Obituaries

Memorializing notable Chicagoans and people from around the world who have recently died.

Astrud Gilberto became an overnight bossa nova superstar in 1964 when she was recruited to sing English vocals on the Stan Getz-Joao Gilberto hit ‘The Girl from Ipanema.’
He taught people how to avoid being crime victims on TV’s ‘Tough Target’ and ‘Street Smarts’ and in a popular book. He also gave safety presentations at schools.
He left the Chicago Police Department and joined the FBI. He pleaded guilty to providing U.S. secrets to the former Soviet Union and was sentenced to life in prison.
At the 1968 Summer Olympics, he ran an electronically-timed 9.95 — winning gold and setting a world record that stood for 15 years.
MLB
Craig pitched for three championship teams during his major league career and then managed the San Francisco Giants to the 1989 World Series that was interrupted by a massive earthquake.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., said, ‘Bill was always a no-bulls---, honest and direct sounding board — whether we agreed or not.’
Mr. Holt, who grew up on the West Side, became a jazz legend in the 1960s and 1970s playing in a number of groups. He also played a regular gig at the East Bank Club for 20 years until the pandemic lockdown.
His wife Joanne also did hair. Their sons swept up. Their daughter did makeup. Many relatives and friends worked there during the 25 years the family operated the business.
State officials remembered Todd Maisch as an advocate for the business community who could find common ground between adversaries across political lines.
Mrs. Palmer was an activist who organized Chicago’s anti-apartheid movement and held the first fundraiser for Harold Washington’s first campaign for mayor.
McGovern was an assistant coach for 39 years in the college ranks and in the NFL.
Friend says actor died at his home in Beverly Hills, California, after contracting hepatitis.
Mr. Abramson, after decades of keeping it to himself, got to a place where he finally was able to tell his wartime tale.
The last survivor of the Ames Brothers pop group of the 1950, Ames died May 21 from Alzheimer’s disease, his wife, Jeanne Ames, said Saturday.
‘It used to be you could get denied service if you were gay. Now people are welcome everywhere. No one bats an eye, and she’s responsible for some of that,’ said Ms. Summit’s friend David Boyer.
Singer emerged from a horrifying marriage to triumph in middle age with the chart-topping “What’s Love Got to Do With It.”
A looming presence at 6-foot-4, Stevenson, who played his share of soldiers past and present, once said in an interview, “I guess I’m an old warrior at heart.”
Rick Hoyt had cerebral palsy, which left him a quadriplegic, but he and his father became as much a part of the Boston Marathon as sore feet or Heartbreak Hill. With Dick Hoyt pushing, the two completed the course 32 times.
Hummel died in his sleep at his St. Louis-area home early Saturday after a short, aggressive illness, the Post-Dispatch said Monday.
NFL
An unstoppable runner with power, speed and endurance, Brown’s arrival sparked the game’s burgeoning popularity on television. As Black Americans fought for equality, Brown used his platform and voice to advance their cause.
Ms. Toney Parker had just been offered her dream job as head of diversity at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, but colon cancer claimed her life.
The billionaire, known as “the grave dancer” for picking up distressed assets, once owned the Tribune Co., which went into bankruptcy.
Beside playing with many blues, soul greats, he also owned a music school and store near 79th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue where he gave Howlin’ Wolf guitar lessons.
Hagge-Vossler won 26 times on the LPGA Tour, including the 1952 LPGA Championship, and she was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2002.
Useni Eugene Perkins is best known for his poem ‘Hey Black Child,’ but Mr. Perkins was a prolific author whose works ranged from children’s plays and poems to tomes documenting life on Chicago’s streets.