While best and worst of everything lists are compiled by others as another year draws to a close, The Free Choice E-zine continues it annual tradition of pausing to briefly look back and remember those that are sadly no longer with us.
John Altamura (The Toxic Avenger films)
Peter Armitage (Coronation Street, 1988 version of Jack the Ripper)
Broadway actor Gary Beach (The Producers, Beauty and the Beast, La Cage aux Felles)
Alex Beckett (I Live With Models, Mary Queen of Scots)
Ken Berry (Mayberry RFD, F Troop, Mama’s Family)
Robert Blythe (High Hopes, Rebecca’s Daughters)
Philip Bosco (Working Girl, The Savages)
Actor/writer/director Frank Buxton (What’s Up Tiger Lily?, Happy Days)
Joseph Campanella (credits too numerous to mention)
Reg E. Cathey (The Wire, House of Cards)
Glen Chin (Naked Gun 33 and 1/3, 50 First Dates)
Comedic actor Bill Daily (I Dream of Jeannie, The Bob Newhart Show)
Robert Dix (Forbidden Planet)
Peter Donat (The X-Files, original Dallas, Hill Street Blues)
Herb Ellis (TV’s Dragnet, The Fortune Cookie)
R. Lee Eremy (Full Metal Jacket, the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre)
Actor/stuntman Koichi Funayama (Wolverine, 47 Ronin)
Leslie Grantham (East Enders, Paradise Club)
Takanobu Hozumi (Mr. Baseball, X From Outer Space)
Tab Hunter (credits too numerous to mention)
Harry Landers (Ben Casey)
John Mahoney (Frasier, In the Line of Fire)
Robert Mandan (Soap, various guest appearances throughout his career)
Jerry Maren, the last surviving Munchkin from The Wizard of Oz.
Peter Miles (Blake’s 7, Doctor Who)
Donald Moffat (1982 version of The Thing, The Right Stuff)
Leonid Nevedomsky (The Blue Bird, Monologue)
Soon-Tek Oh (James Bond’s The Man With The Golden Gun, the original Hawaii 5-0)
Alyque Padamsee (Gandhi)
Robert Perry (credits too numerous to mention)
Douglas Rain (2001: A Space Odyssey)
Gamil Ratib (Lawrence of Arabia)
Siegfried Rauch (Patton)
Burt Reynolds (Gunsmoke, Smokey and the Bandit, Evening Shade)
Donnelly Rhodes (Soap, 2003 version of Battlestar Galactica)
Mark Salling (Glee)
Stefan Karl Stefansson (Lazy Town, Thor)
David Ogden Steirs (TV’s MASH, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast)
Fredric Stone (Normal Life, Thief)
Dudley Sutton (The Pink Panther Strikes Again)
Verne Troyer (the Austin Powers series, Jack of All Trades)
Comedian Jerry Van Dyke (My Mother the Car, Coach) and brother of Dick.
Paul John Vasques (Ghost Rider 2, Sons of Anarchy)
Clint Walker (Cheyenne, The Dirty Dozen)
Fredd Wayne (numerous stage, screen, and television credits)
Robert Wolders (Laredo)
Actor/stuntman Jack N. Young (Death Valley Days, Wagon Train)
Louis Zorich (Mad About You, Brooklyn Bridge)
Stephane Audran (Babette’s Feast, The Big Red One)
Ethel Ayler (Eve’s Bayou, The Cosby Show)
Susan Brown (As The World Turns, Santa Barbara, General Hospital)
Michele Carey (El Dorado, Live A Little-Love A Little)
Mary Carlisle (the Bing Crosby movies College Humor, Dr. Rhythm, and Double or Nothing)
Actress/stunt woman Debbie Lee Carrington (Return of the Jedi, Total Recall)
Agneta Eckemyr (Kentucky Fried Movie, Island on Top of the World)
Bella Emberg (The Benny Hill Show, History of the World: Part 1)
Nanette Fabray (Sid Caesar’s Hour, The Band Wagon)
Fenella Fielding (Follow A Star, the Carry On series)
Liz Fraser (Carry On Regardless, Dad’s Army)
Eunice Gayson (James Bond movies Dr. No and From Russia With Love)
Ann Gillis (voice work in Bambi, appeared in 2001: A Space Odyssey)
Helen Griffin (Little White Lies, Doctor Who)
Barbara Harris (The Apple Tree, original version of Freaky Friday, A 1000 Clowns)
Yuriko Hoshi (Mothra vs Godzilla, Ghidorah, Godzilla vs Megaguirus)
Margot Kidder (Lois Lane to Christopher Reeve’s Superman)
Kate Lansbury (Ever After, A Fish Called Wanda)
Anna-Lisa (Black Saddle, The Three Stooges’ Have Rocket-Will Travel)
Sandra Locke (The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter)
Kathleen MacGregor (Little House on the Prairie, On the Waterfront)
Dorothy Malone (Peyton Place, Basic Instinct)
Vanessa Marquez (ER, Stand and Deliver)
Marin Mazzie (Ragtime, Kiss Me Kate)
Jan Maxwell (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Gossip Girl)
Zienia Merton (Doctor Who, Space: 1999)
Patricia Morison (Kiss Me Kate, The Song of Bernadette)
Jacqueline Pearce (Blake’s 7, Doctor Who)
Comedienne/actress Charlotte Rae (Different Strokes, The Facts of Life)
Jennie Stroller (King Ralph, The Good Father)
Doreen Tracey (The original Mickey Mouse Club, Westward Ho The Wagons)
Elmarie Wendel (Third Rock From The Sun)
June Whitfield (Last of the Summer Wine, Absolutely Fabulous)
Professional wrestler Jim “Doc” Dean.
Former professional baseball player/manager Howard “Doc” Edwards (Kansas City Athletics, Cleveland Indians)
Former professional baseball player John “Tito” Francona, father of current Cleveland Indians manager Terry.
Professional hockey player Cecil Hoekstra (Montreal Canadiens)
Legendary Sports Announcer Keith Jackson.
Professional hockey player Max Labovitch (New York Rangers)
Former Brooklyn Dodger Joe Landrum.
Robert McNair, co-founder and owner of the Houston Texans of professional football.
Professional wrestler Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart.
Former Professional Baseball player Billy O’Dell (Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves)
Reggie Oliver, a real life football player featured in We Are Marshall.
Baseball legend Rusty Staub.
Former professional football player Jim Taylor (Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints)
Dick Tinkham, who helped co-found the American Basketball Association.
Professional Wrestler Nikolai Volkoff.
Former professional football player Warren Wells.
Former professional hockey player Jim Wiste.
Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft.
Film director Bernardo Bertolucci (Last Tango In Paris)
Record producer David Bianco (Tom Petty, Bob Dylan)
Famed costume designer Yvonne Blake (Christopher Reeve’s Superman, original production of Jesus Christ Superstar)
TV producer/writer Stephen Bochco (LA Law, Hill Street Blues, and much more)
Journalist Elizabeth Brackett.
Comic book artist Norm Breyfogle (Batman, Archie, Whisper, Prime)
Classic movie poster designer Silvano Campeggi (Casablanca, Singin’ In The Rain, Breakfast At Tiffany’s)
Noted film editor Anne V. Coates (credits too numerous to mention)
Author Bill Crider (credits too numerous to mention)
Actor/stuntman Steve Daskewisz (Friday the 13 Part 2, Nighthawks, Wolfen)
Pioneer video game designer Bernie De Koven (Ricochet, Alien Garden)
Legendary comic book creator Steve Ditko (Spider-man, Dr. Strange, The Question, The Creeper)
Science Fiction writer (Hunter’s Run, Morning Child) and editor (Isaac Asimov’s SF Magazine) Gardner Dozios.
Author Harlan Ellison (Star Trek’s “City on the Edge of Forever”, The Twilight Zone’s “Paladin of the Last Hour”, and much more)
Geoff Emerick, noted recording engineer who worked with The Beatles and other famous acts.
Theater playwright/producer John Glines (Torch Song Trilogy)
Legendary movie poster artist Bill Gold (Casablanca, A Streetcar Named Desire)
TV producer Peter Firmin (various children’ programs)
TV writer David Fisher (Doctor Who, Crown Court)
Art director/set decorator Michael D. Ford (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Titanic)
Comic book writer Gary Friedrich (motorcycle riding Ghost Rider, Hulk, Sgt. Fury, and more)
Composer Norman Gimbel (Themes to Wonder Woman, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley; “Killing Me Softly With His Song”)
Author/screenwriter William Goldman (The Princess Bride, All The President’s Men)
Composer/lyricist Carol Hall (Sesame Street, The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas)
Screenwriter Shinobu Hashimoto (7 Samuari, Rashomon)
Famed comic book artist Russ Heath (credits too numerous to mention)
Animator Stephen Hillenburg (Spongebob Squarepants’ creator, Rocko’s Modern Life)
Journalist Jerry Hopkins (Rolling Stone magazine)
Pop Artist Robert Indiana.
Magician/writer/actor Rick Jay (Deadwood, James Bond's Tomorrow Never Dies)
Choreographer Alan Johnson (The Producers, Young Frankenstein)
Drummer (Johnny Rivers, the First Edition)/actor (Home Improvement) Mickey Jones.
Film producer Arnold Kopelson (Platoon, The Fugitive, 7)
IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad.
Journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Journalist Charles Krauthammer.
Movie producer Gary Kurtz (Star Wars saga, American Graffiti)
Comic Book Legend Stan Lee (credits too numerous to mention)
Legendary author Ursula K. LeGuin (credits too numerous to mention)
Animator Don Lusk (Disney’s versions of Pinocchio and 101 Dalmatians)
Dame Gillian Lynne (The Phantom of the Opera, Cats)
Recording engineer Jim Malloy, (Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and other musical greats)
Actress/director Penny Marshall (The Odd Couple, Laverne & Shirley, Big, A League of Their Own)
Children’s author Jean Marzollo (numerous books, including creating the I Spy book series)
Playwright Joe Masteroff (Cabaret)
Writer/director/actor Peter Masterson (The Trip to Bountiful, 1973 version of The Exorcist)
TV producer Kevin McCray (Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie)
Author Patrick McManus (The Sheriff Bo Tully Mysteries and other works)
Director Geoff Murphy (Young Guns 2, Under Siege 2)
Playwright Tom Murphy (A Whistle In The Dark)
Actor/playwright John Ford Noonan (The Year Boston Won the Pennant, Adventures in Babysitting)
Journalist Les Payne of Newsday.
Novelist Richard Peck (A Year Down Yonder)
Animator/director Rumen Petkov (Johnny Bravo, Dexter’s Laboratory)
Movie director/cinematographer Nicolas Roeg (The Man Who Fell To Earth, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum)
Author Mary Rosenblum.
Author Philip Roth (Goodbye Columbus, The Human Stain)
Songwriter/producer Randy Scruggs (“Angel in Disguise”, “We Danced Anyway”)
TV producer Bill Sellars (Doctor Who, All Creatures Great and Small)
Legendary comic book artist Marie Severin (credits too numerous to mention)
Production designer Michael Seymour (Alien, Beverly Hills Cop 3)
Film producer Allison Shearmur (Star Wars: Rogue 1, The Hunger Games)
Television producer/actor Derrick Sherwin (Doctor Who, Paul Temple, The Vengeance of She)
Author/Playwright Neil Simon (credits too numerous to mention)
Fashion designer Kate Spade.
Game designer Greg Stafford (King of Dragon Pass, Hero Quest)
Author Christopher Stasheff (The Warlock In Spite of Himself, The Enchanter Reborn)
Director Steven Stern (The Devil and Max Devilin, Mazes and Monsters)
Storm Chaser Joel Taylor.
Journalist Richard Valeriani.
Noted claymation animator Will Vinton (California Raisins, Adventures of Mark Twain)
Director/screenwriter Hugh Wilson (WKRP In Cincinnati, Police Academy)
Cartoonist Mort Walker (Beetle Bailey, Hi & Lois)
Song writer Tony Joe White (“Polk Salad Annie”, “Rainy Night In Georgia”)
Film/TV composer Patrick Williams (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Lou Grant, The Toy, Swing Shift)
Film/TV producer Paul Junger Witt (Dead Poet’s Society, Soap)
Tom Wolfe (Bonfire of the Vanities, The Right Stuff)
TV travel/food host Anthony Bourdain.
Singer Leah LaBelle (American Idol)
Country Music Legend Roy Clark.
Singer Vic Damone (credits too numerous to mention)
Entertainer Sir Ken Dodd.
R & B singer Dennis Edwards (The Contours, The Temptations)
The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin.
Pawn Stars' Richard Benjamin Harrison.
Scott Hutchinson of the group Frightened Rabbit.
Joe Jackson, patriarch/manager of Jackson 5.
Comedian and Impressionist Will Jordan.
Singer “Killjoy” (aka Frank Pucci)
Television personality Robin Leach (Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous)
Comic, actor, voice artist Chuck McCann (credits too numerous to mention)
Rapper Mac Miller (aka Malcolm McCormick)
Ray Sawyer (Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show)
Mitzi Shore, “The Godmother of The Comedy Store”.
Country music singer Daryle Singletary (“I Let Her Lie”)
Country singer/actress Lari White (“That’s My Baby”, Cast Away)
Dick Williams of the Williams Brothers Quartet (which included Andy)
Rapper Young Greatness (aka Theodore Jones)
Rapper XXXTentacion.
Jazz Legend Nancy Wilson.
Felipe Gomez Alonzo and Jakelin Caal.
Former United Nations’ Secretary General and 2001 Nobel Peace Prize winner Kofi Annan.
Astronaut Alan Bean (Apollo 12 and Skylab 3 missions)
Crime Boss James Bulger.
Former First Lady Barbara Bush.
George H. W. Bush, 41st President of the United States.
The innocent victims of a senseless shooting at a car wash January 28.
The innocent victims of the vehicular assault in Toronto, Canada April 23.
The victims of the shooting at the Capitol Gazette June 29.
Ray Chavez, the oldest survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Former Moldovan Prime Minister Ion Ciubuc.
The real Adrian Cronauer, the basis of Good Morning, Vietnam.
Atari co-founder Ted Dabney.
The victims of the senseless shooting at a Florida high school February 14.
Women’s Rights Activist Arvonne Fraser.
Actor (Psycho, Spartacus)/Diplomat (Ambassador to Mexico: 1981-86) John Gavin.
Audrey Geisel, wife of the good Doctor Seuss.
Minister Billy Graham.
The little girl killed at her own third birthday party July 2!
Burning Man founder Larry Harvey.
Scientist Stephen Hawking (A Brief History of Time)
The victims of the Hawaiian volcano eruptions (2018)
The victims of Japan’s massive floods (July 2018)
The victims of a suicide bomber who attacked a hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan January 27.
Koko the Gorilla.
Saman Kunan, the diver who lost his life during the Tham Laung cave rescue efforts.
Vietnam War Veteran and Senator John McCain.
The innocent victims of the shooting at Mercy Hospital in Chicago.
The 7 year old migrant detainee.
Grace Millane.
Richard Arvin Overton, oldest surviving US veteran of World War 2 and the oldest American, passed away at age 112!
The innocent victims of the senseless shooting at a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania synagogue.
Federal Judge Stephen Reinhardt of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
1976 Nobel Physics Prize Laureate Burton Richter.
Those who lost their lives in the senseless gun violence at a Texas High School May 17!
The innocent victims of the senseless shooting in Thousand Oaks, California.
The victims of Volcan de Fuego (June 2018)
Former Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
The victims of the senseless gun violence at a video game tournament August 25.
The innocent victims of the Waffle House shooting April 22.
Jefferson Airplane co-founder Marty Balin.
Scott Boyer of the Allman Brothers.
George Cameron of The Left Banke musical group (“Walk Away Renee”)
Guitarist Eddie Clark (Motor Head)
Jazz musician Bob Dorough (a lengthy solo career, Schoolhouse Rock)
Noel “Nokie” Edwards of The Ventures (original Hawaii 5-0 theme)
Rocker Jimmy Farrar (Raw Energy, Molly Hatchet, Gator Country)
Gospel musician Edwin Hawkins (“Oh Happy Day”)
Jazz musician Roy Hargrove.
Guitarist Ed King (Lynyrd Skynyrd, Strawberry Alarm Clock)
Guitarist Danny Kirwan (Fleetwood Mac, Tramp)
Alan Longmuir, founding member of the Bay City Rollers.
Craig MacGregor (Foghat)
Guitarist Matt Murphy (Saturday Night Live, The Blues Brothers)
Charles Neville of the Neville Brothers.
Dolores O’Riordan (The Cranberries)
Drummer Vinnie Paul (Pantera)
Jim Rodford (The Kinks, The Zombies)
Blues musician Preston Shannon (“Beale Street Boogaloo”, “Midnight in Memphis”)
John “Jabo” Starks, former drummer for James Brown.
Musician Richard Swift.
Drummer John Von Ohlen of the Blue Wisp Big Band.
“Wah Wah” Washington, guitarist for The Funk Brothers.
DISHONORABLE MENTION
Suicide bombers, terrorists, and anyone else who would take another’s life without moral and/or legal justification.
NOTE: All categories and the names within them are alphabetical to the best of our human ability, except the last one.
😢
Unfortunately we cannot post the whole list; but amongst the innocents who died needlessly at the hands of others; our family, friends, and loved ones; as well as those within law enforcement, medical/emergency services, and the military personnel who lost their lives helping and/or protecting others during 2018, we have also lost...
ACTORS
Frank Adonis (Goodfellas)John Altamura (The Toxic Avenger films)
Peter Armitage (Coronation Street, 1988 version of Jack the Ripper)
Broadway actor Gary Beach (The Producers, Beauty and the Beast, La Cage aux Felles)
Alex Beckett (I Live With Models, Mary Queen of Scots)
Ken Berry (Mayberry RFD, F Troop, Mama’s Family)
Robert Blythe (High Hopes, Rebecca’s Daughters)
Philip Bosco (Working Girl, The Savages)
Actor/writer/director Frank Buxton (What’s Up Tiger Lily?, Happy Days)
Joseph Campanella (credits too numerous to mention)
Reg E. Cathey (The Wire, House of Cards)
Glen Chin (Naked Gun 33 and 1/3, 50 First Dates)
Comedic actor Bill Daily (I Dream of Jeannie, The Bob Newhart Show)
Robert Dix (Forbidden Planet)
Peter Donat (The X-Files, original Dallas, Hill Street Blues)
Herb Ellis (TV’s Dragnet, The Fortune Cookie)
R. Lee Eremy (Full Metal Jacket, the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre)
Actor/stuntman Koichi Funayama (Wolverine, 47 Ronin)
Leslie Grantham (East Enders, Paradise Club)
Takanobu Hozumi (Mr. Baseball, X From Outer Space)
Tab Hunter (credits too numerous to mention)
Harry Landers (Ben Casey)
John Mahoney (Frasier, In the Line of Fire)
Robert Mandan (Soap, various guest appearances throughout his career)
Jerry Maren, the last surviving Munchkin from The Wizard of Oz.
Peter Miles (Blake’s 7, Doctor Who)
Donald Moffat (1982 version of The Thing, The Right Stuff)
Leonid Nevedomsky (The Blue Bird, Monologue)
Soon-Tek Oh (James Bond’s The Man With The Golden Gun, the original Hawaii 5-0)
Alyque Padamsee (Gandhi)
Robert Perry (credits too numerous to mention)
Douglas Rain (2001: A Space Odyssey)
Gamil Ratib (Lawrence of Arabia)
Siegfried Rauch (Patton)
Burt Reynolds (Gunsmoke, Smokey and the Bandit, Evening Shade)
Donnelly Rhodes (Soap, 2003 version of Battlestar Galactica)
Mark Salling (Glee)
Stefan Karl Stefansson (Lazy Town, Thor)
David Ogden Steirs (TV’s MASH, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast)
Fredric Stone (Normal Life, Thief)
Dudley Sutton (The Pink Panther Strikes Again)
Verne Troyer (the Austin Powers series, Jack of All Trades)
Comedian Jerry Van Dyke (My Mother the Car, Coach) and brother of Dick.
Paul John Vasques (Ghost Rider 2, Sons of Anarchy)
Clint Walker (Cheyenne, The Dirty Dozen)
Fredd Wayne (numerous stage, screen, and television credits)
Robert Wolders (Laredo)
Actor/stuntman Jack N. Young (Death Valley Days, Wagon Train)
Louis Zorich (Mad About You, Brooklyn Bridge)
ACTRESSES
Lassie Lou Ahern (the classic Our Gang comedies)Stephane Audran (Babette’s Feast, The Big Red One)
Ethel Ayler (Eve’s Bayou, The Cosby Show)
Susan Brown (As The World Turns, Santa Barbara, General Hospital)
Michele Carey (El Dorado, Live A Little-Love A Little)
Mary Carlisle (the Bing Crosby movies College Humor, Dr. Rhythm, and Double or Nothing)
Actress/stunt woman Debbie Lee Carrington (Return of the Jedi, Total Recall)
Agneta Eckemyr (Kentucky Fried Movie, Island on Top of the World)
Bella Emberg (The Benny Hill Show, History of the World: Part 1)
Nanette Fabray (Sid Caesar’s Hour, The Band Wagon)
Fenella Fielding (Follow A Star, the Carry On series)
Liz Fraser (Carry On Regardless, Dad’s Army)
Eunice Gayson (James Bond movies Dr. No and From Russia With Love)
Ann Gillis (voice work in Bambi, appeared in 2001: A Space Odyssey)
Helen Griffin (Little White Lies, Doctor Who)
Barbara Harris (The Apple Tree, original version of Freaky Friday, A 1000 Clowns)
Yuriko Hoshi (Mothra vs Godzilla, Ghidorah, Godzilla vs Megaguirus)
Margot Kidder (Lois Lane to Christopher Reeve’s Superman)
Kate Lansbury (Ever After, A Fish Called Wanda)
Anna-Lisa (Black Saddle, The Three Stooges’ Have Rocket-Will Travel)
Sandra Locke (The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter)
Kathleen MacGregor (Little House on the Prairie, On the Waterfront)
Dorothy Malone (Peyton Place, Basic Instinct)
Vanessa Marquez (ER, Stand and Deliver)
Marin Mazzie (Ragtime, Kiss Me Kate)
Jan Maxwell (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Gossip Girl)
Zienia Merton (Doctor Who, Space: 1999)
Patricia Morison (Kiss Me Kate, The Song of Bernadette)
Jacqueline Pearce (Blake’s 7, Doctor Who)
Comedienne/actress Charlotte Rae (Different Strokes, The Facts of Life)
Jennie Stroller (King Ralph, The Good Father)
Doreen Tracey (The original Mickey Mouse Club, Westward Ho The Wagons)
Elmarie Wendel (Third Rock From The Sun)
June Whitfield (Last of the Summer Wine, Absolutely Fabulous)
ATHLETES/SPORTS FIGURES
Former professional basketball player Rasual Butler (Miami Heat, New Orleans Hornets, L. A. Clippers)Professional wrestler Jim “Doc” Dean.
Former professional baseball player/manager Howard “Doc” Edwards (Kansas City Athletics, Cleveland Indians)
Former professional baseball player John “Tito” Francona, father of current Cleveland Indians manager Terry.
Professional hockey player Cecil Hoekstra (Montreal Canadiens)
Legendary Sports Announcer Keith Jackson.
Professional hockey player Max Labovitch (New York Rangers)
Former Brooklyn Dodger Joe Landrum.
Robert McNair, co-founder and owner of the Houston Texans of professional football.
Professional wrestler Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart.
Former Professional Baseball player Billy O’Dell (Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves)
Reggie Oliver, a real life football player featured in We Are Marshall.
Baseball legend Rusty Staub.
Former professional football player Jim Taylor (Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints)
Dick Tinkham, who helped co-found the American Basketball Association.
Professional Wrestler Nikolai Volkoff.
Former professional football player Warren Wells.
Former professional hockey player Jim Wiste.
CREATIVE PERSONNEL
Comedian/actor Marty Allen (credits too numerous to mention)Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft.
Film director Bernardo Bertolucci (Last Tango In Paris)
Record producer David Bianco (Tom Petty, Bob Dylan)
Famed costume designer Yvonne Blake (Christopher Reeve’s Superman, original production of Jesus Christ Superstar)
TV producer/writer Stephen Bochco (LA Law, Hill Street Blues, and much more)
Journalist Elizabeth Brackett.
Comic book artist Norm Breyfogle (Batman, Archie, Whisper, Prime)
Classic movie poster designer Silvano Campeggi (Casablanca, Singin’ In The Rain, Breakfast At Tiffany’s)
Noted film editor Anne V. Coates (credits too numerous to mention)
Author Bill Crider (credits too numerous to mention)
Actor/stuntman Steve Daskewisz (Friday the 13 Part 2, Nighthawks, Wolfen)
Pioneer video game designer Bernie De Koven (Ricochet, Alien Garden)
Legendary comic book creator Steve Ditko (Spider-man, Dr. Strange, The Question, The Creeper)
Science Fiction writer (Hunter’s Run, Morning Child) and editor (Isaac Asimov’s SF Magazine) Gardner Dozios.
Author Harlan Ellison (Star Trek’s “City on the Edge of Forever”, The Twilight Zone’s “Paladin of the Last Hour”, and much more)
Geoff Emerick, noted recording engineer who worked with The Beatles and other famous acts.
Theater playwright/producer John Glines (Torch Song Trilogy)
Legendary movie poster artist Bill Gold (Casablanca, A Streetcar Named Desire)
TV producer Peter Firmin (various children’ programs)
TV writer David Fisher (Doctor Who, Crown Court)
Art director/set decorator Michael D. Ford (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Titanic)
Comic book writer Gary Friedrich (motorcycle riding Ghost Rider, Hulk, Sgt. Fury, and more)
Composer Norman Gimbel (Themes to Wonder Woman, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley; “Killing Me Softly With His Song”)
Author/screenwriter William Goldman (The Princess Bride, All The President’s Men)
Composer/lyricist Carol Hall (Sesame Street, The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas)
Screenwriter Shinobu Hashimoto (7 Samuari, Rashomon)
Famed comic book artist Russ Heath (credits too numerous to mention)
Animator Stephen Hillenburg (Spongebob Squarepants’ creator, Rocko’s Modern Life)
Journalist Jerry Hopkins (Rolling Stone magazine)
Pop Artist Robert Indiana.
Magician/writer/actor Rick Jay (Deadwood, James Bond's Tomorrow Never Dies)
Choreographer Alan Johnson (The Producers, Young Frankenstein)
Drummer (Johnny Rivers, the First Edition)/actor (Home Improvement) Mickey Jones.
Film producer Arnold Kopelson (Platoon, The Fugitive, 7)
IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad.
Journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Journalist Charles Krauthammer.
Movie producer Gary Kurtz (Star Wars saga, American Graffiti)
Comic Book Legend Stan Lee (credits too numerous to mention)
Legendary author Ursula K. LeGuin (credits too numerous to mention)
Animator Don Lusk (Disney’s versions of Pinocchio and 101 Dalmatians)
Dame Gillian Lynne (The Phantom of the Opera, Cats)
Recording engineer Jim Malloy, (Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and other musical greats)
Actress/director Penny Marshall (The Odd Couple, Laverne & Shirley, Big, A League of Their Own)
Children’s author Jean Marzollo (numerous books, including creating the I Spy book series)
Playwright Joe Masteroff (Cabaret)
Writer/director/actor Peter Masterson (The Trip to Bountiful, 1973 version of The Exorcist)
TV producer Kevin McCray (Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie)
Author Patrick McManus (The Sheriff Bo Tully Mysteries and other works)
Director Geoff Murphy (Young Guns 2, Under Siege 2)
Playwright Tom Murphy (A Whistle In The Dark)
Actor/playwright John Ford Noonan (The Year Boston Won the Pennant, Adventures in Babysitting)
Journalist Les Payne of Newsday.
Novelist Richard Peck (A Year Down Yonder)
Animator/director Rumen Petkov (Johnny Bravo, Dexter’s Laboratory)
Movie director/cinematographer Nicolas Roeg (The Man Who Fell To Earth, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum)
Author Mary Rosenblum.
Author Philip Roth (Goodbye Columbus, The Human Stain)
Songwriter/producer Randy Scruggs (“Angel in Disguise”, “We Danced Anyway”)
TV producer Bill Sellars (Doctor Who, All Creatures Great and Small)
Legendary comic book artist Marie Severin (credits too numerous to mention)
Production designer Michael Seymour (Alien, Beverly Hills Cop 3)
Film producer Allison Shearmur (Star Wars: Rogue 1, The Hunger Games)
Television producer/actor Derrick Sherwin (Doctor Who, Paul Temple, The Vengeance of She)
Author/Playwright Neil Simon (credits too numerous to mention)
Fashion designer Kate Spade.
Game designer Greg Stafford (King of Dragon Pass, Hero Quest)
Author Christopher Stasheff (The Warlock In Spite of Himself, The Enchanter Reborn)
Director Steven Stern (The Devil and Max Devilin, Mazes and Monsters)
Storm Chaser Joel Taylor.
Journalist Richard Valeriani.
Noted claymation animator Will Vinton (California Raisins, Adventures of Mark Twain)
Director/screenwriter Hugh Wilson (WKRP In Cincinnati, Police Academy)
Cartoonist Mort Walker (Beetle Bailey, Hi & Lois)
Song writer Tony Joe White (“Polk Salad Annie”, “Rainy Night In Georgia”)
Film/TV composer Patrick Williams (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Lou Grant, The Toy, Swing Shift)
Film/TV producer Paul Junger Witt (Dead Poet’s Society, Soap)
Tom Wolfe (Bonfire of the Vanities, The Right Stuff)
ENTERTAINERS
Comedian/magician Harry Anderson (Night Court, Cheers, Dave’s World)TV travel/food host Anthony Bourdain.
Singer Leah LaBelle (American Idol)
Country Music Legend Roy Clark.
Singer Vic Damone (credits too numerous to mention)
R & B singer Dennis Edwards (The Contours, The Temptations)
The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin.
Pawn Stars' Richard Benjamin Harrison.
Scott Hutchinson of the group Frightened Rabbit.
Joe Jackson, patriarch/manager of Jackson 5.
Comedian and Impressionist Will Jordan.
Singer “Killjoy” (aka Frank Pucci)
Television personality Robin Leach (Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous)
Comic, actor, voice artist Chuck McCann (credits too numerous to mention)
Rapper Mac Miller (aka Malcolm McCormick)
Ray Sawyer (Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show)
Mitzi Shore, “The Godmother of The Comedy Store”.
Country music singer Daryle Singletary (“I Let Her Lie”)
Country singer/actress Lari White (“That’s My Baby”, Cast Away)
Dick Williams of the Williams Brothers Quartet (which included Andy)
Rapper Young Greatness (aka Theodore Jones)
Rapper XXXTentacion.
Jazz Legend Nancy Wilson.
HISTORIC
Those who unfortunately lost their lives during any natural disaster this past year.Felipe Gomez Alonzo and Jakelin Caal.
Former United Nations’ Secretary General and 2001 Nobel Peace Prize winner Kofi Annan.
Astronaut Alan Bean (Apollo 12 and Skylab 3 missions)
Crime Boss James Bulger.
Former First Lady Barbara Bush.
George H. W. Bush, 41st President of the United States.
The innocent victims of a senseless shooting at a car wash January 28.
The innocent victims of the vehicular assault in Toronto, Canada April 23.
The victims of the shooting at the Capitol Gazette June 29.
Ray Chavez, the oldest survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Former Moldovan Prime Minister Ion Ciubuc.
The real Adrian Cronauer, the basis of Good Morning, Vietnam.
Atari co-founder Ted Dabney.
The victims of the senseless shooting at a Florida high school February 14.
Women’s Rights Activist Arvonne Fraser.
Actor (Psycho, Spartacus)/Diplomat (Ambassador to Mexico: 1981-86) John Gavin.
Audrey Geisel, wife of the good Doctor Seuss.
Minister Billy Graham.
The little girl killed at her own third birthday party July 2!
Burning Man founder Larry Harvey.
Scientist Stephen Hawking (A Brief History of Time)
The victims of the Hawaiian volcano eruptions (2018)
The victims of Japan’s massive floods (July 2018)
The victims of a suicide bomber who attacked a hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan January 27.
Koko the Gorilla.
Saman Kunan, the diver who lost his life during the Tham Laung cave rescue efforts.
Vietnam War Veteran and Senator John McCain.
The innocent victims of the shooting at Mercy Hospital in Chicago.
The 7 year old migrant detainee.
Grace Millane.
Richard Arvin Overton, oldest surviving US veteran of World War 2 and the oldest American, passed away at age 112!
The innocent victims of the senseless shooting at a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania synagogue.
Federal Judge Stephen Reinhardt of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
1976 Nobel Physics Prize Laureate Burton Richter.
Those who lost their lives in the senseless gun violence at a Texas High School May 17!
The innocent victims of the senseless shooting in Thousand Oaks, California.
The victims of Volcan de Fuego (June 2018)
Former Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
The victims of the senseless gun violence at a video game tournament August 25.
The innocent victims of the Waffle House shooting April 22.
MUSICIANS
Musician/disc jockey Avicii (aka Tim Bergling)Jefferson Airplane co-founder Marty Balin.
Scott Boyer of the Allman Brothers.
George Cameron of The Left Banke musical group (“Walk Away Renee”)
Guitarist Eddie Clark (Motor Head)
Jazz musician Bob Dorough (a lengthy solo career, Schoolhouse Rock)
Noel “Nokie” Edwards of The Ventures (original Hawaii 5-0 theme)
Rocker Jimmy Farrar (Raw Energy, Molly Hatchet, Gator Country)
Gospel musician Edwin Hawkins (“Oh Happy Day”)
Jazz musician Roy Hargrove.
Guitarist Ed King (Lynyrd Skynyrd, Strawberry Alarm Clock)
Guitarist Danny Kirwan (Fleetwood Mac, Tramp)
Alan Longmuir, founding member of the Bay City Rollers.
Craig MacGregor (Foghat)
Guitarist Matt Murphy (Saturday Night Live, The Blues Brothers)
Charles Neville of the Neville Brothers.
Dolores O’Riordan (The Cranberries)
Drummer Vinnie Paul (Pantera)
Jim Rodford (The Kinks, The Zombies)
Blues musician Preston Shannon (“Beale Street Boogaloo”, “Midnight in Memphis”)
John “Jabo” Starks, former drummer for James Brown.
Musician Richard Swift.
Drummer John Von Ohlen of the Blue Wisp Big Band.
“Wah Wah” Washington, guitarist for The Funk Brothers.
DISHONORABLE MENTION
Suicide bombers, terrorists, and anyone else who would take another’s life without moral and/or legal justification.
NOTE: All categories and the names within them are alphabetical to the best of our human ability, except the last one.