JERRY VAN DYKE - January 5

Actor. comedian, musician.
Starred in the TV series My Mother The Car
and later co-starred on Coach.
(Age: 86.)
________________________________________

DAN GURNEY - January 14

Race car driver (1960s).
(Age: 86.)
________________________________________

HUGH WILSON - January 14

(Same day as Dan Gurney.)
TV producer who created WKRP Cincinati.
(Age: 74.)
________________________________________

BRADFORD DILLMAN - January 16

Actor.
(Age: 87.)
________________________________________

DOROTHY MALONE - January 19

Actress.
(Age: 93.)
________________________________________

URSULA LE GUIN - January 22

Sci-Fi fantasy writer.
(Age: 88.)
________________________________________

MORT WALKER - January 27

Syndicated comic strip artist (Hi And Lois).
(Age: 94.)
________________________________________

JOHN MAHONEY - February 4

TV actor. (Played the dad on Frasier.)
(Age: 77.)
_________________________________________

JOHN GAVIN - February 9

One of the kings of cheesy moEvangelist. vies.
(Age: 86.)
_________________________________________

VIC DAMONE - February 11

Singer and actor.
(Age: 89.)
_________________________________________

BILLY GRAHAM - February 21

No relation to Billy Sunday.
Evangelist.
(Age: 99.)
_________________________________________

NANETTE FABRAY - February 22

(Day after Billy Graham.)
No, no, Nanette - you will not continue living.
Actress.
(Age: 97.)
_________________________________________

DAVID OGDEN STIERS - March 3

Actor. (Played snooty Charles on MASH.)
(Age: 75.)
_________________________________________

STEPHEN HAWKING - March 14

Theoretical physicist and cosmologist. (Astronomy stuff.)
(Age: 76.)
_________________________________________

STEVEN BOCHCO - April 1

TV producer.
Happy April Fools Day - you're dead!
(Age: 74.)
_________________________________________

CHUCK MCCANN - April 8

Comedy actor.
(Age: 83.)
_________________________________________

MILOS FORMAN - April 13

Film director.
(Age: 86.)
_________________________________________

HARRY ANDERSON - April 16

TV actor. A recurring role on Cheers led to starring in Night Court, and Dave's World.
(Age: 65.)
_________________________________________

BARBARA BUSH - April 17

(Day after Harry Anderson.)
Former First Lady of the United States (George Bush Sr.).
(Age: 92.)
_________________________________________

VERNE TROYER - April 21

Comedy actor.
(Age: 49.)
_________________________________________

GEORGE DEUKMEJIAN - May 8

This time "the duck" forgot to duck.
(Politician: 35th Governor of California
January 8, 1979 – January 3, 1983).
(Age: 89.)
_________________________________________

MARGOT KIDDER - May 13

Actress.
(Age: 69.)
_________________________________________

TOM WOLFE - May 14

(Day after Margot Kidder.)
Author and journalist.
(Age: 88.)
_________________________________________

JOSEPH CAMPANELLA - May 16

Actor.
(Age: 93.)
_________________________________________

CLINT WALKER - May 21

Actor and star of the classic 1950s TV western Cheyenne.
(Age: 90.)
_________________________________________

PHILIP ROTH - May 22

(Day after Clint Walker.)
Author who wrote Goodbye Columbus, Portnoy's
Complaint, and several other best-sellers.
(Age: 85.)
_________________________________________

D.J. FONTANA - June 13

Musician best known as the drummer
for Elvis Presley for 14 years.
(Age: 87.)
_________________________________________

HARLAN ELLISON - June 28

Writer and social critic, whose works include The Glass Teat.
(Age: 84.)
_________________________________________

STEVE DITKO - June 29

(Day after Harlan Ellison.)
Comic-book artist and writer.
Co-created with Stan Lee the characters
Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and many
1950s classic monster characters.
Also worked for Charlton and DC.
(Age: 90.)
_________________________________________

TAB HUNTER - July 8

Actor and singer.
(Age: 86.)
_________________________________________

CHARLOTTE RAE - August 5

Actress who starred in TV's The Facts Of Life.
(Age: 92.)
_________________________________________

ARETHA FRANKLIN - August 16

The Queen Of Soul.
Singer of many Motown hits, including the classic Respect.
(Age: 76.)
_________________________________________

BARBARA HARRIS - August 21

Actress. ( A Thousand Clowns, The North Avenue Irregulars,
Plaza Suite, Nashville, Movie Movie, Family Plot,
Freaky Friday, and Peggy Sue Got Married.)
(Age: 83.)
_________________________________________

ROBIN LEACH - August 24

TV host of The Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous.
(Age: 76.)
_________________________________________

JOHN MCCAIN - August 25

(Day after Robin Leach.)
Senator and former Presidential candidate.
(Age: 81.)
_________________________________________

NEIL SIMON - August 26

(Day after John McCain.)
Playright whose work included The Odd Couple.
(Age: 91.)
_________________________________________

WILL JORDAN - September 6

Actor and celebrity impressionist, mainly known for his
steller performances as TV variety show host Ed Sullivan.
(Age: 91. C.O.D.: Stroke.)
_________________________________________

BURT REYNOLDS - September 6

(Same day as Will Jordan.)
Actor who starred in many 1970s and '80s hit films,
notably Deliverance, Canonball Run,
and Smokey And The Bandit.
(Age: 82. C.O.D.: Heart attack.)
_________________________________________

PETER DONAT - September 10

(No relation to Robert Donat, star of Goodbye Mr. Chips.)
This actor's resume includs The Godfather: Part II,
The China Syndrome, and The X-Files.
(Age: 90.)
_________________________________________

MARTY BALIN - September 27

Rock musician and singer (Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship).
(Age: 76. C.O.D.: Unknown causes.)
_________________________________________

OTIS RUSH - September 29

Great blues guitarist and singer ("All Your Love,"
"I Can't Quit You Baby," and "Double Trouble").
(Age: 83. C.O.D.: Stroke.)
_________________________________________

CHARLES AZNAVOUR - October 1

French-Armenian singer ("La Bohème", "She"),
lyricist and actor (Shoot the Piano Player).
(Age: 94. C.O.D.: Lung trouble.)
_________________________________________

JAMES KAREN - October 23

Great character actor (All The President's Men, Poltergeist,
The Return Of The Living Dead, Invaders From Mars [remake]).
(Age: 94. C.O.D.: Heart attack.)
_________________________________________

JIMMY FARRAR - October 24

(Day after James Karen and same day as Tony Joe White.)
Rock singer (Molly Hatchet, Gator Country).
(Age: 67. C.O.D.: Heart attack.)
________________________________________

TONY JOE WHITE - October 24

(Day after James Karen and same day as Jimmy Farrar.)
Singer-songwriter ("Polk Salad Annie", "Rainy Night in Georgia").
(Age: 75. C.O.D.: Heart attack.)
________________________________________

WHITEY BULGER - October 30

Gangster (Winter Hill Gang) and convicted murderer.
Life story featured in Black Mass starring Johnny Depp.
(Age: 89. C.O.D.: Prison attack.)
________________________________________

WILLIE MCCOVEY - October 31

(Day after Whitey Bulger.)
Hall of Fame baseball player
(San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres).
Happy Halloween - you're dead!
(Age: 80. C.O.D.: Infection.)
________________________________________

SONDRA LOCKE - November 3

Actress (The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter, The Outlaw Josey Wales, Sudden Impact).
(Age: 74. C.O.D.: Cancer.)
________________________________________

STAN LEE - November 12

Comic book writer and editor (Marvel Comics).
(Age: 95. C.O.D.: Heart and respiratory failure.)
________________________________________

MICHELE CAREY - November 21

Actress (El Dorado, Live A Little Love A Little).
(Age: 75.)
________________________________________

NICOLAS ROEG - November 22

British film director (Don't Look Now, The Man Who Fell to Earth) and cinematographer (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum).
(Age: 90.)
________________________________________

RICKY JAY - November 24

Stage magician and actor (Tomorrow Never Dies, Magnolia, Deadwood).
Particularly incredible in the area of close up card illusions.
(Age: 72.)
________________________________________

BERNARDO BERTOLUCCI - November 26

Italian film director (Last Tango in Paris, The Last Emperor, 1900), Oscar winner (1988).
(Age: 77.)
________________________________________

STEPHEN HILLENBURG - November 26

Same day as Bernardo Bertolucci.
Animator and director (SpongeBob SquarePants, Rocko's Modern Life).
(Age: 57. C.O.D.: Complications from ALS.)
________________________________________

PETER ARMITAGE - November 30

British actor.
(Age: 79. C.O.D.: Heart attack.)
________________________________________

GEORGE H.W. BUSH - November 30

Politician, President (1989–1993), Vice President (1981–1989), CIA Agent (1960s), Director of CIA (1976–1977).
(Age: 94. C.O.D.: Vascular Parkinsons.)
________________________________________

KEN BERRY - December 1

Actor (F Troop, Mayberry R.F.D., Mama's Family).
(Age: 85.)
________________________________________

MICHAEL SNYDER - December 2

Business executive, CEO of Red Robin (2000–2005).
(Age: 68. C.O.D.: Suicide by gunshot.)
________________________________________

ACE CANNON - December 6

Saxophonist.
(Age: 84.)
________________________________________

NANCY WILSON - December 13

Singer ("[You Don't Know] How Glad I Am"), Grammy winner (1965, 2005, 2007).
(Age: 81. C.O.D.: Kidney cancer.)
________________________________________

PENNY MARSHALL - December 17

TV actress (Laverne & Shirley) and film director
(Big, A League Of Their Own, The Preacher's Wife).
(Age: 75. C.O.D.: Heart failure.)
________________________________________

HERB ELIS - December 26

Actor (Dragnet, The Killing, The Fortune Cookie).
(Age: 97.)
________________________________________

RAY SAWYER - December 30

Rock singer (Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show).
(Age: 81.)
________________________________________


= WELL, THAT'S ALL FOR THIS YEAR, FOLKS!
BUT STAY TUNED - THE GRIM REAPER
AIN'T DONE WITH THOSE CELEBS YET!
MEANWHILE, AT THE UPPER RIGHT, CHECK OUT
THE LIST OF LATE LAMENTED LAYABOUTS
FROM PAST YEARS! ENJOY! =