John Kirby

John Kirby died on July 18, 2026. John Kirby was known publicly as a John Kirby, Acting Coach and Son to Actor Bruce Kirby and Dies at 75. Kirby (born June 3, 1963) is a retired United States Navy rear admiral, serving as director of the University of Chicago Institute of Politics starting November 2025. In the Biden administration, he served as United States Department of Defense Press Secretary and Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs from 2021 to 2022 and as White House National Security Communications Advisor from 2022 to 2025. He worked as a military and diplomatic analyst for CNN from 2017 to 2021. In the second Obama administration, he served as United States Department of Defense Press Secretary from 2013 to 2015 and as Spokesperson for the United States Department of State and Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs from 2015 to 2017. Public biographical listings identify Kirby as a John Kirby. Kirby was also associated with Acting Coach and Son to Actor Bruce Kirby and Dies at 75. This public record remains centered on Kirby's work as a John Kirby, Acting Coach and Son to Actor Bruce Kirby and Dies at 75 and the documented milestones of that career.