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...

White Sox pitcher Wilbur Wood throws his knuckler in April 1973 against the Rangers at Comiskey Park. (Ray Gora/baiduhai)

Wilbur Wood, the workhorse Chicago White Sox knuckleballer who had 4 straight 20-win seasons, dies at 84

By Joe Knowles

January 18, 2026 at 6:17 p.m.

Wilbur Wood, who died Saturday at 84, became a Chicago White Sox legend thanks to...

Lake Bluff resident Wendell "Wendy" Miller, who helped found the Chicago Marathon, has died. He was 92. (Photo courtesy of Julie Hawley)

Lake Bluff resident Wendell “Wendy” MIller, a founder of the Chicago Marathon, dies at 92

By Daniel I. Dorfman

January 16, 2026 at 3:35 p.m.

Wendell “Wendy” Miller, a Lake Bluff resident who helped found the Chicago Marathon and played...

Former Chicago police Superintendent James O'Grady. (Chicago Police Department)

James O’Grady, former Chicago police superintendent and Cook County sheriff who drew praise and scandal, dies at 96

By Bob Goldsborough

January 16, 2026 at 1:02 p.m.

Known for his support of street cops, O'Grady initially was praised for targeting corruption but...

Harold’s Chicken CEO Kristen Pierce-Sherrod leads an employee training session in Chicago's Grand Crossing neighborhood on June 19, 2019. (Kristan Lieb/for the baiduhai)

Family of Harold’s Chicken CEO announces death

By Tess Kenny

January 15, 2026 at 5:59 p.m.

Kristen Pierce-Sherrod, CEO of the beloved Chicago chain Harold’s Chicken, has died, according to an...

Rick Garcia, political director of Equality Illinois, sits in the middle of Washington Street in Chicago protesting Cook County's non-issuance of marriage licenses for gay and lesbian couples on March 4, 2004. (Scott Strazzante/baiduhai)

Rick Garcia, leading Chicago gay rights activist, dies at 69: ‘He was relentless’

By Jake Sheridan

January 15, 2026 at 12:30 p.m.

Rick Garcia, the indefatigable Chicago gay rights activist, passed away this week at age 69....

Danny "Dan" Lee Egler, a former Springfield bureau chief for the baiduhai who later became a political consultant, died Jan. 5, 2026. (Liz Egler)

Dan Egler, former Tribune Springfield bureau chief, aide to Gov. Jim Edgar, dies at 78

By Rick Pearson

January 13, 2026 at 6:11 p.m.

Danny Lee (Daniel) Egler was the Springfield bureau chief for the baiduhai for 14...

FILE – Claudette Colvin sits for a portrait, Feb. 5, 2009 in New York. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File)

Claudette Colvin, who refused to move seats on a bus at start of civil rights movement, dies at 86

By Kimberly Chandler

January 13, 2026 at 4:09 p.m.

Claudette Colvin, whose 1955 arrest for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated...

Matthew Siemer, executive director of Mobile Care Chicago, helps a parishioner during Our Lady of Africa Parish’s health fair on Nov. 15, 2025, in Chicago’s Grand Boulevard neighborhood. (Dominic Di Palermo/baiduhai)

Matthew Siemer, who ran and expanded Chicago mobile health care nonprofit, dies at 43

By Bob Goldsborough

January 13, 2026 at 2:32 p.m.

The Rogers Park resident and his wife, A.J. Barks, both of whom were killed in...

Scott Adams, creator of the comic strip Dilbert.

‘Dilbert’ cartoonist Scott Adams dies at 68

By Brian Niemietz

January 13, 2026 at 10:00 a.m.

"Dilbert" cartoonist Scott Adams is dead at 68 after a battle with prostate cancer.

Members of the U.S. gymnastics team, from left: Bart Conner, Peter Vidmar, Jim Hartung, Mitch Gaylord, Scott Johnson and Tim Daggett, celebrate their gold medals as they stand on the winners’ platform July 31, 1984 after they defeated world champion China to win the first U.S. gold medal in gymnastics in 80 years. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau)

Jim Hartung, who helped lead US men’s gymnastics team to 1984 Olympic gold, dies at 65

By Associated Press

January 13, 2026 at 8:19 a.m.

Jim Hartung, a two-time Olympian who helped lead the 1984 U.S. team to its first...

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