Obituaries
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Roland Mesnier, Pastry Chef to Five Presidents, Dies at 78
Roland Mesnier, the inventive White House pastry chef whose ambrosial and whimsical desserts briefly shifted the weight of office from…
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Ruby C. Williams, Folk Artist With a Produce Stand, Dies at 94
At a produce stand in a rural part of Florida east of Tampa, Ruby C. Williams would sell you some…
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Mikhail S. Gorbachev, Reformist Soviet Leader, Is Dead at 91
Mikhail S. Gorbachev, whose rise to power in the Soviet Union set in motion a series of revolutionary changes that…
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Carl Croneberg, Explorer of Deaf Culture, Dies at 92
Carl Croneberg, a deaf Swedish immigrant who helped write the first comprehensive dictionary of American Sign Language and was the…
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Jaimie Branch, Trumpeter Who Crossed Genre Lines, Dies at 39
Jaimie Branch, an innovative avant-garde trumpet player and composer whose punk-rock intensity and relentless commitment to experimentation and ...
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Rick Reed, G.O.P. Adman of ‘Swift Boat’ Campaign, Dies at 69
Rick Reed, a Republican advertising executive whose work in the 2004 presidential race tarnished Senator John Kerry, the Democratic nominee,…
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Joey DeFrancesco, Reigning King of the Jazz Organ, Dies at 51
Joey DeFrancesco, who was widely credited with bringing the organ back into vogue in jazz circles in recent decades, died…
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Virginia Patton Moss, ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ Actress, Dies at 97
Virginia Patton Moss, the last surviving adult member of the cast of Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life,” who, three…
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Sy Johnson, Arranger Who Worked Closely With Mingus, Dies at 92
Sy Johnson, a Renaissance jazz master — pianist, composer, journalist, photographer — who made his biggest impact as a frequent…
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Joe E. Tata, Peach Pit Owner in ‘Beverly Hills, 90210,’ Dies at 85
Joe E. Tata, a character actor whose roles in a long television career included henchmen in the original “Batman” series…