Arthur Pentland Dempster, longtime Harvard statistics professor who developed the EM algorithm and Dempster-Shafer theory of belief functions, died on January 30, 2026, at age 96, leaving a lasting mark on statistical inference and fields from machine learning to artificial intelligence.
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Obituary: Gudmund Ragnvaldsson Iversen
Gudmund Ragnvaldsson Iversen, a well-loved husband, father, grandfather, and professor emeritus at Swarthmore College, passed away peacefully on May 2 in Springfield, Pennsylvania.
Obituary: George C. Tiao
George C. Tiao, a giant of modern statistics and beloved leader of the international statistical community, passed away peacefully in his sleep in Chicago on April 25, 2026, at the age of 92.
Obituary: Estelle Bee Dagum
Estelle Bee Dagum, a Fellow of the ASA and a pioneering statistician, whose work transformed the practice of official statistics, passed away April 2, 2026.
Obituary: James Hunter Clair
Jim Clair passed away in October. He enjoyed snowboarding, surfing, and puzzles. He also raised two scarlet macaws, caring for them for more than 47 years.
Obituary: Norman Phillip Ross
Norman Phillip Ross, pioneering chief statistician of the US Environmental Protection Agency and ASA fellow, passed away in November, leaving a legacy in environmental statistics and public health.
Obituary: Jayalakshmi Natarajan
ASA member Jayalakshmi “Jaya” Natarajan passed away on June 1 at the age of 77.
Obituary: Herbert Withers Ware II
Longtime ASA member Herbert Withers Ware II passed away in late April.
Obituary: Mary A. Foulkes
Mary Foulkes passed away in Traverse City, Michigan, on February 8, 2025, after a lengthy career in biostatistics and service to the profession.
Obituary: LeRoy T. Mattson
American Statistical Association member LeRoy T. Mattson of Minneapolis died March 16, 2025.