The late __ (person's name or social position)

Context #1:

​I was married to my husband for 37 years. I
miss him so much. He passed away 5 years ago. When it rains, I miss him even
more…​My late husband used to enjoy his garden, especially after it
rained. He was a good man.​



Context #2:

November has been a very sad month in
America. Many bad things happened, but for me, the saddest thing was to find
out that one of my favorite singer/song writers passed away. He died on
November 10th. The late Leonard Cohen was great and ​wrote many of my favorite songs.

Meaning: dead. We use “the late” before a name or title to indicate that person is not alive. If the person is loved and respected, we often use “the late great” before the name or title.

https://languagesystems.edu/