Obituaries

Chef Nelson Hernandez, Dead at 44

Chef Nelson Hernandez, Dead at 44

Remembering Sparky's Kevin Kehoe

Remembering Sparky's Kevin Kehoe

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Miami-Dade to Name Street After Beloved South Miami Teacher

By Alexi C. Cardona
Feb 18, 2021

John Branstetter embodied school spirit, made Shakespeare fun, and rained encouragement on his students when they needed it.
Remembering Asif Farooq, Who Spent a Decade Building a Plane Out of Cardboard

By Quinn Smith
Aug 11, 2020

Asif brought to life a plane that was absurd and beautiful and connected to us.
Community Remembers Miami Hairstylist Rabiah Ahmad, Who Was Shot and Killed in Maryland

By Shanae Hardy
Aug 7, 2020

The Miami native left her mark on the local arts community.
Christo, the Artist Who Showed the World Miami, Dies at 84

By Travis Cohen
Jun 1, 2020

Miami's cultural legacy might have come to pass were it not to for the work of Christo.
Goodbye to Betty Wright, Miami’s Clean Up Woman

By Alberto de la Portilla
May 11, 2020

Betty Wright, Miami's first lady of soul, died Sunday after a long battle with cancer. She was 66.
Joe Adler, 1940–2020: Visionary South Florida Theater Icon Dies at 79

By Chris Joseph
Apr 17, 2020

Joseph Adler, the longtime producing artistic director at GableStage, died the morning of April 16 after a long battle with an undisclosed illness.
Kristopher Pabon Leaves Behind a Music Legacy Ahead of Its Time

By Liz Tracy
Apr 13, 2020

Pabon inspired his contemporaries with his work in bands such as Pygmy, Down Home Southernaires, and Animal Tropical.
South Beach LGBTQ Icon Henrietta Robinson Dies of COVID-19

By Michael Majchrowicz
Apr 6, 2020

Robinson, who is among the first out transgender women in South Florida, died Friday after being diagnosed with COVID-19.
Dining Community Mourns Loss of Sun Sentinel Restaurant Reviewer John Tanasychuk

By Jen Karetnick
Mar 20, 2020

John Tanasychuk passed away from pneumonia on March 17, 2020.
Walter Mercado (1932–2019), Always and Forever a Man of the People

By Carolina del Busto
Nov 4, 2019

For a few years after moving to Miami from Spain, my father worked as a photographer. One of his adventures led to his spending a couple of days with Walter Mercado when the famed Latino TV astrologer visited Miami in 1974.
Former FIU Journalism Professor Leaves Lasting Legacy of Empathy

By Dan Evans
Oct 24, 2019

Moses Shumow had the office next to mine at Florida International University. A tenured professor and the driving force behind our digital program, he had a breadth and depth of knowledge about journalism education and FIU politics that was immensely helpful in my transition from an editor at the Los Angeles Times to the occasionally Byzantine world of academia.
Jose Pla, 1948-2019: Enriqueta's Owner Leaves Behind a Legacy of Cafecito and Community

By Laine Doss
Sep 26, 2019

Jose Luis Pla Elias, the owner of Miami's most beloved sandwich shop, has died. The 70-year-old owner of Enriqueta's Sandwich Shop, died on the evening of September 25, according to Miami publicist JennyLee Molina, a friend of the family who held many 305 Cafecito events at the eatery.
Miami's Culinary Community Mourns the Passing of Ghee's Eddy Alicea

By Zachary Fagenson
Aug 7, 2019

Family, friends, and the staff of both locations of Ghee Indian Kitchen are reeling this week following the untimely passing of 27-year-old cook Eduardo "Eddy" Alicea. He celebrated his birthday Saturday night at the Design District location where he works before heading out for a night in Miami Beach. He never made it home after a car crash early Sunday morning.
Miami's Hospitality Community Mourns the Loss of Alexandra Shewmake

By Laine Doss
Jun 21, 2019

Alexandra Shewmake was a beautiful woman whose personality matched the bright, fizzy cocktails she served at Miami's best bars. The bartender, known for her piercing eyes and open heart, died this past Monday evening. She was 29.
Joey Martorano of Cafe Martorano Remembered as a "Gentle Soul"

By Laine Doss
Jun 6, 2019

Cafe Martorano has become one of Fort Lauderdale's most iconic and beloved restaurants. But though its old-school menu of Italian classics such as chicken cacciatore and parpardelle with sausage are delicious, regulars flock to the restaurant for the people behind the food: Steve Martorano, the tattooed, larger-than-life owner; and his son Joey, who together worked the line, guest-DJ'ed, and generated warmth and excitement at the small storefront eatery that made a national name for itself.
Spirits Professional Benjamin Carlotto to Be Remembered at Memorial Tonight

By Laine Doss
May 30, 2019

The Miami hospitality community once again has lost one of its own. Benjamin Carlotto, 44, passed away May 23. The city's bar community has taken to social media to mourn the loss. Cocktail Cartel's Hector Acevedo posted, "I’m mourning and celebrating the time we shared together. Your life was a gift to the world. We talked about a future together. Dear brother, your memory will never fade. Rest In Peace."
The Spy Left Out in the Cold: Bay of Pigs Vet Bernardo de Torres Died Alone

By Owen Band
May 13, 2019

At first, no one knew the name of the 84-year-old homeless man who slept in Barnes Park, was hit by a car, and quietly died in a hospice in the dead of winter. Every death is a tragedy; every life has a story. But days after his death this...
South Florida Beer Community Mourns the Passing of Brewer Mike White

By David Minsky
Feb 26, 2019

Mike White, a passionate South Florida brewer whose beer won a gold medal for LauderAle Brewery at the Great American Beer Festival in 2017, passed away on February 23 in Georgia. He was 31 years old. Born in Hollywood, White grew up in Dalton, Georgia, which is known as the...
Bernardo Benes, Cuban Pioneer, Dead at Age 84

By Chuck Strouse
Jan 16, 2019

Bernardo Benes, maybe more than anyone else, made Miami the capital of Latin America it is today. He also made himself an outcast. After becoming one of the first influential bankers in Miami by climbing the ranks at Washington Savings and Loan Association — long before Brickell became the finance...
Miami's Bar Professionals Remember Broken Shaker Bar Manager Richie Petronzi

By Laine Doss
Nov 26, 2018

Miami's bar scene is blowing up social media with outpourings of love for Richie Petronzi. The bar professional died yesterday at the age of 42. According to Broken Shaker's Gabriel Orta, Petronzi became ill at home and was transported to a local hospital. A family member said the cause of death is inconclusive.

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