Notable Deaths In Illinois: Remembering Those We Lost In 2024

ILLINOIS — As we prepare for a new year, we look back at their lives of those we lost in the last year and are saddened they won't be around for what lies ahead in 2025. Here are just a few remembrances of people that died in 2024 with connections to Chicagoland and Illinois:

MARCH

Longest-Serving Schaumburg Village President Larson Remembered

Al Larson was Schaumburg's longest serving mayor (1987 to 2019) and also spent 12 years as trustee, for a combined total of 44 years of continuous service on the Village Board.

Former Blackhawks Enforcer Chris Simon Dies At 52

Chris Simon played 857 regular-season and playoff games over 15 NHL seasons from 1993-2008. Over his career, he fought more than 100 times and racked up 1,824 penalty minutes to rank 67th in league history.

APRIL

Conductor Andrew Davis, Who Headed Lyric Opera Of Chicago, Dies At 80

Andrew Davis, an acclaimed British conductor who was music director of the Lyric Opera of Chicago and orchestras, has died. He was 80.

Ken Holtzman, Who Tossed 2 No-Hitters For Chicago Cubs, Dies At 78

Ken Holtzman, MLB's winningest Jewish pitcher who threw two no-hitters for the Chicago Cubs, has died.

Memorial Service Held For Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough

Karen Yarbrough, 73, died on April 7 after she was hospitalized with an undisclosed medical condition.

MAY

Steve Albini, Who Recorded Scores of Influential Records, Dies At 61

Steve Albini, whose raw production style shaped the sound of alternative rock, produced the Pixies' "Surfer Rosa" in 1988, The Breeders' "Pod" in 1990 and Nirvana's "In Utero" in 1993, among many other influential albums of the era.

JUNE

Palatine Coaching Hall Of Famer Put Up 'Inspirational Fight': GoFundMe

Earlier this year, Dave Yates was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2024. The legendary coach, who led the William Fremd High School girls basketball team to a state title in 2020, died on June 11 after an "inspirational fight" against brain cancer. He was 54.

JULY

Bob Newhart, Comedic King Of Deadpan Delivery, Dies At 94

Legendary stand-up comedian Bob Newhart, a pioneer of observational humor and a household name to generations, died at 94. Newhart was born and raised in Oak Park.

Evanston's First Black Police Chief Bill Logan Dies At 92

A pioneering pillar of the Evanston community, Bill Logan devoted his life to serving the public and bettering the community.

AUGUST

Remembering Phil Donahue, A TV Pioneer With Deep Chicago Connections

Phil Donahue is remembered fondly to this day among those who worked with him in Chicago.

SEPTEMBER

Former Glenview Trustee, Longtime Northwestern Employee Dies At 87

Charles Loebbaka also worked for a number of years as a journalist, covering the North Shore community, and was an author.

Northbrook Mourns Loss Of Former Village President

Mark Damisch, who had also served on the Plan Commission died at the age of 68.

OCTOBER

Veterans Advocate, Congressional Aide Lenore Goodfriend Dies At 77

In keeping with her name, veterans had no better friend than Lenore Goodfriend, who died Oct. 14 at age 77. Goodfriend was a long time Oak Lawn resident and an aide to former Congressman Bill Lipinski and, later, his son, Congressman Dan Lipinski.

Former Ald., Longtime Leader And Pillar Of Evanston Community, Dies At 86

Delores Holmes, who served 12 years on the City Council after heading Family Focus for the prior 27, continued serving the community until she died.

Former Suburban Mayor, IL House Rep Verna Clayton Dies At 87

Verna Lewis Clayton, who elected to the Illinois House of Representatives, was mayor of Buffalo Grove from 1979 to 1991.

NOVEMBER

Bob Love, 3-Time All-Star With The Bulls, Dies At 81

"His on-court achievements are forever etched in history, but Bob's impact transcended basketball," the Bulls said.

Billy Lawless, Chicago Restaurateur And Former Irish Senator, Dies At 73

Billy Lawless died on Nov. 8. He was 73. He was a tireless advocate for immigrant rights and became Ireland's first-ever emigrant senator.

Quincy Jones' Legendary Music Career Began In Bronzeville Neighborhood

With an astonishing career that spanned seven decades, Quincy Jones was a force who reshaped the music industry.

DECEMBER

Sportscaster Greg Gumbel Dies From Cancer At Age 78

Gumbel, a longtime CBS sportscaster who broke barriers during his career calling some of the biggest sporting events, died Friday