Obituaries

FILE - In this Jan. 13, 2020 file photo, Patrick Stewart attends the LA Premiere of "Star Trek: Picard," in Los Angeles. The award-winning actor best known as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard of "Star Trek" has a deal with Gallery Books for a "revealing and heartwarming look" into his life and times, the publisher announced Tuesday, June 30. A title and release date will be determined later. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)

Patrick Stewart, stage giant also of ‘Star Trek’ and ‘X-Men’ fame, dies at 86

By Mark Kennedy

October 29, 2026 at 3:15 p.m.

Patrick Stewart, the classically trained stage actor who scaled the Shakespearean canon and added gravitas...

Lawrence Wyllie arrives for his arraignment on federal fraud charges at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in Chicago Sept. 27, 2017. Wyllie led the Lincoln-Way high school district for more than two decades. (José M. Osorio/baiduhai)

Lawrence Wyllie, indicted former Lincoln-Way superintendent, dies

By Gregory Royal Pratt

October 29, 2026 at 3:19 p.m.

Lawrence Wyllie, a former Lincoln-Way High School District 210 who faced federal indictment alleging financial...

Kevin Bleyer arrives at the 65th Primetime Emmys Writers Nominee Reception in 2013.

Kevin Bleyer, ‘Daily Show’ and Obama writer, killed in car crash

By Brian Niemietz

October 29, 2026 at 8:20 a.m.

Emmy Award winning "Daily Show" writer Kevin Bleyer, 54, died in a car crash Sunday....

FILE – Shelley Fabares, left, poses for a group photo with other Screen Actors Guild Awards committee members, from left, Paul Napier, Chairwoman JoBeth Williams, Vice Chair Daryl Anderson and Scott Bakula during a tasting of the proposed menu and alternatives for the SAG Awards by Lucques Catering, Sept. 29. 2009, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File)

Shelley Fabares, ‘Johnny Angel’ singer and actor in ‘The Donna Reed Show’ and ‘Coach,’ dies at 82

By Lindsey Bahr

August 24, 2026 at 8:54 p.m.

Shelley Fabares, an actor who was a fixture on television for decades from her days...

FILE – Former Sen. Nancy Kassebaum Baker, R-Kansas, looks to the stage during, “A Century of Service,” honoring former Senate Majority Leaders Bob Dole and Howard Baker, her husband, at Mellon Auditorium, March 21, 2012, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

Nancy Kassebaum Baker, former US senator from Kansas, dies at 94

By John Hanna

August 23, 2026 at 1:30 p.m.

Nancy Kassebaum Baker died Friday of natural causes, according to her son, Bill Kassebaum.

The Rev. Maurice Kissane (Archdiocese of Chicago)

Rev. Maurice J. Kissane, former Oak Lawn, La Grange and Riverdale pastor, dies at 88

By Evy Lewis

August 21, 2026 at 2:52 p.m.

The Rev. Maurice J. Kissane, an Oak Park native and pastor emeritus of Queen of...

FILE — Nancy Kissinger, the wife of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, arrives to Manhattan Criminal Court in New York on May 6, 2009. Kissinger, the wife of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who shared his whirlwind life of international diplomacy — and then of tarnished celebrity, as a controversial elder statesman — for half a century, died on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, at her home in South Kent, Conn. She was 92. (John Marshall Mantel/The New York Times)

Nancy Kissinger, wife of former secretary of state, dies at 92

By Robert D. Mcfadden

August 20, 2026 at 7:04 p.m.

Nancy Kissinger, the wife of former Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger, who shared his...

Longtime basketball coach Ken Johnson, who took Hinsdale Central and Stevenson downstate, has died at 81. (Johnson family photo)

Ken Johnson, a longtime suburban boys basketball coach, dies at 81

By Mike McGraw

August 20, 2026 at 6:42 p.m.

Ken Johnson could be described as mild-mannered, unassuming, small in stature. At the same time,...

Dusty Hill, from left, Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard of ZZ Top appear at the "American Idol" finale in Los Angeles on May 21, 2008. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

Frank Beard, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame drummer of rock trio ZZ Top, dies at 77

By Mark Kennedy

August 18, 2026 at 4:15 p.m.

Frank Beard, the drummer for the Texas boogie-rock trio ZZ Top who kept the tempo...

ESPN co-founder Bill Rasmussen tosses a ball before a game between the Red Sox and Yankees on Sept. 8, 2019, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

ESPN co-founder Bill Rasmussen dies at 93 from the effects of Parkinson’s disease

By Associated Press

August 18, 2026 at 3:38 p.m.

Rasmussen and his son Scott came up with the idea of a network carrying sports...

This image provided by The Kristen Ann Carr Fund shows Dave Marsh speaking at the KACF “A Night to Remember” event at the Tribeca Grill in New York, April 20, 2013. (Marc Levine/The Kristen Ann Carr Fund via AP)

Bruce Springsteen biographer and music critic Dave Marsh dies at 76

By Lindsey Bahr

August 18, 2026 at 2:30 p.m.

Dave Marsh, a longtime music critic who wrote several influential books about Bruce Springsteen, including...

FILE – Hayden Panettiere arrives at the premiere of “Blonde,” on Sept. 13, 2022, at TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

Hayden Panettiere, who starred in the television series ‘Heroes’ and ‘Nashville,’ dies at 36

By Hannah Schoenbaum

August 17, 2026 at 5:57 a.m.

Hayden Panettiere, star of popular television series including “Heroes” and “Nashville,” has died. She was...

FILE – Los Angeles Dodgers former pitcher Tommy John praises his late friend, Dr. Frank Jobe during a memorial service at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, April 7, 2014. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

Former Chicago White Sox All-Star Tommy John, the pioneering elbow surgery namesake, dead at 83

By Beth Harris

August 16, 2026 at 2:27 p.m.

Tommy John is survived by family members including son-in-law Patrick Mannelly, a retired NFL long...

News Obituaries