Bryant electrified nightclub audiences despite performing in an era of uncompromising racial segregation.
obit
Budd Friedman, Improv founder who built a comedy empire, dies at 90
He pioneered the modern comedy club, opening venues in New York and Los Angeles that fostered the careers of Jay Leno, Richard Pryor, Adam Sandler and others.
Paul Schrade, union leader wounded in RFK slaying, dies at 97
Schrade spent decades claiming that assassin Sirhan Sirhan did not act alone, contrary to investigations and official studies of the 1968 killing.
Doris Grumbach, versatile novelist and literary critic, dies at 104
She explored LGBTQ themes in her novels and offered a frank assessment of old age in her memoirs, which she wrote while living in Sargentville, Maine.
Evelyn De Rothschild, London head of banking dynasty, dies at 91
The influence of his family’s bank spans centuries, including helping to finance the Duke of Wellington’s victory over Napoleon at Waterloo.
Gael Greene, restaurant critic who made food ‘seductive,’ dies at 88
She upended New York’s food scene by bringing herself and her passions into her reviews. She also said her many flings included Elvis Presley.
Jerry Lee Lewis, outrageous rock ‘n’ roll star, dies at 87
The last survivor of a generation of groundbreaking performers that included Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and Little Richard.
Lucianne Goldberg, who leaked tapes at center of Clinton impeachment, dies at 87
She urged a former Clinton aide to secretly record conversations with Monica Lewinsky about her affair with the president.
Jules Bass, who brought Rudolph and Frosty to TV life, dies at 87
Bass helped make stop-motion animation an instant phenomenon in the 1960s.
Actor Robbie Coltrane, Harry Potter’s Hagrid, dies at 72
The Scottish actor, who played a crime boss in 2 Bond films and well known as the beloved Hagrid in the ‘Harry Potter’ movies, has died.