obituaries

Ali Abdullah Saleh gave a speech to supporters in Yemen's capital Sanaa on Aug. 24, 2017. He never wavered in his belief that only he could lead the Yemenis, even though he fueled societal divisions by playing enemies off one another to weaken his opposition. Mohammed Huwais/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

A chair sat empty for Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo in Oslo, Norway, in 2010. The rights activist was imprisoned in China in 2009. Heiko Junge/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

Ahmed Kathrada, an anti-apartheid activist and close friend of former South African President Nelson Mandela, died Tuesday in Johannesburg. STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

The director Michael Cimino in Italy during the '70s. Mondadori Portfolio/Mondadori via Getty Images hide caption

E.L. Doctorow, center, stands with other National Book Critics Circle award winners in March 2006 at a reception following the awards ceremony in New York. Doctorow's "The March" won the prize for fiction that year. Tina Fineberg/AP hide caption

John A. Williams, a renowned poet and novelist, died July 3. He was 89. University of Rochester River Campus Libraries hide caption

Ben E. King Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images hide caption

The Chicago Cubs' Ernie Banks poses in 1970. The Cubs announced Friday night that Banks had died. The team did not provide any further details. Banks was 83. AP hide caption

Saudi King Abdullah, seen here last November, died early Friday. NPR's Kelly McEvers says he was a man who laid the foundation for reform in the conservative Arab country. AP hide caption

Andraé Crouch performs in 1986. The legendary gospel singer died on Thursday. He was 72. David Redfern/Redferns/Getty Images hide caption