Elvis Menayese
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WFAE
Volunteers donate their time in communities across our region, whether at a homeless shelter, a food bank, or an after-school program. Charlotte resident Connie Oliphant, 86, was one of those people. According to an American Red Cross Survey, just over half of Americans lack basic swimming skills, and over the past four years, the retired teacher worked to help change that. A few weeks before she unexpectedly died last weekend, Oliphant shared insight about her coaching methods that gives adults life-saving skills and confidence in the water.
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David Hume Kennerly/APCheney, who extolled the power of the presidency, died Monday, according to a statement from his family. The cause was complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease. -
LendingTree/HandoutLendingTree CEO Doug Lebda died Sunday in an ATV accident. The Charlotte-based company announced his death Monday morning. Lebda founded LendingTree in 1996, and it has since grown into one of Charlotte’s most prominent homegrown financial companies. Scott Peyree, who has been LendingTree’s president and chief operating officer, was appointed CEO effective immediately.
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Edwards recorded the iconic AOL lines at home with a cassette recorder for $200. Little did he know, he would become the voice that welcomed millions of people to the world of email. -
A man of second acts, Marcus started Home Depot after getting fired from another retailer. He then became a philanthropist, a Republican megadonor and an evangelist of capitalism. -
The production wizard behind Michael Jackson's "Thriller" won 28 Grammy awards during a career that spanned more than 70 years as a performer, songwriter, producer and music executive. -
Charlotte lost a major leader, fundraiser and supporter with the passing of Jim Hynes at the age of 84. Mark Ethridge, former managing editor of the Charlotte Observer and Hynes' neighbor for 25 years, credits Hynes with Charlotte’s transformation from a small town to a major city. He talks to WFAE's Gwendolyn Glenn in this interview. -
Garr's breakout role was as sexy Inga in "Young Frankenstein." She earned an Oscar nomination for her role in the 1982 film "Tootsie," and played Phoebe's mom on the sitcom "Friends." -
Philip G. Zimbardo, the psychologist behind the controversial experiment that was intended to examine the psychological experiences of imprisonment, has died. -
Payne, who came to fame as a teen in the massively popular British boy band One Direction, died in Buenos Aires after falling from his hotel balcony, according to a statement by local officials. -
Tylee Craft, a UNC-Chapel Hill wide receiver and student assistant coach, died Saturday after battling a rare form of lung cancer. He was 23. -
Lilly Ledbetter, a supervisor at a Goodyear tire plant in Alabama, discovered she was receiving less pay than men who worked the same position. Her case led to a monumental law on pay equity. -
Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy who raised their 11 children after he was assassinated and remained dedicated to social causes for decades thereafter, died Thursday.
MORE NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL OBITUARIES
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One of the most respected Indigenous actors of his generation, Greene appeared in more than 200 television shows and movies. He played a Lakota medicine man in the 1990 blockbuster Dances With Wolves. -
Longtime CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller has died at age 73. He was known by colleagues for his encyclopedic knowledge of the White House.
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Library of Congress archivist Joe Hickerson has died at 89. For decades, he worked to preserve America's collection of folk music and served as director of the library's American Folklife Center.
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Guitarist and vocalist Brent Hinds, who was a member of the heavy metal band Mastodon, died this week. For over two decades, Hinds and his bandmates were known within the metal scene for complex riffs and epic storytelling. The 51-year-old was involved in a motorcycle accident in Atlanta.
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James Dobson founded Focus on the Family and was known for a lifetime of conservative Christian work, advocating against abortion rights and LGBTQ+ rights. He died Thursday at the age of 89.
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Howard Augustine "Humpy" Wheeler Jr., who ran Charlotte Motor Speedway for 35 years, has died at the age of 86. -
Conservative Christian leader James Dobson, who founded Focus on the Family and was once called "the nation's most influential evangelical leader," died Thursday. -
Jordan, who died Aug. 11, was a teen when she first heard a Charlie Parker recording. Later she became part of the jazz scene in Detroit and New York City. Originally broadcast in 1981 and 1988.
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The journalist Carmen Gonzalez died Saturday at 24. She worked for the Boyle Heights Beat, among other publications, and hosted podcasts, mentored student journalists, and appeared in reports on NPR.
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A family spokesperson said Spencer died Monday after battling cancer for several years. As Dee, she was a deadpan, wisecracking sister on What's Happening!! Spencer later became a veterinarian. -
She recorded a magical debut album on Blue Note and was later named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts.
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She recorded a magical debut album on Blue Note and was later named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts.
