San Francisco

Gerd Stern (1928–2025), Beat Generation multimedia artist

Gerd Stern was an influential poet and multimedia artist of the Beat era, as well as the co-founder of the 1960s art collective, USCO. 

Charles Phan (1962–2025), influential Vietnamese chef 

Charles Phan was a Vietnamese chef whose restaurant, The Slanted Door, and cookbooks helped spark a nationwide appreciation of his country's cuisine.

Rickey Henderson (1958–2024), MLB’s all-time stolen base leader

Rickey Henderson was a Major League Baseball Hall of Famer who still holds the records for most runs and most stolen bases more than 20 years after his retirement.

Zakir Hussain (1951–2024), renowned Indian tabla player

Zakir Hussain was an icon of Indian classical music and world fusion, widely considered one of the world’s greatest tabla players.

Kabir Singh (1984–2024), stand-up comedian

Kabir Singh was a stand-up comedian who came to national attention when he earned his way to the semi-finals in season 16 of “America’s Got Talent.” 

Linda LaFlamme (1939–2024), keyboardist, co-writer of White Bird

Linda LaFlamme was a musician and founding member of It’s a Beautiful Day, the San Francisco band with which she performed the 1960s anthem, “White Bird.”

Philip G. Zimbardo (1933–2024), Stanford Prison Experiment researcher

Philip G. Zimbardo was a psychologist, professor and author best known as the researcher who created and administered the Stanford Prison Experiment. 

Steve Silberman (1957–2024), science writer and autism activist

Steve Silberman was an acclaimed author known for his award-winning science writing, musings on the music of the Grateful Dead, and acclaimed advocacy for the autistic and neurodivergent community. 

Alvin Attles (1936–2024), Golden State Warriors Hall of Famer 

Alvin Attles was a longtime NBA player, coach, executive and basketball Hall of Famer who spent more than 60 years with the Golden State Warriors.

Afa Anoa’i (1942–2024), one half of the WWF’s Wild Samoans

Afa Anoa’i was a professional wrestler, manager, and promoter who was one half of the famed WWF duo The Wild Samoans and the uncle of WWE champion Roman Reigns.

Lewis H. Lapham (1935–2024), longtime editor of Harper's Magazine

Lewis H. Lapham was a writer and editor best known for his long tenure as editor of Harper's Magazine, as well as for his own publication, Lapham’s Quarterly.0

Cheng Pei-Pei (1946–2024), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon star

Cheng Pei-Pei was a Chinese-born actress and martial artist best known for her performances in “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Come Drink with Me.” 

Willie Mays (1931–2024), all-time baseball legend

Willie Mays was a legendary MLB outfielder who played most of his career for the New York/San Francisco Giants. He was often called the greatest baseball player of all time.

Rev. Cecil Williams (1929–2024), San Francisco pastor and humanitarian

Rev. Cecil Williams was the pastor of Glide Church in San Francisco for 60 years, turning it from a small congregation to San Francisco’s largest social services provider, one years ahead of its time in welcoming LGBTQ members.

Trina Robbins (1938–2024), pioneering cartoonist and comics historian

Trina Robbins was a pioneering cartoonist who was among the first female artists of the underground comix movement, who later became a noted comics historian.

Arno A. Penzias (1933–2024), Nobel winner for Big Bang theory 

Arno A. Penzias was a scientist who shared the 1978 Nobel Prize in Physics for discoveries that helped prove the Big Bang theory. 

Dusty Street (1946–2023), pioneering female rock DJ 

Dusty Street was one of the first women to work as a rock and roll DJ, most famously at Los Angeles’ KROQ-FM.

Dianne Feinstein (1933–2023), U.S. senator from California

Dianne Feinstein was a Democratic U.S. senator from California, who served six terms in Congress from 1992 to her death.

Vida Blue (1949–2023), Cy Young Award-winning pitcher

Vida Blue was a pitcher for the Oakland Athletics’ who helped lead the team to three consecutive World Series championships in the 1970s, winning the American League Cy Young and Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards in the process.

Raghavan Iyer (1961–2023), chef who brought Indian cooking to the U.S.

Raghavan Iyer was a chef who helped popularize cooking the cuisines of his native India in the U.S.

Jeffrey “JV” Vandergrift (1968–2023), longtime radio host of the Dog House

Jeffrey “JV” Vandergrift was a DJ who hosted the Dog House radio show since 1993.

Freddie Roulette (1939–2022), blues lap steel guitarist

Freddie Roulette was a blues musician known for his unusual use of the Hawaiian lap steel guitar.

John Jay Osborn Jr. (1945–2022), “The Paper Chase” author

John Jay Osborn Jr. was a lawyer and author who wrote the best-selling novel “The Paper Chase.”

Maurice Kanbar (1929–2022), creator of Skyy Vodka and the sweater defuzzer

Maurice Kanbar was an inventor and entrepreneur whose creations included Skyy Vodka and the D-Fuzz-It device for sweaters.

Charles Siebert (1938–2022), “Trapper John, M.D.” star

Charles Siebert was an actor and director who starred as Dr. Stanley Riverside II on “Trapper John, M.D.”

Anna Halprin (1920–2021), pioneering choreographer who used dance to heal

Anna Halprin was a choreographer known for her experimental postmodern dance style, as well as for using dance as a healing tool.

Lawrence Ferlinghetti (1919–2021), poet who owned City Lights bookstore

Lawrence Ferlinghetti was a poet who co-founded and owned the famed City Lights bookstore in San Francisco and championed Beat poets including .

Tony Hsieh (1973–2020), longtime Zappos CEO

Tony Hsieh was the longtime CEO of Zappos, who built the online shoe retailer into a billion-dollar business.

Cecilia Chiang (1920–2020), restaurateur who brought authentic Chinese cuisine to the U.S.

Cecilia Chiang was a restaurateur whose San Francisco restaurant, the Mandarin, introduced a more authentic style of Chinese food to U.S. diners.

Diane di Prima (1934–2020), feminist Beat poet

Diane di Prima was a poet of the Beat Generation, one of the last surviving members of that famed group of poets.

Ruth Weiss (1928–2020), pioneering female beat poet

Ruth Weiss was a pioneering female poet of the Beat Generation and one of the first people to perform jazz poetry. 

Jesse Freitas Sr. (1921–2020), quarterback for San Francisco 49ers’ first team

Jesse Freitas, Sr. was a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers’ inaugural team in 1946.

Phyllis Lyon (1924–2020), pioneering LGBTQ rights activist

Phyllis Lyon was a longtime LGBTQ rights activist who had one of California’s first same-sex weddings in 2004 when she married her partner of more than 50 years, .

Mal Sharpe (1936–2020), pioneering radio prankster

Mal Sharpe  was the pioneering radio comic known for “The Man on the Street” pranks. In the early 1960s, Sharpe teamed with Jim Coyle to go out in the street in San Francisco and prank unsuspecting people with unusual interview questions. After fooling someone with their bizarre inquiries, they would reveal the joke. The pair had a show on radio station KGO. After the duo filmed a TV pilot in 1965, Coyle mysteriously left show business. Sharpe continued to do some radio work and formed a jazz band in which he played trombone.  

Bonnie MacLean (1939–2020), pioneering rock poster artist

Bonnie MacLean was a poster artist who created swirling, psychedelic imagery in her concert posters for San Francisco’s Fillmore Auditorium. One of the only women working as a rock poster artist, MacLean was the Fillmore’s in-house artist from 1967 to 1971, creating posters for concerts including the Doors, the Yardbirds, Pink Floyd, and Cream. Some of her posters are worth thousands of dollars to collectors. MacLean was married to Bill Graham, the Fillmore’s concert promoter, during the 1960s and ‘70s.

Wes Wilson (1937–2020), leading 1960s rock concert poster artist

Wes Wilson was a pioneering rock concert poster artist who created posters for leading 1960s San Francisco psychedelic rock bands including the Grateful Dead and the Jefferson Airplane. He created a recognizable concert poster style with a psychedelic font that made it appear as if the letters were moving. Based in San Francisco during the flower power movement, he designed posters for Bill Graham’s famous Fillmore and for many local bands such as the Quicksilver Messenger Service. Wilson designed the poster for the Beatles' final concert held at Candlestick Park on August 29, 1966.

Dave Toschi (1931–2018), detective led investigation into the infamous Zodiac killer case

Mark Ruffalo played Toschi in the 2011 movie "Zodiac."

Ed Lee (1952–2017), San Francisco's first Asian-American mayor

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — MayorEdLee, who oversaw a technology-driven economic boom in San Francisco that brought with it sky-high housing prices despite his commitment to economic equality, died suddenly early Tuesday at age 65.

Cemetery Sights: Norton, Emperor of the United States

Loren Rhoads is the author of the fascinating new book “ . Loren Rhoads

Winnie Yu (1970 – 2017), champion of fine tea

Winnie Yu, California tea expert and entrepreneur, died Monday, Sept. 11, 2017, after a long illness, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. She was 47.

Wayne Walker (1936 - 2017), Detroit Lions linebacker

Former Detroit Lions linebacker and sports broadcaster…

Bobby Freeman (1940–2017), Do You Want to Dance singer

Bobby Freeman, a rhythm and blues singer-songwriter known best for his hit song “Do You Want To Dance,” died Monday, Jan. 23, 2017, according to The New York Times. He was 76.

Angela Paton (1930 - 2016)

Character actress Angela Paton, known best for her role in "Groundhog Day" with Bill Murray, died Thursday, according to her family. She was 86.

Dan Hicks (1941 - 2016), psychedelic folk musician

Dan Hicks, a musician and founding member of San Francisco’s 1960s psychedelic folk movement, died Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016, The Associated Press and CBS News reported. He was 74.

A Museum that Masquerades as a Hotel

After ending a 26-year career at the Pentagon, U.S. Marine Col.Christopher Starling has continued his service to Americans—albeit in a different way.

The Extraordinary Dr. Tea

What’s not to love about a doctor whose favorite medicine is levity?

The Remarkable Reta Banks

What a movie Reta Banks' life would make.

Richard Olney, ALS Researcher and Patient

Dr. Richard Olney didn't have ALS when he began searching for a cure for the disease.

Missing In San Francisco

For 18 days in the winter of 1974, Angelina Alioto was one of the biggest news stories in the country.