Dies

Benjamin Zephaniah, the British poet whose work often addressed political injustice, has died aged 65.Zephaniah died in the early hours of Wednesday morning after being diagnosed with a brain tumour eight weeks ago, a post on his Instagram page stated.“Benjamin’s wife was by his side throughout and was with him when he passed,” the post read. “We shared him with the world and we know many will be shocked and saddened by this news. Benjamin was a true pioneer and innovator, he gave the world so much. Through an amazing…

Denny Laine, a founding member of the Moody Blues who later served as Paul McCartney’s right-hand man in Wings, died on Tuesday at age 79. His death was announced on social media by his wife, Elizabeth Hines. “I was at his bedside holding his hand as I played his favorite Christmas songs for him,” she wrote. “My world will never be the same. Denny was an amazingly wonderful person, so loving and sweet to me. He made my days colorful, fun, and full of life — just like him.” The cause of death was interstitial lung…

Denny Laine, the frontman of the Moody Blues who went on to huge success with Paul McCartney in Wings, has died aged 79.He had suffered lung damage caused by interstitial lung disease. “My darling husband passed away peacefully early this morning,” his wife, Elizabeth Hines, wrote on Instagram. “I was at his bedside, holding his hand as I played his favorite Christmas songs for him … My world will never be the same.”Laine was the voice of Go Now, one of the defining ballads of the 1960s, and co-wrote one of the…

Canadian filmmaker Charles Officer, best-known for the urban love story `Nurse.Fighter.Boy,` has died, Deadline reported. The 49-year-old passed away at his Toronto home on Friday following complications after a heart attack, the publication said. Officer had been battling an undisclosed long-term ailment and had undergone a lung transplant in December 2022. He also directed four episodes of `The Porter,` a drama about railway workers from both sides of the Canadian-US border. Along with his longstanding business…

Myles Goodwyn, who fronted the popular Canadian classic rock band April Wine from its formation in 1969 until earlier this year, has died aged 75. His death was announced by his publicist, who did not give the cause but heralded Goodwyn’s “distinctive and immediately recognisable” voice and prolific songwriting.Goodwyn formed the band in Nova Scotia, after suffering the death of his mother to brain cancer as a boy alongside his two brothers. “Four males living under the same roof, but there were never any hugs, never any…

John Nichols died on Wednesday in Taos, New Mexico. He was 83, Deadline reported. He wrote more than a dozen books, including `The Milagro Beanfield War` and `The Sterile Cuckoo,` both of which were adapted into films by renowned directors. `The Milagro Beanfield War` was co-written by Nichols, whose writings frequently dealt with issues of small-town New Mexico and social injustice. It became a 1988 film produced and directed by Robert Redford, focusing on a conflict between largely Latino farmers and local…

Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, an unwavering voice of moderate conservatism and the first woman to serve on the nation’s highest court, died Friday. She was 93. O’Connor died in Phoenix, of complications related to advanced dementia and a respiratory illness, the Supreme Court said in a news release. Chief Justice John Roberts mourned her death. “A daughter of the American Southwest, Sandra Day O’Connor blazed an historic trail as our nation’s first female Justice,” Roberts…

It is a date that should be known by lovers of messy and meaty cheeseburgers everywhere, and especially in Los Angeles.On Aug. 1, 1966, In-N-Out Burger updated its menu to include the item that would arguably become its most celebrated offering — the Double-Double.In-N-Out fans have a pioneering fast-food executive to thank: Robert Lang Sr.In the early days of In-N-Out, which was founded in Baldwin Park in 1948, some diners took to ordering hamburgers with double the meat and cheese. At some point, they were named…

Retired NASA astronaut Mary Cleave, known for her two spaceflights and leadership in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, has died at 76. Her notable achievements include the Magellan Venus mission and numerous NASA awards. (Official NASA portrait of astronaut Mary L. Cleave.) Credit: NASA Mary Cleave, a pioneering NASA astronaut who embarked on two spaceflights and later became the first woman to lead NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, has passed away at 76. She made significant contributions to space exploration,…

Shane MacGowan, the lead singer and songwriter of Celtic punk band The Pogues, who mashed up Irish folk music with raw rock, has died. He was 65. A statement from MacGowan’s family said he died at 3.30 am U.K. time on November 30 after a long illness. On social media, MacGowan’s wife Victoria Mary Clarke paid tribute to him: “Shane will always be the light that I hold before me and the measure of my dreams and the love of my life … I am blessed beyond words to have met him and to have loved him…