Go-Go Legend Chuck Brown Dies at 75

Brown, known as the 'Godfather of Go-Go', was a native Washingtonian.

Chuck Brown, the “Godfather of Go-Go," will sing no more. Brown died Wednesday at age 75 at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Brown was a native Washingtonian and a leader in the creation and evolution of  Go-Go as a subgenre of funk music. “Go-go is D.C.’s very own unique contribution to the world of pop music, and Chuck Brown was regarded as Go-go’s creator and, arguably, its most legendary artist,” Mayor Gray said in a press release. “Today is a very sad day for music lovers the world over, but especially in the District of Columbia. Brown was hospitalized for pneumonia and died from complications from sepsis. "His musical legacy will live on, not only in the District street bearing his name, or each time a home run is scored at …

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Restaurateur Behind La Chaumiere, Gerard Pain, Dies

The French-born restaurateur owned several establishments in D.C but was best known for his french restaurant on M Street, La Chaumiere.

Friendship Heights Fashion Legend Harriet Kassman Dies at Age 90

Harriet Kassman's boutique closed in 2009, but her bridal salon—Chevy Chase Bridal—is still managed by her son, Nick Kassman, at the Mazza Gallerie.

Harriet Kassman, of Harriet Kassman—the high-fashion Friendship Heights boutique that closed in 2009 after over 30 years of dressing Washington's women for the capital's social scene—passed away on Thursday, Feb. 23, at the age of 90. Her boutique store, which was located at the Mazza Gallerie (and before that, on Jenifer Street NW) from 1977 until she retired in 2009, was known as the place to go for that very special dress, which Kassman would personally help a customer to select, and which would be custom-fit by one of the store's full-time seamstresses, reported The Washington Post when the store held its final going-out-of-business sale. Unfortunately, the high-end store could not withstand the recession. But, Kassman's bridal gown …

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Georgetown University Professor, Chris Joyner, Died Saturday at 63

Joyner, a top expert in international law and Antarctica, previously taught at The George Washington University, the University of Virginia, Dartmouth College and Muhlenberg College.

Viola Drath, 91, Dies in Georgetown

Drath was a writer, academic, diplomatic adviser and fixture in German-American relations.

Viola Herms Drath, wife of Albrecht Muth, died Thursday in her Georgetown home at the age of 91. Drath was born in Germany and was a prominent figure in German-American relations. Her death is under investigation as a homicide. Drath moved to the United States after marrying her first husband, U.S. Army Col. Francis S. Drath. In Washington, Mrs. Drath became a journalist, writing for Handelsblatt, a German paper, and later for The Washington Times. She wrote a well-received biography of former German Chancellor Willy Brandt, "Willy Brandt: Prisoner of His Past," which was first published in 1975. After the death of her first husband in 1986, she married Albrecht Gero Muth, who now survives her. She was one of the first prominent figures to…

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First Lady Betty Ford, Former Georgetown Resident, Passes

Betty Ford was 93.

Former First Lady Betty Ford, wife of late President Gerald Ford, died at age 93, the Washington Post reports. The Fords were one-time Georgetown residents of 2500 Q St. Her husband was the 38th President of the United States. A retrospective of Betty Ford in photos is available on The Huffington Post.

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Obituary: Susan Heckler, 55, Former Professor at McDonough School of Business

Susan Heckler passed away Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011. She was formerly a marketing professor at Georgetown University.

Susan Heckler, Ph.D., former visiting professor of marketing at Georgetown University  and longtime University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business faculty member and Opus Distinguished Endowed Chair in Marketing, passed away on Tuesday morning of complications due to kidney failure. She was 55. Heckler began her professional career as a chemist, earning her undergraduate degree in chemistry from the University of Minnesota. She worked as a research assistant for Honeywell , then as a development chemist for Celanese Corp in Louisville, Kentucky, before pursuing  her M.B.A. , which she earned from the University of Minnesota in 1987. She went on to earn a Ph.D. in Business Administration with an emphasis in marketing, also from the …

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