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Rest in Peace... 2013



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Nelson Mandela (1918 - 2013)
Nelson Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the first black South African to hold the office, and the first elected in a fully representative election.

George Jones (1931 - 2013)
Country Music Singer and Songwriter. He is probably best remembered for his hit single "He Stopped Loving Her Today" and for his tumultuous marriage to famed country singer Tammy Wynette.

Peter O'Toole (1932 - 2013)
Actor. Born in Ireland, the son Constance Jane and Patrick Joseph O'Toole, a nurse and a bookmaker. He was raised in Leeds, Yorkshire, attending a Catholic school he recorded as being a terrifying place.

Annette Funicello (1942 - 2013)
American Actress and Singer. Funicello and her family moved to Los Angeles when she was 4 and nine years later, in 1955, was discovered by Walt Disney himself while dancing the lead in a production of "Swan Lake" at the Starlight Bowl in Burbank.

Jean Stapleton (1923 - 2013)
Actress. She will be fondly remembered for playing Edith Baines Bunker, wife of Archie Bunker (played by Carroll O'Connor) in the groundbreaking TV series "All in the Family" (1971 to 1980). Born Jeanne Murray, her father was a billboard salesman, her mother was an opera singer.

Margaret Thatcher (1925 - 2013)
British Prime Minister. Great Britain's first female Prime Minister, she served three consecutive terms in office and was one of the dominant political figures of the 20th century. Born Margaret Hilda Roberts, the daughter of a grocer, she went to Oxford University and became a research chemist. 

Jonathan Winters (1925 - 2013)
Actor, Comedian. Born Jonathan Harshman Winters III, he joined the United States Marine Corps during his senior year of high school and upon his discharge attended the Dayton Art Institute.

Joan Fontaine (1917 - 2013)
Academy Award-Winning Actress. A respected performer over a long career, she was honored as Best Actress for Alfred Hitchcock's 1941 "Suspicion". Born Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland to a British family of wealth and position.

Abigail Van Buren (1918 - 2013)
American Advice Columnist and Radio Show Host. Born Pauline Friedman Phillips, she wrote the long-running 'Dear Abby' advice column under the name of Abigail Van Buren that was followed by millions of newspaper readers throughout the world. .

James Gandolfini (1961 - 2013)
Actor. He is best remembered for the role of 'Tony Soprano' in the successful HBO cable television series "The Sopranos", which he starred in from 1999 to 2007. After graduating from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, where he majored in communications.

Esther Williams (1921 - 2013)
Entertainer, Hall of Fame Swimmer. Billed as the "Million Dollar Mermaid", she adorned the silver screen in several MGM box-office hits, among them "Neptune's Daughter" (1949), "Dangerous When Wet" (1953) and "Jupiter's Darling" (1955).

Paul Walker (1973 - 2013)
American Actor. Walker, who will best be remembered for his role as Brian O'Conner in the blockbuster action 'Fast & Furious' films, began his career on the small screen with a commercial for diapers when he was 2 years old.

Scott Carpenter (1925 - 2013)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Astronaut. He is remembered as the second American to orbit the Earth and the fourth American in space, following astronauts Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom and John Glenn. Born Malcolm Scott Carpenter in Boulder, Colorado.

Stan Musial (1920 - 2013)
Hall of Fame Major League Baseball Player. For twenty-two seasons (1941 to 1944 and 1946 to 1963), he played at the outfielder and first-baseman positions with the St. Louis Cardinals. One of the most prolific players in baseball history, he captured a remarkable seven batting titles.

Patti Page (1927 - 2013)
Entertainer. Best remembered for the hits "Tennessee Waltz" (1950), "How Much is that Doggie in the Window" (1952), "Let Me Go, Lover!" (1954), "Allegheny Moon" (1956) and "Old Cape Cod" (1957), her total record sales topped the one hundred million dollar mark.

Tom Clancy (1947 - 2013)
Author. A prolific novelist, he is remembered for his technically detailed espionage and military science story lines that are set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, as well as the video games which bear his name for licensing and promotional purposes.

Ray Price (1926 - 2013)
Country Music Musician. Fondly known as "The Cherokee Cowboy," his wide-ranging baritone voice was regarded by many as among the best male voices in country music. Born Noble Ray Price, he enlisted with the US Marine Corps during World War II and served from 1944 to 1946.

Ed Koch (1924 - 2013)
US Congressman, Mayor of New York City. A member of the Democratic Party, he served New York's 17th and 18th Congressional Districts in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 until 1977. Later, he served as the Mayor of New York City from 1978 until 1989.

Jeanne Cooper (1928 - 2013)
Actress. Best known for her role as 'Katherine Chancellor' on "The Young and the Restless," a role she played from 1974 until her death. Cooper received ten Daytime Emmy nominations, nine for Outstanding Lead Actress and one for Outstanding Supporting Actress, and two Primetime Emmy nominations.

David Frost (1939 - 2013)
Journalist. He made a name for himself internationally in 1977, when he conducted a series of in-depth interviews with former American President Richard Nixon. This was the inspiration for the 2008 Academy Award nominated film "Frost/Nixon". Born David Paradine Frost.

Lou Reed (1942 - 2013)
Rock Musician. Founding member and lead vocalist of the seminal rock band The Velvet Underground. As a solo artist, Reed will be best remembered for his 1972 hit "A Walk on the Wild Side". Born Lewis Allen Reed, into a Jewish family, he was raised in Freeport, Long Island.

Dennis Farina (1944 - 2013)
American Actor. Farina, who at one time was a real-life police officer who served 18 years in the Chicago Police Dept. from 1967 to 1985, was a character actor who was often typecast as a mobster or a police officer.

Eydie Gorme (1928 - 2013)
Entertainer. Gorme, who was born in New York City to Sephardic Jewish parents, grew up speaking both English and Spanish. She was a successful band singer and nightclub entertainer when she was invited to join the cast of Steve Allen's television show in 1953. 

George Day (1925 - 2013)
Vietnam Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. A veteran of three wars, he was honored for bravery while held Prisoner-of-War for five and a half years. Raised in western Iowa, he dropped out of school to join the United States Marine Corps in 1942, and served in the South Pacific.

Eleanor Parker (1922 - 2013)
Actress. A respected performer with roughly 80 film credits over a half-century career, she is perhaps best remembered as the villainous Baroness Else Schraeder in 1965's Oscar-winning classic "The Sound of Music".

Patty Andrews (1918 - 2013)
Singer. She shall be remembered as one third of the legendary trio The Andrews Sisters. Born Patricia Marie Andrews to a Greek immigrant family originally named Andreas, she was raised along with her sisters Maxine and La Verne in the Minneapolis suburbs.

Ken Norton (1943 - 2013)
Hall of Fame Professional Boxer. He was the former WBC Heavyweight Champion (1978). He will be best remembered for a trilogy of bouts with Muhammad Ali (two in 1973 one in 1976).

Michael Ansara (1922 - 2013)
Actor. He is best remembered as playing Cochise on the television series "Broken Arrow" and Klingon commander 'Kang' on three separate "Star Trek" television series.

Roger Ebert (1942 - 2013)
Film Critic, Screenwriter. Ebert, who joined the Sun-Times part time in 1966 while pursuing graduate study at the University of Chicago, went on to become one of the most influential film critics in the nation.

George Shea (1909 - 2013)
Gospel Singer, composer and soloist. He was best known for his association with Evangelist Billy Graham. He was nominated 10 times for a Grammy Award. In 1966 Shea received a Grammy award for the Best Gospel or Other Religious Recording (Musical).

Tom Laughlin (1931 - 2013)
Actor, Director and Screenwriter. He will be best remembered for starring, directing and screenwriting the popular 1970s cult picture series "Billy Jack". Born Thomas Robert Laughlin, he was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Joyce Brothers (1927 - 2013)
Psychologist, Television Personality, and Newspaper Columnist. She is best remembered for her daily advice column that appeared from 1960 to 2013 in various newspapers and is credited with inspiring TV personality and psychologist Doctor Phil McGraw and talk radio host Doctor Laura Schlessinger.

Karen Black (1939 - 2013)
Actress. She is best remembered for her appearances in the notable films "Easy Rider" (1969), "Five Easy Pieces" (1970), "The Great Gatsby" (1974). "Rhinoceros" (1974), "Airport 1975" (1974), "The Day of the Locust" (1975), "Nashville" (1975).

Bonnie Franklin (1944 - 2013)
Actress. She will be best remembered for playing Ann Romano Royer in the TV series "One Day at a Time" (1975 to 1984). Born in Los Angeles, the daughter of an investment banker, she took to entertaining at an early age and trained as a tap dancer during her youth.

Ray Manzarek (1939 - 2013)
Rock Musician. A keyboardist, he was a founding member of seminal 1960's rock band "The Doors". From 1962 to 1965, he studied at the Department of Cinematography at UCLA, where he met film student Jim Morrison. 


Pat Summerall (1930 - 2013)
Professional Football Player, Broadcaster. After an accomplished career as a player in the National Football League, he went onto have a lengthy broadcasting career of calling nationally televised football games and other events on the CBS and Fox Networks.

C. Koop (1916 - 2013)
United States Surgeon General. Born Charles Everett Koop and nicknamed "Chick" (as in chicken coop), he graduated from Dartmouth College in 1937 and Cornell University's medical school in 1941. Koop was Professor of Pediatric Surgery and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania.

Joe Conley (1928 - 2013)
Actor. Conley, who appeared regularly on television since the 1950's, will best be remembered as storekeeper Ike Godsey in The Waltons from 1972 through 1981. He attended Loyola University in Los Angeles where he studied theater.

Deanna Durbin (1921 - 2013)
Entertainer. She made her mark within the industry as both an actress and singer during the 1930s and 1940s, prior to marrying and retiring to France. Born Edna Mae Durbin, she was raised in Southern California. 

Nicholas Oresko (1917 - 2013)
Medal Of Honor Recipient. M/Sgt. Oresko was a platoon leader with Company C, in an attack against strong enemy positions. Deadly automatic fire from the flanks pinned down his unit. Realizing that a machine gun in a nearby bunker must be eliminated, he swiftly worked ahead alone.

Eileen Brennan (1932 - 2013)
Actress. She will be best remembered for originating the role of Captain Doreen Lewis in the motion picture "Private Benjamin" (1980), which earned her a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination. She went onto revive her part in the TV series of the same name which ran from 1981 until 1983.

Dale Robertson (1923 - 2013)
Actor. He will perhaps be best remembered for playing Jim Hardie in the TV series "Tales of Wells Fargo" (1957 to 1962). Born Dayle Lymoine Robertson, he initially pursued a career as a prize fighter and later enrolled at Oklahoma Military Academy. During World War II.

Van Cliburn (1934 - 2013)
Pianist, Recording Artist and International Celebrity. His winning the quadrennial International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow in 1958, at the height of the Cold War, made him a figure on the world stage and led to a thaw in U.S.-Soviet relations.

Margaret Pellegrini (1923 - 2013)
Actress. Best remembered for her role as a "Munchkin" in the 1939 MGM classic film, 'The Wizard of Oz.' She portrayed two different residents of Munchkinland, a 'Flowerpot' Munchkin and a 'Sleepyhead' Munchkin. 



Marcia Wallace (1942 - 2013)
Actress. She is best remembered for her role as 'Carol Kester', the wisecracking receptionist in the television situation comedy series "The Bob Newhart Show" (1972 to 1978). Additionally, she was known for her voice contributions of the character 'Edna Krabappel' in the popular animated television'

Sidney Berry (1926 - 2013)
US Army General. A decorated helicopter pilot and infantryman who fought in two wars, he shall be remembered for having been Superintendent of West Point during a turbulent time in the school's history.

Edward Heffron (1923 - 2013)
World War II United States Soldier. He served in the United States Army during World War II as a Private First Class in Company E ("Easy Company"), 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division.

Paul Crouch (1934 - 2013)
Televangelist. Crouch, whose parents were missionaries who had lived in Egypt, graduated from the Central Bible Institute and Seminary in Springfield, Missouri in 1955 with a degree in theology.

Ed Lauter (1938 - 2013)
Television and Movie Actor. Born Edward Matthew Lauter II, he attended C. W. Post College on an athletic scholarship, graduated in 1961, and served in the Army for two years. He studied acting at the Herbert Berghof School, and was a stand-up comedian before obtaining regular work as an actor.

Conrad Bain (1923 - 2013)
Actor. Bain, a Canadian-born actor who served in the Canadian Army during World War II, will best be remembered for his roles as as Phillip Drummond in the sitcoms 'Diff'rent Strokes' and as Dr. Arthur Harmon on 'Maude'.

Slim Whitman (1923 - 2013)
Singer. Regarded as a leading figure in American country music. Born Ottis Dewey Whitman, Jr., he recorded and sang legendary songs including notably "Indian Love Call" (1952), "Secret Love" (1953) and "Rose Marie" (1955), which also climbed the British music charts.

Chris Kyle (1974 - 2013)
Military Figure, Author. He is best remembered for his autobiographical book "American Sniper," a New York Times bestseller that described his military career as a US Navy SEAL sniper. His father was a Sunday school teacher and church deacon who taught him how to hunt and shoot at a young age.

Frank Thornton (1921 - 2013)
Actor. He will be best remembered for playing Captain Peacock, the droll floor walker in the popular, long-running British comedy TV series "Are You Being Served?" (1972 to 1985) and as Truly in the television program "The Last of the Summer Wine" (1997 to 2010).

Cal Smith (1932 - 2013)
Country singer. Born Calvin Grant Shofner, he began his career in 1959 when Ernest Tubb discovered him; he subsequently played guitar for Tubb's Texas Troubadors during most of the 1960s. Then in 1969, Smith went solo with the album Drinking Champagne.

Steve Forrest (1925 - 2013)
American Actor. Born William Forrest Andrews, he was one of 13 children. At 18, he enlisted in the Army during World War II, attaining the rank of sergeant and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. After the war, he moved to Los Angeles and attended UCLA.

Lou Scheimer (1928 - 2013)
Producer, Director, Voice Actor. Scheimer, who graduated from Carnegie Tech University in 1952 with a bachelors degree in Fine Arts, was the Emmy and Grammy Award–winning founder of Filmation, an animation company. Among shows he helped create were 'Fat Albert', 'The Archies'.

Richie Havens (1941 - 2013)
American Folk Singer and Guitarist. Havens will best be remembered as the artist who opened the Woodstock music festival with a three hour set. At an early age, he began organizing his neighborhood friends into street corner doo-wop groups and was performing with The McCrea Gospel Singers at 16.

Ray Harryhausen (1920 - 2013)
Visual Effects Creator, Writer, and Producer. Harryhausen will best be remembered for creating a brand of stop-motion model animation for films.

Bobby Bland (1930 - 2013)
Singer, Songwriter. He will be best remembered as one of the pioneers of blues music. Born Robert Calvin Bland, he wrote masterpieces such as "Turn on Your Love Light" and "Further On Up the Road" with which reached the top of the charts in 1957. 

Allan Arbus (1918 - 2013)
Actor. He is best remembered for his role as psychiatrist Dr. Sidney Freedman on the television series M*A*S*H. Born Allan Franklin Arbus to Jewish parents in New York City, New York, his father was a stockbroker.
Barney Bush (2000 - 2013)
Presidential Pet. Belonging to former President and First Lady George W. and Laura Bush, the black Scottish terrier was a fixture in the White House for eight years. He was noted for having his own section on the official White House.

Richard LeParmentier (1946 - 2013)
Actor. He is remembered for playing Admiral Motti, one of the senior officers aboard the Death Star space station in the science fiction film saga "Star Wars" (1977), and as Lt. Santino in the film "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" (1988).

Richard Matheson (1926 - 2013)
Author, Screenwriter. He will perhaps be best remembered for penning the novel "I Am Legend" (1954), which became the basis for three motion picture story lines ("The Last Man on Earth", 1964, "The Omega Man", 1971 and "I Am Legend" 2007). 

John Wilbur (1943 - 2013)
Professional Football Player. For nine seasons (1966 to 1974), he played at the guard and defensive end positions in the National Football League with the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins. Born John Leonard Wilbur, he was raised in Los Angeles.

Elliott Reid (1920 - 2013)
Actor, Screenwriter. Born Edgeworth Blair Reid in New York City, his father was a banker, his mother was an accomplished artist, he initiated his career as a performer on the radio series "The March of Time" when he was fifteen years old.

Noel Harrison (1934 - 2013)
Olympian, Musician, Actor. Noel, who was the son of the British actor Rex Harrison and his first wife Collette Thomas, will perhaps best be remembered for recording the Academy Award-winning song, "The Windmills of Your Mind" for the 1968 film, "The Thomas Crown Affair" which starred Steve McQueen.

Julie Harris (1925 - 2013)
Actress. Her father was an investment banker, she received her education at a private school. She chose to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, as a result of her parents often taking her to the theater during her youth for which sparked an interest.

Deacon Jones (1938 - 2013)
Hall of Fame Professional Football Player. Born David D. Jones, he was a 14th-round draft pick in 1961 out of Mississippi Valley State by the Los Angeles Rams, where he spent his first 11 seasons, teaming up with Merlin Olsen, Rosey Grier and Lamar Lundy to form "The Fearsome Foursome".

Huell Howser (1945 - 2013)
Television Personality. After graduating from the University of Tennessee, he worked on a US Senator's staff and served in the US Marine Corps. He is best known for hosting the PBS televison series "California's Gold". His television career began at WSM-TV in Nashville.

Vernon McGarity (1921 - 2013)
World War II Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. Born in Right, Tennessee, he joined the US Army in November 1942. On December 16, 1944 he fought in the Battle of the Bulge, near Krinkelt, Belgium as a technical sergeant in Company L of the 393rd Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division.

John Kerr (1931 - 2013)
American Actor. Kerr, whose parents were stage and film actors, Geoffrey Kerr and June Walker, developed an early interest in following their footsteps. He went to Phillips Exeter Academy in New England and after graduating from Harvard, he worked summer stock at the Brattle Theatre.

Christine White (1926 - 2013)
Actress. She enjoyed a successful career on television, as she appeared in scores of episodes from numerous popular TV programs during the 1950s through the 1970s. She will perhaps be best remembered by television audiences for playing William Shatner's flying companion in the 1963 episode of "The Twilight Zone" titled "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet".

Frank Bank (1942 - 2013)
Actor. He will be fondly remembered for playing Clarence 'Lumpy' Rutherford in the TV series "Leave It To Beaver" (1958 to 1963).

John Eisenhower (1922 - 2013)
United States Army General, Historian. The younger of two children born to future United States Army General and 34th United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower, he graduated from the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York in 1944.

Colonial Affair (1990 - 2013)
Thoroughbred Race Horse. The bay stallion was champion of the 1993 Belmont Stakes. Additionally, his victory gave Hall of Fame jockey Julie Krone the distinction of becoming the first female to ride a winning horse in any leg of the Triple Crown.

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10 comments:

  1. That's a really long list. Paul Walker was the biggest shock.
    I met Peter O'Toole many years ago. He really did have a great sense of humor.
    Sad thing about getting older. The actors I grew up with are starting to die. Be a really sad day when we lose someone like Clint Eastwood.

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  2. So many dead this year... and to make things worse terrorist attacks in Russia killing innocent unknown people in the last days of the year are also making us shocked and sad :(
    I will miss O'Toole, Fontaine and Walker especially since I loved their work and talent, and deep warmth in the case of the last two.

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  3. Have a great New Year to come, Jeremy. Wishing continued and greater success for 2014.

    Peace and love,

    Mark

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  4. 2013 had the longest list to date of greats that we lost. They will be remembered and missed.

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  5. Too long of a list. Lots of talent lost this year.

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  6. Such a wide variety you have listed, my friend. There is a certain lady politician who will not be missed by a lot of the British public. Annette is dead. Had no idea. I remember her when she was a Mouseketeer.

    A peaceful, hopeful New Year to you, good sir.

    Gary

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  7. Each death of talent makes the world a little poorer whether the person was well known or not. Sigh. Each of us has an expiration date that we or others cannot read. It behooves us to treat one another with awareness of that. Happy New Year, Jeremy!

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  8. Thanks, J. for providing this list, and the bio for each. I learned a lot. Some of these people I didn't know of, some I "knew" very well. What Roland says is a great quote - would make a great badge...or at the very least a tweet! I'm going to look you up Roland, not sure if I follow you already.
    You and I know what a total piece of crap 2013 was for some. Here's to a happy and healthy and flying monkey poop-less 2014. Thanks for being such a good friend. You truly are a treasure to me.
    Tina @ Life is Good

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  9. Your list is exhaustive, detailed, and appreciated, Jeremy. I ran across several that I wasn't aware had passed away. Of course, there were many more of which I was aware. I just watched a documentary recently about Ray Harryhausen, and I was crying like a baby by the end. It's truly sad how many of these individuals probably had no real inkling of just how many lives they'd touched with their contributions.

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  10. Wow - there were some big names that passed this year. Your list really puts things into perspective, very organized and well done, thanks Jeremy!

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No More Anonymous Monkeys to much of the above mentioned, sorry sometimes I get some nice things.