Dead Celebrity Alert

LONDON — Hugh Massingberd, who developed the obituary into entertaining and irreverent brilliance at The Daily Telegraph, died Tuesday.

Massingberd, 60, had been diagnosed with cancer in 2004.

His term as obituaries editor, from 1986 to 1994, was “just a lucky time … a time when so many legends of the century were dying,” Massingberd said in 1996. …

Massingberd’s creed was that an obituary should give pleasure to relatives and friends, as well as the general reader. … Read full obituary

Thomas Morgan III, 56, a former reporter and editor at the New York Times, died Monday of AIDS complications.

According to an obituary in the Times, Morgan’s accomplishments were great: He served as the first openly gay president of the National Association of Black Journalists from 1989 to 1991, received a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University in 1990, and was inducted into the hall of fame of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association in 2005. … Read full obituary

DUBLIN, Ireland — Joe Dolan, one of Ireland’s first pop music stars, entertained audiences for decades with Vegas-style showmanship. He died Wednesday from a brain hemorrhage, his family announced. He was 68.

He was the most celebrated — and fondly caricatured — survivor of Ireland’s bygone “showband” era of the 1960s and 1970s, when homegrown rock ‘n’ roll acts toured the country playing cover versions of international hits.

His biggest hit in 1969, “Make Me an Island,” reached No. 3 in Britain and No. 1 in 14 other countries. Other hits that climbed the European charts included “You’re Such a Good-Looking Woman” in 1970, “Lady in Blue” in 1975 and “I Need You” in 1977. … Read full obituary

NEW YORK — Steven T. Florio, former chief executive officer of Condé Nast Publications Inc., died Thursday due to complications from a heart attack. He was 58. …

Credited with growing Condé Nast and shaping its culture as a personality-driven star system, Florio stepped aside as CEO in January 2004, but remained under contract as vice chairman until last January. … Read full obituary

…in which we review all the deaths of the past 365 days posted to Dead Celebrity Alert, and pick up the ones we missed.

NOVEMBER

16 - Eustace Lycett, Oscar-winning Disney special effects whiz, 91

DECEMBER, 2006

28 - Jared Nathan, Ex-’Zoom’ actor, 21
30 - Frank Campanella, prolific tough-guy character actor, 87

JANUARY

1 - Darrent Williams, Denver Broncos cornerback, 24
1 - A.I. Bezzerides, screenwriter (”They Drive by Night”), 98
1 - Leonard Fraser, Australian serial killer, 55
1 - Tillie Olsen, American feminist writer, 94
1 - Del Reeves, country singer, 74
2 - Gasper, beloved star beluga whale at Georgia Aquarium, 16-18
2 - Sergio Jimenez, Mexican actor, 69
2 - Don Massengale, PGA player, 69
2 - Dan Shaver, NASCAR driver, 56
3 - Garry Betty, EarthLink CEO, 49
3 - Ben Gannon, theatre producer (The Boy from Oz), 54
3 - Calvin William Verity, Jr., former US Secretary of Commerce, 89
3 - Michael Yeats, Irish senator & son of William Butler Yeats, 85
4 - Nikki Bacharach, daughter of Burt Bacharach & Angie Dickinson, 40
4 - Helen Hill, award-winning independent filmmaker, 36
4 - Grenfell (Gren) Jones, British newspaper cartoonist, 72
4 - Steve Krantz, producer (”Fritz the Cat”), 83
4 - Bob Milliken, Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher, 80
5 - Vincent Sardi, Jr., Sardi’s restaurant owner-manager, 91
5 - Mohan Seneviratne, Esquire magazine journalist, 32
5 - Momofuku Ando, inventor of Nissin instant ramen noodles, 96
6 - Mario Danelo, USC Rose Bowl kicker, 21
6 - “Sneaky” Pete Kleinow, Flying Burrito Brothers guitarist, 72
6 - Bill W. Clayton, former Speaker of Texas House, 78
6 - Yvon Durelle, Canadian boxing champion, 77
6 - Charmion King, Canadian actress, 81
6 - Soad Nasr, Egyptian actress, 57
7 - Bobby Hamilton, NASCAR 2004 Craftsman Truck Series champ, 49
7 - Magnus Magnusson, British TV presenter (”Mastermind”), 77
8 - Iwao Takamoto, Hanna-Barbera animator, Scooby-Doo creator, 81
8 - Yvonne De Carlo, “Lily Munster,” 84
8 - Jane Bolin, first African-American female judge, 98
8 - Gloria Connors, tennis player; Jimmy Connors’ mom & coach, 82
8 - Ken Cranston, English test cricketer (1947-1948), 89
8 - Bong Soo Han, Korean martial arts fight choreographer, 75
8 - Drew Posada, comic book artist, 37
8 - Judith Vladeck, labor lawyer & women’s rights advocate, 83
9 - Rex Farrance, PC World senior editor, 59
9 - Carlo Ponti, producer, husband of Sophia Loren, 94
9 - Maureen Orcutt, golf champ, 99
10 - Alice Auma, Ugandan founder of Holy Spirit Movement, 50
10 - Ray Beck, played for New York Giants (1952-57), 75
10 - Harry Horse (Richard Horne), cartoonist & kid-lit author, 46
10 - Bradford Washburn, founder of Boston Museum of Science, 96
11 - Robert Anton Wilson, author, “Illuminati” buster, 74
11 - Solveig Dommartin, French actress (”Wings of Desire”), 45
12 - Larry Stewart, millionaire Secret Santa; gave away $1.3M, 58
12 - Jimmy Cheatham, jazz trombonist, 82
12 - Alice Coltrane, jazz musician & widow of John Coltrane, 69
12 - Stephen Gilbert, British painter & sculptor, 96
12 - Sir James Killen, former Australian Minister for Defence, 81
13 - Michael Brecker, jazz saxophonist, 57
13 - Doyle Holly, former bassist for Buck Owens’ Buckaroos, 70
13 - Danny Oakes, champion midget car driver, 95
14 - Darlene Conley, “Bold and the Beautiful” soap star, 72
14 - Vassilis Fotopoulos, art director (”Zorba the Greek”), 72
14 - Barbara Kelly, British actress (”What’s My Line?”), 82
15 - Awad Hamed al-Bandar, former chief judge of Iraq, 61
15 - Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, half-brother of Saddam Hussein, 55
15 - James Hillier, invented 1st practical electron microscope, 91
15 - Percy Saltzman, first person to appear on Canadian TV, 91
15 - Colin Thurston, record producer (Duran Duran, et al.), 59
16 - Benny Parsons, NASCAR champion & analyst, 65
16 - Ron Carey, comedic actor (”I got it! … I ain’t got it”), 71
16 - Pookie Hudson, lead singer of The Spaniels, 72
17 - Art Buchwald, Pulitzer Prizewinning columnist, 81
17 - Keeley Dorsey, University of South Florida running back, 19
17 - Virtue Hampton Whitted, jazz musician (Hampton Sisters), 84
18 - Julie Winnefred Bertrand, Canadian; world’s oldest woman, 115
18 - Charles H. O’Brien, Tenn. Supreme Court judge (1987–94), 86
19 - Denny Doherty, “Mamas and the Papas” singer-songwriter, 66
19 - Scott “Bam Bam” Bigelow, professional wrestler, 45
20 - Vern Ruhle, former Cincinnati Reds pitching coach, 55
20 - Lloyd Francis, former Canadian MP, 86
20 - Alfredo Ripstein, Mexican movie producer, 90
20 - George Smathers, former Dem U.S. Senator from Florida, 93
21 - Peer Raben, composer for Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 66
21 - U;Nee, Korean pop singer, 25
22 - Doug Blasdell, trainer on Bravo TV’s “Work Out,” 44
22 - L. M. Boyd, San Francisco Chronicle columnist, 79
22 - Lisa E. Goldberg, Charles H. Revson Foundation president, 54
22 - Victoria Hopper, British actress (”The Constant Nymph”), 97
22 - Liz Renay, actress (”Desperate Living”), author, moll, 80
23 - E. Howard Hunt, convicted Watergate “plumber,” 88
23 - Leopoldo Pirelli, Pirelli tire company chairman, 81
24 - Brent Liles, ex-Social Distortion, Agent Orange bassist, 43
24 - Ismail Cem, former Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, 67
24 - Bryan Kocis, porn producer, 44
24 - Guadalupe Larriva, Ecuadorian Defense minister, 50
24 - John W. Lavelle, New York State Assemblyman, 57
24 - Harry Melbourne, inventor of Freddo Frog chocolate, 94
24 - Mendy Samstein, civil rights activist, 68
24 - Daniel Stern, Warner Bros. & CBS Vice President, 79
24 - Peter Tompkins, author (”The Secret Life of Plants”), 87
25 - Eleanor McGovern, former Sen. George McGovern, 85
25 - Ken Kavanaugh, NFL player, 90
25 - Jack Lang, sportswriter, 85
25 - Roberta Semple Salter, daughter of Aimee S. McPherson, 96
26 - Sharon Tyler Herbst, author (”Food Lover’s Companion”), 65
26 - Jean Ichbiah, computer scientist; designed Ada language, 66
26 - Emanuele Luzzati, painter, production designer, animator, 85
26 - Glen Tetley, choreographer, 80
27 - Marcheline Bertrand, actress & mother of Angelina Jolie, 57
27 - Tige Andrews, Emmy-nominated actor (”The Mod Squad”), 86
27 - Trevor Allan, Australian rugby player & TV commentator, 80
27 - Bob Carroll, TV writer (”I Love Lucy”), 88
27 - Alberta Davis, oldest person in America, around 125
28 - Fr. Robert Drinan, Catholic priest elected to Congress, 86
28 - Hsu Wei Lun, Taiwanese actress, 28
28 - Deborah Orin-Eilbeck, NY Post Washington bureau chief, 59
28 - Yelena Romanova, Russian Olympic gold medalist (1992), 43
28 - Emma Tillman, oldest known person in the world, 114
29 - Barbaro, 2006 Kentucky Derby winner, 3
29 - Art Fowler, MLB pitcher & pitching coach, 84
29 - Robert Meier, oldest living German man, 109
30 - Sidney Sheldon, bestselling novelist & TV producer, 89
31 - Molly Ivins, beloved columnist & inimitable Texas wit, 62
31 - Lee Bergere, actor (”Dynasty”), 82
31 - Richard Kelley, Bill Clinton’s stepfather, 91
31 - Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, Osama bin Laden brother-in-law, 49
31 - Ronald Muldrow, jazz guitarist, 57

FEBRUARY

1 - Gian Carlo Menotti, “Amahl & the Night Visitors” composer, 95
1 - Ray Berres, oldest living ex-(Brooklyn) Dodger, 99
2 - Loren Grey, psychologist & son of western author Zane Grey, 91
2 - Billy Henderson, Spinners singer, 67
2 - Joe Hunter, pianist & bandleader (The Funk Brothers), 79
2 - Gisèle Pascal, actress & former lover of Prince Rainier, 85
3 - David B. Ast, dentist & water-fluoridation pioneer, 104
3 - George Becker, former United Steelworkers president, 78
3 - Pedro Knight, musician & husband of Celia Cruz, 85
4 - Barbara McNair, pioneering black singer-actress, 72
4 - Steve Barber, MLB pitcher, 68
5 - Angela King, former Assistant Secretary-General of U.N., 68
5 - Leo McCarthy, New Zealand-born Lt. Governor of California, 76
6 - Frankie Laine, pop singer (”Rawhide”), 93
6 - Lew Burdette, 1957 World Series MVP, 80
6 - Lee Hoffman, science fiction author & publisher, 74
6 - Johnny Williams, British boxing champ, 80
7 - Tommy James, played for Cleveland Browns, 83
7 - Alan MacDiarmid, Nobel Prizewinner in Chemistry (2000), 79
7 - Fred Mustard Stewart, author (”The Mephisto Waltz”), 74
8 - Anna Nicole Smith, professional celebrity, 39
8 - Joe Edwards, comic book artist (”Archie,” “Li’l Jinx”), 85
8 - Antonio Pierro, oldest man in US, oldest living WWI vet, 110
8 - Harriett Woods, Missouri Lieutenant Governor (1985–1989), 79
9 - Ian Richardson, actor (”House of Cards,” Grey Poupon ads), 62
9 - Hank Bauer, three-time MLB All Star, 84
9 - Aida Mason, oldest person in U.K., 111
9 - Bruno Ruffo, Italian champion motorcycle racer, 86
10 - Gary Frisch, co-founder of Gaydar dating website, 38
10 - Charles Walgreen, Jr., ex-Walgreens prez, founder’s son, 100
11 - Charles Langford, lawyer; represented Rosa Parks, 84
11 - Yunus Parvez, Indian Bollywood actor, 75
11 - Jim Ricca, played for Redskins, Eagles, & Lions, 79
12 - Peter Ellenshaw, Disney special effects specialist, 93
12 - Peggy Gilbert, jazz saxophonist & bandleader, 102
12 - Paolo Pileri, Italian champion motorcycle racer, 62
12 - Randy Stone, filmmaker & founder of The Trevor Project, 48
13 - Charlie Norwood, Republican U.S. rep from Georgia, 65
14 - Ryan Larkin, Canadian animator, 63
14 - John O’Banion, singer, 59
14 - Richard S. Prather, mystery novelist (”Shell Scott”), 85
15 - Walker Edmiston, voice actor (Ernie the Keebler elf), 81
15 - Robert Adler, TV remote control co-inventor, 93
15 - Ray Evans, songwriter (”Buttons and Bows”), 92
15 - Daniel McDonald, actor (”CSI: Miami,” “Sex in the City”), 46
16 - Sheridan Morley, British broadcaster & author, 65
16 - Ralph Penza, WNBC senior correspondent, 74
16 - Gene Snyder, former Republican U.S. rep from Kentucky, 79
17 - Sheridan Morley, British broadcaster, author, actor, 65
17 - Michael “Mike Awesome” Alfonso, pro wrestler, 42
17 - Mary Kaye, singer-guitarist (Mary Kaye Trio), 83
18 - Barbara Gittings, gay & lesbian rights pioneer, 75
19 - Janet Blair, actress (”My Sister Eileen”), 85
19 - Celia Franca, National Ballet of Canada artistic director, 85
20 - Ronald Hilton, discovered plan for Bay of Pigs Invasion, 95
20 - Siegfried Landau, Brooklyn Philharmonic conductor, 85
20 - Derek Waring, British actor (”Z-Cars”), 79
21 - Barry Stevens, Iowa State’s 2nd-highest basketball scorer, 44
22 - Dennis Johnson, Austin Toros coach; former NBA star guard, 52
22 - Lothar-Gunther Buchheim, German author (”Das Boot”), 89
22 - Irwin Caplan, Saturday Evening Post, Collier’s cartoonist, 87
22 - Fons Rademakers, Oscar-winning director (”The Assault”), 86
22 - Ian Wallace, King Crimson drummer, 60
23 - Donnie Brooks, singer (”Mission Bell”), 71
23 - Pascal Yoadimnadji, Prime Minister of Chad, 56
24 - Bruce Bennett, actor & Olympic medalist, 100
24 - Lamar Lundy, one of L.A. Rams’ “Fearsome Foursome,” 71
24 - Damien Nash, Denver Broncos running back, 24
24 - George Preas, Baltimore Colts lineman, 73
24 - Paul Secon, Pottery Barn founder, 91
25 - William Anderson, captain of USS Nautilus, 85
25 - Brett Mycles, model & porn star, 29
25 - Mark Spoelstra, folk singer, 66
27 - Billy Thorpe, Australian rocker, 60 (see also April 21)
27 - Bernd Freytag von Loringhoven, German WWII general, 93
27 - Bobby Rosengarden, “Dick Cavett Show” bandleader, 82
27 - Judith Toups, birding expert; Sun Herald columnist, 76
28 - Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., Pulitzer Prize-winning author, 89

MARCH

1 - Colette Brosset, French actress, 85
2 - Thomas Kleppe, former U.S. Secretary of Interior, 87
2 - Harold Michelson, storyboard artist (”West Side Story”), 87
3 - Saul Swimmer, filmmaker (”Concert for Bangladesh”), 70
3 - Marjabelle Young Stewart, etiquette expert, 82
4 - Thomas Eagleton, ex-U.S. Senator, ex-McGovern running mate, 77
4 - Natalie Bodanya, American soprano, 98
4 - Bob Hattoy, Calif. Fish & Game commissioner; AIDS advocate, 56
5 - Ivo Lorscheiter, liberation theologian, 79
6 - Ernest Gallo, California winemaking mogul, 97
6 - Allen Coage, pro wrestler (”Bad News Brown”), 63
6 - Ray Stern, professional wrestler, 74
7 - Andy Sidaris, screenwriter & director (”Malibu Express”), 76
8 - John Inman, Mr. Humphries (”Are You Being Served?”), 71
8 - Alejandro Cruz, Mexican wrestler a.k.a. “The Black Shadow,” 82
8 - Tom Moldvay, Dungeons & Dragons books & modules writer, 58
8 - Viky Vanita, Greek actress, 59
9 - Brad Delp, lead singer of Boston, 55
10 - Ernie Ladd, AFL football player turned pro wrestler, 68
10 - Richard Jeni, comedian, 49
10 - Lanna Saunders, actress; wife of actor Lawrence Pressman, 65
10 - Buddy Allin, PGA tour golfer, 62
10 - Angela Webber, Australian comedian & writer, 52
11 - Betty Hutton, stage & screen star (”Annie Get Your Gun”), 86
12 - Lydia Black, Alaska anthropologist & author, 81
12 - Vilma Ebsen, dancer; sister & dancing partner of Buddy, 96
12 - Arnold Drake, comic book writer (”Doom Patrol”), 83
13 - Arnold Skaaland, pro wrestler, 82
13 - Nicole Stephane, French actress (”Le Silence de la mer”), 83
14 - Gareth Hunt, actor (”The New Avengers”), 65
14 - Hezekiah Easter, civil rights advocate, 85
14 - Clark Howell, anthropologist, 81
14 - Lucie Aubrac, French Resistance hero, 94
14 - Stan Duke, sportscaster, second-degree-murder convict, 70
14 - Sa’dun Hammadi, Iraqi Prime Minister (1991), 76
14 - Fitzgerald “Mighty Terror” Henry, calypso musician, 86
14 - Birk Sproxton, Canadian author (”Phantom Lake”), 63
15 - Jovan Zebic, ex-Slobodan Milosevic aide; embezzler
15 - Bowie Kuhn, former Major League Baseball commissioner, 80
15 - Stuart Rosenberg, director (”Cool Hand Luke”), 79
15 - Charles Harrelson, father of Woody; murderer, 69
15 - Herman Stein, prolific 1950s scary-movie music composer, 91
15 - Jay Kennedy, King Features Syndicate editor in chief, 50
15 - Jack Metcalf, Republican U.S. rep from Washington state, 79
16 - S. Hasan, 28, & M.I. Rana, 22, Bangladeshi cricketers
17 - John W. Backus, computer pioneer & FORTRAN developer, 82
17 - Roger Bennett, gospel singer (Cathedrals, Legacy Five), 48
17 - Freddie Francis, Hammer horror director, 89
18 - John G. (Jack) Samson, Field and Stream editor, 84
18 - Bob Woolmer, British cricketer & Pakistan team coach, 58
19 - Luther Ingram, R&B singer-songwriter, 69
19 - Calvert DeForest, a.k.a. Larry “Bud” Melman, 85
19 - Jay Koch, former New York cop & Ronald Reagan double, 81
19 - Shimon Tzabar, Israeli artist & author, 81
20 - Albert Baez, physicist; father of Joan Baez & Mimi Farina, 94
20 - Taha Yassin Ramadan, former Iraqi vice president, 69
20 - John P. Ryan, character actor (”Five Easy Pieces”), 70
21 - Catherine Seipp, conservative columnist, 49
22 - Don Dennis, former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher, 65
23 - Robert E. Petersen, Hot Rod & Motor Trend publisher, 80
23 - Damian McDonald, Australian Olympic (1996) bicyclist, 34
23 - Ed Bailey, former Cincinnati Reds All-Star catcher, 75
23 - Mao Anqing, Chinese author & son of Mao Zedong, 83
23 - Walter Turnbull, Boys Choir of Harlem founder, 62
24 - Henson Cargill, country singer (”Skip A Rope”), 66
25 - Andranik Margaryan, prime minister of Armenia, 55
25 - Jerry Girard, WPIX sports anchor, 74
26 - Jason Ray, UNC mascot, 21
26 - Sylvia Straus, widow of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, 94
27 - Charlotte Winters, last surviving U.S. female WWI vet, 109
27 - Faustino Oramas, Cuban singer (Buena Vista Social Club), 95
28 - Abe Coleman, Depression-era pro wrestler, 101
29 - Adebayo Adefarati, ex-Nigerian governor & prez candidate
29 - Lloyd Brown, last known surviving WWI Navy veteran, 105
29 - Tosiwo Nakayama, first president of Micronesia, 75
29 - Calvin Lockhart, Bahamian-born blaxploitation movie actor, 72
29 - Mimi Lerner, Polish-born American mezzo-soprano, 61
29 - Leslie Waller, novelist, 83
30 - Michael Dibdin, British crime writer, 60
30 - Dave Martin, British TV writer (”Doctor Who,” “Z-Cars”), 72
31 - Ian Tapson, “Great Escape” POW camp escapee, 84
31 - Thomas W. Moore, ABC president, 88
31 - Lito Sisnorio, Filipino boxer, 24

APRIL

1 - Herb Carneal, Twins Hall of Fame broadcaster, 83
1 - Jerry Girard, WPIX-TV sportscaster, 74
1 - Belinda Wright, British ballerina, 78
1 - Myrna “Screechy Peach” Crenshaw, singer-songwriter, 47
1 - Char Fontane, actress, singer, daughter of Tony Fontane, 55
1 - Lou Limmer, played for Philadelphia Athletics, 82
1 - Salem Ludwig, character actor (”Object of My Affection”), 91
1 - Ladislav Rychman, Czech film director, 84
1 - George Sewell, actor (”Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”), 82
1 - Elliott Skinner, former U.S. Ambassador to Upper Volta, 82
2 - Jeannie Ferris, South Australian Liberal Senator, 66
2 - William Becker, Motel 6 co-founder, 85
3 - Neal Shine, Detroit Free Press publisher & managing editor, 76
3 - Eddie Robinson, longtime Grambling coach, 88
3 - Marion Eames, British novelist (”The Secret Room”), 85
3 - Thomas Hal Phillips, novelist, screenwriter, actor, 84
3 - Burt Topper, screenwriter, director, producer, 78
3 - Nina Wang, richest woman in Asia, 69
4 - Robert Clark, director (”Porky’s,” “A Christmas Story”), 67
4 - Edward Mallory, Dr. Bill Horton on “Days Of Our Lives,” 76
5 - Darryl Stingley, Patriots receiver paralyzed in 1978 game, 55
5 - Jonathan Bailey, Rice sophomore guard, 22
5 - Mark St. John, former Kiss guitarist, 51
5 - Vernie A. Boots, survived 1928 Okeechobee hurricane, 93
5 - John Winter, WFLA-TV meteorologist, 39
6 - Luigi Comencini, Italian filmmaker, 90
6 - Stan Daniels, TV writer & producer (”Mary Tyler Moore”), 72
6 - George Jenkins, Oscar-winning production designer, 98
6 - Jill McGown, British mystery writer, 59
6 - Jimmy Lee Smith, “The Onion Field” murderer, 76
7 - Johnny Hart, cartoonist (”B.C.”), 76
7 - Barry Nelson, prolific stage, film, & TV actor, 89
8 - William Mescher, North Carolina state senator, 79
8 - Neville Duke, British World War II fighter pilot, 85
8 - Natalia Clare, American ballerina, 87
8 - Sol LeWitt, conceptualist & minimalist artist, 78
9 - Kevin Crease, Australian TV personality, 70
9 - A.J. Carothers, screenwriter (”Secret of My Success”), 75
9 - Philip Mayne, last surviving British officer of WWI, 107
10 - E. Arthur Gray, longest-serving mayor of Port Jervis, NY, 82
10 - Dakota Staton, jazz vocalist, 76
10 - Salvatore Scarpitta, sculptor, 88
11 - George Sewell, character actor, 83
11 - Terry Hall, early British children’s TV entertainer, 80
11 - Roscoe Lee Browne, deep-voiced, commanding black actor, 81
11 - Kurt Vonnegut, legendary writer (”Slaughterhouse-Five”), 84
12 - James Lyons, film editor (”The Virgin Suicides”), 46
12 - Haywood “Little Sonny” Warner, singer, 77
13 - Loic Leferme, French free-diving champion, 36
13 - Wilma Elizabeth McDaniel, Dust Bowl chronicler & poet, 88
14 - Don Ho, Hawaiian singing legend, 76
14 - Jim Jontz, environmental activist & Oregon Congressman, 55
14 - Audrey Santo, comatose patient said to channel miracles, 23
14 - Jim Thurman, voice of Sesame St.’s Teeny Little Super Guy, 72
15 - Justine Saunders, Australian movie, TV & stage actress, 54
15 - Brant Parker, “Wizard of Id” cartoonist, 86
16 - Gaetan Duchesne, San Jose Sharks star, 44
16 - Abe Weissbrodt, USDOJ lawyer & Nuremberg prosecutor, 93
17 - Kitty Carlisle (Hart), TV, film, stage, & opera star, 96
18 - Iccho Itoh, mayor of Nagasaki, 61
18 - Alvin Roth, American contract bridge champion, 92
18 - Dick Vosburgh, comedy writer, actor, & lyricist, 77
19 - Helen Robson Walton, widow of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, 87
19 - Ken Albers, Four Freshmen singer, 82
19 - Anthony Brooks, British spy, French Resistance leader, 85
19 - Jean-Pierre Cassel, French actor, 74
19 - Marie Hicks, civil rights activist, 83
20 - Andrew Hill, jazz pianist and composer, 75
20 - Fred Fish, computer programmer; developed GNU Debugger, 54
21 - Kevin Davis, Blue Angels pilot, 32
21 - Lobby Loyde, rock guitarist w/Billy Thorpe (Feb. 27), 65
21 - Art Saaf, comic book artist (”Sheena”), 85
22 - Juanita Millender-McDonald, Dem U.S. rep from California, 68
22 - Anne Pitoniak, Tony-nominated actress (”‘night, Mother”), 85
23 - Boris Yeltsin, former President of Russia, 76
23 - David Halberstam, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, 73
23 - Michael Smuin, ABT principal, choreographer, director, 68
24 - Warren E. Avis, founder of namesake auto rental company, 92
24 - Roy Jenson, character actor (”Chinatown,” many others), 80
25 - Bobby “Boris” Pickett, “Monster Mash” singer, 69
25 - Johnny Perkins, former New York Giants receiver, 54
26 - Jack Valenti, 38-year president of MPAA, 85
26 - Henry LeTang, stage, film, & TV choreographer, 91
27 - Mstislav Rostropovich, Russian cellist & conductor, 80
28 - Carl F. von Weizsaecker, Nazi scientist turned pacifist, 94
28 - Dick Motz, cricket bowler for New Zealand, 67
28 - Tommy Newsom, “Tonight Show” bandleader; “Mr. Excitement,” 78
28 - Dabbs Greer, prolific character actor (”The Green Mile”), 90
28 - Bertha Wilson, first female Canadian Supreme Court judge, 83
29 - Ivica Racan, former prime minister of Croatia, 63
29 - Josh Hancock, St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher, 29
29 - Joseph Nérette, former President of Haïti (1991–1992), 83
29 - Lee Roberson, Tennessee Temple University founder, 97
30 - Bill Casey, former Australian racing writer & columnist, 72
30 - Tom Poston, comedic actor & husband of Suzanne Pleshette, 85
30 - Gordon Scott, 1950s movie Tarzan, 80
30 - Zola Taylor, first female member The Platters, 69
30 - Kevin Mitchell, played for 49ers & Redskins, 36

MAY

1 - Mathilde O. Tafna, oldest French citizen (Guadeloupe), 112
2 - David Rosenzweig, L.A. journalist; covered Vietnam, SLA; 67
2 - Brad McGann, New Zealand director (”In My Father’s Den”), 43
3 - Walter “Wally” Schirra, fifth American in space, 84
3 - J. Robert Bradley, gospel singer, 87
3 - Abdul Sabur Farid Kuhestani, former Afghan PM, 55-ish
3 - Pat O’Shea, Irish author (”Hounds of the Morrigan”), 74
4 - Mamadou Zare, Ivorian soccer player & coach, 45
5 - Prince Abdul-Majid bin Abdul-Aziz, governor of Mecca, 64-ish
5 - Tom Hutchinson, Cleveland Browns wide receiver, 65
5 - Theodore Maiman, American physicist; built first laser, 79
6 - Alvin Batiste, jazz musician, 74
6 - Carey Bell, blues harmonica player, 70
6 - Curtis Harrington, director (”Who Slew Auntie Roo?”), 80
6 - Lord Weatherill, former Speaker, British House of Commons, 86
7 - Diego Corrales, featherweight & lightweight boxing champ, 29
7 - Tomasi Kulimoetoke II, King of Wallis (’Uvea), 88
7 - Sonny Myers, American NWA heavyweight wrestler, 83
7 - Nicholas Worth, TV & video-game character actor, 69
7 - Yahweh ben Yahweh, Nation of Yahweh cult leader, 71
8 - Velma Dunn, American diver in 1936 Summer Olympics, 88
9 - Charley Ane, played for Detroit Lions, 76
9 - Gino Pariani, 1950 World Cup soccer player, 79
10 - Jimmy Hall, Hawaiian thrill-seeking adventurer, 41
10 - Robert Oelman, NCR Corp. CEO; Wright State U. co-founder, 97
11 - Bernard Gordon, blacklisted screenwriter, 88
12 - Kai Johansen, Danish soccer player, 67
12 - Edy Vasquez, Honduran soccer player, 23
13 - Kate Webb, New Zealand war correspondent, 64
14 - Aaron McMillan, classical pianist, 30
15 - Jerry Falwell, extreme-right televangelist, 73
15 - Yolanda King, civil-rights activist; eldest child of MLK, 51
16 - Terry Ryan, author (”The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio”), 60
16 - Lauren Terrazzano, chronicled cancer battle for Newsday, 39
17 - Lloyd Alexander, fantasy author (”Chronicles of Prydain”), 83
17 - John Gonzaga, played for 49ers, Cowboys, Lions, & Broncos, 74
18 - Roy DeForest, “California funk” artist, 77
18 - Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, Nobel Prize-winner for Physics, 74
19 - Jack Findlay, Australian auto racer, 72
19 - Carl Wright, tap dancer, comedian, actor (”Barbershop”), 75
19 - Frank Guida, record producer; discovered Gary U.S. Bonds, 84
19 - Ron Hall, played for Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 43
20 - Norman Von Nida, “the Don Bradman of Australian golf,” 93
20 - Bobby Ash, host, “The Uncle Bobby Show,” 82
20 - Valentina Leontyeva, early USSR TV presenter, 84
20 - Ben Weisman, wrote +/- 60 songs for Elvis Presley, 85
21 - Clark Adams, secular humanist leader & activist, 37
21 - Bruno Mattei, Italian director of zombie & gore flicks, 75
22 - Fannie Lee Chaney, civil rights activist, 84
22 - Art Stevens, director, animator, writer (”Fox and Hound”), 92
23 - Clyde Robert Bulla, kiddie lit author, 93
23 - Kei Kumai, Japanese film director (”Sandakan No. 8″), 76
24 - Bill Johnston, bowler on 1948 “Invincibles” cricket team, 85
24 - Buddy Childers, jazz trumpeter, 81
24 - David Renton, Baron Renton, UK House of Lords oldest peer, 98
25 - Charles Nelson Reilly, openly gay TV comedian, 76
25 - Arwon, longest surviving Melbourne Cup winner, 33
25 - Bartholomew Ulufa’alu, former PM of Solomon Islands, 56
26 - Harold Froehlich, co-designed mini-sub to explore Titanic, 84
26 - Harry Frazier, actor who often played Santa Claus, 77
26 - James Beck, art historian, ArtWatch International founder, 77
26 - Aubrey Singer, British TV exec, former head of BBC Two, 80
27 - Percy Sonn, International Cricket Council president, 57
27 - Ron Archer, former Australian Test all-rounder, 73
27 - Gretchen Wyler, actress & animal-rights activist, 75
27 - Sam Garrison, lawyer; argued against Nixon impeachment, 65
27 - Marquise Hill, New England Patriot, 24
27 - Ed Yost, inventor of modern hot air balloon, 87
28 - David Lane, American neo-Nazi leader, 68
28 - Parren Mitchell, Congressional Black Caucus co-founder, 85
28 - Ethel Mutharika, First Lady of Malawi, 63
29 - Wallace Seawell, Hollywood photographer, 90
29 - Tony Bastable, British kid-TV show presenter (”Magpie”), 62
29 - Posteal Laskey, Cincinnati Strangler serial killer, 69
30 - Mark Harris, author (”Bang the Drum Slowly”), 84
30 - Jean-Claude Brialy, prolific French actor & director, 74
31 - Charles Lee Remington, butterfly expert, 85
31 - Jim Williams, longtime Colorado State U. basketball coach, 92

JUNE

1 - Tony Thompson, Hi-Five singer, 31
1 - Pamela Low, created coating for Cap’n Crunch, 79
2 - Sandy Barr, pro wrestler, 69
2 - Steve Gilliard, prominent left-wing blogger, 42
3 - Ivan Darvas, Hungarian actor, 82
4 - Jim Clark, anti-civil rights sheriff of Selma, Albama, 84
4 - Bill France, Jr., former NASCAR CEO (1972–2003), 74
4 - Freddie Scott, singer (”Hey Girl”), 74
4 - Craig L. Thomas, U.S. Senator from Wyoming, 74
5 - Jean Vollum, philanthropist & widow of Tektronix founder, 80
6 - Lee Nagrin, playwright (”Behind the Lid”), 78
7 - Gilbert Gude, Congressional rep from Maryland (1967–1977), 84
8 - Lynne Randell, Australian pop singer (”Ciao Baby”), 57
8 - Aden Abdulle Osman, 1st President of Somalia (1960–1967), 99
9 - Ousmane Sembene, Senegalese screenwriter & director, 84
9 - Frankie Abernathy, “Real World: San Diego” cast member, 25
9 - Lorne Carr, Canadian NHL player for Rangers & Maple Leafs, 96
10 - George Burrarrawanga, Aboriginal rock Warumpi Band leader
10 - Witarina Harris, New Zealand’s oldest living film star, 101
10 - Tommy Eytle, British actor (”Eastenders”) & jazz singer, 79
11 - Mala Powers, actress (”Cyrano de Bergerac”), 76
12 - Don Herbert, TV’s “Mr. Wizard,” 89
12 - Sir Wally Herbert, first to reach North Pole on foot, 72
12 - Frank Scarrabelotti, Australia’s oldest man, 109
12 - Samuel Isaac Weissman, Manhattan Project chemist, 94
13 - Oskar Morawetz, Canadian composer, 90
14 - Kurt Waldheim, former UN head, Nazi officer, 88
14 - Ruth Graham, wife of evangelist Billy Graham, 87
15 - Sherri Martel (”Sensational Sherri”), pro wrestler, 49
15 - Richard Bell, keyboardist for Janis Joplin & The Band, 61
15 - Alex Thomson, cinematographer (”Excalibur”), 78
16 - Claudia Cohen, New York socialite & gossip reporter, 56
16 - Thommie Walsh, dancer (”A Chorus Line”) & choreographer, 57
17 - Gianfranco Ferre, Italian designer, 62
17 - Ed Friendly, TV producer (”Laugh-In,” et al.), 85
18 - Kenneth L. Franklin, Hayden Planetarium’s top astronomer, 84
18 - Hank Medress, Tokens vocalist (”The Lion Sleeps Tonight”), 68
18 - Bill Barber, jazz tuba player, 87
18 - Vilma Espín, wife of acting Cuban President Raul Castro, 77
19 - Antonio Aguilar, Mexican actor, 88
20 - Shayne Bower, Canadian pro wrestler (”Biff Wellington”), 42
20 - J.B. Handelsman, New Yorker cartoonist, 85
21 - Bob Evans, Bob Evans Restaurants founder, 89
22 - Nancy Benoit, pro wrestler, 43 (see June 24)
23 - Rod Beck, relief pitcher (Giants, Cubs, Red Sox, Padres), 38
24 - Ralph F. Stayer, Wisconsin sausage company founder, 92
24 - Chris Benoit, wrestler; killed self & family, 40 (see June 22)
24 - Charles W. Lindberg, last Iwo Jima flag-raising Marine, 86
25 - Jeeva, Indian Kollywood (not Bollywood) director, 43
25 - Mahasti, Iranian pop singer, 61
25 - Bill Moss, gospel musician (The Celestials), 76
26 - Liz Claiborne, larger-than-life fashion mogul, 78
27 - William Hutt, Canadian actor, 87
27 - Emilio Ochoa, last signatory of 1940 Cuban Constitution, 99
28 - Leo Burmester, actor (”Last Temptation of Christ”), 63
28 - Bruce R. Kennedy, former CEO of Alaska Airlines, 68
28 - Kiichi Miyazawa, former Prime Minister of Japan, 87
28 - Howie Schneider, cartoonist (”Eek and Meek”), 77
29 - Joel Siegel, longtime “Good Morning America” movie critic, 63
29 - Harry Henshel, Bulova watch company heir, 88
29 - George McCorkle, Marshall Tucker Band guitarist, 60
29 - Edward Yang, Taiwanese film director (”Yi Yi”), 59
30 - Will Schaefer, TV-score composer (”I Dream of Jeannie”), 78

JULY

1 - Count Gottfried von Bismarck, German aristocrat, 44
1 - Joerg Kalt, Austrian cinematographer, 40
1 - Colleen McCrory, Canadian environmental activist, 57
1 - David Ritcheson, Latino hate crime victim, 18
1 - Gerhard Skrobek, German Hummel sculptor, 85
2 - Beverly Sills, hugely popular American soprano, 78
2 - Robert “Buck” Brown, Playboy “Granny” cartoonist, 71
2 - Howell M. Estes II, Vietnam-era USAF general, 92
2 - Ray Goins, bluegrass musician, 71
2 - Jimmy Walker, played for Pistons, Rockets, & KC Kings, 63
2 - Hy Zaret, lyricist (”Unchained Melody”), 99
3 - Claude Pompidou, widow of former French PM Georges Pompidou, 94
3 - Boots Randolph, “Yakety Sax” saxophonist, 80
4 - Johnny Frigo, jazz violinist, bass player, 90
4 - Vivienne Nearing, beat Van Doren on rigged “21″ game show, 81
4 - Bill Pinkney, singer; last original Drifter, 81
4 - Eleanor Stewart, western-movie & voice actress, 94
4 - James Street, voice actor (”Strawberry Shortcake”), 13
5 - Kerwin Mathews, Sinbad, “Seventh Voyage of Sinbad” (1958), 81
5 - Regine Crespin, French operatic soprano, 80
6 - Eileen Wearne, Australia’s oldest Olympian (1932), 95
7 - Jack Odell, inventor of Matchbox cars, 87
7 - John G. Mitchell, National Geographic editor/author, 75
8 - Jindrich Feld, Czech composer, 82
8 - Itzik Kol, Israeli film producer, 75
8 - Chandra Shekhar, former Prime Minister of India, 80
8 - Jack B. Sowards, screenwriter (”Star Trek: Wrath of Khan”), 78
9 - Charles Lane, ubiquitous, mean-old-man character actor, 102
9 - John Baker, former Australian Defence Force chief, 71
9 - John Hill, former TX AG & Supreme Court Chief Justice, 84
9 - Penny Thomson, British TV exec (BBC4) & film producer, 56
9 - Peter Tuddenham, British voice actor (”Blake’s 7″), 88
10 - Doug Marlette, Pulitzer Prizewinning cartoonist (”Kudzu”), 57
10 - Corbin Harney, Shoshone leader & environmental activist, 87
10 - Zheng Xiaoyu, executed China FDA head, 62
11 - Lady Bird Johnson, widow of LBJ; environmentalist, 94
11 - Stan Zemanek, right-wing Australian shock jock, 60
11 - Richard Franklin, director (”Patrick,” “Roadgames”), 58
11 - Glenda Adams, Australian writer, 68
11 - Rod Lauren, actor (”Alfred Hitchcock,” “Gomer Pyle”), 67
11 - Alfonso López Michelsen, former Colombian President, 94
11 - Larry Staverman, first head coach of Indiana Pacers, 70
12 - Jim Mitchell, porn producer; murderer (of his brother), 63
12 - Pat Fordice, ex-wife of philandering Miss. guv Kirk, 71
13 - Khalid Hassan, Iraqi reporter for New York Times, 23
14 - Nan Cross, South African anti-apartheid activist, 79
14 - William LeMessurier, architect (Boston City Hall), 81
15 - Kelly Johnson, Girlschool guitarist, 49
15 - Kieron Moore, Irish actor (”Day of the Triffids”), 82
15 - Schelto Patijn, former mayor of Amsterdam, 70
16 - Tom Brooks, Australian cricketer & umpire, 88
16 - Mikhail Kononov, Russian actor (”Guest from the Future”), 67
16 - Skinny McNabb, played for Detroit Tigers, 90
16 - Dmitri Prigov, Russian poet, 66
17 - Teresa Stich-Randall, American opera singer, 79
18 - Gen. Wayne A. Downing, U.S. Special Ops leader (ret.), 67
18 - Jerry Hadley, American opera singer, 55
18 - John Kronus, pro wrestler, 38
18 - Gary Lupul, Canadian hockey player, 48
18 - Orlando McFarlane, Cuban Major League Baseball player, 69
18 - Kenji Miyamoto, 40-yr leader of Japanese Communist Party, 98
19 - Ivor Emmanuel, British singer & actor (”Zulu”), 79
20 - Tammy Faye Messner, televangelist & ex-wife of Jim Bakker, 65
20 - Pete Wilson, award-winning San Francisco news anchor, 62
20 - Bill Flemming, sportscaster (ABC “Wide World of Sports”), 80
20 - Ollie Bridewell, British motorcycle racer, 21
20 - Golde Flami, Argentine actress, 89
20 - Kai Siegbahn, Swedish Nobel Prizewinner in Physics, 89
21 - Laszlo Kovacs, gifted cinematographer (”Easy Rider”, 74
21 - Don Arden, British rock manager, Sharon Osbourne’s dad, 81
21 - Jack Fearey, founded Bumbershoot festival, 84
21 - Jesus de Polanco, Spanish publisher (”El Pais”), 77
22 - Jarrod Cunningham, New Zealand rugby union footballer, 38
22 - Norma Gabler, self-appoited textbook censor, 84
22 - Andre Milongo, former Congo Prime Minister, 71
22 - Ulrich Mühe, German actor (”The Lives of Others”), 54
22 - Rollie Stiles, oldest living former MLB player, 100
23 - Sir Tom Davis, former Cook Islands Prime Minister, 90
23 - Ron Miller, songwriter (”"For Once in My Life”), 74
23 - Mohammed Zahir Shah, last king of Afghanistan, 92
24 - Albert Ellis, cognitive-behavioral therapy pioneer, 93
24 - William Young, last RFC WWI veteran, 107
25 - Raymond Bristow, longest-serving Anglican minister, 98
25 - Jake, search & rescue dog, served in 9-11 & Katrina, 12
26 - John Normington, British actor, 70
26 - Skip Prosser, Wake Forest basketball coach, 56
27 - Lucky Grills, Australian comedian & actor (”Bluey”), 79
27 - Alan Pottasch, developed “Pepsi Generation” ad campaign, 79
27 - William Tuttle, makeup artist (”Singin’ in the Rain”), 95
28 - Jim LeRoy, stunt pilot, 46
28 - Sal Mosca, jazz pianist, 80
29 - Michel Serrault, French actor (”La Cage aux Folles”), 79
29 - Mike Reid, Cockney comedian & actor (”EastEnders”), 67
29 - Tom Snyder, chain-smoking talk show host (”Tomorrow”), 71
30 - Ingmar Bergman, Swedish cinematic giant, 89
30 - Michelangelo Antonioni, Italian film master, 94
30 - Bill Walsh, former San Francisco 49ers head coach
30 - Jerry Ringlien, “My bologna has a first name” ad creator, 77
31 - Oliver Morgan, R&B vocalist, 74

AUGUST

1 - Sergei Antonov, would-be assassin of Pope John Paul II, 59
1 - Tommy Makem, Irish folk musician (Clancy Brothers), 74
2 - Chauncey Bailey, Oakland Post editor, 58
2 - Frank Rosenfelt, MGM executive, 85
3 - James T. Callahan, actor (”Charles in Charge”), 76
4 - Lee Hazlewood, singer-songwriter, 78
5 - Stanley Myron Handelman, comedian, 77
5 - Oliver Hill, lead attorney on Brown v. Board of Education, 100
6 - Heinz Barth, Nazi war criminal, 86
7 - Gato Del Sol, 1982 Kentucky Derby winner, 28
8 - Melville Shavelson, director-writer (”Seven Little Foys”), 90
9 - Joe O’Donnell, Hiroshima photographer, 85
10 - Henry Cabot Lodge Bohler, Tuskegee Airman, 82
10 - Tony Wilson, British TV host, Factory Records owner, 57
11 - Joe Jimenez, 1978 Senior PGA champ, 81
11 - Herb Pomeroy, jazz trumpeter, 77
12 - Merv Griffin, TV host & game show mogul (”Jeopardy!”), 82
13 - Brooke Astor, New York society matron & philanthropist, 105
13 - Phil Rizzuto, NY Yankees Hall of Famer & sportscaster, 89
13 - Brian “Crush” Adams, pro wrestler, 44
13 - Ox Miller, played for Washington Senators, 92
13 - Clifton Neita, Jamaica Gleaner editor, 92
14 - Diane Lewis, Boston Globe reporter, 54
14 - Eduardo Noriega, Mexican actor, 90
14 - Sayoko Yamaguchi, Japanese fashion model, 57
15 - John Wallowitch, prolific singer-songwriter, 81
16 - John Blewett III, NASCAR driver, 33
16 - Clive Exton, British TV & screenwriter (”Poirot”), 77
16 - Dewey Robertson, Canadian pro wrestler (”Missing Link”), 68
17 - Max Hodge, TV writer (”Batman”), 91
18 - Michael Deaver, Reagan’s Deputy Chief of Staff, 69
19 - Daniel Brewster, Democratic U.S. Senator from Maryland, 83
19 - Shitsu Nakano, oldest person in Japan, 113
20 - Leona Helmsley, “Queen of Mean” “cutthroat hotel magnate,” 87
21 - Caroline Aigle, first French female fighter pilot, 32
21 - Rose Bampton, American opera singer, 99
21 - Cabulitis, Europe’s oldest alligator, 72-ish
21 - Haley Paige, porn star, 26
22 - Butch van Breda Kolff, coached Lakers, Pistons, & Jazz, 84
23 - Robert Symonds, actor (”The Exorcist,” “Dynasty”), 80
24 - Abdul Rahman Arif, former President of Iraq (1966–1968), 91
24 - Wm. E. McAnulty, Jr., 1st black KY Supreme Court Justice, 59
24 - Aaron Russo, producer (”Trading Places,” “The Rose”), 64
25 - Alberto de Lacerda, Portuguese poet, BBC radio presenter, 78
26 - Charles A. Comiskey II, former Chicago White Sox co-owner, 81
26 - Gaston Thorn, former Prime Minister of Luxembourg, 78
27 - Doug Riley, Canadian musician (”Doctor Music”), 62
28 - Hilly Kristal, founder of legendary punk-rock club CBGB, 75
28 - Miyoshi Umeki, Oscar-winning actress (”Sayonara”), 78
28 - Arthur Jones, Nautilus exercise machine inventor, 80
29 - Richard Jewell, wrongly suspected in bombing ‘96 Olympics, 44
29 - Pierre Messmer, former Prime Minister of France, 91
29 - Alfred Peet, Peet’s Coffee & Tea founder, 87
30 - Nancy Littlefield, ex-director of NYC Office of Film, 77
31 - Gay Brewer, pro golfer, 75
31 - Karloff Lagarde, Mexican lucha libre wrestler, 79

SEPTEMBER

1 - Russell Ellington, Harlem Globetrotters coach, 69
2 - Marcia Mae Jones, 1930s child star (”The Champ,” “Heidi”), 83
3 - Carter Albrecht, musician (Edie Brickell & New Bohemians), 34
4 - Lewis O’Donnell, “Mr. Trolley” of NY kid show “Magic Toyshop”
4 - Seth Tobias, CNBC commentator (”Squawk Box”), 44
5 - D. James Kennedy, pastor; major religious-right player, 76
5 - Luciano Pavarotti, internationally-beloved tenor, 71
5 - Paul E. Gillmor, Republican Ohio lawmaker, 68
5 - Jennifer Dunn, former Republican Washington state lawmaker, 66
6 - Effi Barry, ex-wife of disgraced D.C. mayor Marion Berry, 63
6 - Madeleine L’Engle, kid-lit author (”A Wrinkle in Time”), 88
6 - Billy Darnell, pro wrestler, 81
6 - Ronald Magill, British actor (”Amos Brearly”), 87
7 - Russell E. Dougherty, ex-U.S. Strategic Air Command head, 87
8 - Vincent Serventy, Australian writer & conservationist, 91
9 - Belinda Dann, oldest survivor of Aust. Stolen Generation, 107
9 - Hughie Thomasson, Outlaws guitarist, 55
10 - Jane Wyman, actress; ex-Mrs. Ronald Reagan, 90 (or 93)
10 - Anita Roddick, Body Shop founder, “Queen of Green,” 64
10 - Loretta King, Ed Wood actress (”Bride of the Monster”), 90
11 - Gene Savoy, American explorer of Peru, 80
12 - Bobby Byrd, soul/funk singer, 73
12 - Gordon Sloan, Australian 2001 Big Brother contestant, 34
13 - Phil Frank, cartoonist, 64
14 - Emilio Ruiz del Rio, set decorator (”Pan’s Labyrinth”), 84
15 - Colin McRae, British former world rallying champion, 39
15 - Brett Somers, actress, comedian, & “Match Game” staple, 83
15 - Ernie Renzel, former mayor of San Jose, CA (1945-1946), 100
16 - Robert Jordan, fantasy author (”The Wheel of Time”), 58
16 - Calvin L. Rampton, former governor of Utah (1965–1977), 93
17 - Unnamed Chinese man, after three-day Internet gaming binge, 30
18 - Nate Hill, played for Packers, Dolphins, & Redskins, 41
19 - Maia Simon, French film & TV actress, 67
20 - Myra Nicholson, oldest person in Australia, 112
21 - Alice Ghostley, beloved, nervous character actress, 81
21 - Rex Humbard, televangelist, 88
21 - Coral Watts, serial killer, 53
22 - Marcel Marceau, legendary French mime, 84
22 - Karl Hardman, “Night of the Living Dead” producer & actor, 80
23 - Ken Danby, Canadian painter, 67
24 - Terry Connolly, Aust. Capital Terr. Supreme Court judge, 49
24 - Wolfgang K. H. Panofsky, physicist, former SLAC director, 88
25 - Patrick Bourque, bass guitarist (Emerson Drive), 29
26 - Velma Wayne Dawson, created Howdy Doody, 94
26 - Randy Van Horne, TV theme singer (”Flintstones,” et al.), 83
27 - George Rieveschl, invented Benadryl, 91
28 - Charles Griffith, screenwriter (”Little Shop of Horrors”), 77
28 - Martin Manulis, movie &TV producer (”Playhouse 90″), 92
28 - Wally Parks, “Father of Drag Racing,” 94
29 - Lois Maxwell, Miss Moneypenny in 14 James Bond films, 80
30 - Joe Mitty, Oxfam founder, 88

OCTOBER

1 - Al Oerter, four-time Olympic gold medalist (discus), 71
1 - Ronnie Hazlehurst, wrote “Are You Being Served?” theme, 79
2 - Gary Franklin, KABC-TV film critic, 79
2 - Richard Goldwater, Archie Comics president, 67
2 - George Grizzard, stage, screen, & TV actor, 79
2 - Katherine of Greece, Queen Victoria’s great-granddaughter, 94
3 - Giuseppe Valdengo, Italian operatic baritone, 93
4 - Bob Burdick, NASCAR driver, 70
5 - Irmgard von Stephani, oldest German, 112 (see also Oct. 6)
6 - Jo Ann Davis, U.S. rep from Virginia since 2001, 57
6 - Rodney Diak, British actor, 83
6 - Bud Ekins, motorcycle racer, stuntman (”The Great Escape”), 77
6 - Elsa Tauser, oldest German, 111 (see also Oct. 5)
7 - George E. Sangmeister, U.S. rep from Illinois (1989–1995), 76
7 - Joe Waggonner, U.S. rep from Louisiana (1961–1979), 89
8 - John Henry, Hall of Fame thoroughbred racehorse, 32
9 - Carol Bruce, actress (Mama Carlson, “WKRP in Cincinnati”), 87
10 - Ken Fry, Australian MP, 86
11 - David Lee “Tex” Hill, flying ace, member of Flying Tigers, 92
11 - Werner von Trapp, 2nd-oldest son of von Trapp Family, 91
12 - Lonny Chapman, TV supporting actor (”Quincy, M.E.”), 87
12 - Judy Mazel, wrote “The Beverly Hills Diet,” 63
13 - Alec Kessler, played for Georgia Bulldogs & Miami Heat, 40
14 - Big Moe, rapper, 33
14 - Frances Rich, actress (”The Thirteenth Guest”), 97
14 - Sigrid Valdis, “Hogan’s Heroes” actress, Mrs. Bob Crane, 72
15 - Steve J. Spears, Australian author & playwright, 56
15 - Nicky James, Moody Blues singer, 64
15 - Bobby Mauch, child actor & twin of Billy (d. 2006), 86
15 - Lucius Theus, Tuskegee Airman, 85
16 - Deborah Kerr, gifted screen actress, 86 (see also Nov. 4)
16 - Barbara West Dainton, Titanic survivor, 96
17 - Teresa Brewer, perky 1950s singer, 76
17 - Joey Bishop, comedian & last survivor of The Rat Pack, 89
18 - Alan Coren, former Punch editor (1978-1987), 69
18 - William J. Crowe, ex-Ambassador to UK, Joint Chiefs chair, 82
18 - Vincent DeDomenico, invented Rice-a-Roni, 92
18 - Lucky Dube, South African reggae musician, 43
19 - LaLa Brown, R&B singer, 21
20 - Max McGee, ex-Packers receiver, played in 1st Super Bowl, 75
20 - Paul Raven, bass player (Ministry, Killing Joke), 46
21 - Don Fellows, actor (”Z-Cars,” “Velvet Goldmine”), 84
21 - Peter Moffatt, British TV director (”Doctor Who”), 84
22 - Eve Curie, author; daughter of Pierre & Marie Curie, 102
23 - John Ilhan, founded Crazy John’s mobile phone stores, 42
24 - Masakazu Yoshizawa, flautist often on movie soundtracks, 57
25 - Carole Hillard, former Lt. Governor of South Dakota, 71
25 - Puntsagiin Jasrai, former Prime Minister of Mongolia, 73
26 - Jim Cummins, NBC News correspondent, 62
26 - Friedman Paul Erhardt, inspired Muppets’ “Swedish Chef,” 63
27 - Satyen Kappu, Bollywood character actor, 76
28 - Porter Wagoner, venerable country music icon, 80
28 - Evelyn Hamann, German actress, 65
28 - Joe Herzenberg, N. Carolina’s 1st gay elected official, 66
29 - Thomas Joseph Meskill, former Governor of Connecticut, 79
29 - Senkichi Taniguchi, director (”Lost World of Sinbad”), 95
30 - Robert Goulet, almost too-handsome baritone, 73
30 - Linda Stein, former Ramones manager, 62
31 - Alderbrook, racehorse; 1995 Champion Hurdle winner, 18

NOVEMBER

1 - Sonny Bupp, child actor (”Our Gang,” “Citizen Kane”), 79
1 - Paul Tibbets, Enola Gay pilot; dropped bomb on Hiroshima, 92
2 - Henry Cele, South African actor (”Shaka Zulu”), 58
2 - Charmaine Dragun, Australian TV news presenter, 29
2 - Lillian Ellison, pro wrestler (”The Fabulous Moolah”), 84
2 - Don Freeland, Indianapolis 500 driver, 82
3 - Marilyn Martinez, comedian, 52
3 - Ryan Shay, long-distance runner, 28
4 - Peter Viertel, author; widower of Deborah Kerr, 86 (see 10/16)
5 - Paul Norris, comic book artist, co-creator of Aquaman, 93
5 - Paul Soloway, five-time world bridge champ, 66
6 - George Osmond, Osmond family patriarch, 90
6 - Hilda Braid, British actress (”EastEnders”), 78
6 - John Grenier, ex-Repub National Committee exec director, 77
6 - Fred W. McDarrah, Village Voice photographer, 81
6 - Hank Thompson, country singer, 82
7 - Earl Dodge, Prohibition Party prez candidate (1979), 74
7 - George W. George, producer (”My Dinner With Andre”), 87
7 - Alejandra Meyer, Mexican soap opera actress, 70
8 - Francine Parker, film director, 81
9 - Luis Herrera Campins, former president of Venezuela, 82
10 - Laraine Day, actress (”Foreign Correspondent”), 87
10 - Augustus F. Hawkins, U.S. rep from Calif. (1963–1991), 100
10 - Norman Mailer, Pulitzer Prize–winning author, 84
11 - Delbert Mann, director (”Marty,” “The Bachelor Party”), 87
12 - Ira Levin, author (”Rosemary’s Baby,” “Stepford Wives”), 78
13 - Tony Harris, basketball player (Washington State Cougars), 36
13 - Monty Westmore, makeup artist of famed Westmore family, 84
13 - Peter Zinner, Oscar-winning film editor (”Deer Hunter”), 88
14 - Michael Blodgett, actor & screenwriter, 68
14 - Ronnie Burns, actor; son of George Burns & Gracie Allen, 72
15 - Joe Nuxhall, longtime Cincinnati Reds announcer, 79
16 - Pierre Granier-Deferre, French film director, 80
17 - Hy Lit, veteran Philadelphia rock DJ, 73
17 - Robert Evander McNair, former Governor of South Carolina, 83
17 - Gail Sheridan, actress (”The Plainsman”), 92
18 - Hollis Alpert, co-founded Nat’l Society of Film Critics, 91
19 - Kevin DuBrow, Quiet Riot lead singer, 52
19 - Dick Wilson, Charmin’s “Mr. Whipple,” 91
20 - Ernest “Doc” Paulin, jazz musician, 100
21 - Richard Leigh, author (”Holy Blood, Holy Grail”), 64
22 - Verity Lambert, BBC’s 1st female producer (”Doctor Who”), 71
22 - Reg Park, Mr. Universe (1951), 79
23 - Joe Kennedy, MLB pitcher with various teams since 2001, 28
24 - Joseph Minish, former U.S. rep from New Jersey, 91
24 - William O’Neill, former Governor of Connecticut, 77
24 - David Sheldon, pro wrestler (”Angel of Death”), 43
25 - Matt Price, Australian journalist, 46
26 - Sean Taylor, Washington Redskins safety, 24
26 - Marit Allen, costume designer (”Mrs. Doubtfire”), 66
26 - Bill Hartack, jockey; five-time Kentucky Derby winner, 74
26 - Raleigh Rhodes, early Blue Angels leader, 89
26 - Mel Tolkin, TV writer (”Your Show of Shows”), 94
27 - Robert Cade, inventor of Gatorade, 80
27 - Jane Rule, author (”Desert of the Heart”), 76
28 - Tony Holland, “EastEnders” co-creator, 67
28 - Jeanne Bates, 1940s-50s movie & TV actress, 89
29 - Henry Hyde, hard-right Republican from Illinois, 83
29 - Roger Bonham Smith, former General Motors CEO, 82
30 - Evel Knievel, legendary motorcycle daredevil, 69

DECEMBER

1 - Jennifer Davidson, Cartoon Network senior vice president, 38
1 - Ken McGregor, Australian tennis champion, 78
1 - Anton Rodgers, British comedic actor, 74
2 - Jennifer Alexander, Canadian-born ballerina, 35
2 - Robert O. Anderson, ARCO founder & former CEO, 90
2 - Eleonora Rossi Drago, Italian actress, 82
3 - Art Arfons, race driver; land speed record holder, 81
4 - David “Chip” Reese, poker champ, 56
4 - Chad “Pimp C” Butler, rapper, 33
4 - Carlos Valdes, Cuban conga player, 81
5 - Jillian Kesner-Graver, actress, Orson Welles historian, 58
5 - Tony Tenser, British producer (”Beast in the Cellar”), 87
6 - Katy French, Irish model, 24
6 - Ken Southworth, animator for Disney & Hanna-Barbera, 89
7 - John Hollowbread, British football goalie, 73
8 - Roger M. King, CBS & King World syndication icon, 63
8 - Al Scaduto, cartoonist (”They’ll Do It Every Time”), 79
9 - Gordon Zahn, co-founder of Pax Christi USA, 84
10 - Gordon Samuels, former Governor of New South Wales, 84
11 - Allan Berube, gay historian & writer, 61
11 - Jose Luis Calva, Mexican serial killer & cannibal, 38
11 - Freddie Fields, Hollywood agent & studio exec, 84
11 - Terry Yates, biologist; discovered source of hantavirus, 57
12 - Ike Turner, rock and roll legend; ex-Mr. Tina Turner, 76
12 - Shawn Eckhardt, conspirator in Nancy Kerrigan attack, 40
13 - Philippe Clay, French singer & actor, 80
13 - Laura Huxley, musician, author, & widow of Aldous Huxley, 96
13 - Alain Payet, French adult film director, 60
13 - Floyd Red Crow Westerman, actor (”Dances With Wolves”), 71
14 - Clarence Marshall, pitched for New York Yankees, 82
15 - Julia Carson, Dem U.S. Congressional rep from Indiana, 69
15 - John Berg, actor (”Law & Order,” “Boston Legal”), 58
15 - St. Clair Bourne, filmmaker (”Half Past Autumn”), 64
16 - Dan Fogelberg, singer-songwriter (”A Love Like This”), 56
17 - Jim Holstein, basketball player (Minneapolis Lakers), 77
18 - Jack Linkletter, TV host & son of Art Linkletter, 70
19 - Frank Capra, Jr., movie executive, son of Frank Capra, 73
20 - Jeanne Carmen, larger-than-life pin-up girl & actress, 77
20 - Gar Campbell, actor (”Fright Night Part 2″), 64
20 - J. Russell Coffey, oldest known surviving U.S. WWI vet, 109
21 - Carol Bly, author & poet, 77
21 - Pfc. George J. Howell, 3,897th U.S. soldier killed in Iraq, 24
22 - Chrysostomos I, former Archbishop of Cyprus (1977–2006), 80
22 - Sir Charles Court, former Premier of Western Australia, 96
23 - Oscar Peterson, world-renowned jazz pianist, 82
23 - Michael Kidd, Oscar-winning choreographer, 92
23 - Michael Klein, Pacificor owner & former eGroups CEO, 37
23 - Dale Baird, thoroughbred horse trainer, 72
23 - Evelyn Gandy, former Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi, 87
23 - Evan Farrell, ex-Rogue Wave bassist, 33
24 - Thomas Morgan, NYT reporter; acclaimed gay journalist, 56
24 - Jim Angel, Australian radio newsreader, 67
25 - Pat Kirkwood, actress; “Britain’s Betty Grable,” 86
25 - Mighty King Kong, Kenyan reggae musician, 33
25 - G. P. Sippy, Indian film producer & director, 92
25 - Hugh Massingberd, Daily Telegraph obituary writer, 60
26 - Joe Dolan, Irish singer, 64
26 - Stu Nahan, longtime Southern California sportscaster, 81
26 - Joe Dolan, Irish entertainer, 68
27 - Steven T. Florio, former Conde Nast CEO, 58
27 - Benazir Bhutto, former Pakistan PM & current opp. leader, 54
28 - Tab Thacker, wrestler, actor (”Police Academy”), 45

Dead Celebrity Alert Roll Call, 2006

Former Rogue Wave multi-instrumentalist Evan Farrell died Dec. 23 in Oakland, Calif., from injuries suffered in an apartment fire caused by a space heater. Details are still coming together, but Farrell succumbed from massive smoke inhalation, according to reports.

The musician, who was 33, had traveled to Oakland from his home base in Bloomington, Ind., to play music with his on-again/off-again band the Japonize Elephants. … Read full obituary

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan

Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated Thursday in a suicide attack that also killed at least 20 others at a campaign rally, aides said.

The death of the 54-year-old charismatic former prime minister threw the campaign for the Jan. 8 parliamentary elections into chaos and created fears of mass protests and violence across the nuclear-armed nation, an important U.S. ally in the war on terrorism.

The attacker struck just minutes after Bhutto addressed thousands of supporters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, 8 miles south of Islamabad. She was shot in the neck and chest by the attacker, who then blew himself up, said Rehman Malik, Bhutto’s security adviser.

At least 20 others were killed in the attack. …

Bhutto’s supporters at the hospital exploded in anger, smashing the glass door at the main entrance of the emergency unit. …

No one claimed responsibility for the attack. But some of Bhutto’s supporters at the hospital began chanting, “Killer, Killer, Musharraf,” referring to Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, Bhutto’s main political opponent. A few began stoning cars outside. … Read full story

From JR: I had the great pleasure of meeting and chatting with Jeanne Carmen several times over the past decade; she was a droll, very relaxed, charming lady who never lost that old-Hollywood glamour for a moment. R.I.P., Jeanne, and thanks for all the laughs.

Jeanne Carmen, a longtime Orange County resident who earned stardom as a bombshell pinup, trick-shot golfer and “Queen of the B Movies,” has died. She was 77.

Carmen succumbed to lymphoma at her Turtle Ridge home on Thursday, according to her son, Brandon James. …

Jeanne Laverne Carmen was born Aug. 4, 1930 in Paragould, Ark., where she picked cotton with her family before running away at 13 with dreams of the silver screen. …

Her platinum blonde hair and hourglass build (36-26-36 measurements) landed her an off-Broadway job as a burlesque dancer, a gig she parlayed into photo shoots for then-risqué girlie magazines and roles in a wealth of bawdy, low-budget flicks that won her the title of “Queen of the B Movies.” …

Carmen also said she became a close confidant of Marilyn Monroe, though many bloggers have disputed the claim. … Read full obituary

Dec. 26 (Bloomberg) — Michael Klein, the owner of California hedge-fund firm Pacificor LLC, his teenage daughter, Talia, and a pilot died after their private plane crashed near Panama’s tallest mountain.

Francesca Lewis, the 12-year-old friend of Klein’s daughter, who was 13, survived and is in the hospital with multiple injuries…

Lewis was found walking less than a kilometer from the site of the crash, 7,536 feet up on the eastern side of Volcan Baru, de la Hoz said. She was taken to a private clinic in David, Panama’s third-largest city, where she will meet her parents, he said. …

The hedge-fund manager started MIBEK Corp., a developer of financial-analysis software, in 1989 and sold the company in 1992. He then founded software company Transoft Networks Inc., which Hewlett-Packard Co. bought in 1999, according to the Pacificor Web site.

He subsequently became president and chief executive officer of eGroups Inc., the world’s largest group e-mail communication service. Yahoo! Inc. acquired that company for $450 million in 2000, Pacificor’s Web site says. … Read full obituary

Choreographer Michael Kidd, whose joyously athletic dances for ballet, Broadway and Hollywood delighted audiences for half a century and won him five Tonys and an Oscar, has died.

Kidd’s nephew, Robert Greenwald, told The New York Times that … Kidd’s age is often listed as 88, but … his uncle was actually 92. …

To moviegoers, Kidd was best known for the 1954 film “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” in which a bunch of earthy backwoodsmen (some of them really stage dancers) prance exuberantly with their prospective brides.

He also directed dances for Danny Kaye in “Knock on Wood,” took Fred Astaire out of his top hat to play a private eye in a Mickey Spillane spoof in “The Band Wagon,” and taught Marlon Brando how to hoof for “Guys and Dolls.”

There is no Oscar category for choreography, so the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented Kidd with a special award in 1997 for “his services in the art of the dance in the art of the screen.” …

For his work in theater, Kidd won Tonys for “Finian’s Rainbow” (1947), “Guys and Dolls” (1951), “Can-Can” (1954), “Li’l Abner” (1957) and “Destry Rides Again” (1960). … Read full obituary

Read full obituary

TORONTO, Ontario (AP) — Oscar Peterson, whose early talent and speedy fingers made him one of the world’s best known jazz pianists, died at age 82. …

During an illustrious career spanning seven decades, Peterson played with some of the biggest names in jazz, including Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie and Dizzy Gillespie. He is also remembered for touring in a trio with Ray Brown on bass and Herb Ellis on guitar in the 1950s. …

Duke Ellington referred to him as “Maharajah of the keyboard,” while Count Basie once said “Oscar Peterson plays the best ivory box I’ve ever heard.” … Read full obituary

TOLEDO, Ohio — J. Russell Coffey, the oldest known surviving U.S. veteran of World War I, has died. The retired teacher, one of only three U.S. veterans from the “war to end all wars,” was 109.

Coffey died Thursday at the Briar Hill Health Campus in North Baltimore, where he had lived for the past four or five years, said Gaye Boggs, nursing director at the nursing home. No cause of death has been determined, she said Friday. His health began failing in October.

“We’re sure going to miss him,” Boggs said. “He was our most famous resident, that’s for sure.” …

Coffey never saw combat because he was still in basic training when the war ended.

The two remaining U.S. veterans are Frank Buckles, 106, of Charles Town, W.Va.; and Harry Richard Landis, 108, of Sun City Center, Fla., according to the Veterans Affairs Department. In addition, John Babcock, 107, of Spokane, Wash., served in the Canadian army and is the last known Canadian veteran of the war. … Read full obituary

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) — Singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg, famed for the soaring vocals and elegant instrumentation of tunes such as “Longer” and “A Love Like This,” died on Sunday, three years after being diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. He was 56. …

Fogelberg, a native of Peoria, Illinois, broke into the music industry in the early 1970s, at a time when it was embracing introspective songwriting, or “soft rock,” by such acts as the Eagles and America. …

His most recent release, “Full Circle,” came out in 2003. The following year, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, and urged men over the age of 50 to get tested for the disease. … Read full obituary

U.S. Rep. Julia Carson died at home this morning following a battle with lung cancer. She was 69.

Carson’s death comes just weeks after she announced the cancer, which she had beaten before, was back with “terminal vengeance.” …

Gov. Mitch Daniels’ office said tentative plans were under way to have Carson’s body lie in state at the Rotunda in the Indiana State House. Daniels ordered that flags be lowered today until sunset on the day of her burial. Calling was tentatively scheduled for Friday, with the funeral service on Saturday. … Read full obituary