Obituaries

A Closer Look

Jan. 1, 2026 4:25 p.m.

Beyond iconic films, Rob Reiner’s legacy extends to child wellness advocacy

Rob Reiner, a filmmaker, activist and former UCLA theater student, speaks at the LBJ Presidential Library. Reiner, who attended UCLA from 1964 to 1966, was found dead Dec. 14. (Courtesy of LBJ Library photo by Jay Godwin)

This post was updated Jan. 2 at 12:42 p.m.
Rob Reiner, a filmmaker, activist and former UCLA theater student, was found dead Dec. 14. He was 78.

By Amanda Velasco

A Closer Look

Oct. 30, 2025 11:46 p.m.

Former UCLA Labor Center director, workers’ rights advocate Kent Wong dies at 69

Kent Wong, the former director of the UCLA Labor Center and an advocate for workers’ rights, died Oct. 8. He was 69 years old.
Wong was the director of the UCLA Labor Center from 1991 to 2023, during which he oversaw the 2021 development of its new MacArthur Park headquarters, said Toby Higbie, a professor of history and labor studies.

By Izzy Greig

Campus

UCLA alumnus Helya Bahari Kashani commemorated by family, friends in vigil

Los Angeles

Aug. 27, 2025 8:06 p.m.

UCLA alumnus, Catch One founder, HIV/AIDS activist Jewel Thais-Williams dies at 86

Jewel Thais-Williams, a UCLA alumnus, the founder of LGBTQ+ nightclub Jewel’s Catch One and an HIV/AIDS activist, died July 7. She was 86.
Thais-Williams opened Catch One on West Pico Boulevard in 1973 to serve as “a sacred space” for underserved communities of color, said Donald Kilhefner, who was a close friend of Thais-Williams for more than 40 years.

By Caitlin Brockenbrow

A Closer Look

May 15, 2025 9:51 p.m.

Sandra Harding, pioneering feminism scholar and former UCLA professor, dies at 89

Sandra Harding, a former distinguished professor of education and gender studies, died March 5. She was 89.
Internationally recognized for developing “standpoint theory” – which frames science as shaped by cultural and social contexts rather than as purely objective – Harding’s work critiqued classic academic theories that often overlooked the impacts of race, gender and ethnicity on knowledge production and the practice of science.

By Vivian Stein

Campus

Aug. 10, 2024 7:07 p.m.

The Rev. James Lawson Jr., civil rights activist and labor educator, dies at 95

This post was updated Aug. 11 at 10:14 p.m.
The Rev. James Lawson Jr. – a civil rights activist, UCLA faculty member and the namesake of a UCLA Labor Center building – died June 9.

By Celia Powers

A Closer Look

April 10, 2021 5:38 p.m.

Dozens gather in remembrance of student Lindsey Trieu at candlelight vigil

Holding flowers and electric candles, dozens of people gathered in Bruin Plaza Friday night at a vigil for Lindsey Trieu, a UCLA student who died in March.