Hans Massaquoi dies at 87; wrote of growing up black in Nazi Germany

Hans Massaquoi dies at 87; wrote of growing up black in Nazi Germany

The former managing editor of Ebony magazine was inspired by 'Roots' author Alex Haley to write the story of his unusual childhood.

Michael Winner dies at 77; British director of 'Death Wish' films

Winner directed the commercially successful 'Death Wish' series, which starred Charles Bronson as a law-abiding citizen who turns vigilante. Later in life Winner became a restaurant critic.

Carl Woese dies at 84; evolutionary biologist

Woese and his colleagues in the 1970s discovered archaea, the third domain of living organisms, and helped pioneer the use of genetic sequences.

PASSINGS: Robert F. Chew, Taiho

Robert F. Chew, Baltimore-based actor on 'The Wire,' dies at 52; Taiho, former sumo grand champion, dies at 72.

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Cimarusti cooking video

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Watch the L.A. restaurant owner/chef fix a tasty chowder.

Clara Jane Nixon dies at 93; sister-in-law of President Nixon

Clara Jane Nixon dies at 93; sister-in-law of President Nixon

With the help of other family members, the wife of Donald Nixon, a brother of the president, found and preserved hundreds of items from his childhood home in Yorba Linda.

Stan Musial dies at 92; Cardinals' Hall of Fame hitter

Stan Musial dies at 92; Cardinals' Hall of Fame hitter

'Stan the Man,' a career .331 batter, played 22 seasons — all with St. Louis — and won seven National League batting titles and three most valuable player awards.

Earl Weaver dies at 82; Hall of Fame manager of Baltimore Orioles

Earl Weaver dies at 82; Hall of Fame manager of Baltimore Orioles

The irascible, chain-smoking, umpire-baiting Weaver is the winningest manager in the franchise's history. He led the team to the 1970 World Series title and four American League pennants.

James A. Hood dies at 70; fought segregation at University of Alabama

James A. Hood dies at 70; fought segregation at University of Alabama

In 1963, Hood and Vivian Malone were physically blocked from enrolling at the school by Gov. George Wallace. Later in life, Hood and Wallace became friends.

Jesus 'Chucho' Castillo dies at 68; Mexican boxing champion

Jesus 'Chucho' Castillo dies at 68; Mexican boxing champion

Castillo, a hard-punching bantamweight with a huge following in Los Angeles, fought four celebrated title fights at the Forum between 1968 and 1971.

Pauline Friedman Phillips dies at 94; original 'Dear Abby'

Pauline Friedman Phillips dies at 94; original 'Dear Abby'

Phillips, writing as Abigail Van Buren, dispensed wry, no-nonsense advice to newspaper readers around the world for over 40 years. Her identical twin also wrote an advice column, as Ann Landers.

Gussy Moran dies at 89; tennis player caused Wimbledon uproar with short skirt

Gussy Moran dies at 89; tennis player caused Wimbledon uproar with short skirt

Her tennis talents took her to a No. 4 ranking among U.S. women and into the seventh-seeded spot in the 1949 tournament. She left the amateur circuit to turn pro in 1951 and travel with a touring group.

Allan K. Jonas dies at 91; developer and volunteer

Allan K. Jonas dies at 91; developer and volunteer

Jonas built his real estate career in the 1950s buying and constructing properties near LAX. He was a leader of the American Cancer Society, ACLU and LA's BEST.

Conrad Bain dies at 89; played father on 'Diff'rent Strokes'

Conrad Bain dies at 89; played father on 'Diff'rent Strokes'

Conrad Bain was also an uptight neighbor on 'Maude.' When he was cast in the role, he had two decades of New York theater behind him.

Robert L. Citron dies at 87; central figure in O.C. bankruptcy

Robert L. Citron dies at 87; central figure in O.C. bankruptcy

A low-key bureaucrat, Robert L. Citron's bad bets on Wall St. investments plunged Orange County into insolvency.

Roger Broggie Jr. dies at 73; audio-animatronics whiz for Disney

Roger Broggie Jr. dies at 73; audio-animatronics whiz for Disney

Roger Broggie Jr., began work for Walt Disney by tending his backyard railway. He helped give life to Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln and other theme park marvels.

Nagisa Oshima dies at 80; iconoclastic Japanese filmmaker

Nagisa Oshima dies at 80; iconoclastic Japanese filmmaker

Oshima, considered one of Japan's greatest filmmakers, is best known in the West for directing the sexually explicit films 'In the Realm of the Senses' and 'Empire of Passion.'

PASSINGS: Daniel J. Edelman

PASSINGS: Daniel J. Edelman

Daniel J. Edelman, public relations pioneer, dies at 90

PASSINGS: Dyer Brainerd Holmes, T.S. Cook, Joel Schaeffer

PASSINGS: Dyer Brainerd Holmes, T.S. Cook, Joel Schaeffer

Dyer Brainerd Holmes, NASA's manned space flight director in early 1960s, dies at 91; T.S. Cook, coauthor of 'China Syndrome,' dies at 65; Joel Schaeffer, longtime Reseda High football coach, dies at 70

Jimmy O'Neill dies at 73; L.A. deejay hosted TV's 'Shindig!'

Jimmy O'Neill dies at 73; L.A. deejay hosted TV's 'Shindig!'

O'Neill emceed the ABC prime-time show that featured frenetic dancers and showcased such acts as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Righteous Brothers.

Leon Leyson dies at 83; youngest survivor on Schindler's List

Leon Leyson dies at 83; youngest survivor on Schindler's List

Leyson was one of the 1,100 Jews saved from the Nazis by German industrialist Oskar Schindler. He taught school in Huntington Park for 39 years and shared his survival story with others.

Eugene Patterson dies at 89; Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist

Eugene Patterson dies at 89; Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist

As editor of the Atlanta Constitution in the 1960s, he helped bring national attention to the civil rights movement as it was developing across the South.

Gerda Lerner dies at 92; pioneered field of women's history

Gerda Lerner dies at 92; pioneered field of women's history

Memories of her experience in a Nazi prison as a young woman shaped her life's work in her adopted country of the United States, where she became a groundbreaking feminist.

Aaron Swartz dies at 26; Internet folk hero founded Reddit

Aaron Swartz dies at 26; Internet folk hero founded Reddit

Swartz, who was accused of stealing nearly 5 million articles from an MIT archive and was set to be tried in February, was found dead in his Brooklyn apartment.

Jayne Cortez dies at 78; poet and performance artist

Jayne Cortez dies at 78; poet and performance artist

Jayne Cortez founded the Watts Repertory Theater Company, which she used to highlight racial inequalities. Her evocative, surreal poetry tackled racial and sexual oppression.