Thomas Humphrey, 59, a guitarmaker and a Minnesota native whose instruments were played by renowned concert musicians, died Wednesday at his home in Gardiner, N.Y., of a heart attack, according to his wife, Martha Costa Humphrey.

Humphrey's classical guitar designs helped increase the volume and projection of the instrument. His best-known model, the Millennium, has a sloped face and raised fingerboard that makes it easier for musicians to reach the high notes. The body shape gives the guitar a large tone.

Born in St. Joseph Township, Minn., Humphrey said he was a cellist but began making guitars shortly after his arrival in New York in 1970, according to the New York Times. After an apprenticeship with the luthier Michael Gurian, he opened his own shop.

Alexander Farrell, 46, a University of California, Berkeley, associate professor who was advising the state on the use of alternative fuels, died at his home in San Francisco, according to the university. The San Francisco medical examiner said the exact cause of death would not be known for several weeks. Farrell's research included biofuels, hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered and transportation sustainability. Since 2006, he directed Berkeley's Transportation Sustainability Research Center.

Joseph Solman, 99, an artist for the Works Progress Administration who painted vivid images of New York street scenes and along with Mark Rothko helped found an influential arts group in the 1930s, died in his sleep Wednesday in the Manhattan apartment where he lived and worked, said Amnon Goldman, the artist's primary dealer.

FROM NEWS SERVICES