Abul Abbas, 56. Palestinian who planned hijacking of the Achille Lauro passenger ship. March 8.

 

"Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, 38. Acclaimed guitarist with Grammy-nominated heavy-metal band Pantera and more recently Damageplan. December 8.

 

"Red" Adair, 89. Celebrated oil field firefighter, inspired John Wayne film "Hellfighters." August 7.

 

Brock Adams, 77. Transportation secretary under Carter; represented Washington state in House, Senate. September 10.

 

Eddie Adams, 71.  Pulitzer-prize winning photojournalist.  September 19.

 

Yasser Arafat, 75. Palestinian guerrilla leader turned Nobel Peace Prize winner, but also reviled as a sponsor of terrorism. November 11.

 

Richard Avedon, 81. Redefined fashion photography as an art form while achieving acclaim through his stark portraits of the powerful. October 1.

 

John Drew Barrymore, 72.  Actor and father of actress Drew Barrymore.  November 29.

 

Arnold Beckman, 104. Prolific inventor of scientific instruments; philanthropist. May 18.

 

Geoffrey Beene, 77. Designer whose classic styles put him at the forefront of American fashion. September 28.

 

Elmer Bernstein, 82. Oscar-winning composer; scored "To Kill a Mockingbird," "The Great Escape." August 18.

 

Jan Berry, 62. Half of surf music duo Jan & Dean ("Dead Man's Curve"). March 26.

 

Richard Bloch, 78. Co-founded H&R Block, world's largest tax preparer. July 21.

 

Daniel J. Boorstin, 89. Former Librarian of Congress; million-selling historian, social critic. February 28.

 

Marlon Brando, 80. Revolutionized American acting with "A Streetcar Named Desire"; created the iconic character of Vito Corleone in "The Godfather." July 1.

 

Laura Branigan, 47.  Grammy-nominated musician ("Gloria", "Self Control").  August 26.

 

Former Navy Cmdr. Lloyd "Pete" Bucher, 76. Helped USS Pueblo crew survive brutal captivity in North Korea, then faced criticism back home. January 28.

 

Mary-Ellis Bunim, 57.  Developed MTV's "The Real World" series.  January 29.

 

Anne McGill Gorsuch Burford, 62. Reagan's Environmental Protection Agency chief; quit under fire from environmentalists. July 18.

 

Richard G. Butler, 86. Notorious white supremacist; dubbed "elder statesman of American hate." September 8.

 

Ken Caminiti, 41.  Winner of 1996 National League MVP.  October 10.

 

Henri Cartier-Bresson, 95. Acclaimed French photographer; pictures defined the mid-20th century and inspired generations to follow. August 3.

 

Ray Charles, 73. Transcendent talent who erased musical boundaries with hits such as "What'd I Say," "Georgia on My Mind" and "I Can't Stop Loving You." June 10.

 

Bobby Frank Cherry, 74. Ex-Klansman convicted in 1963 Birmingham, Ala., church bombing that killed four black girls. November 18.

 

Julia Child, 91. She brought the intricacies of French cuisine to Americans through her television series and books. August 13.

 

Harry Claiborne, 86. Federal judge removed after conviction for filing false tax returns. January 19.

 

Cy Coleman, 75. Composer of Broadway musicals ("Sweet Charity," "City of Angels"); pop songs ("The Best Is Yet to Come"). November 18.

 

Alistair Cooke, 95. Urbane host of television's "Masterpiece Theatre." March 30.

 

Gordon Cooper, 77. Youngest of the original seven Mercury astronauts; achieved many key firsts including first astronaut in space for 24 hours. October 4.

 

James E. "Doc" Counsilman, 83. Innovative swim coach, led Indiana University to six NCAA championships and coached 48 Olympians including Mark Spitz. January 4.

 

Archibald Cox, 92. The special prosecutor fired by President Nixon for refusing to curtail his Watergate investigation in the "Saturday Night Massacre." May 29.

 

Francis Crick, 88. Nobel Prize-winning scientist who with James Watson discovered the structure of DNA. July 28.

 

Rodney Dangerfield, 82. The bug-eyed comic whose self-deprecating "I don't get no respect" brought him stardom. October 5.

 

Sam Dash, 79. Attorney whose questions during Senate Watergate hearings made him a household name. May 29.

 

Marvin Davis, 79. Billionaire oilman, philanthropist and, in the 1980s, owner of 20th Century Fox. September 25.

 

David Dellinger, 88. Peace activist; one of Chicago Seven tried for protests during 1968 Democratic convention. May 25.

 

Jacques Derrida, 74. World-renowned thinker who founded the school of literary analysis known as deconstructionism. October 8.

 

Fred Ebb, about 76. Wrote lyrics for "Chicago" and "Cabaret." September 11.

 

Jack Eckerd, 91. Formed drugstore empire that bears his name. May 19.

 

Hiram Fong, 97. First Asian-American elected to Senate, representing Hawaii. August 18.

 

Kirk Fordice, 70. Mississippi's first Republican governor in more than 100 years. September 7.

 

Spalding Gray, 62. Actor-writer who laid bare his life in acclaimed monologues like "Swimming to Cambodia." January 10.

 

Uta Hagen, 84. Broadway actress best known for role as brutal Martha in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" January 14.

 

Arthur Hailey, 84. His best seller "Airport" inspired a run of big disaster movies. November 24.

 

Reed Irvine, 82. Founder of the conservative watchdog group Accuracy in Media. November 16.

 

J.J. Jackson, 62.  One of the initial MTV Vee-Jays.  March 17.

 

Illinois Jacquet, 81. Saxophonist who played with nearly every jazz luminary of his time. July 22.

 

Rick James, 56. Funk legend known for 1981 hit "Super Freak." August 6.

 

Joyce Jillson, 58.  Astrologist to the stars.  October 1.

 

Darrell Johnson, 75. Managed Boston Red Sox to the 1975 World Series. May 3.

 

Former Queen Juliana, 94. Reigned 32 years as Dutch queen. March 20.

 

Akhmad Kadyrov, 52. Kremlin-backed leader of Russia's troubled Chechnya province. May 9.

 

Howard Keel, 85. Broad-shouldered baritone in glittery MGM musicals ("Kiss Me Kate," "Annie Get Your Gun"); later on "Dallas." November 7.

 

Bob Keeshan, 76. He gently entertained generations of youngsters as TV's walrus-mustachioed Captain Kangaroo. January 23.

 

Ancel Keys, 100. Invented K rations eaten by soldiers in World War II. November 20.

 

Alan King, 76. Witty comedian, known for tirades against everyday suburban life. May 9.

 

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, 78. Psychiatrist who revolutionized the way the world looks at the terminally ill with "On Death and Dying." August 24.

 

Frances Shand Kydd, 67. Princess Diana's mother. June 3.

 

Estee Lauder, 97. Built multimillion-dollar cosmetics empire. April 24.

 

Janet Leigh, 77. Wholesome beauty whose shocking murder in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller "Psycho" is a landmark of film. October 3.

 

William Manchester, 82. Historian who brought a novelist's flair to biographies of such giants as Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy. June 1.

 

Dame Alicia Markova, 94. One of the 20th century's greatest ballerinas. December 2.

 

Mercedes McCambridge, 87. Oscar-winning actress; provided demon-possessed girl's voice in "The Exorcist." March 2.

 

Tug McGraw, 59. Relief pitcher with Mets, Phillies; known for slogan "You Gotta Believe." Father of country music star Tim McGraw. January 5.

 

Mary McGrory, 85. Washington Post columnist; won Pulitzer for Watergate writings. April 21.

 

Robert Merrill, 87. Metropolitan Opera superstar, equally at home singing the national anthem at Yankee Stadium. October 23.

 

Russ Meyer, 82.  Filmmaker of movies such as “Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls”.  September 18.

 

Ann Miller, 81. Fast-tapping star of "Easter Parade," "Kiss Me Kate"; dazzled Broadway in "Sugar Babies." January 22.

 

Czeslaw Milosz, 93. Polish poet and Nobel laureate known for works about some of the worst cruelties of the 20th century. August 14.

 

Marvin Mitchelson, 76. Hollywood divorce lawyer, pioneered the "palimony" concept. September 18.

 

Col. Robert Morgan, 85. Commander of famed bomber Memphis Belle during World War II. May 15.

 

Helmut Newton, 83. Fashion photographer known for icy sexuality in his pictures. January 23.

 

Paul H. Nitze, 97. Arms control adviser who served under eight presidents and helped frame the Cold War policy of containment. October 19.

 

O.D.B., 35. The rapper (real name: Russell Jones) whose unique rhymes, wild lifestyle made him one of the most vivid characters in hip-hop. November 13.

 

Fred Olivi, 82. Copiloted the plane that dropped the bomb on Nagasaki. April 8.

 

Jerry Orbach, 69.  Veteran stage and screen actor (“Law and Order”).  December 28.

 

Olive Osmond, 79.  Mother of the singing Osmond family.  May 9.

 

Jack Paar, 85. Made the "The Tonight Show" the talk show everybody talked about. January 27.

 

Robert Pastorelli, 49.  Played Eldin the housepainter on “Murphy Brown”.  March 8.

 

William H. Pickering, 93. Oversaw launch of first U.S. satellite in 1958. March 15.

 

Jose Lopez Portillo, 83. Governed Mexico from 1976 to 1982, through oil-driven boom to debt-induced bust. February 17.

 

Johnny Ramone, 55. Co-founded supremely influential punk band "The Ramones." September 15.

 

Tony Randall, 84. Comic actor; the fastidious Felix Unger in "The Odd Couple." May 17.

 

P.V. Narasimha Rao, 83. Former Indian prime minister whose reforms steered country from socialism, boosted economy. December 23.

 

Ronald Reagan, 93. The cheerful crusader who devoted his presidency to winning the Cold War, trying to scale back government and making people believe it was "morning again in America." June 5.

 

Christopher Reeve, 52. "Superman" actor who became the nation's most recognizable spokesman for spinal cord research after a paralyzing accident. October 10.

 

Francoise Sagan, 69. French author, famous in her teens for the best-selling "Bonjour Tristesse." September 24.

 

Pierre Salinger, 79. JFK's press secretary; later top correspondent for ABC News. October 16.

 

Isabel Sanford, 86.  Played Weezie on “The Jeffersons”.  July 9.

 

Francesco Scavullo, 82. Fashion photographer who made beautiful women even more so; shot Cosmopolitan covers for decades. January 6.

 

Marge Schott, 75. Tough-talking owner of Cincinnati Reds; repeatedly suspended for offensive remarks. March 2.

 

Josef Schwammberger, 92. Sadistic Nazi labor-camp commander; hid for 40 years in Argentina before his capture. December 3.

 

Artie Shaw, 94.  Bandleader during the “Big Band” era.  December 30.

 

Harold Shipman, 57. British doctor blamed for killing at least 215 patients. January 13.

 

Carrie Snodgress, 57. Oscar-nominated actress ("Diary of a Mad Housewife"). April 1.

 

Phil Sokolof, 82. Nebraska multimillionaire, used wealth to press for better nutrition. April 15.

 

Susan Sontag, 71.  Author, activist, and “zealot of seriousness”.  December 28.

 

Ray Stark, 88. Hollywood power broker; produced "Funny Girl." January 17.

 

Mattie Stepanek, 13. Child poet whose inspirational verse made him a best-selling writer ("Heartsongs") and a prominent voice for muscular dystrophy sufferers. June 22.

 

Roger W. Straus Jr., 87. Co-founded publishing house Farrar, Straus & Giroux. May 25.

 

June Taylor, 86.  Dancer and choreographer for the “Jackie Gleason Show”.  May 17.

 

Renata Tebaldi, 82. Italian soprano hailed as having "the voice of an angel." December 19.

 

Robert Teeter, 65. Influential Republican pollster; worked in several presidential races. June 13.

 

Pat Tillman, 27. NFL player who traded in multimillion-dollar contract to serve as Army Ranger in Afghanistan. April 22.

 

Sir Peter Ustinov, 82. Won two Oscars; acting career ranged from the evil emperor Nero in "Quo Vadis" to detective Hercule Poirot. March 28.

 

Jay Van Andel, 80. Billionaire co-founder of Amway Corp., which sells household products through independent, mom-and-pop distributors. December 7.

 

Joe Viterelli, 66.  Actor famous for roles as mob-types.  January 28.

 

Reggie White, 43. NFL player (Eagles, Packers, Panthers) who retired as all-time sack leader. December 26.

 

Paul Winfield, 62. Oscar-nominated actor ("Sounder"). March 7.

 

Gene Wood, 78.  Prolific game show announcer.  May 21.

 

Fay Wray, 96. The damsel held atop the Empire State Building by the ape in "King Kong." August 8.