PEOPLE

Tracy Kidder, Author Of Award-Winning Nonfiction Bestsellers, Has Died At 80

“(He) turned everything from computer engineering to life in a nursing home into unexpected bestsellers. … Kidder won the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award for his 1981 work The Soul of a New Machine, which (explored) a fledgling computer company long before most people cared about the inner workings of Silicon Valley.” - AP

Former Museum Wunderkind David Ross’ Reckoning

Ross had become a master at catering to ego, facilitating deals and making a class of people feel important. Now he’d begun to wonder if the skills that made him exceptional at his job had also made him in some ways complicit. - The New York Times

Robert White, America’s Favorite Irish Tenor, Has Died At 89

“He built a serious and wide-ranging classical career, collaborating with major artists like Eugene Ormandy, Leonard Bernstein and Yo-Yo Ma, without stinting the traditional ballads that John McCormack (1884-1945) had brought to the masses.” - The New York Times

Jury Finds Bill Cosby Liable In Another Sexual Assault Case, Awards $59 Million

“After a nearly two-week trial in Santa Monica, jurors found Cosby, 88, liable for the sexual battery and assault of Donna Motsinger. They awarded her $17.5 million in past damages and $1.75 million for future damages, … (plus) an additional $40 million in punitive damages,” totaling $59.25 million. - AP

Actress Valerie Perrine Dead At 82

“(Her) memorable film roles included a porn actress abducted by aliens in Slaughterhouse-Five, Lex Luthor’s secretary in two Superman films and an Oscar-nominated performance as the wife of Lenny Bruce in Lenny. (She died) following a 15-year battle with Parkinson’s disease.” - Deadline

New Book: Inside Stephen Sondheim

Along with his happy student-teacher alliance with Hammerstein, the defining association of Sondheim’s life was his tortured relationship with the mother he described as a “monster,” among harsher words. - The Atlantic

Nicholas Brendon, Who Played Scooby Gang Member Xander On Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Has Died At 54

Brendon said that “thousands of people had told him that helped them in hard times. ‘It just got them through, which means that this show is more than just dollars and cents,’ he said. ‘It’s something that needs to be honored.’” - The New York Times

Calvin Tompkins, Who Profiled The Giants Of Contemporary Art For The New Yorker, Has Died At 100

An early profile of Jean Tinguley “defined an approach that informed the dozens of artist profiles he wrote for The New Yorker over the next 62 years … providing the magazine’s readers with a sophisticated guide to often arcane styles and -isms.” - The New York Times

Chuck Norris, Action-Movie Icon, Is Dead At 86

The martial-arts grandmaster starred in more than 20 films, including Return of the Dragon, Missing in Action, and The Delta Force, as well as the TV series Walker, Texas Ranger. - AP

Kevin Spacey And Three Accusers Settle Civil Lawsuits For Sexual Assault

“The Oscar-winning U.S. actor has reached a confidential settlement with three British ‌men who had filed civil lawsuits at London's High ‌Court accusing him of sexual assault between 2000 and 2013. … Two of the claimants gave evidence during Spacey's 2023 criminal trial in London, where he was acquitted of all ‌charges.” - Reuters (Yahoo!)

Len Deighton, Bestselling Author Of Spy Thrillers, Has Died At 97

He wrote more than two dozen novels, from The ICPRESS File (1962) through Billion-Dollar Brain and the trilogies Berlin Game/Mexico Set/London Match (1980s) and Faith/Hope/Charity (1990s). He also wrote historical nonfiction, including a book about JFK’s assassination and Fighter: The True Story of the Battle of Britain. - AP

No More “Free-Speech Barbie”: Salman Rushdie Is Tired Of Being A Symbol

“It’s a subject I’m anxious to change. I don’t feel symbolic. I feel actual. I feel like I’m a working writer trying to make his work.” The comments come almost four years after the knife attack that wounded his liver, intestines, and right eye. - The Guardian

Jurgen Habermas, Influential Philosopher Of The 20th Century, Has Died At 96

Habermas "theorized that democracy emerged and could continue to exist in a healthy form only if there was a space that was outside the control of the state, where deliberation and the exchange of ideas could freely occur.” - The New York Times

Tony- And Olivier-Winning Actress Jane Lapotaire Dead At 81

She won an Olivier in 1979 and a Tony in 1981 for the title role in Piaf; alongside film and television roles — including a starmaking performance as Marie Curie in a BBC miniseries — she had a long career as an admired classical stage actor, in particular with the Royal Shakespeare Co. - The Guardian

Banksy’s Identity Uncovered, Says Reuters Report

“The British street artist’s identity has been debated, and closely guarded, for decades. A quest to solve the riddle took Reuters from a bombed-out Ukrainian village to London and downtown Manhattan — and uncovered much more than a name.” - Reuters

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