The Departed - Paying Tribute to Those Who are No Longer with Us
Singer-Actor Jerry Reed Dies Jerry Reed, a singer who became a good ol' boy actor in car chase movies like ``Smokey and the Bandit,'' has died of complications from emphysema at 71. READ MORE >>
Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones Dies Democratic U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the first black woman to represent Ohio in Congress and a strong critic of the Iraq war, died Wednesday after a brain hemorrhage, a hospital spokeswoman said. READ MORE >>
DMB Saxaphonist LeRoi Moore Dies LeRoi Moore, the versatile saxophonist whose signature staccato fused jazz and funk overtones onto the eclectic sound of the Dave Matthews Band, died Tuesday of complications from injuries he suffered in an all-terrain vehicle accident, the band said. He was 46. READ MORE >>
"Shaft" Composer/Performer Isaac Hayes Dies With its riveting orchestration, definitive guitar play and signature sensual baritone vocals, Isaac Hayes' theme song for the 1971 movie ``Shaft'' not only became one of pop music's iconic songs, but also the defining work of Hayes' career. READ MORE >>
Actor, Comedian Bernie Mac Dead at 50 Bernie Mac, the Emmy and Golden Globe nominated actor and comedian who worked his way to Hollywood success from an impoverished upbringing on Chicago's South Side, died Saturday at age 50. He died, "from complications due to pneumonia in a Chicago area hospital,'' his publicist, Danica Smith, said in a statement from Los Angeles. READ MORE >>
Atlanta Braves Broadcaster Skip Caray Dies Skip Caray, a voice of the Atlanta Braves for 33 years and part of a family line of baseball broadcasters that included Hall of Famer Harry Caray, died in his sleep at home on Sunday, the team said. He was 68. READ MORE >>
Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Soviet Gulag Chronicler, Dies Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the Nobel Prize-winning Russian author whose books chronicled the horrors of dictator Josef Stalin's slave labor camps, has died of heart failure, his son said Monday. He was 89. READ MORE >>
NY Magazine Founder Clay Felker Dies at 82 Clay Felker, who revolutionized the magazine genre as founding editor of New York, infusing the publication with a smart, sassy mix of gossip and news that was replicated relentlessly across the country, died Tuesday. He was 82. READ MORE>>
Funny Woman Dody Goodman Dies Dody Goodman, the delightfully daffy comedian known for her television appearances on Jack Paar's late-night talk show and as the mother on the soap-opera parody ``Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,'' has died at 93. READ MORE >>
Comedian George Carlin Dies George Carlin, the New York-born dean of counterculture comedians whose biting insights on life and language were immortalized in his ``Seven Words You Can Never Say On TV'' routine, died of heart failure Sunday. He was 71. READ MORE >>
Leggy Actress Cyd Charisse Dies Cyd Charisse, the long-legged beauty who danced with the Ballet Russe as a teenager and starred in MGM musicals with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, died Tuesday. She was 86. READ MORE >>
Oscar-Winning SFX Man Stan Winston Dies Stan Winston, the Oscar-winning special-effects maestro responsible for bringing the dinosaurs of ``Jurassic Park'' and other iconic movie creatures to life, has died. He was 62. READ MORE >>
Journalist Tim Russert Dies Tim Russert, who pointedly but politely questioned hundreds of the powerful and influential as moderator of NBC's ``Meet the Press,'' died Friday of an apparent heart attack. The network's Washington bureau chief was 58. READ MORE >>
Sportscaster Jim McKay Dies Jim McKay, the veteran and eloquent sportscaster thrust into the role of telling Americans about the tragedy at the 1972 Munich Olympics, has died. He was 87. READ MORE >>
Actor-Director Mel Ferrer Dies Mel Ferrer, the tall, darkly handsome star of such classic films as ``Lili,'' ``War and Peace'' and ``The Sun Also Rises,'' as well as producer and director of movies starring his then-wife, Audrey Hepburn, has died at age 90. READ MORE >>
'Second City' Founder Paul Sills Dies Paul Sills, one of the founders of the improvisational comedy group ``The Second City,'' which has turned out some of America's best-known comedians, died Monday. He was 80. READ MORE >>
Musician Bo Diddley Dies He was 79. A spokeswoman says Diddley died of heart failure today. He had suffered a heart attack in August 2007, three months after suffering a stroke while touring in Iowa. READ MORE >>
Fashion Designer Yves Saint Laurent Dies at 71 Yves Saint Laurent, one of the most influential and enduring designers of the 20th century, will be remembered for empowering women through his fashion, a longtime friend and associate said. READ MORE >>
Harvey Korman Dies Harvey Korman, the tall, versatile comedian who won four Emmys for his outrageously funny contributions to ``The Carol Burnett Show'' and played a conniving politician to hilarious effect in ``Blazing Saddles,'' died Thursday. He was 81. READ MORE >>
'Andy Griffith' Composer Earle Hagen Dies Earle H. Hagen, who co-wrote the jazz classic ``Harlem Nocturne'' and composed memorable themes for ``The Andy Griffith Show,'' ``I Spy,'' ``The Mod Squad'' and other TV shows, has died. He was 88. READ MORE >>
Oscar Winner Sydney Pollack Dies Sydney Pollack, the Academy Award-winning director who collaborated with a long list of elite actors on films such as ``Out of Africa,'' ``Tootsie,'' ``The Way We Were'' and ``Absence of Malice,'' has died. He was 73. READ MORE >>
Comedian Dick Martin Dies Dick Martin, the zany half of the comedy team whose ``Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In'' took television by storm in the 1960s, making stars of Goldie Hawn and Lily Tomlin and creating such national catch-phrases as ``Sock it to me!'' has died. He was 86. READ MORE >>
Country Singer Eddy Arnold Dies Belmont University Professor Don Cusic says Arnold died at a care facility near Nashville Thursday morning. Arnold was just days short of his 90th birthday. READ MORE >>
Baskin-Robbins Co-Founder Irvine Robbins Dies Irvine Robbins, who as co-founder of Baskin-Robbins brought Rocky Road, Pralines 'n Cream and other exotic ice cream concoctions to every corner of America, has died at age 90. READ MORE >>
Exodus Commander Yossi Harel Dies Yossi Harel, the ship commander whose attempt to bring Holocaust survivors to Palestine aboard the Exodus 1947 built support for Israel's founding, died on Saturday. He was 90. READ MORE >>
Soul Singer Al Wilson Dies Al Wilson, the soul singer and songwriter who had a number of 1970s hits including ``Show and Tell,'' has died. He was 68. READ MORE >>
Songwriter Paul Davis Dies Paul Davis, a singer and songwriter whose soft rock hit ``I Go Crazy'' stayed at the top of the charts for weeks after its release in 1977, died Tuesday. He was 60. READ MORE >>
E Street Band's Danny Federici Dies Danny Federici, the longtime keyboard player for Bruce Springsteen whose stylish work helped define the E Street Band's sound on hits from ``Hungry Heart'' through ``The Rising,'' died Thursday. He was 58. READ MORE >>
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Reporter Robert Greene Dies Investigative journalist Robert W. Greene, who led reporters from across the country in an effort to uncover corruption in Arizona and who twice helped Newsday win the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, died Thursday at age 78. READ MORE >>
Actor Stanley Kamel Dies Stanley Kamel, who played Adrian Monk's long-suffering psychiatrist on the TV detective show ``Monk,'' died Tuesday. He was 65. READ MORE >>
Charlton Heston Dies at 84 Charlton Heston, who won the 1959 best actor Oscar as the chariot-racing ``Ben-Hur'' and portrayed Moses, Michelangelo, El Cid and other heroic figures in movie epics of the '50s and '60s, has died. He was 84. READ MORE >>
Journalist, Dith Pran Passes Away at 65 Dith Pran, the Cambodian-born journalist whose harrowing tale of enslavement and eventual escape from that country's murderous Khmer Rouge revolutionaries in 1979 became the subject of the award-winning film ``The Killing Fields,'' died Sunday. He was 65. READ MORE >>
Oscar-Winning Writer Abby Mann Dies Abby Mann, writer of socially conscious scripts for movies and television and winner of the 1961 Academy Award for adapted screenplay for ``Judgment at Nuremberg,'' has died at 80. READ MORE >>
Actor Richard Widmark Dies at 93 Richard Widmark, who made a sensational film debut as the giggling killer in ``Kiss of Death'' and became a leading man in ``Broken Lance,'' ``Two Rode Together'' and 40 other films, died at his home in Roxbury after a long illness. He was 93. READ MORE >>
'Hogan's Heroes' Actor Ivan Dixon Dies He directed hundreds of episodes of shows including ``The Waltons,'' ``The Rockford Files,'' ``Magnum, P.I.'' and ``In the Heat of the Night.'' But Ivan Dixon will be remembered most for his role as Staff Sergeant James Kinchloe on the 60's TV series ``Hogan Heroes.'' READ MORE >>
Film Director Anthony Minghella Dies Oscar-winning director Anthony Minghella, who turned such literary works as ``The English Patient,'' ``The Talented Mr. Ripley'' and ``Cold Mountain'' into acclaimed movies, died Tuesday of a hemorrhage following surgery. He was 54. READ MORE >>
Man Who Coined 'Ithaca is Gorges' Phrase Dies Howard Cogan, who came up with the catchphrase ``Ithaca is Gorges'' in the 1970s and gave businesses free use of the popular slogan to help them market the city, died Saturday. READ MORE >>
Rep. Tom Lantos Dies Spokeswoman Lynne Weil said Monday morning that the 80-year-old Lantos, the only survivor of the Holocaust to serve in Congress, died at Bethesda Naval Medical Center. READ MORE >>
Actor Roy Scheider Dies at 75 Longtime Long Island resident Roy Scheider, a two-time Oscar nominee best known for his role as a police chief in the blockbuster movie ``Jaws,'' has died. He was 75. READ MORE >>
Beatles' Guide to Meditation Dies at 91 Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a guru to the Beatles who introduced the West to transcendental meditation, died Tuesday at his home in the Dutch town of Vlodrop, a spokesman said. He was thought to be 91 years old. READ MORE >>
Mormons Mourn Loss of Leader Gordon Hinckley Utah's leaders and believers mourned the death of Gordon B. Hinckley, the humble head of the Mormon church who added millions of new members and labored long to burnish the faith's image as a world religion. READ MORE >>
Actress Suzanne Pleshette Dies Suzanne Pleshette, the husky-voiced star best known for her role as Bob Newhart's sardonic wife on television's long-running ``The Bob Newhart Show,'' has died at age 70. READ MORE >>
Chess Legend Bobby Fischer Dies Bobby Fischer, the reclusive American chess master who became a Cold War icon when he dethroned the Soviet Union's Boris Spassky as world champion in 1972, has died. He was 64. READ MORE >>
Actor Brad Renfro Dies at 25 Actor Brad Renfro, whose career began promisingly with a childhood role in ``The Client'' but rapidly faded as he struggled with drugs and alcohol, was found dead Tuesday in his home. He was 25.
Sir Edmund Hillary Dies at 88 Sir Edmund Hillary, the unassuming beekeeper who conquered Mount Everest to win renown as one of the 20th century's greatest adventurers, died Friday. He was 88. READ MORE >>
CIA Agent-Turned-Defector Philip Agee Dies at 72 Agee quit the CIA in 1969 after 12 years working mostly in Latin America at a time when leftist movements were gaining prominence and sympathizers. His 1975 book ``Inside the Company: CIA Diary,'' cited alleged CIA misdeeds against leftists in the region that included a 22-page list of purported agency operatives.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto Killed at Campaign Rally 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 onterrorism.
Dan Fogelberg Dies of Cancer at 56 Dan Fogelberg, the singer and songwriter whose hits ``Leader of the Band'' and ``Same Old Lang Syne'' helped define the soft-rock era, died Sunday at his home in Maine after battling prostate cancer. He was 56.
Rock 'n Roll Legend, Ike Turner Dies at 76 Ike Turner, whose role as one of rock's critical architects was overshadowed by his ogrelike image as the man who brutally abused former wife Tina Turner, died Wednesday at his home in suburban San Diego. He was 76.
Former General Motors Chief Roger Smith Dies Roger B. Smith, who led General Motors Corp. in the 1980s and was the subject of Michael Moore's searing documentary ``Roger and Me,'' has died, the automaker said Friday. He was 82.
Former Congressman Henry Hyde Dies Former Illinois congressman Henry Hyde has died, the office of House Republican Leader John Boehner has confirmed.
Baritone Frank Guarrera Dies The 83-year-old baritone died Friday at his home in suburban Philadelphia. His daughter, Valerie Bisquert, told The New York Times the cause was complications from diabetes.
Gatorade Inventor, Robert Cade, Dies at 80 Dr. J. Robert Cade, who invented the sports drink Gatorade and launched a multibillion-dollar industry that the beverage continues to dominate, died Tuesday of kidney failure. He was 80.
24-Year-Old Redskin Sean Taylor Dies Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor has died, a day after he was shot in the leg, said family friend Richard Sharpstein.
'Quiet Riot' Lead Singer Kevin Dubrow Found Dead Kevin Dubrow, lead singer for the 1980s heavy metal band Quiet Riot that scored a hit with ``Cum on Feel the Noize,'' was found dead in a Las Vegas home. He was 52.
Former CT Governor William Atchison O'Neill dies William Atchison O'Neill, a two-term Democratic governor who frustrated allies and opponents alike with a willingness to buck public opinion, died Saturday afternoon at his home, Gov. M. Jodi Rell said. He was 77.
'Mr. Whipple' Dick Wilson Dies Dick Wilson, the actor and pitchman who played the uptight grocer begging customers ``Please, don't squeeze the Charmin,'' died Monday. He was 91.
'Rosemary's Baby' Author Ira Levin Dies in Manhattan Best-selling writer Ira Levin, whose genre-hopping novels such as the horror classic ``Rosemary's Baby'' and the Nazi thriller ``The Boys from Brazil'' provided meaty movie roles for Mia Farrow and Laurence Olivier, has died of a heart attack, his agent said Tuesday.
Film Director Delbert Mann Dies Delbert Mann, who transformed Paddy Chayefsky's classic teleplays ``Marty'' and ``The Bachelor Party'' into big-screen triumphs and helped bring TV techniques to the film world, died Sunday. He was 87.
Actress Laraine Day Dies She was 87 and died at her daughter's home in Utah over the weekend of old age. Day had moved there after her husband died earlier this year.
Norman Mailer Dies Norman Mailer, the macho prince of American letters who for decades reigned as the country's literary conscience and provocateur with such books as ``The Naked and the Dead'' and ``The Executioner's Song'' died Saturday, his literary executor said. He was 84.
Titanic Survivor Barbara West Dainton Dies Barbara West Dainton, believed to be one of the last two survivors from the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, has died in England at age 96.
Enola Gay Pilot Paul Tibbets Dies Paul Tibbets, the pilot and commander of the B-29 that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, died Thursday, a spokesman said. He was 92.
Former Ramones Manager, 'Broker to the Stars' Linda Stein Found Murdered She made her name as a pioneer in New York's punk music scene, co-managing the legendary Ramones in their heyday. Even in her later career as a real estate broker, her clients were rock and roll royalty, including Sting and Billy Joel. Linda Stein died in her own Fifth Avenue apartment, the victim of a beating that left police with no motive or suspects. An autopsy found that Stein, 62, died from blows to the head and neck, said medical examiner spokeswoman Ellen Borakove Wednesday.
Singer and Actor Robert Goulet Dies at 73 The big-voiced baritone, whose Broadway debut in ``Camelot'' launched an award-winning stage and recording career, died Tuesday at a Los Angeles hospital, where he had been awaiting the transplant after being diagnosed last month with a rare form ofpulmonary fibrosis.
Former CT Governor Thomas Meskill Dies His wife confirms that Meskill, a former congressman and federal appellate judge, died early today at the age of 79.
Joey Bishop, Last Surviving Member of the 'Rat Pack,' Dies Although not as widely appreciated, it was Bishop with his deadpan delivery, dead-on timing and bottomless pit of jokes, who was "the hub of the big wheel," according to Rat Pack leader Sinatra himself.
Actress Deborah Kerr Dies British actress Deborah Kerr, who shared one of cinema's most famous kisses with Burt Lancaster in ``From Here to Eternity,'' has died, her agent said Thursday. She was 86.
Singer Teresa Brewer Dies Singer Teresa Brewer, who topped the charts in the 1950s with such hits as ``Till I Waltz Again with You'' and performed with jazz legends Count Basie and Duke Ellington, died Wednesday. She was 76.
Original 'Moneypenny' Lois Maxwell Dies Lois Maxwell, who starred as Miss Moneypenny in 14 James Bond movies, has died, the British Broadcasting Corp. reported Sunday. She was 80.
Mime Marcel Marceau Dies Marcel Marceau, the master of mime who transformed silence into poetry with lithe gestures and pliant facial expressions that spoke to generations of young and old, has died. He was 84.
Oscar-Winning Actress Jane Wyman Dies She won an Oscar for her role as a deaf rape victim in the film "Johnny Belinda" and was Ronald Reagan's first wife. Jane Wyman died early Monday at her Palm Springs home, son Michael Reagan said. Wyman's age was listed as 93 in several reference books, however other sources, including the official family Web site, say she was 90.
Italian Tenor Luciano Pavarotti Dies He was a singer whose exquisite voice made him a legend in life. Pavarotti was 71 and died Thursday morning at his home in Modena, Italy.
Champion Golfer Gay Brewer Dies Gay Brewer, the 1967 Masters champion who won 11 times on the PGA Tour, died Friday at his home after a fight with lung cancer. He was 75.
CBGB Founder Dies Hilly Kristal, whose dank Bowery rock club CBGB served as the birthplace of the punk rock movement and a launching pad for bands like the Ramones, Blondie and the Talking Heads, has died after a battle with lung cancer, his son said Wednesday. He was 75.
CT Lawmaker Belden Dies Republican lawmaker Richard Belden, the longest continuously serving member of the Connecticut House of Representatives, died Monday at age 73, the House Republicans said.
Leona Helmsley Dies Leona Helmsley, the hotelier who went to prison as a tax cheat and was reviled as the
"queen of mean," has died. Word comes from her publicist Nancy Haberman. Helmsley was 87.
Jazz Percussionist Max Roach Dies at 83 Max Roach got his first musical break at age 16, filling in when Duke Ellington's drummer fell ill in 1940. Those three nights spawned a career that would make the self-taught Roach the first jazz musician ever honored with a MacArthur Fellowship, or "genius grant."
Phil Rizzuto Dies at 89 Phil Rizzuto, the Hall of Fame shortstop during the Yankees' dynasty years and beloved by a generation of fans for
