Tag: Obituaries
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The superhero whose comics took over the world
What did Stan Lee teach us about life? The mastermind behind Marvel’s success has died aged 95. From Spider-Man to the Hulk, he helped to create many of the world’s most beloved superheroes.
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Sabotage, seduction and a teenage Nazi-killer
Would you have joined the resistance in the Second World War? Freddie Oversteegen, a Dutch woman who blew up railway lines, hid Jewish children and shot Nazis from her bike, has died aged 92.
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Aretha: In her voice, we could feel our history
How should we remember Aretha Franklin — as a musician or a civil rights hero? The “Queen of Soul” died last week. She was one of the most celebrated and influential singers in history.
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Giant of American fiction Philip Roth dies
Do great writers offer great wisdom? Legendary American novelist Philip Roth has died aged 85. Love, death, sex, faith: his era-defining prose left no side of human life unexamined.
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The shy ‘beautiful soul’ who died too soon
Is fame a curse? Swedish superstar DJ Avicii has died aged 28. Millions around the world adored his unique brand of dance music, but he struggled to cope with the celebrity spotlight.
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UK mourns death of ‘classic British inventor’
Is the age of the maverick inventor over? Trevor Baylis: circus performer, stuntman and inventor of the wind-up radio has died. Some say eccentric engineers like him are facing extinction.
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‘British rock’s cult hero’ dead at 60
Would you rather be a cult hero or a star? Mark E. Smith definitely knew which he wanted to be. The brilliant, violent singer of The Fall hated the mainstream — and people loved him for it.
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Real-life ‘Rosie’ who inspired a generation
What does the iconic “We Can Do It” poster teach us about feminism? Around 75 years after it first burst upon the world, the woman who inspired the image has died at the age of 96.
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Death of a playboy sparks row over legacy
Libertine or liberator? Yesterday’s news of the death of Hugh Hefner, the man who launched Playboy magazine and filled his home with bunny girls, has launched a fierce philosophical debate.
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The man who saved the world by doing nothing
Could WWIII happen by mistake? In 1983, Stanislav Petrov saw that the USA had launched a nuclear attack. He ignored it, and it turned out to be a false alarm. Now, the hero has died aged 77.
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‘Renaissance man’ Sam Shepard dead at 73
Writer, actor, musician, fashion icon: Sam Shepard has been compared to the multi-talented geniuses of the Renaissance age. Should we all follow his example and cultivate a range of skills?
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A brave reporter and the scoop of the century
In her first week as a reporter, Clare Hollingworth got the ‘scoop of the century’: world war two had arrived. She went on to report from many more war zones. Is courage our greatest virtue?
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Castro: a cruel tyrant mourned by millions
His history of murder and oppression is appalling. But Fidel Castro’s death on Saturday brought tributes from many Western politicians. How can anyone admire a man with his record?
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Cohen: ‘an anchor flung into a churning sea’
Leonard Cohen has died. He was the ‘Godfather of Gloom.’ His songs were ‘a manual for living with defeat’. His most famous line was a ‘broken Hallelujah’. What was he trying to tell us?
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‘He shook up the world. We’re all better for it’
‘He was the Greatest. Period,’ said President Obama. After suffering from Parkinson’s for over three decades, Muhammad Ali has died. How did the ‘Louisville lip’ become such a legend?