Obituaries

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Brown in his university office in 1975.

‘Accidental academic’ became scholar of criminology

David Brown was one of the “Four Davids” whose book revolutionised how criminal law was conceived and taught within universities.

  • Luke McNamara

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Former commentator Denis Cometti poses for a photo in the commentary booth at Etihad Stadium on June 5, 2016 in Melbourne, Australia. Cometti is retiring at the end of the 2016 AFL season. Photo by Pat Scala

Dennis Cometti cracked many famous jokes, but there’s only one I would chisel on his tombstone

Just 76 years old, Dennis Cometti was so loved, so full of life. Has there been a more widely loved sports commentator in the history of our country?

  • Peter FitzSimons
Actress Lorraine Bayly.

The fade to black that pierced the heart of Australian TV

Reflections on the luminous career of Lorraine Bayly, the cultural legacy of The Sullivans and the enduring memory of one of TV’s most beloved mums.

  • Michael Idato
Jackson and then premier Steve Bracks with a model of the revamped MCG.

The man who built modern Melbourne – from the MCG, to Marvel to our first skyscraper

Among the striking designs to come from Daryl Jackson’s busy drawing board was the wonderfully named Harold Holt Memorial Swimming centre - but it was 120 Collins Street that got a few noses out of joint.

  • Tony Wright
The nine-part series, I Can Jump Puddles, was based on the life of Australian author, Alan Marshall. It was the story of his brave fight against polio and starred Adam Garnett as 11 year-old Marshall.

From Cop Shop to I Can Jump Puddles, Dobson had a hand in many old classics

Director Kevin James Dobson helped shape a formative era of film and television drama in Australia.

Margaret Tighe in 2017.

She was the most divisive figure in Australia’s anti-abortion battles. But even her adversaries acknowledged her stamina

Margaret Tighe’s lifelong fight against abortion, euthanasia and stem cell research reshaped state and federal elections, hardened political debate and enraged her opponents.

  • Rob Harris
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Margaret Cook during her to the redwood forests outside San Francisco in 2009.

Margaret Cook, meticulous and fair letters editor, dies

A letters editor for 15 years, Margaret Cook was a conduit to and advocate for Age readers, and knew more than most what they cared about.

  • Gay Alcorn
Anna Murdoch in Toronto, 1988.

Rupert Murdoch’s second wife and glamorous mainstay, Anna, had incalculable influence

“I thought we had a wonderful, happy marriage. Obviously, we didn’t,” the media mogul’s second wife – mother of Elisabeth, Lachlan and James – said after their 31-year marriage ended.

  • Mark McGinness
Robert Duvall in Apocalypse Now.

Robert Duvall’s six best roles: difficult to capture, impossible to ignore

The quiet titan of cinema stole Apocalypse Now in 15 minutes and broke hearts without a word in To Kill a Mockingbird. These are his six greatest performances.

  • Michael Idato
Career highlights of James Van Der Beek, who has died at the age of 48, after being diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer.
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Dawson's Creek star James Van Der Beek has died, aged 48

Career highlights of James Van Der Beek, who has died at the age of 48, after being diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer.