James Earl Jones, legendary voice and theater actor, dead at 93
The famed stage and film actor was the voice behind Darth Vader and Mufasa, among other iconic roles in his nearly seven-decade career.
Obituary
Arthur J. Gregg, first Black U.S. lieutenant general, dead at 96
The Black Catholic army trailblazer overcame segregation within and outside the military and had a base renamed in his honor in 2023.
Garvaundo Hamilton, award-winning singer and former Jesuit, dead at 36
The Jamaica native, who collapsed after a performance in early August, studied stateside as a seminarian and won the 2020 Karaoke World Championship.
Gail Lumet Buckley, Black family history chronicler, dead at 86
The journalist and writer, daughter to actress Lena Horne, eschewed Hollywood to document her family history in a number of well-received books.
Fr Norman Fischer, president of the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus, dead at 50
The veteran priest, the first of African or Filipino descent in the Diocese of Lexington, passed away unexpectedly while in Delaware on sabbatical.
Joe 'Jellybean' Bryant, father of Kobe and former NBA player, dead at 69
The former international basketball star, once estranged from his Hall of Famer son, last coached in a Japanese pro league in 2015.
Orlando 'Baby Bull' Cepeda, Hall of Fame MLB slugger, dead at 86
The Catholic-raised Puerto Rican starred for the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals and overcame struggles to lead a productive front-office career.
Sr Teresita Weind, first Black superior of a global women's religious order, dead at 81
The Ohio-born Black Catholic nun and activist was infamously ousted from a pastoral role in a parish in the 1990s, only to be rehabilitated decades later.
Sr Mary Roger Thibodeaux, noted 'Black power' nun, dead at 86
The veteran Sister of the Blessed Sacrament wrote a 1972 book on Black Power and spent many years as an educator, national organizer, and evangelist.
Edgar 'Dooky' Chase III, New Orleans patriarch, dead at 74
Head of the Chase Family since 2019, the seasoned businessman and educator died on Wednesday, according to his family's foundation.
Maurice Hines, Tony-nominated tap dancer and Broadway star, dead at 80
The New York native found fame as a duo with his brother Gregory, later going solo and developing into a playwright and director.
Jean Knight, 'Mr. Big Stuff' songstress, dead at 80
The New Orleans native saw brief but soaring national success in the 1970s, with a later revival of her #2 hit bringing her music to a new generation.
Larry Payne, Houston activist and churchman, dead at 73
Payne first envisioned the creation of the National Black Catholic Congress and was the first lay or Black vicar in the U.S. Catholic Church.
Hughes Van Ellis, Catholic Tulsa massacre survivor, dead at 102
The Denver resident was an infant refugee of the 1921 White mob attack in Oklahoma and was party to a lawsuit against the government at the time of his death.
Kenneth C. Stewart, former accused Capuchin, dead at 83
The 45-year Franciscan priest was accused of child sex abuse dating to the 1970s and removed from ministry in 2004. He was laicized after leaving the order.
Msgr Paul Jervis, promoter of anti-racist's sainthood cause, dead at 69
The Guyanese-born priest came to the U.S. at 19, serving the Diocese of Brooklyn for 40+ years and championing the now-Servant of God Bernard Quinn.