Obituaries
Memorializing notable Chicagoans and people from around the world who have recently died.
He built his family a beautiful home on the South Side of the city and co-founded a business that provided steady employment so others could do the same.
Mr. Gardner donated tens of thousands of dollars to causes that sought to end gun violence and helped create the nonprofit Black On Black Love.
Nicknamed “The Captain,” Reed was the undersized center and emotional leader on the Knicks’ two NBA championship teams.
Greeting thousands at the front door of nightclubs around the city, JoJo Baby was unforgettable.
The actor died of natural causes Friday morning, his rep Mia Hansen said in a statement.
The singer’s wife Mary Caldwell, announced his death on his official Twitter account Wednesday.
Mr. Calabrese, who took part in a hit made famous by the actor Joe Pesci in the movie “Casino,” had a target on his back and remained out of sight since he ratted on the mob.
‘He was a foodie before there was a word foodie,’ said Mr. Vinicky’s friend Tim McNally.
He went on to play for the Cubs from 1970-73 and finished his career with the Braves and the Yakult Atoms of Japan’s Central League in 1973. He hit .258 with 219 homers and 721 RBI.
Dick Fosbury started using the unconventional Fosbury Flop in high school high jump competitions in Oregon and went on to win the gold medal at the 1968 Olympics.
Traute Lafrenz and other idealistic young members of White Rose risked their lives to distribute leaflets and tracts urging Germans to rise up against the Nazi regime.
“No single individual more defined the Minnesota Vikings than Bud Grant. A once-in-a-lifetime man, Bud will forever be synonymous with success, toughness, the North and the Vikings,” owners Zygi Wilf and Mark Wilf said in a joint statement.
Taylor and quarterback Len Dawson formed one of the NFL’s dynamic duos. He had two 1,000-yard seasons during an era in which the passing game was still evolving, and he finished his career with 7,306 yards and 57 touchdown catches.
As a child, he starred in the “Our Gang” comedies and acted in “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.” As an adult, he was praised for his work in “In Cold Blood.”
After years of playing Tevye on stage in London and on Broadway, he scored the lead role in the 1971 Norman Jewison-directed film version, winning the Golden Globe award for lead actor and being nominated for a best actor Academy Award.
Mr. Zucchero’s life was built on Italian beef sandwiches.
Asrat Aemro Sellassie started the Ethiopian reggae group Dallol, which backed Ziggy Marley on two albums. Sellassie and bandmates opened Chicago’s Wild Hare club in 1986.
Wills, a Chicago native, spent 11 years as a White Sox announcer before joining the Rays.
Gary Rossington was the last living original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd. He survived a 1977 plane crash that killed 3 members of the band and played slide on ‘Freebird.’
After playing baseball while incarcerated in the Arizona desert for three years, he traveled to Chicago for the classic and made it his home.
Viki Mammina, now 66, recalled the years she was close to Joseph Kromelis in the 1970s and the cast of characters in their friend group.
The actor suffered a brain aneurysm Feb. 18 at his Los Angeles home and died in his sleep Friday at a hospital in Burbank, California, his manager said. Despite ample legal trouble, Sizemore had steady film and television credits.
“When she looked at a client, she just kind of went into a zone and picked up a brush,” her sister said.
His love of aviation never faded despite racism that kept him and other Black pilots from getting jobs with airlines.
Richardson became the first former NFL player to own a team since the Bears’ George Halas when he landed the expansion Panthers in 1993.
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