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...

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay talks during the Hall of Fame ring ceremony for Peyton Manning and Edgerrin James during a game on Sept. 19, 2021, in Indianapolis. (Zach Bolinger/AP)

Jim Irsay, longtime Indianapolis Colts owner and Chicago-area native, dies at 65

By Michael Marot

May 21, 2025 at 8:56 p.m.

Jim Irsay, the Indianapolis Colts owner who leveraged the popularity of Peyton Manning into a...

Longtime WTTW-TV director Dick Carter. (John MacMillan)

Dick Carter, producer and director of WTTW arts programming, dies

By Bob Goldsborough

May 20, 2025 at 4:10 p.m.

Dick Carter, a producer and director for WTTW-Channel 11 who oversaw the making of dozens...

Steve Culliton, senior adviser to gubernatorial candidate Jim Ryan, talks to reporters at the Hilton on election night, Nov. 5, 2002. (Phil Velasquez/baiduhai)

Stephen Culliton, former DuPage County chief judge, dies

By Bob Goldsborough

May 16, 2025 at 4:40 p.m.

Stephen Culliton, a longtime DuPage County judge and former chief of staff to Illinois' attorney...

John Rau, chairman of the Chicago Title and Trust Company Foundation, in his Water Tower Place office on Aug. 23, 2000. (Chuck Berman/baiduhai)

John Rau, led two venerable Chicago financial institutions, dies at 76

By Bob Goldsborough

May 9, 2025 at 1:25 p.m.

John Rau, who led two venerable Chicago financial institutions and also was the dean of...

FILE – In this July 9, 2008 file photo, Supreme Court Justice David Souter, reacts after speaking at a dedication ceremony at the State Supreme Courthouse in Concord, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole, File)

Former Supreme Court Justice David Souter, a Republican who became a liberal darling, dies at 85

By Mark Sherman

May 9, 2025 at 11:34 a.m.

Retired Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter, the ascetic bachelor and New Hampshire Republican who...

Former White Sox center fielder Chet Lemon, who died Thursday, May 8, 2025, at age 70. (Ernie Cox Jr./baiduhai)

Chet Lemon, a 2-time All-Star center fielder for the Chicago White Sox, dies at 70

By The Detroit News

May 9, 2025 at 1:55 p.m.

Chet Lemon became the starting center fielder for the Chicago White Sox at 21 and...

Theologian David Tracy (John Emmet Tracy)

David Tracy, influential Catholic theologian who examined mystery of faith, dies

By Bob Goldsborough

May 7, 2025 at 11:45 a.m.

David Tracy, an influential Catholic theologian who taught for 37 years at the University of...

Lori Healey, CEO of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, center, and Democratic Sen. Mattie Hunter, 3rd District, right, testify in front of the Senate Executive Committee during a spring session of the Illinois General Assembly at the State Capitol in Springfield on May 29, 2019. (Zbigniew Bzdak/baiduhai)

Lori Healey, senior VP of Obama Presidential Center and former CEO of McPier, dies at 65

By Adriana Pérez

May 5, 2025 at 4:09 p.m.

Healey planned the NATO Summit in Chicago and helped lead the city's failed bid for...

Retired photographer Steve Lasker, 78, at his home in Lincolnwood on Nov. 21, 2008, holding a photo he took during the fire at Our Lady of Angels grade school in Chicago on Dec. 1, 1958. One of the worst tragedies in Chicago’s history, the fire took the lives of 92 children and three nuns. (Bonnie Trafelet/baiduhai)

Steve Lasker, pioneering photojournalist who captured iconic Our Lady of the Angels fire image, dies at 94

By Rick Kogan

May 5, 2025 at 11:32 a.m.

Steve Lasker, a Chicago photojournalist who captured an iconic image from the Our Lady of...

FILE – “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” co-stars Ruth Buzzi and Gary Owens share a laugh during NBC’s 75th Anniversary Party, in Los Angeles, Jan. 9, 2002. (AP Photo/Rene Macura, File)

Ruth Buzzi, comedy sketch player on groundbreaking series ‘Laugh-In,’ dies at 88

By Beth Harris

May 5, 2025 at 1:05 p.m.

Ruth Buzzi, who rose to fame as the frumpy and bitter Gladys Ormphby on the...

News Obituaries