Slim Whitman, 90, country crooner famed for 1980s TV ads

MIAMI — Country singer Slim Whitman, the high-pitched yodeler who sold millions of records through ever-present TV ads in the 1980s and 1990s and whose song saved the world in the film comedy “Mars Attacks!,” died Wednesday at a Florida hospital. He was 90.

Mr. …

Michael Hastings, 33, journalist’s article ended career of Gen. Stanley McChrystal

LOS ANGELES — Michael Hastings, the war correspondent whose unflinching reporting from Afghanistan led to the resignation of a top U.S. army general, died in a car accident in Los Angeles, according to his employer and family.

Mr. Hastings, who was 33, was described by …

Kenneth Wilson, 77, Nobel Prize winner changed how physicists think about phase transitions

PORTLAND, Maine — Physicist Kenneth Wilson, who earned a Nobel Prize for pioneering work that changed the way physicists think about phase transitions, has died in Maine, where he retired to enjoy kayaking with his wife. He was 77.

Mr. Wilson, who died from complications …

2 German soccer stars played on World Cup champion teams

BERLIN — Heinz Flohe and Ottmar Walter, soccer stars who played on World Cup-winning teams for West Germany, have died. Mr. Flohe, a member of the 1974 squad, died Saturday at 65. Mr. Walter, part of the team that won the 1954 title, died Sunday …

Thomas Penfield Jackson, 76, judge ordered Microsoft split into 2 companies

WASHINGTON — Thomas Penfield Jackson, who as a federal judge in Washington presided over a Microsoft antitrust case and the drug possession trial of former Mayor Marion Barry, has died.

Mr. Jackson died at his home in Compton, Maryland, his wife Patricia said Sunday. He …

Paul Soros, 87, philanthropist, older brother of billionaire

NEW YORK — Paul Soros, a successful innovator in shipping, philanthropist and the older brother of billionaire financier George Soros, died in New York City on Saturday after a long bout with a host of illnesses, said his son Peter Soros. He was 87.

Mr. …

Boilermakers union leader, Golden Gloves boxer Michael ‘Woody’ Wood dead at 93 in Glenview

Michael “Woody” Wood, who died Thursday at 93 of cardiac arrest at Glenbrook Hospital in Glenview, grew up in Humboldt Park, the oldest of four children of Russian and Polish Jews. His father worked for a clothing workers’ union. After using the skills he learned in Golden Gloves to help feed his family during the Great Depression, Mr. Wood went on to become a union organizer and leader.

Thyra Thomson, 96, pioneering woman in politics

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Former Wyoming Secretary of State Thyra Thomson died Tuesday in Cheyenne. She was 96.

Ms. Thomson served as secretary of state from 1963 to 1987. She went into politics following the death of her husband, former U.S. Rep. Keith Thomson (R-Wyo.). He …

Ralph A.L. Bogan, 90, banker, baseball fan, heli-skier

Ralph A.L. Bogan, a scion of the family that helped found the Greyhound bus company, carved out his own career in banking and became a co-owner of the Atlanta Braves baseball team.

Mr. Bogan, 90, died Sunday at his Lincoln Park Home, said his wife, …

Aurelius ‘Reo’ Miles, ‘Buffalo soldier’ who later managed high-rise

As a member of the U.S. Army’s segregated “Buffalo Soldiers,’’ Aurelius “Reo” B. Miles returned from World War II in 1945 with a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, a Silver Star for valor — and one less leg.

But Mr. Miles, a longtime resident of …

Former KKK leader Jeffery Berry dies in Oak Lawn at 60

Jeffery Lynn Berry, who as leader of the American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan led marches that cost municipalities tens of thousands of dollars in security costs, has died at age 60. Berry died May 31 from lung cancer at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

Janet Kamien, internationally renowned consultant who brought museum exhibits to life

If you’ve ever felt transported to the banks of the River Nile as you descend into the Ancient Egypt exhibit at the Field Museum, you have Janet Kamien to thank.

Ms. Kamien grew up in west suburban Franklin Park and became an internationally renowned consultant …

Eugene Ruehlmann, 88, former Cincinnati mayor spearheaded Riverfront Stadium

CINCINNATI — Former Cincinnati Mayor Eugene Ruehlmann, who helped gain a stadium home along the Ohio River for the Reds baseball team and Bengals football team, has died. He was 88.

Hamilton County GOP chairman Alex Triantafilou said the former county Republican Party chairman known …

Robert W. Fogel, U. of C. professor and Nobel winner, dies at 86

Robert W. Fogel braided together economics, statistics and history to produce studies that won him the Nobel prize in 1993. The University of Chicago professor died Tuesday at ManorCare Health Services in Oak Lawn at 86. Though he wrote 22 books and studied many topics, his research on slavery generated the most uproar.

Marvin Junior, dead at 77, was lead singer for the Dells

Dells lead singer Marvin Junior has died of kidney failure at his home in Harvey. He was 77. His doo-wop and soul quintet formed 60 years ago, singing gospel as freshmen students at Thornton Township High School. They were inducted in 2004 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and had seven gold singles, three gold albums and 25 top 40 hits. Mr. Junior sang lead on the Dells’ biggest hit — “Oh, What a Night,” recorded in 1956.