Obituaries

Bernard L. Madoff, the con artist behind the largest private Ponzi scheme in history, has died at the age of 82 in federal prison. Madoff bilked thousands of investors, including Steven Spielberg, Fred Wilpon and Kevin Bacon, out of an estimated $65 billion and was convicted in 2009 to 150 years in prison. He defrauded around 37,000 people in 136 countries.

DMX has died after suffering a heart attack at his home on April 2 that left him in a coma for seven days. The multiplatinum-selling rapper and actor was 50 years old.

DMX made his mark as one of hip-hop's most recognizable names for his rap artistry, and as an actor, the rapper was personally stifled by his legal battles - he was repeatedly arrested and jailed within a decade - and drug addiction.

Buckingham Palace announced Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh and Queen Elizabeth II's husband, has died aged 99.

British actor Paul Ritter, who appeared in the “Harry Potter” franchise and played a key figure behind nuclear disaster in “Chernobyl,” has died, his agent said Tuesday. He was 54 and had been suffering from a brain tumour.

Ritter was a regular cast member in productions at Britain’s National Theatre, and his stage roles also included “Art” at London’s Old Vic and Prime Minister John Major in the royal drama “The Audience.” He was nominated for a Tony Award in 2009 for his performance in Alan Ayckbourn’s farce “The Norman Conquests” on Broadway.

Acclaimed comedic actress Jessica Walter has died in her sleep in her New York City home on Wednesday at the age of 80. Walter is known for her roles as Lucille Bluth in 'Arrested Development' and Malory Archer in 'Archer,' among others.

"It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of my beloved mom Jessica," her daughter Brooke Bowman said in a statement. "A working actor for over six decades, her greatest pleasure was bringing joy to others through her storytelling both on screen and off. While her legacy will live on through her body of work, she will also be remembered by many for her wit, class and overall joie de vivre."

American actor and musician George Segal has died of complications from bypass surgery in Santa Rosa, California at the age of 87.

"The family is devastated to announce that this morning George Segal passed away due to complications from bypass surgery," his wife Sonia Segal said in a statement provided by Sony Television.

John Magufuli, the president of Tanzania, died at the age of 61 after not being seen in public for two weeks. The official statement said he died of a heart condition. Tundu Lissu, the opposition leader, previously claimed Magufuli had contracted Coronavirus and aides of Magufuli reportedly also got infected with Coronavirus. Magufuli had been a prominent Coronavirus denier.

Actor Yaphet Kotto, best known for playing a villain in the James Bond movie 'Live and Let Die' and a crew member in the sci-fi movie 'Alien', has died at the age of 81 in the Philippines

Kotto's wife Sinahon Thessa wrote on Facebook: "You played a villain on some of your movies but for me you're a real hero and to a lot of people also."

Dutch engineer and inventor of the cassette tape Lou Ottens has died at the age of 94 on 6 March 2021 in his hometown Duizel, Netherlands. For his entire career, he worked for Philips, where he served as the head of the product development department

Prime Minister of Côte d'Ivoire Hamed Bakayoko died of cancer on Wednesday in a hospital in Freiburg (Germany). He had just turned 56 on March 8th.

President Alassane Ouattara wrote on Twitter: "Our country is in mourning. I am deeply saddened to announce the death of Prime Minister Hamed Bakayoko, Head of Government, Minister of Defense, this Wednesday March 10, 2021, in Germany, as a result of cancer.

French billionaire Olivier Dassault was killed on Sunday in a helicopter crash, a police source said, with President Emmanuel Macron paying tribute to the 69-year old conservative politician.

Olivier, seen as the favourite of founder Marcel, was once considered favoured to succeed Serge at the head of the family holding, but that role went to former Dassault Aviation CEO Charles Edelstenne.

"Great sadness at the news of the sudden passing of Olivier Dassault," Valerie Pecresse, a conservative politician who is president of the Paris region, said on Twitter.

The mayor of Zagreb, Milan Bandić, died unexpectedly at the age of 65 on Sunday night of a heart attack, Croatian media reported. Bandić led the Croatian capital for almost 21 years.

American poet, painter, social activist, and the co-founder of City Lights Booksellers & Publishers Lawrence Ferlinghetti has died at the age of 101 of interstitial lung disease in San Francisco. Lawrence published many of the Beat poets, offered an essential meeting place for the Beats with his City Lights bookstore and was considered a Beat poet as well.

Rush Limbaugh died Wednesday after a battle with cancer. He was 70 years old.

Limbaugh, a conservative media icon who for decades used his perch as the king of talk-radio to shape both the Republican Party and nation's politics, had been diagnosed in February 2020 with advanced lung cancer. He continued to host his show while undergoing treatment, and he told listeners that he remained hopeful he would defeat the disease.

Carlos Menem, 90 years old, has died after battling long-term health problems.

Menem took office in July 1989 and promoted laws to reform the government and the economy after his predecessor, Raúl Alfonsín, resigned in the middle of a deep financial crisis caused by hyperinflation. Menem privatized some companies that had been under state authority until that point and was able to get inflation under control.

Menem left office in 1999 after unsuccessfully trying to modify the constitution to run for a third term. He ran again for the presidency in 2003, obtaining the highest percentage of votes during the first round of elections, but ultimately decided against advancing to the second round.

Chick Corea, a towering jazz pianist with a staggering 23 Grammy Awards who pushed the genre's boundaries and worked alongside Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock, has died Tuesday from a rare form of cancer. Corea was 79.

A prolific record-maker with nearly 90 albums as a leader or co-leader to his credit, Corea racked up a staggering 22 Grammy Awards (and a total of 63 nominations) and three Latin Grammys. He was named a National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Master in 2006.

Controversial Hustler founder and free-speech activist Larry Flynt has died in his sleep surrounded by family at the age of 78, so his manager. Flynn created adult magazine Hustler in 1974 after owning multiple strip-clubs in Ohio. He later was left paraplegic after being shot outside a Georgia courthouse during a trial for obscenity in 1978.

Christopher Plummer, The Sound of Music star, has died at his home in Connecticut, his manager Lou Pitt said in a statement. Elaine Taylor, his wife for 53 years, was by his side.

The actor won an Oscar for Beginners and was nominated for All the Money in the World and The Last Station. He also won two Tonys and two Emmys awards.

Plummer's other memorable roles included portraying newsman Mike Wallace in "The Insider," "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" and providing the voice of the villain in the Pixar animated movie "Up."

An actor and stand-up comedian, Diamond found fame playing Samuel "Screech" Powers for more than a decade on the "Saved by the Bell" franchise, died Monday after a recent cancer diagnosis, according to Diamond's manager, Roger Paul.

The actor was diagnosed with cancer and hospitalized just three weeks ago.

Diamond's "Save by the Bell" costars, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Mario Lopez and Tiffany Thiessen, paid tribute to the late actor on social media.

Tony and Emmy award-winning actor and director Hal Holbrook has died at the age of 95. Holbrook is known for his portrayal of Mark Twain in the self-directed one-man show "Mark Twain Tonight" and his roles in "Into the Wild", "Lincoln" and "All the President's Men".