In Remembrance 2023

In 2023, the world said goodbye to many leaders in arts, politics, activism and the community, from Harry Belafonte and Tina Turner to local legends such as Sandra Butler-Truesdale and Maudine Cooper.

• Lance Reddick
  • Actor Lance Reddick, of “The Wire” and “John Wick” fame, died on March 18 at the age of 60.
• Wayne Shorter
  •  Composer and jazz musician Wayne Shorter died on March 2 at the age of 89.
• Randall Robinson TRANSAFRICA 
  • Randall Robinson shined light on apartheid in South America during the 1970s, facilitated the safe return of exiled Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide and was an advocate for reparations before he died March 30.
• Ahmad Jamal
  • A jazz musician with a more than seven-decade year, Ahmad Jamal died on April 16 at the age of 92.
• Torie Bowie
  • Three-time Olympic medalist and world champion sprinter Tori Bowie tragically died due to complications during childbirth on April 23.
• Harry Belafonte 
  • Renowned singer, actor, producer, and legendary civil rights trailblazer Harry Belafonte died at the age of 96 on April 25.
• Linda Harlee Harper 
  • Linda Harllee Harper, the District director of gun violence prevention and the executive director of the Office of Neighborhood and Safety Engagement, died May 26 at the age of 58.
• Jim Brown
  • Jim Brown, the superstar Cleveland Browns running back who quit football at the very height of his Hall of Fame career to pursue acting, has died at 87.
• Tina Turner 
  • Tina Turner also known as the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll” died on May 30 at age 83.
• Dorothy Simms Fauntroy
  • Wife to the District’s first Delegate to Congress and former New Bethel Baptist Church pastor the Rev. Walter Fauntroy, longtime First Lady Dorothy Simms Faunteroy died on June 18.
• Dr. Mutulu Shakur
  • Less than a year after his widely celebrated prison release, acupuncturist and Black liberation elder Dr. Mutulu Shakur died on July 6 at the age of 72. 
• Tommie Broadwater 
  • Tommie Broadwater, the first Black Senator from Prince George’s died on July 11, at the age of 81. 
• Tony Bennett 
  • Tony Bennett, the legendary singer whose smooth vocals and timeless classics captured the hearts of millions, died at 96 on July 21 in his hometown of New York. 
• Sheila Oliver
  • New Jersey was plunged into mourning on Aug. 1 as the news of the untimely death of Lt. Gov. Sheila Y. Oliver, the first African-American woman to serve in her role, shook the state. 
• Charles Ogletree
  • Charles J. Ogletree Jr., a distinguished Harvard Law School professor, celebrated attorney, and leading civil rights advocate, died on Aug. 4 at the age of 70.

• OT Blount 
  • OT Blount, one of the Ward 8 Woods Conservancy’s longest-serving park stewards and a dedicated leader in keeping D.C.’s forests healthy, died on Aug. 8. 
• Bishop Sweet Daddy 
  • Bishop C.M. “Sweet Daddy” Bailey, of The United House of Prayer for All People of the Church on the Rock of the Apostolic Faith, died Aug. 11 in Philadelphia while he was conducting the national convocation of the church that has 137 congregations nationwide.
• Clarence Avant
  • Lauded as the “Godfather of Black Music,” music executive Clarence Avant died on Aug. 13. 
• Ron Cephas Jones
  • Actor Ron Cephas Jones of “This is Us,” fame died after what reports called a “long-standing pulmonary issue,” on Aug. 19 at the age of 66.
• Rudolph Isley
  • Rudolph Isley, a founding member and key figure in creating the popular soul group The Isley Brothers, has died at 84.
• Tasha Butts
  • Georgetown University’s Department of Intercollegiate Athletics officials said they are mourning the death of women’s basketball head coach Tasha Butts at the age of 41 on Oct. 22 following a courageous two-year battle with breast cancer.
• Richard Roundtree 
  • Richard Roundtree, the iconic actor renowned for portraying the suave private detective in the groundbreaking “Shaft” film series, died at the age of 81 on Oct. 24. 
• Sandra Butler-Truesdale 
  • The Rev. Dr. Sandra Butler-Truesdale, a native Washingtonian and passionate lover of music, died on Oct. 28 at the age of 83.
• Maudine Cooper 
  • Maudine R. Cooper, a civil rights advocate, who worked for three D.C. mayors before becoming President of the Greater Washington Urban League died on Nov. 10 at the age of 82.
• James McKoy 
  • James “Bun” McKoy, a member of the civil rights and political prisoner group the “Wilmington Ten,” died at the age of 69 on Nov. 10 after being falsely charged with arson and violence towards law enforcement, and spending nearly a decade in prison before their convictions were overturned.
• Rosalynn Carter
  • Former U.S. first lady, philanthropist and co-founder of The Carter Center, Rosalynn Carter died on Nov. 19.
• Bishop Carlton Pearson 
  • Bishop Carlton Pearson, a Christian minister, author, and gospel artist who shifted his religious beliefs to preach the “gospel of inclusion,” died on Nov. 19 after a brief battle with cancer.
• Baba Oduno A. Tarik
  • Baba Oduno A. Tarik, a prominent Garveyite, master teacher and horticulturist, died on Nov. 22 at the age of 76. 
• Ric Gordon 
  • Greenbelt Council member Brandon “Ric” Gordon, 41, a dedicated community servant, died on Sunday, Nov. 26. 
• Sandra Day O’Connor 
  • Sandra Day O’Connor, the trailblazing legal luminary who shattered the glass ceiling as the first female Supreme Court justice, died on Dec. 1 at the age of 93.
• Norman Lear 
  • Legendary writer and producer Norman Lear, who had an unmistakable effect on American television over his six-decade career, died on Dec. 5 at the age of 101.
• Andre Braugher 
  • Renowned actor Andre Braugher, celebrated for his compelling performances in iconic television series such as “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “Homicide: Life on the Street,” has died at 61 after a brief illness.