After his father’s death, Mandela was adopted by Chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo, the acting regent of the Thembu people.
Malcolm Shabazz, the grandson of civil rights leader Malcolm X, died in Mexico on May 9 after succumbing to injuries he suffered during an attempted robbery. He was 28.
Nigerian-born author and poet Chinua Achebe died on March 21 after a brief illness. He was 82. Achebe is best known for his 1958 novel Things Fall Apart, an epic tale addressing the clash between Western and traditional African values.
Essie Mae Washington-Williams, daughter of the late senator and segregationist Strom Thurmond, died on February 4. She was 87.
The legendary folk singer died of a heart attack on April 22. He was 72. Havens is best remembered for his improvised version of “Freedom” at Woodstock in 1969.
The blues balladeer behind songs like “That’s the Way Love Is” and “Further On Up the Road,” passed away from complications from an ongoing illness on June 13. He was 83.
The trumpeter and educator, celebrated for his fusion of funk and R&B into jazz, passed away on February 4. He was 80.
