National Obituaries

PRAGUE (AP) — Lubomir Strougal, a Czechoslovak communist-era leader who served as prime minister for a record length of more than 18 years has died. He was 98. His death was confirmed to media by former Communist Party lawmaker Jiri Dolejs on Monday.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — John Moeti, the former South Africa midfielder who was part of the squad that won the 1996 African Cup of Nations, died at his home on Monday. He was 55.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Hsing Yun, a Buddhist abbot who established a thriving religious community in southern Taiwan and built universities overseas, has died. He was 95.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Charles Kimbrough, a Tony- and Emmy-nominated actor who played a straight-laced news anchor opposite Candice Bergen on “Murphy Brown,” died Jan. 11 in Culver City, California. He was 86.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Gen. Pervez Musharraf, who seized power in a bloodless coup and later led a reluctant Pakistan into aiding the U.S. war in Afghanistan against the Taliban, has died, officials said Sunday. He was 79.

Kaye Vaughan, twice the CFL's outstanding lineman and a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, has died. He was 91. Stephanie Myles, Vaughan's goddaughter, confirmed his passing on Sunday.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Journalist Joe Edwards, who chronicled country music and helped “Rocky Top” become a Tennessee state song during his four-decade Associated Press career, has died. He was 75.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Mike Radcliff, who was scouting director for 14 of his 35 years evaluating prospects for the Minnesota Twins, died Friday at age 66 after a nearly four-year bout with pancreatic cancer.

PARIS (AP) — Paco Rabanne, the Spanish-born designer known for perfumes sold worldwide but who made his name with metallic space-age fashions that put a bold, new edge on catwalks, has died, the group that owns his fashion house announced Friday.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Shlomo Perel, who survived the Holocaust through surreal subterfuge and an extraordinary odyssey that inspired his own writing and an internationally renowned film, died on Thursday in central Israel. He was 98.