National Obituaries

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kris Kristofferson, a Rhodes scholar with a deft writing style and rough charisma who became a country music superstar and A-list Hollywood actor, has died.

NEW YORK (AP) — John Ashton, the veteran character actor who memorably played the gruff but lovable police detective John Taggart in the “Beverly Hills Cop” films , has died. He was 76.

BEIRUT (AP) — Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah , who transformed the Lebanese militant group into a potent paramilitary and political force in the Middle East, was killed in an Israeli airstrike, the group said. He was 64.

BEIRUT (AP) — Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah , who transformed the Lebanese militant group into a potent paramilitary and political force in the Middle East was killed in an Israeli airstrike, the group said. He was 64.

LONDON (AP) — Maggie Smith , the masterful, scene-stealing actor who won an Oscar for the 1969 film “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” and gained new fans in the 21st century as the dowager Countess of Grantham in “ Downton Abbey” and Professor Minerva

Actors, collaborators and fans who worked with Maggie Smith are paying tribute to the award-winning actor, known for her roles in the “Harry Potter” movies and “Downton Abbey.” She died Friday at 89 .

Joe Wolf, a former North Carolina captain for Dean Smith who went on to play for seven teams in an 11-year NBA career before becoming a coach, died unexpectedly Thursday, the Milwaukee Bucks announced.

OTTAWA — Francis Fox, a former senator and cabinet minister in Pierre Elliott Trudeau's government, has died at 84.

Chilean journalist Eva Vergara, who in her four decades at The Associated Press covered stories including the first protests against the dictatorship of Gen.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Tom Watson, a hall of fame broadcast reporter whose long career of covering breaking news included decades as a broadcast editor for The Associated Press in Kentucky, has died. He was 85.