Hollywoods Notable Deaths of 2012
Jack Klugman
Jack Klugman, whose performance as the slovenly New York sportswriter Oscar Madison in the hit ABC series The Odd Couple won him two Emmys and made him a disheveled household name, died Dec. 24. He was 90.
Charles Durning
Charles Durning, the real-life war hero and dependable character actor who appeared in The Sting, Tootsie and most recently as Denis Leary's father on the firefighter drama Rescue Me, died Dec. 24 in his New York City home. He was 89.
Jenni Rivera
Jenni Rivera, a popular Mexican-American singer, reality TV star and coach on The Voice Mexico, died Dec. 9 in a plane crash in northern Mexico. She was 43.
Dave Brubeck
Jazz musician Dave Brubeck, who musical repertoire includes the classic "Take Five," died Dec. 5 at age 91.
Larry Hagman
Larry Hagman, who played the evil oilman J.R. Ewing for 14 seasons on the hit primetime soap Dallas, died of cancer on Nov. 23. He was 81.
Natina Reed
Musician and actress Natina Reed died Oct. 26 after being struck by a vehicle while crossing the street in Atlanta. She was 32.
Russell Means
Russell Means, a former American Indian Movement activist and actor in such films as The Last of the Mohicans, died Oct. 22 at his ranch in Porcupine, S.D. He was 72.
Sylvia Kristel
Actress Sylvia Kristel, the Dutch star of the hit 1970s erotic movie Emmanuelle, died Oct. 17 of cancer at age 60. Kristel, a model who turned to acting in the 1970s, had her breakthrough in the 1974 erotic tale directed by Frenchman Just Jaeckin, about the sexual adventures of a man and his beautiful young wife (Kristel) in Thailand. She went on to star in several sequels to Emmanuelle, as well as in Hollywood movies including Private Lessons in 1981.
Alex Karras
Alex Karras, a menacing defensive lineman in college and the NFL who showed a deft comedic touch in films including Blazing Saddles, the 1980s family sitcom Webster and as a commentator on Monday Night Football games, died Oct. 10. He was 77.
Michael Clarke Duncan
Oscar nominee Michael Clarke Duncan, best known for his role in The Green Mile, died Sept. 3 at age 54. The actor was hospitalized July 13 for a myocardial infarction, which his rep said he never fully recovered from. Duncan's fiance, Omarosa Manigault, was with him in the hospital shortly before his death. The actor most recently co-starred with Geoff Stults in Fox's Bones spinoff The Finder.
Neil Armstrong
Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, died in August at the age of 82. A shy hero who made history in 1969 and avoided the spotlight afterward, the news of Armstrong's death was broken by NBC News; reporter Jay Barbree was alerted by former astronaut Tom Stafford, who was called by Armstrong's wife. Armstrong is said to have died of complications from heart surgery that took place three weeks ago.
Phyllis Diller
Legendary comic Phyllis Diller died Monday, Aug. 20, at her Los Angeles Home. She was 95. "The world has lost a true trailblazer, a gracious and kind woman, beloved by all," her longtime manager Milt Suchin tells THR.
Tony Scott
Director Tony Scott, the action auteur behind such films as Top Gun and Crimson Tide, died on Aug. 19 after jumping off a bridge in what authorities are calling an apparent suicide. He was 68.
Phyllis Thaxter
Actress Phyllis Thaxter, who was a leading lady in the 1940s and '50s, died at 90. She played Clark Kent's mom in 1978's Superman.
Helen Gurley Brown
Helen Gurley Brown, the legendary editor of Cosmopolitan magazine, died at the age of 90.
She was the wife of the late Hollywood producer David Brown, whose films included Jaws, The Sting, Cocoon, Driving Miss Daisy and The Verdict.
Brown's 1962 bestselling book, Sex and the Single Girl, was an opening act for her more-than-30-year leadership of Cosmopolitan.
Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal, an iconic writer and outspoken political activist, died July 31 in Los Angeles at 86. His nephew, actor-writer-director Burr Steers, said that Vidal died from complications of pneumonia.
Sherman Hemsley
After making a name for himself on "All in The Family," Hemsley starred for 11 years in the hit spin-off, "The Jeffersons." He was 74 years old.
Frank Pierson
Frank Pierson, who won an Academy Award for best original screenplay for Dog Day Afternoon and who was nominated for two Oscars, died at 87. He also served as president of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science from 2001-05.
Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine, who made a career out of playing working stiffs and the heavy through a sturdy six decades of work in films, television and Broadway, died Sunday, July 8, at age 95. Borgnine won the best actor in Oscar in 1955 for his sensitive portrayal of the simple, love-starved butcher in the best-picture winner Marty and was nominated for an Emmy for playing the carefree and conniving Quinton McHale in the hit ABC series McHale’s Navy, which aired from 1962-66.
Celeste Holm
Celeste Holm, an Oscar winner for the landmark drama Gentleman's Agreement who played Bette Davis' best friend in All About Eve and the girl who can't say no in Broadway sensation Oklahoma!, died Sunday, July 15, in New York. She was 95.
Andy Griffith
Andy Griffith, who parlayed his folksy North Carolina country charm into a five-decade show business career highlighted by his popular turns as the single-father sheriff in his eponymous 1960s sitcom and the legal show Matlock, died at 86 on July 3.
Nora Ephron
Nora Ephron died June 26 at age 71 after a battle with leukemia. The celebrated writer-director is best known for penning the screenplay for When Harry Met Sally (1989) and then writing and directing Sleepless in Seattle (1989) and You've Got Mail (1998). Most recently, she directed 2009's Julie & Julia, which starred her frequent collaborator Meryl Streep as Julia Child.
Tom Davis
Tom Davis, a comedy writer who teamed with future U.S. senator Al Franken to create scores of memorable sketches for Saturday Night Live — "The Coneheads," "The Continental" and Dan Aykroyd as Julia Child among them — died July 19 of metastatic tonsil cancer at his home in Hudson, N.Y. He was 59.
STORY: Tom Davis, Writing Partner of Al Franken on 'Saturday Night Live,' Dies at 59
LeRoy Nieman
Painter and sketch artist LeRoy Neiman, best known for evoking the kinetic energy of the world's biggest sporting and leisure events with bright quick strokes, died on June 20. He was 91.
Neiman was the official painter of five Olympiads and was a contributing artist at Playboy magazine for many years. His longtime publicist, Gail Parenteau, confirmed his death at a Manhattan hospital but didn't disclose the cause.
Rodney King
Rodney King, who was at the forefront of a police brutality trial after he was videotaped being viciously beaten in 1991, was found dead on June 17. He was 47.
King was found by his fiance, Cynthia Kelley, at the bottom of the swimming pool in his home early Sunday morning in Rialto, Calif.
Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury, who authored the novel Fahrenheit 451 and was revered for his science fiction and fantasy writings, died June 5 in Los Angeles. He was 91.
A writer of immense energy and creative abilities, Bradbury was prolific: More than 500 of his works — novels, plays, screenplays, TV scripts, verse — were published or performed. Bradbury's best-regarded and popular books, in addition to Fahrenheit 451, were The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man and Something Wicked This Way Comes.
Ann Rutherford
Known for playing Scarlett O'Hara’s (Vivien Leigh) younger sister, the film star also appeared in Mickey Rooney’s popular Andy Hardy series. She was 94.
STORY: 'Gone With the Wind' Actress Ann Rutherford Dead at 94
Robin Gibb
Robin Gibb, who with the Bee Gees was part of one of the top-grossing music acts of all time, died May 20. Gibb's clear vibrato lead was a hallmark of the group’s earliest songs. The singer-songwriter had been battling cancer for more than a year. He was 62.
Donna Summer
Donna Summer, the influential “Queen of Disco” who helped define the ’70s dance genre with such hits as “Love to Love You Baby,” “I Feel Love,” “Hot Stuff” and “Bad Girls,” died Thursday of cancer at her home in Key West, Fla., on May 17. She was 63.
STORY: Donna Summer Dies: Disco Queen Dominated Pop Charts in Late 1970s
Adam Yauch
The founding member of The Beastie Boys, songwriter, director and film distributor behind Oscilloscope died on May 4 after a three-year battle with cancer. Often referred to as MCA, he was best known for his work with the iconic hip hop group that started in 1979 as a punk act. He later segued into film, distribution such features as Dark Days and Exit Through the Gift Shop. Yauch was also an instrumental force in the movement to free Tibet, launching the Tibetan Freedom Concerts of the late '90s. He is survived by wife Dechen Wengdu and their daughter Losel.
Patricia Medina
Patricia Medina, one of the most sought after actresses of the 1950s, died at 92 on April 28. She starred in Orson Welles' Mr. Arkadin, William Witney's Stranger at My Door and Francis.
Maurice Sendak
The children's book author and illustrator who's responsible for such famous titles as Where the Wild Things Are and In the Night Kitchen, died on May at the age of 83. He suffered a stroke four days prior.
Skip Pitt
Skip Pitts, a master of the wah-wah pedal guitar sound whose signature riff on Isaac Hayes’ “Theme From Shaft” captured perfectly the blaxploitation vibe of the 1970s, died May 1 at 65.
Dick Clark
Producer, host and "America's youngest teenager" Dick Clark suffered a massive heart attack following an inpatient procedure in Los Angeles on April 18. He was 83. Clark was best known for hosting and creating American Bandstand and New Year's Rockin' Eve — the latter of which he hosted until he suffered a stroke in 2004, handing over the reigns to Ryan Seacrest and only appearing for a few moments during the annual broadcast to kiss his wife Kari Wigton at midnight.
STORY: Dick Clark Dead of Heart Attack at 82Mike Wallace
Veteran journalist Mike Wallace died peacefully, surrounded by family in New Canaan, Conn., on April 7. He was 93. Wallace was the first correspondent hired by CBS' 60 Minutes and was instrumental in making the program an institution. He interviewed world leaders and important thinkers, and was known for a district attorney-style interviewing style that could make subjects squirm.
Whitney Houston
Grammy-award winning singer Whitney Houston died on Saturday, February 11, 2012. The powerhouse singer, who had struggled with substance abuse throughout her career, was found dead at the Beverly Hilton at the age of 48.
Etta James
Etta James, the sassy R&B and blues singer whose lush 1961 rendition of the ballad “At Last” has become a slow-dance staple at wedding celebrations everywhere, died Friday, Jan. 20 at Riverside Community Hospital. She was 73.
STORY: Legendary R&B Singer Etta James Dies at 73
Bob Anderson
Bob Anderson, an Olympic fencer, film swordsman, fight director and stunt performer passed away at 89 in his native United Kingdom on Jan. 1. Working with famous players such as Errol Flynn and Antonio Banderas, Anderson's most famous scenes were done nearly anonymously in the Star Wars franchise. He dueled with light sabers in both The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
Eve Arnold
Eve Arnold, a world-traveling photojournalist whose subjects ranged from the poor and dispossessed to Marilyn Monroe, died on Wednesday, Jan. 4. She was 99-years-old.
Bingham Ray
Bingham Ray, a veteran of the independent film scene, died Monday, Jan 23, in Provo, Utah, following complications of a stroke. He was 57.
Joe Paterno
Joe Paterno, the man who won more games than any other major college football coach only to be fired before the 2011 season ended amid a child sex abuse scandal, died Sunday, Jan. 22. He was 85.
Sarah Burke
X-Games veteran and daredevil Canadian ski pro Sarah Burke died Thursday, Jan. 19, after a Jan. 11 crash during a training run left her comatose.
Though she successfully underwent surgery to fix a torn artery that caused bleeding between her brain and skull, doctors said the lack of oxygen to her brain in the immediate wake of the accident caused irreparable damage.
Don Cornelius
Don Cornelius, the silky, deep-voiced creator and host of the groundbreaking African-American song and dance TV series Soul Train, was found dead Wednesday morning, Feb. 1, of an apparent suicide. He was 75.
STORY: 'Soul Train' Creator Don Cornelius Found Dead of Apparent Suicide
James Farentino
Actor James Farentino, who appeared in dozens of movies and television shows, died Tuesday, Jan. 24 in a Los Angeles hospital, according to a family spokesman. He was 73.
Farentino starred alongside Kirk Douglas and Martin Sheen in the 1980 science fiction film The Final Countdown. Farentino also starred opposite Patty Duke in 1969’s Me, Natalie. In 1967, he won a “Most Promising Newcomer” Golden Globe for his performance in the comedy The Pad and How to Use It.
Leslie Carter
Nick and Aaron Carter’s sister, Leslie Carter, died Tuesday, Jan. 31 at the age of 25. Leslie was signed to DreamWorks Records the late '90s. She had a song featured on the Shrek soundtrack (titled "Like Wow!"), but her debut album was never released by the label.
Ben Gazzara
Ben Gazzara, the gritty actor who was a member of John Cassavetes' independent troupe after attaining TV fame for starring in the 1960s NBC series Run for Your Life, died Friday, Feb. 3 in Manhattan.
Zalman King
Zalman King, who directed 1990’s Wild Orchid and produced 1986’s 9 ½ Weeks, died Feb. 3. He was 69 years old. King’s death was first reported by Charlie Sheen on Facebook, who said, "the world lost a brilliant and noble soul today. My dear friend of 40 years, Zalman King, just lost his battle with cancer. Fought like a recon marine til the bitter end. Say a prayer for his amazing wife Pat and their lovely daughters. Safe travels my friend. C".
Erland Josephson
Erland Josephson, the great Swedish actor best known for his many collaborations with director Ingmar Bergman, died Feb. 25 in Stockholm after a lengthy battle with Parkinson's disease. He was 88.
Jim Huber
Longtime Turner broadcaster Jim Huber died on Jan. 2 at the age of 67. No cause of death was given, but he was recently diagnosed with acute leukemia, USA Today reports.
Michael Davis (MC5)
Michael Davis, the bassist of legendary rock band the MC5, died of liver failure on Feb. 17. He was 68.
Zina Bethune
Zina Bethune, an actress, choreographer and dancer, died in the early morning hours Sunday, Feb. 12 after she apparently left her car along Forest Lawn Drive in Los Angeles to assist an injured animal and was struck by oncoming traffic. Bethune suffered head injuries and died at the scene. She was 66.
Bill DeCinces
Bill DeCinces, who spent more than a half-century at Universal Studios, going from a ditch digger to head of the art department to running operations at the company’s famed backlot, died Feb. 10 in Tarzana, Calif., from complications of Parkinson’s disease. He was 84.
STORY: Bill DeCinces, Who Spent a Lifetime at Universal Studios, Dies at 84
Peter Breck
Peter Breck, who played a hot-headed son of California ranch owner Barbara Stanwyck on the 1960s TV Western The Big Valley, died Monday, Feb. 6 in Vancouver after a long illness. He was 82.
Davy Jones
Former Monkees frontman Davy Jones died on Feb. 29 at the age of 66 after suffering a heart attack in Florida. The one-time teen idol and Tony Award nominee continued to perform long after the Monkees’ demise, appearing as recently as Feb. 19 in Oklahoma.
Andrew Breitbart
A new media pioneer, Breitbart, who was helping speerhead a conservative movement in the entertainment industry with his Big Hollywood blog and by helping to organize events that attracted as many as 2,000 Republicans in the film and TV industry, died at 43 on Feb. 29. Perhaps best known as the man who brought down Rep. Anthony Weiner over a scandal involving the congressman's inappropriate tweets, died of natural causes after collapsing in his Brentwood home.
Ralph McQuarrie
Ralph McQuarrie, who created the look of Star Wars charracters including Darth Vader, Chewbacca, R2-D2 and C-3PO, died March 3 at the age of 82. The Academy Award winner was known for bringing George Lucas' "Galaxy Far, Far Away" to life, along with working on Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Robert Sherman
Songwriter Robert Sherman, who composed "It's a Small World After All" and "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," died March 5 in London at the age of 86. Sherman had won two Academy Awards and a Grammy Award during his career. With his brother Richard, they were known as The Sherman Brothers, he received a star on the Walk of Fame in 1976.
Steve Bridges
Actor Steve Bridges, known for his dead-ringer and oftentimes hysterical impressions of presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and others, died at the age of 48 on March 3, 2012. Bridges made appearances on Larry King Live and The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, as well as such TV dramas as NCIS, JAG and ER. He also appeared as Bush while standing next to the real Bush at the White House Correspondent’s Dinner during Bush’s presidency.
Ulu Grosbard
Director Ulu Grosbard, a two-time Tony Award nominee whose credits include two Dustin Hoffman films of the 1970s and several collaborations with Robert Duvall, died at the age of 83 in March 2012.
Claude Miller
Famed French director-writer-producer Claude Miller died at 70 on April 4 after a long illness.
Amos Vogel
Amos Vogel, creator of the influential Manhattan avant garde film club Cinema 16 and co-founder of the New York Film Festival, died April 24, 2012, in his apartment off Washington Square Park. He was 91.
Vidal Sassoon
Vidal Sassoon, who died May 9 in his Mulholland Drive home, was famous for inventing the '60s architectural "wash and go" haircut, snipping Mia Farrow's locks for Rosemary's Baby and being the first to create hair product lines, salons, schools and global outposts for all of the above. Like Halston did in fashion, Sassoon invented self-branding in the beauty business. He was 84.
STORY: Remembering Legendary Hair Stylist Vidal Sassoon
Kathryn Joosten
The actress, who had battled lung cancer for years, died on June 2 in Los Angeles. She was 72. Joosten was best known for her role as Karen McCluskey on ABC's Desperate Housewives and the president's secretary on The West Wing. Joosten won two Emmy awards for her portrayal of Mrs. McCluskey, the cranky but loveable senior who kept a close eye on her Wisteria Lane neighbors on Desperate Housewives.
STORY: 'Desperate Housewives' Actress Kathryn Joosten Dies at 72
Marvin Hamlisch
Marvin Hamlisch, the prolific composer who won Oscars for The Way We Were and The Sting, died Aug. 7 in Los Angeles. He was 68. Over the course of his career, Hamlisch composed more than 40 film scores including Ordinary People, Sophie's Choice and, most recently, Steven Soderbergh's The Informant! He won three Academy Awards, three Golden Globes, four Emmys, four Grammys and a Tony Award in 1975 for the Broadway musical A Chorus Line, for which he also won the Pulitzer Prize.
Herbert Lom
Herbert Lom, the Czech-born character actor best known for his role as Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus in the original Pink Panther films, died Sept. 27 at the age of 95.
Johnny Lewis
Actor Johnny Lewis, known for his roles on Sons of Anarchy and The O.C., as well as dating Katy Perry, died Sept. 26 at the age of 28. An investigation ensued as to whether he killed an elderly woman during an attempted break-in, then fell to his death.
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