| [CLICK ON THE NAMES TO READ COMPLETE ENTRY] |
 Leonard Nimoy (1931 - 2015)American Actor. He will forever be remembered as Mr. Spock from the 'Star Trek' franchise. After serving in the Army from 1953-55, he appeared in small roles in a few films, but mostly found roles in TV series, appearing in episodes of 'Dragnet', 'Sea Hunt', 'Bonanza', 'Wagon Train', 'Rawhide', 'The... |
 Maureen O'Hara (1920 - 2015)Actress. Hollywood’s Queen of Technicolor. She is best known for her classic beauty, bright red hair, and fiery Irish temper. Maureen O'Hara was born Maureen Fitzsimons in Ranelagh, Ireland, the second of six children born to Charles and Marguerita Fitzsimons. Her family had a strong theatrical ba... |
 Yogi Berra (1925 - 2015)Hall of Fame Baseball Player, Manager, and Coach. Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972. He was an all-star for 15 seasons and compiled a .285 batting average, hit 358 home runs, and drove in 1430 runs. He played for the N.Y. Yankees from 1946-1963 and the N.Y. Mets in 1965. He was a 13 time ... |
 B.B. King (1925 - 2015)Legendary Blues Musician. Widely regarded as one of the greatest blues guitarists in music history, he was influential to a bevy of artists including The Beatles and Eric Clapton. Born Riley B. King, he was raised on a Mississippi plantation. He learned to play the guitar during his youth and experi... |
 Donna Douglas (1932 - 2015)American Actress. Douglas, who grew up in Baton Rouge, will best be remembered for her role as Elly May Clampett in the 1960s CBS television series, 'The Beverly Hillbillies'. Born Doris Smith, she attended a Catholic High School where she was active in sports. In 1957, she was named "Miss Baton Rou... |
 Christopher Lee (1922 - 2015)Actor. During a lengthy and distinguished film career, with a wide range of roles to his credit, he will perhaps be best remembered for his work in the Horror genre and his association with Hammer Films, where he was often paired with Peter Cushing. Notably as 'Count Dracula'. Additionally, he share... |
 Ernie Banks (1931 - 2015)Hall of Fame Baseball Player. A career .274 right-handed batter, he amassed 512 homeruns and 2,583 hits during his 18-year Major League career, which was spent entirely with the Chicago Cubs. He was a 14-time All-Star, a 2-time National League MVP and won a gold glove at shortstop in 1960. Most of h... |
 Meadowlark Lemon (1932 - 2015)American Basketball Player, Entertainer. Lemon, born Meadow Lemon III, was known as the "Clown Prince" of the world traveling Harlem Globetrotters basketball team. He attended Florida A&M University, but was soon drafted into the United States Army, serving for two years. In 1954 Lemon applied to t... |
 Martin Milner (1931 - 2015)American Film, Stage, Radio and Television Actor. Known for the television shows Route 66 and Adam-12. He begun acting in movies in his teens and transitioned into television shows in the 1950s guest starring in "The Lone Ranger" and "The Stu Erwin" show. After television, he moved on to host a Sout... |
 Fred Thompson (1942 - 2015)US Senator and Actor. A member of the Republican Party, he represented Tennessee in the US Senate from December 1994 until January 2003. He is also fondly remembered for his role as 'District Attorney Arthur Branch' on NBC's "Law and Order" series from 2002 until 2007. His acting career spanned four... |
 Omar Sharif (1932 - 2015)Actor. The handsome leading man came to international prominence, when he co-starred with Peter O'Toole in the classic film "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962) and three years later, distinguished himself playing the title role in "Doctor Zhivago" (1965). Born to a wealthy Egyptian-Lebanese family, he learn... |
 Robert Loggia (1930 - 2015)American Actor. Loggia made his acting debut in 1958 in a series of Walt Disney television shows. His other TV credits included 'The Untouchables', 'Columbo', 'Gunsmoke', ' Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea', 'The Big Valley', 'Rawhide', 'Little House on the Prairie', 'Starsky and Hutch', 'Charlie’s ... |
 Rod Taylor (1930 - 2015)Actor. A handsome, rugged leading man who played in a wide range of motion pictures, he may be best remembered by movie audiences for the films "The Time Machine" (1960), "The Birds" (1963) and "Darker than Amber" (1970). Born Rodney Sturt Taylor, his father was a construction contractor, his mother... |
 Wes Craven (1939 - 2015)American Film Director. Craven, born Wesley Earl Craven, was well known for both the horror film classics "A Nightmare on Elm Street" and "Scream". After briefly teaching in the academic world, he entered the film industry, first in the pornographic area and then turning to feature films. Crave... |
 Anne Meara (1929 - 2015)Actress. Along with her husband Jerry Stiller, she was half of the Stiller and Meara comedy team. She was the mother of actress Amy Stiller and actor Ben Stiller. Born to parents of Irish descent, her father was an attorney, her mother committed suicide when Anne was eleven years old. After deciding... |
 Lesley Gore (1946 - 2015)American Singer, Songwriter and Actress. Born Lesley Sue Goldstein, she was discovered by Quincy Jones as a teenager and signed to Mercury Records. In 1963 at age 16, she topped the charts with her song about teenage heartbreak, "It's My Party" which raced to No. 1 on the charts, was nominated for a... |
 Patrick Macnee (1922 - 2015)Actor. Born Daniel Patrick Macnee in Lambourn, Berkshire, England, to Daniel Macnee, a race horse trainer, and his wife, Dorothea Henry. He was educated at Summerfields Preparatory School and Eton, and at the age of 11, he performed in “Henry V” opposite a young Christopher Lee. He received his trai... |
 Lynn Anderson (1947 - 2015)Country Music Singer. Multi-award-winning American country music singer known for a string of hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s, most notably her 1970 country-pop, worldwide megahit "(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden". Anderson's crossover appeal and regular exposure on national television help... |
 James Best (1926 - 2015)Actor. He will be fondly remembered for playing the comical, inept 'Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane' in the TV series "The Dukes of Hazzard" (1979 to 1985). Born Jewel Franklin Guy, his cousins from his mother's family side were singers Don and Phil Everly, James was placed in an orphanage following his ... |
 James Dickens (1920 - 2015)Country and Western Musician and Singer. He is best remembered for his small stature (4 feet 11 inches), his rhinestone-studded outfits, and his humorous novelty songs, including his biggest single hit "May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose" (1965), that reached number 1 on the US Country Chart ... |
 Ben King (1938 - 2015)American R&B Singer and Songwriter. Born Benjamin Earl Nelson, he first found success as an original member of the Drifters, the doo-wop group famous for such hits as "Save the Last Dance for Me", "This Magic Moment" and "There Goes My Baby", before leaving the group in 1960 over a contract dispute.... |
 Dean Jones (1931 - 2015)Actor. A handsome leading man, often cast in light comedies, he shall be best remembered for his association with Disney films. Born Dean Carroll Jones, his father was a construction worker, young Dean experienced entertainment at an early age, as a singer on his own radio program in Alabama. He dro... |
 Marjorie Lord (1918 - 2015)American Actress and Philanthropist. Lord, an actress of stage, film and television, will best be remembered for co-starring in 'Make Room for Daddy' with Danny Thomas. She was fifteen when she enrolled in both acting and ballet classes at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and the Chaliff School... |
 Jayne Meadows (1919 - 2015)American Stage, Film and Television Actress. Born Jane Meadows Cotter in China to missionary parents, she returned back to Connecticut in the early 1930s with her family which included her sister, Audrey Meadows. In 1942, she made her debut on Broadway in the comedy 'Spring Again', and went on to pe... |
 Scott Weiland (1967 - 2015)American Singer, Songwriter and Musician. Weiland was the Grammy-winning frontman for a string of prominent rock bands, most notably Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver. He formed the band Stone Temple Pilots with brothers Robert and Dean DeLeo and saw huge commercial success in the 1990s. In 1... |
 Gunther Schuller (1925 - 2015)Conductor, Composer. A versatile maestro, he shall be remembered for his massive body of work in both classical music and Jazz. Raised in New York City where his father was a violinist with the New York Philharmonic, he studied in Germany as well as at the St. Thomas Choir School, became a top-drawe... |
 Jim Ed Brown (1934 - 2015)American Singer, Radio and TV Host. Brown was a longtime Grand Ole Opry member who had hits as a solo artist, as part of a duet and as a member of a trio, and was also featured prominently on country music television shows in the 1970s and 1980s. Brown and his two sisters, Bonnie and Maxine, perform... |
 Yvonne Craig (1937 - 2015)American Actress and Dancer. Craig will best be remembered for her role as "Batgirl" in the 1960s TV series, 'Batman'. She began her theatrical career as the youngest member of The Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and had toured for three years when she was discovered by John Ford’s son, Patrick and was ... |
 Joan Leslie (1925 - 2015)American Actress. Leslie was a star of stage and screen in the golden age of Hollywood who co-starred in films with such actors as Humphrey Bogart, Gary Cooper and James Cagney. Born Joan Agnes Theresa Sadie Brodel, she and her two sisters, Mary and Betty, performed on stage in their hometown of Det... |
 Al Molinaro (1919 - 2015)American Actor. Born Albert Francis Molinaro, he was an actor whose most famous roles were of Al Delvecchio, the owner of Arnold's drive-in on the late 1970s television series "Happy Days" and Murray the Cop on the early 1970s series "The Odd Couple". His family was well known in the Kenosha, Wiscon... |
 John Nash (1928 - 2015)Nobel Prize Winning Mathematician. The recipient of the 1994 Nobel Prize for Economics Sciences and the subject of Sylvia Nasar's 1998 biography "A Beautiful Mind" as well as the 2001 the Academy Award winning movie of the same name in which he was portrayed by Russell Crowe, he shall be remembered ... |
 Frank Gifford (1930 - 2015)Legendary NFL Player and Broadcaster. Gifford was a former New York Giants star who successfully transitioned to a long career as a sportscaster on television and radio. He attended the University of Southern California on a football scholarship and went pro after being selected 11th overall in the ... |
 Jack Larson (1928 - 2015)American Actor, Writer and Producer. Larson, an accomplished playwright and producer, will best be remembered for his portrayal of Jimmy Olsen on the 1950s television series, 'Adventures of Superman'. Raised in the east Los Angeles suburb of Montebello, at age 14 he became a California state bowling... |
 George Sakato (1921 - 2015)World War II Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. After graduation from Redlands High School, his family moved to Arizona to avoid being placed in a Japanese Internment Camp. Sakato enlisted with the United States Army and was assigned to the 100th infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team... |
 Vincent Bugliosi (1934 - 2015)American Attorney, Prosecutor and Author. Bugliosi will best be remembered for successfully prosecuting Charles Manson and his accomplices for the seven Tate-LaBianca murders in 1969. Bugliosi graduated from the University of Miami, which he attended on a tennis scholarship. In 1964, he received his... |
 Cory Wells (1942 - 2015)American Musician. Born Emil Lewandowski, he will best be remembered as one of the three lead vocalists for the America rock band, Three Dog Night. In the early 1960s, Wells played in a few local bands in his hometown before joining the U.S. Air Force after graduating from high school. Upon his disc... |
 John Galvin (1929 - 2015)US Army General, Author. A four-star general, he served as Commander in Chief of the United States Southern Command in Panama from 1985 until 1987 and Commander in Chief of the United States European Command from 1987 until 1992. Additionally, he held the position of NATO's Supreme Allied Commander,... |
 Gene Scherer (1937 - 2015)Character Actor. Scherer was used primarily in roles that called for a character with a heavy Russian or foreign accent. He appeared in such films as 'Stripes' (1981), 'Red Dawn' (1984), 'Re-Animator' (1985), 'Hollywood Cop' and 'Russkies' (both 1987). Among television shows he appeared in were 'The... |
 Cilla Black (1943 - 2015)British Singer, Actress, Entertainer. Black, who was born Priscilla Maria Veronica White, was a British entertainer who achieved popularity in various areas of entertainment. She began her career, being influenced by the Beatles, in singing. Black had two number one hits in "Anyone Who Had A Heart"... |
 James Last (1929 - 2015)Bandleader, Composer. The developer of the "happy party sounds", he and his band toured world wide, and became one of the most successful touring orchestras. Over the course of a 50 year career he played in Europe and the United States, the former Soviet Union, China, Australia and New Zealand. He ... |
 P.F. Sloan (1945 - 2015)American Singer and Songwriter. Born Philip Schlein, he wrote songs for the Turtles, Jan & Dean, Herman's Hermits and more. He signed his first record deal when he was 13 and went on to write such classic songs as Johnny Rivers’ "Secret Agent Man", Barry McGuire’s "Eve of Destruction", the Grass Roo... |
 Dick Van Patten (1928 - 2015)Actor. He will be fondly remembered for playing 'Tom Bradford', the family patriarch in the TV series "Eight is Enough" (1977 to 1981). Born Richard Vincent Van Patten, his father was a furniture salesman, his mother was a Physical Education teacher, Dick developed a fondness for the theater and beg... |
 Nicholas Winton (1909 - 2015)Humanitarian. Responsible for the rescue of 669 mostly Jewish children via the so-called "Kindertransport" from the Nazis before World War II. He was dubbed by the English press as "Britain's Schindler", a title which he hated. He was born Chaim Wertheimer into a German-Jewish family in London that ... |
 Jackie Collins (1937 - 2015)Author and Actress. Collins wrote more than 30 best sellers, which sold more than 500 million copies worldwide, with several of her books being adapted into movies or television miniseries. Her first novel, 'The World Is Full of Married Men', published in 1968, was banned in Australia and South Afri... |
 Gary Owens (1934 - 2015)Entertainer. He will be best remembered as the announcer for the TV series "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" (1968 to 1973). Born Gary Altman, his father was a county treasurer and sheriff, his mother was an educator. Gary suffered from diabetes from the time he was eight years old. At the age of sevent... |
 Percy Sledge (1941 - 2015)American R&B and Soul Singer. Born Percy Tyrone Sledge, he is best known for the song "When a Man Loves a Woman", a No. 1 pop and soul hit in 1966. It was awarded a million-selling, Gold-certified disc from the RIAA. Having previously worked as a hospital nurse in the early 1960s, he achieved his st... |
 Luigi Creatore (1921 - 2015)Songwriter, Record Producer, Author. Along with his cousin Hugo Peretti, he formed the record production team of Hugo and Luigi. They were responsible for many popular hits for such artists as Elvis Presley and Sam Cooke. Born to an immigrated Italian family, his father Giuseppe was a noted bandlead... |
 Marty Ingels (1936 - 2015)American Actor. Born Martin Ingerman, he was an actor and comedian who was both famous for his role in the 1960s television series "I'm Dickens, He's Fenster" and being the voice of many cartoon and commercial characters. His acting career began first with an appearance on the series "The Phil Silve... |
 Billy Joe Royal (1942 - 2015)American Pop and Country Singer. Royal gained a huge following at the Bamboo Ranch in Savannah, Georgia, where close to 2,500 people each night would flock to the club to see him and others perform. It was there that Royal would become friends with Roy Orbison who gave him encouragement to pursue hi... |
 Jack Carter (1923 - 2015)American Comedian, Actor and Host. Carter was one of television’s first stars in the late 1940s whose career spanned well into the 21st century. Born Jack Chakrin to Jewish immigrant parents from Russia, they owned a restaurant on Coney Island where he was dancing on the tables entertaining customer... |
 George Barris (1925 - 2015)American Car Customizer and Designer. Known as the "King of the Kustomizers", Barris created some of the most iconic automobiles for film and television, among them the Batmobile and the Munster Koach. He and his brother, Sam, began fixing up cars in their teen years, opening the Barris Brothers Cus... |
 Gary Richrath (1949 - 2015)American Musician. Richrath will best be remembered as lead guitarist and songwriter for the band REO Speedwagon from 1970 until 1989. During his time with the band, they had 12 Top 40 hits including 'Keep On Loving You', 'Take It On The Run' and 'Can't Fight This Feeling'. Among the albums they rec... |
 Cecil Lion (2002 - 2015)Celebrated African Lion. Cecil was a male African lion who primarily lived in the Hwange National Park in Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe. He was a major attraction at the park and was being studied and tracked by Oxford University as part of a larger study. He was described by The Guardian as "one of ... |
 Betsy Palmer (1926 - 2015)Actress. She shall be remembered for her participation as a regular panelist on the TV gameshow "I've Got a Secret" (1955 to 1967). Additionally, she will be known to movie audiences for playing 'Mrs. Voorhees', the psychopathic killer in the film "Friday the 13th" (1980) and "Friday the 13th: Part ... |
 Ken Stabler (1945 - 2015)American Professional Football Player. Born Kenneth Michael Stabler, he was a multi-sport athlete at Foley High School, but it was football that he excelled at the most, earning the nickname "The Snake" for his ability to maneuver and weave through opposing defenses. In 1964, he was recruited to the... |
 Robert Conquest (1917 - 2015)Author, Historian, Poet. He will be remembered for his extensive coverage of 20th Century Russian history, which resulted in his penning of numerous books on the subject. Notably "The Great Terror" (1969), which detailed Joseph Stalin's reign. Born George Robert Acworth Conquest, his father was a we... |
 Geoffrey Lewis (1935 - 2015)American Actor. Lewis, who was a versatile character actor who appeared on dozens of films and TV shows in a career that spanned five decades, will most likely be remembered for the roles he played alongside Clint Eastwood. Born in San Diego and raised in Rhode Island, he studied dramatic arts in hi... |
 James Horner (1953 - 2015)American Composer. Horner was a two-time Academy Award winner who was primarily known for composing film scores. In all, he earned 10 Oscar nominations for such films as 'Aliens' (1986), 'Field of Dreams' (1989), 'Braveheart' (1995), 'A Beautiful Mind' (2001), 'House of Sand and Fog' (2003) and 'Ava... |
 Theodore Bikel (1924 - 2015)Actor. Highly-versatile, he played a wide range of parts and may perhaps be best remembered for his stage performances, notably as 'Tevye' in "Fiddler on the Roof". Born to a Austrian-Jewish family, he learned Hebrew and Yiddish at home, while being taught German in school. After the Nazi occupation... |
 Al Markim (1927 - 2015)American Actor, Producer and Video Executive. Markim will best be remembered for portraying Astro, a young engineer from Venus, on the popular 1950s sci-fi TV serial 'Tom Corbett, Space Cadet', which aired from 1950-55. He served in the Army during World War II and witnessed the Nuremberg trials. He... |
 Rowdy Roddy Piper (1954 - 2015)Professional Wrestler, Actor. Roderick George Toombs, known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, was a Canadian professional wrestler, film actor and podcast host. In professional wrestling, he was best known for his work with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). Although he was Canadian,... |
 Dickie Moore (1925 - 2015)American Actor. Born John Richard Moore, Jr., he began his long career in show business when he was only 11 months old, playing John Barrymore as an infant in the 1927 silent film 'The Beloved Rogue', and would go on to appear in more than 100 films during the next 30 years. He started working regul... |
 Anita Ekberg (1931 - 2015)Actress. Born Kerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg, she will be best remembered for her performance in the film "La Dolce Vita" (1960) by Federico Fellini. During her career she starred in over 70 films including "Abbott and Costello Go to Mars" by Charles Lamont (1953), "Blood Alley" by William A. Wellman... |
 Bob Simon (1941 - 2015)American News Television Correspondent. Covering the national and international news since the 1960's, Simon, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Brandeis University, is most noted for his correspondent spot on the CBS news magazine "60 Minutes" since 1996. He joined CBS in 1967 and was recognized with the... |
 Dewitt Lowrey (1922 - 2015)US World War II Military Figure. A corporal, he served as an original member of the Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division known as the "Band of Brothers", which was featured in an award-winning HBO mini-series (2001). In addition, Lowrey was h... |
 Dusty Rhodes (1945 - 2015)Professional Wrestler. Rhodes, better known as "The American Dream", was an American former professional wrestler and trainer who worked for the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Born Virgil Runnels, the son of a plumber, he was billed as "a common man and a working-class hero" who fought many in... |
 Robert Schuller (1926 - 2015)Religious Leader, Televangelist and Author. Schuller created the weekly 'Hour of Power' television show that at its peak popularity attracted an international audience of millions, wrote dozens of books and built a 40-acre church campus with buildings designed by some of the world's foremost archite... |
 David Canary (1938 - 2015)Actor. He is best remembered for his portrayal of 'Adam Chandler' and 'Stuart Chandler' on the ABC daytime television soap opera "All My Children" from 1984 to 2011 and in 2013, and also as 'Candy Canaday' on the NBC television western series "Bonanza" from 1967 to 1970 and again from 1972 to 1973. ... |
 Calvin Spann (1924 - 2015)US World War II Military Figure. A lieutenant in the United States Army Air Corps, he was a member of the elite group known as the "Tuskegee Airmen". With the then-segregated United States Armed Forces, Spann made history with a highly-skilled combat force of African-Americans, who played a major ro... |
 Louis Jourdan (1921 - 2015)Actor. A handsome leading man, he was capable of playing a wide range of roles including romantic, comedic and villainous characters. His film career began in his native France during the late 1930s and he would gradually advance to international pictures. Born Louis Gendre, his father was involved ... |
 Ann Rule (1931 - 2015)American Author. A former Seattle Policewoman, Rule was raised in a law-enforcement family and was regarded by many as one America's foremost true crime writers. Both her grandfather and her uncle were Michigan sheriffs, her cousin was a Prosecuting Attorney and another uncle was the Medical Examine... |
 Nicholas Smith (1934 - 2015)Actor. He will be best remembered for playing department store manager 'Mr. Cuthbert Rumbold' in the British comedy series "Are You Being Served?" (1972 to 1985). His father was a chartered surveyor, Nicholas was educated at a preparatory school and took an interest to music, as he studied singing, ... |
 Gunnar Hansen (1947 - 2015)Actor and Writer. Hansen will best be remembered for originating the role of Leatherface in the 1974 horror film, 'Texas Chain Saw Massacre'. Born in Iceland, he moved to Maine with his family at the age of 5, and then to Texas, where he studied at the University of Texas, majoring in English and Sc... |
 Malvin Whitfield (1924 - 2015)US Olympic Gold Medalist. Whitfield, a middle-distance runner who was widely compared to the greatness of Jesse Owens, earned three gold medals during the course of his Olympic experience. By the time he reached the age of twelve, he was orphaned and awarded guardianship to his older sister which re... |
 Judy Carne (1939 - 2015)British Actress. Born Joyce Audrey Botterill, she will best be remembered as the original "Sock it to me" girl from the American comedy television show, 'Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'. She received training at the Pitt-Draffen Academy of Dance, before being accepted into the prestigious Bush-Davis Thea... |
