National & International Obituaries

Vocalist Victor Willis, the former lead singer of the disco band The Village people, has died. He was not only the front man but he also co authored several of the group's hits.

Musician Oliver Tree died this month at the age of 32. NPR's Scott Simon spoke with Tree in 2023 for his album "Alone in a Crowd" about seeking self-love after viral fame.

David Bianculli offers an appreciation, then we listen back to a '06 interview with Burrows, who died June 19. He directed over 1,000 sitcom episodes, co-created Cheers and chose the cast for Friends.

Jill Smokler, a mother of three, created the blog Scary Mommy in 2008 -- drawing in millions of readers who saw something of themselves in her writings. She died earlier this week at age 48. NPR's Juana Summers talked with writer Lyz Lenz about Smokler's legacy.

Anthony DeCurtis, music critic and co-writer of Clive Davis' 2013 autobiography "The Soundtrack of My Life," speaks with NPR's A Martinez about the legacy of music executive Clive Davis.

Longtime Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan died Monday at age 100. He's remembered as a master of monetary policy, but his light touch on regulation also set the stage for a financial crisis.

The record executive was instrumental in shepherding the successful careers of a number of monumental music stars, including Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen, Janis Joplin, Billy Joel and Whitney Houston.

During his chairmanship, Greenspan was celebrated as possibly the best central banker in history. But later, his reputation was tarnished by the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.

Alan Greenspan, who steered the Federal Reserve for nearly nearly two decades through some of the longest economic booms in U.S. history, has died.

Steve Inskeep remembers a former NPR colleague, the late Elizabeth Arnold.