Obituaries

Former Bears coach Mike Ditka, who also was a player on the 1963 Bears NFL championship team, on Aug. 29, 2013, at Mike Ditka's Restaurant in Chicago. (Michael Tercha/baiduhai)

Mike Ditka, Chicago Bears Hall of Famer and Super Bowl-winning coach, dies at 86

By Don Pierson

October 9, 2026 at 3:53 p.m.

Nobody embodied Chicago Bears football more than Mike Ditka, who became the face of the...

A young Mike Ditka, circa 1960s. (Laughead Photographers)

Mike Ditka through the years: From humble beginnings in Pennsylvania to legendary football career in Chicago

By Kori Rumore

October 9, 2026 at 10:29 a.m.

Here's a look back at Mike Ditka's extraordinary life, from his humble beginnings in Pennsylvania...

David Collins, former chairman of Johnson & Johnson's McNeil Consumer Products. (Pat Collins)

David E. Collins, chairman of Johnson & Johnson’s McNeil Consumer Products during the Tylenol murders, dies

By Bob Goldsborough

October 8, 2026 at 4:55 p.m.

David E. Collins was the chairman of Johnson & Johnson’s McNeil Consumer Products unit, the...

Carolyn Dunbar, of University Park, is comforted by Ziff Sistrunk as she weeps while arriving with flowers to lay outside the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition headquarters in Chicago, Feb. 17, 2026, following news of the death of the Rev. Jesse Jackson. (Antonio Perez/baiduhai)

Rev. Jesse Jackson remembered as one of the ‘last great leaders’ by Chicago friends and neighbors

By Rebecca Johnson

February 17, 2026 at 6:28 p.m.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson was remembered as a “servant leader” who championed the oppressed, voiceless...

Gary Mayor Richard Hatcher marches with the Rev. Jesse Jackson and others in 1971 photo in Gary. (Calumet Archives / Post-Tribune)

Jackson left mark in NWI from 1972 convention to Hatcher ties

By Alexandra Kukulka

February 18, 2026 at 10:55 a.m.

As a 14-year-old girl, Ragen Hatcher recalled hanging out with a friend at the Hatcher...

The Rev. Jesse Jackson at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition headquarters in Chicago on Sept. 30, 2021. (E. Jason Wambsgans/baiduhai)

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, civil rights icon and Chicago-based presidential candidate, dies at 84

By Bob Goldsborough

February 17, 2026 at 7:04 p.m.

Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, the Chicago-based Baptist minister, political figure and two-time presidential candidate, has...

Bill Donovan Sr., right, has a laugh with Louisville coach Rick Pitino during Florida's 69-49 victory over Georgia Southern on Nov. 18, 2009, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin)

Bill Donovan, father of Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan and a star at Boston College, dies at 85

By Associated Press

February 16, 2026 at 2:29 p.m.

Bill Donovan captained the Boston College basketball team and graduated in 1962 as the No....

Robert Duvall | "Colors," "The Godfather," "The Natural," and "Falling Down" are just a few of the classics on Robert Duvall's resume. But the Academy Award-winning actor also comes from a long military family lineage that can be traced to Robert E. Lee. Duvall served in the Army during the Korean War. He didn't see action, but he began acting during that time, and the media frequently conflated his on-stage performances with actual wartime combat.

Robert Duvall, star of ‘The Godfather’ and ‘The Great Santini,’ dies at 95

By Variety Entertainment News Service (TNS)

February 16, 2026 at 12:32 p.m.

Robert Duvall, who won an Oscar for "Tender Mercies" and was nominated for his roles in...

Josephine, right, and John Louis, former U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom, climb the steps to the grand ballroom at the Chicago Hilton and Towers for the Consular Ball on Oct. 31, 1987. (John Bartley/baiduhai)

Josephine Louis, owner of British-themed gift store and a Northwestern University benefactor, dies at 95

By Bob Goldsborough

February 12, 2026 at 2:48 p.m.

The Northwestern alum discovered and bought the shop Eximious while living in London as the...

Actor Bud Cort poses at the premiere of the film "Masterminds" at the TCL Chinese Theatre on Monday, Sept. 26, 2016, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

‘Harold and Maude’ star Bud Cort dies at 77

By Variety Entertainment News Service (TNS)

February 11, 2026 at 2:49 p.m.

Bud Cort, who personified the role of Harold in the 1971 Hal Ashby classic "Harold...

FILE - James Van Der Beek attends the FOX Winter Press Day in Los Angeles on Nov. 18, 2024. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

James Van Der Beek, the ‘Dawson’s Creek’ star, has died at 48

By Mark Kennedy

February 11, 2026 at 2:37 p.m.

James Van Der Beek, a heartthrob who starred in coming-of-age dramas at the dawn of the new...

Patrick “PJ” Henning taught high school and grade school students and led school bands for 46 years. (Family photo)

Patrick ‘PJ’ Henning, who led school bands throughout south suburbs, died at 77

By Bob Goldsborough

February 12, 2026 at 2:18 p.m.

Patrick "PJ' Hennings and his father, Leo, led bands including at Queen of Peace, St....

Boz O'Brien, left, and Brendan O'Brien talk about the past and future of Reilly's Daughter Pub on Nov. 2, 2015, in Oak Lawn. (Jim Boyce/for the Daily Southtown)

James ‘Boz’ O’Brien, owner of the Reilly’s Daughter tavern in Oak Lawn, dies at 75

By Rick Kogan

February 10, 2026 at 5:34 p.m.

His was a family-friendly place and you could walk in on any night and run...

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