dies

William Orbit, the English musician and producer best known for his work with Madonna on her beloved 1998 album “Ray of Light,” died on July 23. He was 69.

His family announced his death Friday in an Instagram post that said he died at home but didn’t specify a cause. “He will be greatly missed by us and by so many whose lives he touched through his music, friendship and kindness,” the post reads.

Born William Wainwright in London in 1956, Orbit had already established himself in the worlds of dance music and movie soundtracks — he composed the score for the 1986 hockey movie “Youngblood,” with Rob Lowe and Patrick Swayze — when he linked up with Madonna at a moment of deep personal change for the pop superstar, who’d given birth to her first child and immersed herself in a variety of spiritual practices. Together the two developed a lush yet energetic sound that combined guitars, synths and throbbing club beats.

“Ray of Light,” which sold more than 4 million copies in the United States alone, spun off hit singles including “Frozen,” “The Power of Good-Bye” and the exuberant title track; the LP was nominated for album of the year at the Grammy Awards — Madonna’s only nod for that prestigious prize — and won the award for pop vocal album. Orbit won three Grammys in all over the course of his career.

In 2021, Orbit took pains in an interview with the Guardian to share credit for “Ray of Light” with the singer herself. Madonna, he said, is “a fabulous producer. When it says ‘produced by Madonna and William Orbit,’ people don’t always give her the credit for that. But she’s as responsible as me.”

Orbit and Madonna collaborated again for “Beautiful Stranger,” a Grammy-winning single from the soundtrack of 1999’s “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me,” and for an electro-pop cover of Don McLean’s “American Pie” that featured in the 2000 movie “The Next Best Thing,” in which Madonna starred.

He also worked with Blur, U2, Beth Orton, Pink and All Saints, and he made music under his own name, including a 2000 LP, “Pieces in a Modern Style,” with high-tech interpretations of classical pieces by the likes of Samuel Barber and Erik Satie.

Brazilian UFC flyweight Allan Nascimento has died after suffering an apparent heart attack in his sleep, the organization announced. He was 34.

Nascimento was found unresponsive Monday morning, according to the UFC, and was pronounced dead at the scene “despite the efforts of the responding medical team.”

He is said to be survived by his wife and two children.

“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Allan’s family, friends, teammates, and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time,” UFC wrote on social media.

At 5 foot 9 and 126 pounds, Nascimento built a reputation “as a skilled competitor and consummate professional,” according to a tribute posted on the UFC site, while compiling a 4-2 record in the Octagon and 22-7 overall (16 wins by submission).

Nascimento started training at the famed Chute Boxe Diego Lima academy in his hometown of Sao Paulo, Brazil, at age 15. It was there that he was given his nickname, Puro Osso, which is Portugese slang for “skin and bones.”

“When I joined my academy, I was extremely thin,” Nascimento told the website Sherdog in 2021. “I weighed nothing. As soon as people saw me, they called me ‘Puro Osso.’ The nickname stuck.”

Nascimento’s first MMA fight was in 2011, with his UFC debut coming 10 years later. His final bout was a split decision loss to Mitch Raposo at UFC Fight Night 279 in Las Vegas.

On Monday, former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira posted several tributes to his close friend and Chute Boxe Diego Lima teammate on his Instagram Story.

“Today I lost a brother that fighting gave me,” Oliveira wrote in Portugese. “Thank you for always being there, for sharing the mat and the corner, and for your words. I’m just so grateful for having you by my side, brother, in training, in the corner and when hanging out. I love you, kid.”

Fellow Brazilian UFC fighter Caio Borralho commented on UFC’s Instagram post about Nascimento’s death: “He was one of the most kind fighters that’s I’ve ever met! Polite, good energy and always in good spirits! He will be missed.”

UFC Brazil reporter Evelyn Rodrigues wrote in the comments: “One of the kindest souls I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing through MMA. Rest in peace, Allan.”

Mixed martial arts fighter Allan Nascimento has died at the age of 34, says the UFC.

According to MMA’s leading promotion, the Brazilian flyweight was found unresponsive on Monday morning after suffering an apparent heart attack in his sleep.

“Despite the efforts of the responding medical team, he was pronounced deceased at the scene,” added a UFC statement., external

“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Allan’s family, friends, team-mates and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.”

Nascimento had been with the UFC since 2021 and his last fight was a split-decision loss to Mitch Raposo in June.

That left Nascimento with an overall MMA record of 22 wins and seven losses, with a 4-2 record in the UFC.

Former New York Sen. Jacob K. Javits, an apostle of progressive Republicanism for more than three decades and widely regarded in his time as one of the most brilliant people in Congress, died Friday night in West Palm Beach, Fla., after a lengthy illness. He was 81.

Javits, who lost his Senate seat in the conservative tidal wave of 1980, had suffered since 1979 from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a progressive muscle and nerve disorder also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease that reduced him from a human dynamo to a wheelchair-bound invalid.

He died at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Palm Beach after being brought in earlier in the day, a nursing supervisor said.

Javits was remembered Friday night by political colleagues as a tough and courageous fighter who, in President Reagan’s words, “was known for his intellect, for his integrity, for his dedication.”

“Especially in foreign relations–his chief abiding interest–Sen. Javits served our country with tremendous insight and skill, proving a staunch advocate of freedom around the world, and a particular friend of the brave state of Israel,” Reagan said in a statement released by the White House.

“He was a truly great American leader, courageous, committed, compassionate,” Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) said of his close friend. “To the very end, he taught us with his own inspiring example to care about those less fortunate than ourselves.”

Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) called Javits “one of the greatest intellects ever to serve in the U.S. Senate.”

“Perhaps his greatest contribution to us was his demonstration of courage in refusing to surrender to his illness,” said New York Gov. Mario M. Cuomo.

Before his illness, Javits usually worked 16 to 18 hours a day after several sets of tennis or a strenuous workout in one of the congressional gyms. When he finally went home at night, he nearly always took a stack of paper work with him.

“Idle time is something he never learned to live with,” John Trubin, Javits’ former law partner, best friend and campaign manager, said of him. “He had an agenda for everything–even relaxation. He wasn’t a guy who could sit around and schmooze (a Yiddish word for idle chatter).”

With his penchant for constant involvement, Javits made himself an expert on practically every major issue before Congress, from civil rights to foreign policy, from high finance to labor relations.

“Just name any important, significant area and Sen. Javits was a leading expert in it,” Sen. William Proxmire (D-Wis.) said.

It was not uncommon for Javits to pop in and out of half a dozen Senate hearings in a single morning, pausing long enough to pepper a witness with a few tough questions after getting a quick briefing from an aide monitoring the proceeding. If television cameras or a lot of reporters were present, Javits lingered a bit longer than otherwise.

Marriage Suffered

Although Javits’ compulsive work style undoubtedly benefited his career, it did not help his married life. He was always sensitive about his marriage because his wife, Marion, refused to live in Washington. Marion Javits, who was 20 years younger than her husband, was interested in the theater and the arts and found Washington “dull.” She and the couple’s three children once briefly tried life in the capital, but it did not work out.

“Javits was at the office from 8 in the morning until 11 at night so she just gave up,” said Patricia Shakow, a Washington lawyer-journalist who worked for Javits for years.

Jacob Koppel Javits was born in a tenement on Manhattan’s Lower East Side on May 18, 1904, one of two sons of impoverished Jewish immigrant parents. He later called his birthplace the “urban counterpart to a log cabin–a janitor’s flat in a tenement.”

His father, who died when Javits was 14, got a basement flat free because he was the janitor. His mother, who was illiterate until she was 55, helped out by peddling household goods from a pushcart. Javits later credited his fondness for public speaking to his days as a youngster helping his mother hawk chinaware.

No Embarrassment

“I never felt the least embarrassment or shyness about getting up in front of a crowd, even a hostile political one,” Javits wrote in his memoirs, published in 1981. “Public speaking is enjoyable for me, often exhilarating–something like the thrill a poet or a painter or a composer gets when his work is well done.”

It was a characteristic remark. Humility was not among Javits’ virtues. Although articulate and a skilled debater, he was no spellbinder as a public speaker. He had a patronizing style of speaking that frequently annoyed his Senate colleagues.

Yet even his critics, of whom there were many, agreed that Javits was a remarkably skilled and innovative legislator who had a talent for compromising diverse viewpoints.

“There isn’t another colleague of ours who has left his imprimatur on more pieces of legislation than Jack Javits,” said Sen. Claiborne Pell (D-R.I.), who served on two committees with Javits.

For his escape from poverty, Javits gave almost total credit to his late brother, Benjamin, 10 years his senior, who financed his own way through law school at night by working as a debt collector. Prodded by his brother, the younger Javits followed the same path.

Bankruptcy Law

After receiving his law degree, Javits joined his brother in the firm of Javits & Javits, which developed a highly lucrative practice specializing in bankruptcy cases. Both brothers eventually became millionaires.

After serving in World War II as a lieutenant colonel in the Army’s chemical warfare service, Javits decided on a political career. That year, 1946, was a good one for Republicans and Javits was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from a normally Democratic district on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

After four House terms, Javits ran for state attorney general in 1954 and defeated one of New York’s most famous political names, Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr., son of the late President. Two years later, Javits ran for the Senate and defeated another big Democratic name, Robert F. Wagner Jr., then mayor of New York City.

In the Senate as in the House, Javits was far out of the mainstream of his conservative party.

But Javits found the Senate the ideal forum to expound on subjects about which he felt passionately–defense of Israel, civil rights and the need of more progressives in the Republican Party.

Javits’ alienation from his party’s conservatives became almost total in 1964 when he refused to support Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-Ariz.) for President. But time mellowed both men and they later became good friends. “One of the nicest things that has happened to me lately is the ripening of my friendship with Barry Goldwater,” Javits said in 1980.

Proudest Moment

Javits’ proudest moment came in 1973 when Congress overrode a veto by President Richard M. Nixon and enacted the War Powers Resolution that for the first time restricted a President’s authority to send U.S. troops into combat without the consent of Congress. Javits initiated the resolution. In 1980, Javits was defeated for renomination to the Senate by Alfonse M. D’Amato, a conservative. Javits subsequently ran in the general election as the Liberal Party candidate, and D’Amato again won.

Javits insisted the defeat wasn’t his biggest disappointment.

“My biggest disappointment was in not having been a candidate for President,” he said in an interview with The Times. “The one thing I didn’t go for was the gold ring, and I think I could have gone for it. It would have been a historic opportunity.” In his memoirs, he seemed more wistful of what might have been had he been reelected.

“After 24 years in the Senate minority, having become the ranking minority member on the Foreign Relations Committee, I was dismissed in the year that my party became the majority in the Senate, when I would have become chairman of the committee–a lifelong dream. I was shown the promised land but was not permitted to enter it.”

BRITISH filmmaker Justin Hardy, who directed the sequel to his dad’s horror classic The Wicker Man, has died aged 61.

The director’s family said Hardy died on Friday – just weeks before his latest film premiered – after suffering a heart attack.

In a statement the grieving family said: “Our family is devastated to share that Justin Hardy passed away last night.

“He was so full of life right to the end, and incredibly energised to be working towards premiering his latest film this month.

“We are all so proud of him and heartbroken he won’t be with us at his premiere.

“He was a man of family, of boundless creativity, and of devotion for everyone he held dear.”

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Hardy studied history at Oxford University before going on to study film in Bournemouth and scriptwriting in California.

During his career Hardy directed series and films including The Bill, Princes In The Tower, Trafalgar Battle Surgeon, The Relief Of Belsen, Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen and London’s Burning.

He was also nominated for an Emmy and a Bafta, and in recent years had been teaching screenwriting at University College London.

His brother, Dominic Hardy, said Justin would be remembered as someone “with an incredible appetite for life.”

In 2024 the brothers released the documentary Children Of The Wicker Man.

It covered their complicated relationship with their dad’s hit film, which initially bombed at the box office before becoming a cult classic.

Filming of The Wicker Man saw dad Robin sacrifice his family life for a film that performed poorly initially.

Before his death aged 86 in 2016 the legendary director of The Wicker Man – Robin Hardy – spoke publicly about his desire to complete trilogy after he released The Wicker Tree in 2011.

After he died, the brothers were contacted and asked about plans for the third film, which Dominic said they then saw as the “impetus to close the chapter on the films.”

The brothers then decided to wrap up their father’s film trilogy.

Released this month, Wrath Of The Gods was inspired by a concept discovered in a recently unearthed script written by Robin and stars Game of Thrones’ Francis Magee and Norwegian actress Christiane Schaldemose.

Dominic: “I really love writing projects like this and if I could write things like this for the rest of my career, that would be great.’”

Justin Hardy is survived by his wife Larissa, and children Sam, Ludo, Nico and Summer.

Wrath Of The Gods will premiere at FrightFest in Leicester Square on August 28.

Franco Baresi has died at the age of 66, with AC Milan saying their former captain’s “example and integrity will be forever etched into the club’s DNA”.

Baresi spent his entire 20-year playing career with the club from 1977 until he retired in 1997, winning six Serie A titles and three European Cups/Champions Leagues.

Regarded as one of the greatest defenders to play the game, Baresi captained Milan for 15 seasons, making 719 appearances and scoring 33 goals.

He was capped 81 times by Italy and was part of the squad which won the 1982 World Cup. He played in the 1994 final, which Italy lost to Brazil.

In 2020, Baresi became honorary vice-president of AC Milan, with the club retiring his number six shirt four years later.

Baresi had surgery in August 2025 to remove a lung nodule, and his last public appearance was at the San Siro Stadium for the Winter Olympics opening ceremony in February.

In a statement on X, AC Milan wrote: “Milan is in tears following the passing of Franco Baresi. His example and integrity will be forever etched into the club’s DNA, just as his iconic number 6 shirt is.”

Billy Ray Smith Jr. became embedded in the San Diego sports community as an exceptional linebacker who lived up to his billing as a first-round draft pick and played all of his 126 NFL games with the Chargers from 1983 to 1992, long before the franchise moved to Los Angeles.

Despite being Texas-raised and Arkansas-educated, Smith Jr. became synonymous with San Diego by spending the rest of his life in the sunny SoCal city as a sportscaster, radio host and big-hearted, larger-than-life personality.

Smith Jr. died Wednesday at age 64, his family saying in a statement that he “faced his long journey with dementia caused by CTE with unmatched bravery, dignity, and strength.”

“It is with profound sadness that we share the loss of our beloved Billy Ray Smith Jr., who passed away peacefully surrounded by family,” the statement said. “Billy Ray brought so much joy, light, and laughter to the world as a devoted father, husband, son, and loyal friend.”

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive brain disease characterized by mood disturbances and cognitive decline. It is linked to repeated head impacts and traumatic brain injuries, and has been found posthumously in numerous athletes in contact sports.

According to the Mayo Clinic, CTE cannot be diagnosed definitively during life. However, clinical criteria has been developed for traumatic encephalopathy syndrome (TES), symptoms that occur together and are associated with CTE.

A diagnosis of CTE requires evidence of degeneration of brain tissue that can only be seen during an autopsy. Through 2022, the Boston University CTE Center studied the brains of 376 former NFL players and diagnosed 345 with CTE, a rate of 91.7%.

The list of former NFL players diagnosed with CTE includes another legendary Chargers linebacker, Junior Seau, who died in 2012 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at 43. Smith played alongside Seau from 1990-1992.

Their friendship endured after Smith Jr. retired and moved into broadcasting. He was a speaker at Seau’s public memorial service.

Smith Jr. was born Aug. 10, 1961, in Fayetteville, Ark., the son of longtime NFL defensive lineman Billy Ray Smith, and grew up in Plano, Texas. The year he was born, his father registered a career-high 13.5 sacks for the Baltimore Colts.

Smith Jr. followed his father’s footsteps to the University of Arkansas, and was twice named a unanimous All-American and voted into the College Football Hall of Fame. The Chargers drafted Smith Jr. with the fifth overall pick in 1983.

He moved from defensive end to linebacker in San Diego and by 1987 was named the team’s most valuable player. Smith Jr. finished his career with 26.5 sacks, 15 interceptions and 14 fumble recoveries.

He soon moved behind a microphone, teaming with Scott Kaplan on a popular radio show on the Mighty 1090, a station that went off the air in 2019.

“He loved being part of San Diego,” Kaplan told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “Yeah, he was the fifth overall pick and he played 10 years and, yeah, was the face of the defense before he handed it off to Junior Seau. But he was the guy who never left San Diego.

“He was loved because people knew Billy Ray. It wasn’t like other star athletes; they knew him because they had seen his whole life, from the time he was in his early 20s, play out on local television. And he never left.”

Smith Jr. worked on TV as a sportscaster and sports director for KGTV while also making appearances on Fox Sports and local Chargers broadcasts.

He met his wife, broadcaster Kimberly Hunt, during a United Cerebral Palsy telethon while still a Chargers player. They married in 1990, had a daughter, Savannah, two years later and celebrated their 36th anniversary in June. Hunt, an Emmy Award winner, is currently in her 18th year as the KGTV news evening anchor.

The couple was active in charities for decades and this year was given the San Diego Nice Guy of the Year Award.

“Through decades of volunteer service and charitable leadership, Billy Ray has generously supported youth programs, veterans, healthcare initiatives, and numerous nonprofit organizations, helping strengthen the fabric of the San Diego community,” the San Diego Nice Guys said earlier this year.

“Together, Kimberly Hunt and Billy Ray Smith represent the very best of San Diego —individuals whose professional excellence is matched only by their kindness, humility, and dedication to improving the lives of others.”

Smith Jr. came to San Diego as a fearsome linebacker who made two Pro Bowls, yet he transcended football through his infectious personality and devotion to his adopted city.

“He had that big smile, that huge laugh, that rip-your-arm-off handshake,” Kaplan said. “B.R. did everything right. There was not one part of him that was a lie, a secret, not one skeleton in the closet. He really, really lived a life that he could be very proud of.”

DAWN French and Jason Manford have paid a heartbreaking tribute to the “quietly magnificent” publicist Neil Reading.

The entertainment industry heavyweight died aged 56 following a short illness.

Mr Reading, one of Britain’s best-known showbiz publicists, represented a glittering roll call of stars including French, John Cleese and the late Victoria Wood.

His sudden death has prompted an outpouring of grief from the celebrities and friends whose careers he helped champion.

The founder of Neil Reading PR was behind a string of West End hits, including High Society, Only Fools And Horses and Fawlty Towers – The Play.

But for French, Mr Reading was far more than the man handling her publicity.

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She said: “Neil Reading was a one-off, such a kind, decent, intelligent man, a proper gentleman in the old-fashioned way, quietly magnificent.

“Our work relationship became a very real and trusting friendship.

“He has been my ally and fierce protector through so much and for so long. I don’t quite know how I’ll manage without him. Sleep tight darlin’ heart.”

Comedian Jason Manford also revealed the devastating depth of their nearly two-decade friendship.

He said: “Describing Neil as my PR manager does not come close to describing what he meant to me.

“He was a trusted friend of almost 20 years, a confidant and one of the most loyal, noble and brilliant men I have ever known.”

Mr Reading’s star-studded client list also included John Bishop, Sir Lenny Henry and Paul McKenna.

Bishop said: “Neil was a true gentleman. He was too humble to realise how much he meant to people and I know he will be greatly missed.”

McKenna said: “Neil was one of the finest people I’ve ever known.”

Businessman Nick Candy, who was a close friend of Mr Reading, said the publicist’s impact stretched far beyond the spotlight.

He said: “Neil wasn’t just a brilliant publicist – he was a true friend and one of the kindest, most generous people I have ever known.”

Mr Reading launched his agency in 1992, building it into a formidable entertainment, consumer and lifestyle PR operation.

The company later expanded into business, property and fashion, while forging links with agencies across Europe and the United States.

Through decades at the heart of showbiz, Mr Reading became a trusted figure behind some of Britain’s biggest names and productions.

He is survived by his wife Claire and daughter Rosa.

Mr Reading’s career was built on a knack for turning famous names into headline-makers, long before social media transformed the publicity game.

He struck out on his own in 1992 at just 22, quickly building an agency around personal publicity and an increasingly glittering roster of household names.

By 1997, he was representing stars including Jonathan Ross, Michael Flatley, Jack Dee, Lee Evans and Ben Elton, while also working with clients outside showbiz.

His agency went on to become a formidable force behind some of Britain’s biggest entertainment launches.

In his 1997 Independent interview, he described personal PR as his “first love”.

It was at 11:21 a.m. on Sunday, June 21, that things started to fall apart. Aliyu Muhammad was in the Malali area, Kaduna, northwestern Nigeria, working underneath a car when he missed a call from his wife. When he called back, someone else answered and asked him if he knew the owner of the phone. 

“He said whatever he would tell me are just unconfirmed suspicions,” he recounted. “Then, he told me some women saw my wife and suspected she was a child kidnapper. I told him that I left her at home and she was supposed to attend an event. He said that’s exactly what she told them, but the people, seeing a stranger with a hijab and niqab talking to some children while there is a high rate of kidnapping, were suspicious. He asked me to send a representative since I wasn’t around.”

The man who called introduced himself as the Mai Anguwa (community head). Aliyu sent his friend, Suleiman Isa, to fill in for him. Fortunately, the man knew the friend.  

Ummulkhairi left her home in Sabon Gari Marraraban Jos, Kaduna, that morning to attend an Islamic lecture in Madrasat Tashiyhul Iman, an area she wasn’t familiar with. This led her to ask a group of children for directions. However, being a fully covered Muslim woman with a hijab and a face veil (niqab), some of the residents profiled her as dangerous. They mistook her for a child kidnapper. Within a short time, a mob gathered, and they eventually killed her, then set her body on fire, despite attempts to save her life.

The Kaduna State Police Command claimed that officers attempted to save her life, but the mob stormed the police station, overpowered them, and forcefully took Ummulkhairi out. However, eyewitness accounts tell a different story. 

Zainab Musa, Ummulkhairi’s sister-in-law, who was at the scene, said it was the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), CSP Abdullahi S. Akai, who handed her over to the mob, and that she tried to pull Ummulkhairi away from him but to no avail. Other witnesses, including Ummulkhairi’s co-wife, Hussaina Sani, corroborated this account. 

HumAngle visited the police station in Marrarraba Jos, where sources said the DPO “had been transferred to the Force Headquarters for investigation”. On the afternoon of Jul 16, we met DSP Mansir Hassan, the Kaduna Police spokesperson, who said he could not answer any questions because the case is under investigation and officers were not allowed to comment outside the earlier press statement.

After she was lynched, the DPO visited her house with some journalists, who interviewed him right in their compound at the centre of the family’s grief. 

“[The DPO] lifted his trousers to show us the injury he sustained from the mob. He even told us that his car was damaged, and all I could think was how any of that concerns us,” said Aminatu Isa Abdullahi, Ummulkhairi’s mother-in-law.  

On the day it happened 

As Aliyu struggled to reach the scene after the phone call, each passing second deepened his fears. “It was hard to get a bike from where I was in Malali Low-cost, so I had to walk,” he recalled. “While I was walking, I was anxiously calling my friend [Suleiman], but his number wasn’t connecting. I rushed to get my brother-in-law in Kawo Park, and we flagged down a bike.” He also called Zainab, his sister, who in turn contacted Ummulkhairi’s colleagues, who were also supposed to attend the event. 

The bike ride felt slow that day, and Aliyu’s anxiety worsened as he started receiving calls from people asking where he was as the crowd was becoming more erratic. When they reached the Marrarraban Jos Bridge, he saw cars and lorries parked on the road. The motorcyclist dropped them on the other side, and they continued on foot. 

He saw smoke from a distance. Then, as if on cue, his second wife called.

“They have killed her,” she said. 

Those words echoed in Aliyu’s head. He was struggling to hear what she was saying because she couldn’t stop crying, and when he started to ask questions, she couldn’t respond. Instead, she ended the call. 

“When I arrived there, I saw her friend. They were all crying,” he said.

Eventually, he saw his sister and second wife returning with a piece of clothing he immediately recognised as his wife’s hijab. The lemon-green fabric was torn. 

Aliyu had spent the previous night with Ummulkhairi. Every evening, even on the nights he stayed with his second wife, he would stop by to see her and the children. Every morning, before leaving for work, he did the same.

The evening before Ummulkhairi was killed was no different. She told him about her day, served him tuwo and vegetable soup, and they talked as they usually did. 

“I will always remember this as the last meal I had from her,” he said. 

The following morning, when he returned for his daily greetings, he found her seated at her favourite place, with her Qur’an open in front of her. “She reminded me to greet a sick neighbour who was her friend. I told her I would do so when I return,” he recalled.

It was then she informed him about the programme in Madrasat Tashiyhul Iman to which she was invited. He wished her well, and she asked the children to pray for him. 

Neither of them knew they were saying the final goodbye, nor did he know that hours later he would be standing at the police station, where her remains were. 

“I saw my wife’s body, burned and covered with a leaf,” Aliyu recounted. 

That day, he granted some interviews to journalists before the police released Ummulkhairi’s body to the family. “We returned her home and buried her,” he said. It was only afterwards, he said, that another loss struck him. “The phone you saw me give my daughter earlier was her phone, and something that further triggered me was when it was returned to me, I realised that I didn’t even think where her things were. The Mai Anguwa sent someone to give it to me, but he returned her shoes to me himself.”

Witnesses to tears 

When Suleiman Isa answered Aliyu’s call for help that morning, he didn’t know how the day would fracture his friend’s life. He arrived before the situation spiralled, helping to secure Ummulkhairi inside the police station. Believing she was safe, he stepped out to answer a phone call and meet a potential business customer. When he returned to the police station, he didn’t know she had already been dragged out and handed to the mob. 

“I started asking people where she was, and they told me that she had already been killed. At that point, my head turned, and I just started crying,” Suleiman recounted. 

He walked through the back entrance to the main gate, where Ummulkhairi’s body lay. “Some of us tried to stop the burning, after which we covered her body in leaves and put her on a stretcher,” he said. The family later took her home for burial. 

Although Suleiman and Ummulkhairi were not particularly close, he said the events of that afternoon left him shaken.

Grief was the last reason Ummulkhairi visited Hussaina Sani, her co-wife. Now, it is the reason Hussaina spends her day in the family compound, where Ummulkhairi lived, helping to hold together the space she left behind. 

Though the two women lived in different neighbourhoods and rarely saw one another, their relationship was warm whenever they met, Hussaina recounted. 

She had rushed to the police station after their husband called to tell her what had happened. When she arrived, Ummulkhairi had already been placed in a separate room. Inside the station, Hussaina encountered two women accusing her co-wife of being a child kidnapper. 

“They seemed angry, saying that they would not tolerate what happened. One of them got into a scuffle with the police officers,” she recounted. Unable to stay silent, Hussaina confronted one of the women herself. “I got upset and asked her if she saw her kidnapping any child. The woman said her child was kidnapped before. I asked her if it was Ummulkhairi who was responsible, and we kept going back and forth.” 

Outside, the crowd grew increasingly restless. Police officers fired tear gas over the station walls in an attempt to disperse them, but it did little to calm the situation. Soon, stones began raining into the compound. 

The officers moved the women into another room for safety and told them that reinforcements had been called. They also said Ummulkhairi would be transferred to Kaduna. Then the DPO arrived. 

“The first thing he said was, ‘Where is the culprit?’ Our sister-in-law then said, ‘Do you mean to say the suspect?’ and pointed to the room she was kept in. However, he came out dragging her, and my sister-in-law demanded to know where he was taking her. When she couldn’t stop her, she helped Ummulkhairi remove her niqab, and the DPO reached for her hijab, but Ummulkhairi held onto it tighter.” Despite the sister-in-law’s attempt to pull her back, he still pulled her outside and handed her to the mob. 

They heard her scream as the mob descended on her, but none of them could intervene because of the overwhelming crowd. Hussaina’s voice started rising as she recalled the events of the day.

She rejected the police’s account that the crowd had stormed the station. 

“I have no idea how many people there were,” he voice cracked. “There were hundreds, including men, women, and even children. At one point, both roads were filled with people; how could she even fight them?”  

Their sister-in-law, Zainab, ran into the streets pleading with the crowd to listen, explaining that Ummulkhairi was innocent. No one did. At one point, a police officer grabbed Zainab and warned that if she didn’t lay low, the mob might turn on her as well. Zainab was later taken out through a backdoor. 

The ones left behind 

On the morning of July 2, when HumAngle visited, Ummulkhairi’s home was thick with grief. In the midst of it, her children were playing about. Nearby, her mother-in-law, sister, and co-wife were moving around the hearth, trying to fill in the space her absence had left behind. The grief had thickened into the walls, but its weight was evident, even when they welcomed me with a warm smile. 

If Ummulkhairi were there, she would have woken up for dawn prayers, swept the house, and ensured her children were bathed and fed. She would have thrown danwake (bean dumplings) into a pot over the fire, like she did the day she was killed, and sliced pieces of onions into the hot oil. She would have plated it on the colourful plates her sister was now washing. 

Afterwards, she would have taken down her bag from the wall and revised what she would teach her students in her next class or left for school. If she did go to school, she would have returned around 2 p.m. Had I visited then, she would almost certainly have insisted on serving me a plate of food, even if it meant going without herself.

“Tell me about Ummulkhair,” I asked as I sat across from her younger sister, Ruqayyah Abbah, on the multicoloured mat in the sitting room. Ruqayyah had travelled from Gombi, Adamawa State, in northeastern Nigeria, after the news wrecked their home. She paused, as though weighing the question, before she started to speak. 

“Ummulkhairi had always taken care of the people around her. Ever since I knew her, she had always been one to feed and take care of any child. I can confidently say she is the kindest among us all,” she started. “But in a span of a day, all that was taken away when she was wrongly accused. I know she is innocent because I have known her all my life, and even if she wasn’t my sister, I would have said the same.” 

Ruqayyah recounted memories from when they were kids, how Ummulkhairi, who is fondly called Ummi by her family, always stayed away from fights, even when she was teased. As a child, she often preferred to play alone. 

Ummi Abba Gambo was her maiden name. She attended Gombi Primary School and Government Girls Secondary School, Gombi, for her secondary school. After marrying and relocating to Kaduna State, she enrolled in an Islamic school. Upon graduating, she was retained as a teacher due to her diligence. She taught both the children and adult sections. She last visited her family home nine months ago for her father’s funeral. 

“I would say she was the most easily terrified person I know. She always avoided things that would put her in scary or uncomfortable situations. After how she was attacked that day, even if they had left her alive, I don’t think she would have avoided being traumatised by the whole situation,” Ruqayyah said. 

When the news of Ummulkhairi’s death reached Gombi, it landed first in Ruqayyah’s ear. That morning, she and their mother had been trying to reach Ummulkhairi to talk about her youngest daughter’s education. 

“She hasn’t been put in school yet due to financial problems, and our mother wanted to send her the money. After Zuhr (midday)  prayers, I tried her number to let her know, but I couldn’t reach her,” she recalled. “I informed my mother, and we decided to call her later in the day, not knowing that she had already been killed at that point. By the time he called me, they were either about to go bury her or were coming back from it.” 

The details came in bits and pieces, because the grief hit before she could hear the rest of it. She learnt about the gut-wrenching details from their older sister, whom she called after she managed to stop crying. 

Ruqayyah arrived at Marraraban Jos on Tuesday, June 23, two days after the incident, but the reality of her sister’s death did not fully settle until she reached the family home. The first sign of absence was the lack of phone calls from her sister, who often called en route to see how her journey was going and to ask what she wanted to eat when she arrived. That had been the routine every time she travelled to Kaduna in the past. 

This time, the phone never rang, at least not from Ummulkhairi. 

“To think she couldn’t find safety in the police station. What’s the point of authorities that can’t protect someone in that situation?” The anger found its root in her voice. It wasn’t just that her sister died; it was that the system designed to protect her failed to. Her voice softened as one of Ummulkhairi’s daughters walked into the room. 

Seeing her nieces and nephews the day she arrived, she said, was the moment the reality of the loss finally overwhelmed her.

“I just hope the government gets us justice, so that these children and their father can get some peace. I feel so bad for the children. I know how much their mother loved them and how she could breathe for them if she could,” she added. 

Ruqayyah reached for a lemon-green storage box filled with the things her sister treasured. Inside were photographs from her youth and with her family. In one, she was holding one of her children, her eyes looking straight into the camera. In another, she was with friends, her face glowing with the promise of youth. 

As we looked through the pictures, three of her children gathered around, adding the little they knew to the history her sister was sharing. It was then that her second son, Usman Aliyu, brought me her favourite Qur’an, its battered pages, evidence of her love. 

Ummulkhairi is not the only victim of mob violence in Nigeria. It has become a recurring feature of public life in Nigeria, fuelled by distrust of formal justice systems and the widespread belief that communities must protect themselves. 

Suleiman Usman Yusuf, a security consultant and human rights advocate, said the roots of the problem lie not simply in public anger, but institutional failure. 

“The biggest reason is institutional failure compounded by deliberate impunity. When citizens repeatedly watch genuine criminals walk free, whether because evidence disappears, witnesses are intimidated, prosecutors receive phone calls, or judges grant bail to [people] who return to terrorise the same communities, a dangerous conclusion takes root in the public mind: that the formal justice system is not for them,” he said. 

He added that mob justice is not primarily a product of ignorance or barbarism. It is a deeply wrong response to a system that has consistently failed to deliver consequences. 

“People do not burn suspects because they enjoy violence. They do it because they have been taught, through repeated experience, that violence is the only language that produces results,” he added. “The second layer is impunity for the mobs themselves. When a crowd kills someone, and nothing happens, that crowd becomes a template. The next community that is angry enough simply follows the same script.”

He pointed to a pattern stretching across more than a decade. “We saw it with the Aluu Four in 2012. We saw it with Major General Idris Alkali in 2018. We saw it with Deborah Samuel in 2022. We are seeing it now with Malama Ummulkhairi in 2026.”

Although the incidents occurred years apart and in different parts of the country, he said, they shared a common thread. 

“Nobody was ever made to pay a price serious enough to deter the next mob,” he said. 

Suleiman believes legislation remains necessary, but it must be matched by visible accountability. He argues that Nigeria needs at least one high-profile conviction that would send an unambiguous message across the country to stop the cycle. He has been advocating for the Prohibition and Protection of Persons from Lynching, Mob Action, and Extrajudicial Bill passed by the Senate in 2017 to be signed into law. He has written formal letters to the House of Representatives, the President of the Senate, and others.

Amnesty International recorded at least 555 victims of mob violence in Nigeria between 2012 and 2023, with 33 people burnt to death. The regions with the highest cases were the North West (100) and the South West (98), mostly as a result of being accused of witchcraft, theft, blasphemy, or taking part in rituals. 

In Ummulkhairi’s family, however, mob violence is no longer a mere figure. It is a loved one, whose absence is felt every second. Her mother collapsed after hearing the news of her daughter’s death. Family members in Gombi said she remained in a state of deep distress, unable to eat or move normally after the incident. Due to pre-existing issues with hypertension and back pain, the journey was impossible for her to make down to Kaduna, but every time she remembered how her daughter died, the memories triggered another health crisis.

The last meal Ummulkhairi prepared for her family was danwake, but it was forgotten when the news reached the family. The next day, it was thrown into a basket as it had started to spoil. What happened next will haunt their paternal grandmother, Aminatu Isa Abdullahi, forever.

Twelve-year-old Usman, Ummulkhairi’s second son, attempted to eat the spoilt meal. “He looked at us and vowed that he must eat it even if it was spoiled,” Aminatu recounted. They watched him as he shoved handfuls into his mouth, an attempt to save his mother’s last meal, further breaking their hearts. 

“One day I was sitting with her youngest daughter, and she said to me: ‘Will you stay with us until our mother comes back?’” That was another exchange that shattered Aminatu’s heart, and recalling the memory made her break down in tears. She promised her she would stay as long as she was needed, not having the heart to explain that her mother was never returning. 

Aminatu called for justice. Her prayers echoed through the wall, her pain spreading through it. When she arrived at Marraraban Jos after she got the news,  the town was in uproar. As they tried to get a bike to take them to the house, someone warned her to stop crying so hard in case people suspect they are Ummulkhairi’s relatives and try to attack them too. 

“We couldn’t even do the funeral bath for her; we just had to sprinkle water on her burnt body,” Aminatu said. She had declined to see the body, afraid of what would stick in her memory. “They bought some security personnel with guns around the house, and all I could think was what they thought they were trying to protect when we had already lost her.” 

Hamza Dantani, a human rights lawyer, has since submitted a petition calling for a thorough investigation into the circumstances of this case. The alleged negligence contravenes the Police Act 2020 and violates Sections 33 and 34 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, which protect the fundamental rights to life and dignity. 

A history of violence 

About seven years ago, Marraraban Jos started having security issues; before then, stories like that were tales coming from far-away places. Sometimes, others from neighbouring villages would call residents to ask if they saw kidnappers approaching their side. This earned the neighbourhood its nickname, Sambisa. 

Things have eased up a little for the neighbourhood, as it was a lot worse three years ago. They hardly went a week without someone being kidnapped there. The men formed a night neighbourhood watch to protect what they could. The women at home live with anxiety every time their husbands and sons go out, not knowing how the night would end up for them. Aliyu was among the men who used to patrol the community.

Ummulkhairi’s family moved to the neighbourhood in 2020 and had lived in their current house for about two years. Right behind the house stretched acres of empty land, extending beyond what the eyes can see. 

“The men usually go out around 11 p.m. to start their patrol. Sometimes, they come back with wounds as a result of hiding in the bushes. I sometimes hear gunshots from my room, especially when one of our neighbours was kidnapped. I started to sleep fully dressed; I would wear trousers and keep a hijab beside me just in case I get kidnapped,” said Habiba Muhammad, Ummulkhairi’s friend and neighbour. 

Recently, residents said kidnapping rates had reduced, but cattle and animal rustling still happens often around that area. Still, they have never seen security personnel posted to their neighbourhood. Years of living with fear had made residents increasingly suspicious of strangers. There were times when people fled their homes simply because they feared an attack was coming.

“We can’t leave because we don’t have money to go elsewhere, and even if they kidnap us, they won’t get much. When we used to run, I would go to my grandmother’s place in Kaduna town. It disrupts our children’s education too; sometimes, they close up the schools when the kidnappings worsen. But now, I have accepted this fate; I don’t want to run anymore,” Habiba said. 

This anxiety is shared with several other people HumAngle spoke to in the area. However, some unanimously agreed that even though kidnapping was common in their part of Marraraban Jos, child kidnapping on its own rarely happens.

 “Sometimes when they can’t find the men, they will kidnap their wives, except in some circumstances where they would kidnap an entire family,” she said. Habiba recalled the experience of one neighbour whose family was attacked. “Because his wife was pregnant and couldn’t walk, they beat her up and abandoned her on the way. They also threw down one of her children when he peed on their body, and he even broke his arm.”

Retracing memory 

Aliyu has a lot to say about Ummulkhairi; her loss is overwhelming. 

“She was very kind to me, and there were many times I would be in distress, and she would offer warmth and support, even when we were going through hard times,” he recalled. “This place you are sitting in used to be her favourite place, and when she is not busy with other tasks, she prefers to sit there and study her books. Sometimes, other women from the neighbourhood come in so she can help them with theirs.” 

As he dug into his memory to answer the questions, his second son lay down the mat as he slyly tried to take his father’s phone as he spoke. When he succeeded, his legs swung in an upward motion as he lay on his stomach, playing with the phone as we spoke about his mother, a contrast from the young child who shoved pieces of spoiled food in his mouth over a week ago. 

“There are so many things I can tell you about Ummulkhairi, but I don’t even have the words. God knows I have suffered such a great loss; the only thing I can do now is pray for her,” he said. 

Uba Sani, the Kaduna State Governor, has claimed that “about 41 persons have been charged with culpable homicide. And about 41 went through investigation also; that’s 82. Thirty suspects have also been charged with unlawful assembly”. 

A June 24 report shows that 24 alleged suspects – 20 males and 4 females – have been arraigned on charges of criminal conspiracy, inciting public disturbance, mischief, mischief destruction of public and police property, and culpable homicide. 

This news reached Aliyu and his family through social media. “They said they were taken to court, but I don’t know much about that. The video I saw showed some people lined up, but I couldn’t really see their faces clearly; I only recognised one face, an old man that I see around,” he explained. 

The family, still waiting for answers about the circumstances surrounding Ummulkhairi’s death, felt excluded from the process meant to deliver justice. “No one briefed us; we have to depend on rumours for information. Her youngest son told me yesterday that if they get justice for what was done to their mother, he thinks he will be better, and I could only try not to cry,” Aliyu’s brother, Abubakar Muhammad, added. 

The recorded videos of the lynching are also a huge wound to the family, and they couldn’t bring themselves to watch them. “I cannot watch these kinds of videos. I avoid social media for that reason. I usually only go in to respond to condolence messages,” Aliyu said. He wished people cared more about how things like this would affect them.

Abubakar said Aliyu often told him that he was worried about his wife during the past few months due to the loss of her father, as it seemed to be taking a toll on her. But even then, she had continued to live life as she always had.

“The most painful part was hearing what the oldest son was saying about taking vengeance for what was done to his mother. I tried to placate him. I even tried to close his mouth, but he pushed my hand away. Things like this can only be solved by justice; only that can give us relief. And if this keeps happening, no one is safe,” Abubakar said. 

Ummulkhairi did not disappear with the smoke that burned her alive in broad daylight that day. She is present in the edges and corners of the house, on the walls where her bag lies, in the kit where she once kept everything that matters,  and in the memories of her loved ones.  

TV presenter and comedian Bill Oddie has died at the age of 85, his agent has said.

Oddie became a household name in the 1970s as part of zany TV comedy trio The Goodies, before concentrating on his love of wildlife, as one of the original hosts of BBC TV’s Springwatch and other shows about birdwatching.

In a statement, David Foster said: “It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of Bill Oddie, the country’s best-loved birder.

“Bill was a multi-talented celebrity – wildlife presenter, broadcaster, comedian, writer, songwriter, musician and conservationist. Yet it was never fame that he valued. Instead he encouraged us to respect and protect the environment.”

He leaves behind a seven-year-old daughter

A devoted father described as an “incredible” dad and an “honest giant of a man” died in a tragedy while on holiday in Spain. Former UK champion powerlifter Jeremy Paynter, from Seabrook, near Hythe, was in Alcudia, Mallorca, on June 28.

An opening hearing at Oakwood House in Maidstone was told the 45-year-old had been out on a personal water craft, commonly known as a jet ski, with his partner, Emily Hill, when the craft overturned while stationary. Coroner Patricia Harding said: “The information before the court is that he was on a trip, on a stationary vehicle with his partner, wearing life jackets, when it tipped and they fell into the water.

Coroner Patricia Harding said: “The information before the court is that he was on a jet ski trip, on a stationary jet ski with his partner, wearing life jackets, when it tipped and they fell into the water. He pushed his partner back onto the jet ski but struggled to get on himself.”

The hearing was told Mr Paynter, who was born in New Zealand, was eventually pulled from the water onto nearby rocks as an air ambulance was called to the scene. Despite the efforts of emergency services, he could not be revived. A preliminary post-mortem examination carried out in Spain recorded the cause of Mr Paynter’s death as asphyxia.

The senior finance manager leaves behind a seven-year-old daughter and has been remembered by friends, family and former colleagues as a loving father whose warmth and generosity touched countless lives. His ex-wife, Cathrine Spencer, a former England rugby player, paid tribute to him in a heartfelt LinkedIn post.

She wrote: “Jeremy was an incredible Dad to our amazing daughter. Jeremy was larger than life in every way. He made such an incredible, positive impact on everyone he met. I hope that he is looking down now and finally understands how much he is loved by so many people.”

Tributes have continued to pour in from those who knew him professionally and personally. Jo Hobbs wrote: “Such shocking and sad news. I have many fond memories from the time I worked with Jeremy, it was an honour to have met him. An amazing character who I will forever remember and I feel privileged to have known him.”

Former colleague Kenneth Louis Juan said: “He was a constant source of encouragement, always pushing us to strive for greater things and assuring us of his unwavering support in achieving our dreams. He was not only a leader who cared deeply for his team as colleagues, but also as family. Jeremy, you will truly be missed.

“My deepest condolences to his bereaved family. May you find comfort in the legacy of kindness, guidance, and care he has left behind.”

Others described Mr Paynter as an “honest giant of a man” and “an amazing person with such incredible knowledge, empathy and compassion”. The inquest was adjourned for a full hearing at a date yet to be fixed, when the circumstances surrounding Mr Paynter’s death will be examined in greater detail.

Clint Reilly, a Bay Area milkman’s son who rose to manage the campaigns of California’s most influential political figures, has died at age 79.

A savvy political consultant, Reilly spearheaded early winning campaigns for some of the most recognizable names in California politics: former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Barbara Boxer and Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

Brandon Heist, Clint Reilly Organization’s head of business operations, said in a statement to The Times that Reilly died over the weekend in San Francisco. He died surrounded by family, which requested privacy. The San Francisco Examiner newspaper, which Reilly bought in 2020, earlier announced its owner’s death Sunday.

“I will always be grateful for Clint’s friendship and counsel over so many years,” Pelosi said in a statement. “As the manager of my first campaign for Congress in 1987, he brought his unmatched strategic mind to help create and amplify my slogan: A Voice That Will Be Heard.”

In a 1987 article, The Times attributed the success of Pelosi’s congressional bid to money — her campaign spent $1 million, more than her 13 opponents combined — and a sophisticated voter turnout program devised by Reilly. At the time, Pelosi was a 46-year-old mother of five children and a party activist known for raising large sums for Democratic candidates.

Reflecting on Pelosi’s rise last November, Reilly wrote in a San Francisco Examiner op-ed, “The mystery of being a political consultant is that you never know how your winning candidate’s career will turn out.”

Reilly’s legacy went beyond catapulting politicians into office.

He helped transform modern campaigning, said Oakland political consultant Jim Ross, who worked for Reilly throughout the ’90s, including on the election and reelection campaigns of San Francisco Mayor Frank Jordan.

In the ‘80s, Reilly was among the first consultants to merge grassroots organizing with new technology: using voter roll data to segment and target pivotal voters for turnout and persuasion, Ross said.

“It was a way to make sure that he spent resources effectively,” Ross said.

Reilly’s data-driven voter targeting tactics helped Feinstein, then-San Francisco mayor, beat a recall effort in 1983. They later had a public falling-out in 1989 during Feinstein’s failed campaign for governor.

Reilly’s portfolio wasn’t strictly Democratic. In 1993, he coordinated businessman Richard Riordan’s successful campaign for Los Angeles mayor by targeting homeowners’ anxieties about unemployment, crime and other symptoms of urban decay. When elected, Riordan became the first Republican mayor of Los Angeles in 36 years — and no Republican has been elected to that office since.

Reilly also advised the California insurance industry.

In 1988, he led the insurance industry’s losing $60-million initiative campaigns for Propositions 104 and 106. The pair of insurance industry-sponsored measures was designed to compete with Propositions 100 and 103, initiatives backed by trial lawyers and consumer advocates who wanted to reform the industry.

Voters ultimately passed Proposition 103, which promised insurance rate roll-backs and created the elected state insurance commissioner role. But Ross said it was one example of how Reilly would search for creative ways to achieve his client’s goals.

“Clint really pioneered in that election the idea of running competing ballot measures,” Ross said. “The reform measure was extraordinarily popular, it was going to pass, so instead of going at it directly, he ran a competing measure.”

A 1994 profile in The Times, from when Reilly was running Democrat Kathleen Brown’s bid for governor, described him as “one of the most powerful–and feared–political operatives in California.”

“When the opponent knows you have (him) on your side, a chill goes up their spine,” former San Francisco Mayor Frank Jordan told The Times. “He’s certainly better to have inside the tent than outside.”

Born in Oakland in 1947, Reilly was drawn to politics from an early age. He ran successfully for class president during fifth grade, with a campaign slogan his sister devised: “Take a Hint, Vote for Clint.”

Reilly’s relationship with Eugene Boyle, a Bay Area Catholic priest and liberal activist known for supporting the Civil Rights Movement, shaped his political views. He was passionate about supporting “the underdogs,” Ross said.

Reilly spent nine years in seminary before switching to pursue politics. His big break came in 1979, when he ran San Francisco Supervisor Quentin Kopp’s campaign for mayor. Kopp lost, but Reilly’s name stuck.

He soon developed a reputation for charging top dollar for his campaign strategy services and for his heavy campaign spending. In 1982, after Reilly brought Boxer to a decisive primary victory in her first congressional race, she fired him over excessive campaign spending, the Times reported in the 1994 profile.

As a boss, Reilly was “extraordinarily demanding,” Ross said, adding, “I reread pieces of direct mail five and six times now because of him.”

He also had a generous side, Ross said. Reilly spent time teaching young staffers the art of campaigning, a rarity in politics. Even after he left political consulting and shifted his focus to real estate, Reilly continued to help candidates with fundraising and messaging.

Reilly ran unsuccessfully for San Francisco mayor in 1999 and later turned his attention to local media and philanthropy, founding a nonprofit in 2008 to offer scholarships for low-income students to attend private college-preparatory high schools.

Reilly’s passing will not change the structure or current operations of the Clint Reilly Organization, Heist said. The organization’s media division includes the San Francisco Examiner — which Reilly acquired in 2020 alongside its now-defunct affiliate SF Weekly — and the Nob Hill Gazette, which he bought in 2016. The organization also has a hospitality company and real estate division.

“The organization’s commitment to its employees, partners, and the community remain firmly in place,” Heist said.

Condolences poured in from leaders across California on Monday.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom in a statement honored Reilly as a “San Francisco institution” with a brilliant mind and generous heart.

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said on social media the city “lost a civic leader who left a lasting mark on our city.”

Reilly is survived by his wife Janet and two daughters, Jill and Ava. Memorial arrangements will be announced later.

GODZILLA vs Kong star Kaylee Hottle has died at the age of 18, following a fatal car crash in Maryland.

The young actress, who won hearts worldwide as Jia in the hit Hollywood monster franchise, passed away following the collision.

Here is everything we know so far about her death, her life, and the tributes pouring in.

Who was Kaylee Hottle?

Kaylee Hottle was a young American actress best known for her breakout role as Jia in the Legendary Pictures MonsterVerse film series.

Born in 2007 into an all-deaf family, Kaylee grew up natively fluent in American Sign Language (ASL).

Her path to Hollywood stardom began in 2017 when she starred in a commercial for the video relay service provider Convo.

Read more on Kayle Hottle

SHOCKING LOSS

Godzilla vs. Kong star Kaylee Hottle dead at 18 after tragic car crash

Her major break arrived when acclaimed casting director Sarah Halley Finn was seeking a deaf actress to play Jia – a young Iwi girl with a unique bond with King Kong – in the 2021 blockbuster Godzilla vs Kong.

Guided to Kaylee by an assistant director who remembered her performance in the Convo commercial, the film team knew she was perfect for the role.

The movie became a massive global hit, launching Kaylee into the international spotlight.

She reprised her role as Jia in the 2024 sequel Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.

Her performance in the film earned her a nomination for Best Performance by a Younger Actor at the 52nd Saturn Awards.

Outside of her film work, Kaylee was a senior student at the Texas School for the Deaf (TSD) in Austin, Texas.

What was the cause of her death?

Kaylee Hottle reportedly died following a serious car crash in Frederick, Maryland.

Local law enforcement sources confirmed to The U.S. Sun that officers were called to the scene of a fatal crash involving the teenage star, where emergency personnel remained on site.

Her father, Joshua Hottle, first revealed the news of her death during an emotional 23-minute livestream on Facebook.

In the video, presented in American Sign Language (ASL), Joshua shared that he was forced to board an urgent flight to Maryland after receiving a call from officials informing him of the tragic accident.

He explained that authorities notified him that Kaylee’s heart had stopped while she was being transported to the hospital in an ambulance.

Captioning the live broadcast, he wrote: “I am taking a flight that I never would like to take.”

Exact details regarding the cause of the collision, the vehicle involved, or whether anyone else was injured remain unconfirmed as emergency services continue their investigation.

Her former school released a statement noting that official information remains “very limited” and urged the public to refrain from speculating on the circumstances while inquiries continue.

Who has paid tribute?

Tributes have poured in from across the deaf community and film industry following news of the young star’s death.

Kaylee’s school released a statement mourning the loss of their student.

It said: “It is with profound sadness that we share the heartbreaking news that one of our TSD seniors, Kaylee Hottle, tragically passed away yesterday in a car accident in Frederick, Maryland.

“Our hearts are with Kaylee’s family, friends, classmates, and everyone who knew and loved her during this incredibly difficult time.”

The school added that counseling and support services have been made available for students and staff as they process the loss.

Her father’s livestream received a flood of condolences from friends, family, and members of the deaf community, while fans worldwide have taken to social media to honor Kaylee’s screen representation and express sympathy for her family.

A video showing the final moments of Moroccan-born Abderrahim Fakir, who was struggling to breathe while being detained by police in Italy’s Bologna, has sparked protests demanding answers over his death.

Irish actress Brenda Fricker, who won an Oscar for her role in 1989 film My Left Foot and had well-loved parts in Home Alone 2 and TV’s Casualty, has died at the age of 81.

Fricker won the Oscar for best supporting actress in 1990 for playing Daniel Day-Lewis’s on-screen mother in My Left Foot.

She played nurse Megan Roach in the BBC’s Casualty from 1986, making her final appearance in 2010; and was the Central Park pigeon lady in 1992’s Home Alone sequel.

In a statement, her agent Phil Belfield said: “We will never see her like again and the world is lesser for the lack of her.”

He added: “I was honoured to know, love and work with her and she will always have a place in my heart and in the heart of so many film and TV fans the world over.”

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Hal Williams, a veteran actor known for his roles as a friendly neighborhood police officer on “Sanford and Son” and a hard-working patriarch on “227,” has died. He was 91.

Williams died Wednesday morning at his home in Rancho Mirage, his representative Zna Portlock Houston told The Times in an email on Thursday.

“Hal Williams is legendary for his acting skills, his compassion and his community engagement,” Houston wrote, describing the actor as “an icon and a true professional.” “He never turned away a fan. He was always embraced so warmly, like he was truly their own family, because he was a cultural touchstone who represented an image of Black fatherhood that was loving and steadfast. Offscreen he was a sound advisor, lively debater and devoted friend.”

His death follows a recent trip to Ohio celebrating his work on the NBC sitcom “Sanford and Son,” on which he portrayed Officer “Smitty” Smith from 1972 to 1977.

In one of his final television interviews just days prior to his death, Williams spoke about one of the show’s recurring bits, which saw his character translate his partner Officer “Hoppy” Hopkins’ (Howard Platt) police talk into a vernacular that Fred (Redd Foxx) and Lamont Sanford (Demond Wilson) could understand.

“A lot of the stuff we created ourselves off camera and put it in the script,” Williams said when he appeared with Platt on a morning news show on Cleveland’s Fox 8. “A lot of the times, they didn’t have jokes in the script … because they didn’t know the jargon from the Black community.”

Born Halroy Candis Williams on Dec. 14, 1938, in Columbus, Ohio, Williams was working as a juvenile corrections officer when he decided to pursue his dreams of becoming an actor. He took the plunge and headed to Hollywood in 1968.

“I gave myself three years in California to see what I could do,” Williams told Fox 8. “And at the end of the three years I was on ‘Sanford and Son,’ ‘The Waltons’ and ‘Harry O.’ ”

Williams became a regular television presence, appearing on shows such as “Kung Fu,” “Good Times,” “Roots: The Next Generation,” “The Jeffersons,” “Magnum P.I.” and “The Sinbad Show” over the years.

Besides his breakout role of Officer Smitty in “Sanford and Son,” which he reprised in its follow-up, “Sanford,” Williams is perhaps best known for starring as Lester Jenkins, the husband of Marla Gibbs’ Mary Jenkins, in the NBC sitcom “227.” The show, which aired from 1985 to 1990, was notable for the portrayal of its middle-class Black family.

“ ‘227’ kind of set the bar a little higher because it was a totally intact family,” Williams told the “Today” show in 2020. “It was a mother, father, daughter and they were very positive. There were very few negatives. It addressed all kinds of social issues and it gave oncoming shows the opportunity to explore new avenues and new issues comfortably because the networks and production companies were open to that kind of a pitch idea.”

Gibbs took to social media Thursday to share a tribute to her “TV husband,” who she described as “a generous man who freely gave his time, his talent and his heart to the community.”

“Our journey together began long before 227 came to television,” Gibbs wrote on Instagram. “Hal was part of the original stage production at our Crossroads Theater. … Hal was always there to help. He even secured donated theater seats and helped organize the seating chart because he believed in supporting young artists.”

“When 227 became a television series, I fought to make sure my character had a husband. I’m so glad I did,” she added. “Hal, Regina King and I became a television family that showed the love, strength and stability of a Black family for five wonderful seasons. … Even after the show ended, Hal never stopped checking on me.”

Actor Jackée Harry, who portrayed the Jenkins’ young neighbor Sandra Clark in “227,” was also among those who shared tributes to Williams on social media.

“What a gentleman. Hal always carried himself with grace, and he always had me laughing,” Harry wrote Wednesday on Instagram. “He was also a stand-up guy who believed Black fathers on TV should be loving, present and compassionate. He helped show America what that looked like.”

“For as long as I can remember, Hal has been a steady, comforting presence on our television screens,” Holly Robinson Peete wrote in her Instagram tribute Thursday. “His warm smile, sharp comedic timing, kind spirit and gentle energy made him feel like family to so many of us. … Rest in peace, Hal. … You were one of the greats … a true television legend, but an even greater human being.”

Williams most recently appeared as Autry in a couple episodes of CBS’ “Matlock” reboot.

His survivors include his two children, three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Williams was predeceased by one son.

Kris Jenner’s mom, Mary Jo “MJ” Shannon, has died.

Jenner announced the news of Shannon’s death Thursday in an Instagram tribute. She was 91.

“Today, we said goodbye to my beautiful Mommy MJ. … There are no words that could ever capture what she has meant to me or the heartbreak of having to say goodbye. My mom was the heart of our family.”

Jenner wrote that her mother, the matriarch of the Jenner-Kardashian clan, taught her everything that “truly matters.”

“To love your family fiercely, to be kind, to show up for the people you love, and to never take a single moment together for granted,” she wrote alongside a glamour shot of Shannon. “She taught us that family is everything. She showed us how to love unconditionally and how to find joy in the little moments. She showed me how to face life’s challenges with resilience and faith.”

Jenner concluded the post with an open letter to MJ:

“Mom, thank you for every sacrifice you made, every piece of wisdom you shared, and every moment you loved us so completely. I will miss our daily talks, your smile, your laughter… Our hearts are broken, but we find comfort knowing that love like yours never truly leaves us. Your love will live on in our family, in our traditions, in every moment we are together, and in every life you touched. When I look at my kids and my grandkids, I will forever see pieces of you in all of us. There is not a part of me that isn’t shaped by you. And if I have done anything right in this world, it’s because I spent my life trying to live in a way that would make you proud. Every memory, every moment, every blessing, it was all because of you, and I will forever thank God every single day for making you my mommy. My heart is broken into a million pieces… thank you for giving me the greatest childhood and oh what a beautiful blessed life… I love you forever Mommy. Thank you for giving us everything.”

Born Mary Jo Campbell on July 26, 1934, MJ married her high school sweetheart, whom she divorced two months later. Then in 1954, she wed Jenner’s dad, Robert “Bob” True Houghton. She gave birth to Jenner the following year and Jenner’s late sister, Karen Houghton, in 1958. After seven years of marriage, MJ and Bob called it quits and she married Harry Shannon, a businessman who helped raise Jenner and her sister in San Diego, where MJ ran a children’s clothing store.

Harry Shannon died in 2003.

MJ was featured on the famous clan’s E! reality series “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” and the follow-up Hulu series “The Kardashians” numerous times over the years. In a clip from the show, granddaughter Kim Kardashian detailed that her grandmother had survived colon cancer and breast cancer and, in her sunset years, struggled with sickness resulting from the cancer treatments.

In one clip from the show, MJ said she didn’t have an appetite without taking her “medication” first. Then she persuaded her daughter, Jenner, to have marijuana gummies with her. Together they lit some incense and munched on muffins and chips and guacamole.

In another clip, Jenner interviews MJ about her life, and during the sit-down, Jenner asks MJ, “What’s your biggest fear?”

MJ replies, “I try not to fear,” and then follows up asking Jenner what her biggest fear is.

Jenner starts to cry and says, “I don’t want to say it. I can’t believe I’m crying. … Just, losing someone.”

On Thursday, Kim Kardashian caught flak online when a post featuring the Skims mogul and her sister Khloe Kardashian swigging tequila from a boat on a lake published shortly after Jenner announced the news of MJ’s death.

“This post was scheduled a few days ago before we lost MJ, so its timing came right alongside her passing,” Kim wrote in the comment section of the post. “I’ve been by my mom and grandma’s side this past week, and my heart is completely with my family right now. We love and miss her so deeply, and in the days ahead, we’ll be focusing on celebrating her beautiful life.”

Kim followed up with a post celebrating her grandmother, writing, “My sweet Grandma MJ, my best friend, my gossip buddy, my forever twin … You taught all of us the importance of family, and those values are something we’ll carry with us forever!!!!! You were the woman who showed me what it meant to be a hardworking businesswoman. You gave me my very first job at your store in San Diego and taught me lessons about work ethic, strength, and confidence that I’ve carried with me ever since.

“You always believed in me, championed me, and were my safe place. You truly were the matriarch of our family, and your love is woven into all of us. I know you’re at peace now. Give Papa Harry, Aunt Karen, and my dad a hug for me. You will always be a part of me, I love you soooooo much and I will miss you forever and ever. … YOU ARE THE BEST OF US!!!”

Two weeks ago, Jenner’s bodyguard, Mason Haynes, who also worked as a close protection guard for other members of the Kardashian-Jenner family, died in a traffic accident. He was 52.

Dutch football referee Rob Dieperink has died weeks after he was dropped from officiating at the World Cup following a police investigation in the UK.

Dieperink had been selected to be a video assistant referee (VAR) official at this summer’s tournament, but was removed from Fifa’s list of World Cup officials in May.

The 38-year-old was arrested by the Metropolitan Police in April following a report of a sexual assault against a teenage boy, but the case was dropped because of a lack of evidence.

The Netherlands’ football association, the KNVB, said they were “shocked and deeply saddened” by Dieperink’s death.

His cause of death has not been disclosed.

“With Rob, we lose a highly valued referee, but above all a kind and dedicated colleague,” the KNVB said in a statement.

“Our thoughts go out to his family, friends, and everyone who held him dear. We wish them much strength and support in processing this great loss.”

Fifa, football’s global governing body, said it learned of the news with “great sadness”.

“On behalf of the entire football community, we extend our sincerest condolences to his family and friends and the Dutch Football Association. May he rest in peace,” it said.

Dieperink had refereed in the Eredivisie since 2017 and was a VAR official at Euro 2024.

After he was dropped from the World Cup, Dieperink said he had been “wrongly accused” in an interview with Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, external.

“It saddens me greatly that I have been wrongly accused,” he said.

“From the beginning, I have fully cooperated in the police investigation and also immediately gave full openness to Fifa, Uefa and the KNVB.

“I am grateful for the support I have received from the KNVB and the way in which they have dealt with this case. It is a pity that Fifa has decided not to appoint me for the World Cup any more, of course I am disappointed about that.”

Dieperink was the VAR for Crystal Palace’s 3-0 Europa Conference League quarter-final first-leg win over Fiorentina on 9 April.

A Metropolitan Police statement said: “On Thursday, 9 April, officers responded to a report of a sexual assault against a teenage boy, which occurred at an address on Wellesley Road, Croydon.

“A man in his 30s was subsequently arrested on suspicion of sexual assault.

“Officers completed a thorough investigation and reviewed all available evidence, including gathering CCTV and examining digital devices.

“Following these enquiries, they concluded that the evidential threshold had not been met. No further action will be taken.”

Don Iwerks, an Academy Award-winning special effects pioneer whose innovations transformed film and Disney theme parks, died peacefully Thursday at the age of 96, the Walt Disney Co. announced.

For Disney and his own studio, Iwerks Entertainment, Iwerks helped develop technologies and techniques like Circle-Vision, the 360-degree camera behind “America the Beautiful” and other early Disney attractions, and the 3-D effects used in attractions like Captain EO and the Star Tours ride.

“There was a ‘can-do’ attitude I learned from Walt and my father,” Iwerks said, according to a statement shared by the Disney Co. “Walt gave everyone a feeling that they were creating things that others had never thought of before, of being a part of history.”

Born July 24, 1929, Iwerks received his first camera at age 14 as a gift from his father, animator Ub Iwerks.

The elder Iwerks met fellow artist Walt Disney when both men were teenagers working at a Kansas City, Mo., art studio. They would go on to work together at the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, where Iwerks designed and animated “Plane Crazy,” the first Mickey Mouse cartoon.

After a stint at his own animation studio, Ub returned to Disney as a special effects engineer, pioneering techniques like the 360-degree motion-picture camera.

“He was absolutely my inspiration because he was technically minded. He made my childhood and formative years one of the greatest times of my life,” Don Iwerks told The Times in 1998.

The Iwerks family moved to the San Fernando Valley in 1936, where Don graduated from Van Nuys High School in 1947.

He served as a photographer in Germany during the Korean War and joined his father at Disney following his 1952 discharge from the U.S. Army. An allergic reaction to chemicals used to develop film led to his transfer to the company’s Studio Machine Shop, where he spent the next 34 years.

Don spent three months in the Bahamas manning underwater cameras for the 1954 Disney film “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.” He then worked as the camera technician on “A Tour of the West,” an original Tomorrowland attraction at the soon-to-be opened Disneyland. The immersive 360-degree film was shot on the Circarama camera system his father invented.

Together, Don and Ub developed technologies like the “endless loop” system that enabled a single film print to run for up to 10,000 performances with minimal intervention and refinements to the photography processes used in “Mary Poppins” (his favorite of the Disney films) and other movies.

His own hands were used as the model for those of the Abraham Lincoln Audio-Animatronics figure in “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln,” which opened at Disneyland in 1965. The “Iwerks Hands” now appear on similar figures at Disney parks around the world, according to his family.

In 1986, he co-founded Iwerks Entertainment, which soon became a major player in the film and theme park industries. The company specialized in large-format films and created the 3-D projection system used in the Terminator rides at Universal Studios parks in Hollywood and Florida.

His innovations were honored with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ honorary Gordon E. Sawyer Award and an Academy Scientific and Technical Award, among other prizes.

“It’s very obvious that computers are playing a big role in motion pictures today. The digital technology in film is able to put elements of scenes together on a film and have them look lifelike. It’s hard to know where that will go,” Iwerks said in a 1998 interview.

“My view is that technology should support a good story and add to it. Technology for technology’s sake?” he said with a shrug. “You still need good films.”

Iwerks is survived by his wife of 54 years, Betty; his sons, Larry and John; John’s wife, Chris; his daughter Leslie, and great-nephew,Mike, both of whom have also worked for Disney, according to an obituary shared by his family. His daughter Tamara preceded him in death.

“Like his father, he was a humble genius, a consummate problem solver, and delighted in sharing knowledge, encouraging others, and approaching every challenge with confidence and grace,” his family said in the statement from Conejo Mountain Funeral Home in Ventura.

Both Don and Ub Iwerks are commemorated in a storefront window on Main Street U.S.A. in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Located above the Main Street Bakery, the window is a lasting tribute to a family who made some of the park’s magic possible.

“Iwerks-Iwerks Stereoscopic Cameras,” the lettering reads. “No Two Exactly Alike.”

WASHINGTON — Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of President Trump’s closest allies in Congress who traveled the globe to advocate for a more aggressive U.S. foreign policy, has died after a “brief and sudden illness,” his office said. He was 71.

The statement posted on social media late Saturday did not provide any additional details about the South Carolina Republican, a former Air Force lawyer, and said his family “appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period.”

“Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, is dead!” Trump posted on social media early Sunday. “He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!! DETAILS AND ARRANGEMENTS TO FOLLOW. So sad!”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said, “My heart is heavy this morning to learn of the passing of my friend and colleague.”

Thune described Graham as “a strong advocate for the United States and a strong ally to freedom-loving countries across the globe. He believed in the might of America to achieve good in the world and dedicated his life to advancing that cause.”

Graham was one of the most influential figures in Washington on foreign policy, and he advised Trump on matters such as Iran and Russia. The senator had just returned from Ukraine and announced an agreement Friday with the Trump administration to move forward on a package of Russia sanctions. He had been scheduled to appear Sunday morning on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

As chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, Graham had a central role during Trump’s second term as Republicans pushed major legislation on party-line votes while holding a narrow 53-47 majority in the chamber.

Under South Carolina law, Republican Gov. Henry McMaster will appoint a temporary replacement for Graham, who was seeking a fifth term in November.

Graham was close with Trump

Graham, who was elected to the Senate in 2002 after serving in the House, long promoted a policy of robust U.S. military interventionism and strong national defense that in later years would put him at odds with the growing isolationist wing of the Republican Party.

More recently, Graham had become well-known for his close ties with Trump, whom the senator briefly ran against for the party’s presidential nomination in 2016.

Their relationship would begin on a rough note, with Graham calling the New York businessman and TV reality show figure “unfit for office.” Graham also used profanity to describe him after Trump made disparaging comments about Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, Graham’s best friend in the Senate and a Vietnam War veteran. McCain and Graham, along with Sen. Joe Lieberman, a Democrat turned independent from Connecticut, were known as the “Three Amigos” and frequently traveled together to push their hawkish foreign policy views around the globe.

During a campaign rally in South Carolina, Trump read out Graham’s personal cellphone number and continued to belittle him throughout the 2016 campaign as Graham made it clear he would not support Trump even though he was the GOP nominee.

But Graham shifted significantly once Trump won the White House. He emerged as one of Trump’s top allies — speaking with him frequently and becoming a regular presence on the golf course alongside the president — even as McCain remained a critic and foe of Trump.

In a 2018 interview with the Associated Press, Graham explained his pivot by saying McCain taught him that the country must move forward after elections and that meant “you have an obligation” to help the president. McCain ran twice for the White House.

“And I’ve tried to be helpful where I could because I think he needs all the help he can get,” Graham said of Trump. “You can be a better critic when people understand that you’re trying to help them be successful.”

Graham appeared to break with Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, saying before the delayed congressional vote to certify Joe Biden’s election victory over Trump, “Count me out. Enough is enough.” But the senator returned to the fold and remained close with the president during his second term.

Foreign policy was a focus

Graham had been in Ukraine to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said that the senator visited his country 10 times during the years since Russia’s full-scale invasion.

“Lindsey was a true defender of freedom and the values that make our world safer,” Zelensky said.

Graham’s travels made him a familiar face to dozens of world leaders.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mourned Graham’s death, calling him “a great friend of Israel” and “a cherished friend of mine.”

Netanyahu said Graham understood that the security of Israel and the United States was inseparable and devoted his life to defending America, strengthening the U.S.-Israel alliance and standing up for the free world.

“Israel has lost one of its greatest friends. America has lost a great patriot. I have lost a beloved friend,” Netanyahu said.

Chairman of key committees

As chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, Graham oversaw a process called reconciliation, a Senate procedure that allowed Republicans to pass significant policies such as last year’s tax law without the threat of a Democratic filibuster.

He had previously led the Judiciary Committee when Republicans confirmed Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court in late 2020, and was in line to regain that gavel if the party kept control of the Senate after this year’s midterm elections.

“In 2027, I’ll be Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee once again,” Graham posted on X on June 30. “And I’ll wake up every single day with one goal: confirming as many conservative judges as possible.”

Graham was a key player in the Senate’s efforts to craft a massive immigration overhaul in 2013 as a member of a bipartisan group that wrote a sweeping measure that would have altered virtually every part of U.S. immigration law. It passed the Senate with 68 votes but was never taken up by the House, so it did not become law.

But Graham’s views on immigration, particularly an endorsement of a path to citizenship for people in the U.S. without legal status, put him at odds with some Republican factions.

He sometimes faced primary challenges in his home state of South Carolina, but he won the nomination outright in June.

The senator addressed the president in his victory speech last month, saying, “I’m going to help you change this world and change this country.”

Special election

Graham won 57% of the GOP vote in the primary and was up against Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, and several minor party and independent candidates in November.

After McMaster appoints a replacement, South Carolina law requires a special primary for voters to select a new nominee within weeks of a vacancy. The general election winner will take office January, beginning a full six-year term.

McMaster’s office did not immediately return messages seeking comment on who would take Graham’s seat or when the machinations for the primary would begin. State party officials said early Sunday they would release more information when they could.

The sparse statement by Graham’s office, which did not explain his death, comes during a stretch of concern about a lack of transparency about lawmakers’ health.

Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J.) was absent without explanation for months before returning to Congress and disclosing that he had been diagnosed with depression.

Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, the former longtime Republican leader, was hospitalized weeks ago for undisclosed health reasons.

McMaster said in a statement that Graham was “irreplaceable.”

“The fiercest of fighters for South Carolina and America — and a loyal and steadfast friend,” McMaster said. He added: “We shall not see his likes again.”

Graham was not married and did not have children. His closest living relative is sister Darline Graham Nordone, whom he helped raise after both their parents died.

Weissert writes for the Associated Press. AP writers Mary Clare Jalonick and Christopher Megerian in Washington, Meg Kinnard in Columbia, S.C., Brian P. D. Hannon in Bangkok and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.