Obituaries
Catherine O’Hara played drunk better than anyone
O'Hara observed people closely; she found the tics, the mannerisms, the specific beats of drunkenness and used them to open us up to her characters' frailty, their vulnerability, their humanity.
Catherine O’Hara, who starred in ‘Home Alone’ and ‘Schitt’s Creek,’ dies at 71
O'Hara enjoyed a six-decade career in TV and films playing sometimes over-the-top, but endearing characters. "I loved playing cocky untalented people," she told Fresh Air in 1992.
Gladys West, mathematician whose work paved the way for GPS, dies at 95
A self-described "little farm girl" in the Jim Crow Era, Gladys West's complex and pioneering work for the U.S. Navy helped to improve billions of lives — and keep us from getting lost.
Claudette Colvin, who refused to move seats on a bus at start of civil rights movement, dies
Civil rights pioneer Claudette Colvin has died. She was 86. Her 1955 arrest for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated Montgomery bus helped spark the modern civil rights movement.
Scott Adams, the controversial cartoonist behind ‘Dilbert,’ dies at 68
Adams announced in May that he was dying of metastatic prostate cancer. Thousands of newspapers carried his strip satirizing office culture from the '90s until a controversy in 2023.
Bob Weir, guitarist and founding member of the Grateful Dead, has died at 78
For three decades with the Grateful Dead and three more after the group ended following the 1995 death of his bandmate Jerry Garcia, Weir helped build and sustain the band's legacy across generations.
CIA turncoat Aldrich Ames, who sold U.S. secrets to the Soviets, dies in prison at 84
CIA turncoat Aldrich Ames, who betrayed Western intelligence assets to the Soviet Union and Russia in one of the most damaging breaches in U.S. history, has died in a Maryland prison. He was 84.
Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr — known for bleak, existential movies — has died
Tarr's films were long, dark, and often abstract explorations of everyday life and politics.
Holocaust survivor Eva Schloss, the stepsister of Anne Frank, dies at 96
Schloss, who was friends with Frank in Amsterdam and whose mother later married Frank's father, was a tireless educator about the Holocaust and was honorary president of The Anne Frank Trust UK.
Remembering the actors, musicians, writers and artists we lost in 2025
Every year, we remember some of the writers, actors, musicians, filmmakers and performers who died over the past year, and whose lifetime of creative work helped shape our world.
Cecilia Giménez, the artist who ‘restored’ the face of Jesus, has died at 94
Giménez international attention after she attempted to restore an old fresco. While it was immediately ridiculed at the time, the piece eventually turned into a tourist attraction.
Brigitte Bardot, sex goddess of cinema, has died
Legendary screen siren and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot has died at age 91. The alluring former model starred in numerous movies, often playing the highly sexualized love interest.
Disability rights advocate Bob Kafka dead at 79
Bob Kafka was an organizer with ADAPT (American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today), a group which advocates for policy change to support people with disabilities.
Perry Bamonte, guitarist and keyboardist for The Cure, dies at 65
Perry Archangelo Bamonte, longtime guitarist and keyboardist for the influential goth band The Cure, has died. He was 65. The band announced his death on their official website on Friday.
In Memoriam 2025: The Musicians We Lost
D'Angelo. Brian Wilson. Sly Stone. We lost these greats and so many more in 2025 — singers, producers, conductors and writers whose departures gave us a pang of loss, but whose art still lifts us up.
Vince Zampella, video game pioneer behind megahit Call of Duty, dies at 55
One of Vince Zampella's crowning achievements was the creation of the Call of Duty franchise, which has sold more than half a billion games worldwide.
Pulitzer Prize-winning correspondent Peter Arnett has died
Peter Arnett, the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter who spent decades dodging bullets and bombs to bring the world eyewitness accounts of war from Vietnam to Iraq, has died. He was 91.
Rob Reiner said he was ‘never, ever too busy’ for his son
In 2015, Reiner collaborated with his son, Nick Reiner, on Being Charlie, a story about addiction, loosely based on Nick's experiences. Rob Reiner talked about the film with Fresh Air in September.
‘General Hospital’ star Anthony Geary of Luke and Laura fame dies at 78
Anthony Geary, who rose to fame in the 1970s and '80s as half the daytime TV super couple Luke and Laura on "General Hospital," has died. He was 78.
Remembering Rob Reiner, who made movies for people who love them
The movies Reiner directed, from A Few Good Men to The Princess Bride, weren't just good — they were people's favorites, the types of films people come back to again and again.
‘The Mask’ and ‘Pulp Fiction’ actor Peter Greene dies at 60
The character actor was best known for playing villains in movies like Pulp Fiction and The Mask. Greene was found dead in his New York City apartment on Friday, his manager and friend told NPR.
Author Sophie Kinsella, who penned the ‘Shopaholic’ books, has died at 55
The author, whose real name was Madeleine Sophie Wickham, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer in late 2022.
Raul Malo, lead singer of The Mavericks, has died at 60
The son of Cuban immigrants, Malo and his band blended country, rock and roll, folk, jump blues, Latin music and Cajun rhythms into a distinct sound anchored by his unmistakable voice.
Rafael Ithier, a legend of salsa music, dies at 99
The pianist, composer and arranger spent more than six decades turning El Gran Combo into one of the premier salsa institutions of Latin America and beyond.
Frank Gehry, whose designs defied gravity and convention, dies at 96
Gehry transformed modern architecture with exuberant buildings such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Guggenheim Museum. "I've always been for optimism and architecture not being sad," he said.
American chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky dies at 29
The Charlotte Chess Center, where Naroditsky trained and worked as a coach, announced his death, calling him "a talented chess player, educator, and beloved member of the chess community."
Former Japanese PM Murayama, known for apology over wartime aggression, dies at 101
Tomiichi Murayama, Japan's prime minister from 1994, was best known for the "Murayama Statement," an apology delivered on the 50th anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender.
Ace Frehley, lead guitarist in Kiss, dies at 74
The co-founding member of the band was known as the Spaceman and had a hit single of his own in "New York Groove."
NPR ‘founding mother’ Susan Stamberg has died
Susan Stamberg, an original National Public Radio staffer who went on to become the first U.S. woman to anchor a nightly national news program, has died.
D’Angelo, R&B’s reluctant icon, has died at 51
The expressive singer made just three albums, including his 1995 debut, Brown Sugar, but retreated from the public after each. He had been battling cancer, according to a statement from his family.
Hollywood’s quirky leading lady, Diane Keaton, dies aged 79
Diane Keaton, who remained one of Hollywood's quirkiest and most beloved actors decades after her Academy Award-winning performance in the movie Annie Hall, has died aged 79.
Diane Keaton, Oscar-winning star of ‘Annie Hall’ and ‘The Godfather,’ dies at 79
The actor, known for her quirky, vibrant manner and depth was 79. Across her decades-long career, she worked with prominent filmmakers including Francis Ford Coppola, Woody Allen and Nancy Meyers.
