Socialist stalwart and former JD (U) chief Sharad Yadav died on January 12 at a hospital in Gurgaon. He was 75. He is survived by his wife, daughter and son. His daughter, Subhashini Sharad Yadav, confirmed the news on Twitter saying, “Papa nahi rahe (Papa is no more).”
The former minister’s health had been deteriorating and he was admitted to Gurugram’s Fortis hospital. The hospital issued a statement saying Sharad Yadav was brought to the emergency ward in an “unconscious and unresponsive state” and he did not have “any pulse or recordable blood pressure.
“On examination, he did not have any pulse or recordable blood pressure. He underwent CPR as per ACLS protocols. Despite best efforts, he could not be revived and was declared dead at 10.19 pm,” the hospital said in its statement.
Born on July 1, 1947 at Babai in Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh, Yadav was a gold medallist in engineering from the Jabalpur Engineering College.
Yadav, one of the tallest socialist leaders of the country, remained at the centre of Janata politics for decades. He soon became active in youth politics, greatly influenced by socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia.
He participated in a number of mass movements and was detained under MISA during the turbulent 1970s.
Much later, he was among the leaders who played a significant role in the implementation of the Mandal Commission recommendations. He was one of the few who had been instrumental in installing Lalu Prasad as Chief Minister of Bihar in 1990.
Sharad Yadav was a three-time member of the Rajya Sabha and a seven-time Lok Sabha MP.
In a condolence message on Twitter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Pained by the passing away of Shri Sharad Yadav Ji. In his long years in public life, he distinguished himself as MP and Minister. He was greatly inspired by Dr. Lohia’s ideals. I will always cherish our interactions. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti.”
Lalu Prasad Yadav on Friday condoled the demise of Sharad Yadav in a video message from Singapore. Posting a video message for the deceased leader on Twitter, Lalu Yadav from his hospital bed in Singapore where he is recuperating from a kidney transplant surgery, said, “I am saddened to hear the news of big brother Sharad Yadav`s death. He, besides late Mulayam Singh Yadav, Nitish Kumar and myself learnt the politics of socialism from Ram Manohar Lohia and Karpoori Thakur.
“On many occasions, Sharad Yadav and I fought with each other. But our disagreements never led to any bitterness,” Lalu Yadav added.
Musician Lisa Marie Presley dies at age 54
Lisa Marie Presley, the singer-songwriter and only child of Elvis Presley, died on January 12 after a medical emergency and a brief hospitalization. She was 54.
“Priscilla Presley and the Presley family are shocked and devastated by the tragic death of their beloved Lisa Marie,” Sam Mast, a representative for Priscilla Presley, her mother, said in a statement. “They are profoundly grateful for the support, love and prayers of everyone, and ask for privacy during this very difficult time.”
Earlier in the day, Priscilla Presley said in a statement that her daughter had been receiving medical attention but did not share more information.
The daughter of one of the most celebrated artists in history, Presley followed the career path of her father, Elvis Presley. She released three albums in which she set out to distinguish her rock sound while also paying homage to the man who forever changed the American soundscape by blending blues, gospel, pop and country.
Her music career, however, never exploded as it had for her father. But his influence was evident in her songs and some lyrics. In her debut album from 2003, “To Whom It May Concern,” she sings in the bluesy, melancholic song “Lights Out” that “someone turned the lights out there in Memphis. That’s where my family’s buried and gone.”
In 2018, she co-produced an album celebrating Elvis’s love of gospel music and sang along with a recording of him on one of the songs.
From 1994 to 1996, she was married to Michael Jackson. Together, the pair — one the daughter of the king of rock ’n’ roll, the other regarded as the king of pop — attracted the glare of cameras and bountiful attention. In 2002, she married the actor Nicolas Cage, but the couple separated within a four-month period that same year.
Before Jackson, she married the musician Danny Keough in 1988. They separated after six years and had two children together, including the actress Riley Keough and Benjamin Keough, who died by suicide at age 27 in 2020. In recent years, she was married to Michael Lockwood, with whom she had twin daughters, Finley Lockwood and Harper Lockwood. They divorced in 2021.
Former Bengal governor Keshari Nath Tripathi dies
Former Governor of West Bengal and three-time Uttar Pradesh Assembly Speaker Keshari Nath Tripathi died due to prolonged illness at his residence in Prayagraj on January 8. He was 88. Apart from West Bengal, Tripathi had held additional charge as the Governor of Bihar, Meghalaya and Mizoram.
“He was hospitalised a few days ago after he fractured his hand and for treatment of age-related ailments as well. However, he was discharged from the hospital three days back,” a BJP leader in Prayagraj said.
Born on November 10, 1934 in Allahabad, Tripathi was also a senior advocate at the Allahabad High Court. He joined RSS when he was just 12 and later switched to Bharatiya Jana Sangh. He was jailed in Naini Central Jail in 1953 for participating in the ‘Kashmir Andolan’ and again in 1990 for taking part in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.
An active leader who was admired across ranks in the BJP, Tripathi was elected MLA for the first time in 1977 from Jhunsi assembly constituency in Prayagraj district. He went on to win six more assembly elections and his last victory was in 2002 from Allahabad South seat. He contested the 2007 and 2012 Assembly polls too but faced defeat both the times.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in a tweet expressed condolences on the passing of Tripathi. Mamata called Tripathi “a man of great substance” and wrote that “his contributions to our country will remain etched in all our minds.”
 chief Sharad Yadav died on January 12 at a hospital in Gurgaon. He was 75.){kind=link}