https://www.scmp.com/rss/322477/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Associated Press Associated Press Henry Lee, the famed forensic scientist who helped bring modern crime scene investigation into the public spotlight through his involvement in high-profile cases like the O.J. Simpson murder trial, has died. He was 87. Lee “passed away peacefully” on Friday at his home in Henderson, Nevada, following a brief illness, according to a statement from his family and the University of New Haven, where he taught for more than 50 years. Lee rose to fame after his testimony in Simpson’s 1995 trial, in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348221/henry-lee-forensic-scientist-who-testified-oj-simpson-trial-dies-87?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348221/henry-lee-forensic-scientist-who-testified-oj-simpson-trial-dies-87?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 23:46:24 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Robert S. Mueller III, the FBI director who transformed the nation’s premier law enforcement agency into a terrorism-fighting force after the September 11 attacks and who later became special counsel in charge of investigating ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, has died. He was 81. “With deep sadness, we are sharing the news that Bob passed away” on Friday night, his family said in a statement on Saturday. “His family asks that their privacy be respected.” No cause of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347449/robert-mueller-special-counsel-who-investigated-russia-trump-campaign-ties-dies-81?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347449/robert-mueller-special-counsel-who-investigated-russia-trump-campaign-ties-dies-81?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 17:59:56 +0000 Connor Mycroft Connor Mycroft Former Australian chief justice Anthony Mason, who was one of the first non-permanent judges to join the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal and oversaw many of its early key constitutional cases, has died at the age of 100. Tributes from current and former city officials poured in for the late jurist on Wednesday, just a day after he died. Mason is widely considered to have been pivotal in establishing the court’s role under Hong Kong’s new constitutional order following the city’s return to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3346996/anthony-mason-who-helped-put-top-hong-kong-court-map-dies-age-100?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3346996/anthony-mason-who-helped-put-top-hong-kong-court-map-dies-age-100?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 07:09:21 +0000 Reuters Reuters Jurgen Habermas, best known for his theory of political consensus-building, shaped the discourse of post-war ⁠Germany more than any other popular intellectual. He died on Saturday, aged 96, in Starnberg, ⁠Germany, the publisher Suhrkamp said. Over the course of seven decades, his public interventions – from searing critiques of fascist thought in the 1950s to more recent warnings against resurgent militarism and nationalism in Germany – steered the country at critical junctions. Not only his... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346630/jurgen-habermas-philosopher-who-shaped-germanys-post-war-conscience-dies-96?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346630/jurgen-habermas-philosopher-who-shaped-germanys-post-war-conscience-dies-96?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 18:30:03 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Robert Duvall, who played the smooth mafia lawyer in The Godfather and stole the show with his depiction of a surfing-crazed colonel in Apocalypse Now, has died at the age of 95. His death on Sunday was confirmed by his wife Luciana Duvall. “Yesterday we said goodbye to my beloved husband, cherished friend, and one of the greatest actors of our time. Bob passed away peacefully at home,” she wrote. Blunt-talking, prolific and glitz-averse, Duvall won an Oscar for best actor and was nominated six... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343773/actor-robert-duvall-star-godfather-and-apocalypse-now-dead-95?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343773/actor-robert-duvall-star-godfather-and-apocalypse-now-dead-95?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Feb 2026 19:02:46 +0000 Reuters Reuters James Van Der Beek, the star of 1990s ⁠teen drama Dawson’s Creek, died ⁠on Wednesday at the age of ⁠48 after a battle with cancer, his wife announced on social media. “Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning. He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace,” his wife, Kimberly, said. Fans and fellow ‌actors shared tributes on social media, recalling the influence he had on their lives and careers. “While James’ legacy will always live on, this is a huge loss to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343244/dawsons-creek-star-james-van-der-beek-dies-48?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343244/dawsons-creek-star-james-van-der-beek-dies-48?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Feb 2026 23:50:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Catherine O’Hara, a gifted Canadian-born comic actress and SCTV alum who starred as Macaulay Culkin’s harried mother in two Home Alone films and won an Emmy as the dramatically ditsy wealthy matriarch Moira Rose in Schitt’s Creek died on Friday. She was 71. O’Hara died at her home in Los Angeles “following a brief illness”, according to a statement from her agency, Creative Artists Agency. Further details were not immediately available. O’Hara’s career was launched at the Second City in Toronto... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341907/schitts-creek-star-catherine-ohara-dies-71?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341907/schitts-creek-star-catherine-ohara-dies-71?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jan 2026 19:48:16 +0000 dpa dpa The former bassist of the legendary German rock band Scorpions has died at the age of 71, his family said on Friday. “We received a message to this effect from his daughter,” Scorpions spokesman Peter Lanz said. The internationally successful band from the northern city of Hanover parted ways with Buchholz in 1992 after a dispute. Buchholz died of cancer on Thursday, according to a social media post signed by his family, who said he “departed this world peacefully and surrounded by love”. “Our... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341075/former-scorpions-bassist-francis-buchholz-dies-71?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341075/former-scorpions-bassist-francis-buchholz-dies-71?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jan 2026 23:13:33 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Valentino Garavani, the jet-set Italian designer whose high-glamour gowns – often in his trademark shade of “Valentino red” – were fashion show staples for nearly half a century, has died at home in Rome, his foundation announced on Monday. He was 93. “Valentino Garavani was not only a constant guide and inspiration for all of us, but a true source of light, creativity and vision,” the foundation said in a statement posted on social media. His body will repose at the foundation’s headquarters in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340477/valentino-fashion-designer-stars-dies-aged-93-rome?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3340477/valentino-fashion-designer-stars-dies-aged-93-rome?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 18:15:10 +0000 The Star The Star Malaysian actress Nadia Kesuma, who went missing upon arrival at King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah, was confirmed to have died of a heart attack. The news was announced by her daughter via social media, according to Astro Awani. “Assalamualaikum everyone, I would like to inform you that my mother, Nadiah Kasumawati Abdul Karim, has returned to Rahmatullah on January 15 at around 8.05am,” she said. “Thank you to all of you who have not stopped praying for Mama. Please pray that her... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3340292/missing-malaysian-actress-nadia-kesuma-dies-heart-attack-saudi-arabia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3340292/missing-malaysian-actress-nadia-kesuma-dies-heart-attack-saudi-arabia?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Jan 2026 03:38:43 +0000 Josephine Ma Josephine Ma Nie Weiping, a legendary Go master in China, died in Beijing at the age of 73 on Wednesday. Nie is best remembered for his dramatic victory in the first Japan-China Super Go in 1985. Few had hope that China would win because its players had long lagged behind Japanese competitors in the strategy board game. By the time it was Nie’s turn to play in Tokyo, Japan’s top player, Kobayashi Koichi, had already won six straight games against his Chinese counterparts. Nie was the only Chinese player left... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3340042/nie-weiping-chinese-go-master-known-dramatic-victory-over-japanese-rival-dies-73?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3340042/nie-weiping-chinese-go-master-known-dramatic-victory-over-japanese-rival-dies-73?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 11:57:06 +0000 Lo Hoi-ying Lo Hoi-ying Hong Kong activist investor David Webb, who has died aged 60, has been remembered for his integrity, courage and rigour as a “true pioneer” of the city’s corporate governance. Tributes have poured in online for Webb, who died in Hong Kong on Tuesday of metastatic prostate cancer. He revealed his diagnosis in 2020, saying at the time that one of his final wishes was to live beyond 60. The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Professionals Association said on Wednesday that Webb was deeply respected... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3339884/one-kind-tributes-pour-david-webb-hong-kongs-voice-integrity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3339884/one-kind-tributes-pour-david-webb-hong-kongs-voice-integrity?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 09:54:26 +0000 Reuters Reuters Dilbert comic strip creator Scott Adams, ‍a vocal Trump supporter whose career flagged after a racist rant, died on Tuesday, his former wife said. He was 68. Shelly Miles announced Adams’ passing in an online live stream in which she read a final message ⁠from the artist, whose strip lampooned life in the cubicle farms of corporate America, framed around its titular character, an engineer known for his glasses and perennially bent tie. Adams first announced he had metastatic prostate cancer in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3339791/scott-adams-dilbert-cartoonist-and-trump-fan-dead-68?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3339791/scott-adams-dilbert-cartoonist-and-trump-fan-dead-68?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jan 2026 17:15:43 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh Celebrated South Korean actor Ahn Sung-ki died on January 5, just four days after celebrating his 74th birthday. Known affectionately as “The Nation’s Actor”, Ahn starred in more than 100 feature films over the course of a career that spanned almost his entire life. After making his screen debut at age five in Kim Ki-young’s 1957 film Twilight Train, Ahn went on to appear in The Housemaid in 1960, widely regarded as the finest Korean film ever made. After a hiatus for education and mandatory... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3338768/ahn-sung-kis-5-best-movies-remembering-iconic-korean-film-actor-who-died-aged-74?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3338768/ahn-sung-kis-5-best-movies-remembering-iconic-korean-film-actor-who-died-aged-74?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jan 2026 11:45:16 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Eva Schloss, the Auschwitz survivor who dedicated decades to educating people on the Holocaust and was the stepsister of diarist Anne Frank, has died aged 96, her foundation announced Sunday. Her family expressed their “great sadness” at the loss of this “remarkable woman: an Auschwitz survivor, a devoted Holocaust educator, tireless in her work for remembrance, understanding and peace”. Britain’s King Charles, who danced with Schloss at an event in London in 2022, and his wife Camilla, patron... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3338704/anne-franks-stepsister-holocaust-survivor-eva-schloss-dies-96?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3338704/anne-franks-stepsister-holocaust-survivor-eva-schloss-dies-96?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Jan 2026 23:06:32 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse American environmental journalist Tatiana Schlossberg, the granddaughter of late president John F. Kennedy, has died from cancer at the age of 35, her family announced on Tuesday. “Our beautiful Tatiana passed away this morning. She will always be in our hearts,” the family wrote in a statement posted on the JFK Library Foundation’s Instagram account. Schlossberg, a science and climate reporter for The New York Times, wrote movingly about her diagnosis with acute myeloid leukaemia in an essay... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3338216/jfks-granddaughter-journalist-tatiana-schlossberg-dies-35?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3338216/jfks-granddaughter-journalist-tatiana-schlossberg-dies-35?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 21:10:37 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Bangladesh’s three-time prime minister Khaleda Zia, who hoped to lead her nation one last time after the election next year, died on Tuesday aged 80, her party said. The government declared three days of state mourning, with her funeral to be held on Wednesday. Despite years of ill health and imprisonment, Zia vowed in November to campaign in the election set for February – the first vote since a mass uprising toppled her arch-rival Sheikh Hasina last year. Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3338087/former-bangladesh-pm-khaleda-zia-dies-after-prolonged-illness?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3338087/former-bangladesh-pm-khaleda-zia-dies-after-prolonged-illness?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 01:56:31 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The Cure guitarist and keyboard player Perry Bamonte has died aged 65, the legendary British dark rock band announced on Friday. Bamonte, who became a full member of The Cure in 1990, “passed away after a short illness at home over Christmas”, according to a statement published on the band’s website. “It is with enormous sadness that we confirm the death of our great friend and bandmate Perry Bamonte,” it said. “Quiet, intensive, intuitive, constant and hugely creative, ‘Teddy’ was a warm... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3337861/cure-guitarist-and-keyboard-player-perry-bamonte-dies-aged-65?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3337861/cure-guitarist-and-keyboard-player-perry-bamonte-dies-aged-65?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Dec 2025 22:23:16 +0000 CNA CNA Former lawyer M Ravi, known for taking on human rights cases and his pro bono work, has died in Singapore. He was 56. Friends of Ravi confirmed the news on Wednesday. The cause of death has not been disclosed. Police said that they were alerted to a case of unnatural death at Tan Tock Seng Hospital at 6.50am on Wednesday. “A 56-year-old man was admitted to the hospital unconscious, where he was subsequently pronounced dead,” police said. “Based on preliminary investigations, the police do not... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3337593/former-singapore-lawyer-and-human-rights-activist-m-ravi-dies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3337593/former-singapore-lawyer-and-human-rights-activist-m-ravi-dies?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Dec 2025 06:00:25 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Vince Zampella, the acclaimed co-creator of video gaming juggernaut Call of Duty, has died in a car crash. He was 55. The developer and executive died on Sunday while driving his Ferrari on a scenic road north of Los Angeles, according to local broadcaster NBC4. “For unknown reasons, the vehicle veered off the roadway, struck a concrete barrier, and became fully engulfed,” the California Highway Patrol said in a statement, without identifying the two victims in the crash. The CHP added that both... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3337401/call-duty-co-creator-vince-zampella-killed-car-crash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3337401/call-duty-co-creator-vince-zampella-killed-car-crash?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Dec 2025 22:28:15 +0000 Reuters Reuters Chris Rea, an English singer-songwriter and guitarist best known for his festive hit “Driving Home for Christmas”, has ‌died aged 74 following a short illness, his family said on ‍Monday. Hailing from Middlesbrough, a port town in northeast England, Rea’s song “Fool (If You Think It’s Over)“ from his debut studio album in 1978 was his biggest chart hit, reaching the US Billboard Hot 100 ⁠and earning him a Grammy nomination. He released 25 studio albums and sold more than 40 million records... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3337389/driving-home-christmas-singer-chris-rea-dies-74?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3337389/driving-home-christmas-singer-chris-rea-dies-74?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Dec 2025 16:31:49 +0000 Sumnima Kandangwa Sumnima Kandangwa This year, we lost some of the icons who shaped pop culture, from Hollywood legends to beloved musicians and TV stars, including Robert Redford, Diane Keaton and Val Kilmer. We honour their memory by celebrating their lives and their enduring works. D’Angelo R&B and soul singer D’Angelo died in New York City on October 14, aged 51, after a private battle with pancreatic cancer. “Such a sad loss to the passing of D’Angelo. We have so many great times. Gonna miss you so much. Sleep peacefully D.... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3337044/memoriam-29-beloved-celebrities-we-lost-2025-diane-keaton-robert-redford?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3337044/memoriam-29-beloved-celebrities-we-lost-2025-diane-keaton-robert-redford?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2025 18:00:10 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Christine Choy, a trailblazer for Asian-Americans in independent film and whose documentary on the fatal beating of Vincent Chin was nominated for an Academy Award, has died. She was 73. Choy died on Sunday, according to a statement from JT Takagi, executive director of Third World Newsreel, a filmmaking collective Choy helped establish in the 1970s. No cause of death was given. “She was a prolific filmmaker who made significant films that helped form our Asian-American and American film... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3336300/christine-choy-who-made-documentary-killing-vincent-chin-dies-73?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3336300/christine-choy-who-made-documentary-killing-vincent-chin-dies-73?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 23:07:40 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse British author Sophie Kinsella, who wrote the popular Shopaholic series, has died aged 55 after being diagnosed with brain cancer, her family announced on Wednesday. Madeleine Sophie Wickham, who wrote under the pen name Sophie Kinsella, revealed last year that she was receiving chemotherapy and radiotherapy for glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. “We are heartbroken to announce the passing this morning of our beloved Sophie,” her family said on Instagram. “Sophie counted herself... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3335955/sophie-kinsella-shopaholic-author-dies-55-brain-cancer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3335955/sophie-kinsella-shopaholic-author-dies-55-brain-cancer?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Dec 2025 15:15:20 +0000 Connor Mycroft Connor Mycroft Robert Ho Hung-ngai, a celebrated Hong Kong journalist, philanthropist and avowed Buddhist, has died at the age of 93. A notice posted on the Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation’s website said that Ho died peacefully on November 30 in Vancouver, Canada. A separate obituary in Canadian media reported that a private funeral would be held, with Buddhist prayer services scheduled for December 16. Born in Hong Kong in 1932 to one of the city’s pre-eminent “first-generation” merchant families, Ho was the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3335855/robert-ho-hong-kong-journalist-philanthropist-and-devout-buddhist-dies-93?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3335855/robert-ho-hong-kong-journalist-philanthropist-and-devout-buddhist-dies-93?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Dec 2025 04:58:21 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Celebrated British documentary photographer Martin Parr has died at his home in the western English city of Bristol, his foundation announced on Sunday. He was 73. Famous for his kitschy, colour-saturated images, Parr had a sharp eye for mundane oddities, typified in his humorous snapshots of bronzed beachgoers and selfie-snapping holidaymakers. “It is with great sadness that we announce that Martin Parr (1952-2025) died yesterday at home in Bristol,” a statement on The Martin Parr Foundation’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3335535/renowned-british-documentary-photographer-martin-parr-dies-73?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3335535/renowned-british-documentary-photographer-martin-parr-dies-73?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Dec 2025 18:15:58 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Frank Gehry, who designed some of the most imaginative buildings ever constructed and achieved a level of worldwide acclaim seldom afforded any architect, has died. He was 96. Gehry died on Friday in his home in Santa Monica after a brief respiratory illness, said Meaghan Lloyd, chief of staff at Gehry Partners. Gehry won every major prize that architecture has to offer. His fascination with modern pop art led to the creation of some of the most wildly imaginative buildings ever constructed and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3335427/frank-gehry-most-celebrated-architect-his-time-dies-96?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3335427/frank-gehry-most-celebrated-architect-his-time-dies-96?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Dec 2025 20:25:32 +0000 Agencies Agencies British playwright Tom Stoppard, who won an Oscar for the screenplay for the 1998 film Shakespeare In Love, has died at the age of 88, United Agents said on Saturday. “We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved client and friend, Tom Stoppard, has died peacefully at home in Dorset, surrounded by his family,” the talent agency said. “He will be remembered for his works, for their brilliance and humanity, and for his wit, his irreverence, his generosity of spirit and his profound love of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3334646/oscar-winning-uk-playwright-tom-stoppard-dies-aged-88?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3334646/oscar-winning-uk-playwright-tom-stoppard-dies-aged-88?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Nov 2025 18:14:14 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Joan Branson, the wife of British billionaire Richard Branson, has died at age 80. Branson announced her death on Tuesday on social media. No other details were disclosed. “Heartbroken to share that Joan, my wife and partner for 50 years, has passed away,” he said. “She was the most wonderful mum and grandmum our kids and grandkids could have ever wished for. She was my best friend, my rock, my guiding light, my world.” Richard Branson is the founder of Virgin Atlantic airline, space tourism... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3334150/joan-branson-wife-british-billionaire-richard-branson-dies-80?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3334150/joan-branson-wife-british-billionaire-richard-branson-dies-80?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Nov 2025 22:45:32 +0000 Reuters Reuters Jimmy Cliff, the legendary Jamaican singer who along with Bob Marley popularised reggae, ska and rocksteady music over a six-decade career, has died, his wife Latifa Chambers announced on Facebook on Monday. The cause was a seizure followed by pneumonia, she said. Born James Chambers on July 30, 1944, during a hurricane in St James Parish, northwestern Jamaica, he moved in the 1950s from the family farm to the country’s capital, Kingston, with his father, determined to succeed in the music... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3334002/jimmy-cliff-reggae-icon-and-cultural-giant-dies-81?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3334002/jimmy-cliff-reggae-icon-and-cultural-giant-dies-81?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Nov 2025 16:42:07 +0000 Reuters Reuters Irish fashion designer Paul Costelloe, personal designer to the late Princess Diana who became a fixture at London Fashion Week for four decades, has died aged 80, his family said in a statement on Saturday. Costelloe was appointed as Diana’s personal designer in 1983, shortly after establishing his own label, Paul Costelloe Collections, and their collaboration continued until her death in a car crash in Paris in 1997. Costelloe, who led the development of all his collections from his studio in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3333820/paul-costelloe-personal-designer-princess-diana-dies-80?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3333820/paul-costelloe-personal-designer-princess-diana-dies-80?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Nov 2025 18:53:36 +0000 Connor Mycroft Connor Mycroft Lam Leung-tim, the pioneering Hong Kong toy tycoon and creator of the city’s iconic yellow rubber duck, has died aged 105. In newspaper ads that ran across the city on Saturday, Lam’s family revealed that he had died on November 10, and announced that a memorial ceremony would be held on Monday at Nanhai District Funeral Home in his ancestral hometown of Foshan. Born in Hong Kong, Lam’s family fled to mainland China after Japan invaded the city during World War II. For several years, he worked... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3332984/hong-kong-toy-tycoon-lam-leung-tim-creator-iconic-yellow-rubber-duck-dead-105?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3332984/hong-kong-toy-tycoon-lam-leung-tim-creator-iconic-yellow-rubber-duck-dead-105?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Nov 2025 10:48:35 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Alice Wong, a disability rights activist and author whose independence and writing inspired others, has died. She was 51. Wong died on Friday because of an infection at a hospital in San Francisco, said Sandy Ho, a close friend who has been in touch with Wong’s family. Ho called her friend a “luminary of the disability justice movement” who wanted to see a world where people with disabilities, especially those from marginalised demographics who were people of colour, LGBTQ and immigrants, could... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332957/us-disability-rights-activist-and-author-alice-wong-dies-51?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332957/us-disability-rights-activist-and-author-alice-wong-dies-51?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Nov 2025 23:02:47 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press James D. Watson, whose co-discovery of the twisted-ladder structure of DNA in 1953 helped light the long fuse on a revolution in medicine, crime-fighting, genealogy and ethics, has died. He was 97. The breakthrough – made when the brash, Chicago-born Watson was just 24 – turned him into a hallowed figure in the world of science for decades. But near the end of his life, he faced condemnation and professional censure for offensive remarks, including saying black people are less intelligent than... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332011/james-watson-co-discoverer-dnas-double-helix-shape-dead-97?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332011/james-watson-co-discoverer-dnas-double-helix-shape-dead-97?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Nov 2025 20:37:45 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Xu Hongjie, a nuclear physicist and pioneer of China’s thorium reactor programme, remained engaged and involved in his field until his death at the age of 70, just weeks before a breakthrough in a project he had led. The former director of the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP) died in Shanghai on September 14, according to an obituary posted by the institute a day after his death; however, the details of his death were not known until the Science and Technology Daily published a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3331484/lead-scientist-chinas-thorium-reactor-project-died-working-computer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3331484/lead-scientist-chinas-thorium-reactor-project-died-working-computer?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Nov 2025 12:00:16 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Diane Ladd, the three-time Academy Award nominee whose roles ranged from the brash waitress in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore to the protective mother in Wild at Heart, has died at 89. Ladd’s death was announced on Monday by her daughter Laura Dern, who issued a statement saying her mother and occasional co-star had died at her home in Ojai, California, with Dern at her side. Dern, who called Ladd her “amazing hero” and “profound gift of a mother”, did not immediately cite a cause of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3331398/us-actress-diane-ladd-nominated-3-oscars-dies-89?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3331398/us-actress-diane-ladd-nominated-3-oscars-dies-89?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Nov 2025 21:31:28 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Actress Prunella Scales, best known for her role as the long-suffering Sybil in the British TV comedy classic Fawlty Towers, has died aged 93, her family said on Tuesday. The actress died “peacefully at home in London” on Monday, her sons Samuel and Joseph said. “She was watching Fawlty Towers the day before she died,” they said in a statement on social media, adding that her last days were “comfortable, contented and surrounded by love”. Scales was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2013, but... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3330669/prunella-scales-sibyl-fawlty-towers-dies-peacefully-home-93?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3330669/prunella-scales-sibyl-fawlty-towers-dies-peacefully-home-93?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Oct 2025 13:34:32 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Thailand’s Queen Mother Sirikit, who supervised royal projects to help the rural poor, preserve traditional craft-making and protect the environment, died on Friday. She was 93. The Royal Household Bureau said she died in a hospital in Bangkok. Since October 17, she had been suffering from a blood infection but despite her medical team’s efforts, her conditions did not improve. She had been largely absent from public life in recent years due to declining health. Her husband, King Bhumibol... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3330289/thailands-queen-mother-sirikit-has-died-age-93?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3330289/thailands-queen-mother-sirikit-has-died-age-93?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Oct 2025 23:54:54 +0000 Reuters Reuters Former prime minister Tomiichi Murayama, who died on Friday aged 101, was best known for his landmark apology for Japan’s World War II aggression 50 years after its surrender, an expression of contrition that became the standard for subsequent leaders. As head of an unwieldy coalition of the conservative Liberal Democratic Party and his own Socialist Party from 1994 to 1996, the bushy-eyebrowed Murayama oversaw a period of turmoil including a devastating 1995 earthquake in western Japan and a... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3329360/japan-ex-pm-murayama-who-apologised-wwii-aggression-dies-101?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3329360/japan-ex-pm-murayama-who-apologised-wwii-aggression-dies-101?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Oct 2025 05:45:28 +0000 Reuters Reuters Ace Frehley, the original lead guitarist of the rock group Kiss, whose hard-driving sound, stage theatrics and iconic make-up created one of the most popular and groundbreaking bands of all time, died on Thursday at age 74, his family said. A representative for Frehley, Lori Lousararian, attributed his death to a recent fall at his home, Rolling Stone magazine said. “We are completely devastated and heartbroken,” Frehley’s family said in a statement, adding that their loving, caring words and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329340/ace-frehley-original-kiss-lead-guitarist-and-co-founder-dead-74?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329340/ace-frehley-original-kiss-lead-guitarist-and-co-founder-dead-74?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Oct 2025 03:57:15 +0000 Dave Besseling Dave Besseling “Enormous work pressure and his moody nature were blamed for singer Danny Chan Pak-keung being admitted to Queen Mary Hospital’s intensive care unit yesterday […] His aunt said the 33-year-old singer/composer had been very busy lately,” reported the South China Morning Post on May 20, 1992. “Chan fainted on Monday night in his home on MacDonnell Road, Mid-Levels, and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. His agent, Ms Katie Chan, said yesterday he was merely ‘drunk’ and had subsequently... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3329243/when-cantopop-star-danny-chan-collapsed-and-went-coma-1992-then-died-year-later?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3329243/when-cantopop-star-danny-chan-collapsed-and-went-coma-1992-then-died-year-later?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Oct 2025 10:15:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press D’Angelo, the Grammy-winning R&B singer recognised by his raspy yet smooth voice and for garnering mainstream attention with the shirtless “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” music video, has died. He was 51. The singer, whose real name was Michael Eugene Archer, died on Tuesday, according to a statement from the family. The singer’s family confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that he died after a prolonged battle with cancer. They called him “a shining star of our family and has dimmed his light for... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329030/grammy-winning-rb-singer-dangelo-dies-51?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329030/grammy-winning-rb-singer-dangelo-dies-51?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Oct 2025 17:19:20 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Actress Diane Keaton, known for her Oscar-winning performance in 1977’s Annie Hall and her role in The Godfather films, has died at the age of 79. Details were not immediately available and Keaton’s loved ones have asked for privacy, a family spokesperson told People magazine, which confirmed that the actress died on Saturday in California. Keaton was a frequent collaborator of director Woody Allen, portraying the titular character in Annie Hall, the charming girlfriend of Allen’s comic Alvy... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3328668/oscar-winning-actress-diane-keaton-dies-79?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3328668/oscar-winning-actress-diane-keaton-dies-79?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Oct 2025 21:21:16 +0000 Reuters Reuters Joan Bennett Kennedy, the first wife of a US senator, the mother of a congressman and the sister-in-law of a slain president, has died at the age of 89, US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jnr said on Wednesday. A daughter of privilege who could trace her lineage back to one of the victims of the Salem witch trials, Joan Kennedy’s marriage to Edward Kennedy tied her to an American political dynasty and tumultuous personal life marred by bouts of alcoholism. She passed away peacefully in her... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3328290/joan-bennett-kennedy-wife-late-us-senator-ted-kennedy-dies-89?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3328290/joan-bennett-kennedy-wife-late-us-senator-ted-kennedy-dies-89?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Oct 2025 22:11:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters Jilly Cooper, the British author of novels such as Rivals and Riders whose 1980s bestsellers were a blend of sex, satire and class-based snobbery, has died aged 88, her agent said in a statement on Monday. Cooper, a long-standing friend of Britain’s Queen Camilla, sold 11 million copies of her books in Britain alone. From the mid-1980s, her raunchy novels depicting the romantic adventures of an upper-class set of characters in the fictitious county of Rutshire, modelled on Gloucestershire where... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3328048/british-author-jilly-cooper-famous-her-novels-sex-and-snobbery-dies-88?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3328048/british-author-jilly-cooper-famous-her-novels-sex-and-snobbery-dies-88?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Oct 2025 16:44:29 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji Thayil Jacob Sunny George, the founder of Asiaweek who launched the publication in 1975 to provide an English-language magazine owned by Asians that spoke for the region at a time when none existed, died at the age of 97 on Friday. Over a seven-decade career in journalism, George forged a stellar reputation as an advocate of press freedom, revered among colleagues as someone who spoke his mind and was unrelenting in questioning even top political leaders. In his last column for the New Indian... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3328002/asiaweek-founder-tjs-georges-death-leaves-behind-unmatched-legacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3328002/asiaweek-founder-tjs-georges-death-leaves-behind-unmatched-legacy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Oct 2025 08:38:46 +0000 Reuters Reuters Scientist and global activist Jane Goodall, who turned her childhood love of primates into a lifelong quest for protecting the environment, died on Wednesday at the age of 91, the institute she founded said. Goodall died of natural causes, the Jane Goodall Institute said in a social media post. “Dr Goodall’s discoveries as an ethologist revolutionised science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world,” it said. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327560/wildlife-advocate-primate-expert-jane-goodall-dies-91?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327560/wildlife-advocate-primate-expert-jane-goodall-dies-91?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Oct 2025 18:48:59 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Sixties screen siren Claudia Cardinale, who died on Tuesday aged 87, entranced audiences across the globe with the sultry gaze that made her the muse of Luchino Visconti and Federico Fellini. With her fierce beauty and husky voice, Cardinale not only captivated Italy’s greatest filmmakers, she played opposite most of the leading men of the time, from Burt Lancaster to Alain Delon and Henry Fonda. She died at Nemours near Paris, in the presence of her children, her agent said, adding that the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3326606/italian-screen-siren-claudia-cardinale-dies-aged-87?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3326606/italian-screen-siren-claudia-cardinale-dies-aged-87?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Sep 2025 22:16:37 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Former Test umpire Harold “Dickie” Bird has died at the age of 92, Yorkshire County Cricket Club announced on Tuesday. Bird was one of the best-known and most respected officials in the game, standing in 66 Tests and 69 one-day internationals, including three World Cup finals. Yorkshire issued a statement on their website saying Bird, “one of cricket’s most beloved figures”, had died peacefully at home. “Dickie Bird enjoyed an illustrious career as an international umpire, writing his name into... https://www.scmp.com/sport/cricket/article/3326580/former-cricket-umpire-harold-dickie-bird-dies-aged-92?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/cricket/article/3326580/former-cricket-umpire-harold-dickie-bird-dies-aged-92?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Sep 2025 12:06:49 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani’s work spanned the worlds of celebrity, fashion and power. His death announced Thursday at age 91 has elicited an outpouring of tributes. Ralph Lauren “I have always had the deepest respect and admiration for Giorgio Armani, not only as a designer who never strayed from his vision, but as a man who loved his family and friends, and his homeland in such a special way. Though he was an icon of the world of fashion, he lived with great humility and a love of... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/fashion-news/article/3324416/giorgio-armani-dies-91-ralph-lauren-julia-roberts-and-others-remember-fashion-legend?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/fashion-news/article/3324416/giorgio-armani-dies-91-ralph-lauren-julia-roberts-and-others-remember-fashion-legend?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Sep 2025 03:41:20 +0000