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Obituaries

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Gene Hackman in 1992.

Gene Hackman never chased million-dollar roles, but his performances were priceless

Gene Hackman was the actor’s actor, that rare creature who lived uncomfortably in the spotlight.

  • Michael Idato

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BR6PM5 EASYBEATS - UK pop group in 1966. Photo Tony Gale CREDIT LINE MUST READ: ALAMY NO ARCHIVE

Easybeats drummer who surfed the crest of the ’60s beat boom

Sticksman Gordon “Snowy” Fleet was the heartbeat of the ferocious phenomenon “Easyfever”.

  • Glenn A Baker
Erik De Haart pays his respects at the Bali bombing memorial in Coogee in 2008.

Bali bombing hero risked his life to rescue victims

Erik de Haart was heading back to the club when “a bright orange mushroom cloud lit up the sky”. He spent hours looking for his mates and hauling victims from the burning debris.

  • Malcolm Brown
Michael Clayton-Jones.
Gallery icon30 images

In memoriam: Spanning four decades, the best photographs by Michael Clayton-Jones in The Age

Michael Clayton-Jones worked as a photographer at The Age from the late 1980s until 2013. He died from cancer last week.

  • Danie Sprague
Bob Warneke with a live phascogale, November 29, 1961.

Zoologist, conservationist, whaling and sealing aficionado

Bob Warneke made a significant contribution to the scientific knowledge of Victoria’s terrestrial and marine mammals and the natural history of the south-eastern region

  • Mark Warneke and Lynn Warneke
Primrose Dunlop has died aged 70.

Australian socialite left at the altar lived a life of parties, privilege and scandal

Primrose Dunlop has died aged 70 following a colourful life among the social elite of Sydney and Melbourne.

  • Mark McGinness
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David Polson spent 30 years of his life undergoing clinical trials to help find a cure for HIV/AIDS.

Qtopia founder David Polson was one of the first people diagnosed with AIDS in Australia. He died today

The activist was one of few diagnosed with HIV in the 1980s who lived to see advances in treating the virus and overcoming ignorance and discrimination.

  • Mark McGinness
Ursula Flicker.

A formidable woman of integrity and devotion

Many who knew feisty Holocaust survivor and archivist Ursula Flicker tell of her prickly personality and high expectations but also of their love and respect for her. Her loyalty and dedication will be hard to match.

  • Helen Forgasz
Julie Copeland with sex educator Shere Hite in the 1970s.

Exceptional broadcaster was European at heart

Alongside famous artists and performers, Julie Copeland interviewed remarkable figures such as Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi and former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

  • Peter Mares
David Lynch, pictured in Brisbane in 2015, will appear at next month's Twin Peaks convention.

I’ve met many famous directors, but I’ll never forget David Lynch

Behind the movies, painting and meditation, David Lynch was a gifted director whose work leaves us with more questions about ourselves than it answers.

  • Michael Idato