Fr Gus Taylor, activist priest of Pittsburgh and Los Angeles, dead at 84
The Cincinnati native cofounded the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus and one of the nation's first diocesan Offices of Black Catholics.
Obituary
Peter Westbrook, pioneering African-American fencer, dead at 72
The Afro-Japanese athlete was the first U.S. Black medalist in Olympic fencing and won 16 championships overall during his quarter-century career.
Fr Gustavo Gutiérrez, father of liberation theology, dead at 96
Once accused of ties to Marxism, the Peruvian Catholic priest is regarded as one of the most influential religious thinkers of the 20th century.
Al Attles, pioneering NBA coach and Warriors ambassador, dead at 87
The Black Catholic player and coach was the longest-tenured employee in league history, remaining with the Warriors for six decades across three cities.
Sybil Haydel Morial, New Orleans educator and civil rights activist, dead at 91
The widow of New Orleans' first Black mayor died this month and will be remembered with a celebration of life at Xavier University of Louisiana.
James Earl Jones, legendary voice and theater actor, dead at 93
The famed stage and film actor was the voice behind Darth Vader and Mufasa, among other iconic roles in his nearly seven-decade career.
Arthur J. Gregg, first Black U.S. lieutenant general, dead at 96
The Black Catholic army trailblazer overcame segregation within and outside the military and had a base renamed in his honor in 2023.
Garvaundo Hamilton, award-winning singer and former Jesuit, dead at 36
The Jamaica native, who collapsed after a performance in early August, studied stateside as a seminarian and won the 2020 Karaoke World Championship.
Gail Lumet Buckley, Black family history chronicler, dead at 86
The journalist and writer, daughter to actress Lena Horne, eschewed Hollywood to document her family history in a number of well-received books.
Fr Norman Fischer, president of the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus, dead at 50
The veteran priest, the first of African or Filipino descent in the Diocese of Lexington, passed away unexpectedly while in Delaware on sabbatical.
Joe 'Jellybean' Bryant, father of Kobe and former NBA player, dead at 69
The former international basketball star, once estranged from his Hall of Famer son, last coached in a Japanese pro league in 2015.
Orlando 'Baby Bull' Cepeda, Hall of Fame MLB slugger, dead at 86
The Catholic-raised Puerto Rican starred for the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals and overcame struggles to lead a productive front-office career.
Sr Teresita Weind, first Black superior of a global women's religious order, dead at 81
The Ohio-born Black Catholic nun and activist was infamously ousted from a pastoral role in a parish in the 1990s, only to be rehabilitated decades later.
Sr Mary Roger Thibodeaux, noted 'Black power' nun, dead at 86
The veteran Sister of the Blessed Sacrament wrote a 1972 book on Black Power and spent many years as an educator, national organizer, and evangelist.
Edgar 'Dooky' Chase III, New Orleans patriarch, dead at 74
Head of the Chase Family since 2019, the seasoned businessman and educator died on Wednesday, according to his family's foundation.
Maurice Hines, Tony-nominated tap dancer and Broadway star, dead at 80
The New York native found fame as a duo with his brother Gregory, later going solo and developing into a playwright and director.