National Obituaries

LONDON — John Motson, the BBC soccer commentator who was one of the most well-known voices in British sport for 50 years, has died. He was 77. The BBC announced the death of Motson on Thursday, without giving any details.

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Ahmed Qureia, a former Palestinian prime minister and one of the architects of interim peace deals with Israel, has died at age 85.

MADRID (AP) — Amancio Amaro, who helped Real Madrid win the European Cup and nine Spanish league titles in the 1960s and 70s, died on Tuesday. He was 83.

A former owner of two NBA teams, an NFL franchise and longtime Texas businessman, Billy Joe “Red” McCombs has died at his home in San Antonio, according to a statement from his family on Monday.

TOKYO (AP) — Leiji Matsumoto, the anime creator known for ”Space Battleship Yamato” and other classics using a fantastical style and antiwar themes, has died at age 85.

NEW YORK (AP) — Huey "Piano” Smith, a beloved New Orleans session man who backed Little Richard, Lloyd Price and other early rock stars and with his own group made the party favorites "Don't You Just Know It" and "Rockin' Pneumonia and Boogie Woogie

NEW YORK (AP) — Richard Belzer, the longtime stand-up comedian who became one of TV's most indelible detectives as John Munch in "Homicide: Life on the Street" and “Law & Order: SVU,” has died. He was 78.

TORONTO — Peter Herrndorf, lawyer, Canadian media mogul and the former president and chief executive officer of the National Arts Centre, has died at age 82.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Jim Broyhill, a longtime North Carolina Republican congressman who served briefly in the U.S. Senate to fill a vacancy before losing a bid to keep the job, died early Saturday at age 95, his family said.

Christian Atsu, the Ghana international forward who played for Premier League clubs Chelsea and Newcastle, has died in the earthquake in Turkey. He was 31.