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PASSAGES George H. Gibson
George Horner Gibson died at his home in Chicago on Jan. 3, 2021. He was 88. Gibson was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina. He graduated from Furman University with bachelor's ...
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PASSAGES Chicago activist Benny Montgomery dies
Benny M. Montgomery Jr.—a longtime Chicago-based LGBTQ-rights activist who had worked as a constituent services administrator for U.S. Rep. Danny Davis and former Congresswoman Cardiss Collins, among other politicians—passed away ...
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Chicago trans woman Eshay Key, 25, dies in Christmas shooting
Column by Sue Kerr
Just a week after writing about the ugly shooting death of a 19-year-old Black gender nonconforming young adult while they were at a Christmas party, I was hopeful there would be no more deaths to cover ...
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'Party Monster' killer Michael Alig dies at 54
Michael Alig who was at the center of the LGBTQ "club kids" scene in late 1980s and early '90s Manhattan, and whose involvement in the murder and dismemberment of his drug dealer was chronicled in the 2003 film Party Monster died Dec. 25th ...
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PASSAGES Chicago gay pioneer Richard Cooke dies
Richard Cooke, a longtime Chicago resident and familiar East Lakeview presence along with his dachshund Governor, died in the early morning hours of Dec. 12, after suffering a heart attack earlier in the week. He was ...
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PASSAGES Ravinia producer Stephen R. Smoot, 57
--From a press release
Stephen R. Smoot, who produced hundreds of concerts for Ravinia Festival since 2005, died suddenly on Friday, Nov. 27. He was 57. Known for his quick wit and generous impulse to shine the spotlight on others, ...
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PASSAGES LGBT activist, former Oak Park, Illinois mayor Joanne Trapani dies
LGBT activist and former Oak Park, Illinois Mayor Joanne Trapani died Nov. 29 due to complications from her endometrial cancer diagnosis. She was 71. Trapani was born in Corona, Queens, New York City on Aug. 5, ...
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PASSAGES Joanne E. Trapani
According to Facebook posts, Joanne E. Trapani, one-time village president of Oak Park, has passed away. Read about her life and work in the community at the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame: http://chicagolgbthalloffame.org/trapani-joanne/ . and at ...
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Award-winning journalist Deb Price dead at 62
Deb Price, the award-winning journalist and author who wrote the first nationally syndicated column on LGBT issues in mainstream newspapers, has died in a hospital at age 62 in Hong Kong, where she had lived for ...
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PASSAGES Adrian Ford
Adrian Robert Ford, of Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood, died unexpectedly Nov. 17. He was 74 Born in Rochester, New York, on May 11, 1946 to Clarence and Ruth Ford, Adrian grew up in Webster, New York, ...
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PASSAGES Marsha M. Wetzel
Marsha Marie Wetzel, advocate for the LGBTQ community, died peacefully at her Greenview Place home in Chicago, Illinois, on Nov. 1, 2020. In keeping with her faith, she passed on All Saints Day. She was preceded ...
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PASSAGES Kevin Putz
Evanston resident Kevin Andrew Putz has passed away, He was 56. Kevin was the beloved husband of Michael McNamara; son of Sharon Putz and the late Dr. Gerard J. Putz; loving brother of Michael (Connie) Putz ...
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PASSAGES Activist John Chester remembered
Longtime LGBT activist and former Chicagoan John Chester passed away Oct. 10 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he had been living since retirement. He was 78. Chester, who was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian ...
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PASSAGES Transgender advocate, journalist Monica Roberts dies
--From a National LGBTQ Task Force press release
"This week, the LGBTQ+ community lost one of our fiercest voices in Monica Roberts, an activist who not only lifted up the stories of trans people and inspired generations of countless transgender and non-binary people but ...
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WORLD Egypt arrests, Trans Legal Mapping Report, designer dies
In Egypt, authorities are accused of using dating apps and social media to track down and arrest queer folks in their latest attempt to "clean the streets," Out.com noted. Human Rights Watch interviewed 15 people who ...
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Oct. 3 vigil to honor Ramos Vargas
Chicagoans will gather in Humboldt Park the evening of Saturday, Oct. 3 to honor the memory of Michelin Ramos Vargas, a transgender woman who was murdered in Puerto Rico on Sept. 30. The event begins at ...
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PASSAGES Timothy Ray Brown, who was cured of HIV, dies of cancer at 54
After a five-month battle with leukemia, Timothy Ray Brown—publicized as the first known person to be cured of HIV, and also known by many as "The Berlin Patient"—has died of cancer, according to the International AIDS ...
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PASSAGES Former Northalsted bartender Eric Sangster dies at 37
Northalsted bartender Eric Sangster died Sept. 17 unexpectedly at the age of 37. At the time of this article's publication, Sangster's cause of death is unknown. Sangster was born June 4, 1983, on a Jacksonville, North ...
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Ruth Bader Ginsburg films out Sept. 25
As a tribute of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's life and legacy, Focus Features and Magnolia Pictures will be re-releasing On the Basis of Sex and RBG—both films about Ginsburg—Friday, Sept. 25 in theaters, ...
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Trans Puerto Rico icon dies at 73
Soraya Santiago—the first person from Puerto Rico known to have undergone gender reassignment surgery and a longtime icon for the U.S. territory's LGBTQ community—has died of cancer, ABC News reported. She was 73. Santiago had frequented ...
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PASSAGES Gay business owner/nightlife figure Bob Yeaworth dies
Gay business owner and promoter Robert "Bob" Yeaworth died Sept. 14 from complications due to his ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) diagnosis. He was 64. Yeaworth was born Sept. 17, 1955 in Cincinnati, Ohio, ...
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PASSAGES Wayland D. Rogers
Wayland D. Rogers—a singer, conductor, teacher and celebrated composer based in Chicago—passed away Sept. 9 after a long illness. He was 78. Rogers was born to Othal and Dova (Barrier) Rogers on Dec. 26, 1941, in ...
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NCLR mourns LGBTQ equality champion Justice Ginsburg
--From a press release
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) mourns the tragic loss of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — a true champion for LGBTQ rights in her 27 years on the U.S. Supreme Court. ...
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Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was an important voice for LGBT people
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the justice with the most pro-LGBT voting record in the history of the court, died Friday following a long struggle with cancer. As hundreds of people gathered on the ...
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Supreme Ct. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies at age 87
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died Sept. 18, multiple media outlets reported. She was 87. President Bill Clinton appointed Ginsburg to the nation's highest court in 1993, making her the second woman to be ...
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Former PFLAG board member Rev. Gil Caldwell dies
Former PFLAG National board member Rev. Dr. Gilbert H. Caldwell passed away, the organization announced in a press release. A retired United Methodist Church minister, Caldwell participated in the 1963 March on Washington, the 1964 Mississippi ...
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PASSAGES Gay philanthropist Henry van Ameringen dies
Henry van Ameringen, a major donor to LGBTQ+ and HIV organizations, died Sept. 9. He was 90, according to a Plus magazine item. Lambda Legal CEO Kevin Jennings said in a statement that Windy City Times ...
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PASSAGES Computer programmer/Chi-Town Squares member Bill Klein passes away
Longtime Chi-Town Squares member and COBOL computer programmer William "Bill" Michael Klein died Sept. 5 due to health complications after he fell down in his home a few days prior. He was 70. Klein was born ...
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PASSAGES Henry van Ameringen, early LGBTQ supporter, philanthropic giant, dies
--From a Movement Advancement Project press release
Henry van Ameringen passed away on Sept. 9, 2020. He was a generous, thoughtful and relentless advocate for LGBTQ equality and other progressive causes. Henry began funding LGBTQ causes in 1987 in response to the beginning ...
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PASSAGES Civil rights foot soldier Rev. Dr. Gilbert H. Caldwell
--From press releases
From Truth in Progress and the From Selma to Stonewall film community: HELENA, MT—Our hearts are heavy with the loss of The Rev. Dr. Gilbert Caldwell on Sept. 4, 2020, in New Brunswick, NJ. He was ...
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PASSAGES Sandy Potoglou
Sandy Potoglou (Stathoula Dimitria Potoglou), aka "Holly," left this world Aug. 27. She was 54. An obituary sent to Windy City Times stated the cause of death as The Republican National Convention. Sandy (who was born ...
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NATIONAL Marsha P. Johnson, Anchorage, electoral items, gay author dies
Marsha P. Johnson—the iconic transgender activist who was a central figure in New York City's LGBTQ+-liberation movement—will get a monument in her hometown of Elizabeth, New Jersey, CNN.com reported. Throughout ...
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PASSAGES Medusa's owner Dave Shelton passes away
Dave Shelton, a.k.a. Dave "Medusa" Shelton—so named for his trademark frizzy locks— "just was different," recalled his good friend of 45 years, Richard Cooke. Shelton was the proprietor of the iconic nightspot Medusa's on Sheffield in ...
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PASSAGES Filmmaker, Outfest alum and Emmy-Award-winning
producer Ash Christian dies
--From a press release
NEW YORK (August 16, 2020) — Dallas native, Ash Christian, an Emmy Award winning producer, actor filmmaker and LGBTQ+ activist passed away in his sleep on Friday, August 14, 2020 while vacationing in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. ...
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PASSAGES Former Gov. Thompson dies at 84, leaves mixed LGBTQ+ legacy
Former Illinois Gov. James Thompson—nicknamed "Big Jim" because of his 6' 6" frame—died Aug. 14 at age 84. Thompson, a Republican moderate who served four terms from 1977 to 1991, was from Chicago. He later was ...
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Ken Ilio, one of the first gay men to marry in Illinois, dies at 63
Keneth Yerro Ilio—who became one of the first gay men to wed in Illinois when he married Ron Dorfman in December 2013—has died in Chicago. He was 63. Windy City Times reported that on Dec. 16, ...
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Illinois Legislative Black Caucus mourns loss of two civil-rights leaders
Springfield, IL-July 22, 2020—The Illinois Legislative Black Caucus (ILBC) joins the country in mourning the loss of two heroes and iconic figures of the civil-rights movement: Congressman John Lewis and Rev. C.T. Vivian. These two men ...
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NATIONAL Pioneering scientist dies, flag controversy, panic defense
Flossie Wong-Staal—a molecular virologist most famous for co-discovering and first cloning HIV—died July 8 of complications from pneumonia in La Jolla, California, at age 73, The Scientist reported. Wong-Staal arrived ...
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Civil-rights icon Congressman John Lewis dies at 80
Congressman John Lewis—who rose from humble beginnings to become an iconic politician and civil-rights activist—has died of pancreatic cancer at age 80, media outlets reported. He died on the same day as civil rights leader the ...
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PASSAGES Josef Nicholas Zumstein
Josef Nicholas Zumstein—a longtime service professional at Chicago's Mid-America Club, formerly of Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood—passed away peacefully at his home at Liberty Court Assisted Living in Dixon, Illinois. He was ...
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PASSAGES William 'Bill' Walter Weeks
William ("Bill") Walter Weeks passed away suddenly June 29. Bill was a lifelong resident of Chicago and preceded in death by his father, Walter H. Weeks and mother, Louise J. Weeks (Devlin). He was also the ...
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PASSAGES Brent L. Conn
Brent L. Conn—a caterer and business owner—passed away peacefully July 4 at home in Evanston. He was 67. Born in Springfield, Illinois, Brent earned his degree in hotel and restaurant management from Michigan State University and ...
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PASSAGES Nightlife figure Cody Laughlin dies at 26
Lucky Horseshoe Lounge dancer Cody Laughlin died June 15 at his home. The cause of death is currently unknown. He was 26. Laughlin was born Dec. 30, 1993, in Chicago and graduated early from Northside College ...
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PASSAGES Donald Ratner
Donald Ratner, a lifelong Chicagoan who was a leading figure in Chicago business and philanthropy, passed away Jan. 19, 2020 due to complications from prostate cancer. He is survived by his husband, Dr. Bruce Gober, with ...
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PASSAGES Carl Ross Mowery
Carl Ross Mowery, J.D.—a resident of Chicago's Lake View neighborhood who was born in Fairbury, Illinois—passed away peacefully May 30. He was 64. After graduating from Illinois Wesleyan University and John Marshall Law School, Carl went ...
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THEATER Larry Kramer (1935-2020), polemicist and playwright
Larry Kramer was an angry man and he made sure people knew it. The language of his public discourse—the hundreds of articles he wrote and speeches he made, his novels and plays—drips with venom, insult, sarcasm, ...
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LGBT giant Larry Kramer dies at 84
The groundbreaking writer and outspoken LGBT- and AIDS-rights activist Larry Kramer died May 27 in New York at age 84. His husband, David Webster, said Kramer died of pneumonia. Kramer co-founded the Gay Men's Health Crisis ...
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On Memorial Day, LGBT monuments honor those who have died
Memorial Day is a time to honor military personnel who have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the United States Armed Forces. The Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery—located in Elwood, Illinois—is the site of the first ...
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PASSAGES H.G. Carrillo, author
ARTICLE UPDATED May 30, 2020
A tribute to H.G. 'Hache' Carillo Writer/professor Herman "H.G." Carrillo (known for his 2004 novel Loosing My Espanish) passed away April 20 due to COVID-19. After initially publishing a tribute to Carrillo online, Windy City Times ...
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Melissa Etheridge's son dies at age 21
Beckett Cypher—the son of Melissa Etheridge and her former partner Julie Cypher—died, according to media reports. He was 21. Etheridge, on Twitter, said, "Today I joined the hundreds of thousands of families who have lost loved ...
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Trans-rights advocate Aimee Stephens dies
Aimee Stephens—the Michigan transgender funeral home worker whose firing led to a U.S. Supreme Court case that could decide the employment rights of millions of transgender and gender-nonconforming people—has died at age 59. According to NBC ...
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PASSAGES Rock icon Little Richard dies at 87
Little Richard—a founding father of rock 'n' roll who was known for his flamboyant style and pompadour as well as hits such as "Tutti Frutti" and "Long Tall Sally"—has died at age 87. People.com said that ...
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PASSAGES Roy Horn, of Siegfried & Roy, dies at 75
Roy Horn, of Siegfried & Roy—the duo whose magic tricks with big cats astonished millions until Horn was critically injured in 2003 by Montecore, one of the act's famed white tigers—has died of coronavirus complications, media ...
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PASSAGES Anjanette Miller
Anjanette "AJ" Miller—a registered nurse who lived in Skokie—passed away at Glenbrook Hospital due to COVID-19 on April 14. She was 48. Born in the Philippines, she obtained her bachelor of nursing degree in the University ...
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Greg Zanis, who built memorial crosses, dies
Greg Zanis—the carpenter who single-handedly built thousands of crosses for shooting victims across the country—died May 4, The Daily Herald reported. Zanis, who had been diagnosed with bladder cancer, lived long enough to see hundreds of ...
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PASSAGES Activist Ernie Hunsperger, Rick Garcia's longtime partner, dies
Activist Ernie Hunsperger, 78, died April 9 at Elevate Rehabilitation Center in Chicago due to complications from his throat cancer treatments. Hunsperger was born March 31, 1942 in Glens Falls, New York, where he spent his ...
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PASSAGES David Charles Parker
David Charles Parker—of Chicago's Uptown neighborhood, formerly of Cincinnati, Ohio—passed away due to COVID-19 on April 8. He was 56. Born in Covington, Kentucky, David earned his bachelor's degree in ...
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PASSAGES Oak Park activist Alan Amato passes away
Activist Alan Amato, who was instrumental in a number of LGBT-rights pushes in Oak Park and the western suburbs, passed away April 8. Amato, who was living in Berwyn at the time of his death, had ...
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Lesbian icon Phyllis Lyon dies at 95
Activist Phyllis Lyon—who spent more than five decades fighting for LGBTQ rights—died of natural causes. She was 95. CNN.com reported that California Gov. Gavin Newsom shared the news of Lyon's death in a post on Twitter ...
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NCLR mourns loss of civil rights and LGBTQ icon Phyllis Lyon, 95
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Today, the National Center for Lesbian Rights mourns the loss of a beloved friend and LGBTQ civil rights icon. Phyllis Lyon, 95, passed away peacefully from natural causes at her home in ...
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PASSAGES Local DJ, media expert and documentarian Levilyn Chriss dies
Chicago DJ, award-winning documentarian and media specialist Levilyn Marie Chriss died April 1 due to complications from pneumonia. She was 60. Chriss was born Nov. 3, 1959 in New Orleans, and was raised in New York ...
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PASSAGES Photographer Victor Skrebneski dies at 90 [UPDATE]
World-renowned and Chicago-based photographer Victor Skrebneski died April 4 at age 90 of cancer, The Chicago Sun-Times reported. He helped discover Jennifer Beals and a teenaged Cindy Crawford, and may be best known for his posters ...
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PASSAGES Paul Timothy Popiel
On Tuesday, March 10, Paul Popiel passed away after a short illness. He was 69. Paul was born in New Jersey on May 2, 1950, to Marion and Walter Popiel, and raised in a very religious family, mostly in Brooksville, Florida. ...
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Virtual reading of Terrence McNally's Mothers and Sons April 16
In honor of Terrence McNally, who recently passed away at age 81 of complications from COVID-19. Four actors, each participating from a remote location, will perform a live online reading of Mothers and Sons on Thursday, ...
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NATIONAL Lesbian bishop, iconic activist dies, military lawsuit, drag legend passes
Rev. Bonnie Perry was recently ordained as the 11th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan—beconing the first woman and openly gay person to hold the position, ClickOnDetroit.com noted. "Jesus said almost nothing about homosexuality," Perry ...
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THEATER Mourning Terrence McNally
The prolific Emmy and Tony Award-winning writer Terrence McNally passed away at the age of 81 in Florida at a Sarasota hospital on Tuesday, March 24. The cause of death was due to complications of the ...
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PASSAGES Terrence McNally dies of coronavirus complications at 81
Terrence McNally—a four-time Tony winner who wrote musicals and plays such as Ragtime, Love! Valour! Compassion!, The Full Monty and Kiss of the Spider Woman—died March 24 at age 81 of coronavirus-related complications. On social media, ...
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Sister Sheila Lyne dies at 83
Sister Sheila Lyne—a member of the Religious Sisters of Mercy for 67 years who led Chicago's Mercy Hospital as president and CEO for decades, and also served as commissioner of public health for Chicago from 1991 ...
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PASSAGES Ann Morris
Ann Morris passed away March 7. She was 67. Ann was born in Chicago on April 5, 1952, and grew up in Texas. She returned to Chicago to attend the University of Chicago where she earned her BA in general studies ...
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PASSAGES Brian Patrick Goodman
Brian Patrick Goodman passed from this life Nov. 21, 2019. He had just returned from four days in New York City—where, despite his two-year battle with ALS, he saw two Broadway shows and met the casts, ...
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PASSAGES Activist Marc Loveless passes away at 59 [UPDATED]
Activist Marc Loveless has passed away. His death was reported by multiple individuals on social media March 9. Loveless was 59. Loveless was found unconscious at Steamworks, 3246 N. Halsted St., late in the evening of ...
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'The Boys in the Band' writer Crowley dead at 84
Mart Crowley—best known for writing the '60s seminal play The Boys in the Band, about a group of gay friends at a birthday party—died March 8 at age 84, media reports stated. Writer Michael Musto broke ...
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PASSAGES Gordon Lewis Smith
Gordon Lewis Smith, age 68, of Chesterton, Indiana, died January 14, 2020. On that day, he'd taken the train to Chicago as always, but shortly after arriving to work, he collapsed. It was his heart. At ...
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Mary Griffith, Champion of LGBTQ rights, has passed away
LOS ANGELES—Mary Griffith, iconic crusader for LGBTQ equality, passed away after a lengthy illness on Friday, Feb. 7, 2020 at her home in Walnut Creek, CA. She was 85. She is survived by her husband, Robert; ...
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NATIONAL Backlash in Tennessee, judge dies, voucher program, hate-crimes bill
More than 140 businesses signed a letter announcing their opposition to Tennessee's recent slew of anti-LGBTQ laws, which has been dubbed the "slate of hate" by activist groups, NBC News noted. The collective, known as the ...
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