Here are the most recent deaths in the national news, as reported at
Legacy.com in the first week of April, 2026. Visit Legacy.com to read full obituaries for most
of the people featured in this video, and leave your own condolences on their Legacy page.
Scientist Biruté Galdikas died March 24, 2026, in Los Angeles. She died
of lung cancer at the age of 79. She was a renowned primatologist who
studied orangutans in their natural habitat in Borneo, devoting her career to expanding
our understanding of the apes and advocating for conservation of their rainforest home.
Galdikas is being remembered as the last of the "Trimates" - she, Jane Goodall,
and Dian Fossey earned the nickname as legendary primate researchers.
Musician Bo Lueders died April 2, 2026, at the age of 38.
He was the guitarist for the punk band Harm's Way, known for blending hardcore punk with metal.
Lueders is also being remembered for co-hosting the popular HardLore podcast,
sharing stories from the world of punk and metal music.
A note to remember: Sometimes, personal information – such as someone's cause of
death – is not announced immediately by their family or the authorities. When a
cause of death has not been officially confirmed,
we do not report on rumors. Every family has a right to their privacy.
Actress Dee Freeman died April 2, 2026, after fighting lung cancer at the age of 66.
She starred in the web series “Pretty the Series” and had a recurring role
on "The Young and the Restless." She is also being remembered for her
appearances on "Sistas," "Seinfeld," "Dexter," and many others.
Freeman was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served for six years.
Musician James Gadson died April 2, 2026, at the age of 86.
He was the drummer on dozens of classic R&B and disco tracks, including the chart-toppers
"Don't Leave Me This Way" by Thelma Houston, "Lean on Me" by Bill Withers,
and "Love Hangover" by Diana Ross. He is also being remembered for performing
on contemporary albums by Beck, Harry Styles, Kelly Clarkson, and many others.
Gadson was a U.S. Air Force veteran.
2026 at the age of 89. He was the founding director of
the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, the popular Alabama museum that showcases achievements
and artifacts of the U.S. space program. He is being remembered as the founder of Space
Camp, where generations of children have expanded their love for space – including
Artemis II astronaut Christina Koch. Buckbee was a U.S. Army veteran.
Baseball player and coach Tom Nieto died March 27, 2026, after a heart attack at the age of 65.
He was a catcher in the major leagues in the 1980s, including winning the 1987
World Series with the Minnesota Twins. Nieto is also being remembered for his years
as a coach for the New York Yankees and New York Mets in the 1990s and 2000s.
Journalist Nick Pope died April 6, 2026, after fighting esophageal cancer at the age of 60.
He investigated reports of UFO sightings for the UK Ministry of Defence,
and he wrote the memoir "Open Skies, Closed Minds" about his experiences there.
Pope is also being remembered as a regular guest on the TV show "Ancient Aliens" - he
also traveled with the show's hosts on the "Ancient Aliens Live" tour.
Rapper and songwriter Gwendolyn Chisolm died April 6, 2026, in Atlanta,
following a brief illness. She was 66. She was the cofounder of the hip-hop group The
Sequence, whose 1979 song “Funk You Up” was the first charting hit by a female hip-hop artist.
Chisolm is remembered for music that continues to be sampled and interpolated
by artists ranging from Dr. Dre and Erykah Badu to Katy Perry.
Mountaineer Jim Whittaker died April 7, 2026, at his home in Port Townsend,
Washington. He was 97. He was the first American
ever to reach the top of Mount Everest. The 1963 feat made him a national hero,
and the members of his expedition were honored at the White House by President John F. Kennedy.
Whittaker is also remembered as the CEO of the outdoor-gear company REI, helping grow it from
a small co-op to a million-dollar operation. He was a veteran of the United States Army.
At our website, Legacy.com, you can follow us to receive alerts as soon as new celebrity obituaries
are published. You can also find tons of amazing tributes published every day in memory of regular
people everywhere just like you and me. Some of the most memorable we’ve seen lately
include this Irish American Star Trek fan from Omaha by way of Louisville and Phoenix,
whose proudest moment was carrying the Olympic Torch in 1996...
This Maryland/DC/Virginia woman who devoted her life to helping
people in her local community achieve better health care conditions...
And this proud father from Michigan, a U.S. Army veteran who became a gifted painter,
a passionate cook, and an enthusiastic explorer of life on earth.
At Legacy.com, ANY family can publish an obituary in honor of a loved one’s memory, online and
in local newspapers everywhere. Just visit Legacy.com, and select your local community.
In addition to featuring current deaths in the news, Legacy.com also honors the lives and
legacies of notable people who died in the past. Here are some of this week’s anniversaries.
Ten years ago this week, actress Doris Roberts died at the age of 90. A veteran of seven decades
on stage, film, and television, she won four Emmy Awards for her beloved portrayal of Marie Barone
on the hit CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. Twenty years ago this week, singer June Pointer
died at the age of 52. Her Grammy Award–winning group, the Pointer Sisters, had a string of pop
hits including "Fire," "He's So Shy," "Jump (For My Love)," and "I'm So Excited."
Twenty-five years ago this week, punk rock pioneer Joey Ramone died at the age
of 49. As the lead singer of the Ramones, he helped invent an entirely new musical genre,
and the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
Forty-five years ago this week, boxing legend Joe Louis died at the age of 66. His 12 years
as world heavyweight champion in the 1930s and ‘40s was the longest single reign in boxing
history, making him one of the first African Americans celebrated as an American hero.
Actor Jonathan Brandis would have been 50 this week. A popular teen idol of the early 1990s,
he starred as young "Stuttering Bill" in Stephen King's It and went on to costar
in the sci-fi TV series seaQuest DSV. He died in 2003 at the age of 27.
Every week in the United States, flags are lowered to half-staff to honor the
lives of Americans whose communities are mourning their loss. Here are the most
recent half-staff memorial flag honors. Flags in North Carolina have been lowered
to honor the memory of State House Representative Mike Clampitt.
Flags in Pennsylvania have been lowered to honor the memory of Fire Chief Jeffory
L. Buck and Assistant Fire Chief Robert R. Shick, Jr., of the Walnuttown Fire Company,
both of whom died in the line of duty. Flags in Kansas have been lowered to honor
the memory of former Kansas Supreme Court Justice Evelyn Wilson.
You can read more about the lives of the people featured in this video on Legacy.com.
Follow Legacy.com on Instagram and Facebook and subscribe to our
channel on YouTube to stay up to date on national news deaths.