SBU professor and founder of Turkana Basin Institute Richard Leakey dies at 77 Viola FlowersNewsObituariesJanuary 7, 2022January 7, 2022 Richard E. Leakey died on Jan. 2, at 77 years old in Nairobi, Kenya, leaving behind an extensive paleoanthropology and conservationist career as a Stony Brook professor in the Department of Anthropology and founder of the Turkana Basin Institute.