Newsmakers

Newsmakers

Sailor in iconic V-J Day Times Square kiss photo dies at 95

PROVIDENCE, R.I.

The ecstatic sailor shown kissing a woman in Times Square celebrating the end of World War II died Sunday. George Mendonsa was 95.

Mendonsa fell and had a seizure at the assisted-living facility in Middletown, R.I., where he lived with his wife of 70 years, his daughter, Sharon Molleur, told The Providence Journal.

Mendonsa was shown kissing Greta Zimmer Friedman, a dental assistant in a nurse’s uniform, on Aug. 14, 1945 – known as V-J Day, the day Japan surrendered to the United States. People spilled into the New York City streets to celebrate the news.

Mendonsa planted a kiss on Friedman, whom he had never met.

An iconic photo of the kiss by Alfred Eisenstaedt was first published in Life magazine and is called “V-J Day in Times Square,” but is known to most as “The Kiss.”

It became one of the most famous photographs of the 20th century.

Another photographer, Victor Jorgensen, who was in the Navy, also captured the moment in a similar photo. The moment has been shared widely and is often seen on posters. Several people later claimed to be the kissing couple, and it was years before Mendonsa and Friedman were confirmed to be the couple.

No plan for Smollett to do a follow-up interview with police

CHICAGO

Attorneys for “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett said there are no plans for him to meet with Chicago detectives for a follow-up interview about his reported assault.

Smollett reported last month that he was physically attacked by two men who yelled homophobic and racial slurs.

Police said Saturday that the investigation had “shifted” after detectives questioned two brothers about the attack and released them without charges. Police say they’ve requested a follow-up interview with Smollett.

Associated Press