Here are the most recent deaths in the national news, as reported at Legacy.com, the fourth
week of August 2023. Legacy.com is where you can find any obituary,
or publish an obituary in any newspaper in America, and beyond.
Singer and songwriter August 08 died August 28, 2023, at the age of 31.
His R&B singles included “Funeral,” “Simple Pleasures,” and “Bruises.”
Born Ray Jacobs, August 08 is also being remembered for cowriting songs made famous by such artists
as DJ Khaled and Wale. A note to remember: Sometimes, personal information
such as someone's cause of death is not announced immediately, or publicly at all, by their
family or the authorities. Every family has a right to their privacy.
Actress Hersha Parady died August 23, 2023, at her son’s home in Norfolk, Virginia.
She died after fighting a brain tumor at the age of 78.
She was best known for her role on the TV classic “Little House on the Prairie,”
playing schoolteacher Alice Garvey. Parady is also being remembered for appearances
on such TV shows as “The Waltons” and “Kenan & Kel.”
Astronaut Karol Bobko died August 17, 2023, in Half Moon Bay, California. He died of complications
from an unspecified degenerative disease of the nervous system at the age of 85.
He was the first pilot of two space shuttles: the Challenger, in 1983, and the Atlantis,
in 1985. He is also being remembered as the first astronaut
to fly three different space shuttle missions. Bobko was a U.S. Air Force veteran.
Musician Bernie Marsden died August 24, 2023, of bacterial meningitis at the age of 72.
He was a founding guitarist for the hard rock band Whitesnake.
Marsden is being remembered for cowriting songs like “Fool for Your Loving” and
the No. 1 hit “Here I Go Again.” Figure skater Alexandra Paul died August 22,
2023, in Melancthon, Ontario, Canada. She died of injuries sustained in a car accident
at the age of 31. She represented Canada in the 2014 Olympic
Games, skating alongside her future husband, Mitchell Islam.
Paul is being remembered as a three-time Canadian national bronze medalist.
Conservative activist Samuel Wurzelbacher died August 27, 2023, after fighting pancreatic
cancer at the age of 49. He became better known as Joe the Plumber
during the 2008 election season, when he questioned future President Barack Obama about how his
tax plan would affect small business owners. He is being remembered for continuing to speak
out about his conservative beliefs. Wurzelbacher was a U.S. Air Force veteran.
Politician Don Sundquist died August 27, 2023, in Collierville, Tennessee. He died after
surgery and a short illness at the age of 87.
He was a two-term Republican governor of Tennessee in the 1990s and 2000s.
He is also being remembered for serving in the U.S. House of Representatives for 12 years
prior to his governorship. Sundquist was a U.S. Navy veteran who served
in the 1950s and ‘60s. Baseball player, coach, and manager Pat Corrales
died August 27, 2023, in Big Canoe, Georgia. He died of natural causes at the age of 82.
He was a catcher in the 1960s and ‘70s for such teams as the Philadelphia Phillies and
Cincinnati Reds. Corrales is being remembered for his later
career as a coach and manager for teams like the Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers. He was
the first Mexican American manager of a Major League Baseball team.
Football coach Rich Stubler died August 27, 2023, at the age of 74.
He was a longtime coach in the Canadian Football League, where he helped lead teams like the
Toronto Argonauts and Calgary Stampeders to Grey Cup victories.
Stubler is being remembered for his deep knowledge of the defensive game.
Playwright Tina Howe died August 28, 2023, at a hospital in New York City. She died of
complications from a broken hip at the age of 85.
Her play “Coastal Disturbances” was nominated for a Tony Award.
Howe is also being remembered for such plays as “Painting Churches” and “Pride’s
Crossing,” both Pulitzer Prize nominees. Musician Jack Sonni died August 30, 2023,
at the age of 68. He played guitar with Dire Straits during
their chart-topping “Brothers in Arms” era.
Sonni is also being remembered for performing with the Dire Straits Legacy project and with
his own band, the Leisure Class. Sportscaster Tony Roberts died August 26,
2023, at the age of 94. He was the longtime play-by-play announcer
for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team.
Roberts is being remembered as a National Radio Hall of Famer who also covered the Olympics,
golf, and other sporting events. Actress Arleen Sorkin died August 24, 2023,
of multiple sclerosis at the age of 67. She was the inspiration for the DC Comics
character Harley Quinn, as well as the first actress to voice the character when she was
introduced on “Batman: The Animated Series.” Sorkin is also being remembered for her performance
on “Days of Our Lives” as the offbeat, funny Calliope Jones.
Game show host Bob Barker died August 26, 2023, at his home in Los Angeles at the age
of 99. He was the longtime host of “The Price Is
Right,” handing out hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of prizes in games like
Plinko, Cliff Hangers, and the Showcase Showdown. He is being remembered as a devoted advocate
of animal welfare, who educated the public about spaying and neutering their pets.
Barker was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II.
Three U.S. Marines were killed on August 27, 2023, when a Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey aircraft
crashed during training exercises in Australia. Their names are:
Corporal Spencer R. Collart Captain Eleanor V. LeBeau
Major Tobin J. Lewis Three people were killed on August 26, 2023,
in a shooting at a Dollar General in Jacksonville, Florida. Their names are:
Angela Michelle Carr Jerrald De’Shaun Gallion
Anolt Joseph “AJ” Laguerre Jr. 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. Three years ago this week, actor Chadwick
Boseman died at the age of 43. He became a Marvel superstar when he portrayed Black Panther,
and he also starred in such moves as “Get on Up” and “42.”
Fifteen years ago this week, musician and actor Jerry Reed died at the age of 71. His
country music hits included “Amos Moses,” When You’re Hot, You’re Hot,” and “East
Bound and Down,” and he starred in “Smokey and the Bandit.”
Twenty years ago this week, actor Charles Bronson died at the age of 81. He was an action
hero known for starring in movies like “Machine-Gun Kelly,” “The Great Escape,” and “Once
Upon a Time in the West.” Twenty-six years ago this week, Diana, Princess
of Wales died at the age of 36. She was called the People’s Princess, beloved for her charitable
work, iconic fashion sense, and compassion. Thirty-three years ago this week, musician
Stevie Ray Vaughan died at the age of 35. He was a blues guitar legend known for hits
like “Crossfire” and “Pride and Joy.” Actress Roxie Roker was born 94 years ago
this week. She died in 1995 at the age of 66. She was a sitcom star on “The Jeffersons,”
half of the first interracial couple on primetime TV, and she was the mother of musician Lenny
Kravitz and grandmother of actress Zoe Kravitz. Musician Dinah Washington was born 99 years
ago this week. She died in 1963 at the age of 39. She was called the Queen of the Blues,
with hits like “Teach Me Tonight” and “What a Diff’rence a Day Makes.”
Boxer Rocky Marciano was born 100 years ago this week. He died in 1969, 54 years ago this
week, at the age of 45. He was the only heavyweight champion in history to finish his career undefeated.
Actor and filmmaker Richard Attenborough was born 100 years ago this week. He died in 2014
at the age of 90. He starred in “Jurassic Park” and won two Academy Awards as the
director of “Gandhi.” Actress Ingrid Bergman was born 108 years
ago this week. She died in 1982, 41 years ago this week, on her 67th birthday. She was
a star of the Golden Age of Hollywood, known for such films as “Casablanca,” “Gaslight,”
and “Joan of Arc.” 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 Tennessee have been lowered to honor the memory of Tennessee’s 47th Governor
Don Sundquist. Flags in Pennsylvania have been lowered to
honor the memory of Lower Saucon Township firefighter John Kalynych, who died in the
line of duty. Flags in Delaware, Ohio, Kentucky, Maryland,
and Utah have been lowered in recognition of International Overdose Awareness Day.
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.
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