Obituaries

Julian Read, whose long career in public relations included briefing the press after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas in 1963, has died in Texas. He was 93.

The actress rose to prominence for her roles in Steel Magnolias and Moonstruck, for which she received an Oscar for best supporting actress.

Collins was the crew member who stayed in orbit on the Apollo 11 command module while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon. Later he oversaw building of the National Air and Space Museum.

In the last days of his life, former Vice President Walter Mondale received a steady stream of phone calls of appreciation. Former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris all called to say goodbye and thank you.

Services begin at 8:30 a.m. CT on Saturday, April 17.

In over 30 novels and across dozens of screenplays, nonfiction works and memoirs, McMurtry became a beloved yet unsentimental chronicler of the American West.

"I think children want to read about normal, everyday kids," Cleary told NPR in 1999. "... I think children like to find themselves in books."

Larry McMurtry, the prolific and popular author who took readers back to the old American West in his Pulitzer Prize-winning “Lonesome Dove” and returned them to modern-day landscapes in works such as his emotional tale of a mother-daughter relationship in “Terms of Endearment,” has died. He was 84.

The Oscar-nominated actor, who recently wrapped up an eighth season on the ABC show The Goldbergs, died on Tuesday morning of complications from bypass surgery, his wife, Sonia, said in a statement.

"Next time you make that perfect playlist on Spotify or send a link to share a song, you can thank Lou Ottens," documentary filmmaker Zack Taylor told NPR.

Allan McDonald, who directed the booster rocket project at NASA contractor Morton Thiokol, urged delaying the launch of the space shuttle before it exploded in 1986. He has died at age 83.

An Atlanta native, Jordan started out as a prominent civil rights lawyer before building a career as a power broker in politics and business.