Here are the most recent deaths in the national news, as reported at Legacy.com, the third
week of February 2023. Legacy.com is where you can find any obituary,
or publish an obituary in any newspaper in America, and beyond.
Olympic track & field medalist Greg Foster died February 19, 2023. He died following
a long battle with amyloidosis at the age of 64.
He won a silver medal in the 110 meters hurdles in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Foster is also being remembered for winning three consecutive World Championships between
1983 and 1991. He is regarded as one of America’s greatest hurdlers of all time.
Comedian and actor Richard Belzer died February 19, 2023, in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, France. He
died of unspecified health issues at the age of 78.
He is best remembered for playing the cynical and witty detective John Munch for over 20
years, appearing in 10 different TV series—most notably “Homicide: Life on the Street”
and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” Belzer began his professional career in sketch
comedy and stand-up. He is also being remembered as the author of several books about popular
conspiracies and cover-ups. Actress Barbara Bosson died February 18, 2023,
in Los Angeles, at the age of 83. She is best known for her five-time Emmy-nominated
performance as Fay Furillo in the 1980s police drama, “Hill Street Blues.”
Bosson is also being remembered for another Emmy-nominated performance in “Murder One,”
as well as appearances in “L.A. Law” and “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.”
Actor Jansen Panettiere died February 18 or 19, 2023, at his home in Nyack, New York,
at the age of 28. He was the brother of actress Hayden Panettiere,
and appeared on TV shows such as “The Walking Dead” and “Everybody Hates Chris.”
Panettiere is also being remembered for his animation voice work—starring in the Nickelodeon
series “The X’s” and many supporting roles including “Ice Age: The Meltdown.”
Manga and anime creator Leiji Matsumoto died February 13, 2023, in Tokyo. He died of heart
failure at the age of 85. In the 1970s, Matsumoto created three sci-fi
space opera series that shaped the future of anime: “Space Pirate Captain Harlock,”
“Galaxy Express 999,” and most of all, “Space Battleship Yamato,” also known
in the United States as “Star Blazers.” Matsumoto is also being remembered for his
series of animated videos for the French dance music duo, Daft Punk, which were collected
into a feature length movie, “Interstella 5555: The 5story of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem.”
Genetics pioneer Paul Berg died February 15, 2023, in Stanford, California, at the age
of 96. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
in 1980 for his breakthrough work in recombinant DNA, which opened up the new field of genetic
engineering. Berg is also being remembered as an advocate
for scientific freedom. He declined to patent his discoveries, and instead shared information
with other scientists before publication. Composer Gerald Fried died February 17, 2023,
in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He died of pneumonia at the age of 95.
He composed music for many popular TV shows of the 1960s and ‘70s, including “The
Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” “Gilligan’s Island,” and the miniseries “Roots.”
Fried is also being remembered for his work on “Star Trek,” which included the dramatic
Vulcan fight music in the episode “Amok Time,” which has been reused and homaged
in many other movies and TV series. Actress Stella Stevens died February 17, 2023,
in Los Angeles. She died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 84.
She was a popular Hollywood star during the 1960s and ‘70s, appearing in hits like “The
Nutty Professor” and “The Poseidon Adventure.” Stevens is also being remembered for playing
opposite Elvis Presley in “Girls! Girls! Girls!” and Jason Robards in the comedy
western “The Ballad of Cable Hogue.” 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. 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 Florida have been lowered to honor of the memory of former Representative James
Rollins Eddy. Flags in Hawaii have been lowered to honor
of the memory of Danny Kaleikini, widely considered Hawaii’s Ambassador of Aloha to the world.
Flags in Kentucky have been lowered to honor of the memory of two Tennessee National Guard
pilots: Chief Warrant Officer 3 Danny Randolph and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Daniel Wadham.
Flags in Indiana have been lowered to honor of the memory of former Mayor of Lafayette,
Dave Heath Flags in Maryland have been lowered in observance
of Civil Rights Heroes Day. Flags in Pennsylvania have been lowered to
honor of the memory of Temple University Police Officer Christopher Fitzgerald.
Flags in Washington have been lowered to honor of the memory of Washington State Department
of Corrections Correctional Officer Jay Miller. Flags in Missouri have been lowered to honor
of the memory of Kansas City Police Department Officer James M. Muhlbauer and K-9 Champ,
who died in the line of duty. Flags in Wyoming have been lowered to honor
the memory of U.S. Navy Gunner’s Mate Third Class Herman Schmidt, who was killed in action
during the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor. His remains were recently identified.
Flags in Wisconsin have been lowered to honor the memory of former Governor Tony Earl.
This week also marks several notable anniversaries. Twenty-five years ago this week, comedian
Henny Youngman died at the age of 91. He was known for his one-liners, especially: “Take
my wife… please.” Comedian Mitch Hedberg was born 55 years ago
this week. He died in 2005 at the age of 37. His deadpan, non-sequitur humor earned him
a devoted cult following. Actress Diane Varsi was born 85 years ago
this week. She died in 1992 at the age of 54. She was Oscar nominated for her debut
movie performance, in “Peyton Place.” Musician Nina Simone was born 90 years ago
this week. She died in 2003 at the age of 70. She was known for intense performances
of songs including “Mississippi Goddam” and “I Loves You Porgy.”
There are many more celebrity anniversaries this week, and we pay tribute to them our
new Tuesday video series, “Death Anniversaries and Birthdays.”
You can read more about the lives of the people featured in this video on Legacy.com.
You can also follow Legacy.com on Facebook and subscribe to our channel on YouTube to
stay up to date on national news deaths.