National & International Obituaries

The musical visionary led a multi-racial funk band that produced five Top 10 hits in the late 1960s and early '70s.

Stanley Nelson, the editor of a small-town weekly newspaper in Louisiana, exposed secrets about unsolved murders by the Ku Klux Klan. Nelson died this week at the age of 69.

The Emmy-winning composer/arranger worked with a 35-piece orchestra for 27 years, creating music for The Simpsons. Clausen died May 29. Originally broadcast May 14, 1997.

Many of White's books chronicled his own experiences as a gay man, making an indelible impression on gay culture and how LGBTQ experiences were understood more broadly at the dawning of the AIDS health crisis.

Kenyan writer Ngugi wa Thiong'o, who rejected writing in the language of the colonizer, died at 87. NPR's Scott Simon previously spoke to him about his latest novel and waiting for the Nobel Prize.

Musician, producer and song writer Rick Derringer died Monday at 77. He was known for the song "Hang On Sloopy" and won a grammy for the parody "Eat It" that he produced for "Wierd Al" Yankovic.

Kerik, an Army veteran, was hailed as a hero after the 9/11 attack and eventually nominated to head the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, before a dramatic fall from grace that ended with him behind bars.

The Kenyan author championed local African languages and was imprisoned for his work. His name was often mentioned in discussions about the Nobel Prize in Literature.

The superbly alert and flexible drummer formed a swirling current in modern jazz for more than 60 years. He was 82.

Harrison Ruffin Tyler was just three generations from the White House, since his father and grandfather both fathered children in their 70s. The chemical engineer helped preserve his family's legacy.