Farewell
Among those who died in 2012...
MEDIA AND PUBLISHING
Anthony Shadid, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, died on assignment in Syria on Feb. 16, age 43.
Andrew Breitbart, conservative blogger and activist, died March 1, age 43.
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Bert Sugar, flamboyant boxing writer, died March 25, age 75.
Mike Wallace, CBS reporter on 60 Minutes, died April 7, age 93.
Maurice Sendak, illustrator and author of Where the Wild Things Are, died May 8, age 83.
Ray Bradbury, sci-fi author who wrote Fahrenheit 451, died June 5, age 91.
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Gore Vidal, bon vivant and man of letters, died July 31, age 86.
Helen Gurley Brown, author of Sex and the Single Girl and editor of Cosmopolitan, died Aug. 13, age 90.
Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, publisher of The New York Times, died Sept. 29, age 86.
STAGE AND SCREEN
Don Cornelius, creator and presenter of the TV show Soul Train, died Feb. 1, age 75.
Ben Gazzara, actor noted for his work with John Cassavetes, died Feb. 3, age 81.
Dick Clark, perennially youthful TV host who created American Bandstand, died April 18, age 82.
Nora Ephron, author and filmmaker who directed Sleepless in Seattle, died June 26, age 71.
Andy Griffith, folksy star of The Andy Griffith Show, died July 3, age 86.
Ernest Borgnine, gruff character actor who won an Oscar for Marty, died July 8,
age 95.
Richard Zanuck, producer of Jaws, died July 13, age 77.
Tony Scott, director of Top Gun, died Aug. 19, age 68.
Larry Hagman, actor who portrayed J.R. Ewing in Dallas, died Nov. 23, age 81.
MUSIC AND THE ARTS
Eve Arnold, photojournalist, died Jan. 4,
age 99.
Johnny Otis, bandleader, talent scout, and disc jockey, died Jan. 17, age 90.
Etta James, blues singer who recorded “At Last,” died Jan. 20, age 73.
Whitney Houston, pop diva renowned for “I Will Always Love You,” died Feb. 11, age 48.
Earl Scruggs, bluegrass banjo virtuoso who wrote “Foggy Mountain Breakdown,” died March 28, age 88.
Thomas Kinkade, painter of bucolic scenes, died April 6, age 54.
Levon Helm, drummer for The Band, died April 19, age 71.
Adam Yauch, member of hip-hop trio the Beastie Boys, died May 4, age 47.
Donna Summer, disco queen who sang “Love to Love You Baby,” died May 17, age 63.
Robin Gibb, one third of fraternal pop trio the Bee Gees, died May 20, age 62.
Marvin Hamlisch, Pulitzer Prize–winning composer of musicals and movies, died Aug. 7, age 68.
Hal David, award-winning lyricist who wrote “What the World Needs Now Is Love,” died Sept. 1, age 91.
Andy Williams, crooner of such hits as “Moon River,” died Sept. 25, age 84.
Dave Brubeck, jazz pianist who recorded “Take Five,” died Dec. 5, age 91.
Ravi Shankar, sitar virtuoso who introduced Indian music to the world, died Dec. 12, age 92.
POLITICS
Kevin H. White, four-term Boston mayor, died Jan. 27, age 82.
Miguel de la Madrid, former president of Mexico, died April 1, age 77.
J. Christopher Stevens, U.S. ambassador to Libya, died Sept. 11, age 52.
Arlen Specter, Republican senator for Pennsylvania who switched to the Democrats in 2009, died Oct. 14, age 82.
George McGovern, Democratic presidential challenger defeated by Richard Nixon in 1972, died Oct. 21, age 90.
Daniel Inouye, Democratic senator for Hawaii for almost 50 years, died Dec. 17, age 88.
Robert H. Bork, conservative jurist whose 1987 nomination to the Supreme Court was rejected by the Senate, died Dec. 19, age 85.
GENERAL
Joe Paterno, Pennsylvania State University football coach whose career ended in disgrace, died Jan. 22, age 85.
Gary Carter, 11-time All Star catcher for the Montreal Expos and New York Mets, died Feb. 16, age 57.
Junior Seau, linebacker for the San Diego Chargers, died May 2, age 43.
Vidal Sassoon, hairdresser, died May 9, age 84.
Rodney King, whose beating by Los Angeles police sparked riots in 1992, died June 17, age 47.
Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, died July 23, age 61.
Johnny Pesky, Boston Red Sox shortstop of the 1940s and a club icon thereafter, died Aug. 13, age 92.
Steve Van Buren, running back for the Philadelphia Eagles, died Aug. 23, age 91.
Neil Armstrong, first man on the moon, died Aug. 25, age 82.
Alex Karras, NFL player turned actor, died Oct. 10, age 77.
Joseph Murray, surgeon who did the first successful human organ transplant, died Nov. 26, age 93.