They each turned a moment of violence into a call to action. For James Brady, that moment was when he was shot and wounded by a would-be presidential assassin. For Chung Eun-yong, it was the killings of his two children during a Korean War massacre.
Brady took up a personal campaign for increased gun control after surviving a head wound when a man tried unsuccessfully to kill President Ronald Reagan, for whom Brady was press secretary. Chung began a years-long quest for justice, which eventually prompted the U.S. Army to acknowledge having killed civilian refugees at No Gun Ri.
Brady and Chung, who died within days of each other in August, are among the notables who left the world in 2014.
Others include political figures who catalyzed war and peace and scientists who changed our lives — the inventor of Corningware, for instance. And we lost beloved entertainers, some remembered for bringing audiences decades of smiles and tears and others who left the stage long before their time.
Among the political figures who died in 2014 was Ariel Sharon a hard-charging Israeli general and prime minister whose efforts to reshape the Middle East caused some to call him a war hero and others a war criminal. Another was Marion Barry, the former Washington, D.C., mayor whose accomplishments were often overshadowed by his arrest for drug use.
British politician Tony Benn, former Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, Polish leader Wojciech Jaruzelski and former Georgia president Eduard Shevardnadze also died this year.
Among scientists and innovators was Rostislav Belyakov, the chief designer of the Russian MiG fighter jets, Nobel Prize winner Martin Perl who discovered a subatomic particle and S. Donald Stookey, the Corningware inventor.
A feeling of untimeliness defined several of the deaths in the entertainment arena in 2014.
The suicide of actor and comedian Robin Williams touched off a national conversation about depression. The overdose deaths of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, model Peaches Geldof and heavy metal frontman Dave Brockie were grim reminders of the scourge of drug use.
Other artists and entertainers included: actors Shirley Temple, Mickey Rooney, Suchitra Sen, Harold Ramis, Lauren Bacall, Ken Takakura and Eli Wallach; musicians Pete Seeger, Sabah, Tommy Ramone, Lorin Maazel, Gustavo Cerati and Big Bank Hank; filmmakers Mike Nichols and Run Run Shaw; radio host Casey Kasem; comedian Joan Rivers; and writers Maya Angelou and Amiri Baraka.
Here is a roll call of some of the people who died in 2014. (Cause of death cited for younger people, if available.)
JANUARY:
Juanita Moore, 99. Groundbreaking actress and an Academy Award nominee for her role as Lana Turner's black friend in the classic weeper "Imitation of Life." Jan. 1.
Saul Zaentz, 92. Music producer whose second career as a filmmaker brought him best-picture Academy Awards for "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," ''Amadeus" and "The English Patient." Jan. 3.
Eusebio da Silva Ferreira, 71. Soccer player who was born into poverty in Africa and became one of the world's top scorers during the 1960s. Jan. 5.
Run Run Shaw, 107. Pioneering Hong Kong movie producer whose studio popularized the kung fu genre that influenced Quentin Tarantino and other Hollywood directors. Jan. 7.
Thomas V. Jones, 93. He was CEO of Northrop Corp. — now known as Northrop Grumman Corp. — for 30 years and took it to the top ranks of aerospace companies while weathering a series of scandals. Jan. 7. Pulmonary fibrosis.
Amiri Baraka, 79. Militant man of letters and tireless agitator whose blues-based, fist-shaking poems, plays and criticism made him a groundbreaking force in American culture. Jan. 9.
Franklin McCain, 73. He helped spark a movement of nonviolent sit-in protests across the South by occupying a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter in 1960. Jan. 9.
Ariel Sharon, 85. Israeli general and prime minister who was admired and hated for his battlefield exploits and ambitions to reshape the Middle East. Jan. 11.
Russell Johnson, 89. Actor who played "The Professor," the fix-it man who kept his fellow castaways on TV's "Gilligan's Island" supplied with gadgets. Jan. 16.
Hiroo Onoda, 91. Last Japanese imperial soldier to emerge from hiding in a jungle in the Philippines and surrender, 29 years after the end of World War II. Jan. 16.
Suchitra Sen, 82. Legendary Indian actress known for her memorable roles in both Bengali-language and Hindi Bollywood films. Jan. 17.
Jose Emilio Pacheco, 74. He was widely regarded as one of Mexico's foremost poets and short story writers. Jan. 26.
Pete Seeger, 94. Banjo-picking troubadour who sang for migrant workers, college students and star-struck presidents in a career that introduced generations of Americans to their folk music heritage. Jan. 27.
FEBRUARY:
Maximilian Schell, 83. Austrian-born actor and a fugitive from Adolf Hitler who became a Hollywood favorite and won an Oscar for his role as a defense attorney in "Judgment at Nuremberg." Feb. 1.
Philip Seymour Hoffman, 46. He won a best actor Oscar in 2006 for his portrayal of writer Truman Capote in "Capote" and created a gallery of other vivid characters, many of them slovenly and slightly dissipated comic figures. Feb. 2. Apparent heroin overdose.
William "Bunny Rugs" Clarke, 65. Husky-voiced lead singer of internationally popular reggae band Third World. Feb. 2. Leukemia.
Joan Mondale, 83. She burnished a reputation as "Joan of Art" for her passionate advocacy for the arts while her husband, Walter, was vice president and a U.S. ambassador. Feb. 3.
Ralph Kiner, 91. He slugged his way to the baseball Hall of Fame and then enjoyed a half-century career as a popular broadcaster. Feb. 6.
Els Borst, 81. Former Dutch health minister who drafted the nation's landmark 2002 law permitting euthanasia. Feb. 10.
Shirley Temple, 85. Dimpled, curly-haired child star who sang, danced, sobbed and grinned her way into the hearts of Depression-era moviegoers. Feb. 10.
Arvella Schuller, 84. She helped her pastor husband found the Crystal Cathedral megachurch in Southern California and "Hour of Power" televangelism program seen by millions around the globe. Feb. 11.
Sid Caesar, 91. Prodigiously talented pioneer of TV comedy who paired with Imogene Coca in sketches that became classics and who inspired a generation of famous writers. Feb. 12.
Ralph Waite, 85. He played the kind-and-steady patriarch of a tight-knit rural Southern family on the TV series "The Waltons." Feb. 13.
Mavis Gallant, 91. Montreal-born writer who carved out an international reputation as a master short-story author while living in Paris for decades. Feb. 18.
Maria von Trapp, 99. Last surviving member and second-eldest daughter of the musical family whose escape from Nazi-occupied Austria was the basis for "The Sound of Music." Feb. 18.
Walter D. Ehlers, 92. During the D-Day invasion, he accomplished awe-inspiring acts of bravery, earning a Medal of Honor for knocking out two German machine-gun nests and saving countless Allied soldiers' lives. Feb. 20.
Alice Herz-Sommer, 110. Believed to be the oldest Holocaust survivor. Feb. 23.
Harold Ramis, 69. Comedy actor, director and writer best known for his roles in movies such as "Ghostbusters" and "Stripes." Feb. 24.
Henry Casso, 82. Longtime civil rights leader in New Mexico who worked his way out of an orphanage to become a noted educational scholar and a founder of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Feb. 25.
Huber Matos Benitez, 95. He helped lead the Cuban Revolution as one of Fidel Castro's key lieutenants before his efforts to resign from the burgeoning communist government landed him in prison for 20 years. Feb. 27.
Rostislav Belyakov, 94. Chief designer of the Russian MiG fighter jets. Feb. 28.
MARCH:
Justin Kaplan, 88. Cultural historian with a taste for troublemaking who wrote a Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Mark Twain and spiced the popular canon as general editor of Bartlett's Familiar Quotations. March 2.
Sherwin Nuland, 83. Medical ethicist who opposed assisted suicide and wrote an award-winning book about death called "How We Die." March 3.
Sheila MacRae, 92. Veteran stage, film and TV performer best known for playing Alice Kramden in the 1960s re-creation of "The Honeymooners." March 6.
William Clay Ford, 88. Owner of the Detroit Lions and last surviving grandchild of automotive pioneer Henry Ford. March 9.
Mohammad Qasim Fahim, 57. Afghanistan's vice president and a leading commander in the alliance that fought the Taliban who was later accused with other warlords of targeting civilian areas during the country's civil war. March 9.
Melba Hernandez, 92. She helped Fidel Castro launch his revolutionary battle with a failed 1953 attack on a military barracks and was later named a "heroine of the Cuban Revolution." March 9.
Joe McGinniss, 71. Adventurous, news-making author and reporter who skewered the marketing of Richard Nixon in "The Selling of the President 1968" and tracked his personal journey from sympathizer to scourge of convicted killer Jeffrey MacDonald in "Fatal Vision." March 10.
Tony Benn, 88. Committed British socialist who irritated and fascinated Britons through a political career spanning more than five decades and who renounced his aristocratic title rather than leave the House of Commons. March 14.
Mitch Leigh, 86. Advertising jingle writer with an entrepreneurial side whose debut attempt at writing music for a Broadway show became the instant hit "Man of La Mancha" and earned him a Tony Award. March 16.
L'Wren Scott, believed to be 49. She left her small-town Utah home as a teenager to become a model in Paris, then a top Hollywood stylist and finally a high-end fashion designer best known as the longtime girlfriend of Mick Jagger. March 17. Apparent suicide.
Rachel "Bunny" Mellon, 103. Arts and fashion patron and political benefactor who funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars to former presidential candidate John Edwards that was used to hide his mistress. March 17.
Robert S. Strauss, 95. Dealmaker, political powerbroker and former Democratic Party chairman whose counsel also was prized by Republicans. March 19.
Fred Phelps Sr., 84. Fiery founder of a small Kansas church who led hate-filled protests that blamed almost everything, including the deaths of U.S. soldiers, on America's tolerance for gay people. March 19.
Ignatius Zakka Iwas, 80. Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church, he was the leader of one of world's oldest Christian sects. March 21.
Adolfo Suarez, 81. Spain's first democratically elected prime minister after decades of right-wing rule under Gen. Francisco Franco. March 23.
Dave Brockie, 50. Better known as "Oderus Urungus," he fronted the alien-costumed heavy metal band GWAR during graphic and fake-blood-soaked stage shows. March 23. Accidental heroin overdose.
Jeremiah Denton, 89. Former Alabama senator who survived 7½ years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam and alerted the U.S. military to conditions there when he blinked the word "torture" in Morse code during a television interview. March 28.
APRIL:
Anja Niedringhaus, 48. Courageous, Pulitzer prize-winning Associated Press photographer who covered everything from sports to war. April 4. Shot to death in Afghanistan.
Otis McDonald, 80. Lead plaintiff in a lawsuit that prompted the U.S. Supreme Court decision that forced Chicago to abandon its 28-year ban on handguns. April 4.
Peter Matthiessen, 86. Rich man's son who spurned a life of leisure and embarked on extraordinary quests while producing such acclaimed books as "The Snow Leopard" and "At Play in the Fields of the Lord." April 5.
Mickey Rooney, 93. Pint-size actor and all-around talent whose more than 80-year career spanned silent comedies, Shakespeare, Judy Garland musicals, Andy Hardy stardom, television and the Broadway theater. April 6.
Peaches Geldof, 25. Model and media personality who was a daughter of Irish singer Bob Geldof and member of a talented, troubled family who grew up in the glare of Britain's tabloid press. April 7. Heroin overdose.
Arthur Napoleon Raymond Robinson, 87. Former Trinidad and Tobago prime minister who was held hostage for days and shot during a bloody 1990 coup attempt. April 9.
Phyllis Frelich, 70. Tony Award-winning deaf actress who starred in the Broadway version of "Children of a Lesser God." April 10.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 87. The Nobel laureate whose novels and short stories exposed tens of millions of readers to Latin America's passion, superstition, violence and inequality. April 17.
Kevin Sharp, 43. Country music singer who recorded multiple chart-topping songs and survived cancer. April 19. Complications from stomach surgeries and digestive issues.
Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, 76. Boxer whose wrongful murder conviction became an international symbol of racial injustice. April 20.
Win Tin, 85. Journalist who became Myanmar's longest-serving political prisoner after challenging military rule by co-founding the National League for Democracy. April 21.
Conrado Marrero, 102. Diminutive Cuban right-hander who pitched for the Washington Senators in the 1950s and in 2011 became the oldest living former Major League Baseball player. April 23.
Herbert Hyman, 82. He founded The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in the 1960s and saw the coffee chain grow to hundreds of stores around the world. April 28.
Bob Hoskins, 71. British actor whose varied career ranged from noir drama "Mona Lisa" to animated fantasy "Who Framed Roger Rabbit." April 29.
Al Feldstein, 88. His 28 years at the helm of Mad magazine transformed the satirical publication into a pop culture institution. April 29.
Walter R. Walsh, 106. He captured gangsters as an FBI agent in the 1930s and went on to train Marine Corps snipers and become the longest-lived Olympian. April 29.
MAY:
Billy Frank Jr., 83. Tribal fisherman who led the "fish wars" that restored fishing rights and helped preserve a way of life for American Indians in the Northwest. May 5.
Cornelius Gurlitt, 81. Reclusive German collector whose long-secret hoard of well over 1,000 artworks triggered an international uproar over the fate of art looted by the Nazis. May 6.
Jeb Stuart Magruder, 79. Watergate conspirator-turned-minister who claimed in later years to have heard President Richard Nixon order the infamous break-in. May 11.
H.R. Giger, 74. Swiss artist who designed the creature in Ridley Scott's sci-fi horror classic "Alien." May 12.
Jerry Vale, 83. Beloved crooner known for his high-tenor voice and romantic songs in the 1950s and early '60s. May 18.
Don Meyer, 69. One of the winningest coaches in college basketball who came back from a near-fatal car accident and liver cancer before closing out his career. May 18.
Gordon Willis, 82. One of Hollywood's most celebrated and influential cinematographers, nicknamed "The Prince of Darkness" for his subtle but indelible touch on such releases as "The Godfather," ''Annie Hall" and "All the President's Men." May 18.
Jack Brabham, 88. Three-time Formula One champion who famously pushed his car to the finish line to claim his first season title. May 19.
Sante Kimes, 79. She and her son made up a notorious grifter team convicted of the murders of a wealthy widow in New York and a businessman in Los Angeles. May 19.
Ruth Ziolkowski, 87. She carried on her late husband's dream of honoring Native Americans by carving the massive likeness of warrior Crazy Horse into the Black Hills in South Dakota. May 21.
Ricky Grigg, 77. Former top-ranked big-wave surfer and oceanographer whose work confirmed one of Charles Darwin's theories about the origin of tropical islands. May 21.
Jaime Lusinchi, 89. Former Venezuelan president who struggled to tame an economic crisis sparked by plunging oil prices in the late 1980s and then saw his reputation tarnished by allegations of corruption after leaving office. May 21.
Wojciech Jaruzelski, 90. Communist leader who imposed harsh military rule on Poland in 1981 in an attempt to crush the pro-democracy Solidarity movement but later allowed reforms that ended up dismantling the regime. May 25.
Bunny Yeager, 85. Model turned pin-up photographer who helped jump-start the career of then-unknown Bettie Page. May 25.
Manuel Uribe, 48. Mexican man once listed as the world's heaviest human at 1,230 pounds (560 kilograms). May 26.
Maya Angelou, 86. Author and poet who rose from poverty, segregation and violence to become a force on stage, screen and the printed page. May 28.
Lewis Katz, 72. He built his fortune in New York parking lots, billboards and cable TV, and went on to buy the NBA's New Jersey Nets, NHL's New Jersey Devils and The Philadelphia Inquirer. May 31. Plane crash.
Martha Hyer, 89. Oscar-nominated actress who starred alongside the likes of Frank Sinatra and Humphrey Bogart, and later gained notoriety for her extravagant lifestyle. May 31.
JUNE:
Ann B. Davis, 88. Emmy-winning actress who became America's best-known housekeeper as the devoted Alice Nelson of TV's "Brady Bunch." June 1.
Alexander Shulgin, 88. Respected chemist famed for dusting off a decades-old recipe for the psychedelic drug ecstasy. June 2.
Chester Nez, 93. Last of the original group of Navajo Code Talkers who stumped the Japanese during World War II. June 4.
Eric Hill, 86. His effort to entertain his son with a simple drawing of a mischievous dog named Spot blossomed into a series of children's books that have sold more than 60 million copies. June 6.
Bob Welch, 57. 1990 AL Cy Young Award winner with the Oakland Athletics and the last major leaguer to win at least 25 games in a season. June 9.
Ruby Dee, 91. Acclaimed actress and civil rights activist whose versatile career spanned stage, radio television and film. June 11.
Chuck Noll, 82. Hall of Fame coach who won a record four Super Bowl titles with the Pittsburgh Steelers. June 13.
Casey Kasem, 82. Radio broadcaster with a cheerful manner and gentle voice who became the king of the top 40 countdown with a syndicated show that ran for decades. June 15.
Daniel Keyes, 86. Author whose novel "Flowers for Algernon" became a classroom staple that explored the treatment of the mentally disabled and the ethics of manipulating human intelligence. June 15.
Tony Gwynn, 54. Hall of Famer whose sweet left-handed swing made him one of San Diego's best-loved athletes and earned him the nickname "Mr. Padre." June 16. Cancer.
Stanley Marsh 3, 76. Texas businessman, artist and eccentric (he used 3 rather than the conventional III after his name) whose partially buried row of Cadillacs became a roadside tourist attraction. June 17.
Stephanie Kwolek, 90. Pioneering female chemist at DuPont who invented the exceedingly tough fibers widely used in Kevlar body armor. June 18.
Avraham Shalom, 86. Former director of Israel's Shin Bet security service who led the agency through some of its greatest achievements before resigning in disgrace. June 19.
Steve Rossi, 82. Half of the comedy duo Allen & Rossi, which became a favorite on TV variety shows. June 22.
Eli Wallach, 98. Raspy-voiced character actor who starred in dozens of movies and Broadway plays and earned film immortality as a quick-on-the-draw bandit in the classic Western "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly." June 24.
Howard H. Baker Jr., 88. Moderate Republican ex-senator who, during the 1973 Watergate hearings, sought to learn Richard Nixon's role by asking what the president knew and when he knew it. June 26.
Meshach Taylor, 67. He played a lovable ex-convict surrounded by Southern belles on the sitcom "Designing Women" and appeared in numerous other TV and film roles. June 28.
Philip Lutzenkirchen, 23. Former Auburn tight end and a fan favorite who played on the 2010 national championship team. June 29. Car crash.
JULY:
Stephen Gaskin, 79. Counterculture visionary who led a caravan of hippies from California to establish one of the longest lasting U.S. communes in rural Middle Tennessee and later sought the Green Party nomination for president. July 1.
David Greenglass, 92. He served 10 years in prison for his role in the most explosive atomic spying case of the Cold War and gave testimony that sent his brother-in-law and sister, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, to the electric chair. July 1.
Louis Zamperini, 97. Olympic distance runner who, during World War II, survived 47 days on a raft in the Pacific after his bomber crashed, then endured two years in Japanese prison camps and hero of the book and movie "Unbroken." July 2.
Richard Mellon Scaife, 82. Billionaire Mellon banking heir who published the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and funded libertarian and conservative political causes. July 4.
Rev. Gerald Robinson, 76. Roman Catholic priest convicted of killing a nun inside a chapel in 1980. July 4.
Metropolitan Volodymyr, 78. Head of Ukraine's Orthodox Church who was credited with stabilizing the church. July 5.
Eduard Shevardnadze, 86. Groundbreaking Soviet foreign minister and later the president of an independent Georgia. July 7.
John Seigenthaler, 86. He edited The Tennessean newspaper, helped shape USA Today and worked for civil rights during the Kennedy administration. July 11.
Tommy Ramone, 65. Co-founder of the seminal punk band the Ramones and last surviving member of the original group. July 11.
Ken Gray, 89. He represented southern Illinois in Congress and earned the nickname the "Prince of Pork" for bringing $7 billion in projects to his district. July 12.
Lorin Maazel, 84. World-renowned conductor whose career included seven years at the helm of the New York Philharmonic. July 12.
Alice Coachman Davis, 90. First black woman to win an Olympic gold medal. July 14.
Elaine Stritch, 89. Brash theater performer whose gravelly, gin-laced voice and impeccable comic timing made her a Broadway legend. July 17.
James Garner, 86. Actor whose whimsical style in the 1950s TV Western "Maverick" led to a career in TV and films such as "The Rockford Files" and his Oscar-nominated "Murphy's Romance." July 19.
Dan Borislow, 52. Inventor of magicJack and a pioneer in developing phone calls over the Internet. July 21.
Paul Schell, 76. Former Seattle mayor who led the city during the World Trade Organization protests in 1999. July 27.
Theodore "Dutch" VanKirk, 93. Last surviving member of the crew that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, hastening the end of World War II and forcing the world into the atomic age. July 28.
Robert Drew, 90. Pioneer of the modern documentary who in "Primary" and other films mastered the intimate style known as cinema verite and schooled a generation of influential directors. July 30.
Dick Smith, 92. Oscar-winning "Godfather of Makeup" who amused, fascinated and terrified moviegoers by devising unforgettable transformations for Marlon Brando in "The Godfather" and Linda Blair in "The Exorcist," among many others. July 30.
AUGUST:
Chung Eun-yong, 91. Ex-policeman whose half-century quest for justice for his two slain children led the U.S. Army in 2001 to acknowledge the Korean War refugee massacre at No Gun Ri. Aug. 1.
James Brady, 73. Affable, witty press secretary who survived a devastating head wound in the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, then undertook a personal crusade for gun control. Aug. 4.
Jesse Steinfeld, 87. Doctor who became the first surgeon general ever forced out of office by the president after he campaigned hard against the dangers of smoking during the Richard Nixon era. Aug. 5.
Marilyn Burns, 65. Actress perhaps best known as the heroine in the 1974 horror classic "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." Aug. 5.
Menahem Golan, 85. Israeli filmmaker who built an empire on the back of brawny men beating others senseless across a host of 1980s action films. Aug. 8.
Robin Williams, 63. Academy Award winner and comic supernova whose explosions of pop culture riffs and impressions dazzled audiences for decades. Aug. 11. Apparent suicide.
Lauren Bacall, 89. Slinky, sultry-voiced actress who created on-screen magic with Humphrey Bogart in "To Have and Have Not" and "The Big Sleep" and off-screen magic in one of Hollywood's most storied marriages. Aug. 12.
Simone Camilli, 35. Associated Press video journalist. Aug. 13. Killed in the Gaza Strip when leftover ordnance exploded.
Jay Adams, 53. Colorful rebel who helped transform skateboarding from a simple street pastime into one of the world's most spectacular sports. Aug. 14. Heart attack.
James Jeffords, 80. Former Vermont senator, who in 2001 tipped control of the Senate when he quit the Republican Party to become an independent. Aug. 18.
Don Pardo, 96. TV and radio announcer whose booming baritone became as much a part of the cultural landscape as the shows he touted, including "Saturday Night Live." Aug. 18.
Dinu Patriciu, 64. Politician from Romania's early post-communist years whose later career as an oil tycoon was marred by legal troubles. Aug. 19.
B.K.S. Iyengar, 95. Indian yoga guru who helped popularize yoga around the world and wrote 14 books on the subject. Aug. 20.
Robert Hansen, 75. Convicted Alaska serial killer who gained the nickname of "the Butcher Baker" for abducting women in the wilderness during the state's oil pipeline construction boom in the 1970s. Aug. 21.
Gerald One Feather, 76. Legendary Oglala Sioux leader, former tribal president and tireless advocate for educational opportunities. Aug. 21.
Philippine de Rothschild, 80. Energetic, self-certain grande dame of Bordeaux wine who halted an acting career to run vineyards owned by the family dynasty. Aug. 22.
Richard Attenborough, 90. Actor and Oscar-winning director whose film career on both sides of the camera spanned 60 years. Aug. 24.
William Greaves, 87. Emmy-winning co-host and executive producer of a groundbreaking television news program and a prolific filmmaker whose subjects ranged from Muhammad Ali to the Harlem Renaissance to the black middle class. Aug. 25.
John A. Walker Jr., 77. Former American sailor convicted during the Cold War of leading a family spy ring for the Soviet Union. Aug. 28.
SEPTEMBER:
Andrew Madoff, 48. Bernard Madoff's last surviving son, he turned his father in and insisted he had been duped into believing history's most notorious Ponzi king was an honest financier. Sept. 3. Cancer.
Joan Rivers, 81. Raucous, acid-tongued comedian who crashed the male-dominated realm of late-night talk shows and turned Hollywood red carpets into danger zones for badly dressed celebrities. Sept. 4. Fatal complication during a medical procedure.
Gustavo Cerati, 55. Argentine rock star who was the former lead singer of the band Soda Stereo, among the most popular groups in the Spanish-speaking world in the 1980s and '90s. Sept. 4.
S. Truett Cathy, 93. Billionaire founder of the privately held Chick-fil-A restaurant chain. Sept. 8.
Emilio Botin, 79. Spanish banking magnate who built the country's Banco Santander into a global financial giant and was widely seen as the nation's most influential business leader. Sept. 9.
Bob Suter, 57. Member of the "Miracle On Ice" team that won the Olympic gold medal in 1980 and the father of Minnesota Wild star Ryan Suter. Sept. 9.
Richard Kiel, 74. Towering actor best known for portraying steel-toothed villain Jaws in a pair of James Bond films. Sept. 10.
Rev. Ian Paisley, 88. Protestant firebrand who devoted his life to thwarting compromise with Catholics in Northern Ireland only to become a peacemaker in his twilight years. Sept. 12.
Thomas Hale Boggs Jr., 73. Son of congressional royalty who evolved into a top-tier lobbyist and prolific Democratic fundraiser and embodied what it meant to have Washington clout. Sept. 15.
Will Radcliff, 74. He built a multimillion-dollar global business from flavored, icy Slush Puppie drinks. Sept. 18.
Polly Bergen, 84. Emmy-winning actress and singer who in a long career played the terrorized wife in the original "Cape Fear" and the first woman president in "Kisses for My President." Sept. 20.
Mike Harari, 87. Israeli secret service agent who played a major role in planning Mossad's revenge attacks against Palestinian militants implicated in the 1972 Munich massacre of the country's Olympics team. Sept. 21.
Deborah Mitford, 94. Dowager duchess of Devonshire and the last of the witty, unconventional Mitford sisters. Sept. 24.
Lily McBeth, 80. Teacher whose battles with school boards in conservative areas of New Jersey made her a reluctant symbol of the transgender rights movement. Sept. 24.
James Traficant, 73. Colorful Ohio politician whose conviction for taking bribes and kickbacks made him only the second person to be expelled from Congress since the Civil War. Sept. 27.
Floyd "Creeky" Creekmore, 98. Former Montana rancher who held the record as the world's oldest performing clown. Sept. 27.
Geraldine "Jerrie" Mock, 88. First female pilot to fly solo around the world. Sept. 30.
Martin Perl, 87. Nobel Prize-winning physicist from Stanford University who discovered a subatomic particle known as the tau lepton. Sept. 30.
OCTOBER:
Comer Cottrell, 82. Black hair-care entrepreneur who made millions with a cheap kit that brought the glossy celebrity Jheri curl into the homes of average African Americans. Oct. 3.
Jean-Claude Duvalier, 63. He presided over what was widely acknowledged as a corrupt, brutal regime as the self-proclaimed "president for life" of Haiti until an uprising sent him into a 25-year exile. Oct. 4. Heart attack.
Marian Seldes, 86. Tony Award-winning star of "A Delicate Balance" who was a teacher of Kevin Kline and Robin Williams, a muse to playwright Edward Albee and a Guinness Book of World Records holder for most consecutive performances. Oct. 6.
Jan Hooks, 57. Former "Saturday Night Live" cast member. Oct. 9.
Tim Hauser, 72. Founder and singer of the Grammy-winning vocal troupe The Manhattan Transfer. Oct. 16.
Oscar de la Renta, 82. Worldly gentleman designer who shaped the wardrobe of socialites, first ladies and Hollywood stars for more than four decades. Oct. 20.
Gough Whitlam, 98. Flamboyant Australian prime minister and controversial social reformer whose grip on power was cut short by a bitter constitutional crisis. Oct. 21.
Ben Bradlee, 93. Hard-charging editor who guided The Washington Post through its Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the Watergate scandal and invigorated its newsroom for more than two decades. Oct. 21.
Joan Quigley, 87. Astrologer who helped determine President Ronald Reagan's schedule. Oct. 21.
John "Bull" Bramlett, 73. Former professional football and baseball player who was nicknamed the "Meanest Man in Football." Oct. 23.
Jack Broughton, 89. Decorated Air Force fighter pilot who flew more than 200 missions in Korea and Vietnam and later became an outspoken critic of the White House and military leaders. Oct. 24.
Marcia Strassman, 66. She played Gabe Kaplan's wife, Julie, on the 1970s sitcom "Welcome Back, Kotter." Oct. 24.
Jack Bruce, 71. British musician best known as the bass player and vocalist of the power blues trio Cream. Oct. 25.
Michael Sata, 77. Longtime opposition leader who was finally elected president of Zambia in 2011. Oct. 28.
Harold Gary Morse, 77. He transformed his father's cluster of a few hundred mobile homes in central Florida into the gigantic retirement utopia The Villages. Oct. 29.
Thomas Menino, 71. Boston's longest-serving mayor whose mumbling and occasional bumbling belied his political ingenuity and endeared him to a city whose skyline he helped reshape. Oct. 30.
NOVEMBER:
Tom Sneddon, 73. Former district attorney who sought twice to try Michael Jackson on child molestation charges. Nov. 1.
Veljko Kadijevic, 88. Former Yugoslav general who was accused of war crimes in Croatia and who fled to Russia to avoid testifying at a U.N. tribunal. Nov. 2.
Tom Magliozzi, 77. He was one half of the brother duo who hosted National Public Radio's "Car Talk," where they bantered with callers and commiserated over their car problems. Nov. 3.
S. Donald Stookey, 99. He was the scientist who forever changed cooking with the invention of CorningWare, a versatile glass found in millions of American kitchens. Nov. 4.
Raymond Almiran Montgomery, 78. Author of the popular children's book series "Choose Your Own Adventure." Nov. 9.
Tomas Young, 34. Wounded Iraq War veteran who was an outspoken critic of the conflict and the subject of the 2007 documentary "Body of War." Nov. 10.
Ken Takakura, 83. Craggy-faced star known for playing outlaws and stoic heroes in scores of Japanese films. Nov. 10.
Big Bank Hank, 57. Member of the pioneering hip-hop group the Sugarhill Gang responsible for one of the most popular rap songs of all time, "Rapper's Delight." Nov. 11.
Marge Roukema, 85. New Jersey Republican who spent more than two decades in Congress sparring regularly with ideologues within her party. Nov. 12.
Jane Byrne, 81. She capitalized on Chicago's slow reaction to a snowstorm to score one of the biggest election upsets in the city's history and become its first and only female mayor. Nov. 14.
John T. Downey, 84. Former CIA agent who survived more than 20 years in Chinese prisons during the Cold War before becoming a Connecticut judge. Nov. 17.
Mike Nichols, 83. Director of matchless versatility who brought fierce wit, caustic social commentary and wicked absurdity to such film, TV and stage hits as "The Graduate," ''Angels in America" and "Monty Python's Spamalot." Nov. 19.
Maria del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Silva, 88. The Duchess of Alba, she was one of Spain's wealthiest and most colorful aristocrats and recognized as the world's most titled noble. Nov. 19.
Marion Barry, 78. Former District of Columbia mayor whose four terms were overshadowed by his 1990 arrest after being caught on videotape smoking crack cocaine. Nov. 23.
Sabah, 87. Lebanese singer and actress who was an icon of Arab music. Nov. 26.
Roberto Gomez Bolanos, 85. Iconic Mexican comedian who wrote and played the boy television character "El Chavo del Ocho" that defined a generation for millions of Latin American children. Nov. 28.
Anthony Marshall, 90. His aristocratic life as philanthropist Brooke Astor's only child unraveled as he was convicted of raiding her fortune. Nov. 30.
DECEMBER:
Dennis Walaker, 73. As mayor of Fargo, North Dakota, he was known for leading the state's largest city through several successful fights against the Red River. Dec. 2.
Herman Badillo, 85. Bronx politician who became the first person born in Puerto Rico to become a U.S. congressman. Dec. 3.
Queen Fabiola, 86. She was inseparable from her husband, the late King Baudouin, and popular across much of Belgium. Dec. 5.
Ernest Brace, 83. Civilian captured during the Vietnam War while flying supplies for the CIA who later tapped code through a wall to fellow prisoner John McCain. Dec. 5.
Ralph Baer, 92. Video game pioneer who created both the precursor to "Pong" and the electronic memory game Simon and led the team that developed the first home video game console. Dec. 6.
Larry J. Cano, 90. Founder of the El Torito restaurant chain who helped popularize guacamole, fajitas and margaritas with the U.S. masses. Dec. 10.
Norman Bridwell, 86. Illustrator whose story about a girl and her puppy marked the birth of the supersized franchise Clifford the Big Red Dog. Dec. 12.
David Garth, 84. Political adviser who spearheaded creation of the modern political TV commercial and helped elect governors, senators and mayors. Dec. 15.
Udo Juergens, 80. An Austrian-born star who dominated pop music in the German-speaking world and sold more than 100 million records in a career spanning five decades. Dec. 21.
Paul Walther, 87. Played six seasons in the NBA in the 1950s after a stellar college career at Tennessee. Dec. 21.
Billie Whitelaw, 82. British actress who collaborated closely with Irish playwright Samuel Beckett and appeared on stage and screen for decades. Dec. 21.
Joe Cocker, 70. The raspy-voiced British singer known for his frenzied cover of "With a Little Help From My Friends," the teary ballad "You Are So Beautiful" and a contorted performing style. Dec. 22.
J. Robert Beyster, 90. A scientist-turned-entrepreneur who founded a small technology firm called Science Applications International Corp. and built it into one of the largest U.S. defense contractors. Dec. 22.
Alvin Nelson, 80. Hall of fame rodeo cowboy who won a world championship in 1957. Dec. 23.
Buddy DeFranco, 91. Jazz clarinetist who led the way on his instrument in the transition between the swing and bebop eras. Dec. 24.
Edward Greenspan, 70. One of Canada's most prominent criminal lawyers, with one-time media baron Conrad Black among his clients. Dec. 24.
Robert "Showboat" Hall. A former Harlem Globetrotter who spent nearly three decades with the team, playing in more than 5,000 games before his 1974 retirement. Dec. 24.
Stanislaw Baranczak, 68. Poland's outstanding poet, translator and dissident and a former Harvard lecturer. Dec. 26.
James B. Edwards, 87. South Carolina's first Republican governor since Reconstruction and later energy secretary in the Reagan administration. Dec. 26.
Joe Macko, 86. Hit 306 home runs in nearly 2,000 minor league baseball games before a long career as a clubhouse manager with the Texas Rangers. Dec. 26.
