Obituary Stories category, Page 6
Former Baltimore Orioles left-hander Brian Matusz dies at 37
BALTIMORE — Brian Matusz, the left-handed pitcher who spent eight seasons in the major leagues, mostly with the Baltimore Orioles as they returned to prominence a decade ago, has died. He was 37. The Orioles and the University of San Diego announced Matusz’s death Tuesday night, with USD saying it...
Peter Yarrow of folk-music trio Peter, Paul and Mary dies at 86
LOS ANGELES — Peter Yarrow, the singer-songwriter best known as one-third of Peter, Paul and Mary, the folk-music trio whose impassioned harmonies transfixed millions as they lifted their voices in favor of civil rights and against war, has died. He was 86. Yarrow, who also co-wrote the group’s most enduring...
Jean-Marie Le Pen, French far-right leader, dies at 96
PARIS — Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of France’s far-right National Front who was known for fiery rhetoric against immigration and multiculturalism that earned him both staunch supporters and widespread condemnation, has died. He was 96. Jordan Bardella, president of the National Rally as the party is now known, confirmed...
Plastic surgery queen Jocelyne ‘Catwoman’ Wildenstein dies at 84
Jocelyne Wildenstein, the New York socialite most commonly known by the moniker “Catwoman” for her appearance due to numerous plastic surgeries, has died at 84. The Swiss-born ex-wife of billionaire Alec Wildenstein died Tuesday in Paris from a pulmonary embolism according a statement from her companion, Lloyd Klein, to Agence...
Lenny Randle, major leaguer repeatedly in the spotlight for 12 seasons, dies at 75Video
MURRIETA, Calif. — Lenny Randle, a big league player for 12 seasons who spoke five languages, performed stand-up comedy, was dubbed “The Most Interesting Man in Baseball” and was suspended for punching his Texas Rangers manager, has died. He was 75. Randle died Sunday at his home in Murrieta, California,...
Former CNN anchor Aaron Brown, who helped viewers through the Sept. 11 attacks, dies at 76
Aaron Brown, a veteran television news anchor whose steady hand helped guide CNN viewers through the unfolding tragedy of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, has died. Brown died Sunday of pneumonia in Washington, D.C., where he lived, family spokesperson Molly Levinson said. He was 76. Brown began his career in...
Linda Lavin, Tony-winning Broadway actor and ‘Alice’ star dies at 87
NEW YORK — Linda Lavin, a Tony Award-winning stage actor who became a working class icon as a paper-hat wearing waitress on the TV sitcom “Alice,” has died. She was 87. Lavin died in Los Angeles on Sunday of complications from recently discovered lung cancer, her representative, Bill Veloric, told...
Ligonier area native’s illustrious career complemented by service to community
Ligonier Township native Ralph Kinney Bennett’s work in journalism took him from Greensburg to major newspapers around the nation and a national magazine in a four-decade career — but he never forgot his roots in the Ligonier area. “I just know he loved being a reporter and a writer, and...
Jimmy Carter, the 39th president, dies at 100
ATLANTA — Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who won the presidency in the wake of the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, endured humbling defeat after one tumultuous term and then redefined life after the White House as a global humanitarian, has died. He was 100 years old. The longest-lived American...
Olivia Hussey, star of the 1968 film ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ dies at 73
LONDON — Olivia Hussey, the actor who starred as a teenage Juliet in the 1968 film “Romeo and Juliet,” has died, her family said on social media Saturday. She was 73. Hussey died on Friday, “peacefully at home surrounded by her loved ones,” a statement posted to her Instagram account...
Leechburg man remembered as a pure soul who brought joy to family, friends, neighbors
Nancy Wickham nicknamed her son, Cameron, “the happy child.” “I would often refer to him as the happy child,” said Wickham of Leechburg. “It was like the only state of emotion he was ever in. It was amazing. He loved people.” About 10 years ago, the family moved from Ohio...
The year in review: Influential people who died in 2024
It was a murder case almost everyone had an opinion on. O.J. Simpson’s “trial of the century” over the 1994 killings of his ex-wife and her friend bared divisions over race and law enforcement in America and brought an intersection of sports, crime, entertainment and class that was hard to...
Stolen base king Rickey Henderson dies at 65
OAKLAND, Calif. — Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, the brash speedster who shattered stolen base records and redefined baseball’s leadoff position, has died. He was 65. Henderson died Friday. The Athletics said Saturday they were “shocked and heartbroken by his passing,” but did not specify a cause of death. Known...
Friends recall West Deer’s Rev. James Legge as tireless advocate for less fortunate
The Rev. James Legge, longtime pastor at Bull Creek Presbyterian Church in West Deer, is being recalled by friends as a team player and ardent supporter of leveling the playing field for the less fortunate. Serving on the board at Allegheny Valley Association of Churches and the Alle-Kiski Area HOPE...
Michael Cole, ‘The Mod Squad’ and ‘General Hospital’ star, dies at 84
LOS ANGELES — Michael Cole, who starred as one-third of “The Mod Squad,” has died. He was 84. The actor played Pete Cochran in the hit ABC crime show that aired from 1968 to ‘73. Cole died Tuesday, his Atlanta-based talent agent Christy Clark confirmed to The Times. On the...
Joe Naunchik remembered fondly as athlete, football coach after 40 years on area sidelines
Bill Rometo was 5 when he first met Joe Naunchik, then a three-sport star at Plum High School. “He was probably the best athlete to ever come out of Plum,” Rometo said of Naunchik, who was a football standout under Rometo’s father, Bill Rometo Sr. “At that time, my dad...
Lou Carnesecca, Hall of Fame coach who led St. John’s for 24 seasons, dies at 99
NEW YORK — In the long and storied history of New York City basketball, nobody wore it quite like Lou Carnesecca. The excitable St. John’s coach whose outlandish sweaters became an emblem of his team’s rousing Final Four run in 1985, died at 99 on Saturday, just a few weeks...
Jim Abrahams, co-writer of ‘Airplane!’ and ‘The Naked Gun,’ dies at 80
Jim Abrahams, a writer and director behind slapstick comedies like “Airplane!” and “The Naked Gun” series, has died. He was 80 years old. The cause of death was natural causes, his son Josh said in a statement. He died at his home in Santa Monica, California. Along with childhood friends...
Brian Leri, longtime chef at Hoffstot’s Cafe Monaco, remembered for devotion to restaurant, customers
Brian Leri, 51, of Natrona Heights, the longtime executive chef at Hoffstot’s Cafe Monaco in Oakmont, died Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. Leri spent 30 years at the eatery after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., in 1994. He became the restaurant’s executive chef in 2002....
Chuck Woolery, smooth-talking game show host of ‘Love Connection’ and ‘Scrabble,’ dies at 83
NEW YORK — Chuck Woolery, the affable, smooth-talking game show host of “Wheel of Fortune,” “Love Connection” and “Scrabble” who later became a right-wing podcaster, skewering liberals and accusing the government of lying about covid-19, has died. He was 83. Mark Young, Woolery’s podcast co-host and friend, said in an...
Vladimir Shklyarov, ballet star who dazzled with Russia’s Mariinsky Theatre, dies at 39
Vladimir Shklyarov, who impressed ballet audiences as a principal dancer with Russia’s prestigious Mariinsky Ballet Theatre, has died. He was 39. Shklyarov died “tragically” Saturday, the Mariinsky announced Monday in a statement on its website. “His loss is deeply felt by the entire Mariinsky family and the wider ballet world.”...
Veteran news executive Reg Murphy, who survived abduction decades ago, has died at 90
Reg Murphy, a renowned journalist whose newsgathering career included stints as an editor and top executive at newspapers in Atlanta, San Francisco and Baltimore — and who found himself the subject of national headlines when he survived a politically motivated kidnapping — has died at age 90. Murphy, who lived...
Elaine Effort, former KQV news reporter, dies
Elaine Effort, an award-winning pioneer of Pittsburgh journalism and a longtime broadcaster on news station KQV Radio, unexpectedly died Wednesday, according to the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation, of which she was a founding member. “Mrs. Effort was always willing to listen to new ideas and roll up her sleeve to...
Bob Bordonaro Sr., longtime owner of Hillcrest Volkswagen and Gunny’s Lounge, remembered as ‘personable guy’
At first, Bob Bordonaro Sr. wasn’t too sure about getting into the car business. It was 1962 when he tagged along with a friend buying a car at Hillcrest Motors in Lower Burrell when the owner at the time encouraged him to work there. “Meanwhile, he was only 19, just...
Bernie Marcus, Home Depot co-founder and billionaire philanthropist, dies at 95
NEW YORK — Bernard “Bernie” Marcus, the co-founder of The Home Depot, the world’s largest home improvement chain, a billionaire philanthropist, and a big Republican donor, has died. He was 95. Marcus died Monday in Boca Raton, Florida, surrounded by family, according to a Home Depot spokesperson. Marcus was Home...
