The departing year is taking with it a long list of familiar names. While preparing my contribution to this yearly practice I realized it was time to reach beyond the well known TV and film stars. You will read names from politics, sports, music. I was surprised at just how many familiar folks died this year. Many more than I realized.

The information herein was gathered from a number of sources. I would like to thank Mr. Russ Blatt of Life In Legacy. Com for providing total access to his extensive data. Russ describes himself as an amateur necrologist which he claims is a person who makes lists of the dead. He does much more and you might enjoy visiting him at Life In Legacy. Com. The site features hundreds of photos and mini biographies. Links to similar sites are also available.

The list I am offering is by no means a complete or total report of all the famous, infamous, unique and unusual passings of this year, but a good number of them. I had to make choices because of space. I chose the names I thought you would find interesting or surprising. As well informed as I try to be I did discover names of people I didn't know had died this year. Moments of sadness permeated the preparation. Now it's your turn.
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2003 DEARLY DEPARTED

Sydney Omarr - One of the world’s most widely read astrologers, whose column appears in more than 200 daily newspapers, and whose books have sold more than 50 million copies worldwide, died on Jan. 2 of complications of MS and a recent heart attack in Santa Monica, CA at age 76

Bob Wall - Top-rated Chicago radio personality at WGCI in the 1980’s who lost his radio career and $325,000/yr job when he was convicted of molesting a 15-year old girl, committed suicide by hanging on Dec. 29 at his home in Little Rock, AR at age 49.

Sid Gillman - Hall of Fame head football coach of the Chargers, Rams and Oilers, who was the first head coach in Charger history in 1960 who spent 10 years with the team, including an AFL championship in 1963, and who is one of the founding fathers of the modern NFL passing game, died Jan. 3 in Los Angeles at age 91.

Joe Foss - Governor of South Dakota from 1955 to 1959, but who is best remembered as one of the most prominent WW2 heroes, shooting down 26 enemy planes, who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, and later became the commissioner of the American Football League, hosted "The American Sportsman" show on ABC, and served as president of the NRA from 1988 to 1990 (no mention in the obit but I bet he was a physicist on the Manhattan Project as well), died on Jan. 1 in Scottsdale, AZ after having suffered an aneurysm several months ago. He was 87.

Maurice Gibb - Bassist and keyboardist for the legendary pop group the Bee Gees, one of the most successful music groups in U.S. chart history who charted nine #1 including "Night Fever", "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart", "Stayin’ Alive", "How Deep Is Your Love" and "Jive Talkin’", who was married to Lulu from 1969-73, and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, died on Jan. 11 in Miami after cardiac arrest during emergency surgery for a twisted small intestine. He was 53.

Sarah McClendon - Veteran White House reporter and founder of McClendon News Service, who covered presidents from Roosevelt thru Bush (Jr.), who was known for asking "the questions that should have been asked, and she asked questions for people who had no voice" (Helen Thomas), died Jan. 7 in Washington at age 92.

Mario "Motts" Tonelli - Star running back at Notre Dame and later fullback in the NFL for the Cardinals, who played his rookie season in 1940, was drafted in 1941, was captured by the Japanese in WW2 and survived the infamous "Bataan Death March", returning from the war at 90 lbs (from 215 before the war), but amazingly returned to the playing field for the Cardinals in 1945, died on Jan. 7 in Chicago of a parasite infection contracted over 60 years ago during his WW2 ordeal. He was 86 years old.

Mamie Till-Mobley - Civil-rights figure who was the mother of 14-year-old Mississippi lynching victim Emmett Till in 1955 (beaten to death for supposedly whistling at a white woman), who allowed his mutilated body to be viewed and photographed, outraging many Americans at this act of violence and signaling the end of the "Jim Crow" south, and who went on to become a champion for children in poor neighborhoods, died on Jan. 6 in Chicago of kidney failure and cardiac arrest at age 81
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Richard Crenna - Busy and familiar character actor who worked in radio, TV and films beginning at age 10 and worked steadily until just recently, in everything from TV shows including "Our Miss Brooks", "The Real McCoys" and "Judging Amy" to feature films like "Wait Until Dark", "Rambo" and "The Flamingo Kid", died on Jan. 18 of pancreatic cancer in Los Angeles at age 76.

John Mantley - Longtime TV executive producer and writer of such acclaimed TV fare as "Gunsmoke", "The Wild Wild West" and "Buck Rogers", who was also a cousin of actress Mary Pickford, died Jan. 13 heart failure in Sherman Oaks, CA at age 82.

William Russo - Innovative jazz composer and bandleader who lead the groundbreaking Experiment in Jazz band in the 1950s and later the London Jazz Orchestra and Chicago Jazz Ensemble, and who penned such hits for Stan Kenton as "23 Degrees North, 82 Degrees West" and "Frankly Speaking", died of cancer and pneumonia on Jan. 11 in Chicago at age 74.

Richard Simmons - Actor best remembered for starring in the 50's TV series "Sargeant Preston of the Yukon", where he played "Sergeant Frank Preston," a mounted Canadian officer who solved crimes with his horse "Rex" and his Alaskan dog named "Yukon King", died Jan. 11 in Oceanside, CA after a long illness at age 89.

Nell Carter - Actress best known for her role as Nell Harper, the sassy housekeeper on the 80’s sitcom "Gimme A Break", who also was a Tony-winning performer on Broadway in shows like "Ain’t Misbehaving" and her current show "Raisin", collapsed and died on Jan. 23 at her home in Beverly Hills of unknown causes. She was 54

Bill Mauldin - Pulitzer prize-winning WW2 cartoonist who as an Army soldier chronicled World War II reality through his characters Willie & Joe, and who went on to draw classic political cartoons for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Chicago Sun-Times, died Jan. 22 in Newport Beach, CA of Alzheimer’s disease at age 81.

Anthony Eisley - Actor in TV, films and Broadway probably best known for co-starring with Robert Conrad in the TV series "Hawaiian Eye" as Tracy Steele, and countless appearances on TV shows from the 50’s to the 80’s including "Dragnet", "The FBI", "Perry Mason" and "Ironsides", died Jan. 29 in Woodland Hills, CA at age 78

Cliff Norton - Comedian and actor who first came to prominence in a recurring role on the Dave Garraway Show, and who had numerous guest appearances on TV shows like "Bewitched", "The Beverly Hillbillies", "Dr. Kildare" and "Murphy Brown" and movies like "Funny Lady" and "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World", died Jan. 25 of lung cancer in Studio City, CA at age 84.

Robert Rockwell - Actor who appeared in a string of B-movies in the early 50’s but became best known for his roles on TV, most notably as Philip Boynton the shy biology teacher on "Our Miss Brooks", and who appeared on more than 350 television shows over a 50 year period, died Jan. 25 of cancer in Malibu, CA at age 82.

Ramon "Mongo" Santamaria - Grammy-winning, Cuban-born percussionist and bandleader who scored a top 10 hit in 1963 with "Watermelon Man", and was known for his conga rhythms, died Feb. 1 in Miami after several strokes at age 80 or 85
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Richard Nelson - The youngest of the 12 men aboard the Enola Gay, the bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan in WW2, who served as the radio operator and uttered the two-word message "Results excellent" in a message to Harry Truman after the bomb was dropped, died Feb. 1 of emphysema in Riverside, CA at age 77.

Holmes "Daddy-O" Daylie - The first African American to host a regularly scheduled network radio show in Chicago when he joined WMAQ in 1956 playing contemporary jazz and adding his hip patter, died Feb. 6 after a stroke in Chicago at age 82

Kid Gavilan (real name Gerardo Gonzalez) - Cuban-born boxer who was one of the most popular fighters of the 1940’s and 50’s, who won the welterweight title in 1951 and held it for 3 years until losing to Johnny Saxton, and who was one of the first inductees into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, died Feb. 13 of a heart attack in Miami at age 77

Curt Henning - Professional wrestler who wrestled as "Mr. Perfect" in a career spanning 22 years, who was the son of wrestler Larry "The Axe" Hennig and had worked for the WWE but had been appearing as an independent, most recently at a Jimmy Hart All-Star Wrestling event in Florida, was found dead on Feb. 10 in his hotel room in Tampa apparently of natural causes at age 44.

Ron Ziegler - White House press secretary for Richard Nixon, who was only 29 when he took the job in 1969, whose relationship with the press became hostile as the Watergate scandal unfolded, but who was one of only a few close Nixon aides who escaped criminal indictment, died of a heart attack on Feb. 10 in Coronado, CA at age 63

Johnny Paycheck (real name Donald Lytle) - Country singer, guitarist and songwriter best known for his hits "She’s All I Got" from 1971 and "Take This Job and Shove It" from 1977, who spent two years in prison from 1989 to 1991 for shooting a man in the head during bar fight, died Feb. 19 in a Nashville nursing home after suffering severe asthma and emphysema for several years. He was 64.

Eleanor Daley - Wife of late Chicago mayor Richard J. Daley, who was mayor from 1955 until 1976 and who is the mother of current Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley, died Feb. 16 of a stroke in Chicago at age 96.

Fred Rogers - American icon who hosted the public television children’s show "Mister Roger’s Neighborhood" for more than 30 years, who began each show in a set that looked like a comfortable living room singing "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood", and whose message in the show remained simple and consistent, to love yourself and others, died Feb. 27 of stomach cancer in Pittsburgh at age 74.

Walter Scharf - Noted composer and arranger who scored the music for about 250 movies and TV programs including the films "Funny Girl", "White Christmas" and "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and the TV shows "Hawaii Five-0" and "Mission: Impossible", who wrote such classic hits as "Ben" (#1 for Michael Jackson), and earned 10 Oscar nominations for his efforts, died Feb. 24 of heart failure in Brentwood, CA at age 92.

Hank Ballard - Lead singer of Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, best-known for writing and performing the original version of "The Twist" (which later became a monster hit for Chubby Checker), but whose group had top 10 hits both before ("Work With Me Annie") and after ("Finger Poppin' Time", "Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go") "The Twist", and who was inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, died March 2 of throat cancer in Los Angeles at age 76

Horst Buchholz - German actor known for his roles in the late 1950’s playing rebellious teens, who came to Hollywood and scored his first U.S. hit in 1960 as one of "The Magnificent Seven" (only two of the original seven are now living), followed by Billy Wilder’s 1961 movie "One, Two, Three", died March 3 in Berlin from complications of a broken hip at age 69.

George Miller - Standup comedian who made over 100 combined appearances on "The Tonight Show" and "The Late Show with David Letterman", who has been a fixture on the comedy club circuit and a headliner in Las Vegas, died March 5 of leukemia in Los Angeles at age 61.

Lynne Thigpen - Familiar actress best known for two TV roles, as Ella Farmer in the crime drama "The District" and as The Chief in "Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?", who had recurring roles on the TV shows "L.A. Law" and "thirtysomething", among many others and who appeared in numerous films including "Tootsie", "The Insider", "Shaft", "Random Hearts" and the upcoming Adam Sandler film "Anger Management", died suddenly on March 12 in her Los Angeles home (cause is not yet known - she had been in good health) at age 54

Paul Stojanovich - TV producer best known as creator and field producer of the long-running reality show "COPS", who was executive producer of "World's Wildest Police Videos", and who had been made an honorary police officer, was killed on March 15 when he fell off a cliff while hiking (he was posing for a picture and stepped off the cliff) at the age of 47.

Daniel Patrick Moynihan - Influential Democratic U.S. Senator from New York, known as a keen orator, who served four terms from 1977 until retiring in 2001 (Hilary Clinton won the seat he vacated), who was one of the first and most prominent of the neo-conservative Democrats and was one of the most memorable voices in national debates on such issues as national security, Social Security, welfare reform and family matters, died March 26 in Washington, DC from an infection after an appendectomy at the age of 76.

Edwin Starr (real name Charles Hatcher) - R&B singer and producer best known for his Vietnam war protest song "War" which spent 3 weeks at #1 in 1970, but who also had more than a dozen other hit songs including "Agent Double-O-Soul", "Twenty-Five Miles" and "Stop The War Now", died April 2 of a heart attack at his home in Nottingham, England at age 61.

George "Moose" Connor - Hall of Fame NFL offensive and defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears, who was the first of the Bears big, mobile linebackers, and who had been a two-time All American at Notre Dame, died March 31 in Chicago after a long illness at age 78

Ed McCaskey - Longtime executive for the Chicago Bears NFL team, who was married to Virginia Halas (daughter of Bears founder George Halas), who served as chairman of the team after George Halas’ death, and who asked Gale Sayers and Brian Piccolo to be roommates in the early 1960s, making the Bears one of the first NFL teams with interracial roommates, died April 8 in Lake Forest, IL at age 83

Erin Fleming - Groucho Marx's last girlfriend and guardian, who was sued by Marx's family who said she was pushing him into live performances against better judgment (he was reportedly both physically ill and senile at the time), who as an actress had bit parts in films like Woody Allen's "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex", and who was rumored to have spent her last years as a bag lady on Santa Monica Boulevard in L.A., died April 15 in Los Angeles at age 61

Jerry Williams - Boston talk-radio host credited with making the format a force for political change, who started doing issues-oriented talk shows in the 1950’s, died April 29 after a long illness in Boston at age 79

George Wyle - Songwriter and musical director who wrote over 400 songs including the Christmas standard "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" and "The Alphabet Song", but who is best known for his composition of the theme from the TV show "Gilligan’s Island" with Sherwood Schwartz, died May 2 of leukemia in Tarzana, CA at age 87

June Carter Cash - Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, musician, actress and scion of the pioneering Carter Family country singing group, who married singer Johnny Cash in 1968, and recorded numerous hit duets with him including "Jackson", "It Ain’t Me Babe" and "If I Were A Carpenter", and who stuck with Cash through his years of drug use, died May 15 of complications following heart surgery in Nashville at age 73.

Robert Stack - Veteran actor best known to audiences as Eliot Ness, the crimefighter on the popular series "The Untouchables", and the host of the long running show "Unsolved Mysteries", who appeared in dozens of movies including dramas like "Uncommon Valor" and comedies like "Airplane" (an all time favorite) and "Beavis & Butthead Do America", died May 14 of heart failure in Los Angeles at age 84.

Dave DeBusschere - NBA Hall of Famer who coached the Detroit Pistons as a player-coach at age 24, who won championships in 1970 and 1973 as a player for the New York Knicks, who was commissioner of the ABA and later became general manager of the Knicks, and who pitched two seasons for the Chicago White Sox (whew!), died May 14 of a heart attack while walking down a New York street at age 62.

Mickie Most - British music producer said to be responsible for more #1 hits across the globe than any other, who helped break dozens of British acts like the Animals, Lulu, Donovan, Herman’s Hermits, The Sweet, Smokie, Hot Choclolate and Suzi Quatro, in the U.S. and around the world, died May 30 of cancer in London at age 64.

Richard Cusack - Actor, writer, producer and patriarch of the acting Cusack family, which includes his children John, Joan, Ann, Susie and Bill, who appeared in many films over the course of his late-blooming, 20-year acting career, many of which starred his children John ("High Fidelity", "Eight Men Out") and Joan ("My Bodyguard", "Class"), died June 3 of pancreatic cancer in Chicago at age 77.

"Classy" Freddie Blassie - Legendary wrestler and wrestling manager who as a mainstay in the World Wrestling Federation for over 20 years, who went on to manage nearly every villain from the late 70’s to the early 80’s, and who was known for his loud and boastful interviews becoming a favorite talk show guest, died June 2 of heart failure in Hartsdale, NY at age 85.

David Brinkley - Pioneering TV newsman who became a national figure as host of NBC’s "The Huntley-Brinlkey Report" starting in the 1950’s, and who later hosted "This Week With David Brinkley" in a career that lasted more than 60 years in which he won 10 Emmys, three George Foster Peabody Awards and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, died June 11 in Houston from complications from a fall at age 82

Gregory Peck-Peck was best known for roles of dignified statesmen and people who followed a strong code of ethics: a magazine reporter confronting anti-Semitism in "Gentleman's Agreement" (1947, a best picture Oscar winner), a military officer in "The Guns of Navarone" (1961), the president of the United States in "Amazing Grace and Chuck" (1987).
But he also could play against type. He was a conflicted father in the original "Cape Fear" (1962) and a Nazi in "The Boys From Brazil" (1978), the latter against Laurence Olivier's Nazi hunter.
He also gave an air of wondrous bemusement to his reporter in Audrey Hepburn's first major film, "Roman Holiday" (1953), for which Hepburn won an Oscar. In California June 12th at 87.

Hume Cronyn - American character actor on stage and screen, who appeared frequently in productions with his wife, the late Jessica Tandy, who received an Oscar nomination for the 1944 film "Seventh Cross", and who received fresh recognition late in his career for the 1994 film "Cocoon", died June 15 of cancer in Fairfield, CT at age 91.

Larry Doby - Hall of Fame outfielder who was the first black player in the American League (following Jackie Robinson in the National League) when he played with the Cleveland Indians in 1947, who was a seven-time All Star and lead the Indians to a World Series championship in 1948, and who later played for the White Sox and Tigers in a career that spanned 13 years, died June 18 after a long illness in Montclair, NJ at age 79.

Asa Baber - Longtime columnist for Playboy magazine who began writing the "Men" column in 1982, who wrote several novels including "The Land of a Million Elephants", and who served as the national vice-president of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, died the week of June 16 of Lou Gehrig’s disease in Chicago at age 66.

Leon Uris - Best-selling author whose 1958 novel "Exodus" was translated into 50 languages, who is known for his action-filled war stories including "Battle Cry", "Mila 18", "The Third Temple" and "The Haj", and who wrote the screenplay for the 1957 blockbuster "Gunfight at the OK Corral", died June 21 of heart & kidney failure at his home on New York's Shelter Island at age 78.

Maynard Jackson - The first black mayor of a major Southern city, who was elected mayor of Atlanta in 1973 and served until 1981, and again from 1989 through 1993, who transformed the politics in Atlanta and America by forcing the white business elite to hire minority-owned contractors, died June 23 in Arlington, VA after collapsing at the Washington, DC airport. He was 65.

Lester Maddox - Pro-segregation governor of Georgia from 1967 to 1971, known for his outrageously racist behavior like refusing to close the Capitol for the funeral of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and using pick handles and a gun to chase blacks away from his fried chicken restaurant, and who never backed down from his convictions, even after other hard-line Southern governors apologized, died June 25 in Atlanta of pneumonia developed after suffering a fall two weeks prior. He was 87

Strom Thurmond - South Carolina Senator who won his first election in 1928, who was the longest-serving and oldest U.S. Senator in history, serving 48 years and retiring in 2003, who ran for president in 1948 on the anti-civil rights Dixiecrat party ticket, but whose racial politics changed over the years and he became the first southern senator to hire a black aide, died June 26 in Edgefield, SC at age 100.

Buddy Hackett - Rubbery-faced comic who was one of the U.S.’s top nightclub acts over the last 50 years, who was a regular performer on TV talks shows from Jack Paar in the 50’s to Craig Kilborn in the 00’s (?), who had memorable roles in numerous films like "The Music Man", "The Love Bug" and "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World", and who once was invited to replace Curly in The Three Stooges but declined to pursue his own comedy style, was found dead on June 30 at his beach house in Southern California of as of yet unknown causes at age 78
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Katharine Hepburn - Legendary screen actress, named by AFI in 1999 as the top female American screen legend, who won a record setting four Oscars ("Morning Glory" (1933), "Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner" (1967), "A Lion In Winter" (1968), "On Golden Pond" (1981)), and received overall 12 nominations, also a record, who created so many memorable roles including Rosie in "The African Queen", Tracy Lord in "Philadelphia Story" and Pam Pemberton in "Pat and Mike", and who worked consistently from 1932 until the mid 1990’s, died June 29 at her home in Old Saybrook, CT at age 96

Herbie Mann - Jazz flutist who popularized the flute as a jazz instrument, who helped usher in the Bossa Nova craze in the early 60’s, but who had his greatest pop success during the disco days of the 70’s with hits like "Hijack" and "Superman", died July 1 of prostate cancer in Pecos, NM at age 73

Barry White - Velvet-voiced R&B singer whose signature sensuous baritone voice created some of the most romantic songs of the last 30 years, including the monster hits "Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe" (#1), "You’re The First, The Last, My Everything" (#2) and "I’m Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby" (#3), died July 4 in Los Angeles of kidney failure at age 58.

Clyde "Skip" Battin - Bass player and singer who is best known as half of the late 50’s pop duo Skip & Flip who had a pair of hits "It Was I" and "Cherry Pie", who was a member of the Byrds from 1969 to 1972, and who also appeared with the Flying Burrito Brothers and New Riders of the Purple Sage, died July 6 in Edmonton, Alberta of Alzheimer’s complications at age 69.

Buddy Ebsen - Broadway dancer who starred in several movie musicals in the 1930’s including "Captain January" with Shirley Temple, and who was originally cast as the Tin Man in the 1939 film "Wizard of Oz" but bowed out due to illness (allergic reaction to the aluminum makeup), but who is best known to TV audiences as Jed Clampett in the 1960’s TV show "The Beverly Hillbillies", one of the highest rated TV shows in history, and as TV detective "Barnaby Jones" in the 1970’s, died July 6 of respiratory failure in Torrence, CA at age 95.

Benny Carter - One of the most important figures in 20th century jazz, whose career as an arranger, composer, bandleader and top alto sax player was remarkable for both its length and its consistently high musical achievement, who helped to lay the foundation for the swing era of the late 1930's and early 40's, whose biggest hit was 1943’s "Cow-Cow Boogie" (sung by Ella Mae Morse), and who composed the classics "Blues in My Heart", "When Lights Are Low" and "Blue Star", died July 12 in Los Angeles at age 95.

Eliot Wald - Television and film producer and writer best known for coming up with the idea of pairing film critics Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel for the show "Sneak Previews" on PBS in 1975, who went on to write for TV’s "Saturday Night Live", and who was screenwriter for movie comedies like "Hot Paint", "Camp Nowhere" and "Down Periscope", died July 12 of liver cancer in Los Angeles at age 57.

Jane Barbe - Woman known as the "voice of America", who was the person employed by telecommunications companies around the globe to record those familiar telephone messages such as "Please check the number and dial again" and "All circuits are busy", and who also announced the time and temperature for many services across the country, died July 21 of cancer in Roswell, GA at age 74.

Bob Hope - Legendary comedian and entertainer (what can you say about Bob Hope), whose career covered almost every example of mass entertainment of the 20th century, from vaudeville, to Broadway, to radio, to films, to TV specials, who was the master of the one-liner joke, whose career in entertainment earned him the monikers "Mr. Entertainment" and "The King of Comedy", but who is probably best remembered for entertaining U.S. troops, and risking his own life to put on shows during World War II, Korea, Vietnam and 1991 Persian Gulf War, died July 27 of pneumonia at his home in Toluca Lake, CA just two months after his 100th birthday.

Sam Phillips - Founder of the legendary Sun Recording Studio in Memphis, who was best known for signing Elvis Presley to his first recording contract in 1953, but who also brought the sounds of Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and dozens of blues and R&B recordings to the ears of the world, and who was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of fame, died July 30 of respiratory failure in Memphis at age 80.

Gregory Hines - Dancer & actor who has been called the best tap dancer of his generation, who made a name for himself dancing on Broadway with his brother Maurice in shows like "Eubie!" and "Sophisticated Ladies", who moved to movies in the 1980’s, starring is films like "The Cotton Club", "Taps", "White Nights", "Running Scarred" and "Waiting to Exhale", who starred in his own TV show "The Gregory Hines Show" in 1997, and who won both Tony Awards for his Broadway work and an Emmy Award for TV, died August 9 of bile duct cancer in Los Angeles at age 57.

Idi Amin - Military dictator who ruled the African country of Uganda from 1971 to 1979, whose reign was characterized as "a reign of terror laced with buffoonery", who is said to have murdered up to 500,000 of his real and imagined enemies, whose actions in business sent the country into economic chaos, who called Hitler a hero, who named himself Dada or "Big Daddy" and declared himself "president for life", but who was overthrown by the Tanzanian troops in 1979, only to be exiled into a life of luxury in Saudi Arabia, died August 15 in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia of kidney failure at age 80.

Bobby Bonds - Major league outfielder who played 14 seasons with 8 ball clubs, who had the most and best years with the San Francisco Giants, who was one of the first baseball players to combine home-run power with base-stealing speed, who became the fourth player ever to hit 30 homers and steal 30 bases in the same season, and the first player to do it twice, and who is the father of baseball superstar Barry Bonds, died August 23 of brain and lung cancer in San Francisco at age 57.

John Lansdale - Chief of security for the Manhattan Project, who was involved with the decision to appoint J. Robert Oppenheimer to lead the scientific team for the atomic bomb project, and who developed the Alsos Mission which investigated, located and removed the products of a German atomic bomb project at the end of WW2, died August 22 in Harwood, MD at age 91.

SEPTEMBER

Charles Bronson - Actor who made a name for himself by playing a hard-faced action stars, most notably in the popular "Death Wish" movies in the 1970’s and 80’s, who was just as popular if not more in Europe than the U.S., who had early roles in classic films like "Pat and Mike", "You’re in the Navy Now" and "The House of Wax", died August 30 of pneumonia in Los Angeles at age 81 .

Gisele MacKenzie - Singer and actress known as 'Canada's First Lady of Song', who rose to prominence in the U.S. in the 1950's on "Your Hit Parade", singing covers of the most popular songs of the week, who had her own musical variety show on NBC in 1957 and later became a regular on "The Sid Caesar Show", and who recorded a top 5 hit of her own in 1955 with "Hard To Get", died September 5 of colon cancer in Burbank, CA at age 76.

Johnny Cash - Considered by many to be the greatest country singer in history and certainly the most-widely recognized voice in country music, known for dozens of hit records, both pop and country, like "Ring of Fire", "I Walk The Line", "A Boy Named Sue", "Ballad of A Teenage Queen" and "Folsom Prison Blues", who won 11 Grammy awards and reached cultural icon status, who was nicknamed "The Man In Black" at the Grand Ole Opry in the 50's for his black attire that he chose to wear to distinguish himself from the rhinestone-studded clothing of the day, who hosted his own TV show "The Johnny Cash Show" from 1969 to 1971, who battled drug addiction off and on for many years, and who was married to country singer June Carter , died Sept. 12 in Nashville of diabetes complications at age 71.

Larry Hovis - Actor and comedian best known for his role as Sgt. Carter on the long-running TV show "Hogan's Heroes", who was also a regular on "Gomer Pyle USMC" and "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In", and who guested on numerous game shows during the 1970's including "Match Game" and "The Liars Club", died Sept. 9 of cancer in San Marcos, TX at age 67.

Leni Riefenstahl - German filmmaker known for her quest for adventure and the portrayals of physical beauty in her films, who was renowned as well as despised for the four propaganda films she made for Adolph Hitler, including "Triumph of the Will" and "Olympia", who was tried and cleared of being a Nazi collaborator after the war, but suspicions were too great and she was boycotted as a film director thereafter and sank into poverty, and who reclaimed a new career as a photographer in the 1960's and continued working until recently, died Sept. 8 in her sleep in Poecking, Bavaria at age 101

John Ritter - Emmy Award-winning comedic actor known best for his role as Jack Tripper in the TV series "Three's Company" in the 70's and 80's, who has worked consistently on TV since in shows like "Hooperman", "Hearts Afire", "Clifford the Big Red Dog" and his current series "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter", who showed his serious acting on the big screen in films like "Sling Blade", "Panic", "Tadpole", "Skin Deep" (who can forget the glowing condom scene) and the upcoming movies "Manhood" and "Bad Santa", and who was the son of country music star Tex Ritter, collapsed and died of an aortic dissection while on the set of his TV series on Sept. 11 in Burbank, CA. He was 54 years old.

Warren Zevon - Witty singer and songwriter best known for his 1978 album "Excitable Boy" and hit single "Werewolves of London", whose style ranged from hard-driving rock to folk, whose songs have been recorded by numerous music giants including Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Linda Ronstadt, and whose yearlong struggle with lung cancer leading to the recently released album "The Wind" were well-covered media events, succumbed to the disease on Sept. 6 in Los Angeles at age 56.

Marshall Caifano - Mobster who was a high-ranking member of the Chicago Outfit organized crime family who was a reputed hit man, bank robber and bookmaker, and had been questioned many times about gangland murders and shootings, and who was one of the last two surviving charter members of the List of Excluded Persons, Nevada's list of unsavory types barred from its casinos first published in 1960, died Sept. 6 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL of natural causes at age 92.

Edward Teller - Esteemed U.S. scientist and member of the Manhattan Project that created the first atomic bomb, who later headed the project to create the more destructive hydrogen bomb, earning him the moniker "father of the H-bomb", who was a tireless advocate over the years for a vigorous defense policy, promoting the anti-missile shield known as "Star Wars", and who received numerous honors including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Albert Einstein Award, the Enrico Fermi Award and the National Medal of Science, died Sept. 9 in Palo Alto, CA at age 95.

Sheb Wooley - Singer, songwriter and actor best known for his gigantic novelty hit from 1958 "The Purple People Eater" (6 weeks at #1), who acted in more than 60 films including "High Noon", "Giant" and "Hoosiers", who appeared as Pete Nolan in the TV series "Rawhide" and who had several more hit songs with parodies recorded as Ben Colder (like 1962's "Don't Go Near the Eskimos" - a parody of "Don't Go Near the Indians"), died Sept. 16 of leukemia in Nashville at age 82.

Garner Ted Armstrong - Controversial TV evangelist who hosted the "World Tomorrow" program on TV and radio for many years, who wrote dozen of articles and booklets on world, social, economic and religious conditions, who was known as much for his moral lapses as for his intense preaching (he had been charged over the years with fathering one or more illegitimate children, philandering, gambling and sexual abuse of students at Ambassador College), and who was ex-communicated from the Worldwide Church of God by his father, Herbert W. Armstrong, in 1978, only to start his own ministry, the Church of God International, died Sept. 15 of pneumonia in Tyler, TX at age 73.

Gordon Jump - Familiar TV actor best known for his role as Arthur Carlson in "WKRP in Cincinnati" from 1978 until 1982, who also appeared in shows like "Daniel Boone", "Get Smart" and "The Partridge Family", and who the Maytag repairman in ads that ran from 1989 until he retired earlier in 2003, died Sept. 22 of respiratory failure in Los Angeles at age 71

Robert Palmer - Stylish British rocker who became known for his slick videos like "Addicted to Love" featuring blank faced mini-skirted fashion models in white makeup dancing and playing guitar behind the sharp-dressed Palmer, and who developed a signature sound in the 1980's that was a combination of rock, rhythm and blues, and reggae and included big worldwide hits like "Simply Irresistible", "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On" and "Every Kinda People", died Sept. 26 of a heart attack while traveling in Paris at age 54.

George Plimpton - Self-deprecating author and "participatory" journalist, who wrote about his experiences playing football with the Detroit Lions, sailing with John Kennedy, playing tennis with former President Bush, and acting in movies and TV, in books like "Paper Lion", "Bogey Man", "Out of My League" and "Shadow Box", who seemed to know everybody, athletes, actors, musicians, statesmen, and who founded and published The Paris Review, a periodical dedicated to breaking emerging authors, including Philip Roth and Jack Kerouac, died Sept. 25 of a likely heart attack in his New York apartment at age 76.

Elia Kazan - Oscar-winning director of classic films like "On the Waterfront", "A Streetcar Named Desire", "Gentleman's Agreement", "East of Eden" and "Splendor In the Grass", whose career was blemished by his testimony before the House Committee on Un-American Activities, where he identified eight entertainment figures as communists, all of whom were later blacklisted, and who later had a successful career as a best-selling novelist, died Sept. 28 in New York City at age 94.

Donald O'Connor - Dancer, singer, actor and entertainer who started as a child actor, but who was best known for his dance scenes with Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds in the classic movie musical "Singin' In the Rain" and his starring role in the musical "Make 'Em Laugh", who also starred in the string of "Francis the Talking Mule" comedies in the 40's and 50's, died Sept. 27 of heart failure in Calabasas, CA at age 78.

Althea Gibson - Legendary women's tennis player who dominated the sport in the mid to late 1950's, winning 11 Grand Slam titles including Wimbledon, the French Open and the U.S. Open during that period, who was the first African-American woman to be ranked No. 1 and the first to win Wimbledon, and who helped pave the way for many other African-American sports stars, died Sept. 28 of respiratory failure in East Orange, NJ at age 76.

Robert Kardashian - Los Angeles attorney and key figure in the O.J. Simpson trial as part of the legal "dream team", who was a close friend of Simpson prior to the murders and was seen carrying away a garment bag from Simpson's estate the day after the double slaying (he never told anyone what was in the bag citing attorney-client privilege), but who later had a falling out with Simpson about the book and miniseries that were produced about the trial, died Sept. 30 of esophageal cancer in Los Angeles at age 59
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Florence Stanley - Gravely-voiced stage and TV actress best known as Bernice, the wife of Detective Phil Fish (Abe Vigoda) on "Barney Miller", who also had regular roles on "My Two Dads" and "Nurse", and who appeared in films like "Outrageous Fortune", "Up the Down Staircase" and "Atlantis: The Lost Empire", died Oct. 3 from complications of a stroke in Los Angeles at age 79

Bob Thomson - Host of the long-running PBS how-to television series "The Victory Garden" from 1979 to 1991, who showed people not only how to grow vegetables and flowers, but also how to do landscape gardening, died Oct. 2 in Topsfield, MA from the effects of Alzheimer's disease at age 74.

Stu Hart - Patriarch of Canada's famous wrestling family, that includes sons Bret "Hitman" Hart and the late Owen Hart and his late son-in-law Davey Boy Smith, who founded Stampede Wrestling to promote wrestling in Canada, who was a renowned trainer who helped launch the careers of dozens of grapplers, including Andre the Giant, the British Bulldogs, and the Junk Yard Dog, and who is a member of Canada's Wrestling Hall of Fame, died Oct. 16 in Calgary, Alberta of pneumonia (which developed from an elbow infection) at the age of 88.

Michael Hegstrand (aka Road Warrior Hawk) - Professional wrestler best known as part of the legendary and dynamic tag team duo Road Warriors with Road Warrior Animal (Joe Laurinatis), who won many championships including two WWE Tag Team Champions, two WCW Tag Team Champions, and numerous championship reigns in the NWA and the AWA, and who were considered one of the most influential and revolutionary wrestling teams of all time, was found dead on Oct. 11 of undetermined causes (likely heart failure) in Tampa, FL at age 46

Willie Shoemaker - One of the greatest jockeys in thoroughbred racing history, who racked up an astounding 8,883 victories in 40,350 races from 1949 to 1990, who won the Kentucky Derby four times, including in 1986 on Ferdinand as the oldest jockey to win the Derby, and who was paralyzed from the neck down in a car accident in 1991, but remained in the field as a highly respected trainer, died Oct. 12 in his sleep at his home in San Marino, CA at age 72.

Joan Kroc - Widow of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc, who remained the largest single stockholder of McDonald's Corp., with a fortune estimated at $1.2 billion, who assumed control of the San Diego Padres baseball team at Kroc's death in 1984 and prevented it from being relocated to Washington, DC (she sold her interest in the team in 1990), and who donated hundreds of millions of dollars to philanthropic causes, died Oct. 12 of brain cancer in Rancho Santa Fe, CA at age 75.

Fred Berry - Actor, dancer and comedian best known for playing the beret-wearing, suspender-clad teen known as Rerun on the 1970s sitcom "What's Happening!!" and later "What's Happening Now", who was never able to shake the role and continued to appear in the Rerun getup into his 50's, who became a Baptist minister in the 1980s, and who was married six times, died in his sleep on Oct. 21 or 22 in Los Angeles of undetermined causes (he had recently had a stroke) at age 52.

John O'Brien - Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for the Chicago Tribune who covered several crime stories including the Tylenol murders, the John Wayne Gacy killings and heiress Helen Brach's disappearance, and who authored several books including "Getting Away With Murder", died Oct. 18 of cancer in Skokie, IL at age 66.

Rod Roddy - TV announcer best known for his shout of "Come on down!" for nearly 20 years on "The Price Is Right" (he replaced the legendary Johnny Olsen when he died in 1985), who got his start as the announcer on "Soap" during the 1970's and who also announced on other game shows like "Love Connection", "Family Feud" and "Press Your Luck", died Oct 27 in Century City, CA of colon and breast cancer at age 66.

Bobby Hatfield - Half of the blue-eyed soul duo the Righteous Brothers, with partner Bill Medley, who were one of the top recording artists of the 1960's, scoring big hits with "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling", "(You're My) Soul & Inspriation" and "Unchained Melody", was found dead on Nov. 5 in his hotel room of a heart attack, just before a show in Kalamazoo, MI at age 63 .

Walter Trohan - Eminent American journalist who was a Chicago Tribune reporter and Washington, DC bureau chief, who covered the nation's capital for more than three decades, who was a commentator on WGN Radio for many years and who was president of the White House Correspondents Association in 1937-38, died Oct. 30 in Washington, DC at age 100.He was a graduate of Chicago's Bowen High School on the south-east side. The same school as your humble columnist.

Art Carney - Oscar and Emmy winning actor best known for his role as sewer worker Ed Norton, sidekick to Jackie Gleason in the 1950's TV series "The Honeymooners", but who was also known for his movie roles including the Oscar-winning role in 1974's "Harry and Tonto" as well as other films like "The Late Show", "Sunburn", "Roadie" and "Last Action Hero", died Nov. 9 in Chester, CT of undisclosed causes at age 85.

Irv Kupcinet - Legendary gossip columnist, who wrote about celebrities for the Chicago Sun-Times for over 60 years, who became a television personality on the Emmy-winning "At Random" interview show, who played one season in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1935 and even broadcast several games for the Chicago Bears, and whose daughter Karyn was murdered in Nov. 1963 in a case that's never been solved and has been the subject much conjecture in relation to the JFK assassination, died Nov. 10 in Chicago at age 91.
Penny Singleton - Actress best known for the 28 films she made playing "Blondie", based on the popular Chic Young comic strip about the misadventures of a small town family, which also starred Arthur Lake (died 1987) as Dagwood Bumstead, and who later became the voice of Jane Jetson in the television cartoon series "The Jetsons", died Nov. 12 in Los Angeles at age 95.

Lloyd Pettit - Radio and TV play-by-play announcer for the NHL Chicago Blackhawks from 1961 until 1975, who co-owned the Milwaukee Admirals AHL team, who with his wife Jane Bradley, donated the money to build Milwaukee's Bradley Center, which hosts the Admirals, and Milwaukee Bucks and Marquette University basketball games, and who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1986, died Nov. 11 in Milwaukee at age 76
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Jonathan Brandis - Actor who began appearing in films and TV at the age of 5, and as a child appeared in films like "Fatal Attraction", "Lady Bugs" and "Stephen King's 'It'", who is probably best known as star of the TV series "SeaQuest DSV", which propelled him to cover boy status in numerous teen magazines, and who recently starred in the 2002 film "The Year That Trembled", died on Nov. 12 at a Los Angeles hospital after attempting suicide by hanging on Nov. 11. He was 27 years old.

Don Gibson - Legendary country singer and songwriter who scored 82 hits singles on the country charts from 1956 to 1980, including #1's like "Oh Lonesome Me", "Woman (Sensuous Woman)", "Blue Blue Day" and "Just One Time", who wrote the country standards "Sweet Dreams" (the Patsy Cline hit) and "I Can't Stop Loving You" (the Ray Charles hit), and who was known as "the sad poet" because of the solitude and sadness in his lyrics, died Nov. 17 in Nashville of natural causes at age 75.

Gene Anthony Ray - Dancer and actor best known for his role as Leroy in both the movie and TV show "Fame", who also appeared in the films "Out-of-Sync" and "Eddie", and who had been living in Europe for a number of years, died Nov. 14 in New York City after a stroke (he was HIV positive) at age 41.

Earl Battey - Four-time All Star catcher who played 13 years in the major leagues with the White Sox, Senators and Twins, who played on the Twins' 1965 American League championship team, and who in 2000 was chosen the catcher on the Twins' all-time 40th anniversary team, died Nov. 15 of cancer in Ocala, FL at age 68.

Teddy Randazzo - Singer, songwriter and accordionist who was a member of the Three Chuckles on their 1954 top 20 hit "Runaround", who later scored several hits of his own including 1960's "The Way of a Clown", but who is best known as a songwriter with writing partner Bobby Weinstein, writing the classics "Goin' Out of My Head", "I'm on the Outside Looking In" and "Hurt So Bad" for Little Anthony & the Imperials and "It's Gonna Take A Miracle" for the Royalettes, and over 600 other songs recorded by numerous artists, died Nov. 21 in Orlando, FL of undetermined causes (possible heart attack) at age 68.

Warren Spahn - Hall of Fame baseball pitcher who is fifth on the all-time wins list with 363, who played for 21 seasons from 1942 until 1965 nearly all for the Braves, both in Boston and Milwaukee, who won 20 games in a season an astounding 13 times in his career, who was an All Star 14 times and who hold records for most years leading the league in victories (8) and complete games (9), most victories (363), lifetime complete games (382), innings pitched (5,243) and shutouts (63) for a left-handed pitcher, and most career home runs (35) for a pitcher, died Nov. 23 in Broken Arrow, OK at age 82.

David Hemmings - British actor who attained international stardom as the existential fashion photographer in the 1966 film "Blow Up", who appeared in dozens of movies over the years including the notable films "Barbarella" (as Dildano), Oscar winner "Gladiator", "Gangs of New York" and 2003's "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen", collapsed and died of a heart attack on Dec. 3 on the set of the film "Samantha's Child", filming in Romania. He was 62 years old.

Gertrude Ederle - Legendary American swimmer who in 1926 became the first woman to swim the English Channel, swimming from Cape Griz-Nez, France, to Kingsdown, England in 14 hours and 30 minutes (2 hours faster than any of the five men who had swum it before her), and who became a celebrity in both England and America because of her feat, died Nov. 30 in Wyckoff, NJ at age 98

Terry Lester - Actor best known for his roles in the soap operas "The Young & the Restless" (as Jack Abbott), "Santa Barbara" (as Mason Capwell) and "As The World Turns" (as Royce Keller), who appeared in prime time television in shows like "Star Trek Voyager", "JAG", "Dallas" and "Diagnosis Murder", died Nov. 28 in California at age 53

Paul Simon - U.S. Senator and Congressman from Illinois, known for his trademark bow tie and straightforward style, who served two terms in the Senate and five in Congress in a political career that spanned 40 years, who was a moderate liberal who was the chief Democratic sponsor of the balanced budget amendment while in the Senate, and who ran an unsuccessful campaign bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988, died Dec. 9 in Springfield, IL after heart surgery at age 75.

Jeanne Crain - Movie star from the 1940's and 50's who starred in mostly lightweight comedies and romances like "Margie" and "An Apartment for Peggy", who garnered an Oscar nomination for her role in the controversial 1949 film "Pinky" where she played a black girl passing for white, and who appeared opposite such stars as Frank Sinatra, Kirk Douglas and William Holden, died Dec. 14 of a heart attack at her home in Santa Barbara, CA at age 78.

Bill Deal - Leader and keyboardist of the late 1960's brassy-rock band Bill Deal & the Rhondels, who scored several top 40 hits including "May I", "I've Been Hurt" and "What Kind of Fool Do You Think I Am", and who was a longtime favorite in the Virginia Beach music scene, died Dec. 10 in Portsmouth, VA of a heart attack at age 59.

Steve Kaplan - Award-winning composer whose credits include the themes from the game shows "Jeopardy" and "Wheel of Fortune", who was awarded the Film and Television Award for Most Performed Theme by ASCAP, was killed in a plane crash on Dec. 14 in Claremont, CA at age 45. The plane crashed into a home in Claremont also killing the pilot. The family was home at the time of the crash but in a different part of the house.

Keiko - Killer whale who came to fame as star of the "Free Willy" movies during the 1990's, on whom more than $20 million was spent to teach him to re-adapt to living in the wild after a life in captivity, who was released into the ocean from Iceland in 2002 and swam to Norway where his handlers believed he was searching for human companionship, and who did eventually adapt to living in the wild, died Dec. 12 from pneumonia in the Norwegian coastal waters at age 27.

Hope Lange - 1950's movie star who had leading dramatic roles in films like "Bus Stop", "The Best of Everything" and "The Young Lions", who earned an Oscar nomination for her role as Selena Cross in "Peyton Place", who went on to a hugely successful TV career including a starring role in the series "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir", and whose more recent films include "Blue Velvet", "Clear and Present Danger" and "Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddie's Revenge" (she had to eat, okay?), died Dec. 19 in Santa Monica, CA of an intestinal infection at age 70.

Madlyn Rhue - Prolific television actress who appeared in nearly 100 different TV shows beginning with westerns in the 1950's like "Have Gun, Will Travel" and "Gunsmoke", and popular series in the 60's and 70's like "Perry Mason", "Man From U.N.C.L.E.", "Mission: Impossible" and "Fantasy Island", who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1977 but continued to act from her wheelchair, including a recurring role as Jean O'Neill in "Murder She Wrote", succumbed to the disease on Dec. 16 in Woodland Hills, CA at age 68.

Les Tremayne - Actor on radio and in film who specialized in science fiction movies during the 1950's including a starring role as General Mann in the 1953 classic "War of the Worlds", who appeared in films like "The Monolith Monsters", "The Slime People", "Creature of Destruction" and "North By Northwest" (okay, not a SF film), who made guest appearances in dozens of TV shows during the 50's and 60's and who became an in-demand voiceover actor during the 1980's in cartoons like "The Smurfs", "Jonny Quest" and "The GoBots", died Dec. 19 in Los Angeles at age 90

Otto Graham - Hall of Fame quarterback who helped the Cleveland Browns to become the first NFL dynasty by leading them to 10 championship games in the 10 seasons he played for them from 1946 to 1955, who was known as "Automatic Otto" for never missing a game as a pro, and who compiled an astonishing regular season record of 105-17-4 during his career, died Dec. 17 of a heart aneurysm in Sarasota, FL at age 82

Keith Magnuson - NHL defenseman who played from 1969 to 1980 for the Chicago Blackhawks, among whose 589 NHL games included 69 playoff games, who coached the team from 1980-82 and had a record of 49-57-26, and who was selected as a member of the Blackhawks' 75th anniversary all-star team in 2001, was killed in a car accident on Dec. 13 in Toronto at age 56.

Irvin Favre - Father of football superstar Brett Favre, who coached his son in high school and was his biggest fan, died Dec. 21 in Kiln, MS of a heart attack or stroke while driving. He was 58 years old.

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Due to a publishing deadline this list runs through December 25th.
This is the longest list of it's kind I have ever run and in reality it is still very short. An interesting fact I learned while researching is that long dead Elvis Presley earned 40 million dollars in 2003 making him the biggest earner of all dead celebrities for the third year in a row. Not bad for a guy who only made it to the ripe young age of 42.
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