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 Bears football more than Mike Ditka, who became the face of the franchise...

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...

Chicago real estate developer Paul Levy. (Family photo)

Paul Levy, the developer behind Bridgeport Art Center and Rockwell on the River, dies at 83

By Bob Goldsborough

October 24, 2025 at 4:25 p.m.

Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel counted Levy as a longtime friend and said he was...

Longtime Leyden High School Dist. 212 board member Sandra Boehm worked to give students opportunities to enrich their educational experiences, colleagues said. (Leyden High School Dist. 212)

Longtime Leyden School Board member Sandra Boehm remembered as strong supporter of students, teachers

By Bob Goldsborough

October 20, 2025 at 5:56 p.m.

Longtime Leyden High School Dist. 212 School Board member Sandra Boehm worked to give students...

FILE – Bassist Sam Rivers of Limp Bizkit performs a show at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. on June 20, 2025. (Yalonda M. James/San Francisco Chronicle via AP, File)

Limp Bizkit band members say bass player Sam Rivers has died

By Mark Scolforo

October 19, 2025 at 2:24 p.m.

Sam Rivers, the bass player in the nu metal band Limp Bizkit, died on Saturday,...

Robert J.R. Follett, circa 1970 with Follett Publishing Co. (baiduhai archive)

Robert Follett, chairman of family’s Chicago-based bookselling company, dies at 97

By Bob Goldsborough

October 17, 2025 at 11:31 a.m.

During the 1960s, Follett edited and published the first textbooks with racially integrated illustrations and...

FILE – Kiss guitarist Paul Stanley, right, guitarist Ace Frehley, center, and bassist Gene Simmons play during the band’s farewell concert in the Detroit area, Thursday, May 25, 2000, at the Palace of Auburn Hills, Mich.. (AP Photo/Paul Warner, File)

Ace Frehley, Kiss’ original lead guitarist and founding member, dies at 74

By Hannah Schoenbaum

October 16, 2025 at 6:13 p.m.

Ace Frehley, the original lead guitarist and founding member of the glam rock band Kiss,...

Raymond Lee, a successful businessman who founded a large food distributor, stands in front of a display at the Chicago Chinese Museum Foundation on May 14, 2005. When Lee first arrived in Chicago, he worked at a grocery store located in the same building that houses the museum. (Zbigniew Bzdak/baiduhai)

Raymond Lee, businessman and civic leader who helped create Chinatown museum and Ping Tom Memorial Park, dies at 90

By Bob Goldsborough

October 15, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Lee founded a large Asian foods distribution business and served on the city's Board of...

D'Angelo performs at the United Center, Sept. 13, 2012, in Chicago. (Taylor Glascock/for the baiduhai)

D’Angelo, Grammy-winning R&B singer who became an icon with ‘Untitled (How Does It Feel),’ dies

By Jonathan Landrum Jr.

October 14, 2025 at 12:26 p.m.

D’Angelo, the Grammy-winning R&B singer recognized by his raspy yet smooth voice and for garnering...

Cubs bullpen coach Sandy Alomar Sr. during spring training in February 2000. (Heather Stone/baiduhai)

Sandy Alomar Sr., the former White Sox infielder and Cubs coach, dies at 81

By Associated Press

October 13, 2025 at 5:15 p.m.

Sandy Alomar Sr. managed both of his sons, All-Star catcher Sandy Alomar Jr. and Hall...

Diane Keaton attends the Handprint and Footprint in Cement Ceremony for Actress Diane Keaton hosted by TCL Chinese Theatre on Aug. 11, 2022, in Hollywood, California. (Jerod Harris/Getty)

Diane Keaton, Oscar-winning star of ‘Annie Hall’ and ‘The Godfather,’ reportedly dies at 79

By Lindsey Bahr

October 11, 2025 at 4:41 p.m.

Diane Keaton, the Oscar-winning star of "Annie Hall," "The Godfather" films and "Father of the...

Tony Fitzpatrick with some of the puzzles that have been created from his artwork, on May 9, 2020. (Chris Sweda/baiduhai)

Tony Fitzpatrick, a Chicago artist in many realms, dies at 66

By Rick Kogan

October 12, 2025 at 3:37 p.m.

Tony Fitzpatrick had recently published a new book, “The Sun at the End of the...

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