Home//TIME Magazine/TIME In Memoriam 2023/In This Issue
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Arthur DuncanTAP DANCERB. 1925 | Arthur Duncan started tap dancing as an adolescent and toured in Europe for several years before making his TV debut on The Betty White Show in 1954 as racial tensions in the South were boiling. White resisted demands that Duncan be removed from the show because he was Black, famously saying, “Live with it.” According to the American Tap Dance Foundation, Duncan’s “seamless blend of song and dance continues to make a significant contribution to the artistic legacy of dance and entertainment.” The Chicago National Association of Dance Masters presented Duncan with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. He died on January 4 at age 97.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Russell BanksWRITERB. 1940 | Russell Banks was an American poet and novelist, focusing mainly on themes of race, class, and power, and overcoming difficult situations in everyday life. Much of his writing reflected his upbringing—he was raised in a working-class family, and his father deserted them when he was a boy. According to TIME’s 1998 review of Banks’ book, Cloudsplitter: A Novel, “he knows the lives of men who drive dented pickups, show up for work with beer headaches and hold back, most of the time, from battering their wives and children.” Banks, a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, was 82 when he died on January 8.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Melinda DillonACTORB. 1939 | Tony-, Golden Globe-, and Oscar-nominated actor Melinda Dillon died on January 9 in Los Angeles at age 83. Born in Hope, Arkansas, Dillon moved to New York City after she finished acting school and landed the critically acclaimed role of Honey in the 1962 Broadway play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? after just a few weeks. Her quick rise was not without its difficulties, however; she left the play and acting altogether after just nine months. Dillon made her comeback in the 1970s, mostly playing supporting roles. Her character Mrs. Parker in the 1983 holiday classic A Christmas Story, made TIME’s “Top 10 Movie Moms We Wish Were Ours” list.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Tyre NicholsBEATING VICTIMB. 1993 | Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, was stopped for an alleged traffic violation, dragged from his car, and beaten by a group of Memphis police officers on January 7. He died from his injuries three days later. The event was captured on bodycam and surveillance videos, which were released to the public on January 27. They sparked protests across the country. Five police officers were fired and charged with various felonies, including second-degree murder; four pleaded not guilty and one took a plea deal. In September, the Justice Department announced separate federal charges against the five officers for civil rights violations related to Nichols’ death.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Lisa Marie PresleySINGER-SONGWRITERB. 1968 | Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of rock and roll legend Elvis Presley, died at the hospital after she experienced cardiac arrest at her home in Calabasas, California, on January 12. She was 54. Her last public appearance had been at the 2023 Golden Globe Awards.Lisa Marie gave her last speech on January 8 to a crowd who gathered at Graceland to honor her late father’s birthday: “Today, he would’ve been 88 years old,” she said. “It’s hard to believe. And I think that he would be proud. I think this year has been an incredible year. And I think the [Elvis] movie was incredible.”“It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us,” her mother,…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Chris FordBASKETBALL PLAYER & COACHB. 1949 | Chris Ford, former NBA star and coach known as the “Mad Bomber,” died in Philadelphia on January 17. He was 74. Ford was a college standout at Villanova University, leading them to three NCAA tournament appearances. He was drafted to the Detroit Pistons in 1972, then traded to the Boston Celtics in 1978. The NBA adopted the three-point field goal the following season, and Ford is credited by the NBA to have made the first three-pointer on October 12, 1979. With Ford, the Celtics won the NBA World Championship series in 1981. Ford later became a coach for the Celtics and other teams.‘The three-point score introduced this season turned out to be a bonanza for guard Chris Ford; he hit on 43% of his…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Bobby HullHOCKEY PLAYERB. 1939 | Canadian-born Bobby Hull, known as “The Golden Jet,” was one of the greatest hockey players of all time but left a legacy shrouded in personal controversy. On the ice, he played 15 seasons for the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, scoring 50 goals or more during five of those seasons. He later joined the World Hockey Association, winning the Gordie Howe Trophy twice. His athletic prowess, however, was eclipsed by accusations of spousal abuse and racist comments. Despite Hull’s darker personal exploits, a statue of him outside Chicago’s United Center stands in his honor. Hull died in Wheaton, Illinois, on January 30 at the age of 84.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Paul BergBIOCHEMISTB. 1926 | Paul Berg, American pioneer in genetic engineering, died on February 15 at his home on the Stanford University campus in California. He was 96. Berg won the 1980 Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with fellow researchers Walter Gilbert and Frederick Sanger. Berg was recognized by the Norwegian Nobel Committee for creating the first DNA molecule made of parts from different organisms, which ushered in a new era of genetic engineering, with applications in medicine and commerce, especially food production. Berg recognized his research raised ethical concerns and public-health risks. In 1975, he led a conference of DNA researchers who adopted rules to regulate their own work.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Barbara BossonACTORB. 1939 | Known for her role in the TV crime drama Hill Street Blues, Bosson died February 18 in Santa Monica at the age of 83. She was nominated for five Emmys for playing Fay Furillo in the series before leaving the production in 1986. She continued to star in a handful of other crime shows, including Murder One and Hooperman, as well as making guest appearances in Mannix, L.A. Law, and other TV shows. Boson made her film debut playing a nurse in the 1968 movie Bullitt with Steve McQueen.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Walter MirischFILM PRODUCERB. 1921 | Walter Mirisch, who made his mark producing many classic movies, including Oscar-winning In the Heat of the Night, died February 24 in Los Angeles at the age of 101. He and his brothers, Harold and Marvin, created the Mirisch Company in 1957, overseeing movies that garnered 28 Oscars. Among those were West Side Story and The Apartment. Other classics he had a hand in were The Magnificent Seven, The Pink Panther, The Thomas Crown Affair, and The Great Escape. He was president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1973 to 1977.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Tom SizemoreACTORB. 1961 | While playing tough guys on-screen, Tom Sizemore battled drug abuse and legal issues in real life. Among a long list of film and TV credits, Sizemore portrayed Sgt. Mike Horvath in Saving Private Ryan, and Det. Jack Scagnetti in Natural Born Killers. He acted in Heat alongside Robert De Niro and Al Pacino and was nominated for a Golden Globe in the made-for-TV film Witness Protection. He also appeared on the reality TV show Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. Sizemore died March 3 in Burbank, California, at the age of 61.‘If you were to give me a drug right now like heroin, crystal meth or speed I wouldn’t have any idea where I would wind up.… That’s what addiction is.’Sizemore to TIME in 2007…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Pat McCormickOLYMPIC DIVERB. 1930 | Pat McCormick, the first diver to win back-to-back Olympic springboard and platform gold medals (1952 and 1956), died March 7 in Santa Ana, California, at the age of 92. As a child, she practiced diving off a bridge in Long Beach, California, going on to win 26 national diving titles, including her four Olympic gold medals. She was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1965 and was on the organizing committee for the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics. Her daughter, Kelly, also a diver, won silver in springboard at the 1984 Los Angeles games and a bronze in Seoul in 1988.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Bud GrantFOOTBALL COACHB. 1927 | As head coach of the Minnesota Vikings for 18 seasons, Grant led the team to four Super Bowl appearances, 11 division titles, and three National Football Conference championships. He started his career playing basketball for the NBA’s Minneapolis Lakers before switching sports, playing football with the Philadelphia Eagles, then joining the Canadian Football League’s Winnepeg Blue Bombers in 1953. He accepted the head coaching spot with the Vikings in 1967 and became the first person inducted into both the CFL Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was 95 when he died March 11 in Minnesota.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Mark RussellSATIRISTB. 1932 | A piano-playing satirist who parodied politicians for 60 years, Mark Russell died on March 30 at his Washington, D.C., home. He was 90. After serving in the Marine Corps, he took on piano-playing gigs in Washington bars, cracking wise about politics between songs. In 1961, Russell landed a job at the Shoreham Hotel in the nation’s capital, where he continued to skewer politicians until 1981. He starred in a series of solo comedy specials that ran for nearly 30 years on PBS and hosted NBC’s Real People from 1979 to 1983. His autobiography, Presenting Mark Russell, was published in 1980.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Craig BreedloveRACE CAR DRIVERB. 1937 | Obsessed with breaking the world land speed record as a child, Craig Breedlove achieved that goal in 1963, when he averaged just over 407 mph in his racer, “Spirit of America.” In 1964 he broke his own record at 500 mph, and a year later, he hit 600 mph. As a teen, Breedlove skipped college and worked odd jobs so he could spend his spare time building and racing cars. Once the fastest man on wheels, he was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2009. Breedlove died in Rio Vista, California, on April 4 at age 86.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Tori BowieOLYMPIC SPRINTERB. 1990 | Tori Bowie, the U.S. Olympic sprinter who won three Olympic medals in her career, died April 23 of pregnancy complications in Horizon West, Florida. She was 32. Starting her professional track and field career in 2013, Bowie sprinted her way to winning three medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She earned silver in the 100-meter dash, a bronze in the 200-meter, and gold in the 100-meter relay with three teammates. She won bronze at the Beijing World Championships in 2015 and two gold medals in the 2017 World Championships in London. Bowie also modeled for a Valentino campaign in 2017.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Vincent StewartDIRECTOR OF DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCYB. 1958 | Stewart, the first Marine Corps officer to head the Defense Intelligence Agency, was a teen when he immigrated to the United States from Jamaica. He joined the Marines in 1981, serving for 38 years and becoming the first Black officer to lead the DIA, from 2015 to 2017. He also served as vice commander of U.S. Cyber Command. His many military decorations included the Defense Superior Service medal, the Legion of Merit with one gold star, the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal with one gold star, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with two gold stars, and the Combat Action Ribbon. Stewart died April 28 in Aldie, Virginia. He was 64.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Jim BrownFOOTBALL PLAYERB. 1936 | Brown, the NFL Hall of Fame running back who led the Cleveland Browns to their 1964 Super Bowl win, died on May 18 in Los Angeles at age 87. He was a three-time Associated Press NFL MVP Award winner, and according to the TIME cover story from November 26, 1965, was “regarded as a genuine phenomenon in a sport that shares the language (‘blitz,’ ‘bullet,’ ‘bomb’) of war.” He was also a civil rights activist. Post-NFL, he became an actor and color commentator. His legacy is stained by allegations of violence against women, which he denied.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Walter CunninghamASTRONAUTB. 1932 | The former astronaut, physicist, fighter pilot, and entrepreneur died in Houston on January 3 at age 90. Cunningham was the lunar module pilot for the Apollo 7 mission, the first crewed flight of NASA’s Apollo program. He received the NASA Exceptional Service Medal and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, and he was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame, International Space Hall of Fame, Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame, San Diego Air and Space Museum Hall of Fame, and Houston Hall of Fame. In 1977, he published the book, The All-American Boys, a candid memoir about his experience in the space industry.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Adam RichACTORB. 1968 | Adam Rich was best known for his portrayal of Nicholas, the youngest son of the Bradford Family on the TV comedy-drama Eight Is Enough that ran from 1977 to 1981. Rich was only 8 years old when he became a star. After Eight Is Enough, he mostly made guest appearances on TV shows, did voice work, and appeared in commercials, but he lived a troubled life due to his bouts of depression, use of drugs and alcohol, and run-ins with the law. He became a mental-health advocate a few years before his death. Rich died in Los Angeles on January 7 at age 54.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Paul JohnsonWRITERB. 1928 | Johnson, the English speechwriter, writer, and author and editor of more than 50 books, died on January in London at age 94. Although he leaned toward left-wing ideologies as a young man, he eventually became a popular conservative historian. He wrote for The Daily Telegraph, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, National Review, and others. In the review of Johnson’s 1977 book, The History of Christianity, TIME observed, “[He] has written a literary rarity, a highly readable, deeply learned, thoroughly fascinating account of 2,000 years of Christian history.… Johnson is master of the arresting detail, the vivid personality sketch.”…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Robbie KnievelSTUNT PERFORMERB. 1962 | Knievel, who promoted himself as “Kaptain Robbie Knievel,” died in Reno, Nevada, on January 13. He was 60. Knievel followed in the footsteps of his daredevil father, Evel Knievel, performing his first stunt show alongside his dad when he was just 8 years old. According to his official website, Kneivel made over 350 motorcycle jumps and holds 20 world records. A couple of his most memorable stunts include his 1989 jump over the fountains at Caesar’s Palace (a stunt his father failed in 1967) and a 228-foot jump across the Grand Canyon in 1999.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Edward R. PressmanFILM PRODUCERB. 1943 | Edward R. Pressman, founder of Pressman Film, a company that launched the careers of some of the most prominent figures in the movie industry since the 1960s, died in Los Angeles on January 17 at age 79. As a producer, Pressman avoided a hands-on approach and focused more intently on assembling the right mix of creative talent. He produced Sisters, released in 1972, which was director Brian De Palma’s first thriller film. Pressman was also behind Oliver Stone’s 1987 Wall Street and 1988 Talk Radio, Danny DeVito’s Hoffa in 1992, Mary Harron’s American Psycho in 2000, and dozens of other celebrated films.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Jonathan RabanWRITERB. 1942 | British-born literary travel writer Jonathan Raban died in Seattle, Washington, on January 17. He was 80. Raban did not like being referred to as a “travel writer,” as he felt his work reflected more of a personal journey with reporting and prose—different than guidebooks that are most closely related with the term. Raban’s travel narratives include Arabia: Through the Looking Glass, about the Middle East; Old Glory, about his travel down the Mississippi River; Hunting Mister Heartbreak, which followed the footsteps of U.S. immigrants; and Passage to Juneau, about his sea voyage from Seattle to Juneau, Alaska.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Eugene LeeSET DESIGNERB. 1939 | Lee was a six-time Emmy Award-winning set designer for Saturday Night Live, from the premiere episode in 1975 until 1980, and from 1985 until his death. He was a rare mainstay on the hit late-night variety show where cast members come and go. Lee also lent his talents to the Trinity Repertory Company in his home of Providence, Rhode Island, and worked on the design for several iconic Broadway sets, including Candide (1974), Sweeney Todd (1979), and Wicked (2003), each of which earned him a Tony Award for Best Scenic Design. Lee died on February 6 in Providence at age 83.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Howard BragmanPUBLIC RELATIONS EXECUTIVEB. 1956 | Bragman, one of America’s leading crisis communications managers, died on February 11 in Los Angeles at the age of 66. Bragman was known for his work advising famous people how to navigate negative press and for assisting LGBTQ+ clients to come out publicly. He was vice chairman at Reputation.com, founder of LaBrea Media, and author of the bestselling book Where’s My Fifteen Minutes? Bragman was also an ABC News consultant, the resident public relations expert for Entertainment Tonight, and a frequent contributor to The Joy Behar Show. He was an advocate for the AIDS/HIV community, LGBTQ+ civil rights, Jewish causes, and First Amendment protections.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Jansen PanettiereACTORB. 1994 | Beginning in 2002, Jansen Panettiere performed voice and acting roles in multiple movies, animated films, and TV shows. He died on February 16 in New York City of cardiomegaly, or an enlarged heart, according to a statement from his family. He was 28. Panettiere co-starred with his sister Hayden Panettiere in the Disney Channel movies Racing Stripes and Tiger Cruise. In 2007, he took on his first lead role in Nickelodeon’s The Last Day of Summer. He played Casper in an episode of AMC’s The Walking Dead. He also appeared in the 2022 film Love and Love Not.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Steve MackeyMUSICIANB. 1966 | Mackey, bass guitarist for the Britpop band Pulp, joined the group in time to be part of its ’90s mainstream success. The band’s His ‘n’ Hers album reached No. 9 on the 1994 UK Albums Chart. A year later, Different Class skyrocketed to No. 1 on the UK Chart and earned the Mercury Music Prize. The group disbanded in 2001 but reunited occasionally. Mackey turned to fashion photography, shooting for Marc Jacobs and Armani Exchange. He also played a bassist in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in The Weird Sisters band. Mackey was 56 when he died March 2.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Gary RossingtonMUSICIANB. 1951 | The last surviving original member of the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, Gary Rossington died at his home in Milton, Georgia, on March 5. He was 71. His skill on the slide guitar, especially on the band’s anthem “Free Bird,” was legendary. In 1977 he survived a plane crash that took the lives of bandmates Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and Cassie Gaines. In 1980, Rossington formed the Rossington-Collins Band, then in 1987 joined in on a Skynyrd tribute tour with some of the surviving members of the original group.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Robert BlakeACTORB. 1933 | Once a top cop on the TV series Baretta, Robert Blake’s career ended in controversy when he was found liable in the 2001 wrongful-death lawsuit filed by relatives of his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley. A jury had acquitted him of murder charges in that case eight months earlier. The former child actor played Mickey in Our Gang before graduating to a string of movies, including In Cold Blood, before taking on the starring role in Baretta in 1975, for which he won an Emmy and a Golden Globe. He was 89 when he died March 9 in Los Angeles.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Elizabeth de CuevasSCULPTORB. 1929 | Working under the professional name Strong-Cuevas, the artist known for her massive sculptures died March 19 in Manhattan at the age of 94. After studying sculpture at the Art Students League of New York, Strong-Cuevas experimented carving in stone and wood, then began creating works in bronze, aluminum, and stainless steel. Her early pieces were larger-than-life heads cast in stainless steel and towering up to 13 feet tall. Her work has appeared in galleries throughout New York and has been exhibited in museums, including the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut, and the Guild Hall Museum in East Hampton, New York.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Gordon MooreTECH EXECUTIVEB. 1929 | Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel Corporation, died March 24 at his home in Hawaii. He was 94. In 1956 he joined Shockley Semiconductor but left along with other colleagues to form Fairchild Semiconductor the following year. In 1968 he co-founded Intel, one of the largest manufacturers of silicon microchips, and served there as CEO from 1975 to 1987 and chairman from 1979 to 1997. He was awarded the National Medal of Technology in 1990 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002. He also was a philanthropist, establishing the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, focusing on environmental conservation and improving patient care.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023John BrockingtonFOOTBALL PLAYERB. 1948 | In his first NFL season in 1971, the former Green Bay Packers running back was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He ran for at least 1,000 yards in each of his first three pro seasons, becoming the first NFL player to do so. After seven years with the Packers, he joined the Kansas City Chiefs for one season, then retired from the NFL. In 1984, he was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame. After receiving a kidney transplant, he founded the John Brockington Foundation in 2002 to support and advocate for organ donors and recipients. He was 74 when he died March 31 in San Diego.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Harry LorayneMAGICIANB. 1926 | A magician and expert in memory training, Lorayne died April 7 at the age of 96 in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Inspired by a card trick he saw as a boy, he mastered that trick, taught himself the art of magic, and became proficient in memory skills. He delighted TV audiences with his memory and sleight-of-hand illusions on The Ed Sullivan Show, Today, Good Morning America, and The Regis Philbin Show. He was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and he wrote several bestselling books, including The Memory Book, co-authored with former NBA All-Star Jerry Lucas.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Mary QuantFASHION DESIGNERB. 1934 | Quant was a self-taught London designer who shook up the fashion world in the 1950s and 1960s with her bold looks, short hemlines, and brightly colored tights. She helped popularize the miniskirt and hotpants and her London look was brought to the United States in 1965 when she signed a contract with JC Penney. Quant was presented with the Hall of Fame Award by the British Fashion Council in 1990. Ten years later, she retired as head of Mary Quant Ltd. She died April 13 at age 93 in Surrey, England.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Pamela Turnure TimminsPRESS SECRETARY TO JACQUELINE KENNEDYB. 1937 | The first person to become press secretary to a first lady of the United States, Timmins was 23 when she took on the task of working with Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961. Timmins was previously employed in the Belgian Embassy as a receptionist, then later became secretary to one of John F. Kennedy’s top aides. After Kennedy was assassinated, Timmins stayed on to help Jacqueline Kennedy until 1966. Timmins died April 25 at her home in Edwards, Colorado, at the age of 85.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Wee Willie HarrisMUSICIANB. 1933 | Known for his outlandish attire and on-stage antics, the British rocker kicked off his music career playing piano at a coffee bar in London. Dubbed “Britain’s Wild Man of Rock ’n’ Roll,” Harris released his first single, “Rockin’ at the Two I’s,” on the Decca label in 1957. That same year, his appearances on the BBC program Six-Five Special were criticized for negatively influencing teens. Often performing in pink hair and wild costumes, Harris played the club circuit through the 1970s, touring throughout the UK, Italy, and Israel. He died April 27 at the age of 90.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Vida BlueBASEBALL PLAYERB. 1949 | Only 21 when he won both the American League’s Cy Young Award and Most Valuable Player in 1971, Blue died May 6 in San Francisco. He was 73. The left-handed pitcher, who was referred to as “A Bolt of Blue Lightning” in TIME’s August 23, 1971, cover story, made his major league debut with the Oakland Athletics in 1969 and helped the team win three World Series titles in 1972, 1973, and 1974. He stayed with Oakland for nine seasons, was traded to the San Francisco Giants, then to the Kansas City Royals. He moved back to the Giants in 1985 before retiring after the 1986 season.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Doyle BrunsonPOKER PLAYERB. 1933 | With his signature cowboy hat, Doyle Brunson, nicknamed “Texas Dolly,” was one of the most recognizable—and successful—professional poker players on the circuit. He competed on the tables for over 50 years, including the first World Series of Poker (WSOP) tournament in 1970. He won back-to-back WSOP championships in 1976 and 1977 and was the first player to earn $1 million in tournament play. He was also the author of several books on the game, including Doyle Brunson’s Super System. Brunson died May 14 in Las Vegas at age 89.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Andy RourkeMUSICIANB. 1964 | Rourke, the bassist for the English rock band the Smiths, died in New York City on May 19. He was 59. The quartet, best known for songs such as “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want” and “There Is a Light that Never Goes Out” came to define a certain 1980s sound. Rourke joined the Smiths in 1982 after their first gig and remained active until the band broke up in 1987, but Rourke’s heroin addiction was an ongoing issue with the band. He also played with Sinead O’Connor and the Pretenders, and formed the groups Freebass, D.A.R.K, and Blitz Vega.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023John Romita Sr.COMIC BOOK ARTISTB. 1930 | John Romita Sr., known best for his artwork in Marvel Comics, died in June 12 in Floral Park, Illinois, at age 93. He began working for Marvel in 1965, primarily on Daredevil-themed issues until The Amazing Spider-Man artist and co-creator Steve Ditko left Marvel and writer Stan Lee asked Romita to fill in. At first, Romita followed Ditko’s original style, but later gave Spider-Man his own spin—it quickly became Marvel’s top seller. One of Romita’s iconic characters was Mary Jane Watson, Peter Parker’s love interest, who he reportedly modeled after actress Ann-Margret. He was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2002.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Cormac McCarthyWRITERB. 1933 | Cormac McCarthy, the American author of often grisly hypermasculine fiction, died June 13 at 89, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. One of the most acclaimed—if reclusive—American writers of the last 50 years, McCarthy’s dark and devastating fiction centered on outsiders attempting to survive their often violent worlds. He wrote a dozen novels during his career, beginning with his 1965 debut, The Orchard Keeper, a haunting tale of a young boy and a bootlegger in rural Tennessee. His 2006 novel The Road won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The 1981 MacArthur Fellow also wrote several screenplays, stage plays, and short stories.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Fay WeldonWRITERB. 1931 | English writer and feminist Fay Weldon, best known for her 1983 novel, The Life and Loves of a She-Devil, which was adapted for a BBC miniseries and a Hollywood movie, died in Northampton, England, on January 4 at age 91. Her provocative views, including that art should not be made separate from commerce, made her no stranger to controversy—in 2000, she published The Bulgari Connection, a novel that was commissioned by the Italian jeweler Bulgari, and critics called her a sellout. When TIME asked her about it in 2001, she said, “Writers understand that you write for money, which many other people don’t.”…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Dick SavittTENNIS CHAMPIONB. 1927 | In 1951, Dick Savitt won the Australian and Wimbledon men’s singles tennis championships when he was just 24. He was the subject of the TIME cover story in August that year, which included the following description of his play: “he smashed serves, laced backhands down the alley and crosscourt, whaled deep forehands to the corners.” Before Savitt’s tennis career took off, he attended Cornell University on a basketball scholarship and earned a degree in economics. After retiring from tennis, he worked in the oil industry and as an investment banker. He died on January 6 in Manhattan at age 95.‘If I am on my game, nobody can beat me … The others are coming uphill to me … I’m the man to beat.’Savitt to TIME, August…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Bernard KalbJOURNALISTB. 1922 | Kalb was a journalist who covered foreign affairs for CBS News, NBC News, and The New York Times. In 1984, he was appointed Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs and spokesman for the U.S. Department of State by President Ronald Reagan. He was the first journalist who had covered the state department to become its spokesperson. Kalb resigned two years later, in objection to the administration reportedly planting false stories about Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, calling it a “disinformation program.” He said, “Faith in the word of America is the pulse beat of our democracy.” Kalb died on January 8 at age 100.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Constantine IIGREEK MONARCHB. 1940 | Constantine II, the last king of Greece who was featured in the April 28, 1967 TIME cover story, died in Athens on January 10 at the age of 82. During World War II, his family fled to South Africa and Egypt, returning in 1946. Constantine’s father, Paul, took the throne in 1947. Prince Constantine won gold at the 1960 Summer Olympics for yachting and later became a member of the International Olympic Committee. He became king of Greece in 1964 during a time of political upheaval—he was forced into exile in 1967 at age 27 and remained in exile for 40 years. The Greek monarchy was abolished in 1973.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Charles KimbroughACTORB. 1936 | Kimbrough, who played the straight-faced anchor of FYI, the fictional news magazine on the hit TV sitcom Murphy Brown from 1988 to 1998, and again in 2018, died on January 11 in Culver City, California. He was 86. For his work on Murphy Brown, he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 1990. In addition to his television and film appearances, Kimbrough appeared on Broadway, including in the 1970 production of Company, Stephen Sondheim’s musical that was nominated for a record 14 Tony Awards, including one for Kimbrough for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Gina LollobrigidaACTORB. 1927 | The Italian actor, artist, and international sex symbol of the 1950s and 1960s died on January 16 in Rome at age 95. Before she did her first U.S. film in 1953, she had appeared in European films for nearly a decade, receiving a Silver Ribbon and a BAFTA nomination. She was the cover subject of the August 16, 1954, issue of TIME, which reported on the Italian movie industry, Lollobrigida’s rise to fame, and the U.S. releases of Beat the Devil and the French-language film Fanfan la Tulipe. In the story, TIME reported, “She is the girl who, according to Humphrey Bogart, ‘makes Marilyn Monroe look like Shirley Temple.’”…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Sal BandoBASEBALL PLAYER & COACHB. 1944 | Third baseman Sal Bando was a three-time World Series winner and a four-time All-Star during his tenure with the Oakland A’s. He played baseball at Arizona State University and was named the College World Series Most Outstanding Player after the Sun Devils won the 1975 College World Series Championship. He went on to play for the A’s when they dominated the American League in the 1970s. He signed with the Milwaukee Brewers for the 1977 season; he became the Brewers’ general manager in 1991. Bando died in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, on January 20. He was 78.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Paco RabanneFASHION DESIGNERB. 1934 | Rabanne, the fashion designer known for his innovative designs that eschewed traditional fabric sewing techniques in favor of plastic and metal constructions, died in Portsall, France, on February 3 at the age of 88. He started as a jewelry designer for big fashion houses, including Dior, Givenchy, and Balenciaga, and made his couture debut in 1966, featuring his signature “space age” designs. His knack for the unconventional also made a mark on the fragrance world—his unique scents Calandre, 1 Million, and Lady Million are still popular today. The designer was also known for his eccentric beliefs, including that he was visited by Jesus and aliens.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Hugh HudsonFILM DIRECTORB. 1936 | English film director Hugh Hudson, best known for directing the 1981 sports drama film Chariots of Fire, died in London on February 10. He was 86. Chariots of Fire was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Hudson for Best Director, and won four: Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Costume Design, and Best Original Score. He also directed the 1984 adventure film Greystoke, the Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes, which received three Oscar nominations. Hudson was an accomplished documentarian and directed successful commercial advertising campaigns as well.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Shoichiro ToyodaAUTO EXECUTIVEB. 1925 | Shoichiro Toyoda, who transformed Toyota into a global brand and made it the world’s largest automaker, died on February 14 at age 97. The son of the company’s founder, Toyoda took the helm during the early 1980s when many Americans feared Japan would eclipse the U.S. in economic power. His careful diplomacy led to an alliance between Toyota and General Motors; they opened a California-based plant in 1984. In 1988, Toyota went on to open its own plant in Kentucky that produced Toyota Camrys. By 2008, Toyota was competing with General Motors and surpassed the American giant in sales.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Stella StevensACTORB. 1938 | Stevens launched her film career in 1959 playing naïve, blonde bombshells but evolved into roles that allowed her to display a wide range of acting abilities on the big screen and TV. In the 1960s, she co-starred alongside Jerry Lewis in The Nutty Professor, Dean Martin in The Silencers, and Elvis Presley in Girls! Girls! Girls! She also had roles in The Courtship of Eddie’s Father and The Poseidon Adventure. Stevens worked as a director, producer, and author as well. She was 84 when she died February 17 in Los Angeles.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Jerry RichardsonNFL EXECUTIVEB. 1936 | Founder of the Carolina Panthers, Richardson died in Charlotte, North Carolina, on March 1 at age 86. Getting his NFL start in 1959 playing for the Baltimore Colts, Richardson left after two seasons to build a career in the restaurant industry, eventually becoming CEO of Flagstar. He worked to establish the Carolina Panthers which debuted as an NFL team in 1995. He was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2000. After allegations of workplace misconduct, Richardson put the team up for sale at the end of the 2017 season. Following an investigation, the NFL fined him $2.75 million.‘It took awhile, but the reckoning over sexual harassment and assault has finally reached the business of pro sports.’TIME, December 18, 2017, on Richardson’s alleged…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Chaim TopolACTORB. 1935 | The actor, most recognized for playing Tevye in the film Fiddler on the Roof, died at home in Israel March 8 at the age of 87. Topol started as a comic, boosting morale in the Israeli army before becoming one of Israel’s most honored actors. He won his first Golden Globe as the lead in the 1964 Israeli film Sallalh Shabati. His Tevye portrayal in the 1971 film earned Topol his second Golden Globe. In 2015, he was awarded the Israel Prize for his acting and charity work. He also performed on Broadway and on stage in London, and starred in movies.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Dick HaleyNFL EXECUTIVEB. 1937 | After playing in the NFL from 1959 to 1964, Haley went on to scout for the Pittsburgh Steelers before moving up in the organization to become the team’s director of personnel from 1971 to 1990. He was often credited with helping draft four future Hall of Famers in 1974, setting the team up to win four Super Bowl championships. He left the Steelers for the New York Jets, staying for 16 seasons, then moving on to the Miami Dolphins before retiring in Florida. Haley was 85 when he died March 10.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Eric Lloyd WrightARCHITECTB. 1929 | From 1948 to 1956, Wright apprenticed with his famed grandfather, architect Frank Lloyd Wright, at Taliesin and Taliesin West, working with him on such projects as New York’s Guggenheim Museum and Monona Terrace in Wisconsin. He eventually moved back to Los Angeles to work with his architect father, Frank Lloyd Wright Jr., who went by Lloyd, until Lloyd’s death in 1978. At that point Eric Lloyd Wright launched his own firm, following in his grandfather’s footsteps to focus on organic architecture and environmentally friendly design. In 1999, he founded the nonprofit Wright Way Organic Resource Center in Malibu, California. He was 93 when he died March 13.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Julie Anne PetersYOUNG-ADULT AUTHORB. 1952 | Peters, whose work included young-adult novels about LGBTQ+ characters, died March 21 at the age of 71 at her home in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. After writing short stories for children’s magazines, she sold her first book, The Stinky Sneakers Contest, in 1992. By 2000 she was writing about more mature topics aimed at young-adult readers. Her book Luna, featuring a transgender teen, was a finalist for a National Book Award in 2004. Peters also wrote novels touching on bullying, discrimination, suicide, and alcoholism, including Define Normal, and Between Mom and Jo.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Ryuichi SakamotoCOMPOSERB. 1952 | Ryuichi Sakamoto, an award-winning composer whose music reflected Eastern and Western cultures, died March 28 at age 71. His band, Yellow Magic Orchestra, became a phenomenon in Japan after creating techno-pop music using electronic synthesizers. His first film score was composed for the 1983 movie Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, in which he also acted with David Bowie. He and his co-composers won an Oscar, Golden Globe, and Grammy for The Last Emperor in 1987. Sakamoto earned a Golden Globe for The Sheltering Sky and wrote the score for The Revenant. He also composed solo albums and wrote music for the 1992 Summer Olympics.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Judith MillerANTIQUE APPRAISERB. 1951 | An eye for distinguishing trash from treasure made Judith Miller a respected appraiser on the BBC hit Antiques Roadshow, which she joined in 2007. She co-founded Miller’s Antique Price Guide, a bible of sorts to collectors, describing thousands of objects and their value. She also wrote a number of other books about such collectibles as costume jewelry, perfume bottles, and art nouveau and authored a novel called Blythe Spirit, published in 1987. Miller died in North London, England on April 8 at the age of 71.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Ahmad JamalJAZZ PIANISTB. 1930 | The award-winning jazz great took to the piano at the age of 3, played professionally as a teen, and was touring by 20. Jamal, whose unique style was a major influence on Miles Davis, earned a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017, and the Kennedy Center’s Living Jazz Legend Award. TIME once wrote, “Ahmad can build his musical ideas with such subtlety that the listener often has the sensation of not knowing where he is being led until the final note is played.” He was 92 when he died April 16 at his home in Ashley Falls, Massachusetts.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Harry BelafonteSINGER, ACTOR, & ACTIVISTB. 1927 | With knockout good looks and a warm, acrobatic voice, Belafonte rose to fame as a matinee idol in the 1950s, becoming one of the few crossover Black stars in a segregated nation. His songs, including “Day-O (Banana Boat Song)” and “Jump in the Line,” brought calypso music to American audiences and became enduring hits, while his powerful screen presence propelled films like Carmen Jones (1954) and Island in the Sun (1957).Belafonte was also a champion of the Civil Rights movement. He raised and personally delivered $70,000 to protestors in Mississippi during their Freedom Summer in 1964, under a blaze of gunshots from the Ku Klux Klan; he became one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s most trusted confidants, serving as a mediator between King and…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Jerry SpringerTABLOID TV HOSTB. 1944 | Host of The Jerry Springer Show, featuring controversial guests with bad behavior, Springer died April 27 in Evanston, Illinois, at the age of 79. Starting out with a law degree from Northwestern University, he focused on politics, winning a seat on Cincinnati’s City Council in the 1970s before being elected mayor, a post he held from 1977 to 1978. He moved into local TV reporting, then became an anchor, winning 10 local Emmys for his work. His national TV talk show kicked off in 1991 and ran 27 seasons before it was cancelled. His autobiography, Ringmaster, was published in 1998.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Gordon LightfootSINGER-SONGWRITERB. 1938 | First making a name for himself in Toronto coffeehouses, singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot earned international fame with the release of “If You Could Read My Mind,” a song that went to No. 1 on the Canadian Singles chart in 1970 and to No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 the following year. He wrote hundreds of songs, most of them ballads touching on heartache and loss, including “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” “Rainy Day People,” and “Sundown.” Lightfoot, who continued performing most of his life, died May 1 in Toronto at the age of 84. His last concert was in Manitoba in 2022.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Jacklyn ZemanACTORB. 1953 | Jacklyn Zeman, the soap-opera star who played the tough-love nurse Bobbie Spencer on ABC’s General Hospital for 45 years, died on May 9 in Thousand Oaks, California. She was 70. As a teen, Zeman moved to New York, attended New York University, and danced and modeled professionally while she studied. Her TV career began just a few years after she worked as a Playboy Bunny at the New York City Playboy Club in 1972. She was nominated for four Daytime Emmy Awards for her work on General Hospital and again for her performances in the streaming series The Bay.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Marlene Bauer HaggeGOLFERB. 1934 | Hagge, pro golfer and one of the 13 founders of the Ladies Professional Golf Association in 1950, died in Rancho Mirage, California, on May 16. At 89, she was the last living LPGA founder. She was named the 1949 Associated Press Athlete of the Year when she was just 15 and went on to win 26 professional tournaments in her career, including the LPGA championship in 1956. In 1999 she was inducted to the LPGA Hall of Fame and was inducted to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2002. Hagge and her sister, Alice Bauer, are often credited with helping to popularize women’s golf.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Lisl SteinerPHOTOGRAPHERB. 1927 | Lisl Steiner, the flamboyant Austrian-American photographer known for her photos of cultural and political figures of the 1950s and 1960s, such as Fidel Castro, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Louis Armstrong, and Richard Nixon, died on June 7 in Pound Ridge, New York. She was 95. As a freelance photographer for TIME, Newsweek, Life, and other iconic publications, Steiner had a knack for connecting with powerful subjects and capturing intimate moments, but she also explored the experiences of everyday children in her series “Children of the Americas.” She was also a documentary filmmaker and artist.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Treat WilliamsACTORB. 1951 | American actor Treat Williams, known for his role as Dr. Andy Brown on the TV show Everwood, died on June 12 in Albany, New York. He was 71. Williams broke into film in the late 1970s, and he was nominated for the 1980 Golden Globe for New Star of the Year for his role as George Berger in the film Hair. He spent the next decades in TV and film, including his portrayal of Danny Ciello, a troubled NYPD narcotics detective in the film Prince of the City, which garnered him a 1981 Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Robert GottliebWRITER & EDITORB. 1931 | Gottlieb started his editing career at Simon & Schuster in 1955; one of his most notable projects was Joseph Heller’s 1961 Catch-22, which TIME placed on its 2010 “All-Time 100 Novels” list. In 1968, he moved to editor-in-chief and eventually president of Knopf. Novels he edited include those by John Cheever, Ray Bradbury, Toni Morrison, Michael Crichton, and more. He also edited nonfiction by Bill Clinton, Katharine Hepburn, and other top names. In 1987, he detoured to take the top job at The New Yorker but returned to book publishing and writing after five years. He died on June 14 in New York City at 92.…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Daniel EllsbergWHISTLEBLOWERB. 1931 | Ellsberg, the former Pentagon analyst who in 1971 gave the New York Times the Pentagon Papers, 47 volumes of documents that exposed how the government had mismanaged the Vietnam War and lied about it, died on June 16 in Kensington, California. He was 92. For his part in the leak, Ellsberg was charged with espionage, but the charges were dropped after it was revealed that the Nixon White House had engaged in illegal evidence-gathering. TIME’s 1971 cover story on the Pentagon Papers noted, “Appeal to a higher morality by an individual or an organization is often necessary—and always dangerous.”…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Passengers of the Titan SubmersibleADVENTURERSThe five people aboard the Titan submersible that went missing on June 18 were confirmed dead on June 22 after debris that indicated that the vessel imploded was found. The group was venturing into the deep sea to tour the Titanic wreckage site. The tragedy—along with the $250,000 per-passenger price tag—put a spotlight on the oft-unregulated extreme tourism trade that is almost exclusively patronized by wealthy clients.American Stockton Rush, 61, was an engineer and the co-founder and CEO of OceanGate Expeditions, the exploration company that owned the submersible. OceanGate suspended all operations a few weeks after the Titan incident.French sub pilot Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, was a diver and leading Titanic expert. Known as “Mr. Titanic,” he made 37 successful trips to the oceanliner’s wreckage during his career as an underwater…1 min
TIME Magazine|TIME In Memoriam 2023Margia DeanACTORB. 1922 | Dean took to the stage at age 7, playing roles including Little Eva in Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Becky Thatcher in Tom Sawyer. Hollywood came calling shortly after Dean was crowned Miss San Francisco and Miss California, launching her B-movie career in 1944 with Casanova in Burlesque. Many of her films were Westerns, sci-fi, or horror, including 1955’s cult classic The Quatermass Xperiment. After leaving acting behind, she produced a few films and a TV pilot. Dean died June 23 at her home in Rancho Cucamonga, California, at the age of 101.…1 min
