His pronouncements — on sex, death, organ transplants and more — carried weight in no small part because he was both a master of Jewish scripture and a microbiologist. Source: New York Times
Posts published in “Deaths (Obituaries)”
Msgr. John Powis, Champion of Brooklyn’s Poor and Downtrodden, Dies at 87
By Gotham Rex on October 5, 2021
His aggressive agenda as a pastor and civic leader in Brownsville and Bushwick laid the groundwork for a remarkable recovery. Source: New York Times
Debby King, 71, Backstage Aide Known as ‘Soul of Carnegie Hall,’ Dies
By Gotham Rex on October 5, 2021
From Sinatra to Isaac Stern to Sting, she attended to the needs of the star performers in the Maestro Suite and helped calm their nerves. Source: New York Times
Pearl Tytell, Examiner of Dubious Documents, Dies at 104
By Gotham Rex on October 2, 2021
For a half-century, she used her knowledge of handwriting, typewriters, paper and ink to investigate the veracity of checks, letters, contracts and other paperwork. Source: New York Times
Edward Keating, Times Photographer at Ground Zero, Dies at 65
By Gotham Rex on September 30, 2021
In a risk-taking career, he helped the paper win a Pulitzer for its 9/11 photography and later prompted a debate on journalistic ethics that led to his leaving The Times. Source: New York Times
Bobby Zarem, ‘Superflack’ and Maker of Stars, Dies at 84
By Gotham Rex on September 26, 2021
As a spirited impresario of public relations, he promoted entertainers, films and the “I Love New York” tourism campaign. Source: New York Times
Sherwood Boehlert, a G.O.P Moderate in the House, Dies at 84
By Gotham Rex on September 24, 2021
A champion of environmentalism who chided climate-change skeptics, he was among the last of the relatively progressive Rockefeller Republicans. Source: New York Times
Norm Macdonald, ‘Saturday Night Live’ Comedian, Dies at 61
By Gotham Rex on September 14, 2021
Acerbic and sometimes controversial, he became familiar to millions as the show’s “Weekend Update” anchor from 1994 to 1998. Source: New York Times
Phil Schaap, Grammy-Winning Jazz D.J. and Historian, Dies at 70
By Gotham Rex on September 8, 2021
His radio programs, most notably on Columbia University’s WKCR, were full of minutiae he had accumulated during a lifetime immersed in the genre. Source: New York Times
Joseph I. Kramer, the ‘Country Doctor’ of Avenue D, Dies at 96
By Gotham Rex on September 8, 2021
Shunning the New Jersey suburbs in 1969, he set up a pay-what-you-can practice on the blighted Lower East Side and for three decades was a hero to the poor. Source: New York Times
Alberto Vilar, Arts Patron Convicted of Fraud, Dies at 80
By Gotham Rex on September 8, 2021
An opera fan, he used the riches from his investment business to fuel a spending spree at opera companies and other cultural organizations. But many of his pledges went unfulfilled. Source: New York Times
Michael K. Williams, Omar From 'The Wire,' Is Dead at 54
By Gotham Rex on September 6, 2021
Mr. Williams, who also starred in “Boardwalk Empire” and “Lovecraft Country,” was best known for his role as Omar Little in the David Simon HBO series. Source: New York Times
Bob Diamond, the ‘Tunnel King’ of Brooklyn, Dies at 61
By Gotham Rex on August 28, 2021
First he discovered a long-forgotten rail tunnel. Then he spent decades trying — in vain — to revive Brooklyn’s trolley system. Source: New York Times
Micki Grant, Groundbreaking Broadway Composer, Dies at 92
By Gotham Rex on August 25, 2021
With “Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope,” she became the first woman to write the book, music and lyrics of a Broadway musical. Source: New York Times
Stanley Aronowitz, Labor Scholar and Activist, Dies at 88
By Gotham Rex on August 21, 2021
As a self-described “working-class intellectual,” he declared that direct action was more potent than collective bargaining or conventional politics. Source: New York Times