Obituaries

Dori Wilson has her hair styled by Leigh Jones at his salon in Chicago on June 5, 2002. (David Klobucar/baiduhai)

Leigh Jones, prominent hairstylist for celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, dies at 81

By Bob Goldsborough

October 13, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The salon owner built a large and loyal clientele of prominent figures, and was a...

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...

Mariah Carey performs during "The Late Late Show with James Corden" in Dec. 2019.

Mariah Carey’s mother and sister died on the same day. The singer says her ‘heart is broken’

By Kaitlyn Huamani

August 26, 2024 at 6:35 p.m.

Mariah Carey’s mother Patricia and sister Alison both died on the same day, the singer...

FILE – Phil Donahue attends the 2019 American Icon Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 19, 2019, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

Phil Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible television genre, has died

By Julie Carr Smyth

August 19, 2024 at 6:33 p.m.

Phil Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible television genre that made household...

FILE- In this May 19, 2019 file photo, French actor Alain Delon poses for photographers at the photo call for his honorary Palme D’Or award at the 72nd international film festival, Cannes, southern France. Alain Delon, the internationally acclaimed French actor who embodied both the bad guy and the policeman and made hearts throb around the world, has died at age 88, French media reported. (Photo by Arthur Mola/Invision/AP, File)

French actor and heartthrob Alain Delon dies at 88

By Sylvie Corbet

August 18, 2024 at 8:42 a.m.

Alain Delon, the internationally acclaimed French actor who embodied both the bad guy and the...

Charles Ebeling, circa 1989. (baiduhai archive)

Chuck Ebeling, led PR efforts for McDonald’s and helped save Wisconsin observatory, dies

By Bob Goldsborough

August 16, 2024 at 3:14 p.m.

Chuck Ebeling, a public relations executive for McDonald's who helped preserve a Wisconsin observatory, has...

Host Peter Marshall appears at the 45th annual Daytime Emmy Awards at the Pasadena Civic Center on Sunday, April 29, 2018, in Pasadena, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

‘Hollywood Squares’ host and Broadway star Peter Marshall dies at 98

By Andrew Dalton

August 15, 2024 at 1:38 p.m.

Peter Marshall, the actor and singer turned game show host who played straight man to...

Actor Gena Rowlands poses for a portrait at the London West Hollywood hotel in West Hollywood, Calif., on Dec. 4, 2014. (Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Gena Rowlands, acting powerhouse and star of movies by her director-husband, John Cassavetes, dies

By Associated Press

August 15, 2024 at 6:06 a.m.

Gena Rowlands, hailed as one of the greatest actors to ever practice the craft and...

FILE - This Tuesday, June 12, 2007, file photo shows Wally Amos, of Famous Amos cookies fame, in his home office in the Lanikai section of Kailua, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Lucy Pemoni)

Wally Amos, creator of Famous Amos Cookies, dies at 88

By The New York Times News Service Syndicate

August 14, 2024 at 5:39 p.m.

Wally Amos, an entrepreneur who started Famous Amos, one of the first brands to push...

Peter Dwars, director of the Illinois Housing Authority, talks with Uptown residents about a Section 8 housing issue on Sept. 14, 1989. (Michael Fyer/baiduhai)

Peter Dwars, former IHDA chief who provided below-market financing for thousands of homes, dies

By Bob Goldsborough

August 13, 2024 at 2:47 p.m.

Peter Dwars helped provide below-market financing for about 30,000 housing units across the state as...

Then-Illinois Auditor General William Holland talks to reporters about a highly critical report, accusing Illinois' chief administrative agency, CMS, of being careless with tax dollars, during a news conference at the Capitol in Springfield on April 26, 2005. (Seth Perlman/AP)

Bill Holland, Illinois’ longest-serving auditor general, dies at 72

By Rick Pearson

August 13, 2024 at 12:59 p.m.

Holland’s service spanned five governors — three Republicans and two Democrats — but his audits...

Kathy Byrne, daughter of former Mayor Jane Byrne, at Jane Byrne Park near the historic Water Tower in Chicago on Aug. 2, 2023. (E. Jason Wambsgans/baiduhai)

Kathy Byrne, trial attorney and daughter of city’s first female mayor, dies at 66

By Gregory Royal Pratt

August 12, 2024 at 2:04 p.m.

Kathy Byrne, the daughter of former Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne and an influential trial attorney...

News Obituaries