National & International Obituaries

Formed in 1975, Pere Ubu embodied the industrial decay and hardscrabble ethics of Cleveland. Thomas tied together the band's sound with uncompromising vocals that exuded steely menace and unfettered anguish.

NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with Cardinal Blase Cupich, the Archbishop of Chicago and a member of the College of Cardinals - the group that will help elect the next pope.

Pope Francis has died at 88. He was one of the most popular pontiffs in decades, forcing the church to turn its attention back to the poor and disenfranchised and to clean up corrupt Vatican finances.

His wife, Fresh Air host Terry Gross, said the longtime contributor to The Village Voice and NPR had been living with emphysema and Parkinson's disease.

The legendary TV host of game shows "Tic-Tac-Dough" and "Gambit" died at his home in Rancho Mirage, California. He had been battling lymphoma for a year.

Mario Vargas Llosa, one of the most celebrated writers in Latin America and the first Peruvian to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, has died at 89. The author died on Sunday surrounded by his family.

The award-winning composer and lyricist William Finn died this week. He's best known for "Falsettos" and "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee."

The popular Dominican merengue vocalist Rubby Pérez died after a roof collapsed at a popular nightclub on Tuesday night. Here's what the loss means to the vibrant Dominican merengue scene.

Guitarist and singer Amadou Bagayoko of the Malian duo Amadou & Mariam has died at 70. Known as the Blind Couple from Mali, Bagayoko and his wife lifted their country's music across the world.

Jay North, who starred as the towheaded mischief maker on TV's Dennis the Menace for four seasons starting in 1959, has died. He was 73.