National Obituaries

Roman Gabriel had big size and a big arm when he was the No. 2 draft pick of the Los Angeles Rams in 1962. Even while playing in an era of grinding it out on the ground, he still holds the Rams’ team record with 154 touchdown passes .

PORT ANGELES, Wash. — John Brewer, whose coast-to-coast journalism career spanned 50 years, including nearly two decades at The Associated Press, has died. He was 76.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Former Arkansas governor and U.S. Sen. David Pryor, a Democrat who was one of the state’s most beloved political figures and remained active in public service in the state long after he left office, has died. He was 89.

CHICAGO (AP) — Bill Tobin, a longtime NFL executive who helped construct the Chicago Bears' famed 1985 championship team and later built a playoff team as the Indianapolis Colts' general manager, has died. He was 83.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Mandisa, a contemporary Christian singer who appeared on “American Idol” and won a Grammy for her 2013 album ‘Overcomer’, has died. She was 47.

Archie Cooley, the innovative Black college football coach whose offense helped Jerry Rice become a star at Mississippi Valley State, has died, his family announced through the school Thursday. He was 84.

Dickey Betts, who died Thursday at age 80, really was born a ramblin’ man. He left home at 16 to join the circus and became a renowned guitarist touring the world with the Allman Brothers Band.

Famous fans react to the death of Allman Brothers singer, songwriter and guitarist Dickey Betts, who died at 80 .

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Ellen Ash Peters, who was the first woman to serve as Connecticut's chief justice and wrote the majority opinion in the state Supreme Court's landmark school desegregation ruling in 1996, has died. She was 94.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A leader like Bob Graham would be a unicorn in the hyper-partisan politics of today. The former Florida governor and U.S. senator wasn't a slick, slogan-spouting politician. He didn't have an us-against-them mentality.