Here are the most recent deaths in the national news, as reported at
Legacy.com in the second week of March, 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.
Civil rights activist Bernard LaFayette died March 5, 2026, of a heart attack at the age of 85.
He was a pioneer of the civil rights movement, first as a leader of lunch counter sit-ins,
then as one of the Freedom Riders, and as an organizer of the impactful marches from Selma,
Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama. LaFayette is being remembered as a
lifelong civil rights leader who co-founded the Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies
and taught Kingian nonviolence to generations of activists.
Singer and songwriter Joseph "Country Joe" McDonald died March 7, 2026, at his home in
Berkeley, California. He died of complications from Parkinson's disease at the age of 84.
He was the lead singer of Country Joe and the Fish,
whose iconic performance at Woodstock included
the notorious "Fish Cheer" and their antiwar song "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag."
He is also being remembered for his extensive work on behalf of Vietnam veterans,
including helping establish memorials in Berkeley and San Francisco.
McDonald was a U.S. Navy veteran who served for three years.
Actress Jennifer Runyon died March 6, 2026, after fighting cancer at the age of 65.
She had a small but memorable role in "Ghostbusters," and
she also appeared in movies like "Up the Creek" and "A Very Brady Christmas."
Runyon is also being remembered for starring in the first season
of "Charles in Charge" as Gwendolyn Pierce, Charles' girlfriend.
Hockey player and broadcaster Troy Murray died March 7, 2026, of cancer at the age of 63.
He played 12 seasons as a center with the Chicago Blackhawks before moving
on to win a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche, in addition to spending time with
the Winnipeg Jets and other teams. Murray is also being remembered as a
longtime play-by-play analyst for Blackhawks games.
Actor Corey Parker died March 5, 2026, in Memphis, Tennessee. He
died after fighting cancer at the age of 60. He had recurring TV roles on "Will & Grace" and
"Thirtysomething," as well as starring in "Flying Blind" and "The Love Boat: The Next Wave."
Parker is also being remembered for his performances in movies like "Friday the
13th: A New Beginning," "Biloxi Blues," and "How I Got into College."
Singer Tommy DeCarlo died March 9, 2026, in Charlotte, North Carolina.
He died of brain cancer at the age of 60. He was the lead singer for the legendary rock
band Boston, taking over after founding member Brad Delp's death. DeCarlo died 19
years to the day after Delp. DeCarlo is being remembered for
his incredible story – a longtime fan of Boston, he got a chance to follow in his
idol's footsteps after posting Myspace covers of their songs following Delp's death.
Author and activist Paula Doress-Worters died February 21, 2026, in Redwood City,
California. She died after living with pancreatic cancer and dementia at the age of 87.
She was one of the writers of the groundbreaking women's health book
"Our Bodies, Ourselves," as well as a founding member of the Boston
Women’s Health Book Collective, which published the book.
Doress-Worters is being remembered for co-writing the book's segment on postpartum depression,
shining a light on a condition that was rarely talked about at the time.
Actor and screenwriter Stephen Hibbert died March 2, 2026, in Denver. He died
after a heart attack at the age of 68. He got his start in improv with the Groundlings,
then wrote for TV shows like "Late Night with David Letterman,"
"MadTV," and "Boy Meets World." Hibbert is also being remembered for
playing the Gimp in "Pulp Fiction," and for small roles in "Austin Powers: The Spy Who
Shagged Me" and "The Cat in the Hat."
in East Meadow, New York at the age of 84. He was a fullback for the New York Jets in the
1960s and '70s, who now has a spot in the team's Ring of Honor.
Snell is being remembered for driving the Jets' upset victory in Super Bowl
III by scoring the team's first, and only, touchdown in a Super Bowl.
At least ten people died this week as several tornadoes struck Indiana, Michigan,
and Oklahoma, and dozens more were injured. As of this recording, not all the names of the
deceased have been released to the public. This March it’s National Colorectal Cancer
Awareness Month, and we’ve just published a special video paying tribute to some of
the most well-known people who’ve died after living with colon cancer or rectal
cancer. You may not know that colorectal cancer is the second most common cause
of cancer death in the United States today. At our website, Legacy.com,
we’ve created a memorial to all those lives everywhere touched by this disease.
Visit Legacy.com to see these life stories, or to add someone you love to the memorial.
We’re going to continue with celebrity anniversaries, but first I want to note
that some of the most memorable obituaries we saw at Legacy this week weren’t for celebrities,
but for everyday people like you and me. Like this vibrant world traveler whose family
writes that she was like Betty White in The Golden Girls: “Slight Midwestern accent,
unfailingly sweet and kind, and her naive demeanor masking a wry sense of humor and deep wisdom.”
Or this elementary school principal from Illinois, who was a trailblazer for African-American women
in the 1950s, and who is being remembered for teaching her children to be honest, fair,
compassionate, self-sufficient, and kind, And like this beloved mother, artist, and
professional from New Jersey, whose husband writes that she was, quote, “staggeringly beautiful,
breathtakingly confident, and endlessly competent in everything she did.”
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, musician and songwriter Keith Emerson died at the
age of 71. He was a renowned prog rock keyboardist, first with the Nice and then
with the classic supergroup Emerson, Lake & Palmer, known for songs like "Lucky Man."
Twenty years ago this week, actress Maureen Stapleton died at the age of 80. She won an
Academy Award for "Reds," and she was also known for such movies as "Airport," "Bye Bye
Birdie," and "Plaza Suite." Twenty years ago this week,
filmmaker and photographer Gordon Parks died at the age of 93. He directed the influential
action film "Shaft," and his photos for the U.S. government and for Life magazine shone a
light on American life in the 20th century. Thirty years ago this week, comedian and actor
George Burns died at the age of 100. He and his wife, Gracie Allen, worked together as a
popular comedy duo, and he won an Academy Award for his performance in "The Sunshine Boys."
Musician and songwriter Randy Meisner was born 80 years ago this week. He died in July 2023
at the age of 77. He was a founding member of the Eagles, playing bass and singing backing
vocals – as well as occasional lead vocals, like on the hit "Take it to the Limit."
Civil rights leader Ralph Abernathy was born 100 years ago this week. He died
in April 1990 at the age of 94. A friend and mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,
he co-created the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and served
as its president for nearly a decade after King's death.
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 Colorado have been lowered to honor the
memory of Sergeant Benjamin N. Pennington, who died during Operation Epic Fury.
Flags in Hawaii have been lowered to honor the memory of former U.S.
Representative and Hawaii Senate President Colleen Hanabusa.
Flags in Pennsylvania have been lowered to honor the memory of Corporal Timothy
J. O’Connor Jr. of the Pennsylvania State Police, who died in the line of duty.
Flags in North Carolina have been lowered to honor the memory of Durham County Master Trooper Steven
J. Perry, who died in the line of duty. Flags in New York have been lowered to honor
the memory of political strategist and former New York City Councilmember Ronnie Eldridge.
Flags in Missouri have been lowered to honor the memory of Butler County Fire
Protection District Shift Commander Jackson Warren, who died in the line of duty.
Flags in Florida have been lowered to honor the memory of former Mayor
of Winter Haven Eleanor Threlkel. Flags in Maryland have been lowered to
honor the memory of former Lieutenant Governor and State Senator Melvin A. Steinberg.
You can read more about the lives of the people featured in this video on Legacy.com.
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channel on YouTube to stay up to date on national news deaths.