Retired Nashville lawyer S. Ralph Gordon died June 30 at the age of 84. Gordon graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1960 and Vanderbilt University Law School in 1963. He practiced law from 1963 to 2023, becoming a pioneer in entertainment law. Some of his clients included George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Merle Haggard, Johnny Paycheck, Lee Greenwood, Tim McGraw, Jerry Lee Lewis, Mel Tillis, Mickey Gilley and many other performers and record labels. After his retirement, Gordon continued to represent pro bono clients. The family will hold a private burial service at Temple Micah in Brentwood. Memorial contributions may be made to Alive Hospice, 718 Patterson St., Nashville, TN 37203; Congregation Micah, 2001 Old Hickory Blvd., Brentwood, TN 37027; or a charity of the donor’s choice.

Nashville attorney John W. Dalton III died on May 23 at age 57. A Nashville native, Dalton graduated from the University of Virginia and earned a law degree at the University of Tennessee. Dalton worked as an attorney with the legal offices at TennCare and the Department of Health, but spent most of his career as senior counsel for the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General and Reporter,  advising clients from Memphis to Mountain City on complex matters involving employees of the state’s agencies and higher education institutions. The family asks to consider a donation to Second Harvest Food Bank of Nashville or the Governor’s Early Literacy for Children program in Dalton's memory.

Portland lawyer and TBA member David Milton Amonette died June 12. He was 80. Amonette was born in Nashville and graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1964. After serving in the Air Force National Guard during the Vietnam War, he earned his law degree attending the YMCA Law School at night, graduating in June 1973. Amonette began his 50-year law career in the Third National Bank legal department before joining Nashville law firm Bone & Woods. Amonette also ran for state senator in 1982. Visitation will be held Sunday from 1-3 p.m. CDT at McKendree Memorial United Methodist Church, 208 Wheeler St., Portland 37148. A celebration of Amonette’s life will follow. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to McKendree Memorial UMC.

Daniel Ellsberg, the military analyst who became infamous for leaking the Pentagon Papers to news outlets in 1971, has died, according to his family. He was 92 years old. As a military analyst working on a Pentagon project in 1971, Ellsberg chose to release to the public an extensive, documentary record of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Known as the "Pentagon Papers," Ellsberg's mammoth disclosure helped end the longest U.S. war of the 20th century. Read the obituary from NPR.

Rep. Bill Beck, who died of a heart attack this past weekend, will lie in state at the Tennessee Capitol tomorrow from 2-6 p.m. CDT. On Saturday, funeral services will be held beginning at 11 a.m. in the Polk Theatre at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, 505 Deaderick St., Nashville 37243. Doors will open at 10:30 a.m. The Tennessee Journal reported the news.

The TBA recently learned of the death of former Nashville attorney Steve Cobb, who died earlier this year in Fort Myers, Florida. He was 78. A former member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, Cobb later represented the Tennessee Bar Association before the legislature for many years. In his private practice, Cobb focused on family law and immigration. He is a former president of the Nashville Bar Association and was instrumental in the founding of the Tennessee Foreign Language Institute (now the Tennessee Language Center) and the Nashville Sister Cities organization, which continues to support the longstanding relationship between lawyers in Nashville and Caen, France. Contributions in his memory can be made to UNICEF.

Bill Beck, a Nashville lawyer and Democratic state representative died Sunday at the age of 61. According to the House Democratic Caucus, he died unexpectedly after suffering a heart attack. Beck was first elected in 2014 to represent House District 51, which includes key areas of the city including East Nashville, downtown and Germantown. According to the Tennessean, he championed public education, health care, transportation and a higher minimum wage during nearly a decade at the Capitol. Beck graduated from Belmont University and served in the Tennessee Air National Guard before attending the Nashville School of Law. He practiced law at Beck & Beck firm alongside his mother Martha Lu Cone Beck, who recently retired. Colleagues and friends reacted to the news calling Beck a “dedicated servant,” “effective leader” and “powerful voice for the city of Nashville.” The Tennessee Journal has more reactions. Rep. Beck will lie in state at the Capitol on Thursday from 2 to 6 p.m. Funeral services will be Saturday at Polk Theatre in the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, beginning at 11 a.m.

Bernard E. Bernstein, 92, died this morning in Knoxville. A graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, he attended New York University School of Law and received his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law. Bernstein practiced law for 54 years with the firm he founded, which came to be known as Bernstein, Stair & McAdams. He was a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the Tennessee Bar Foundation, as well as a past president of the Knoxville Bar Association and a recipient of its Governors Award. He was committed to the provision of legal assistance for those who could not afford to hire an attorney, and, early in his career, was one of the founders of the Legal Aid Clinic at the UT College of Law. Legal Aid of East Tennessee recognized his devotion to that cause by honoring him as the first member in the Donald F. Paine Memorial Pro Bono Hall of Fame. Funeral services will be held Monday at 2 p.m. EDT at Rose-Mann Funeral Home in Knoxville and will also be streamed on the funeral home's Facebook page. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Legal Aid of East Tennessee, The University of Tennessee Medical Center or Heska Amuna Synagogue.

Retired Carthage attorney and former Smith County General Sessions Judge Joe P. Lane Jr. died May 10. A 1968 graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, Lane joined the Army and served in Vietnam followed by reserve duty until 1974. He then joined the law office of former Smith County judge and attorney Clint Beasley. Following the death of Beasley in 1979, Lane continued the law practice until 2000. Among his other accomplishments, Lane served as assistant commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Securities and Commerce under former Gov. Ned Ray McWherter and served as Smith County General Sessions judge. A service was held Saturday with burial at Evergreen Cemetery in Murfreesboro. The family requests that memorial donations be made to the Carthage United Methodist Church Building Fund, 608 Main St. N. #1212, Carthage, TN 37030.

Steven Bebb, a former Bradley County Criminal Court judge, who later served as 10th Judicial district attorney, died April 29 at 82. A graduate of Tennessee Military Institute and Middle Tennessee State University, Bebb joined the Peace Corps and lived in West Cameroon, Africa, before returning to Knoxville to teach and enter law school. He received his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1974. After starting his law career with Hodges, Doughty & Carson, Bebb later joined the 10th Judicial District Attorney's office. In 1982, he was elected criminal court judge and served in that capacity until 2005. After retiring from the bench, he was elected district attorney for the 10th district and served there until fully retiring in 2014. Per Bebb’s wishes, no funeral service will be held.