Family-placed obituaries

Read family-placed obituaries and online guestbooks from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Obituaries

OBITUARY

Tom Coffin, activist and former head Atlanta arborist, dies at 82

Among his many talents, he photographed life in the city for years.

Credit: TNS

Bob Roarty, visionary co-founder of Atlanta Vintage Books, dies

Bob Roarty died Sept. 30 at his Atlanta home from a rare neurodegenerative disease. He is remembered for his kindness and making his rare book store a haven for booklovers.

Credit: SPECIAL

Judge Ronald Ramsey helped create city of Stonecrest and believed in second chances

Judge Ronald Ramsey, who helped create the city of Stonecrest and mentored many in Georgia law and politics, died Sept. 25 at 66 after a long cancer battle.

Credit: Jason Getz / AJC

‘He was a dreamer’: Atlanta and national leaders remember Tom Cousins

Warren Buffett, Sam Nunn and other major figures shared remembrances of Tom Cousins.

Credit: ANDY SHARP / AJC FILE

Tom Cousins, joyful developer who shaped lives and Atlanta’s skyline, dies

Tom Cousins, who reshaped Atlanta's skyline and brought pro basketball and hockey to the city, dies at 93. He was also a legendary philanthropist and political influencer.

Credit: Thomas Kennedy Sampson & Tompkins LLP

Mayor Andre Dickens praises deceased Thomas G. Sampson Sr. as ‘legal giant’

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, in a statement on the death of Thomas G. Sampson Sr., praised Sampson as "a legal giant" and "civic trailblazer."

Credit: Contributed by Lie-Nielsen family

John Lie-Nielsen, founder of Atlanta apartment management giant, dies

Entrepreneur John Lie-Nielsen, who died at age 90, founded Atlanta's Johnstown Properties, one of the country’s largest apartment management companies in the 1980s.

Credit: AJC

Worth Long made history, then recorded it

Worth Long was a prize-winning documentarian and musicologist and worked in the Civil Rights Movement.

Credit: Courtesy of Wilkinson Family

Jack Wilkinson, celebrated chronicler of Georgia sports, dies at 74

Jack Wilkinson, celebrated chronicler of Georgia sports and longtime Atlanta Journal-Constitution storyteller, dies at 74.

Credit: T. Levette Bagwell

Duane Jackson, Morehouse insect expert, dies at 77

Duane Jackson's love of insects made him an expert in his field.

Credit: Bob Andres/AJC

Former lawmaker Susan Holmes was a force in Republican politics

Former state Rep. Susan Holmes, died on April 30. She was also Monticello's first woman mayor and a six-term member of the Georgia House.

Credit: Courtesy

Harry DeMille, used-record impresario, raconteur, dies at 74

Harry DeMille's Wax 'N' Facts record store survived from age of hippies to the present

Credit: Rodney Ho

Cadillac Jack, longtime Atlanta country radio host, has died

William "Cadillac Jack" Choate, a long-time country radio deejay in Atlanta, died at age 51 of a heart attack April 17, 2025.

Credit: Emory University

OBITUARY

Thom Bornemann championed mental health for U.S. and world

Thom Bornemann improved mental health services to people in the U.S. and around the world serving in federal health positions and for the Carter Center.

Credit: Courtesy of family

Franklyn Dailey, WWII naval veteran, businessman, dies at 104 in Atlanta

Franklyn Dailey, WWII Navy sailor, author served in European Theater

Credit: courtesy of family

Larry Tamblyn, 1960s rock ‘n’ roller and garage rock icon, dies in Newnan

Larry Tamblyn, early rock 'n roller who influenced punk, dies in Newnan

Credit: Courtesy of family

Sylvia Kelley was an early advocate for women’s rights

Sylvia Kelley's lively mind kept here involved in women's rights

D.A. King, outspoken Georgia immigration activist, dies

D.A. King, a Georgia advocate for tough immigration enforcement and a fixture at the state Capitol, has died at age 72.

George Lowe, known as Adult Swim’s Space Ghost, has died

George Lowe, a long-time Atlanta voice-over artist who was behind "Space Ghost: Coast to Coast" on Adult Swim, has died at age 67.

Credit: MATTHEW ARPI

Ron Hudspeth, former nightlife entertainment columnist, dies at 82

Ron Hudspeth, newspaper reporter columnist, man about town dies.

Charlie Bliss, champion of poor, disabled, dies suddenly

Laura McCarty, Georgia arts, humanities leader, dies at 58

Laura McCarthy, Georgia arts and humanities leader, dies suddenly

Credit: SPECIAL

Sam Yi, Atlanta jazz aficionado, club owner, dies

Everyone who plays jazz in Atlanta knew the name of Sam Yi, who died Feb. 3. He was 61.

Co-founder of nurse practitioner role, Loretta Ford, dies at 104

Dr. Loretta Ford, a trailblazing visionary of nursing, leaves behind an influential legacy that has affected countless nurses.

Lonnie Love guided Georgia’s best students

Lonnie Love guided Georgia student honors programs

Credit: Courtesy of amil

Daniel Inman, civil rights warrior and news publisher, dies

Daniel Inman, newspaper publisher and civil rights warrior, dies at 87

Dick Myrick, the developer who saved Bulloch Hall, dies at 91

Dick Myrick, the metro Atlanta developer who saved Roswell's Bullock Hall, dies at 91

Andy Lipman championed help for people with cystic fibrosis

Angela Carrington, who brought soul to Atlanta band’s music, dies at 76

Credit: Jason Getz

Rabbi Alvin Sugarman led interfaith work from The Temple

Rabbi Alvin Sugarman, lead good works and interfaith learning, dies at 86

William Robie left mark on Atlanta, real estate equality

William Robie, notable businessman and mentor, dies at 104

Credit: bhonarvar@ajc.com

Charles Person, youngest of first Freedom Riders, dies at 82

Charles Person, played key role in Civil Rights Movement, dies at 82

Credit: Courtesy

Dr. Shelby Wilkes, influential eye surgeon, dies at 74

Leading eye specialist dies from cancer. Dr. Shelby Wilkes led first statewide diabetic retinopathy screening study

Credit: Courtesy of Family

John Lauer brought competitive spirit and news to Atlanta radio

John Laurer, long-time Atlanta radio man, dies at 94

Credit: Courtesy of

Bo Glover, businessman who fought to save Marietta Square, dies at 94

Bo Glover, noted Marietta businessman, fought to save Marietta Square

Atlanta editorial cartoonist set the standard for Jimmy Carter

Atlanta Constitution's Clifford "Baldy" Baldowski got a headstart on national press in caricatures of Jimmy Carter.

Credit: HANDOUT

Jimmy Carter was nation’s Sunday School teacher

What Jimmy Carter's lifetime of teaching Sunday school told us about him.

Credit: Jimmy Carter Library

Jimmy Carter’s term as Georgia governor was marked a success

Jimmy Carter's legacy as governor of Georgia was largely determined by his 1971 inauguration speech, when he declared "the time for racial discrimination is over."