Obituaries | The Sydney Morning Herald

Obituaries

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'Perfectly imperfect': Billionaire playboy and heir to a banking dynasty dies at 54

'Perfectly imperfect': Billionaire playboy and heir to a banking dynasty dies at 54

Matthew Mellon was a descendant of two of America's great banking dynasties and became known for his playboy lifestyle and colourful divorce.

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Barbara Bush, America's warm-hearted grandmother 50 years in the public eye

Barbara Bush, America's warm-hearted grandmother 50 years in the public eye

Nicknamed the 'Silver Fox', Bush was known to stare down aides she thought were not performing up to task for her husband.

Angela Bennie: actor, editor, critic and mentor

Angela Bennie: actor, editor, critic and mentor

Her colleagues recall the vitality and the sense of fun that radiated from her office.

  • by Doug Anderson
Full Metal Jacket actor R. Lee Ermey dies at 74
Stanley Kubrick

Full Metal Jacket actor R. Lee Ermey dies at 74

The former Marine, who made a career playing hard-nosed military men like Gunnery Sgt. Hartman in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, has died.

  • by Wires
A quiet trailblazer committed to those who serve their nation
obituary

A quiet trailblazer committed to those who serve their nation

Former Defence Minister Jocelyn Newman was widely respected by her department and colleagues for her tireless commitment to service personnel.

  • by Rod Nockles
Peter Thonemann, Australian fusion pioneer

Peter Thonemann, Australian fusion pioneer

An editorial in the Herald proclaimed: "So our scientists are not doing so badly after all!"

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Deb Westbury, poet of the senses and Struggle Street

Deb Westbury, poet of the senses and Struggle Street

Deb Westbury had a gift for friendship and for words.

  • by Ron Pretty
Zelda D'Aprano, fierce fighter for justice and women's rights

Zelda D'Aprano, fierce fighter for justice and women's rights

Over the next several decades she became an earnest and fierce – but always good-humored – supporter of the many causes she deemed necessary to overthrow the patriarchy.

  • by Marilyn Lake
Stuart McDonald, farmer and politician respected for fairness

Stuart McDonald, farmer and politician respected for fairness

Stuart Richard McDonald AM was born in Timmering, near Rochester, Victoria on April 18, 1928 to Angus, a farmer, and Lily. He was the eldest of three brothers. Russ was born in 1929 and Murray in 1940.

  • by Fiona McDonald
Peter Nicholls, larger-than-life champion of science fiction

Peter Nicholls, larger-than-life champion of science fiction

Peter Nicholls was born in Melbourne in 1939 to parents Alan and Shirley Nicholls. He was followed by sisters Margaret and Helen, and the children grew up embedded in Melbourne's left-wing intellectual scene.

  • by Jack Nicholls and Sophie Cunningham
Ana Mackay, passionate campaigner for the mistreated and powerless

Ana Mackay, passionate campaigner for the mistreated and powerless

Ana understood the struggles faced by migrants to this country, particularly those for whom English was a language that had to be grappled with quite late in life.

  • by Kim Carr