Obituary

Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama, known for dots and pumpkins, dies at 97

Kusama, who was candid about her mental health struggles, said New York gave her neuroses. Around 1977, a few years after returning to Japan, she voluntarily entered a mental hospital.

Artist Yayoi Kusama poses for a photograph with her artwork "Love arrives at the Earth Carrying with it a Tale of the Cosmos" at the Tate Modern gallery in London
 American singer Dolly Parton poses on stage during a press conference to launch her new album, in London, Britain, June 29, 2023.

Dolly Parton remembered for inspiring PJ Library and championing children's literacy

Caroline Langford.

British-born Israeli actress Caroline Langford dies at 68 after battle with cancer

Retired Brig.-Gen. Tzuri Sagi.

Renowned IDF paratrooper, architect of Kurdish relations, Tzuri Sagi dies aged 92


Jack Ukeles, researcher of Jewish communities, dies at 89 years old in Jerusalem

Ukeles, who died July in Jerusalem at the age of 89, was widely and deeply admired as well for his integrity, wisdom, and compassion on both a personal and professional level. 

In a five decade career, Jack Ukeles  offered policy research, planning and management for a range of secular and Jewish non-profits.

Lindsey Graham’s death leaves a void in US support for Israel and Ukraine

Graham died Saturday, aged 71, following what his office described as a “brief and sudden illness.” His office did not immediately disclose an official cause of death.  

A picture taken on July 10, 2026 shows US Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaking to the media after his meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, just days before his sudden passing.

Lindsey Graham remembered as dedicated advocate for Iran's opposition

Speaking before a crowd of hundreds of thousands of Iranian demonstrators at a rally in Munich, Graham declared, "It is a time of choosing. I choose the Iranian people over the murderous ayatollah."

MUNICH, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 14: Sen Lindsey Graham, Member of the US Senate, speaks to the people during the demonstration for human rights in Iran at Theresienwiese during the 62nd Munich Security Conference on February 14, 2026 in Munich, Germany.

Lindsey Graham advocated for Israel through his policies until the end

He was a vocal advocate for relocating the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and consistently promoted US security assistance for Israel.

US Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks to reporters, as members of Congress work to resolve a dispute over immigration enforcement and avert a looming partial government shutdown, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, January 30, 2026.

Bonnie Tyler, Welsh singer of 'Total Eclipse of the Heart', dead at 75

Tyler, whose releases also included "It's a Heartache" and "Lost in France," has died, BBC News reported on Thursday. She was 75.

 Bonnie Tyler performs during Philipp Plein Oscars Night 2024 Runway Show at Chateau Falconview on March 09, 2024 in Bel Air, California.

Judah Gribetz, lawyer and counsel behind landmark Holocaust restitution plan, dies at 97

Gribetz was best known for creating a plan that distributed $1.288 billion in restitution to victims of the Holocaust.

Judah Gribetz, center, huddled with Gov. Hugh L. Carey, left, and Mayor Abraham D. Beame, right, during a meeting of New York’s Emergency Financial Control Board in 1977.

Clive Davis, influential Jewish rock-and-roll executive, dies at 94

He signed Bruce Springsteen and Aretha Franklin – and allegedly used company money to pay for his son’s bar mitzvah.

Clive Davis (r) with Aretha Franklin at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, April 19, 2017

A master musician: Michael Tilson Thomas’s compositional legacy

While much of his oeuvre was deeply indebted to his American identity, several works explicitly engaged with his Jewish heritage.

MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS

David Hockney, one of the most celebrated artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, dies at 88

"Strong shadows meant a lot of sun," the painter recalled to BBC television in 2009. "So I thought, well, wherever that is, it's always sunny."

Artist David Hockney poses in front of his work during the "Do You Remember They Can't Cancel The Spring - David Hockney 25" Exhibition at Louis Vuitton Foundation on April 7, 2025 in Paris, France.

Cara Trager, beloved Queens Jewish communal leader and lifetime journalist, dies at 71

Trager died on May 29 from injuries sustained when she and her husband were struck by a car while returning to their home in Hollis Hills, Queens, from an Israeli restaurant four days earlier.

Cara Trager at the Western Wall in Jerusalem in January 2026.