Notable deaths in 2004

Published 9:00 pm Saturday, December 25, 2004

January

Tug McGraw, 59. Relief pitcher with Mets, Phillies; known for slogan “You Gotta Believe.” Father of country music star Tim McGraw. Jan. 5. Brain cancer.

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

Ingrid Thulin, 77. Swedish actress acclaimed for work with Ingmar Bergman (“Wild Strawberries”). Jan. 7.

Spalding Gray, 62. Actor-writer who laid bare his life in acclaimed monologues such as “Swimming to Cambodia.” Jan. 10. Apparent suicide.

Ray Stark, 88. Hollywood power broker; produced “Funny Girl.” Jan. 17.

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

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

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

Eddie Clontz, 56. King of the supermarket tabloids as editor of Weekly World News. Jan. 26. Diabetes.

Jack Paar, 85. Made the “The Tonight Show” the talk show everybody talked about. Jan. 27.

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

February

Jan Miner, 86. New York stage actress best known as Madge the manicurist in Palmolive television ads. Feb. 15.

John Randolph, 88. Tony-winning character actor (“Broadway Bound”); Roseanne’s father in “Roseanne.” Feb. 24.

March

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

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

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

Robert Pastorelli, 49. Played screwball house painter Eldin on “Murphy Brown.” March 8. Accidental heroin overdose.

Abul Abbas, 56. Palestinian who planned hijacking of the Achille Lauro passenger ship. March 8. Natural causes in U.S. custody.

John “J.J.” Jackson, 62. Helped usher in music video era as early MTV personality. March 17.

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

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

Alistair Cooke, 95. Urbane host of television’s “Masterpiece Theatre.” March 30.

April

Carrie Snodgress, 57. Oscar-nominated actress (“Diary of a Mad Housewife”). April 1. Heart failure.

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

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

Hubert Selby Jr., 75. Wrote acclaimed 1964 novel “Last Exit to Brooklyn.” April 26.

May

Gilbert Lani Kauhi, 66. Jack Lord’s burly sidekick on “Hawaii Five-0.” May 3.

Darrell Johnson, 75. Managed Boston Red Sox to the 1975 World Series; later managed the Seattle Mariners. May 3.

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

June Taylor, 86. Emmy-winning television choreographer, founder of June Taylor Dancers. May 17.

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

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

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

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

June

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

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

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.

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.

July

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

Jeff Smith, 65. Public television’s “Frugal Gourmet.” July 7.

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

Carlo Di Palma, 79. Innovative cinematographer in films by Woody Allen (“Hannah and Her Sisters”) and Michelangelo Antonioni (“Blow-Up”). July 9.

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

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

Jerry Goldsmith, 75. Oscar-, Emmy-winning composer for shows incuding “Star Trek” to “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” July 21.

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

August

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

Rick James, 56. Funk legend known for 1981 hit “Super Freak.” Aug. 6.

“Red” Adair, 89. Celebrated oil field firefighter, inspired John Wayne film “Hellfighters.” Aug. 7.

Fay Wray, 96. The damsel held atop the Empire State Building by the ape in “King Kong.” Aug. 8.

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

Elmer Bernstein, 82. Oscar-winning composer; scored “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “The Great Escape.” Aug. 18.

Al Dvorin, 81. Announcer who dispersed Presley fans with the phrase “Elvis has left the building.” Aug. 22.

Daniel Petrie, 83. Directed the movie version of “A Raisin in the Sun,” and won Emmy for “Eleanor and Franklin.” Aug. 22.

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

Laura Branigan, 47. Grammy-nominated pop singer known for 1982 platinum hit “Gloria.” Aug. 26. Brain aneurysm.

September

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

Frank Thomas, 92. One of Disney’s top artists; animated the pups romantically nibbling spaghetti in “Lady and the Tramp.” Sept. 8.

Richard G. Butler, 86. Notorious white supremacist; dubbed “elder statesman of American hate.” Sept. 8.

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

Johnny Ramone, 55. Co-founded supremely influential punk band The Ramones. Sept. 15. Prostate cancer.

Marvin Mitchelson, 76. Hollywood divorce lawyer, pioneered the “palimony” concept. Sept. 18.

Russ Meyer, 82. Producer-director who helped spawn the “skin flick” – and later gained a measure of critical respect – for such films as “Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!” Sept. 18.

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

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

October

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

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

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

Rodney Dangerfield, 82. The bug-eyed comic whose self-deprecating “I don’t get no respect” brought him stardom. Oct. 5.

Christopher Reeve, 52. “Superman” actor who became the nation’s most recognizable spokesman for spinal cord research after a paralyzing accident. Oct. 10.

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

Betty Hill, 85. Her tale of being abducted by aliens became the subject of a best-selling book, TV movie. Oct. 17.

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

November

Theo van Gogh, 47. Outspoken Dutch filmmaker; great-grandnephew of Vincent. Nov. 2. Murdered, apparently by Islamic radicals.

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

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

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. Nov. 13.

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

Terry Melcher, 62. Songwriter, record producer who aided the Byrds, Beach Boys; son of Doris day. Nov. 19.

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

Arthur Hailey, 84. His best seller “Airport” inspired a run of big disaster movies. Nov. 24.

John Drew Barrymore, 72. The troubled heir to an acting dynasty; Drew’s father. Nov. 29.

December

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

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

Jerry Scoggins, 93. He sang “The Ballad of Jed Clampett,” theme song to “The Beverly Hillbillies.” Dec. 7.

“Dimebag” Darrell Abbott, 38. Acclaimed guitarist with Grammy-nominated heavy-metal band Pantera and more recently Damageplan. Dec. 8. Shot to death during a performance.

Pauline Gore, 92. Her son Al became vice president and nearly captured the presidency and whose husband had a long and distinguished career in Congress. Dec. 15.