Hacker News with Generative AI: Obituary

Mike Wood, Whose LeapFrog Toys Taught a Generation, Dies at 72 (nytimes.com)
Mike Wood was a young father when his toddler’s struggles to read led him to develop one of a generation’s most fondly remembered toys.
Obituary, Toys, Education
7 points by bookofjoe 4 days ago | 1 comments
Pope Francis Died (nytimes.com)
Pope Francis, who rose from modest means in Argentina to become the first Jesuit and Latin American pontiff, who clashed bitterly with traditionalists in his push for a more inclusive Roman Catholic Church, and who spoke out tirelessly for migrants, the marginalized and the health of the planet, died on Monday at the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta. He was 88.
Religion, World News, Obituary
16 points by simonebrunozzi 5 days ago | 3 comments
Mike Wood, Whose LeapFrog Toys Taught a Generation, Dies at 72 (nytimes.com)
Mike Wood was a young father when his toddler’s struggles to read led him to develop one of a generation’s most fondly remembered toys.
Obituary, Toys, Education, Childhood
72 points by nxobject 6 days ago | 7 comments
Mario Vargas Llosa has died (nytimes.com)
The Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa was the world’s savviest and most accomplished political novelist.
Literature, Obituary, Politics
212 points by funkaster 12 days ago | 80 comments
Former BCPL compiler maintainer Simon Langley has died (ycombinator.com)
Former BCPL compiler maintainer Simon Langley has died
Obituary, Programming Languages, Computer Science
16 points by kevthecoder 21 days ago | 0 comments
W.G. Sebald and the Politics of Melancholy (newrepublic.com)
W.G. Sebald’s premature death from a heart attack, in December 2001, at 57—months after the publication of his novel Austerlitz propelled him to the height of his literary fame—has left his readers wanting more, and ever since, his publishers have increasingly delved deeper into his oeuvre for posthumous releases.
Literature, Politics, Death, Obituary
26 points by Hooke 21 days ago | 3 comments
Val Kilmer, star of Top Gun and The Doors, dies aged 65 (theguardian.com)
Val Kilmer, the actor best known for his roles in Top Gun, Batman Forever and The Doors, has died at the age of 65.
Celebrities, Obituary, Film
33 points by sandebert 24 days ago | 16 comments
Gene Hackman has died (theguardian.com)
Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, were found dead on Wednesday afternoon in their home in the Santa Fe Summit community northeast of the city.
Obituary, Actors, Hollywood
23 points by sundaybsunday 58 days ago | 13 comments
Gene Hackman : Hollywood legend dies aged 95 (bbc.com)
Oscar-winning US actor Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog have been found dead at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Obituary, Hollywood, Actors
19 points by gfortaine 58 days ago | 6 comments
Aaron Swartz left us 12 years ago (twitter.com)
Social Media, Activism, Technology, Obituary
32 points by tzury 105 days ago | 2 comments
Hermit guardian of Budelli dies after three decades on paradise island (theguardian.com)
Mauro Morandi, an Italian man nicknamed “Robinson Crusoe” by the media after living alone on a paradise island for more than three decades, has died at the age of 85.
Italy, Environment, Nature, Obituary, Human Interest
20 points by akbarnama 108 days ago | 3 comments
David Lodge, British novelist who satirized academic life, has died (nytimes.com)
David Lodge, the erudite author of academic comedy and a wide-ranging literary critic, died on Wednesday in Birmingham, England. He was 89.
Obituary, Literature, British Authors, Novels, Satire
94 points by lermontov 109 days ago | 19 comments
Tell HN: John Friel my father, internet pioneer and creator of QModem, has died (ycombinator.com)
Tell HN: John Friel my father, internet pioneer and creator of QModem, has died
Obituary, Internet History, Technology, Software
1092 points by AaronFriel 117 days ago | 98 comments
We Should Have Listened to Jimmy Carter (jalopnik.com)
President James Earl “Jimmy” Carter Jr. died on Sunday, December 29, 2024 at his home in Plains, Georgia, at 100 years old.
Politics, History, Obituary
10 points by rntn 117 days ago | 0 comments
Manmohan Singh, Indian ex-PM and architect of economic reform, dies at 92 (bbc.com)
Former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh has died at the age of 92.
Politics, India, Obituary, Economics
9 points by sonabinu 121 days ago | 2 comments
DJ Alfredo, a pioneer of "Balearic Beats", has died (theguardian.com)
DJ Alfredo, who had a significant influence on Ibiza becoming a global centre for dance music culture, has died aged 71.
Music, Obituary, Ibiza
17 points by bookaway 122 days ago | 2 comments
Gordon Mah Ung has died (pcworld.com)
PCWorld executive editor Gordon Mah Ung, a tireless journalist we once described as a founding father of hardcore tech journalism, passed away over the weekend after a hard-fought battle with pancreatic cancer.
Obituary, Technology Journalism, Tech Industry
161 points by EA-3167 122 days ago | 22 comments
Christopher Hitchens Epigrams That Aged Like Fine Wine (stevestewartwilliams.com)
The iconoclastic journalist Christopher Hitchens died twelve years ago today, after a brief but spirited battle with cancer.
Journalism, Obituary, Culture
20 points by nomilk 132 days ago | 1 comments
HowStuffWorks founder Marshall Brain sent final email before sudden death (arstechnica.com)
The week before Thanksgiving, Marshall Brain sent a final email to his colleagues at North Carolina State University. "I have just been through one of the most demoralizing, depressing, humiliating, unjust processes possible with the university," wrote the founder of HowStuffWorks.com and director of NC State's Engineering Entrepreneurs Program. Hours later, campus police found that Brain had died by suicide.
Tech News, Obituary, Mental Health, Education
140 points by CharlesW 142 days ago | 48 comments
Thomas E. Kurtz, a Creator of Basic Computer Language, Dies at 96 (nytimes.com)
Thomas E. Kurtz, a pioneering mathematician at Dartmouth and an inventor of the simplified computer programming language known as BASIC, which allowed students to easily operate early computers and eventually propelled generations into the world of personal computing, died on Tuesday in Lebanon, N.H. He was 96.
Computer Programming, History, Obituary, Technology
20 points by stonlyb 160 days ago | 1 comments
Thomas E. Kurtz has died (computerhistory.org)
With deep sadness, we say goodbye to computer pioneer Thomas Kurtz.
Obituary, Computer Science, History
618 points by 1986 162 days ago | 149 comments
Thomas Kurtz, Co-Creator of Basic, Has Passed (legacy.com)
Hanover, NH - Thomas Eugene Kurtz died peacefully at the Jack Byrne Center in Lebanon, NH, November 12, 2024, at the age of 96.
Obituary, Programming Languages, History
10 points by vertnerd 163 days ago | 1 comments
Steven Rudich (1961-2024) (computationalcomplexity.org)
Complexity theorist Steven Rudich passed away on October 29 at the age of 63.
Computer Science, Obituary, Complexity Theory
8 points by ColinWright 166 days ago | 1 comments
Celebrating the Life of Aaron Swartz: Aaron Swartz Day 2024 (eff.org)
Aaron Swartz was a digital rights champion who believed deeply in keeping the internet open. His life was cut short in 2013, after federal prosecutors charged him under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) for systematically downloading academic journal articles from the online database JSTOR. Facing the prospect of a long and unjust sentence, Aaron died by suicide at the age of 26. EFF was proud to call Aaron a friend and ally.
Digital Rights, Activism, Law, Technology, Obituary
27 points by hn_acker 168 days ago | 1 comments
Elwood Edwards, voice of AOL's 'you've got mail' alert, has died (nytimes.com)
Elwood Edwards, an announcer who voiced the ubiquitous AOL email alert “You’ve got mail!” at a time when many Americans were just beginning to learn how to navigate the internet, died on Tuesday at his home in New Bern, N.C. He was 74.
Technology, Obituary, Internet Culture
165 points by tysone 169 days ago | 32 comments
Elwood Edwards, Voice of AOL's 'You've Got Mail ' Alert, Dies at 74 (nytimes.com)
Elwood Edwards, an announcer who voiced the ubiquitous AOL email alert “You’ve got mail!” at a time when many Americans were just beginning to learn how to navigate the internet, died on Tuesday at his home in New Bern, N.C. He was 74.
Obituary, Internet, History, Technology, Media
7 points by damethos 169 days ago | 3 comments
Man behind AOL's "You've Got Mail" voice dead at 74 (cnn.com)
Obituary, Voice Acting, Internet History
29 points by gaws 170 days ago | 2 comments
Elwood Edwards, Voice of AOL's 'You've Got Mail' Alert, Dies at 74 (gizmodo.com)
Millennials, pour one out. TMZ reports that Elwood Edwards, the voice behind AOL’s iconic “You’ve Got Mail” audio message, has died at age 74.
Obituary, Technology, Music, Internet, Nostalgia
12 points by Krontab 170 days ago | 8 comments
Richard A. Cash, who saved millions from dehydration, has died (nytimes.com)
Richard A. Cash, who as a young public-health researcher in South Asia in the late 1960s showed that a simple cocktail of salt, sugar and clean water could check the ravages of cholera and other diarrhea-inducing diseases, an innovation that has saved an estimated 50 million lives, died on Oct. 22 at his home in Cambridge, Mass. He was 83.
Public Health, Medicine, Cholera, Disease Treatment, Obituary
198 points by impish9208 170 days ago | 53 comments
Once Linux's Biggest Enemy: Darl McBride Dies and Nobody Notices (fossforce.com)
The man who, as president and CEO of SCO, attempted to sue Linux out of existence died a month and a half ago with little notice by the Linux and open source communities.
Linux, Open Source, History, Legal Battles, Obituary
38 points by marcodiego 173 days ago | 36 comments