Roberta Flack (1937–2025), Killing Me Softly with His Song singer

Roberta Flack was a singer who had No. 1 hits with “Killing Me Softly with His Song,” “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” and “Feel Like Makin’ Love.”

Bill Lucy (1933–2024), 1960s labor leader, civil rights activist

Bill Lucy was a labor leader and civil rights activist best known for his work during and after the 1968 Memphis sanitation strike. 

Capt. Paul Bucha (1943–2024), Medal of Honor Recipient

Capt. Paul Bucha was a Vietnam War veteran who received the military’s highest award, the Congressional Medal of Honor, for his leadership during a battle against overwhelming odds in 1968. 

Bernice Johnson Reagon (1942–2024), founder of Sweet Honey in the Rock

Bernice Johnson Reagon was a singer, band leader, and social activist best known for performing with two influential singing ensembles: the 1960s protest group The Freedom Singers and the Grammy-nominated a cappella troupe Sweet Honey in the Rock.

Maxine Singer (1931–2024), biologist who helped map DNA 

Maxine Singer was a molecular biologist who helped map DNA and led the debate about the ethics of genetic engineering.

Howard Fineman (1948–2024), noted political journalist and commentator

Howard Fineman was a political journalist and television commentator who became a mainstay at Newsweek and NBC, covering nine presidential elections over the course of his career.

Phil Wiggins (1954–2024), iconic blues harmonica master

Phil Wiggins was a master of the blues harmonica known for his long musical partnership with guitarist/vocalist .

Larry Lucchino (1945–2024), baseball exec who revitalized the Red Sox 

Larry Lucchino was a baseball executive whose tenures as president of the Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, and San Diego Padres helped create two new “retro” stadiums and turned the Red Sox into a modern dynasty.

Esther Coopersmith (1930–2024), diplomat and host to powerful people 

Esther Coopersmith was an unofficial Washington D.C. diplomat who for more than 70 years organized events for political power players all across the world.

Dorie Ladner (1942–2024), Freedom Riders civil rights activist 

Dorie Ladner was a civil rights activist whose efforts included being arrested for attempting to have lunch at a segregated Woolworth lunch counter and jailed for picketing in the 1962 Jackson, Mississippi boycotts.

Cat Janice (1993–2024), singer who released dance hit from hospice

Cat Janice was a singer and songwriter who released a chart-topping hit while in hospice care for cancer. She left behind a seven-year-old son.

Joe Madison (1949–2024), The Black Eagle radio host 

Joe Madison was a civil rights activist who hosted the SiriusXM radio talk show “Joe Madison the Black Eagle.” 

Tom Shales (1944–2024), Pulitzer-winning TV critic

Tom Shales was a Pulitzer Prize-winning television critic who spent over 30 years with the Washington Post and was known for his sharp wit and cutting insights.

Sidney M. Wolfe (1937–2024), physician who challenged drug companies 

Sidney M. Wolfe was a consumer health watchdog and physician who challenged both drug companies and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and he campaigned to have unsafe drugs taken off the market.

Julius Becton Jr. (1926–2023), former FEMA head

Lt. General Julius Becton Jr. was a Korean War and Vietnam War veteran who went on to head the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under President Ronald Reagan.

Aaron Spears (1976–2023), drummer for Ariana Grande, Usher

Aaron Spears was a Grammy Award-nominated drummer and producer who worked with such notable artists as Ariana Grande and Usher. 

Bertie Bowman (1931–2023), long-serving Congressional aide 

Bertie Bowman was a long-serving Congressional aide on Capitol Hill who got his start sweeping steps and ended his career as the longtime hearings manager for the Foreign Relations Committee.

Dick Clark (1928–2023), U.S. senator who opposed apartheid 

Richard “Dick” Clark was a former U.S. senator who walked across the state of Iowa to meet residents in-person during his 1972 campaign.

James Buckley (1923–2023), oldest former U.S. senator 

James Buckley was a U.S. senator from New York who served in the 1970s and later became a federal judge.

Dorothy Casterline (1928–2023), deaf linguist and ASL advocate 

Dorothy Casterline was a deaf linguist and contributor to the Dictionary of American Sign Language (ASL) on Linguistic Principles whose innovative treatment of ASL as a distinct language led to greater mainstream acceptance.

Amitai Etzioni (1929–2023), influential author and sociologist 

Amitai Etzioni was an influential author and sociologist who advocated for societies built around the common good.

Mark Russell (1932–2023), comedian and political satirist 

Joseph Marcus Ruslander , better known by his stage name, Mark Russell , built a career on piano-driven political comedy that provided sharp commentary on current events. His bow tie became part of his signature look, and his long series of PBS specials solidified him as one of the notable satirists of his day.

Judy Heumann (1947–2023), disability rights activist

Judy Heumann was an activist who spent her entire adult life advocating for disability rights. Her work helped lead to the Americans with Disabilities Act, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and the Rehabilitation Act. She helped make New York City schools wheelchair accessible, served as an advisor to the World Bank, and was assistant secretary of the U.S. Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services, among many other accomplishments.

Michael Gerson (1964–2022), George W. Bush’s speechwriter

Michael Gerson was chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush as well as a columnist for the Washington Post.

Daniel Smith (1932–2022), last known living child of an enslaved American

Daniel Smith was believed to have been the last living child of a formerly enslaved American.

Vanilla Beane (1919–2022), iconic hatmaker

Vanilla Beane was known as “DC’s Hat Lady” for the ionic hats she made for generations of the capitol’s women.

Bill Plante (1938–2022), longtime White House correspondent for CBS News

Bill Plante was a journalist who covered the White House for CBS News for more than 30 years.

Bernard Shaw (1940–2022), original CNN chief anchor

Bernard Shaw was the first chief news anchor for CNN when the network launched in 1980.

Claes Oldenburg (1929–2022), pop art sculptor

Claes Oldenburg was a sculptor known for his large-scale pop art representations of everyday objects, displayed in public spaces around the world.

Sam Gilliam (1933–2022), pioneering abstract artist

Sam Gilliam was an artist known for his groundbreaking work in abstract paintings on draped canvas.

Bob Dole (1923–2021), longtime U.S. senator from Kansas

Bob Dole represented Kansas as a Republican in the U.S. Senate from 1969 to 1996 and ran for president against Democrat Bill Clinton in 1996.

Loretta Whitfield (1941–2020), creator of Baby Whitney doll

Loretta Whitfield was an entrepreneur and education counselor who created Baby Whitney, a realistic Black baby doll.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933–2020), influential U.S. Supreme Court justice

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, the second woman and the first Jewish woman appointed to the court in U.S. history.

Winston Groom (1943–2020), ‘Forrest Gump’ author

Winston Groom was an author best known for his novel ‘Forrest Gump’ which was0aadaptedainto a popular movie starring Tom Hanks.aa

Brent Scowcroft (1925–2020), national security advisor to two presidents

Brent Scowcroft was national security advisor to two presidents, and .

Wes Unseld (1946–2020), legendary Washington Bullets center

Wes Unseld was a legendary Hall of Fame center for the Washington Bullets who was one of only two players in NBA history to win rookie of the year and MVP in the same season.

Wilson Jerman (1929–2020), former White House butler who served 11 presidents

Wilson Jerman was a former White House butler who worked for 11 presidents, from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Barack Obama.

Gerald Slater (2020), Walter Cronkite's colleague and PBS cofounder

Gerald Slater was one of the founding employees of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), who was instrumental in PBS becoming an important voice in news coverage.

Ed Schultz (1954 – 2018), broadcasting personality

Former host of "The Ed Show" on MSNBC…

Jhoon Rhee (1932–2018), "father of American Taekwondo"

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee, the man known as the "father of American Taekwondo," has died at the age of 86.

Barbara Bush (1925–2018), former first lady of the United States

Barbara Bush, the former first lady of the United States, died April 17, 2018, at the age of 92.

Charles Lazarus (1923–2018), Toys R Us founder

Passed away daysafter franchise announced it will shut down80a6

Bobby Taylor (1939 - 2017), discovered the Jackson 5

Singer and producer discovered The Jackson 5…

A Wall That Brings Us Together: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall (video)

A video about the history and impact of the iconic memorial.

Sheila Abdus-Salaam (1952–2017)

Sheila Abdus-Salaam, the country’s first female Muslim judge, died Wednesday, April 12, 2017, according to multiple sources. She was 65.

Gwen Ifill (1955–2016), PBS NewsHour co-anchor

Gwen Ifill, a veteran television journalist who served as moderator and managing editor of the Public Broadcasting Service’s talk show “Washington Week,” died Monday, Nov. 14, 2016, of cancer, according to the network. She was 61.

5 Sleuths who Paved the Way for True Detective

These five real-life detectives deserve their own TV shows.

Duke Ellington at the Movies

Duke Ellington is one of the best known figures in jazz history. But did you know he was a movie star, too?

Remembering the Victims of the Philadelphia Amtrak Train Crash

Remembering the eight who died in the Philadelphia derailment of Amtrak train 188.