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World's Smartest Parrot Is No More
World's Smartest Parrot Is No More
Sep 11, 2007 3:27 PM CDT

World's Smartest Parrot Is No More

Alex was no bird brain: He amused millions, aided science

(Newser) - Brandeis researchers feel as though they’ve lost a colleague: Alex, the African gray parrot they studied for 30 years, died Friday. He helped them reach surprising new conclusions about the avian brain and “was extraordinary in breaking the perceptions of birds as not being intelligent,” according to...

Body Shop's Roddick Dies
Body Shop's Roddick Dies
Sep 10, 2007 6:28 PM CDT

Body Shop's Roddick Dies

(Newser) - Dame Anita Roddick, who as founder of the Body Shop championed socially and environmentally responsible business practices, died tonight of a massive brain hemorrhage at age 64. The plucky Brit saw her lone natural-ingredient shop grow into more than 2,000 stores worldwide, and she sold her share of the...

Oscar Winner Wyman Dead at 93
Oscar Winner Wyman
Dead at 93
Sep 10, 2007 5:39 PM CDT

Oscar Winner Wyman Dead at 93

Falcon Crest star was best known as Reagan's first wife

(Newser) - Academy Award-winning actress Jane Wyman, who was Ronald Reagan's first wife, died today at her home in Rancho Mirage. She was 93—or, according to some sources, 90. Wyman was named best actress for her portrayal of a deaf-mute rape victim in the 1948 film Johnny Belinda. She was married...

Thousands Pay Respects to Pavarotti

Bono, Kofi Annan plan to attend tenor's funeral tomorrow

(Newser) - Thousands lined up today to pay respects to opera superstar Luciano Pavarotti at the cathedral in his hometown of Modena, Italy. Though the tenor's family wants a private funeral tomorrow, an international array of celebrities and fans–among them Bono, Andrea Bocelli, and Kofi Annan–are planning to attend, Reuters...

A Wrinkle in Time Author Dead at 88

Children's, sci-fi favorite L'Engle wrote 60-plus books

(Newser) - Madeleine L'Engle, author of more than 60 works of science fiction, religious meditation, poetry, drama, and young adult fiction, died yesterday in Connecticut, the New York Times reports. She was 88 years old. Her most famous book, A Wrinkle in Time, has sold more than 6 million copies since its...

Opera World Mourns 'King of the High Cs'

Pavarotti's legacy: That unforgettable, unmistakable sound

(Newser) - Placido Domingo is the better musician, but no other voice could match the late Luciano Pavarotti's, Anthony Tommasini writes in today's Times. The music critic looks at a career dotted with highs as lofty as the high Cs Pavarotti "tossed off" with "ease, pinging tone and utter glee"...

Tenor Luciano Pavarotti Dies
Tenor Luciano Pavarotti Dies
Sep 6, 2007 1:00 AM CDT

Tenor Luciano Pavarotti Dies

Succumbs to cancer surrounded by family in hometown Italian villa

(Newser) - Opera star Luciano Pavarotti, one of the greatest tenors of the last century, died early this morning of pancreatic cancer, surrounded by his wife, sister and four daughters, in his hometown villa in Modena, Italy. He was 71. "The Maestro fought a long, tough battle," said his manager....

He Taught Starbucks How to Make Coffee

Alfred Peet, America's coffee king, dies at 87

(Newser) - The Dutchman who gave America an early jolt of caffeine culture died Friday at his home in Oregon, the Los Angeles Times reports. Before there was Starbucks, Alfred Peet opened Peet’s Coffee & Tea in 1966, distinguishing his coffee with high-quality beans and pioneering a roasting system that Starbucks...

Punk Rock Impresario Kristal Dead
Punk Rock Impresario Kristal Dead
Aug 29, 2007 1:40 PM CDT

Punk Rock Impresario Kristal Dead

NYC club CBGB launched some of movement's top acts

(Newser) - Hilly Kristal, whose iconic club CBGB was the epicenter of American punk rock, died yesterday at 75 after a battle with lung cancer. The New York venue—fully titled CBGB & OMFUG, or "Country, Bluegrass and Blues & Other Music For Uplifting Gourmandisers"—showcased the Ramones, the Talking...

Writer Grace Paley Dies at 84
Writer Grace Paley Dies at 84
Aug 23, 2007 6:07 PM CDT

Writer Grace Paley Dies at 84

'Neurotically Anti-Authoritarian' Activist and Author Gave Voice to Women of Native Bronx

(Newser) - Acclaimed writer and activist Grace Paley, who in only three collections of short stories gave earthy voice to the interior life of the Bronx Everywoman, died yesterday at age 84 in her Vermont home, the Los Angeles Times reports. Paley—whose sensibility admirer Philip Roth called "splendidly comic...

Hotelier Helmsley Dead at 87
Hotelier Helmsley Dead at 87
Aug 20, 2007 1:21 PM CDT

Hotelier Helmsley Dead at 87

'Queen of Mean' learns certainty of death, if not taxes

(Newser) - Leona Helsmley, the notoriously tyrannical real-estate baroness dubbed New York’s “Queen of Mean,” died of heart failure today at 87. The Brooklyn native took the reins of her husband Harry's real-estate empire in the 70s, and soon her name was synonymous with both luxe hotels and the...

Reagan Aide Michael Deaver Dead at 69

Controversial advisor who managed Gipper's image falls to cancer

(Newser) - The man who crafted Ronald Reagan’s public persona died today of pancreatic cancer at age 69, the AP reports. Michael Deaver, part of the so-called “troika” that directed the Reagan presidency, specialized in managing the president’s image in the media. His own image was damaged by a...

Max Roach Dies at 83
Max Roach Dies at 83
Aug 16, 2007 3:18 PM CDT

Max Roach Dies at 83

Star percussionist redefined the genre - more than once

(Newser) - Max Roach, a drummer who moved to his own beat and became a seminal figure in modern jazz, died today at 83. Roach renovated his genre's traditional instrumentation, and pioneered a layered, contrapuntal style that became the trademark of contemporary percussion. Even his recent albums defied the conventions he helped...

Yankees Legend Rizzuto Dies
Yankees Legend Rizzuto Dies
Aug 14, 2007 2:02 PM CDT

Yankees Legend Rizzuto Dies

(Newser) - Phil Rizzuto, who filled the annals of the New York Yankees as both a shortstop and a broadcaster, is dead today at 89. The Scooter tended the infield for 13 years with the Bombers, alongside Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio, and took home seven World Series titles. After being cut...

Brooke Astor Dead at 105
Brooke Astor Dead at 105
Aug 13, 2007 4:40 PM CDT

Brooke Astor Dead at 105

Charity and society queen was victimized at the end of her life

(Newser) - Brooke Astor—philanthropist and former queen of New York society -- has died at 105. The socialite had been in the news for being abused and exploited by her descendants, but her enduring legacy was her tireless charity work. "Money is like manure; it’s not worth a thing...

Painter Elizabeth Murray Dies
Painter Elizabeth Murray Dies
Aug 13, 2007 8:59 AM CDT

Painter Elizabeth Murray Dies

Adventurous artist reshaped Modernism

(Newser) - Elizabeth Murray, a painter whose vivid, cartoon-based work was part of a contemporary movement away from minimalism, died yesterday of lung cancer. She was 66. A leading figure in the New York art scene, Murray won a MacArthur genius grant in 1999 and enjoyed a retrospective at MoMA last year.

Merv Griffin Dies at 82
Merv Griffin Dies at 82
Aug 12, 2007 12:06 PM CDT

Merv Griffin Dies at 82

The founder of 'Jeopardy!' passes

(Newser) - Merv Griffin, a TV impresario who found success both in front of and behind the camera, died of prostate cancer this morning at 82. Griffin is perhaps best known for creating "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune," two of television's most successful and iconic game shows. A...

Oliver Hill, Civil Rights Crusader, Dies

Virginia lawyer played key role in Brown v. Board of Education

(Newser) - Oliver Hill, a Virginia civil rights crusader whose work contributed to the Brown v. Board of Education decision against school segregation, died yesterday at 100. Described as "last lion of the civil-rights movement," Hill was a survivor of D-Day's Omaha Beach landing, and close friends with Justice Thurgood...

Tommy Makem Dies at 74
Tommy Makem Dies at 74
Aug 3, 2007 4:19 AM CDT

Tommy Makem Dies at 74

(Newser) - Tommy Makem, the great Irish singer and storyteller who, with the Clancy Brothers, led the revival in Irish folk music in the late 1950s and 1960s, died after a long battle with lung cancer yesterday. He was 74. "To hear Tommy Makem sing 'Four Green Fields,' " writes...

Antonioni Dead at 94
Antonioni Dead at 94
Jul 31, 2007 9:36 AM CDT

Antonioni Dead at 94

Great Italian filmmaker was behind ‘L’Avventura’ and ‘Blow-Up’

(Newser) - Michelangelo Antonioni, one of Italy’s most beloved filmmakers, died yesterday at age 94, after directing 25 films over nearly 50 years. His masterpieces of alienation, known for their nearly wordless, melancholic style, included "Red Desert" and "The Passenger." Immobilized by a stroke that left him mute,...

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