As a longtime Washington Post reporter and an author of 10 books, he held corporate America accountable for safe pharmaceuticals and cars.
Category: Deaths (Obituaries)
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Gary Karr, Virtuoso Who Elevated the Double-Bass, Dies at 83
He made the cumbersome bass soar, sing and leap, and became one of few bassists in history to successfully pursue a career outside an orchestra.
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John Saladino, ‘Sensualist’ Designer With a Love of Ruins, Dies at 86
A renowned interior designer, he created instantly recognizable rooms using lush fabrics, oversize antiques and imperfectly plastered walls that convey a sense of age.
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Wallis Annenberg, Arts and Wildlife Philanthropist, Dies at 86
She put millions from her foundation into projects in California, like a performing arts center in Beverly Hills and a wildlife crossing over the busy 101 freeway.
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Thomas Sayers Ellis, Poet of ‘Percussive Prosody,’ Dies at 61
A verbal gymnast on and off the page (as well as a musician and photographer), he was a founder of the Dark Room Collective, a community of writers, and fostered a boom in Black poetry.
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Michael Ochs, Top Collector of Rock ’n’ Roll Photos, Dies at 82
He surveyed the trash of record companies, haggled with aging photographers and scoured estate sales, building an archive widely seen as unmatched.
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Ziad Rahbani, Composer Who Defined a Tragic Era in Lebanon, Dies at 69
A son of Lebanese musical icons, Mr. Rahbani became one himself, with satirical critiques of his country’s dysfunction that melded Arab and Western music.
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Tom Lehrer, Musical Satirist With a Dark Streak, Dies at 97
A mathematician by training, he acquired a devoted following with songs that set sardonic lyrics to music that was often maddeningly cheerful.
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Joan Anderson, Unsung Heroine of Hula Hoop History, Dies at 101
Because of a deal made on a handshake in a parking lot, she was long left out of a famous toy’s story. When she was 94, a documentary changed that.
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William J. Rutter, Biotech Pioneer of Gene-Based Medicine, Dies at 97
His company, the Chiron Corporation, contributed important scientific discoveries toward treatments for H.I.V., hepatitis B, diabetes and more.
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James Leprino, ‘Willy Wonka of Cheese’ Who Revolutionized Pizza, Dies at 87
He turned a small family grocery store into a mozzarella empire, producing most of the cheese for American pizza chains like Domino’s, Papa Johns and Pizza Hut.
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Cleo Laine, Acclaimed British Jazz Singer, Is Dead at 97
Known for a smoky voice that she could deploy over four octaves, she recorded albums across six decades and also had success as an actress.