Prize-winning classics as Toni Morrison's Beloved and Robert Caro's The Power Broker, has died at age 92.

Books
Arts

Robert Gottlieb, celebrated editor of Toni Morrison and Robert Caro, has died at 92

7:00pm June 14, 2023

by The Associated Press

Gottlieb, whose work helped shape the modern publishing canon, edited fiction by future Nobel laureates, spy novels by John le Carré, essays by Nora Ephron and Caro's nonfiction epics.

Cormac McCarthy attends the New York premiere of The Road, the film adaptation of his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, in 2009.

Cormac McCarthy, American novelist of the stark and dark, dies at 89

6:05pm June 13, 2023

by Wade Goodwyn

The author of The Road, Blood Meridian and No Country For Old Men embodied a strong Southwestern sensibility, writing often about men grappling with the existence of evil.

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Tori Bowie, who captured gold as a sprinter in the Olympics and the world championships, died at age 32 from complications of childbirth, according to an autopsy report.

Tori Bowie, an elite Olympic athlete, died of complications from childbirth

5:47pm June 13, 2023

by Bill Chappell

An autopsy report underscores the tragedy of Tori Bowie's death at age 32. The 2016 Olympic medalist was eight months pregnant, according to the report.

Silvio Berlusconi meets journalists at the Quirinale presidential palace in Rome in 2018.

World News

Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's former prime minister, has died at the age of 86

4:18pm June 12, 2023

by Sylvia Poggioli

The media mogul turned prime minister left a mark on popular culture, while his coarseness and constant legal woes trashed political norms and tainted Italy's image in the world.

Remembering trailblazing economist William Spriggs

8:37am June 11, 2023

by Ayesha Rascoe

NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks with Valerie Wilson of the Economic Policy Institute about the legacy of influential economist William Spriggs. Spriggs died last week.

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