[go: up one dir, main page]

Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

Notable Deaths 2020

Remembering Ruth Bader Ginsburg, John Lewis, Kobe Bryant, Chadwick Boseman, Gail Sheehy, Kirk Douglas, Katherine Johnson, Little Richard, Regis Philbin, Mary Higgins Clark, Jerry Stiller and many others who died this year.

December

Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, 94

Conservative French president

Rafer Johnson, 86

Winner of 1960 decathlon

Alison Lurie, 94

Tart-voiced novelist of manners

Betsy Wade, 91

First woman to edit news at The Times

Frank Carney, 82

Co-founder of Pizza Hut

Walter E. Williams, 84

Conservative economist on Black issues

Cliff Joseph, 98

Artist, activist and therapist

Pamela Tiffin, 78

Movie star who shone brightly but briefly

David L. Lander, 73

Squiggy on ‘Laverne & Shirley'

Paul Sarbanes, 87

Maryland senator who fought accounting fraud

Pat Patterson, 79

Wrestling star who came out

Dick Allen, 78

Baseball slugger withstood bigotry

Chuck Yeager, 97

Test pilot who broke the sound barrier

Natalie Desselle, 53

Comedic heart of ‘BAPS’ and ‘Eve’

Ray Perkins, 79

Coach at Alabama and in the N.F.L.

Norman Abramson, 88

Pioneer behind wireless networks

Charley Pride, 86

Country music’s first Black superstar

John le Carré, 89

Best-selling author of Cold War thrillers

Carol Sutton, 76

Actress devoted to New Orleans

Ann Reinking, 71

Dancer, choreographer and Fosse muse

Jack Steinberger, 99

Nobel winner in physics

Kim Ki-duk, 59

Award-winning South Korean filmmaker

Ralph K. Winter, 85

Top conservative judicial mind

Barbara Windsor, 83

Beloved British TV and film star

Catie Lazarus, 44

Comedian with a lot of questions

Pierre Cardin, 98

Visionary fashion designer

Tony Rice, 69

Bluegrass innovator

H. Jack Geiger, 95

Doctor who fought social ills

Jackie Saccoccio, 56

Painter of explosive abstraction

Phil Niekro, 81

Hall of Fame Knuckleball Pitcher

Barry Lopez, 75

Lyrical nature writer

John Fletcher, 56

Rapper known as Ecstasy in the group Whodini

George Blake, 98

British spy who betrayed the West

K.C. Jones, 88

Celtics standout as player and coach

Nancye Radmin, 82

Pioneer of plus-size fashion

Jeannie Morris, 85

Trailblazing Chicago sportscaster

Leslie West, 75

Guitarist for the hit band Mountain

Stella Tennant, 50

Aristocratic British model

Jack Lenor Larsen, 93

Inventive textile designer

Jean Graetz, 90

White supporter of Civil Rights in Alabama

Chad Stuart, 79

Half of the British rock duo Chad & Jeremy

Kevin Greene, 58

Master of sacking the quarterback

Rebecca Luker, 59

Broadway star for three decades

K.T. Oslin, 78

Country singer known for "80’s Ladies"

November

Norm Crosby, 93

Comedian known as the master of malaprop

Alex Trebek, 80

Longtime host of "Jeopardy!"

Seymour Topping, 98

Reporter and newsroom leader at The Times

Robert Sam Anson, 75

"Bare-Knuckled" magazine writer

Howie Meeker, 97

Hockey star and colorful broadcaster

Jonathan Sacks, 72

Inclusive chief rabbi of the United Kingdom

Saeb Erekat, 65

Palestinian chief negotiator amid turmoil

Tom Heinsohn, 86

Champion Celtic as player and coach

Amadou Toumani Touré, 72

Malian president who led and was ousted by a coup

Khalifa Bin Salman al-Khalifa, 84

Bahrain’s prime minister for nearly five decades

Natan Zach, 89

Blunt and cherished Israeli poet

Lucille Bridges, 86

Led her daughter across a color line

Jerry Rawlings, 73

Coup-plotter who led Ghana toward democracy

Aldo Tambellini, 90

Avant-garde filmmaker and video artist

Paul Hornung, 84

Midcentury football’s "golden boy"

Roger Jepsen, 91

Senator from Iowa and Reagan ally

Aileen Passloff, 89

Dancer, choreographer and teacher

Lindy McDaniel, 84

Ace reliever for mediocre teams

Masatoshi Koshiba, 94

Nobel winner who tracked ghostly neutrinos

Sheldon H. Solow, 92

Manhattan real estate mogul

Nancy Darsch, 68

Champion coach of women’s basketball

Soumitra Chatterjee, 85

Globally acclaimed Indian film star

Jan Morris, 94

Celebrated writer of place and history

Cándido Camero, 99

Conga master who transformed jazz

Len Barry, 78

Soulful voice of "Bristol Stomp" and "1-2-3"

Daniel Cordier, 100

French resistance hero

David N. Dinkins, 93

New York’s first Black mayor

Nelly Kaplan, 89

Directed films that explored female strength

Diego Maradona, 60

One of soccer’s greatest players

Edward Lazear, 72

Economist and presidential adviser

James Wolfensohn, 86

Led the World Bank for 10 years

Mary Fowkes, 66

Helped science understand the pandemic

Debra White Plume, 66

Defender of the Oglala Lakota tribe

Tony Hsieh, 46

Longtime chief of Zappos

Dena Dietrich, 91

Found TV fame as Mother Nature

Lady Elizabeth Anson, 79

Party planner to the royals

Betty Jones, 94

Founding member of Limón Troupe

Priscilla Jana, 76

Lawyer who battled Apartheid

Jake Scott, 75

Super Bowl M.V.P. for the Dolphins

Miguel Algarín, 79

Force behind Nuyorican Cafe

Irina Antonova, 98

Grande dame of Russian museum world

Naomi Long Madgett, 97

Champion of Black poets

Camilla Wicks, 92

Dazzling violinist from a young age

Helen LaFrance, 101

Folk artist of rural Kentucky

Sarah Leland, 79

Ballerina of passion and abandon

Deb Price, 62

First as a columnist on gay life

Othella Dallas, 95

Keeper of Katherine Dunham’s flame

Ben Bova, 88

Science fiction editor and author

October

Bob Gibson, 84

One of baseball’s most dominant pitchers

Murray Schisgal, 93

Playwright and screenwriter

Kenzo Takada, 81

Designer who popularized Japanese fashion

Eddie Van Halen, 65

The most influential guitarist of his generation

Johnny Nash, 80

Singer of “I Can See Clearly Now”

Joseph L. Bruno, 91

Power broker in New York Senate

Whitey Ford, 91

Beloved pitcher and reliable winner for the Yankees

Jim Dwyer, 63

Journalist who captured the human dramas of New York City

Stephen Barnes, 61

Partner in America's most famous personal injury law firm

Mohammad Reza Shajarian, 80

Iranian master singer and dissident

Joe Morgan, 77

Hall of Fame second baseman

Roberta McCain, 108

Mother of John McCain and his beacon

Monica Roberts, 58

Transgender advocate and journalist

Conchatta Ferrell, 77

Memorable maid on "Two and a Half Men"

Tom Kennedy, 93

Genial journeyman of TV game shows

Herbert Kretzmer, 95

Lyricist for "Les Misérables"

Erin Wall, 44

Acclaimed soprano in Mozart and Strauss

Faith Stewart-Gordon, 88

Doyenne of the Russian Tea Room

Lulu Peyraud, 102

French wine matriarch

Ruth Kluger, 88

Author of a haunting Holocaust memoir

Rhonda Fleming, 97

Movie star made for technicolor

Alan S. Boyd, 98

Nation’s first transportation chief

Clark Middleton, 63

Actor with a cause

Spencer Davis, 81

Led hitmaking '60s rock band

Bess Abell, 87

Social secretary in Johnson White House

Anthony Chisholm, 77

Actor acclaimed in August Wilson roles

J. Michael Lane, 84

General in the rout of smallpox

Marge Champion, 101

Dancer, actor and choreographer

James Randi, 92

Magician who debunked paranormal claims

Jerry Jeff Walker, 78

Singer and songwriter known for "Mr. Bojangles"

Lee Kun-hee, 78

Architect of Samsung's rise

Ming Cho Lee, 90

Fabled set designer

Cecilia Chiang, 100

Restaurateur who popularized authentic Chinese cuisine

Diane di Prima, 86

Most prominent female Beat poet

Billy Joe Shaver, 81

Outlaw singer and songwriter

Travis Roy, 45

Philanthropist and motivational speaker

Enzo Mari, 88

Industrial designer, artist and polemicist

Herb Adderley, 81

Hall of Fame cornerback for the Packers

Sean Connery, 90

Actor who embodied James Bond

Betty Dodson, 91

Feminist sexologist and evangelist of self-pleasure

Viola Smith, 107

"Fastest girl drummer in the world"

Marguerite Littman, 90

Socialite and inspiration for Holly Golightly

David Toole, 56

Disabled dancer with grace in his hands

Rosanna Carteri, 89

Soprano who retired at her peak

Rance Allen, 71

Frontman of a gospel group

Lee Hyo-jae, 95

Champion of women’s rights in South Korea

Jill Paton Walsh, 83

Young adult writer and novelist

September

Barbara Judge, 73

High-flying American-British lawyer

Duch, 77

Slaughtered for the Khmer Rouge

Julia Reed, 59

Chronicler of politics, food and the South

Tom Seaver, 75

Pitcher who led "Miracle Mets" to glory

Eleanor Jacobs, 91

Force behind the Earth Shoe phenomenon

Lou Brock, 81

Speedy baseball Hall of Famer

George Bizos, 92

Anti-apartheid lawyer who defended Mandela

Gary Peacock, 85

Master jazz bassist

Diana Rigg, 82

Emma Peel of "The Avengers"

Shere Hite, 77

Challenged myths of female sexuality

Toots Hibbert,

Father of reggae

Terence Conran, 88

Designer and retail magnate

Christian Liaigre, 77

Minimalist interior designer

Winston Groom, 77

Author of "Forrest Gump"

Larry Wilson, 82

Made safety an N.F.L. threat

Stephen F. Cohen, 81

Influential historian of Russia

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 87

Supreme Court’s feminist icon

Anne Stevenson, 87

Poet and Plath biographer

Juliette Gréco, 93

Grande dame of chanson française

Gale Sayers, 77

Elusive hall of fame running back

Harold Evans, 92

Crusading newspaperman

Keith Hufnagel, 46

Pro skateboarder and entrepreneur

Helen Reddy, 78

Singer of "I Am Woman"

Mac Davis, 78

Pop and country star

Bill Gates Sr., 94

Guide for billionaire son’s philanthropy

Stanley Crouch, 74

Author, essayist, columnist and social critic

Kevin Dobson, 77

TV actor known for portraying a lawyer and detective

Florence Howe, 91

Founder of women’s studies and the Feminist Press

Henrietta Boggs, 102

Southern belle who married Costa Rica's first president

Tommy DeVito, 92

Original member of the Four Seasons

David Kendall, 99

Pepsi’s chief during the cola wars

Robert Gore, 83

Inventor of Gore-Tex

Pierre Troisgros, 92

Renowned French restaurateur

Michael Lonsdale, 89

Actor known for playing a Bond villain

Arthur Ashkin, 98

Nobel Laureate who invented a ‘tractor beam’

Lillian Brown, 106

Makeup artist to nine presidents

Robert Bechtle, 88

Photorealist painter of suburbia

Yuri Orlov, 96

Physicist and Soviet dissident

Jacques-Louis Monod, 93

Modernist composer with a lyrical touch

Terry Goodkind, 72

Master of fantasy fiction

Ardeth Platte, 84

Nun and antinuclear activist

Quino, 88

Creator of popular ‘Mafalda’ cartoon

August

Lady Red Couture, 41

"Mother Hen" of drag scene

Wilford Brimley, 85

"Cocoon" star and Quaker Oats pitchman

Leon Fleisher, 92

Spellbinding pianist using one hand or two

John Hume, 83

Nobel laureate in Northern Ireland "Troubles"

Pete Hamill, 85

Quintessential New York journalist

Eric Bentley, 103

Critic who preferred Brecht to Broadway

Horace Clarke, 82

Standout in a dismal Yankee era

Brent Scowcroft, 95

Force on foreign policy for 40 years

Bernard Bailyn, 97

Eminent historian of early America

Frances Allen, 88

Paved way for lightning-fast apps of today

Adin Steinsaltz, 83

Created epic translation of Talmud

Trini Lopez, 83

Hitmaking singer who melded musical styles

Sumner Redstone, 97

Built a media empire

Luchita Hurtado, 99

Artist who became a sensation in her 90s

Julian Bream, 87

Maestro of guitar and lute

James R. Thompson, 84

"Big Jim" was longest-serving Illinois governor

Claire Shulman, 94

First woman to lead Queens

Ben Cross, 72

Star of "Chariots of Fire"

Slade Gorton, 92

“Passionate moderate” Republican

Hee Sook Lee, 61

Founder of BCD Tofu House

Gail Sheehy, 83

Journalist, author and social observer

Gerald D. Hines, 95

Developer and architects’ "Medici"

Lute Olson, 85

Put Arizona on college basketball map

Chadwick Boseman, 43

"Black Panther" star

Pranab Mukherjee, 84

Former president of India

John Thompson, 78

Georgetown's Hall of Fame basketball coach

Constance Weldon, 88

Pioneering virtuoso of the tuba

Edith Raymond Locke, 99

Editor of Mademoiselle magazine

July

Hugh Downs, 99

A television fixture for decades

Gay Culverhouse`, 73

Helped injured football players

Ennio Morricone, 91

Oscar-winning composer of film scores

Charlie Daniels, 83

Fiddling force in country and rock

Ida Haendel,

Violin prodigy

Jack Charlton, 85

Soccer hero in England and Ireland

Kelly Preston, 57

"Jerry Maguire" star

C.T. Vivian, 95

Martin Luther King Jr.’s field general

Flossie Wong-Staal, 73

Helped establish H.I.V. as the cause of AIDS

John Lewis, 80

Towering champion of civil rights

Zizi Jeanmaire, 96

French star of ballet, cabaret and film

Annie Ross, 89

Jazz vocalist of "Twisted" renown

Charles Evers, 97

Businessman and civil rights leader

Keith Sonnier, 78

Playful sculptor in neon

Rene Carpenter, 92

One of the Mercury 7 cohort

Regis Philbin, 88

TV’s enduring Everyman

Olivia de Havilland, 104

Star of "Gone With the Wind"

John Saxon, 83

Star of "Enter the Dragon"

Lou Henson, 88

Final Four coach with two schools

Lee Teng-hui, 97

Led Taiwan’s turn to democracy

Herman Cain, 74

Former C.E.O. and presidential candidate

Martha Nierenberg, 96

Entrepreneur who sought art’s return

John McNamara, 88

Red Sox skipper in ’86 series loss

Alan Parker, 76

Versatile film director

William English, 91

Helped build the computer mouse

Joan Feynman, 93

Astrophysicist and pioneer in solar physics

June

Pat Dye, 80

Football coach who elevated Auburn

Wes Unseld, 74

Powerful Hall of Fame N.B.A. center

Elsa Dorfman, 83

Made art with giant Polaroids

Bruce Jay Friedman, 90

Author with darkly comic worldview

Bobby Morrow, 84

Ran to stardom at the 1956 Olympics

Shigeru Yokota, 87

Fought for return of abducted daughter

Kurt Thomas, 64

Trailblazing champion gymnast

Bonnie Pointer, 69

Founder of the Pointer Sisters

Claudell Washington, 65

Rookie baseball sensation at 19

Murray Olderman, 98

Wrote and drew about sports

Vicki Wood, 101

Broke car-racing gender barriers

William S. Sessions, 90

F.B.I. director in turbulent time

Eden Pastora, 83

"Commander Zero" in Nicaragua

Tomisaku Kawasaki, 95

Pediatrician pinpointed a mysterious disease

Vera Lynn, 103

Singer who lifted wartime Britain

Jean Kennedy Smith, 92

Helped forge peace in Northern Ireland

Mady Mesple, 89

French soprano with a silvery voice

Ian Holm, 88

Malleable actor who played Lear and a hobbit

Mike McCormack, 81

Comeback Cy Young award winner

Jim Kiick, 73

Helped the Dolphins win 2 Super Bowls

Joel Schumacher, 80

Director of "St. Elmo’s Fire"

Sergei N. Khrushchev, 84

Son of former Soviet leader

Elsa Joubert, 97

Afrikaans writer explored Black reality

Li Zhensheng, 79

Photographed China’s Cultural Revolution

Milton Glaser, 91

Designer of "I ♥ NY" logo

Linda Cristal, 89

Star of “The High Chaparral"

Ruth Buchanan, 101

Philanthropist and hostess extraordinaire

Carl Reiner, 98

Master of comedy

Johnny Mandel, 94

Writer of memorable movie scores

Angela Madsen, 60

Paralympian rower

May

Lynn Harrell, 76

Acclaimed American cellist

Takuo Aoyagi, 84

Inventor of the pulse oximeter

Tony Allen, 79

Drummer who created the beat of Afrobeat

Don Shula, 90

Record-setting N.F.L. coach

Per Olov Enquist, 85

Literary lion of Sweden

Maj Sjowall, 84

Godmother of Nordic noir

Zarina Hashmi, 82

Indian-born American artist

Florian Schneider, 73

Co-founder of Kraftwerk

Jean Erdman, 104

Dancer moved by myth

Rosalind Elias, 90

American mezzo-soprano

Barry Farber, 90

Ubiquitous talk radio host

Denis Goldberg, 87

South African freedom fighter

Satish Gujral, 94

One of India’s best-known artists

Ben Benson, 89

Fun-loving restaurateur

Roy Horn, 75

Half of Siegfried & Roy

Little Richard, 87

Flamboyant wild man of rock ’n’ roll

Jaquelin Taylor Robertson, 87

Architect and passionate urbanist

Jerry Stiller, 92

Comedian with enduring appeal

Ann McBride Norton, 75

First woman to run Common Cause

Carolyn Reidy, 71

Head of Simon & Schuster

Bob Watson, 74

Baseball’s first Black general manager

Louis Delsarte, 75

Muralist of the Black experience

Fred Willard, 86

Emmy-winning comic

Lynn Shelton, 54

Director of intimate comic dramas

Phyllis George, 70

Trailblazing sportscaster

Ken Osmond, 76

Eddie Haskell on “Leave It to Beaver"

Annie Glenn, 100

Champion of those with speech disorders

Rene Buch, 94

Force in Spanish-language repertory theater

Susan Rothenberg, 75

Acclaimed figurative painter

Jerry Sloan, 78

Hall of fame N.B.A. guard and coach

Marcel Ospel, 70

Architect of the Swiss bank UBS

Mory Kante, 70

Guinean singer, kora player and bandleader

Richard Anuszkiewicz, 89

Pioneering practitioner of Op Art

Eddie Sutton, 84

Winning basketball coach at four schools

Stanley Ho, 98

Turned Macau into a global gambling hub

Jimmy Cobb, 91

Drummer with Miles Davis

Larry Kramer, 84

Playwright and outspoken AIDS activist

Oliver Williamson, 87

Nobel Laureate who studied organizations

Margaret Maughan, 91

Medal-winning wheelchair athlete

Emma Amos, 83

Painter who challenged racism and sexism

Herb Stempel, 93

Quiz show whistle-blower

Christo, 84

Artist who wrapped and festooned on an epic scale

April

Adam Schlesinger, 52

Songwriter for rock, film and the stage

Ellis Marsalis, 85

Jazz pianist and music family patriarch

Bucky Pizzarelli, 94

Master of jazz guitar

William Frankland, 108

Pioneering allergist

Bill Withers, 81

Sang "Lean on Me" and "Ain’t No Sunshine"

Patricia Bosworth, 86

Actress-turned-acclaimed author

Suellen Roca, 76

Founding member of the Hairy Who

Michael McKinnell, 84

Architect of a monumental city hall

Cristina, 64

Downtown New York singer with a following

Tom Dempsey, 73

Record-setting kicker

Bobby Mitchell, 84

The Redskins’ first Black star

Honor Blackman, 94

Memorable James Bond adversary

E. Margaret Burbidge, 100

Astronomer who blazed trails on Earth

Al Kaline, 85

Tigers’ perennial all-around all-star

James Drury, 85

Taciturn star of "The Virginian"

Idelle Weber, 88

Stretched the meaning of Pop Art

David Driskell, 88

Champion of African-American art

John Prine, 73

Musician who sang of the human condition

Anne Bass, 78

Arts patron and peerless gardener

Linda Tripp, 70

Key figure in Clinton impeachment

Mort Drucker, 91

Master of the Mad magazine caricature

Earl Graves, 85

Voice for Black entrepreneurs

Louis Johnson, 90

Genre-crossing dancer and choreographer

Phyllis Lyon, 95

Lesbian activist and gay marriage trailblazer

Bruce Baillie, 88

Avant-garde filmmaker

Andy Gonzalez, 69

Prolific Latin jazz bassist

Stirling Moss, 90

One of the greatest drivers of all time

Doug Sanders, 86

"Peacock of the Fairways"

Craig Gilbert, 94

Created groundbreaking "American Family"

Irene Inouye, 71

Fund-raising champion of Japanese-Americans

Hank Steinbrenner, 63

Heir to the Yankees

Willie Davis, 85

Packers Hall of Famer

Lee Konitz, 92

Jazz saxophonist

Brian Dennehy, 81

Tony Award-winning actor

Paul O’Neill, 84

Treasury secretary who clashed with Bush

William Bailey, 89

Modernist figurative painter

Nobuhiko Obayashi, 82

Unpredictable Japanese director

Peter Beard, 82

Wildlife photographer

Nina Balducci, 91

Shaped a famed grocery store

Rubem Fonseca, 94

Giant of Brazilian literature

Jaroslava Brychtova, 95

Creator of monumental glass art

Deirdre Bair, 84

Beckett and de Beauvoir biographer

Shirley Knight, 83

Tony- and Emmy-winning actress

Iris Love, 86

Stylish archaeologist and dog breeder

Richard Hake, 51

Longtime WNYC radio reporter and host

Betsy Wyeth, 98

Andrew Wyeth’s widow and collaborator

Harland Svare, 89

Giants linebacker and young head coach

Harold Reid, 80

Bedrock voice of the Statler Brothers

Eavan Boland, 75

"Disruptive" Irish poet

March

Ernesto Cardenal, 95

Nicaraguan priest, poet and revolutionary

Jack Welch, 84

G.E. chief who became a business superstar

James Lipton, 93

Host of "Inside the Actors Studio"

Bobbie Battista, 67

Mainstay anchor at CNN

Stanislaw Kania, 92

Polish leader during Solidarity's rise

Henry Cobb, 93

Courtly architect of Boston’s Hancock Tower

Rosalind P. Walter, 95

First "Rosie the Riveter" and a PBS funder

Nexhmije Hoxha, 99

"Lady Macbeth" of Albania

Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, 100

U.N. chief who brokered peace

Amory Houghton Jr., 93

Went from Corning to Congress

Joyce Gordon, 90

Broke the glasses ceiling on TV

Henri Richard, 84

Hall of Fame center for Montreal Canadiens

McCoy Tyner, 81

Jazz piano powerhouse

Eva Szekely, 92

Survived Holocaust to win Olympic gold

Max von Sydow, 90

Star of "Seventh Seal" and "Exorcist"

Mart Crowley, 84

"Boys in the Band" playwright

Barbara Neely, 78

Activist turned mystery writer

Del Shofner, 85

Master pass receiver with the Giants

Dana Zatopkova, 97

Champion javelin thrower

Charles Wuorinen, 81

Uncompromising modernist composer

Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, 70

Musician, artist and provocateur

Herb Goldsmith, 92

Man behind the Members Only jacket

Betsy Byars, 91

Award-winning author of children's books

Elinor Ross, 93

Met soprano with illness-shortened career

Stuart Whitman, 92

Leading man on big and small screens

Lyle Waggoner, 84

TV star as actor and announcer

Barbara Harris, 89

First woman ordained an Episcopal Bishop

Richard Hanna, 69

Republican who opposed Trump

Doriot Anthony Dwyer, 98

Flutist and orchestral pathbreaker

Charles Trimble, 84

Advocate for Native American rights

Maggie Griffin, 99

Kathy’s mother and a ‘D-list’ celebrity

Suzy Delair, 102

French star of movies and music halls

Kenny Rogers, 81

Brought country music to a pop audience

Betty Williams, 76

Peace laureate from Northern Ireland

Eric Weissberg, 80

Melodic banjo player

Manu Dibango, 86

Soulful ambassador of African music

Terrence McNally, 81

Tony-winning playwright of gay life

Zara Steiner, 91

Historian who explored World War I’s roots

Nashom Wooden, 50

Omnipresent in New York’s gay club scene

Floyd Cardoz, 59

Gave American fine dining an Indian flavor

Richard Reeves, 83

Columnist and author on presidents

Curly Neal, 77

Globetrotters’ dazzling dribbler

John Sears, 79

Strategist for Nixon and Reagan

Joseph E. Lowery, 98

Civil rights leader and King aide

Tom Coburn, 72

"Dr. No" of Congress

Ray Mantilla, 85

Percussionist who transcended genres

Krzysztof Penderecki, 86

Polish composer with cinematic flair

David Schramm, 73

Blustery comic foil in TV's "Wings"

Philip Anderson, 96

Nobel laureate in physics

Joe Diffie, 61

Grammy-winning country music star

Chloe Aaron, 81

Top PBS executive

Tomie dePaola, 85

"Strega Nona" author and illustrator

Jan Howard, 91

Singer and writer of country hits

April Dunn, 33

Louisiana fighter for disability rights

Wallace Roney, 59

Jazz trumpet virtuoso

February

Monique Van Vooren, 92

Actress with a diverse résumé

Peter Serkin, 72

Pianist with pedigree

Bernard J. Ebbers, 78

WorldCom chief jailed in fraud

George Steiner, 90

Prodigious literary critic

Willie Wood, 83

Star defensive back

Daniel arap Moi, 95

Autocratic and durable Kenyan leader

Alice Mayhew, 87

Widely admired book editor

Lucy Jarvis, 102

Groundbreaking producer in television and theater

Beverly Pepper, 97

Sculptor of monumental lightness

Kirk Douglas, 103

Star of Hollywood’s golden age

Deborah Batts, 72

First openly gay federal judge

Nello Santi, 88

Conductor with his heart in Italian opera

Roger Kahn, 92

Who turned baseball into literature

Stanley Cohen, 97

Nobel Prize-winning biochemist

Kevin Conway, 77

"Elephant Man" actor

Orson Bean, 91

Free-spirited actor

Robert Conrad, 84

Star of TV's "The Wild West"

Mirella Freni, 84

Matchless Italian prima donna

Joseph Shabalala, 78

Ladysmith Black Mambazo founder

Paula Kelly, 77

“Sweet Charity” dancer

Katsuya Nomura, 84

Enduring star of Japanese baseball

Dyanne Thorne, 83

Star of scandalous "Ilsa" films

Nedda Casei, 87

Mezzo-soprano turned labor leader

Rajendra K. Pachauri, 79

Leader of Nobel-winning climate agency

A. E. Hotchner, 102

Writer and friend of the famous

Kamau Brathwaite, 89

Poet who celebrated Caribbean culture

Owen Bieber, 90

Auto workers’ president during period of decline

Charles Portis, 86

Elusive author of "True Grit"

Dawn Mello, 88

Merchant who revived Bergdorf Goodman

Mickey Wright, 85

One of the greatest players in women’s golf

Zoe Caldwell, 86

Winner of four Tony Awards

Ja’Net DuBois,

"Good Times" actress

Kellye Nakahara, 73

Memorable Nurse on "M*A*S*H"

Esther Scott, 66

"Boyz N the Hood" actress

Sy Sperling, 78

Founder of hair club for men

Lawrence Tesler, 74

Pioneer of personal computing

Bonnie MacLean, 80

Psychedelic poster artist

Jack Youngerman, 93

Distinctive abstract artist

Tobi Tobias, 81

Critic for New York and Dance magazines

Lynn Cohen, 86

Magda on "Sex and the City"

B. Smith, 70

Model turned restaurateur and lifestyle guru

Katherine Johnson, 101

Mathematician who broke barriers at NASA

Thich Quang Do, 91

Defiant rights champion in Vietnam

Diana Serra Cary, 101

"Baby Peggy" of silent films

Hosni Mubarak, 91

Egyptian leader ousted in Arab Spring

Clive Cussler, 88

Best-selling author and adventurer

Lisel Mueller, 96

Pulitzer-winning poet

Freeman Dyson, 96

Math genius turned technological visionary

Lynn Evans Mand, 95

Lead singer of the Chordettes

Johnny Antonelli, 89

Star pitcher for the Giants

Joe Coulombe, 89

Founded Trader Joe's

January

David Stern, 77

Transformative N.B.A. commissioner

Don Larsen, 90

Threw the only perfect game in World Series history

Qassim Suleimani, 62

Spymaster at the head of Iran’s security machinery

Sam Wyche, 74

Coach who led Cincinnati to the Super Bowl

Heather Ashton, 90

Doctor who helped people quit anxiety drugs

John Baldessari, 88

Witty conceptual artist

Elizabeth Wurtzel, 52

Best-selling author of "Prozac Nation"

June Bacon-Bercey, 90

First Black female meteorologist

Buck Henry, 89

Quirky writer and actor

Mamie Kirkland, 111

Witness to an era of racial terror

Edd Byrnes, 86

One of TV's first teenage heartthrobs

Pete Dye, 94

The "Picasso of golf course design"

Marian Finucane, 69

Influential voice in Irish radio

Harold Burson, 98

Public relations giant

Neil Peart, 67

Drummer and lyricist for Rush

Sultan Qaboos, 79

Longest-serving Arab ruler

Nelson Bryant, 96

The dean of outdoor writers in America

Gary Starkweather, 81

Inventor of the laser printer

Sylvia Jukes Morris, 84

Biographer of Clare Boothe Luce

Marion Chesney, 83

Mystery writer best known as M.C. Beaton

Lorenza Mazzetti, 92

Wartime survivor and seminal filmmaker

Edith Kunhardt Davis, 82

Author of "Pat the Bunny" sequels

Jimmy Heath, 93

Jazz saxophonist and composer

Egil Krogh, 80

Nixon aide who authorized an infamous break-in

Morgan Wootten, 88

Acclaimed high school basketball coach

Terry Jones, 77

Monty Python founder

Tom Railsback, 87

Congressman who reconciled G.O.P. to oust Nixon

Jim Lehrer, 85

Longtime PBS news anchor

Frieda Caplan, 96

Food distributor who changed the produce aisles

Margo Lion, 75

Producer of "Hairspray"

Nina Griscom, 65

"It Girl" of the '80s

Rhona Wurtele, 97

One of Canada’s ‘flying twins’ ski champions

Bob Shane, 85

Last of the original Kingston Trio

Harriet Frank Jr., 96

Writer of challenging screenplays

Lina Ben Mhenni, 36

Blogger who took on a Tunisian regime

Harry Harrison, 89

"Good Guy" radio D.J.

Leila Janah, 37

Entrepreneur who hired the poor

Fred Silverman, 82

Top executive at CBS, ABC and NBC

Anne Cox Chambers, 100

Media heiress and former ambassador

Jack Burns, 86

Comic force on camera

Louis Nirenberg, 94

"One of the great mathematicians"

Mary Higgins Clark, 92

Queen of suspense fiction