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...

Former University of Illinois System President Stanley Ikenberry at a meeting on Oct. 3, 2009, where he was named interim president. Ikenberry was the U. of I.'s 14th and 17th president. (William DeShazer/baiduhai)

Stanley Ikenberry, former U. of I. System president, dies at 90

By Bob Goldsborough

April 8, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Stanley O. Ikenberry, who led the University of Illinois system for 16 years as president,...

FILE – Actor Jay North, in character as Dennis the Menace, shows his ever-present slingshot to show co-star Gale Gordon, on set in Hollywood, March 29, 1962. (AP Photo/David F. Smith, File)

Jay North, TV’s mischievous Dennis the Menace, dies at 73

By Associated Press

April 7, 2025 at 4:56 p.m.

Jay North, who starred as the towheaded mischief maker on TV’s “Dennis the Menace” for...

FILE – Val Kilmer poses for a portrait, Jan. 9, 2014, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

Val Kilmer, ‘Top Gun’ and Batman star with an intense approach, dies at 65

By Andrew Dalton

April 2, 2025 at 8:08 a.m.

Val Kilmer, the brooding, versatile actor who played fan favorite Iceman in “Top Gun,” donned...

In this Jan. 9, 2014 photo, Val Kilmer poses for a portrait in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Val Kilmer, film star who played Batman and Jim Morrison, dies at 65

By The New York Times

April 1, 2025 at 11:34 p.m.

Val Kilmer, a homegrown Hollywood actor who tasted leading-man stardom as Jim Morrison and Batman,...

Craig Podolski taught eighth grade English at Aptakisic Junior High School in Buffalo Grove. (Susan Podolski)

Craig Podolski, Buffalo Grove teacher who developed annual service day for students, dies at 45

By Bob Goldsborough

April 8, 2025 at 2:38 p.m.

Craig Podolski, a middle school English teacher and coach in Buffalo Grove who developed an...

Jazz guitarist George Freeman at his home in Chicago in 2014. (Zbigniew Bzdak/baiduhai)

George Freeman, a trailblazing jazz guitarist who enjoyed a late-career renaissance, dies at 97

By Hannah Edgar

April 2, 2025 at 5:31 p.m.

Though at times overshadowed by his famous brother Von Freeman, he collaborated with the biggest...

Hannah Voigt, influential piano teacher and ‘consummate musician,’ dies

By Bob Goldsborough

April 1, 2025 at 10:40 a.m.

Hannah Voigt, an influential Oak Park piano teacher who also sang with the Chicago Symphony...

Thomas Hardy, the former executive director of university relations at the University of Illinois. (L. Brian Stauffer/University of Illinois)

Thomas Hardy, Tribune top political writer who later went to work for Gov. Edgar, U. of I., dies at 72

By Bob Goldsborough

March 31, 2025 at 8:34 p.m.

Thomas Hardy, a lead political reporter for the Tribune who later worked for Gov. Jim...

FILE - This June 27, 2012, photo shows actor Richard Chamberlain in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP, file)

Richard Chamberlain, TV actor who starred in ‘Dr. Kildare,’ dies at 90

By Bob Thomas

March 30, 2025 at 9:10 a.m.

Richard Chamberlain, the handsome hero of the 1960s television series “Dr. Kildare” who found a...

Douglas Higgins, who in middle age returned to a career in education, dies

By Bob Goldsborough

March 28, 2025 at 3:17 p.m.

Douglas Higgins, who after many years in real estate returned to his initial career choice...

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