Here are the most recent deaths in the national news, as reported at Legacy.com, the first
week of July 2023. Legacy.com is where you can find any obituary,
or publish an obituary in any newspaper in America, and beyond.
Singer Vicki Anderson died July 3, 2023, at the age of 83.
She was a member of the James Brown Revue in the 1960s and ‘70s, the lead female vocalist
backing the Godfather of Soul. Anderson is also being remembered for her
solo career, with singles such as “The Message from the Soul Sisters.”
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. Actor Alan Arkin died June 29, 2023, at his
home in Carlsbad, California. He died of heart problems at the age of 89.
He won an Academy Award for his supporting performance in “Little Miss Sunshine.”
Arkin is being remembered for his performances in more than 80 movies, including “Wait
Until Dark,” “The In-Laws,” “Glengarry Glen Ross,” and “Argo.”
Professional wrestler Darren Drozdov died June 30, 2023, in Pomona, New Jersey. He died
of natural causes at the age of 54. Known as “Droz,” he was a rising star
of the WWE in the 1990s before a tragic accident in the ring left him paralyzed.
Drozdov is also being remembered for his brief NFL career, as well as for his work as a wrestling
commentator after his accident. Educator Christine King-Farris died June 29,
2023, at the age of 95. She was the older sister of the Rev. Martin
Luther King Jr., and she worked with him in the struggle for civil rights.
Farris is also being remembered as a longtime professor of education at Spelman College.
Veteran Raymond Cassagnol died June 24, 2023, at his home in Florida at the age of 102.
He was one of the first to join Haiti’s Air Corps when it was established during World
War II. After initially working as a mechanic, he
came to the U.S. to train with the celebrated Tuskegee Airmen, where he learned to fly.
Cassagnol is being remembered for helping keep the Allies safe during the war by patrolling
the waters of the Caribbean for Axis submarines. TV host and sex educator Sue Johanson died
June 28, 2023, at a long-term care facility in Thornhill, Ontario at the age of 93.
She hosted the Canadian TV show “Sunday Night Sex Show,” educating generations about
sex and relationships. Johanson is being remembered for her funny,
no-nonsense style, showcased on late-night TV as well as on her own program.
Bodybuilder Jo Lindner died June 30, 2023, in Thailand. He died of an aneurysm at the
age of 30. He was known for his Joesthetics channels
on YouTube, Instagram, and other social media. Lindner is being remembered for sharing fitness
tips and personal experiences with the bodybuilding lifestyle.
Singer Anita Wood Brewer died June 29, 2023, at a hospital in Jackson, Mississippi. She
died of pneumonia at the age of 85. She was Elvis Presley’s girlfriend for several
years in the 1950s and ‘60s before he began his relationship with his future wife.
Brewer is also being remembered for her singing career, when she recorded songs such as “I’ll
Wait Forever” and “I Can’t Show How I Feel.”
Activist Lilli Vincenz died June 27, 2023, at an assisted living facility in Oakton,
Virginia. She died of natural causes at the age of 85.
She was a part of the first ever protest for gay rights in front of the White House, in
1965. She is being remembered for a lifetime of
activism and work on behalf of the LGBTQIA+ community, including co-founding the Gay Blade
newspaper, now known as the Washington Blade. Vincenz was a veteran of the Women’s Army
Corps. Actress Meg Johnson died July 1, 2023, at
her home in Rochdale, England. She died after fighting dementia at the age of 86.
She played Pearl Ladderbanks in the popular British soap opera “Emmerdale.”
Johnson is also being remembered for her performances in the soap operas “Coronation Street”
and “Brookside.” Martial artist Jimmy Kim died June 23, 2023,
at a hospital in San Diego. He died of dermatomyositis at the age of 56.
He won a gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics, the first year that taekwondo was included
as an Olympic sport. Kim is also being remembered as a teacher
of taekwondo who coached fellow Olympians. Entrepreneur David Gilmour died June 11, 2023,
in New York City. He died of cardiac arrest at the age of 91.
He was the founder of Fiji Water, bottled from an aquifer on Fiji’s largest island,
Viti Levu. Gilmour is also being remembered for the luxury
resort he built on Wakaya, his private island in Fiji.
Dr. Susan Love died July 2, 2023, in Los Angeles. She died of leukemia at the age of 75.
She was an influential breast cancer researcher who transformed the way the disease is researched,
diagnosed, and treated. Love is being remembered for saving countless
lives with her work, as well as for writing the groundbreaking “Dr. Susan’s Breast
Book.” Disc jockey Dick Biondi died June 26, 2023,
at the age of 90. He was a legend of Chicago radio who played
hits and oldies for decades. Biondi is being remembered as the first radio
DJ to play the Beatles in the U.S., having played “Please Please Me” on Chicago’s
WLS in February 1963. World War II veteran Léon Gautier died July
3, 2023, in Caen, France, at the age of 100. He joined the French Navy during World War
II, initially fighting in Africa and the Middle East.
On D-Day, he was one of 177 French commandos who landed at Normandy as part of the famed
invasion. He was the last of those commandos to survive.
Gautier is being remembered for later campaigning for peace, speaking out against the brutality
of war. Musician George Tickner died July 5, 2023,
at the age of 76. He was the founding rhythm guitarist for Journey,
playing on their first album before leaving the band to attend medical school.
Tickner is being remembered for co-writing songs on Journey’s first three albums, including
“Of a Lifetime” and “You’re on Your Own.”
Singer and actress Coco Lee died July 5, 2023, at a hospital in Hong Kong. She died by suicide
at the age of 48. She was the voice of Fa Mulan in the Mandarin
version of Disney’s animated “Mulan.” Lee is also being remembered as the first
Chinese American to perform at the Oscars, singing “A Love Before Time” from “Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon” at the 2001 awards ceremony.
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.
Twenty years ago this week, singer and songwriter Barry White died at the age of 58. He was
known for hits like “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe” and “You’re the
First, the Last, My Everything.” Twenty years ago this week, actor Buddy Ebsen
died at the age of 95. He was a TV star on “The Beverly Hillbillies” and “Barnaby
Jones.” Twenty-five years ago this week, actor and
singer Roy Rogers died at the age of 86. He was the “King of the Cowboys,” beloved
for his television show, dozens of films, and the signature song “Happy Trails.”
Thirty years ago this week, actor Fred Gwynne died at the age of 66. He was TV’s Herman
Munster, as well as a star in “Car 54, Where Are You?” and in movies such as “Pet Sematary”
and “My Cousin Vinny.” Fifty years ago this week, actress Veronica
Lake died at the age of 50. She was one of the great femme fatales of film noir, starring
in movies like “The Blue Dahlia” and “This Gun for Hire.”
Fifty years ago this week, actress Betty Grable died at the age of 56. She was the top pin-up
girl of World War II and starred in such movies as “Down Argentine Way” and “How to
Marry a Millionaire.” Diana, Princess of Wales, was born 62 years
ago this week. She died in 1997 at the age of 36. She was beloved across the world for
her sense of style and her activism dedicated to AIDS awareness and removal of landmines.
Actress and singer Della Reese was born 92 years ago this week. She died in 2017 at the
age of 86. She starred on TV in “Touched by an Angel” and had hit songs like “Don’t
You Know?’ Actress Janet Leigh was born 96 years ago
this week. She died in 2004 at the age of 77. She was a screen legend for the Hitchcock
film “Psycho” and starred in such movies as “Bye Bye Birdie” and “The Manchurian
Candidate.” Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall was
born 115 years ago this week. He died in 1993 at the age of 84. A prominent civil rights
lawyer, he made history as the first Black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.
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 Ohio have been lowered to honor the
memory of South Richland Fire Chief Hal Matthew "Matt" Hanenkrath, who died in the line of
duty. Flags in Arizona have been lowered to honor
the memory of the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots who lost their lives protecting fellow Arizonans
from the Yarnell Hill Fire in 2013. Flags in New York have been lowered to honor
the memory of U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Kory Wade.
Flags in Indiana have been lowered to honor the memory of State Trooper Aaron 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
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