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...

U.S. Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee, a Texas Democrat, is renewing a 30-year congressional push to establish a commission that would study the impact of slavery and possible reparations for African Americans.

Longtime US Rep Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, who had pancreatic cancer, dies at 74

By Jim Vertuno

July 20, 2024 at 8:20 a.m.

U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas has died. She was 74.

FILE – In this Jan. 4, 2017 file photo, Vice President Joe Biden, left, watches President Barack Obama, center, at Conmy Hall, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Obama’s dilemma: Balancing Democrats’ worry about Biden and maintaining influence with president

By Zeke Miller

July 19, 2024 at 8:48 a.m.

Former President Barack Obama has a delicate balance to strike: how to weigh the mounting...

FILE - Lou Dobbs speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), on Feb. 24, 2017, in Oxon Hill, Md. Dobbs, the conservative political pundit and TV host who was a nightly presence on Fox Business Network for more than a decade, has died. He was 78.

Lou Dobbs, conservative pundit and Fox Business host, dies at 78

By Associated Press

July 18, 2024 at 4:45 p.m.

Lou Dobbs, conservative pundit and Fox Business host, dies at 78.

FILE - Shannen Doherty attends the G-Star Fall 2010 collection, in New York, on Feb. 16, 2010. Doherty, the "Beverly Hills, 90210" star, has died, Saturday, July 13, 2024. She was 53. (AP Photo/Peter Kramer, file)

Shannen Doherty, ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ star, dies at 53

By Lynn Elber

July 14, 2024 at 1:49 p.m.

Shannen Doherty, the “Beverly Hills, 90210” star whose life and career were roiled by illness...

FILE – Richard Simmons sits for a portrait in Los Angeles, June 23, 1982. Simmons, a fitness guru who urged the overweight to exercise and eat better, died Saturday, July 13, 2024, at the age of 76. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

Richard Simmons, a fitness guru who mixed laughs and sweat, dies at 76

By Mark Kennedy

July 13, 2024 at 5:02 p.m.

Fitness guru Richard Simmons has died at age 76.

FILE – Dr. Ruth Westheimer participates in the “Ask Dr. Ruth” panel during the Hulu presentation at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour at The Langham Huntington, Monday, Feb. 11, 2019, in Pasadena, Calif. Dr. Ruth Westheimer, the diminutive sex therapist who became a pop icon, media star and best-selling author through her frank talk about once-taboo bedroom topics, has died. She was 96. Westheimer died on Friday, July 12, 2024, at her home in New York City, surrounded by her family, according to publicist and friend Pierre Lehu. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)

Dr. Ruth Westheimer, America’s diminutive and pioneering sex therapist, dies at 96

By Mark Kennedy

July 13, 2024 at 1:09 p.m.

Dr. Ruth Westheimer, the diminutive sex therapist who became a pop icon, media star and...

Benjamin Counts II was the adman credited with the "Cub Fan, Bud Man" slogan delivered by Harry Caray in countless commercials. (Rita Lanier-Counts)

Benjamin Counts II, adman credited with Harry Caray’s ‘Cub Fan, Bud Man’ slogan, dies

By Bob Goldsborough

July 12, 2024 at 3:53 p.m.

Benjamin Counts II was a Chicago adman credited with the famous “Cub Fan, Bud Man”...

Shelley Duvall dies at 75. (APJean Jacques Levy)

Shelley Duvall, star of ‘The Shining,’ ‘Nashville,’ dies at 75

By Jake Coyle

July 11, 2024 at 11:56 a.m.

Shelley Duvall, the intrepid, Texas-born movie star whose wide-eyed, winsome presence was a mainstay in...

President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg watcha fly-over as they welcome NATO allies and partners to the White House in Washington, Wednesday, July 10, 2024, on the South Lawn for the 75th anniversary of the NATO Summit.

Biden’s press conference will be a key test for him. But he’s no master of the big rhetorical moment

By Zeke Miller

July 11, 2024 at 8:01 a.m.

President Joe Biden has a fresh opportunity Thursday to try to prove to the American...

Michael Ochs Archives / Stringer / Getty Images

Pat Colbert, who was elegant Dora Mae in TV’s ‘Dallas,’ dies at 77

By Los Angeles Times

July 10, 2024 at 3:39 p.m.

Pat Colbert, the Compton-raised actor who manned the Oil Baron’s Club as host Dora Mae...

News Obituaries