Galway Kinnell, Poet Who Followed His Own Path, Dies at 87

Michael Sata, Sharp-Tongued President of Zambia, Dies at 77

By ALAN COWELL and JEFFREY GETTLEMAN

After years working in the opposition and three failed election bids, Mr. Sata became president in 2011, promising to reduce inequality.

L. M. Kit Carson, Actor and Writer, Dies at 73

By BRUCE WEBER

Mr. Carson earned a following among devotees of independent film with his magazine journalism about movies and his own quirky films.

Efua Dorkenoo, Who Campaigned Against Genital Cutting, Dies at 65

By DOUGLAS MARTIN

Ms. Dorkenoo led a successful 30-year campaign against the tradition of genital cutting of girls and women, mainly in Africa and the Middle East, by casting the practice as a human rights violation.

Stan M. Jay, Seller of Strings to the Stars, Dies at 71

By PAUL VITELLO

Mr. Jay was the owner and co-founder of Mandolin Brothers, a Staten Island musical instrument store well known by world-famous and ordinary musicians alike.

Marcia Strassman, Wife on ‘Welcome Back, Kotter,’ Dies at 66

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ms. Strassman played opposite Gabe Kaplan in “Welcome Back, Kotter,” and, later, was Rick Moranis’s spouse in “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.”

Jack Bruce, Cream’s Adventurous Bassist, Dies at 71

By PETER KEEPNEWS

Mr. Bruce’s adventurous approach to his instrument influenced two generations of rock bassists.

John-Roger, New Age Spiritual Leader in California, Dies at 80

By BRUCE WEBER

The founder of the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness gained a following among the Hollywood crowd, though some former adherents accused him of various misdeeds.

Doris Hering, 94, Dies; Critic Championed Regional Dance

By JACK ANDERSON

Ms. Hering, immersed in the New York dance world, eventually used her leverage to promote regional scenes around the country.

Oscar Taveras, Promising Cardinals Outfielder, Dies in Car Crash

By TYLER KEPNER

Word of Taveras’s death in a car crash in the Dominican Republic spread during the early innings of Game 5 of the World Series at AT&T Park, where Taveras played his final game Oct. 16.

Ben Bradlee, Washington Editor and Watergate Warrior, Dies at 93

By MARILYN BERGER

Mr. Bradlee, a quintessential newspaper editor, supervised The Washington Post’s exposure of the Watergate scandal that led to the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon.

Oscar de la Renta, Who Clothed Stars and Became One, Dies at 82

By CATHY HORYN and ENID NEMY

Mr. de la Renta dressed the wives of American presidents and socialites, but it was Hollywood glitz that defined him for a new age and a new customer.

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Msgr. William O’Brien, 90, Dies; Innovator in Treating Drug Abuse

By PAUL VITELLO

The monsignor helped start the Daytop Village network and was a fierce critic of the war on drugs.

Chen Ziming, Dissident in China, Is Dead at 62

By BRUCE WEBER

A reform-minded intellectual, Mr. Chen, was accused by the government of fomenting the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989 and spent more than a decade in prison and under house arrest.

Joan Quigley, Astrologer to a First Lady, Is Dead at 87

By DOUGLAS MARTIN

Miss Quigley, a Vassar-educated socialite, made celestial recommendations through phone calls to Nancy Reagan, often two or three a day.

Alfred Wertheimer, Early Photographer of Elvis Presley, Dies at 84

By WILLIAM YARDLEY

Assigned by a record label to take publicity shots, Mr. Wertheimer photographed rock ‘n’ roll’s earliest superstar in his earliest days.

Frank Mankiewicz, 90, Press Aide to Robert Kennedy and NPR Chief, Dies

By ROBERT D. McFADDEN

After growing up amid Hollywood royalty, Mr. Mankiewicz became a writer and Democratic strategist who drew the sad task of announcing Mr. Kennedy’s death in 1968.

Paul Craft, Witty Country Music Songwriter, Dies at 76

By BILL FRISKICS-WARREN

Mr. Craft’s hits included “Brother Jukebox” and “Dropkick Me, Jesus.”

Rick Piltz Dies at 71; Quit Bush White House Over Climate Policy

By DOUGLAS MARTIN

Mr. Piltz, a climate policy analyst, resigned from the administration of George W. Bush in 2005, accusing it of distorting scientific findings for political reasons and then releasing internal White House documents to support his contention.

Donald Pels, 86, Dies; Media Executive Saw Cellphone Future

By STEVE LOHR

Mr. Pels, whose early investment in cellphone networks paid off for his company and for himself, had become a major philanthropist in his later years.

René Burri, Photographer of Picasso and Che, Dies at 81

By DOUGLAS MARTIN

Mr. Burri was a globe-trotting photographer who documented figures like Pablo Picasso and Che Guevara, as well as urban scenes and war.

Carolyn Rovee-Collier, Who Said Babies Have Clear Memories, Is Dead at 72

By PAUL VITELLO

Dr. Rovee-Collier, a developmental psychologist at Rutgers University, showed in a series of papers in the early 1980s that babies remembered plenty.

Nelson Bunker Hunt, 88, Oil Tycoon With a Texas-Size Presence, Dies

By ROBERT D. McFADDEN

The eccentric scion of a prominent Dallas family that made a fortune in oil, Mr. Hunt tried and failed to corner the world’s silver market in 1980.

Stephen Paulus, Classical Composer Rich in Lyricism, Dies at 65

By WILLIAM YARDLEY

Mr. Paulus’s warmly received musical output was prodigious, including 13 operas and some 400 choral works.

Gough Whitlam, Leader of Australia Who Built Ties to China, Dies at 98

By MICHELLE INNIS

Mr. Whitlam, who introduced free university education and national health care as prime minister in the 1970s, was noted for his early recognition of China’s government.

Christophe de Margerie, Swashbuckling Chief of Total Oil, Is Dead at 63

By MAÏA de la BAUME

Mr. de Margerie, who was called Big Mustache by colleagues for his exceptional facial hair, was a charismatic French oil executive known for speaking his mind.

Peter Daland, Who Coached Swimming Champions, Is Dead at 93

By FRANK LITSKY

Daland became one of the world’s most successful swimming coaches, leading Southern California to nine N.C.A.A. team championships and 20 unbeaten dual-meet seasons in 35 years.

Ali Mazrui, Scholar of Africa Who Divided U.S. Audiences, Dies at 81

By DOUGLAS MARTIN

Professor Mazrui, who had taught since 1989 at Binghamton University, set off national criticism with his 1986 television documentary, “The Africans: A Triple Heritage.”

Park Honan, a Biographer of Authors, Is Dead at 86

By PAUL VITELLO

Mr. Honan’s groundbreaking books included biographies of Matthew Arnold, Robert Browning, Jane Austen and Shakespeare.