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Shirley Conran, author best known for the steamy ‘Lace,’ dies at 91

An industrious and proliferous British author, Shirley Conran's 1982 novel, “Lace,” was a tale of female autonomy disguised as a bonkbuster (to use the British term for a steamy bestseller) that made her a millionaire.

Joe Zucker, prolific painter of innumerable styles, dies at 82
An influential painter, Joe Zucker took his obsession with process and materials to unique extremes.

Bob McCreadie, ‘the master of going faster’ in dirt racing, dies at 73
One of the winningest drivers in dirt racing history, Bob McCreadie was regularly introduced by announcers as “the master of going faster."

Sam Butcher, artist who created Precious Moments figurines of teardrop-eyed children, dies at 85

Some of the Christian-themed figurines feature Bible verses or children praying. Fans have collections numbering in the hundreds, while critics deride them as kitsch.

Alice Stewart, a CNN political commentator, is dead at 58
Alice Stewart, a Republican strategist who became a political commentator on CNN, has died. She was 58.

Wayland Holyfield, hit-making songwriter for Nashville’s stars, dies at 82
Wayland Holyfield, a hit-making songwriter who arrived in Nashville after quitting an advertising job and soon had country music’s stars recording his odes to cheating hearts, second chances and good buddies - among them the barroom anthem “Rednecks, White Socks and Blue Ribbon Beer” - died May 6 at his home in Nashville. He was 82.

David Redden, who brought ingenuity to the auction block, dies at 75
Mr. Redden, who specialized in rare manuscripts, collectibles, memorabilia, and celebrity bric-a-brac — and also in generating excitement around such objects, turning auctions into high entertainment — died May 11 at his home in Cornwall-on-Hudson, N.Y. He was 75.

C. Gordon Bell, creator of a personal computer prototype, dies at 89
C. Gordon Bell, a technology visionary whose computer designs for Digital Equipment Corp. fueled the emergence of the minicomputer industry in the 1960s, died Friday at his home in Coronado, California. He was 89.

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Dr. Paul Parkman, who helped to eliminate rubella, dies at 91

Dr. Paul D. Parkman, whose research was instrumental in identifying the virus that causes rubella and developing a vaccine that has prevented an epidemic of the disease in the United States for more than 50 years, died on May 7 at his home in Auburn, New York, about 60 miles east of Rochester in the Finger Lakes region. He was 91.

James Greenfield, globe-trotting reporter and Times editor, dies at 99

James L. Greenfield, an urbane journalist who covered postwar world affairs for Time magazine, served as a State Department official in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, and for nearly 25 years was a senior editor of The New York Times, died Sunday at home in the rural town of Washington, Connecticut. He was 99.

Ivan Boesky, stock trader convicted in insider trading scandal, dead at 87, according to reports

Mr. Boesky's cooperation with the government cracked open one of the largest insider trading scandals on Wall Street.

Iran President Ebrahim Raisi, supreme leader’s protégé, dies in helicopter crash

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s death, along with the foreign minister and other officials in a helicopter crash Sunday in northwestern Iran, came as Iran struggles with internal dissent and its relations with the wider world.

Bud Anderson, last of World War II’s ‘triple ace’ pilots, dies at 102

Brig. Gen. Bud Anderson, who single-handedly shot down 16 German planes over Europe in World War II and became America’s last living triple ace, a fighter pilot with 15 or more “kills,” died Friday at his home in Auburn, California, northeast of Sacramento.

Jon Urbanchek, who led swimmers to Olympic glory, dies at 87

Jon Urbanchek, a Hungarian immigrant who became a revered swimming coach in the United States and guided 44 swimmers to the Olympics, where they won 21 medals, 11 of them gold, died May 9 in hospice care at his home in Fullerton, California. He was 87.

Eddie Gossage, the longtime head of Texas Motor Speedway, dies at 65

Eddie Gossage, the longtime head of Texas Motor Speedway and an old-school promoter mentored by stock car racing pioneers, has died

Robert Dennard, IBM inventor whose chip changed computing, dies at 91

Robert H. Dennard, an engineer who invented the silicon memory technology that plays an indispensable role in every smartphone, laptop and tablet computer, died April 23 in Sleepy Hollow, New York. He was 91.