His death was announced by Acting President Nangolo Mbumba, who was sworn in hours after Geingob’s passing. Geingob died just after midnight at Lady Pohamba Hospital in Windhoek, where he was being treated for cancer, with his wife and children at his side, Mbumba said.

“The Namibian nation has lost a distinguished servant of the people, a liberation struggle icon, the chief architect of our constitution and the pillar of the Namibian house,” Mbumba wrote on X.

Geingob’s office recently announced that the president was undergoing treatment for “cancerous cells” discovered in a biopsy following a routine colonoscopy. He had flown to the U.S. for a week for treatment last month.

Born in 1941, Geingob spent 27 years in exile in Botswana and the U.S., driven out of Namibia for his anti-apartheid activism. While in the U.S. starting in 1964, he earned a politics degree at Fordham University in New York City. He also studied at The New School and in Philadelphia at Temple University.

He returned to Namibia in 1989 as the country was on the cusp of gaining independence from South Africa. The following year, Geingob became Namibia’s first prime minister, serving from 1990 to 2002 and then again from 2008 to 2012. He was the country’s third president, elected to his first term in 2015, and was in the middle of his second term at the time of his death.

That term was slated to end later this year, with Deputy Prime Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah replacing him on the South West Africa People’s Organization party’s ticket in upcoming elections. Mbumba will lead Namibia until March 21 of next year, when the winner will be inaugurated. On Sunday, Nandi-Naditwah paid tribute to Geingob as “a true democratic and a transformational leader who touched many lives.”

While Geingob’s administration was dogged by a scandal centering on bribes related to fishing quotas, his legacy was that of an advocate for self-determination. Condolences poured in from African leaders, as well from other nations.

Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa praised Geingob’s “leadership and resilience,” while South African President Cyril Ramaphosa bemoaned “the loss of a strong, brave and iconic leader” who was a “towering veteran of Namibia’s liberation from colonialism and apartheid” and a close personal friend.

President Biden issued condolences as well, calling Geingob “an eloquent advocate for his country and continent, who stood up for his values and beliefs.”

With News Wire Services

Paulette was born on June 5, 1945, to Gerhard Schauer and Bertha Reider née Sampson, in New York City, NY. Paulette was a deeply loving mother to her sons, Gabriel Gordon and Gideon Gordon, her stepdaughters, Wanda Roy and Diane McLeod, and beloved wife to her husband of over 40 years, William Allan McLeod. They all miss her dearly. Paulette was predeceased by her mother, father, her brother, Andrew Schauer, and her stepdaughter Julie Stewart.

Formerly editor and publisher of Biography Magazine at A&E Network, she was deeply cherished by all who worked with her. She was always energetic, creative, and a passionate lover of the singing arts, especially Opera and Musical Theater. Paulette sang often, with a powerful soprano voice, in opera productions, solo performances, or gathered around the piano to the delight of friends and family, and she gained energy whenever she sang, to the very end.

A memorial is being held Sunday, February 4, 2024. Her family requests donations be given in her memory to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research at https://www.michaeljfox.org/donate.

He met his wife Sandra while living in Harlem and they had four children – Howard, Tamiko, Shane, and Carlos. He later met Gloria, with whom he had one daughter, Renee. His later years were marked by struggles with PTSD, but he nevertheless continued to give his whole heart to his family. He was always willing to help in times of need, whether babysitting for his young grandnieces and nephews, helping friends and family move, or supporting his brother Lenny in keeping up the household. He found enjoyment in festive occasions, often firing up the grill and having backyard BBQs to celebrate major holidays. He became a hero to his family’s younger generations as several followed in his footsteps and joined the military. Perhaps his most important legacy is that his decision to join the Army allowed his parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and many extended family members and in-laws to migrate to the United States or become second, third, or fourth generation U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

He was preceded in death by wife Sandra, brother Lisle, sister Leslyn, son Shane, son Carlos, and sister-in-law Patsy.

He is survived by his partner Janet; children, Howard, Tamiko, and Renee; brothers, Lenny and Philip; grandchildren, Stephanie, Sandra, Kathrine, Diana, Reed, Cassandra, Joshua, Ryan; nieces and nephews Brian, Sharol, Shivonne, Joel, Shamelle, Mark, Michelle, Thomas, and Patrick; sisters-in-law Yvette and Wendy; and many beloved great-nieces, great-nephews, cousins, and dear friends.

A Memorial Service will be held at Israel Memorial AME Church in Newark, NJ on Saturday, February 3rd at 10:00am. Interment at Brigadier William Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Wrightstown, NJ will be on Monday, February 5th at 12:30pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be directed in Orrin’s name to the Vietnam Veterans of America or the Vietnam Veteran Memorial Fund.

A cause of death was not given for the woman the star called his “anchor” and “savior.”

“My heart is broken,” Wilson wrote on Instagram on Tuesday. “Melinda, my beloved wife of 28 years, passed away this morning. Our five children and I are just in tears. We are lost.”

Ledbetter was working as a model and car salesperson when she sold Wilson a Cadillac in 1986. They dated sporadically for the next three years and then were driven apart by Dr. Eugene Landy, his therapist and legal guardian. Landy exerted inordinate control over Wilson, who had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and mild bipolar disorder. Though Ledbetter had reported Landy to the attorney general in 1989 for his unscrupulous treatment, the case was dismissed, EW reported.

Two years later, Wilson’s mother, brother and daughters filed a conservatorship lawsuit against Landy and succeeded in removing him from Wilson’s life. Wilson and Ledbetter got back together, marrying in 1995. She became his manager four years later and they adopted five children: Dakota Rose, Daria Rose, Delanie Rose, Dylan and Dash.

They, too, mourned their mother in a postscript appended to Wilson’s Instagram post.

“She was a force of nature and one of the strongest women you could come by,” they wrote. “She was not only a model, our fathers savior, and a mother, she was a woman empowered by her spirit with a mission to better everyone she touched.”

The couple and their love story were depicted in the 2014 movie “Love & Mercy,” starring John Cusack and Elizabeth Banks.

“I’ve never had a relationship with a girl like we have,” Wilson told People in 1998. “She’s a partner who’s also a best friend.”

There are no words I can say that would express how much we all miss you. When I think of your life My Way by Frank Sinatra plays in my head. Thats how you lived, your way. You always played by the beat of your own drum never a follower always a forward thinker and believer in what your heart told you. I miss that spirit and humour. I see bits and pieces of you in my children and I’m so grateful for that. I wish they could’ve had their Uncle Dan in their lives cause boy they would’ve gotten a kick out of you!! We love you Danny Boy you are forever in our hearts!!

Love your big sis Jeanine