Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has died at the age of 57 after months of speculation about his health. State television announced his death Tuesday, saying he had been recovering overseas. Mr. Meles had been suffering from an undisclosed illness and had not been seen in public for more than a month. Prime Minister Meles […]
State Television: Ethiopian Leader Dies
Ethiopian state television reports Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has died. Mr. Meles had not been seen in public for more than a month because of an undisclosed illness. Prime Minister Meles ruled his country for more than 20 years, after the alliance of rebel groups he led, the EPRDF (Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front) seized […]
Comedienne Phyllis Diller Dies at 95
Comedienne Phyllis Diller, one of America’s first female stand-up comedy stars, has died at age 95. Diller began her career in the 1950s when women stand-up comics were rare. She created an indelible persona with her distinctive laugh, a cigarette holder, teased hair, outlandish costumes and a fictional husband she called “Fang.” Her first national […]
Novelist Gore Vidal Dies at 86
(fixes typo graf 4)) American writer Gore Vidal, whose intellectual novels, essays and plays sharply examined politics and culture, has died at his Los Angeles home. He was 86. His literary career began with a novel he wrote while enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II. But it was his third book, “The […]
Novelist Gore Vidal Dies at 86
American writer Gore Vidal, whose intellectual novels, essays and plays sharply examined politics and culture, has died at his Los Angeles home. He was 86. His literary career began with a novel he wrote while enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II. But it was his third book, “The City and the Pillar,” […]
Ghanaian President John Atta Mills Dies at 68
Ghanaian President John Atta Mills, who died Tuesday, oversaw a generally peaceful and prosperous time for his country during his one term in office. Mr. Mills became the country’s third democratically-elected president in 2009 after defeating ruling party candidate Nana Akufo-Addo in a run-off election. In July 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama visited Ghana and […]
First Female US Astronaut Sally Ride Dies at 61
Former U.S. astronaut Sally Ride, the first American woman to fly in space, died Monday after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 61 years old. Ride, who earned four degrees, including a doctorate in physics, from Stanford University was part of the first NASA class for astronauts to accept women in 1978. She […]
Revered Authority on Jewish Law Elyashiv Dies at 102
Thousands crowded the streets of Jerusalem Wednesday for the funeral of one of the world’s top authorities on Jewish law, Israeli Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv. The rabbi died earlier Wednesday of heart failure at age 102. The Lithuanian-born Rabbi Elyashiv came to what is now Israel as a child. After retiring as a judge in […]
Country Music Pioneer Kitty Wells Dies at 92
American singer Kitty Wells, whom fans and critics call the first female country music superstar, has died at 92 following a stroke. Wells rose to the top of the country music charts at a time when nearly every big name in the genre was a man. She was the first female country soloist to sing […]
Oscar-Winning Film and Stage Actress Celeste Holm Dies at 95
Academy-award winning actress Celeste Holm, whose career in the theater, movies and television spanned 60 years, has died in New York at age 95. Holm first won national attention in the original cast of the Broadway favorite Oklahoma in 1943. Five years later, she took home an Oscar as Best Supporting Actress for the film […]