Cmdr. Wilhelm G. Esders, 80, last surviving pilot of a doomed torpedo attack by three Navy squadrons at the World War II Battle of Midway, died of a heart attack Tuesday in Pensacola, Fla. At Midway, 39 of 41 pilots and all but one crewman in the assault perished. Only Lloyd Childers, a radioman-gunner who later became a Marine Corps pilot, is still alive.
Donn Arden, 78, who is best known for producing the musical "Jubilee!" that continues to play at Bally's in Las Vegas after 13 years, died Wednesday in the gambling resort.
Erwin Knoll, 63, editor of The Progressive magazine, which gained national attention in the late 1970s for trying to publish an article detailing the construction of hydrogen bombs, died of a heart attack Wednesday in Madison, Wis. A familiar figure to viewers of the "MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour," he was known for his outspoken defense of free speech and his opposition to militarism.