Obituaries
Mercedes Sosa, 1935-2009
By D. Lencho, October 10, 2009
Latin American music lost one of its greatest exponents with the death of Argentinean singer Mercedes Sosa last Sunday. The singer’s career, which spanned over five decades, came to fruition during ...
Gabonese President Omar Bongo (1935-2009)
A tool of French imperialism in Africa
By Olivier Laurent, September 5, 2009
Gabonese President Omar Bongo died on June 7 after spending nearly 42 years in power defending French imperialism's interests in sub-Saharan Africa.
Former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung dies
By John Chan, September 3, 2009
Behind the rhetoric about “democracy” and “peace”, Kim represented the interests of sections of the Korean bourgeoisie who had been marginalised under the US-backed military dictatorship.
Ted Kennedy and the decay of American liberalism
By Barry Grey, August 27, 2009
The death of Massachusetts Senator Edward (Ted) Kennedy on Tuesday marks the end of the Kennedy family’s role as a major force in American politics.
Michael Jackson’s death
By David Walsh, June 27, 2009
One greets the death of singer Michael Jackson at the age of 50 with genuine sadness, but without extraordinary surprise. Given the entire set of circumstances, it was not clear how his saga might end...
Franklin Rosemont (1943-2009): Leading US surrealist and anthologist of André Breton dies
By Paul Bond, April 25, 2009
The death of Franklin Rosemont, American surrealist and populariser of the work of French poet André Breton, deserves some notice.
Studs Terkel, American writer and documentarian, dead at 96
By Fred Mazelis, December 17, 2008
Studs Terkel, the American writer, oral historian and radio host who died on October 31, was a major figure in cultural and social history whose life spanned nearly a century.
Mildred Loving, civil rights-era pioneer, dies at 68
By Patrick Martin, May 9, 2008
Mildred Loving, plaintiff in a civil rights-era lawsuit that led to the overturning of state laws against interracial marriage, died May 2 at her home in the small town of Milford, Virginia. She was 6...
William F. Buckley, longtime propagandist for US ultra-right, dies at 82
By Patrick Martin, March 5, 2008
The death of William F. Buckley, founder of the National Review magazine and long-time media publicist for the American political right, has prompted an outpouring of tributes and praise in the Americ...
US auto union leader Douglas Fraser dead at 91
By Jerry White, February 26, 2008
Douglas Fraser, the president of the United Auto Workers union between 1977 and 1983, died Saturday at the age of 91 in Southfield, Michigan.
International condolences and tributes to Eddie Benjamin
February 12, 2008
We are publishing here a selection of the many messages of condolence and the many tributes to Eddie Benjamin sent by Eddie’s comrades from around the world and from within the US.
Eddie Benjamin: January 2, 1953—February 5, 2008
By Jerry White, February 11, 2008
It is with great sadness that the World Socialist Web Site reports the sudden death of Eddie Benjamin, a long-time member of the Socialist Equality Party in the US, and its forerunner, the Workers Lea...
