National Obituaries

NEW YORK (AP) — "Babar" author Laurent de Brunhoff, who revived his father's popular picture book series about an elephant-king and presided over its rise to a global, multimedia franchise, has died. He was 98.

SEATTLE (AP) — Tricia McLean, the chief financial officer for the Seattle Storm, has died, the WNBA team said Thursday. She was 61. McLean died Monday in Seattle, according to the Storm. The team did not disclose the manner of death.

Chris Simon's family says the late NHL enforcer died by suicide. And it "strongly believes" a progressive and fatal disease associated with repeated traumatic brain injuries is to blame.

HONOLULU (AP) — Richard C. “Dick” Higgins, one of the few remaining survivors of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, has died, a family member said Wednesday. He was 102.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — M. Emmet Walsh, the character actor who brought his unmistakable face and unsettling presence to films including “Blood Simple” and “Blade Runner,” has died at age 88, his manager said Wednesday.

Former NHL enforcer Chris Simon has died. He was 52. Simon died Monday night in his hometown of Wawa, Ontario, a spokesperson for the NHL Players' Association who has been in touch with the late forward's agent, said Tuesday.

VARNVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Elizabeth “Libby” Murdaugh, the mother of Alex Murdaugh who played an important part in her son's adamant denials that he killed his wife and son, has died.

MIAMI (AP) — Former Belarusian hockey player Konstantin Koltsov, who was coaching in the KHL, has died in Florida, police said Tuesday. He was 42.

Chris Simon, once one of hockey's most feared enforcers, has died. He was 52. The NHL Players' Association confirmed the news via Simon's family that he died Monday night. The cause of death wasn't provided.

TORONTO — Roy McMurtry, a legal and political giant in Ontario who helped pave the way for same-sex marriage as a judge and a key player in the Canadian Constitution, has died at 91.