Pat Harrington Jr.
Pat Harrington Jr., 86, the actor and comedian who in the 1950s got attention as a member of Steve Allen’s fabled TV comic troupe and decades later as Dwayne Schneider, the cocky handyman on the long-running sitcom “One Day at a Time,” died on Jan. 6.
David Bowie
David Bowie, 69, the other-worldly musician who broke pop and rock boundaries with his creative musicianship that spanned six decades, striking visuals and a genre-spanning persona he christened Ziggy Stardust, died on Jan. 10.
Alan Rickman
Alan Rickman, 69, the classically-trained British stage star and sensual screen villain in the “Harry Potter” saga, “Die Hard” and other films, died on Jan. 14.
Dan Haggerty
Dan Haggerty, 74, the rugged, bearded actor who starred in the film and TV series “The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams,” died on Jan. 15.
Glenn Frey
Glenn Frey, 67, the rock ‘n’ roll rebel who co-founded the Eagles and helped write such hits as “Hotel California” and “Life in the Fast Lane,” died on Jan. 18.
Abe Vigoda
Abe Vigoda, 94, the character actor whose leathery, sad-eyed face made him ideal for playing the over-the-hill detective Phil Fish in the 1970s TV series “Barney Miller” and the doomed Mafia soldier in “The Godfather,” died on Jan. 26.
Dave Mirra
Dave Mirra, 41, a legend of BMX racing who held the record for the most career medals in the X Games for many years and hosted MTV’s “Real World/Road Rules Challenge” for two seasons, died on Feb 4.
Edgar Mitchell
Edgar Mitchell, 85, the Apollo 14 astronaut who became the sixth man on the moon when he and Alan Shepard helped NASA recover from Apollo 13’s “successful failure,” died on Feb. 4.
Vanity
Denise Katrina Matthews, 57, better known as Prince protege Vanity who sang in girl band Vanity 6 and appeared in the films “The Last Dragon” and “Action Jackson,” died on Feb. 15.
Antonin Scalia
Antonin Scalia, 79, an influential conservative and most provocative member of the U.S. Supreme Court, died on Feb. 13.
Harper Lee
Harper Lee, 89, the elusive novelist whose child’s-eye view of racial injustice in a small Southern town, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” became standard reading for millions of young people and an Oscar-winning film, died on Feb. 19.
George Kennedy
George Kennedy, 91, the hulking, tough-guy actor who won an Oscar for his portrayal of a savage chain-gang convict in the 1960s classic “Cool Hand Luke,” died on Feb. 28.
Lee Reherman
Lee Reherman, 49, the former Ivy League football star who shot to fame as the towering, muscular Hawk on the popular 1990s television show “American Gladiators,” died on March 1.
Nancy Reagan
Nancy Reagan, 94, an actress who became one of the most high-profile and influential first ladies of the 20th century as the wife of President Ronald Reagan, died on March 6.
Rob Ford
Rob Ford, 46, the pugnacious, populist former mayor of Toronto whose career crashed in a drug-driven, obscenity-laced debacle, died on March 22.
Garry Shandling
Garry Shandling, 66, the actor and comedian who masterminded a brand of phony docudrama with “The Larry Sanders Show,” died on March 24.
Patty Duke
Patty Duke, 69, who won an Oscar as a teen for playing Helen Keller in “The Miracle Worker,” then maintained a long career while battling personal demons, died on March 29.
Erik Bauersfeld
Erik Bauersfeld, 93, who turned three words from a minor acting role – “It’s a trap!” – into one of the most beloved lines of the “Star Wars” series, died on April 3.
Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard, 79, the country giant who rose from poverty and prison to international fame through his songs about outlaws, underdogs and an abiding sense of national pride in such hits as “Okie From Muskogee” and “Sing Me Back Home,” died on April 6.
Doris Roberts
Doris Roberts, 90, who played the tart-tongued, endlessly meddling mother on “Everybody Loves Raymond,” died on April 17.
Chyna
Chyna, 46, the tall, muscle-bound, raven-haired pro-wrestler who rocketed to popularity in the 1990s and later made the rounds on reality TV, died on April 20.
Prince
Prince, 57, one of the most inventive and influential musicians of modern times with hits including “Little Red Corvette,” ”Let’s Go Crazy” and “When Doves Cry,” died on April 21.
Morley Safer
Morley Safer, 84, the veteran “60 Minutes” correspondent who exposed a military atrocity in Vietnam that played an early role in changing Americans’ view of the war, died on May 19.
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali, 74, the silver-tongued boxer and civil rights champion who famously proclaimed himself “The Greatest” and then spent a lifetime living up to the billing, died on June 3.
Kimbo Slice
Kimbo Slice, 42, the bearded street fighter who parlayed his Internet popularity into a mixed martial arts career, died on June 6.
Gordie Howe
Gordie Howe, 88, known as “Mr. Hockey,” the rough-and-tumble Canadian farm boy whose blend of talent and toughness made him the NHL’s quintessential star, died on June 10.
Ron Lester
Ron Lester, 45, who played no. 69 – the oversized offensive guard Billy Bob – in the 1999 high school football flick “Varsity Blues,” died on June 17.
Anton Yelchin
Anton Yelchin, 27, charismatic and rising actor best known for playing Chekov in the new “Star Trek” films, died on June 19.
Buddy Ryan
Buddy Ryan, a longtime coach who built perhaps the greatest defense in NFL history with the 1985 Bears, died on June 28.
Michael Cimino
Michael Cimino, 77, the Oscar-winning director whose film “The Deer Hunter” became one of the great triumphs of Hollywood’s 1970s heyday and whose disastrous “Heaven’s Gate” helped bring that era to a close, died on July 2.
Noel Neill
Noel Neill, 95, the first actress to play Lois Lane – the intrepid journalist with a soft spot for Superman – in the 1948 movie serial “Superman,” alongside Kirk Alyn, died on July 3.
Garry Marshall
Garry Marshall, 81, the legendary writer and director who created the wildly popular television programs “Happy Days,” “The Odd Couple,” “Laverne & Shirley” and “Mork & Mindy,” died on July 19.
Miss Cleo
Youree Del Cleomill Harris, 53, an actress who became famous playing the Jamaican psychic Miss Cleo, claiming to know callers’ futures in ubiquitous TV infomercials and commercials, died on July 26.
David Huddleston
David Huddleston, 85, a character actor best known for portraying titular roles in “The Big Lebowski” and “Santa Claus: The Movie,” died on Aug. 2.
Kenny Baker
Kenny Baker, 81, who played the lovable droid R2-D2 in the “Star Wars” films, achieving cult status and fans’ adulation without showing his face or speaking any lines, died on Aug. 13.
Fyvush Finkel
Fyvush Finkel, 93, the Emmy Award-winning actor whose career in stage and screen started in Yiddish theater and led to memorable roles in “Fiddler on the Roof” on Broadway and on TV in “Boston Public” and “Picket Fences,” died on Aug. 14.
John McLaughlin
John McLaughlin, 89, the conservative commentator and host of a long-running television show that pioneered hollering-heads discussions of Washington politics, died on Aug. 16.
Steven Hill
Steven Hill, 94, a versatile character actor in theater, films and television who achieved his greatest success late in life as grumpy District Attorney Adam Schiff on TV’s long-running “Law & Order,” died on Aug. 23.
Gene Wilder
Gene Wilder, 83, the frizzy-haired actor who brought his deft comedic touch to such unforgettable roles as the neurotic accountant in “The Producers,” the mad scientist of “Young Frankenstein,” and the title character in “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” died on Aug. 28.
Jon Polito
Jon Polito, 65, the raspy-voiced actor whose 200-plus credits ranged from “Homicide: Life on the Street” and “Modern Family” to the films “Barton Fink” and “The Big Lebowski,” died on Sept. 1.
Phyllis Schlafly
Phyllis Schlafly, 92, an outspoken conservative activist who helped defeat the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s and founded the Eagle Forum political group, died on Sept. 5.
Greta Zimmer Friedman
Greta Zimmer Friedman, 92, the woman in an iconic photo shown kissing an ecstatic sailor celebrating the end of World War II by smooching a nurse in Times Square, died on Sept. 8.
W.P. Kinsella
W.P. Kinsella, 81, the Canadian novelist who blended magical realism and baseball in the book that became the smash hit film “Field of Dreams,” died on Sept. 16.
Curtis Hanson
Curtis Hanson, 71, who won a screenwriting Oscar for “L.A. Confidential” and directed the psychological thriller “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle” and Eminem’s tale of Detroit hip-hop “8 Mile,” died on Sept. 20.
Bill Nunn
Bill Nunn, 62, a veteran character actor who broke through in movies in the late 1980s, first in Spike Lee’s “School Daze,” then as the ill-fated Radio Raheem in the Oscar-nominated “Do the Right Thing,” as well as appearing in the “Spider-Man” movie franchise, died on Sept. 24.
Arnold Palmer
Arnold Palmer, 87, the golfing great who brought a country-club sport to the masses with a hard-charging style, charisma and a commoner’s touch, died on Sept. 25.
Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres, 93, the former Israeli president and prime minister, whose life story mirrored that of the Jewish state and who was celebrated around the world as a Nobel prize-winning visionary who pushed his country toward peace, died on Sept. 28.
Steve Dillon
Steve Dillon, 54, a celebrated comic book artist best known for co-creating the “Preacher” and illustrating the popular Marvel title “The Punisher,” died on Oct. 22.
Janet Reno
Janet Reno, 78, the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general and the epicenter of several political storms during the Clinton administration, including the seizure of Elian Gonzalez, died on Nov. 7.
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen, 82, the baritone-voiced Canadian singer-songwriter who blended spirituality and sexuality in songs like “Hallelujah,” ”Suzanne” and “Bird on a Wire,” died on Nov. 7.
Robert Vaughn
Robert Vaughn, 83, the debonair, Oscar-nominated actor whose many film roles were eclipsed by his hugely popular turn in television’s “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.,” died on Nov. 11.
Gwen Ifill
Gwen Ifill, 61, the co-anchor of PBS’ “NewsHour” with Judy Woodruff and a veteran journalist who moderated two vice presidential debates, died on Nov. 14.
Florence Henderson
Florence Henderson, 82, the Broadway star who became one of America’s most beloved television moms in “The Brady Bunch,” died on Nov. 24.
Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro, 90, the cigar-chomping Cuban revolutionary leader and dictator who defied U.S. efforts to topple him for five decades, died on Nov. 25.
Ron Glass
Ron Glass, 71, the veteran television and film actor known for his Emmy-nominated role as NYPD Det. Ron Harris on the classic cop sitcom “Barney Miller,” and later the deeply religious preacher Derrial Brook on the cult sci-fi show “Firefly,” died on Nov. 25.
Grant Tinker
Grant Tinker, 90, the television broadcasting legend and former NBC chairman who brought new polish to the TV world with beloved shows including “Hill Street Blues,” died on Nov. 28.
John Glenn
John Glenn, 95, the all-American hero who was the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the Earth before being propelled into a long career in the U.S. Senate, died on Dec. 8.
Alan Thicke
Alan Thicke, 69, the versatile performer who gained his greatest fame as the beloved dad on the sitcom “Growing Pains,” died on Dec. 13.
Zsa Zsa Gabor
Zsa Zsa Gabor, 99, the Hungarian beauty queen-turned-nine-times-married Hollywood icon who once served three days in jail for slapping a cop, died on Dec. 18.
George Michael
George Michael, 53, the pop heartthrob whose career began with the hit duo Wham! in the 1980s and went on to have a hit solo career beginning with the chart-topping album “Faith,” died on Dec. 25.
Richard Adams
British author Richard Adams, whose 1972 book “Watership Down” became a classic of children’s literature died on Dec. 27.
Carrie Fisher
Carrie Fisher, 60, best known for her portrayal of the tough-talking Princess Leia who defies the Evil Empire in “Star Wars,” died on Dec. 27.
Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds, 84, the actress and singer who rose to fame opposite Gene Kelly in “Singin’ in the Rain,” died on Dec. 28, one day after the death of her daughter, Carrie Fisher.
William Christopher
William Christopher, 84, the actor who played the unassuming U.S. Army chaplain, Father Mulcahy, on the long-running hit TV series “M*A*S*H,” died on Dec. 31.