Literary obituaries: April 18, 2025

Here are the literary deaths that either occurred recently or popped into the news recently, all covered by The New York Times.

• Elsa Honig Fine, a historian who promoted Black and female artists, dies at 94  

• Francis Davis, a sharp-eared jazz critic, dies at 78 

• Tim Mohr, a ghostwriter and an award-winning translator, dies at 55 

• Robert E. McGinnis, illustrator of more than 1,200 pulp paperback covers, dies at 99