Obituaries

FILE – RJ Mitte poses for a portrait to promote the film, “Time Share”, at the Music Lodge during the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 20, 2018, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP, File)

RJ Mitte, ‘Breaking Bad’ actor and disability rights champion, dies at 34

By Andrew Dalton

October 12, 2026 at 8:58 p.m.

“Breaking Bad” actor and disability rights advocate RJ Mitte died Monday at age 34, authorities...

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 Perry was a longtime professor and administrator at University of Illinois Chicago's College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs. (UIC)

David Perry, UIC professor and expert in urban planning issues, dies

By Bob Goldsborough

December 18, 2024 at 6:03 p.m.

David Perry, an urban planning expert, who headed the University of Illinois Chicago's Great Cities...

Chicago police officers place the casket of Oak Park police Detective Allan Reddins into a hearse following a funeral service at Apostolic Church of God in Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood on Dec. 12, 2024. Reddins, 40, a five-year veteran of the department, died in a shooting on the morning after Thanksgiving while responding to a call of a person armed with a gun who was seen leaving a Chase Bank branch. Jerell Thomas, a 37-year-old Chicago man, has been charged with first-degree murder in the killing. Reddins was the first member of the Oak Park Police Department killed in the line of duty since 1938. (Tess Crowley/baiduhai)

Oak Park Detective Allan Reddins remembered as friend and mentor who was ‘wise beyond his years’

By Bob Skolnik

December 17, 2024 at 4:01 p.m.

Oak Park Detective Allan Reddins, who was killed in the line of duty the day...

Barbara O'Rahilly was the Carol Stream Park District's longtime executive director, and also was president of the board of the Carol Stream Historical Society. (Patrick O'Rahilly)

Photo belongs to her son, (Patrick O'Rahilly).

Barbara O’Rahilly, oversaw growth of Carol Stream Park District, dies

By Bob Goldsborough

December 13, 2024 at 1:15 p.m.

Barbara O'Rahilly was an early resident of Carol Stream and helped develop recreational opportunities as...

Howard G. Krane General Chairman, University of Chicago Law School, Oct. 1984. (University of Chicago) .Published Oct. 18, 1984.

Howard Krane, leader at Kirkland & Ellis and the University of Chicago, dies

By Bob Goldsborough

December 10, 2024 at 3:05 p.m.

Howard Krane, who helped guide law firm Kirkland & Ellis as it grew into a...

This image provided by the New York City Police Department shows a man wanted for questioning in connection to the investigation of the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (New York City Police Department via AP)

Police believe the gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare’s CEO left NYC on a bus after the shooting

By Michael Balsamo

December 6, 2024 at 5:44 p.m.

As the hunt for a masked gunman who stalked and killed the head of the largest U.S....

Joel M. Flaum was a federal judge in Chicago for almost 50 years. (Flaum family)

Joel Flaum, longtime federal judge in Chicago, dies at 88

By Bob Goldsborough

December 6, 2024 at 10:25 p.m.

Joel Flaum spent almost 50 years as a federal judge in Chicago, including six years...

Former White Sox player Bill Melton throws out the ceremonial first pitch before a 2018 game. (Chris Sweda/baiduhai)

Bill Melton, the 1st Chicago White Sox player to lead the AL in home runs, dies at 79

By Joe Knowles

December 6, 2024 at 10:06 a.m.

Bill Melton, the Chicago White Sox third baseman who led the AL in home runs...

Ron Paul, food industry expert, dies at 90

By Bob Goldsborough

December 4, 2024 at 2:49 p.m.

Ron Paul, who co-founded the consulting firm Technomic and was a widely recognized expert on...

Frank Nitikman, attorney and Lyric Opera supernumerary, dies at 84

By Bob Goldsborough

December 2, 2024 at 1:36 p.m.

Frank Nitikman, an attorney who for 17 years was a supernumerary with the Lyric Opera...

FILE – St. John’s coach Lou Carnesecca is carried by his team after the Redman beat Boston College in the Big East Championship at New York’s Madison Square Garden, on March 12, 1983. (AP Photo/G. Paul Burnett, File)

Lou Carnesecca, Hall of Fame coach who led St. John’s for 24 seasons, dies at 99

By Mike Fitzpatrick

December 1, 2024 at 11:31 a.m.

Lou Carnesecca, the excitable St. John’s men's basketball coach whose outlandish sweaters became an emblem...

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