Obituaries: elsewhere

Leandro "Gato" Barbieri, 83, a Latin jazz saxophonist who composed the Grammy-winning music for Last Tango in Paris and recorded dozens of albums, died Saturday in a New York hospital from pneumonia, according to his wife, Laura Barbieri.

The musician recently had bypass surgery to remove a blood clot.

The Argentine-born musician recorded 35 albums between 1967 and 1982, when he stopped consistently making new records. He toured regularly and went on to record four more albums, including 1997's smooth jazz Que Pasa, which reached No. 2 on Billboard's contemporary jazz charts.

Though in poor health, Mr. Barbieri, still sporting his trademark black fedora, had been performing monthly at the Blue Note jazz club in New York, since 2013. He last performed there on Nov. 23.

Last year, Mr. Barbieri received a Latin Grammy lifetime achievement award for a career that covered "virtually the entire jazz landscape."

Born in Rosario, Argentina, Mr. Barbieri grew up in a family that included several musicians, but did not take up an instrument until he was 12 when he heard bebop pioneer Charlie Parker's recording of "Now's the Time" and began studying clarinet.

After moving to Buenos Aires in 1947, he picked up the alto saxophone. In the 1950s, he earned the nickname "El Gato," Spanish for The Cat, because of the way he scampered between clubs with his saxophone.

Later in the 1950s, he switched to tenor saxophone as he began leading his own groups.

Mr. Barbieri recorded new material consistently until 1982, when a dispute with his record label led him to focus solely on touring. He released Que Pasa in 1997 after dealing with the turmoil of losing his wife of 35 years to a degenerative illness in January 1995, and then undergoing triple bypass heart surgery two months later.

Mr. Barbieri married again in 1996 and had a son, Christian. Besides his wife and son, he is survived by his sister, Raquel Barbieri, who lives in Buenos Aires. - AP

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nolead ends Joseph Medicine Crow, 102, an acclaimed Native American historian and last surviving war chief for Montana's Crow Tribe, died Sunday, funeral home director Terry Bullis said in Billings, Mont. Services will be announced on Monday, he said.

Joseph Medicine Crow grew up and lived most of his life on the Crow Reservation near Lodge Grass, Mont.

As a child he listened to stories about the Battle of Little Bighorn told by a relative who served as a scout for Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer.

In 1939, he became the first of his tribe to receive a master's degree, in anthropology. He later served as the tribe's historian and continued to lecture into his 90s.

He earned the title of war chief after stealing enemy horses and other exploits as a U.S. solider during World War II. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. - AP