Deaths of note from around the world:

Elfriede Prefontaine, 88: Mother of legendary distance runner Steve Prefontaine. Died Tuesday at a hospital in Springfield.

Nadezhda Popova, 91: Russian pilot during World War II who flew more than 850 missions; she was among the female pilots dubbed “Night Witches” because the whooshing noise their plywood and canvas airplanes made reminded the Germans of the sound of a witch’s broomstick. Died July 8 in Moscow.

T-Model Ford, age unknown: Raw-sounding, mesmerizing guitarist and singer who was among the last of the old-time Delta bluesmen — and whose career was all the more noteworthy for his not having picked up a guitar until he was almost 60. Died Tuesday at his home in Greenville, Miss.

John Hightower, 80: Former head of the New York State Council on the Arts. Died July 6 in Newport News, Va.