John O'Donohue, an Irish poet and author, died on Jan. 3. Cause of death was not released. He was 53. O'Donohue was the bestselling author of "Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom," as well as the books, "Eternal Echoes: Celtic Reflections on Our Yearning to Belong," "Beauty: The Invisible Embrace" and "Benedictus: A Book of Blessings." He also penned two collections of poetry.

Lisandro Otero, an award-winning Cuban author and journalist, died on Jan. 3. Cause of death was not released. He was 75. Otero spent five decades working as a journalist in Cuba, and was honored with the Jose Antonio Fernandez de Castro Cultural Journalism Prize. He was also the author of numerous novels, and the winner of the 2002 National Literature Prize.