Obituaries

Walter Royal, the chef of a destination steakhouse in North Carolina who triumphed as a challenger on “Iron Chef America” by cooking mostly Southern dishes with ostrich meat, has died.

Gordon Lightfoot, Canada’s legendary folk singer-songwriter whose hits include “Early Morning Rain” and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” has died at age 84.

Actor, singer, and activist Harry Belafonte, who will go down in history as the first Black Emmy winner, has passed away at the age of 96.

The real estate legend helped close deals on major development projects in Norfolk, Newport News and other Hampton Roads cities.

Walter C. Cole, better known as the iconic drag queen who performed for decades as Darcelle XV, has died of natural causes in Portland, Oregon. Cole was 92.

Actor Lance Reddick was found dead at his home in Studio City, Calif. on Friday morning at the age of 60.

John "Kimball" Payne, a former Baltimore Sun reporter who later became a Virginia investment banker, died Feb. 25 from sarcoma at his Virginia Beach home. He was 44.

Michael Shipp, owner and founder of East Coast Bicycles on Colley Avenue, was killed Thursday after being struck by a pickup truck on a state highway in South Carolina. He'd just turned 53 two days before, on Valentine's Day.

Former Hampton Mayor Jimmy Eason, who served the city from 1982 to 1998, has died.

Mort Fryman, who retired in 2009, died Tuesday in his sleep. We miss him.

Tillman, a Randolph County Republican, died at Camden Health and Rehabilitation in Greensboro from natural causes, Andrew Cumby with Cumby Family Funeral Service said Monday.

He was a pillar in the LGBTQ community and loved by many. Kirtland will be remembered for his commitment and compassion for the Hampton Roads community.

Jason Hirschfeld's photography centered on sports. His photos were often published by the The Pilot and the Associated Press, but also appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Sports Illustrated and ESPN.

Screenwriter Gregory Allen Howard, who skillfully adapted stories of historical Black figures in “Remember the Titans” starring Denzel Washington, “Ali” with Will Smith and “Harriet” with Cynthia Erivo, has died. He was 70.

The Rev. Joseph N. Green Jr. was a councilmember for 20 years and rector at Grace Episcopal Church for 30 years in Norfolk. He supported housing, transportation and education advancements in the city and had a love for gardening.

Hundreds of community members and loved ones packed Christ & St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Norfolk on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023 to remember the life and tenure of Father Joe Green. Father Green was a public servant who spent 20 years on the Norfolk City Council, 10 years a vice mayor and 30 years as rector of Grace Episcopal Church. Green was passionate about housing, education and transportation in his community, and helped get the downtown campus of Tidewater Community College up and running where a building now bears his name. Green leaves behind many family members including Evelyn Green, his wife of 67 years.

Professional soccer player Anton Walkes has died from injuries he sustained in a boat crash off the coast of Miami, authorities said Thursday.

Community leaders remember the remarkable life of Norfolk civil rights leader and public servant Rev. Joseph N. Green Jr., known as "Father Green." Green died Jan. 13 at age 96 after six decades spent working to reshape the city, both in and out of public office.

When “Dutch Wierenga died Jan. 9 at age 86, many of his Williamsburg neighbors knew little of his career and his exploits because until about a year ago, he was still a contract employee with the CIA — and secrecy abounded.

Lynette Hardaway, an ardent supporter of former President Donald Trump and one half of the conservative political commentary duo Diamond and Silk, has died, according to the pair’s Twitter account. She was 51.

Here are some of the celebrities and newsmakers who died in 2022.

Henry Berg-Brousseau, of Arlington, Virginia, was the deputy press secretary for politics for the Human Rights Campaign, one of the nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organizations.

Virginia “Jinks” Rogers Holton, a former first lady of Virginia, died Friday morning at her home, her family said in a statement. She was 97.

Virginia has lost a “good man and dedicated public servant, the House of Delegates has lost a sterling voice, and I have lost a good friend,” Speaker Todd Gilbert said in a statement.

Diehl grew up in Norfolk and relocated to eastern North Carolina as a teenager. He went to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Virginia law school. His larger-than-life demeanor in the courtroom shaded over the work he did for clients.