Francis, the 266th supreme pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church and spiritual shepherd of her estimated 1.39 billion members for nearly twelve years, died Monday in Rome at the age of 88 weeks after after being hospitalized Feb. 14 to treat double pneumonia, the Vatican announced.

Vice President JD Vance met with the Holy Father only hours earlier.

Pope Francis, the trailblazing Catholic leader known for his human-rights advocacy and sharp political edge, died Monday, April 21, at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta after battling a long series of health complications stemming from a chronic lung disease, the Vatican announced.

The pontiff had been hospitalized on Feb. 14 with bronchitis, contracted pneumonia four days later and was listed in “critical condition” by the Vatican on Saturday, Feb. 22. He never fully recovered.

Pope Francis, history’s first Latin American pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change, died Monday. He was 88.

Bells tolled in church towers across Rome after the announcement, which was read out by Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, the Vatican camerlengo, from the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta, where Francis lived.

Officials in the Dominican Republic have raised the death toll from the catastrophic roof collapse at the Jet Set nightclub in capital Santo Domingo to 184, as hopes of finding survivors fade and the rescue operation turns to recovery.

Local media quoting the country’s emergency operations director, Juan Manuel Mendez, reported on Thursday that at least 184 people had died in the accident. Mendez also stressed that it was a “preliminary figure”.

Defenders of the 17-year-old student athlete accused of murdering a rival at a Texas track have launched an online fundraiser in his name.

Karmelo Anthony (no relation to retired NBA star Carmelo Anthony) remains in the Collin County Jail, where he's being held on a $1 million bond following the stabbing death of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf.

While seeking to reduce the cost of Anthony's bond, defense attorney Deric Walpole told reporters this week that his client is claiming self defense in the tragedy.

Young Scooter, the Atlanta rapper signed to Future and Waka Flocka Flame, has reportedly died on the same day as his birthday. He was 39. 

A 39-year-old man died after injuring his leg on a fence as he fled from police responding to a 911 call at a home on William Nye Drive on Friday, March 28, the Atlanta Police Department stated in a press conference. The man was transported to Grady Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. 

Former US Attorney Jessica Aber, who was found dead Saturday morning in her Virginia home, appeared to have succumbed to natural causes, according to authorities.

“At this time, detectives have found no evidence suggesting that her death was caused by anything other than natural causes,” Alexandria police said in an update Tuesday evening.

Mia Love, the first Black Republican woman elected to Congress, who served from 2015 to 2019, died on Sunday at her home in Utah. She was 49.

Her family confirmed the death in a post on one of Ms. Love’s social media pages. She had been diagnosed in 2022 with a glioblastoma, an aggressive type of brain tumor.

Police are investigating the circumstances that led to a U.S. attorney being found dead inside her Virginia home Saturday.

At 9:18 a.m., police in Alexandria, Virginia, responded to reports of an unresponsive woman and found her deceased.

She was later identified as former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Jessica Aber, 43. She was nominated to the post by then-president Joe Biden.