Bruce Adler

MIAMI—Bruce Adler, who received Tony nominations for his Broadway performances and lent his voice to some Disney films, has died. He was 63.

Adler died of cancer Friday in a South Florida hospice, his booking agent Moishe Rosenfeld said.

Adler starred for four years on Broadway in the Tony Award-winning Gershwin musical “Crazy For You.” His performance earned him nominations for the 1992 Tony and Drama Desk Award as best featured actor in a musical. He was previously nominated for those awards for his 1991 performance in “Those Were The Days.”

Adler’s voice was featured in the Disney animated film “Aladdin,” where he sang the opening song, “Arabian Nights.” He also had lines in “Beauty and The Beast.”

Adler had a guest appearance on NBC’s “Law and Order.”



Jimmy Chagra

EL PASO, Texas—Drug kingpin Jamiel Alexander “Jimmy” Chagra, accused of leading a 1979 conspiracy to assassinate the federal judge set to preside over his drug trial, has died. He was 63.

Chagra, who was living in Mesa, Ariz., and had been battling cancer since November, died Friday, his sister said.

U.S. District Judge John Wood Jr. was fatally shot on May 29, 1979, outside his San Antonio home. Wood was known as “Maximum John” because of his tough sentencing of drug dealers. Chagra faced indictments on several narcotics conspiracy charges at the time of the judge’s assassination.

Hit man Charles Harrelson, the father of actor Woody Harrelson, was convicted of murder and died in federal prison last year while serving two life sentences. Chagra was acquitted of most charges in Wood’s death, including conspiracy, but he was convicted of obstructing the investigation and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.



Robert T. Herres

SAN ANTONIO—Robert T. Herres, a high-ranking Air Force official who served as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Gen. Colin Powell, has died. He was 75.

Herres died Thursday at his home after a two-year battle with brain cancer, according to Porter Loring Mortuary.

Herres was also a pioneer in the space program and went on to become chief executive for seven years of San Antonio-based insurance company USAA beginning in 1993.

He was credited with transforming USAA, which caters to military members, by expanding eligibility to include enlisted service members. The company now has about 6 million members.

Herres was a Naval officer who went to the Air Force in a move that allowed him to fly right away, the San Antonio Express-News reported. The former astronaut in the Manned Orbiting Laboratory program never went into space but served as first commander of U.S. Space Command from 1985 to ’87.

Among his other military roles, Herres headed the Strategic Air Command, the 8th Air Force and the North American Aerospace Defense Command.



Robert O. Nesheim

BARRINGTON, Ill.—Robert O. Nesheim, a nutritionist for Quaker Oats who helped develop popular breakfast cereals like Cap’n Crunch and Life, has died. He was 86.

Nesheim died July 19 in Monterey, Calif., his daughter said.

He spent most of his career at the Quaker Oats research center in suburban Barrington, Ill. He worked on a team that developed new products and brands for Quaker.

He was a graduate of the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and taught there in the 1960s. Nesheim also developed nutritional standards for the military.