Obituaries
Max Frankel, former New York Times top editor, dies at 94
Frankel was The New York Times' executive editor from 1986 to 1994. He remained with the newspaper for nearly half a century, ushering it through different eras.
George Foreman, the fearsome heavyweight who became a beloved champion, dies at 76
The heavyweight who lost the "Rumble in the Jungle" to Muhammad Ali before authoring an inspiring second act as a 45-year-old champion and a successful businessman was 76.
Ex-F1 team owner and media personality Eddie Jordan has died at 76
Jordan ran his own team in the 1990s and 2000s in Formula 1. He became a popular pundit on TV after selling the team in 2005.
Aurelio Martínez, ambassador of Garifuna music, has died
The Honduran musician, one of the most recognized proponents of a Caribbean culture dating to the 17th century, died Monday in an airplane crash.
Jesse Colin Young, singer of The Youngbloods’ ‘Get Together,’ dies at 83
Prolific musician Jesse Colin Young, best known for being the voice of the '60s folk-rock anthem "Get Together," died on Sunday at age 83.
John Feinstein, sports writer and author of ‘A Season on the Brink,’ dies at 69
Feinstein was comfortable writing fiction and nonfiction, and took on an array of sports, including golf and tennis, but he was known most for his connection to college basketball
Sofia Gubaidulina, the composer who fused sound and spirituality, has died at age 93
One of the first modern women composers to reach international acclaim, Gubaidulina wrote bold music, inspired by Eastern and Western philosophies, and the joy of sound itself.
Playwright Athol Fugard, who chronicled apartheid and its aftermath, dies at 92
The celebrated South African playwright was known for Blood Knot, The Road to Mecca and "Master Harold"...and the Boys. He said his job was to make "leaps out of my reality and into other realities."
D’Wayne Wiggins, founding member of the R&B group Tony! Toni! Tone!, has died at 64
Wiggins died Friday morning after battling bladder cancer for over the past year, according to a statement released by his family on social media.
Roy Ayers, whose ‘Everybody Loves The Sunshine’ charmed generations, dies at 84
The vibraphonist, composer and jazz-funk pioneer helped inspire the neo-soul movement, and his best-known song was sampled over 100 times.
Carl Dean, Dolly Parton’s husband of nearly 60 years who inspired ‘Jolene,’ dies at 82
"Words can't do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years," Parton wrote in a statement.
James Harrison, whose blood donations saved over 2 million babies, has died
Harrison, whose plasma contained a rare antibody, rolled up his sleeve 1,173 times from 1954 to 2018. The Australian is credited with helping 2.4 million babies and advancing scientific research.
Angie Stone, soul singer who broke ground in hip-hop, dies at 63
Stone, a Grammy-nominated R&B singer who rose to fame in the late 1970s, was known for hits like "No More Rain" and "Wish I Didn't Miss You. She was killed in a road collision in Alabama on Saturday.
David Johansen, who fronted the New York Dolls, dies at 75
Johansen, a pioneer in punk music who found solo success under the moniker Buster Poindexter, died on Friday. His family announced last month that he had been in treatment for advanced stage cancer.
Bestselling novelist Tom Robbins dies at 92
Robbins dazzled readers with the whimsy and imagination in his books, including Jitterbug Perfume, Skinny Legs and All and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues.
Birmingham Public Library Honors Civil Rights Leader Shelly Millender Jr.
The Board of Trustees at the Birmingham Public Library honored Shelly Millender Jr. who helped integrate the city’s libraries in 1963.
A Remembrance of John Floyd, Former Southern Living Editor-in-Chief
The former editor of Southern Living died this week from cancer.
Bernard Lockhart’s Work Ethic Fueled His Passion For Jazz And Community-Building
Bernard Lockhart, founder of Avondale's Jazz in the Park, died last month from complications related to COVID-19.
Longtime Clanton Mayor Billy Joe Driver Would Have Done Just About Anything For His Little City
The longtime mayor for the city of Clanton died in July from COVID-19.
Remembering A Life Lost To COVID-19 Behind Bars
Hershell Moon came from a big family and served in the Vietnam War. He was incarcerated at St. Clair prison when he died from COVID-19 in June.
‘Be Like Pearl’: A Woman So Admired She Inspired New Year’s Resolutions Was Felled By COVID-19
Pearl Slay is one of more than 2,300 Alabamians who have died from COVID-19.
Albert Trousdale’s Son Points COVID-19 Skeptics To A Tombstone
“I said ‘I love you. That was the last time I saw him alive," said Matt Trousdale, whose father died from COVID-19.
Remembering the Alabamians Who Have Fallen To COVID-19. Who Were They?
We know very little about the Alabamians who have lost their lives due to the coronavirus and related illness during the pandemic.
Bluesman Henry “Gip” Gipson Dies at 99
Alabama native and blues musician Henry “Gip” Gipson has died. He was 99.
Former Jefferson County Commissioner Chris McNair Dies
For most of her life, WBHM reporter Sherrell Stewart has had a close up view of McNair's triumphs and heartbreaks. She shares this remembrance, including what they discussed just days before his death.
Former Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford, 72, Dies
One of Birmingham’s most colorful and memorable mayors died Tuesday. Larry Langford, 72, died Tuesday evening at a Birmingham hospital.
