Norman Fruman, a Scholar of Coleridge, Dies at 88
By BRUCE WEBER
Mr. Fruman roiled literary waters in the 1970s with a biography of Samuel Taylor Coleridge that accused the poet of stealing ideas.
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Tomás Borge Martínez, Sandinista Rebel and Nicaragua Interior Minister, Dies at 81
By ELISABETH MALKIN
Pedro Linger/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Tomás Borge Martínez, left, in 1994 with Daniel Ortega, when Mr. Ortega was both a former and a future president.
Mr. Borge, the last surviving founder of the Sandinista rebel group that toppled Nicaragua’s dictatorship in 1979, went from student radical to one of the leading officials of his nation’s government.
Benzion Netanyahu, Hawkish Scholar, Dies at 102
By DOUGLAS MARTIN
Mr. Netanyahu, the father of the Israeli prime minister, fought for the creation of the Jewish state by lobbying in the United States.
Amarillo Slim, Gambler With a Sly Wit, Dies at 83
By DOUGLAS MARTIN
Mr. Slim won five times in World Series of Poker events and was elected to at least four gambling halls of fame.
Fred Hakim, Times Square Hot-Dog Vendor, Dies at 83
By PAUL VITELLO
Mr. Hakim took over a hot-dog counter on 42nd Street from his father, but the business fell victim to the city’s revitalization efforts in Times Square in the 1990s.
Bob Smith, Inventor of Fog-Free Ski Goggles, Dies at 78
By DANIEL E. SLOTNIK
Dr. Smith, an orthodontist, designed ski goggles that led to today’s fog-free and condensation-free goggles.
Richard Bellman, Lawyer Who Fought Discrimination, Dies at 74
By DOUGLAS MARTIN
Mr. Bellman fought local governments over racially discriminatory zoning, including in a landmark case against Mount Laurel, N.J., in 1975.
George Vujnovich is Dead at 96; Led War Rescue
By RICHARD GOLDSTEIN
Mr. Vujnovich planned and ran a World War II rescue mission that recovered 500 downed Allied airmen from German-occupied Yugoslavia.
Moscelyne Larkin, a Founder of Tulsa Ballet, Is Dead at 87
By JACK ANDERSON
Ms. Larkin was one of a group of five famous dancers of American Indian descent.
Amos Vogel, Champion of Films, Dies at 91
By BRUCE WEBER
Mr. Vogel, founder of the Cinema 16 film society, provided a place for daring filmmakers to find an audience.
Bill Skowron, Slugger in Yankee Golden Era, Dies at 81
By RICHARD GOLDSTEIN
Mr. Skowron, a first baseman known as Moose, played for the Yankees in the 1950s and early ’60s.
Enoch Williams, New York Councilman, Dies at 84
By DOUGLAS MARTIN
A moderate Democrat, Mr. Williams used his leadership positions to pass a law banning smoking in most public spaces and to help stop the Giuliani administration from selling city-owned hospitals.
Joe Muranyi, Clarinetist for Louis Armstrong, Dies at 84
By PETER KEEPNEWS
Mr. Muranyi was among a handful of jazz musicians who began their careers in the 1950s but looked to an earlier era for inspiration.
Robert Miles Parker, Artist and Preservationist, Dies at 72
By BRUCE WEBER
Mr. Parker, discussing the theaters he drew, once said: “They’re full of ghosts. Theaters are phenomenally holy places.”
Pete Fornatale, a Pioneer of FM Rock, Dies at 66
By DOUGLAS MARTIN
Mr. Fornatale was a free-form disc jockey when FM was coming of age in the 1960s. One of his signatures was playing songs that followed a theme.
Irving Millman Dies at 88; Worked to Stop Hepatitis B
By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.
A microbiologist, Dr. Millman helped develop not only a vaccine for hepatitis B but also a test for it.
Ernest Callenbach, Author of ‘Ecotopia,’ Dies at 83
By DENNIS HEVESI
Mr. Callenbach’s tale of an awakening paradise in the Pacific Northwest developed a devoted cult following as a harbinger of the environmental movement.
Hugo Fiorato, Conductor at City Ballet, Dies at 97
By PAUL VITELLO
Mr. Fiorato was a former child prodigy who would go on to become the conductor of the New York City Ballet and one of its most enduring influences.
Virginia Spencer Carr, Literary Biographer, Dies at 82
By BRUCE WEBER
Ms. Carr, a literary scholar whose book “The Lonely Hunter” remains the standard biography of Carson McCullers, also wrote about John Dos Passos and Paul Bowles.
LeRoy T. Walker, a Pioneer of U.S. Olympics, Dies at 93
By RICHARD GOLDSTEIN
As the track and field coach at North Carolina Central in Durham, Mr. Walker developed Olympic medalists and numerous national champions.
George Cowan, Nuclear Scientist, Dies at 92
By DOUGLAS MARTIN
Dr. Cowan helped build the first atomic bomb and test the first hydrogen bomb.
Doris Betts, Novelist in Southern Tradition, Dies at 79
By PAUL VITELLO
The characters in Mrs. Betts’s novels and short stories grappled with religious faith, freedom, captivity and original sin.
George Rathmann, Amgen Chief, Dies at 84
By ANDREW POLLACK
Dr. Rathmann oversaw Amgen as it developed what would become two of the most successful drugs in history and became the world’s largest biotechnology company.
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John A. Hoyt, Champion for Animals, Is Dead at 80
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Charles W. Colson, Watergate Felon Who Became Evangelical Leader, Dies at 80
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Bernard Rapoport, Deep-Pocketed Texas Liberal, Dies at 94
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Valeri Vasiliev, Defenseman on Soviet Hockey Dynasty, Dies at 62
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Alex Cassie, Who Aided ‘Great Escape’ From Nazis, Dies at 95
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Bert Weedon, Guitar Teacher to a Generation, Dies at 91
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Ray Easterling, of Atlanta’s Grits Blitz, Dies at 62
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Hillman Curtis, a Pioneer in Web Design, Dies at 51
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William L. Pace, Record-Setter for Bullet in Head, Dies at 103
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Teddy Charles, Jazz Musician Turned Sea Captain, Dies at 84
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Martin Poll Dies at 89; Built a Movie Studio in New York
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Greg Ham, ‘Down Under’ Flutist, Dies at 58
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Levon Helm, Drummer and Rough-Throated Singer for the Band, Dies at 71
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Stanley R. Resor, Vietnam War Army Chief, Dies at 94
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Chris Ethridge, a Flying Burrito Brother, Dies at 65
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Jonathan Frid, Ghoulish ‘Dark Shadows’ Star, Is Dead at 87
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Dick Clark, 1929-2012: TV Emperor of Rock ’n’ Roll and New Year’s Eve Dies at 82
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John Golding Dies at 82; Zeroed In on Abstraction
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Paul Bogart, TV Director, Dies at 92
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William Finley, Actor in De Palma Movies, Dies at 71
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Maersk Mc-Kinney Moeller, Longtime Shipping Magnate, Dies at 98
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Lewis Nordan, Writer Who Spun Lyrical Tales, Dies at 72
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Murray Rose, Australian Olympic Swimming Star, Dies at 73
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Butch Bouchard, Imposing Pillar of Montreal Canadiens’ Defense, Dies at 92
Multimedia
Levon Helm Dies at 71
Mr. Helm helped forge a deep-rooted American music as the drummer and singer for the Band.
Dick Clark Dies at 82
Dick Clark, the television host of “American Bandstand,” did much to advance the influence of teenagers and rock ’n’ roll on American culture.
The Public Editor
Someone Dies. But That Is Only the Beginning.
By ARTHUR S. BRISBANE
Lives of interest and impact, as retold by the Times obituary writers.
Last Word: Mike Wallace
Mike Wallace, the tough-guy interrogator of “60 Minutes,” was the personification of 20th-century television news. He made his name confronting the famous and infamous on camera.
From the Magazine
The Lives They Lived
This year seemed to have more than its fair share of iconic deaths, but this is not a greatest-hits issue. Instead, we gravitated to those with an untold tale. Ira Glass of “This American Life” edits a special section devoted to ordinary people.
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Notable Deaths of 2011
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Last Word Videos
Inspiring people talk about their lives.
From the Archives
Douglas MacArthur, Army Commander, Dies at 84
(April 5 , 1964)
Igor Stravinsky, Composer, Dies at 88
(April 6, 1971)
Isaac Asimov, Science Fiction Writer, Dies at 72
(April 6, 1992)
P. T. Barnum, Great Showman, Dies at 80
(April 7, 1891)
Henry Ford, Automotive Pioneer, Dies at 83
(April 7, 1947)
Pablo Ruiz Picasso, Prodigious Artist, Dies at 91
(April 8, 1973)
Joe Louis, Heavyweight King, Dies at 66
(April 12, 1981)
Jean-Paul Sartre, French Philosopher, Dies at 74
(April 15, 1980)
Greta Garbo, Screen Icon, Dies at 84
(April 15, 1990)
Albert Einstein, Great Scientist, Dies at 76
(April 18, 1955)
John Maynard Keynes, Influential Economist, Dies at 63
(April 21, 1946)
Richard Milhous Nixon, 37th President, Dies at 81
(April 22, 1994)
Cesar Chavez, Union Organizer, Dies at 66
(April 23, 1993)
Willa Cather, Novelist, Dies at 70
(April 24, 1947)
Ginger Rogers, Who Danced With Astaire, Dies at 83
(April 25, 1995)
Edward R. Murrow, CBS Broadcaster, Dies at 57
(April 27, 1965)
Frank Lloyd Wright, Famed Architect, Dies at 89
(April 29, 1959)
Adolf Hitler, Nazi Dictator, Dies at 56
(April 30, 1945)
Death Notices
Search Legacy.com for all paid death notices from The New York Times.
Announcements of deaths may be telephoned from within New York City to (212) 556-3900; outside the city to toll-free 1-800-458-5522; or online by going to this page and selecting "In Memoriam." Deadlines for publication are:
- Until 5:30 p.m. the day before for Tuesday through Saturday editions,
- Until 5 p.m. on Friday for Sunday’s national edition,
- Until 12:45 p.m. Saturday for Sunday’s New York edition,
- Until 2 p.m. Sunday for Monday’s editions.
Photos must be submitted by noon the day prior to publication Tuesday through Friday. Photos for Saturday, Sunday and Monday must be submitted by 12 noon on Friday.
