Jimmy Carter served just one term as the 39th President of the U.S.A., but his public service started long before his White House stay and continued to the end of his long life. He has died aged 100. Jimmy Carter often described himself as a Georgia peanut farmer. He was born in 1924 on the … Continue reading “A President Passes”
Chita Rivera, a Broadway icon, has died age 91. Her first major role was originating the character of Anita in the original stage production of West Side Story in 1957. She was born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero in Washington, D.C., in 1993 to a Puerto Rican father and a mother with Scottish-Irish origins. (Not … Continue reading “West Side Story Legend Dies”
We were very sad to hear of the sudden death of Benjamin Zephaniah, one of Britain’s most popular poets. Benjamin Zephaniah said the art of poetry, and of life, is in how you look at things. Perhaps not surprising for a man of many faces: a dyslexic who left school at 13, who became a … Continue reading “Dub Poet: Benjamin Zephaniah”
The Bahamian-American actor Sidney Poitier who died on January 6, 2022 at age of 94, was the first Black person to win the best actor Oscar in 1964. He was also a humanitarian who was active during the civil rights movement. Poitier was the youngest of seven children of Bahamian tomato farmers. They used to bring … Continue reading “Sidney Poitier: Death of a Legend”
Millie Small’s global hit song “My Boy Lollipop” was one of most visible manifestations of the influence of Caribbean migrants’ music on the British music scene. The Jamaican singer has died at the age of 73. Small started her music career in Jamaica, before Island Records founder Chris Blackwell became her manager and took her … Continue reading “Our Girl Lollipop”
The mathematician Katherine Johnson has died at the age of 101. Her calculations were vital many NASA space missions. She was one of the “Hidden Figures” brought into the spotlight by the 2016 book and film. Hidden Figures told the true story of a team of female mathematicians who worked in NASA during the early … Continue reading “Katherine Johnson Human Calculator Dies”
Kobe Bryant was a hero to basketball fans in the U.S.A. and around the world. They were devastated to learn about the former NBA star’s death in a helicopter crash on 26 January, along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others. Her coaches said Gianna, the second-oldest of Bryant’s four daughters, was destined to … Continue reading “NBA Giant”
South African singer, musician, dancer and activist Johnny Clegg has died at the age of 66. His music was an influential part of his participation in the anti-Apartheid campaign. His songs “Asimbonanga” and “Scatterlings of Africa” took his message of protest but also of unity around the world. Johnny Clegg was born in England. His … Continue reading “Singing for Freedom”
The Marvel-verse of superheroes are orphans. The man who created some of the most enduring characters in popular culture has died at age 95. Stan Lee co-created Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, Daredevil and the Fantastic Four: superheroes with a good dose of human frailty. Stanley Lieber was born in Manhattan in 1922, the son … Continue reading “Marvel Superheroes Creator Stan Lee Dies”
Philip Roth, one of the most admired American novelists, has died at the age of 85. In more than 30 novels, Roth fascinated and scandalised his home country. Roth won accolades for his work from the outset, winning the National Book Award for his first book, the collection of short stories Goodbye Columbus (1959). The … Continue reading “Novelist Philip Roth Dies”