When terrorists took over a Lufthansa airliner in 1977, West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt refused to meet their demands and free members of the Red Army Faction from prison.
Instead, he secretly sent a team of 28 commandos to the airport in Mogadishu, Somalia, where the jet was on the ground after a 7,000-mile hijacking. After Schmidt’s squad completed its lightning-quick raid, an aide to the chancellor told him, simply: “The work is done.â€
The hijackers had killed the plane’s captain before the raid, but all 86 remaining hostages were rescued.
Three Red Army Faction leaders later killed themselves in prison, authorities said. A West German industrialist who had been kidnapped by the group was also found dead, killed in retaliation for the raid, but the violent underground cell would be smashed, and Schmidt’s reversal of his predecessors’ willingness to accommodate terrorist demands underscored his reputation as an independent, confident, brilliant and sometimes abrasive world leader.
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The former national security advisor helped craft President Clinton’s foreign policy from 1997 to 2001, when the administration carried out airstrikes in Kosovo and against Saddam Hussein’s forces in Iraq. He previously had worked in the State Department in President Jimmy Carter’s administration. He was 70. Full obituary
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The former South Korean president formally ended decades of military rule and accepted a massive international bailout during the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis. He was 87. Full obituary
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The Scottish drummer replaced Ringo Starr as the Beatles’ drummer on their first single, “Love Me Do.†The song, all 2 minutes and 22 seconds of it, was a hit, but after the session, White never played with the Beatles again. He was 85. Full obituary
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The legendary stripper and Bay Area institution helped introduce topless entertainment more than 50 years ago. She was 78. Full obituary
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The West German chancellor was known for shepherding his country through tough economic times, pushing it closer to eventual reunification with Communist East Germany and facing down a band of domestic terrorists. He was 96. Full obituary
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The revered songwriter, producer, pianist and singer was a key architect of the early rock and R&B music that flowed from New Orleans to the national stage, an artist whose widespread influence led to his eventual status as a patriarch of the city’s fertile musical mash-up. He was 77. Full obituary
(Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times) 7/64
The Southern California custom-car legend created many of the most memorable and outrageous automobiles ever seen on film and television. He designed TV’s Batmobile as well as special vehicles for many of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and John Wayne. He was 89. Full obituary
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The Irish-born actress was one of the biggest film stars of the 1940s and ‘50s. She more than held her own in her most heralded roles, even against as forceful a presence as John Wayne, with whom she made five films including the classic “The Quiet Man.†She was 95. Full obituary
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Chef Paul Prudhomme popularized spicy Louisiana cuisine and became one of the first American restaurant chefs to achieve worldwide fame. He was 75. Full obituary
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Filmmaker Chantal Akerman was frequently likened to Orson Welles, Jean-Luc Godard and Rainer Werner Fassbinder for her restless, broad-ranging style and the piercing intelligence she brought to both the formal and thematic elements of her work. She was 65. Full obituary
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In an era when few minorities of any kind belonged to Los Angeles’ social and civic elite, Marilyn Hudson was sometimes seen as the token black. The local civic leader broke barriers quietly at a time when racial militancy was in vogue. She was 88. Full obituary
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Susumu Ito, a member of a Japanese American regiment that rescued another group of U.S. soldiers during World War II, went on to become a professor and researcher at Harvard Medical School. He was 96. Full obituary
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The designer was a force for working women who wanted a stylish but affordable look. Her eponymous brand became a favorite of career women. She was 80. Full obituary
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The publisher mined California’s counterculture for bestsellers, bringing out such consciousness-expanding works as “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain†by Betty Edwards. He was 83. Full obituary
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Considered one of the iconic figures of modern jazz, Woods was also thought of by some as the rightful heir to Charley “Bird†Parker. He may be best known to pop audiences for his alto saxophone work on Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are,†Steely Dan’s “Doctor Wu†and Paul Simon’s “Have a Good Time.†He was 83. Full obituary
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One of the best centers to ever play in the NBA, Malone was named to the NBA’s 50th anniversary all-time team and led the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA championship in 1983, when he also won the most valuable player award, one of three in his 21-year career. The 14-time All-Star entered the Hall of Fame in 2001. He was 60. Full obituary
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The Yankee Hall of Fame catcher was renowned as much for his dizzying malapropisms as his record 10 World Series championships. His wacky public utterances -- spoken with utter sincerity -- were quoted by presidents, professors and public speakers of all stripes, among millions of others. He was 90. Full obituary
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The best-selling author was a fixture on the Hollywood scene, where she frequented celebrity hangouts in search of story material. Her novels, including “Hollywood Wives,†“Hollywood Husbands†and “Hollywood Kids,†together sold more than 500 million copies around the world. She was 77. Full obituary
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The Japanese American tail gunner overcame the American military’s discriminatory policies to fly on 58 bombing missions over three continents during World War II, including raids on Tokyo in the final months of the war. He was 98. Full obituary
(Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times) 20/64
Best known for star turns in Disney comedies such as “The Love Bug,†“That Darn Cat!†and “The Ugly Dachshund,†Jones often played the somewhat bumbling good guy. Later, his religious conversion -- he became a born-again Christian -- altered not only the course of his life but his career choices. He was 84. Full obituary
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His name forever linked to horror films, Craven created some of the genre’s most influential films, including 1977’s “The Hills Have Eyes,†1984’s “A Nightmare on Elm Street†and 1996’s “Scream.†He was 76. Full obituary
(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 22/64
The veteran producer-director brought Hollywood headliners into America’s living rooms through live television in the 1950s. His creative partnership with Norman Lear produced such films as “Come Blow Your Horn,†“Divorce American Style†and groundbreaking television sitcoms such as “All in the Family,†“Maude†and “Sanford and Son.†He was 89. Full obituary
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Charismatic and eloquent, the civil rights leader had numerous key accomplishments, including co-founding the landmark Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and serving as board chairman of the NAACP. He was 75. Full obituary
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After being shot in the face during a bar fight at 23 and losing his sight, Manning went on to become a poet, athlete and founder of a theater company in Watts. He was 60. Full obituary
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The British pop singer had a string of hits starting in 1964 with “Anyone Who Had a Heart,†written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and “You’re My World.†Starting in the 1980s, she became an enormously popular personality on British TV. She was 72. Full obituary
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The Egyptian-born actor, right, rose to international acclaim after starring with Peter O’Toole in “Lawrence of Arabia.†He went on to make some 90 movies in his career, including “Doctor Zhivago†and “Funny Girl.†He was 83. Full obituary
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In a career that spanned half a century, Weintraub proved a force in the worlds of music, film and television. He had an eye for talent, discovering a little-known singer-songwriter named John Denver, for example, and launching him to international stardom. Weintraub was 77. Full obituary
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A stage and screen actor, Van Patten was most famous for starring as loving father Tom Bradford in the television series “Eight Is Enough.†His roles in movies included “Soylent Green,†“High Anxiety†and “Spaceballs.†He was 86. Full obituary
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A courageous editor, Carroll guided the Los Angeles Times to new heights, including a record 13 Pulitzer Prizes in five years. Of the 13 Pulitzers the paper won under Carroll, five were awarded in 2004. It was the largest number The Times ever won in a single year and the second-largest in the history of the prizes. He was 73. Full obituary
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One of the first superstar chefs, Vergé, pictured here with actor John Travolta, was known for light, fresh and artfully plated food. He turned his restaurant, Le Moulin de Mougins in France, into a landmark of French gastronomy and a beacon of nouvelle cuisine. He was 85. Full obituary
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Ronnie Gilbert , pictured second to the right, was a member of the folk group the Weavers, who, at their peak, were known for spirited renditions of famous folk songs -- as well as antiwar protest songs that would lead to their temporary disbandment during the Red Scare. The group made a successful comeback three years later, going on to inspire other folk performers like the Kingston Trio. She was 88. Full obituary
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Prior to his surrender to U.S. forces in 2003, Tarik Aziz was known as the diplomatic symbol of the Iraqi government, the man Saddam Hussein deployed to convey his message to the world. He had been in custody since his surrender. He was 79. Full obituary
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Son of Vice President Joe Biden, Beau Biden was the former attorney general for the state of Delaware and a U.S. Army captain. A promising young figure in Democratic Party politics, Beau was considered a leading contender in next year’s governor’s election in Delaware. He was 46. Full obituary
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The Nobel Prize winner transformed economics and was known as one of the greatest mathematicians of his time. The inspiration for Ron Howard’s 2001 Oscar-winning film “A Beautiful Mind,†he eventually recovered from his devastating illness, defying a common misconception about schizophrenia. He was 86. Full obituary
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The former jazz musician became a deeply influential and highly visible executive at Columbia Records, Blue Note Records and other major labels. He moved from one lofty record company job to another, leaving his mark along the way. He was 79. Full obituary
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The blues legend took the musical genre from the barrooms and back porches of the Mississippi Delta to Carnegie Hall and the world’s toniest concert stages. The 15-time Grammy winner created a unique style that made him one of the most respected and influential blues musicians ever. He was 89. Full obituary
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Best known for her role as the clueless mother of a confused, young Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) in “The Graduate,†Wilson also acted in more than 30 movies and numerous Broadway plays. She was 94. Full obituary
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The ex-wife of Johnny Carson, Joanne Carson was married to “The Tonight Show†host from 1963 to 1972. She later in life became a confidant of Truman Capote. She was 83. Full obituary
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The conceptual artist left a long-lasting legacy with “Urban Light,†the ranks of vintage lampposts tightly arrayed outside the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Installed in 2008, it rapidly became something of an L.A. symbol. Burden was 69. Full obituary
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Blake won a 1991 screenwriting Oscar for Kevin Costner‘s film “Dances With Wolves,†which became the first western to win a best picture Academy Award since “Cimarron†in 1931. He was 69. Full obituary
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A celebrated Russian ballerina famous for her swan-like arms, powerful leaps and rebel spirit on and off the stage, Plisetskaya was renowned for passionate performances that contrasted with the ethereal style of many other dancers. She was 89. Full obituary
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Meadows was known for her work on the game show “I’ve Got a Secret.†The show also introduced her to the man who became her second husband, Steve Allen, above with Meadows in 1979, who was the first host of NBC’s “Tonight Show.†Until his death in 2000, they were one of the most recognizable performing couples in Hollywood. She was 95. Full obituary
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King, a singer-songwriter, had one of the most enduring hits ever with “Stand By Me.†He was also known for his solo hits “Spanish Harlem†and “I (Who Have Nothing),†and “There Goes My Baby†and “Save the Last Dance for Me†with the Drifters. He was 76. Full obituary
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The influential master of the lampoon channeled his off-the-wall sensibility into groundbreaking radio shows, comedy albums and hundreds of humorous television commercials for products such as chow mein and prunes. He was 88. Full obituary
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He built the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove as the embodiment of an upbeat, modern vision of Christianity, only to see his ministry shattered by family discord and financial ruin. He was 88. Full obituary
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The science teacher turned weatherman who joined KABC-TV in 1972 and spent nearly two decades exuberantly delivering the local forecast was 92. Full obituary.
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While presiding over a government that squelched dissent and characterizing opponents as “mediocrities and opportunists,†he transformed the backwater city-state of Singapore into one of the world’s most efficient and prosperous international business centers. Full obituary.
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The constitutional scholar with a modest manner and a homespun sense of humor was a former chancellor of UC Irvine and president of the UC system for three years in the 1990s. He was 91. Full obituary.
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The pioneering figure in postmodern design in the 1980s and ‘90s added historical ornament and bright color to prominent and often controversial buildings. As a product designer, he brought high-design housewares to a broad public. He was 80.
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As the University of Notre Dame’s president for 35 years, he helped build the university into an academic powerhouse. He was once featured on the cover of Time magazine, which described him as the most influential figure in the reshaping of Catholic education. He was 97.
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A versatile jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player, Terry played with musical greats including Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday. As part of the NBC “Tonight Show†Orchestra, he was the network’s first African American staff musician. He was 94.
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The courtly real estate developer and arts philanthropist was instrumental in transforming Orange County from a provincial bedroom community into a nexus of culture and commerce. He was 91.
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The auto marketing guru spearheaded Nissan’s launch into the U.S. car market. He’s credited as the executive who helped Japanese autos gain acceptance in the U.S. He was 105.
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The Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and former U.S. poet laureate wrote elegies to American blue-collar workers sweating through despair-laced jobs. He wanted to “find a voice for the voiceless,†he told Detroit magazine. He was 87.
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The radio broadcaster vaulted to fame playing the zany announcer in the landmark TV comedy series “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.†He was 80.
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An accomplished architect, Jerde created “experience†malls and related projects -- including Universal CityWalk and Horton Plaza in San Diego. He also helped oversee the design of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. He was 75.
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Known as the “Jackie Robinson of golf,†Sifford was the first black player to earn a Professional Golfers Assn. of America membership card. His success helped clear the way for generations of minority players. He was 92.
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The Australian author wrote “The Thorn Birds,†her 1977 saga of a baronial outback family and a priest tormented by love. It sold millions of copies and was made into TV’s second-most-popular miniseries, topped only by “Roots.†She was 77.
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Abdullah guided the Saudi kingdom through the challenges posed by the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States, the war in neighboring Iraq, the disintegration of Syria, the upheavals of the “Arab Spring†and the rise of Islamic State. He was 90.
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The three-term governor of New York was a fierce champion of liberal causes. A fiery orator, he became one of the Democratic Party’s most forceful voices on the need to address economic inequality. He was 82.
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The son of one of the movie business’ original moguls, the younger Goldwyn started his own independent film company, which became a major force in 1980s and ‘90s Hollywood. He was 88.
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The Grammy-winning singer and composer was known for pioneering a gospel sound with a contemporary feel. He influenced artists including Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley and Paul Simon. He also led services at the church his father founded in the San Fernando Valley. He was 72.
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A leading advocate for peace between Islam and other religions, Hathout for roughly three decades led the Islamic Center of Southern California in Los Angeles, one of the nation’s most influential mosques. He was 79.
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The first African American elected to the U.S. Senate by popular vote, he was also the first Republican senator to call for President Nixon’s resignation over the Watergate scandal. He achieved a number of social firsts in the Senate, including the integration of its barbershop. He was 95.
Full obituary (Frank C. Curtin / Associated Press) Schmidt died Tuesday at his home in Hamburg, according to the German opinion weekly Die Zeit, which he co-published for 32 years. He was 96.
Speaking out vigorously on public issues well into his old age, he remained a compelling figure, known for shepherding his country through tough economic times, pushing it closer to eventual reunification with Communist East Germany, and facing down the band of domestic terrorists.
The plain-spoken Schmidt played a leading role on the world’s preeminent East-West fault line. He headed West Germany’s ministries of defense, economics and finance before serving as chancellor from 1974 to 1982.
“Schmidt’s influence on German politics is almost unmatched,†Die Zeit said in its obituary, lamenting the loss of “a shrewd counselor, a reliable companion and a good friend.â€
Schmidt’s firm hand kept West Germany on course as one of the world’s most dynamic economies even as other developed nations faltered during the 1970s oil crisis.
His term as chancellor encompassed both the explosive growth of a vocal anti-nuclear-weapons movement in Germany and the peak of a vicious terrorism campaign by the Red Army Faction. A stereotypically tough northern German, Schmidt demonstrated cool, unswerving leadership in both crises.
A chess aficionado who painted abstract canvases and played the organ, Schmidt carved out an assertive new image for West Germany. Still occupied by three foreign armies and suffering from postwar self-doubt, the country had been recognized by the United Nations slightly less than two years before he took office.
While Schmidt may have lacked some of the achievements, popularity and bonhomie of other German leaders, the daily Frankfurter Allgemeine said Tuesday, “he trumped them all by combining elegance and power.â€
Pro-American but unafraid to criticize U.S. policies, Schmidt was the first West German chancellor to visit Moscow before paying the customary introductory call on Washington. Although American diplomats initially applauded this as a sign of increased West German “maturity,†Schmidt’s later dealings with the Soviet Union were to make some Reagan-era politicians worry that he would loosen his country’s ties to the U.S., weakening the NATO alliance.
After the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979, Schmidt refused to join President Carter’s program of economic sanctions, heightening long-standing friction between the two leaders.
In 1981, Schmidt spoke out in favor of self-determination for Palestinians — an extremely unusual step for a German politician, particularly one of Schmidt’s generation.
Menachem Begin, then prime minister of Israel, pounced on Schmidt’s record of World War II military service, stating: “He never broke his oath of loyalty to his Fuehrer, Adolf Hitler.†Schmidt did serve in Hitler’s armed forces, the Wehrmacht, but as a draftee.
Elsewhere, Schmidt’s high international profile won him considerable acclaim. Britain’s Financial Times named him its “Man of the Year†in 1979. The Economist, the British weekly, applauded him as the only head of government with a clear understanding of his role at the center of world events.
Schmidt came to power in 1974, making “continuity†the slogan of his new government. He aimed to further the Ostpolitik program, which called for West Germany to remain a loyal member of the Western alliance while working for rapprochement with the Soviet bloc and striving to atone for the wrongs wrought by Nazi Germany.
Schmidt signed an immigration agreement with Poland, an economic cooperation agreement with the Soviet Union and a transportation agreement with East Germany. He was the first West German chancellor to meet with his East German counterpart.
Despite his successes, Schmidt’s economic policies and autocratic governing style increasingly alienated the left wing of his Social Democratic Party. By 1982 it was clear that Schmidt had isolated himself from the party mainstream while driving away the support he needed from his rightist junior coalition partner, the Free Democratic Party.
His coalition government collapsed, the first in postwar West Germany to do so.
Commentators have called it tragic that Schmidt left office before world events could bring to fruition the central goals of his government. The East Germany he cultivated would not unify with West Germany until 1990, under the leadership of his rival Chancellor Helmut Kohl — a Christian Democrat and a man Schmidt publicly disparaged as a lightweight.
Although Schmidt resigned from the chancellery a bitter man, he remained politically active in his later years. In 1983 he became the co-publisher of the multipartisan opinion weekly Die Zeit.
Opinion surveys in the early 1990s found that 62% of Germans would have been happy to have Schmidt back in power in Bonn, but he said health concerns prevented his return to electoral politics. He suffered from a thyroid condition and was fitted with a heart pacemaker in 1981.
“He belongs among the outstanding figures of German postwar history. He counts as one of the most significant chancellors,†Hans-Dietrich Genscher, Schmidt’s foreign minister, wrote in the newspaper Der Tagesspiegel on his former boss’ 90th birthday, in 2008.
Born Dec. 23, 1918, to educator parents, Schmidt had intended to become an architect or urban designer but was foiled by the rise of Nazism and the war. He was conscripted in the late 1930s, first to do factory work and later into the Wehrmacht. He served on both the Eastern and Western fronts in World War II, was promoted to first lieutenant and was briefly held by the British as a prisoner of war.
During his internment, his interest in Social Democratic politics was awakened in long political discussions with his fellow POWs, he later said.
After the war, Schmidt studied economics at Hamburg University and became active in student Social Democratic politics. In 1953 he won a seat in the Bundestag, where he quickly earned the nickname “Schmidt the Lip†for his aggressive debating style.
In 1962, he returned to Hamburg as the city-state’s interior minister. When the Elbe River flooded, he made a national reputation by taking personal control of army and border-guard rescue units, sending Hamburg’s mayor home with a curt “You’re just holding up the work here.â€
In 1969, he became then-Chancellor Willy Brandt’s defense minister.
In May 1974, a spying scandal engulfed the administration and a weary Brandt resigned, paving the way for Schmidt to take over as chancellor.
Schmidt was married since 1942 to Hannelore, known as Loki, a former schoolmate who helped him complete his studies by working as a teacher and moonlighting as a dressmaker. The couple were parodied on German TV as “Loki and Smoki,†a reference to Schmidt’s ever-present cigarettes.
“In his supposed dotage in this country of rules, Mr. Schmidt enjoys a rare impunity,†the New York Times noted in 2013. “A heavy smoker, he does as no other mortal may: puff away anywhere, on television, at meetings, even, according to journalists who have witnessed it, in Washington.â€
Hannelore Schmidt died in 2010. Helmut Schmidt is survived by his partner, Ruth Loah, and his daughter Susanne.
[email protected].
Times staff writer Henry Chu contributed to this report. Walsh is a former Times staff writer.
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