I regret to inform you that an excellent pup has left us too soon.

Novelist Philip Roth, whose vast body of work included the Pulitzer Prize-winning American Pastoral and the archetypal Portnoy’s Complaint, died Tuesday at the age of 85.

Swedish DJ and producer Avicii died on Friday, April 20, his publicist Diana Baron confirmed to Billboard. He was 28 years old. The cause of death is currently unknown.

Former first lady Barbara Bush died at her home in Houston, Texas on Tuesday at the age of 92.

On Tuesday, the New York Times reported that Ursula K. Le Guin—author of dozens of books including The Left Hand of Darkness and the Earthsea series, and a literary hero in her own right—died at her home in Portland, Oregon at the age of 88. Her son, Theo Downes-Le Guin confirmed her passing, noting that her health…

Mathilde Krim, who was the founding chairwoman of the the Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR), died at her home in Kings Point, New York on Monday at the age of 91

WDRB-TV in Louisville reported that 57-year-old Republican state Rep. from Kentucky, Dan Johnson, died on Wednesday on a bridge in Mt. Washington, according to Bullitt County Sheriff Donnie Tinnell. A gun was reportedly recovered from the scene, and a coroner ruled the death a “probable suicide.”

The Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday that teen heartthrob of the ’70s and former Partridge Family star David Cassidy died of liver failure at the age of 67, according to his publicist, Jo-Ann Geffen.

Liz Smith, gossip column queen, frequently referred to as “The Grand Dame of Dish” or “The Doyenne of Dish,” passed away from natural causes in New York on Sunday at the age of 94.

Anita Pallenberg, the actress, model and one-time girlfriend of both Keith Richards and Brian Jones has died, the Guardian reports. She was 73.

Greg Allman, who helped found the legendary Allman Brothers Band with his late brother Duane, died at his home in Savannah, Georgia on Saturday at the age of 69.

The Associated Press reported on Sunday that Erin Moran, famous for playing Joanie Cunningham on the TV shows Happy Days and Joanie Loves Chachi, died on Saturday. She was 56 years old.

Beloved Emmy-winning actor Bill Paxton died at 61 on Sunday due to complications from surgery, People reports.

Vocalist Al Jarreau, who won seven Grammys for his R&B, jazz, and pop music, died in a Los Angeles hospital on Sunday morning at the age of 76.

Vanessa Gould’s documentary Obit, about the men and women who work at the obituary desk at the New York Times and the stories they tell, has been picked up for a theatrical release. The film will open in New York in April; here’s our interview with Gould and Times reporter Margalit Fox from when it premiered at the…

Despite our fascination with the lives of people who have been deemed societally “important” because of accomplishments, fame and riches, the nitty-gritty of how and why we know what we know about them often gets swept under the rug. Vanessa Gould’s documentary Obit, which just premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival,…

Natalie Cole, the singer whose career spanned four decades and who was the daughter of Nat King Cole, died Thursday in a Los Angeles hospital from congestive heart failure, TMZ reports. She was 65.

Donald Featherstone, a man with the perfect name for the legacy he left on this earth, has died at the age of 79. Featherstone designed the plastic lawn flamingo, one of earth’s most useless, beloved and beautiful tchotchkes.