Tar Heel Basketball Family Finds Closure Posted Feb 23, 2015 The celebration of Dean Smith's life was a fond remembrance of the legendary Tar Heel coach and finally gave the Carolina community closure. "It's been hard." Roy Williams during Sunday's celebration of Dean Smith's life. The fortnight since Dean Smith passed has been difficult for those closest to him and highly emotional for the Tar Heel basketball community at large. (Tar Heel Blog)