Here are the most recent deaths in the national news, as reported at Legacy.com the first
week of March 2024. Legacy.com is where you can find any obituary,
or publish an obituary in any newspaper in America, and beyond.
Football player Craig Roh died February 26, 2024, of colon cancer at the age of 33.
After a standout high school football career in Arizona, he was a star defensive end at
the University of Michigan in the 2010s. Roh is also being remembered for his professional
career with the Carolina Panthers and with Canadian Football League teams like the Winnipeg
Blue Bombers and the BC Lions. Sports reporter Chris Mortensen died March
3, 2024, after fighting throat cancer at the age of 72.
He specialized in football, reporting on the NFL for ESPN for many years on shows like
“SportsCenter” and “Sunday NFL Countdown.” He is being remembered for covering the Super
Bowl for more than 30 years. Mortensen was a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam
War. Baseball player U.L. Washington died March
3, 2024, in Atoka, Oklahoma. He died of cancer at the age of 70.
Best known as a shortstop who helped the Kansas City Royals to their first American League
pennant, he also played for the Montreal Expos and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Washington is being remembered for the ever-present toothpick he carried in the corner of his
mouth. Reality TV personality Garrison Brown died
March 5, 2024, in Flagstaff, Arizona, at the age of 25.
He was one of the stars of the TLC reality show “Sister Wives,” the son of Janelle
and Kody Brown. He is being remembered by the show’s fans
who watched him grow up over its seasons. Brown served in the National Guard.
A note to remember: Sometimes, personal information such as someone's cause of death is not announced
immediately by their family or the authorities. When a cause of death has not been officially
confirmed, we do not report on rumors. Every family has a right to their privacy.
Actress Anne Whitfield died February 15, 2024, at a hospital in Yakima, Washington. She died
after an accident while taking a walk at the age of 85.
She was 15 years old when she landed a prominent supporting role in the classic movie musical
“White Christmas,” playing Susan Waverly. Wakefield is also being remembered for TV
roles in “Days of Our Lives,” “That Girl,” “The Donna Reed Show,” and others.
Politician Brian Mulroney died February 29, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. He died after
a fall in his home at the age of 84. He was prime minister of Canada from 1984
to 1993, representing the Progressive Conservative party.
Mulroney is being remembered for leading Canada as it joined NAFTA.
Politician Ali Hassan Mwinyi died February 29, 2024, at a hospital in Dar es Salaam,
Tanzania. He died of lung cancer at the age of 98.
He was the second president of Tanzania after the country’s independence, serving from
1985 to 1995. Mwinyi is being remembered for bringing a
free market economy to the formerly socialist country, allowing the first computers and
televisions into Tanzania. Filmmaker Paolo Taviani died February 29,
2024, in Rome. He died after a short illness at the age of 92.
Alongside his brother, the late Vittorio Taviani, he directed award-winning classics of Italian
cinema like “Padre Padrone” and “Caesar Must Die.”
Taviani is being remembered as half of one of cinema’s great directorial duos.
Voice actor Mark Dodson died March 2, 2024, in Evansville, Indiana. He died of a heart
attack at the age of 64. He provided the voice of the “Star Wars”
character Salacious Crumb, Jabba the Hutt’s pet in “Return of the Jedi.”
Dodson is also being remembered for voicing many of the Mogwai in “Gremlins” and zombies
in “Day of the Dead.” Baseball player Ed Ott died March 3, 2024,
in Danville, Pennsylvania, at the age of 72. He was a catcher who won a World Series with
the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1979. Ott is also being remembered as a member of
the California Angels and a coach for the Houston Astros.
Football player Andy Russell died February 29, 2024, at the age of 82.
He was a linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1960s and ‘70s, who was named to
their All-Time Team. He is being remembered for helping the Steelers
to victory at Super Bowls IX and X. Russell was a U.S. Army veteran who interrupted
his professional football career to serve. Astronaut Richard Truly died February 27,
2024, in Genesee, Colorado. He died of complications from atypical Parkinson’s disease at the
age of 86. He was a space shuttle pilot who made history
at the helm of Space Shuttle Columbia – his flight was the first time a spacecraft had
ever been reflown into space. He is also being remembered as NASA’s administrator,
the first former astronaut ever to lead the organization.
Truly was a U.S. Navy veteran who served as an aviator and a flight instructor.
Film scholar David Bordwell died February 29, 2024, of degenerative lung disease at
the age of 76. He was a longtime contributor to the Criterion
Collection of films, providing essays and film commentaries.
Bordwell is also being remembered for his acclaimed blog, “Observations on film art,”
and for the foundational film studies textbook he co-wrote with his wife, film theorist Kristin
Thompson. Musician Brit Turner died March 3, 2024, after
fighting glioblastoma at the age of 57. He was the drummer for the country rock band
Blackberry Smoke, whose “Holding All the Roses” was the first independent album to
go to No. 1 on the Billboard country music charts.
Turner is also being remembered for his work with the band to raise hundreds of thousands
of dollars for childhood cancer research after his daughter’s cancer diagnosis and during
his own cancer battle. TV executive Janice Burgess died March 2,
2024, of breast cancer at the age of 72. She created the beloved Nickelodeon musical
series, “The Backyardigans.” Burgess is also being remembered for her work
on children’s TV shows like “Blue’s Clues” and “Winx Club.”
Singer Eleanor Collins died March 3, 2024, at the age of 104.
She was known as Canada’s “First Lady of Jazz,” a pioneering singer who performed
with jazz legends like Dizzy Gillespie and Oscar Peterson.
Collins is being remembered as the first woman and the first Black performer to host her
own national TV series in Canada. Playwright and director Edward Bond died March
3, 2024, in Great Wilbraham, England, at the age of 89.
He was a giant of British theater, known for socially conscious plays like “Saved”
and “Early Morning.” He is also being remembered for such plays
as “Lear,” “The Sea,” and his “War Plays” trilogy of the 1980s.
Bond was a British Army veteran. Architect Antoine Predock died March 2, 2024,
at his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He died of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis at the
age of 87. He designed such notable structures as the
Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the San Diego Padres’ Petco Park, and the Hotel
Santa Fe at Disneyland Paris. Predock is also being remembered for his Southwestern
architecture, designed in harmony with the climate and landscape.
Musician Jim Beard died March 2, 2024, at a New York City hospital. He died of complications
from a sudden illness at the age of 63. He had been Steely Dan’s keyboardist since
2008, touring with the band through earlier this year.
Beard is also being remembered as a Grammy Award-winning jazz keyboardist who performed
and recorded with such musicians as Wayne Shorter, Dizzy Gillespie, and Al Jarreau.
Fashion icon Iris Apfel died March 1, 2024, at her home in Palm Beach, Florida, at the
age of 102. She became famous in her 80s for her bold,
colorful, maximalist style, featuring lots of accessories and her trademark round glasses.
Apfel is being remembered for her zest for life, and for being the oldest person ever
to have a Barbie doll created in their likeness. Singer, comedian, and
actor Steve Lawrence died March 7, 2024, of complications from Alzheimer’s disease at
the age of 88. He and his wife, the late Eydie Gormé, were
the singing duo Steve and Eydie, and their pop song stylings were popular on TV from
the 1950s through ‘70s. He is also being remembered for his performances
in movies like “The Blues Brothers” and “The Lonely Guy,” as well as his many
appearances on “The Carol Burnett Show” and other TV series.
Lawrence was a U.S. Army veteran who served as the official soloist of the U.S. Army Band.
On Monday, March 4, 2024, five people – a couple and their three children – died in
a small plane crash in Nashville. Their names are:
Adam Dotsenko David Dotsenko
Emma Dotsenko Rimma Dotsenko
Victor Dotsenko In addition to featuring current deaths in
the news, Legacy.com also honors the lives and legacies of notable people who died in
the past. Here are some of this week’s anniversaries. Five years ago this week, actor Luke Perry
died at the age of 52. He was a teen heartthrob in “Beverly Hills, 90210” and later starred
as Archie’s dad in “Riverdale.” Eighteen years ago this week, filmmaker and
photographer Gordon Parks died at the age of 93. His groundbreaking films include “Shaft”
and “The Learning Tree.” Twenty years ago this week, actor Paul Winfield
died at the age of 64. He was known for roles in “Sounder,” “Star Trek II: The Wrath
of Khan,” “The Terminator,” and more. Twenty-five years ago this week, singer Dusty
Springfield died at the age of 59. Her beloved hits include “I Only Want to Be with You”
and “Son of a Preacher Man.” Twenty-five years ago this week, baseball
player Joe DiMaggio died at the age of 84. He was a star of the New York Yankees who
still holds the record for the longest hitting streak in baseball, more than 80 years after
he set it. Twenty-five years ago this week, filmmaker
Stanley Kubrick died at the age of 70. His unforgettable films include “2001: A Space
Odyssey,” “Dr. Strangelove,” and “The Shining.”
Thirty years ago this week, actor and comedian John Candy died at the age of 43. He starred
in comedy classics like “Uncle Buck” and “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.”
Singer Mary Wilson was born 80 years ago this week. She died in February 2021 at the age
of 76. She was a founding member of the Supremes, known for Motown hits like “Baby Love”
and “Stop! In the Name of Love.” Actress and singer Barbara McNair was born
90 years ago this week. She died in February 2007 at the age of 72. She starred with Sidney
Poitier in “They Call Me Mister Tibbs!” and performed with Nat King Cole.
Author Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, was born 120 years ago this week. He
died in September 1991 at the age of 87. He was one of the best-loved children’s authors
ever thanks to classics like “The Cat in the Hat” and “Green Eggs and Ham.”
Every week in the United States, flags are lowered to half-staff to honor the lives
of Americans whose communities are mourning their loss. Here are the most recent half-staff memorial flag honors.
Flags in Washington have been lowered to honor the memory of U.S. Marine Corps Lance Corporal
Donovan Davis. Flags in Michigan have been lowered to honor
the memory of U.S. Marine Corps Captain Miguel Nava.
Flags in Virginia have been lowered to honor the memory of Sterling Volunteer Firefighter
Trevor Brown, who died in the line of duty. Flags in Wyoming have been lowered to honor
the memory of former state representative Pat O’Toole.
Flags in Texas have been lowered to honor the memory of Fritch Fire Chief Zeb Smith,
who died in the line of duty. You can read more about the lives of the people
featured in this video on Legacy.com. At Legacy.com, ANY family can publish an obituary
in honor of a loved one’s memory, online and in local newspapers everywhere. Just visit
Legacy.com and select your local community. You can also follow Legacy.com on Facebook
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