social and politics

Rap world mourns Pop Smoke: 'The streets don't love you when you make it'

Chance the Rapper, Nicki Minaj, 50 Cent and other rappers took to social media to honor Pop Smoke, a rising New York artist who was fatally shot Wednesday.




social and politics

Sy Sperling, balding Hair Club founder who became a client too, dies at 78

Hair Club for Men founder Sy Sperling has died in Florida after a lengthy illness.




social and politics

Zoe Caldwell, four-time Tony winner and the master of 'Master Class,' dies at 86

The actress played the legendary Maria Callas at the Mark Taper Forum in L.A. before moving on to Broadway and winning her final Tony for the role.




social and politics

Rita Walters, a fierce advocate for equality and trailblazing elected official, dies at 89

Rita Walters advocated fiercely for equality through school integration and hiring practices, first as a member of the L.A. school board and then on the L.A. City Council




social and politics

Larry Tesler, Silicon Valley pioneer who created 'cut', 'copy' and 'paste', dies at 74

Former Xerox researcher Larry Tesler made computers more user-friendly for generations of people with editing commands also including 'find and replace.'




social and politics

Beverly Cassirer, whose family demanded return of $30-million painting looted by Nazis, dies waiting

The painting of a Parisian street scene by Impressionist master Camille Pissarro hangs in a Madrid museum and is the focus of an ongoing legal battle.




social and politics

Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's calculating autocrat, dies at 91

Hosni Mubarak for decades kept a cold peace with Israel and crushed political dissent at home until a 2011 protest movement drove him from power.




social and politics

John 'Sonny' Franzese, powerful mob boss who hung out with Frank Sinatra, dies at 103

Alleged to be a prolific killer, Franzese was finally released from prison when he was 100




social and politics

Thich Quang Do, Buddhist monk and renowned Vietnamese dissident, dies at 91

The Communist government kept Thich Quang Do in prison or under house arrest for more than 20 years.




social and politics

Mazzy Star co-founder David Roback, leader of L.A.'s 'Paisley Underground,' dies at 61

David Roback, best known as the co-founder of influential L.A. alternative rock bands Mazzy Star and Rain Parade, has died at age 61.




social and politics

Floyd Tidwell, former San Bernardino County sheriff who modernized agency, dies at 90

After he retired, Tidwell pleaded guilty to taking hundreds of guns from evidence lockers




social and politics

Joe Coulombe, founder of Trader Joe's, dies at 89

With Trader Joe's, Joe Coulombe targeted well-educated, well-traveled consumers who were not affluent but who had sophisticated tastes.




social and politics

Jack Welch, much-imitated manager who reshaped GE, dies at 84

The former GE chairman and chief executive mentored people who went on to run some of the world's best-known companies.




social and politics

James Lipton, animated host of 'Inside the Actors Studio,' dies at 93

James Lipton, the Emmy-winning drama dean who hosted revealing conversations about the acting craft on "Inside the Actors Studio," has died at age 93.




social and politics

Ernesto Cardenal, revolutionary Nicaraguan priest and poet, dies at 95

Ernesto Cardenal, the poet and cleric who became a symbol of revolutionary verse throughout Latin America, died Sunday at a Managua hospital at 95.




social and politics

Judge Raymond Fisher, who led police reforms after L.A. riots, dies at 80

Fisher helped implement the reforms that rebuilt the Los Angeles Police Department after the Rodney G. King scandal and the 1992 riots.




social and politics

Bobbie Battista, one of CNN's original anchors, dies at 67

Battista, the original host of CNN's "TalkBack Live," has died after a four-year battle with cervical cancer.




social and politics

Henri Richard, who won a record 11 Stanley Cups with the Canadiens, dies at 84

Henri Richard, who holds the record for most Stanley Cup wins during his 20-year NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens, died Friday at age 84.




social and politics

Henry Cobb, architect of what long was L.A.'s tallest skyscaper, dies at 93

Longtime partner of I.M. Pei also designed Boston's John Hancock Tower




social and politics

McCoy Tyner, jazz piano legend who played with Coltrane, dead at 81

McCoy Tyner, jazz piano legend who played with Coltrane, dead at 81




social and politics

Max von Sydow, Swedish star of Bergman films, 'The Exorcist,' dies at 90

Swedish actor Max von Sydow, the stately import whose theater roots laid the groundwork for a vast onscreen career in nearly a dozen Ingmar Bergman productions, has died.




social and politics

Barbara Neely, creator of black female detective series, dies at 78

Barbara Neely's novels pushed past mystery and explored racism, class boundaries and violence against women.




social and politics

Tonie Marshall, only female film director to win the French 'Oscar,' dies at 68

Tonie Marshall addressed the issue of sexism in her film work and was a #MeToo crusader.




social and politics

Boris Yaro, Times photographer who took iconic image of mortally wounded RFK, dies

Yaro tutored the actor who played Animal, the rumpled photographer on "Lou Grant"




social and politics

Bill Stern, champion of California ceramics, is dead at 78

The founder of the Museum of California Design organized shows related to women in design and California pottery.




social and politics

Genesis P-Orridge, Psychic TV and Throbbing Gristle co-founder, dies at 70

The artist, musician and iconoclast — best known as part of the influential industrial band Throbbing Gristle — had been battling leukemia.




social and politics

Stuart Whitman, prolific film and TV actor, star of 'The Comancheros,' dies at 92

Known for his rugged roles and handsome charm, Whitman had more than 180 film and TV credits




social and politics

Roger Mayweather, former boxing champion and uncle to Floyd Jr., dies at 58

Roger Mayweather, uncle and trainer to Floyd Mayweather Jr. who won 59 career bouts, died Tuesday at age 58.




social and politics

Lyle Waggoner, foil on 'The Carol Burnett Show,' dies at 84

Waggoner, who was battling cancer, died peacefully Tuesday at his Los Angeles-area home with his wife of 60 years, Sharon, at his side, according to a family statement.




social and politics

Tracy Wood, reporter who helped The Times win a Pulitzer after L.A. riots, dies at 76

A wartime correspondent, a hardened investigative reporter and a nurturing editor later in life, Wood had a long career as a journalist.




social and politics

Eduard Limonov, Russian author, dissident and longtime Kremlin irritant, dies at 77

The Russian dissident and author Eduard Limonov, who vocal opposition was a persistent thorn in the Kremlin's side, dies at 77.




social and politics

Al Worden, Apollo 15 astronaut who circled the moon, dies at 88

Worden performed the first deep-space spacewalk — nearly 200,000 miles from Earth




social and politics

Merry Norris, a founder of MOCA and patron of Los Angeles arts, is dead at 80

Norris also oversaw the installation of the Kinetic Light Installation at LAX, which helped change the airport's main gate.




social and politics

Kenny Rogers, country-pop hitmaker and crossover star, dies at 81

Kenny Rogers, the beloved country music icon whose decades of hits included "The Gambler" and "Islands in the Stream" with Dolly Parton, has died at age 81.




social and politics

Airickca Gordon-Taylor, Emmett Till relative who preserved lynching victim's legacy, dies at 50

Airickca Gordon-Taylor spent her life educating others about the black teenage lynching victim's legacy.




social and politics

Playwright Terrence McNally, 81, dies of coronavirus-related complications

Terrence McNally, whose varied and prolific career as a playwright, musical librettist and screenwriter earned him five Tony Awards and an Emmy, died Tuesday.




social and politics

Albert Uderzo, a creator of the beloved comic book character Asterix, dies at 92

His character Asterix captured the spirit of the French of the 1960s and grew into a worldwide phenomenon.




social and politics

Rachmil 'Ralph' Hakman, who survived Auschwitz and kept going back, dies at 95

Holocaust survivor Rachmil 'Ralph' Hakman spent three years at Auschwitz-Birkenau as a teen. He then spent decades teaching others about the atrocities.




social and politics

Maurice Berger, 63, curator who explored race, dies of presumed COVID-19 complications

Berger, a curator and writer who organized exhibitions that explored whiteness and civil rights, has died in upstate New York after COVID-19 illness.




social and politics

Stuart Gordon, director of horror classics 'Re-Animator' and 'From Beyond,' dies at 72

Stuart Gordon, the theater and film director who died Tuesday at age 72, was known for cult horror films and his support of up-and-coming filmmakers.




social and politics

Leading lung expert John F. Murray dies of coronavirus-related complications at 92

Dr. Murray led the Pulmonary and Critical Care Division at UC San Francisco for 23 years and helped set up the study of lung disease as its own field.




social and politics

Mark Blum, actor in 'Desperately Seeking Susan,' dies at 69 from COVID-19 complications

Mark Blum, who was in several recent episodes of 'You' and was known for his role in 'Crocodile Dundee,' died from coronavirus-related complications.




social and politics

Cinematographer Allen Daviau among celebrities who have died from COVID-19

"E.T." and "Empire of the Sun" cinematographer Allen Daviau, jazz saxophonist Lee Konitz and music producer Hal Willner have all died from COVID-19.




social and politics

Darius Swann, whose fight to enroll his son led to school integration in N.C., dies at 95

His fight to enroll his son in a largely white school sparked the use of busing as a means of desegregation




social and politics

Former Dodger slugger Jimmy 'The Toy Cannon' Wynn dies at 78

All-Star hitter helped the Dodgers reach the World Series in 1974.




social and politics

Rev. Joseph Lowery, co-founder of Southern Christian Leadership Conference, dies at 98

Joseph E. Lowery, civil rights leader who co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with Martin Luther King Jr., has died. He was 98.




social and politics

Polish composer, conductor Krzysztof Penderecki, known for monumental works, dies at 86

Polish composer and conductor Krzysztof Penderecki, known for his monumental orchestral and choral compositions, died in Krakow at 86.




social and politics

Edward Howard, who brought movies, bathrooms and a sense of dignity to skid row, dies at 63

Edward Howard saw hygiene as a civil rights issue and a matter of treating homeless people with dignity.




social and politics

Joe Diffie, award-winning country music singer, dies at 61 of COVID-19 complications

Joe Diffie, a country music star who enjoyed a career high in the 1990s, died Sunday of complications from COVID-19.




social and politics

David Schramm, veteran of the stage and TV's 'Wings,' dies at 73

Veteran Broadway actor, best known for playing Roy Biggins on "Wings," has died in New York at 73.