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12.30.2001 00:31
Farewell . . .
George Harrison and Isaac Stern, Carroll O'Connor and Ray Walston, Jack Lemmon and Anthony Quinn, Perry Como and Imogene Coca -- these are just a few of the arts and entertainment figures who died in 2001.
Here, compiled by The Journal's Mikki Catanzaro, is a list of some of the major figures who died this year.
Aaliyah,
22, the R & B singer who
burst onto the scene in 1994 with her sultry voice, good looks and sexy attitude, was killed in a plane crash in the Bahamas on Aug. 25. Her debut album sold more than 1 million copies and she was nominated for a Grammy twice.
Douglas Adams,
49, the whimsical British novelist who wrote
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,
died May 11 of an apparent heart attack.
Mortimer J. Adler,
98, the philosopher, best-selling author and education reformer who sought to bring intellectualism to the general public with the Great Books program, died June 28.
Samuel Z. Arkoff,
83, whose American International Pictures exploited the youth market with pinch-penny movies that bore such bizarre titles as
I Was a Teenage Werewolf
and
How to Stuff a Wild Bikini,
died of natural causes Sept. 16.
Lewis Arquette,
65, who had a recurring role as J.D. Pickett on
The Waltons
and was a member of the third generation of Hollywood's acting Arquette family, died Feb. 10 of congestive heart failure. He was the son of Cliff "Charley Weaver" Arquette and the father of actors Rosanna, Richmond, Patricia, Alexis and David Arquette.
Chet Atkins,
77, whose guitar style influenced a generation of rock musicians even as he helped develop an easygoing country style to compete with it, died June 30 of cancer. He recorded more than 75 albums of guitar instrumentals and sold more than 75 million albums.
Jean-Pierre Aumont,
90, an actor who brought continental charm to the romantic roles he played on stage and in film over seven decades, died Jan. 30. He began his career on the French stage in the early 1930s before switching to film and television.
Balthus,
92, a Swiss painter who was one of the 20th century's greatest realist artists known for his erotic portrayal of adolescent beauties, died Feb. 18.
Sandy Baron,
64, a standup comic perhaps best known for his recurring role as an irritating oldster on
Seinfeld,
died Jan. 21. He suffered from emphysema.
Herbert L. Block,
91, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post cartoonist who under the name "Herblock" skewered every president since Herbert Hoover, died Oct. 7.
Foster Brooks,
89, a comedian whose act as a lovable drunk made him a fixture on television and Las Vegas stages, died Dec. 20.
Les Brown,
88, whose Band of Renown scored a number-one hit with
Sentimental Journey
during America's big-band era of the 1930s and '40s
,
died Jan. 4 of lung cancer. A conductor-clarinetist whose smooth arrangements of swing melodies transcended changes in musical tastes, he was cited in 1996 by the
Guinness Book of Records
for heading "the longest organized group in the history of popular music."
Corinne Calvet,
75, an actress who appeared in numerous comedies and dramas during the 1950s, including films with James Cagney and Tony Curtis, died June 23 of a cerebral hemorrhage.
Anthony Charles Chavis,
45, a Zydeco musician and son of the late Zydeco pioneer "Boozoo" Chavis, died Dec. 23 of a heart attack. His death came just eight months after his father's.
Wilson "Boozoo" Chavis,
70, a bandleader who was one of zydeco music's pioneers and most beloved characters, died May 5 of complications after a heart attack. His 1955 single
Paper in My Shoe
is considered by many to be the first modern recording of zydeco, the rural south Louisiana music that is a close cousin of Cajun music.
Robert A. "Skip" Chernov,
63, the pioneering Rhode Island rock-music promoter who once owned a wildly successful bar and ran a completely unsuccessful campaign for mayor of Providence, died of heart failure Dec. 23. Chernov promoted concerts in the late 1960s and early 1970s, bringing in big names such as Led Zeppelin, Neil Young and Janis Joplin.
Imogene Coca,
92, the actress and comedienne who co
-
starred on television with Sid Caesar in the classic
Your Show of Shows,
died June 2. With her saucer eyes, boundless energy, and flair for exaggeration, the Emmy-winner had a lengthy career on stage, on television, and in film.
Charlotte Coleman,
33, the British actress who played Hugh Grant's oddball roommate in
Four Weddings and a Funeral,
died of complications from asthma on Nov. 15.
Perry Como,
88, the fatherly crooner known for his mellow style and cardigan sweaters, died May 12. One of 13 children of Italian immigrants, Como left his job as a barber in the 1930s to sing with big bands. His songs included the hits
Catch a Falling Star,
Papa Loves Mambo
and
Till the End of Time.
Dagmar,
79, who parlayed her dumb blonde act into television fame in the early 1950s, died Oct. 9.
Joe Darion,
59, who won a Tony as the lyricist for
Man of La Mancha,
the show that includes
The Impossible Dream,
died June 16.
Rosemary DeCamp,
90, a matriarchal character actress who played mother to James Cagney in
Yankee Doodle Dandy
and Marlo Thomas on the TV show
That Girl,
died Feb. 20 from complications of pneumonia.
Fred De Cordova,
90, who moved to Hollywood from Broadway and became a leading producer in the nascent television industry, died Sept. 15. He directed movies starring Elvis Presley, Rock Hudson, Errol Flynn and others, but none achieved the fame of
Bedtime for Bonzo,
in which Ronald Reagan played a college professor who raises a chimpanzee. De Cordova was best known as the producer of
The Tonight Show
for 22 years.
Gordon Dickson,
77, a prolific science-fiction writer who won three Hugo awards, died Jan. 31.
Troy Donahue,
65, a heart-throb of the 1950s and '60s who starred in teen romances such as
A Summer Place
and Parrish,
died Sept. 2 after suffering a heart attack.
Morton Downey Jr.,
67, the chain-smoking, often-combative talk-show host who reigned over "Trash TV" in the 1980s, died March 12 of lung cancer and other respiratory problems.
Dale Evans,
88, who reigned as the "Queen of the West" alongside her husband of five decades, Roy Rogers, the "King of the Cowboys," died Feb. 7 of congestive heart failure. Evans drew upon her affection for Rogers when she penned the couple's theme song,
Happy Trails to You;
their relationship endured five decades of work in radio, movies, music and television.
Rowland Evans,
79, a conservative newspaper columnist, TV host, commentator and author, died March 23 of cancer. Evans and his longtime writing partner, Robert Novak, began their work as columnists in the early 1960s.
Betty Everett,
61, the soul singer whose record
The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)
was a top 10 hit in 1964, died Aug. 19.
Mimi Farina,
56, a folk singer and founder of an organization that brought free live music to the sick and imprisoned, died July 18 of complications related to lung cancer. She was a sister of singer Joan Baez.
A. J. Flowers,
84, who won two Oscars for his special effects work on
Tora! Tora! Tora!
and
The Poseidon Adventure,
died July 5.
Willie Foster,
79, the internationally known bluesman, died May 20 of an apparent heart attack. Over the years Foster, a harmonica player, traveled the world and at times teamed with greats such as Muddy Waters.
Arlene Francis,
93, the witty actress and television personality who was a panelist on the popular
What's My Line?
show for its 25-year run, died May 31. One of the busiest personalities on television in the 1950s, she had suffered from Alzheimer's disease for many years.
Kathleen Freeman,
82, a veteran character actress whose face if not her name was known to audiences from television sitcoms, the film classic
Singin' in the Rain
and Broadway's
The Full Monty,
died Aug. 23 of lung cancer.
George Gately,
72, the creator of the Heathcliff
newspaper comic about the antics of a rotund cat, died Sept. 30 of a heart attack.
Gunther Gebel-Williams,
66, the circus animal trainer who delighted ladies and gentlemen and children of all ages during his three decades with the Greatest Show on Earth, died July 19 of cancer. He never missed a performance during his career with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. In addition to working the center ring, the flashy performer was featured in TV specials and advertisements.
Frank B. Gilbreth Jr.,
89, co-author of
Cheaper by the Dozen,
the true story of growing up as one of 12 children whose parents were efficiency experts (and lived for eight years in Rhode Island), died Feb. 18.
Hal Goldman,
81, the Emmy-winning writer who provided the punch lines for Jack Benny and George Burns, died June 27.
Jane Greer,
76, a film noir star and former wife of bandleader Rudy Vallee, died Aug. 24 of complications from cancer.
Rachel Gurney,
81, the British actress best known to American audiences as the elegant Lady Marjorie Bellamy on the popular '70s serialized drama
Upstairs, Downstairs,
died Nov. 24.
Jack Haley Jr.,
67, an Emmy-winning producer, director and documentarian, creator of the
That's Entertainment!
series of movies and son of the actor who played the Tin Woodman in
The Wizard of Oz,
died April 21 of respiratory failure.
William Hanna,
90, the animation pioneer who, with partner Joseph Barbera, created such beloved cartoon characters as Fred Flintstone, Yogi Bear and Tom and Jerry, died March 22. Hanna and Barbera collaborated for more than a half century, first teaming up when both were working at MGM in the last 1930s.
George Harrison,
58, the Beatles' quiet lead guitarist and spiritual explorer, died Nov. 29 following a battle with cancer. His guitar work was essential to the music of the Beatles; although his songwriting was overshadowed by the Lennon-McCartney team, Harrison contributed such classics as
Here Comes the Sun, Something, Taxman,
and
While My Guitar Gently Weeps.
John Hartford,
63, a versatile and wry performer who wrote the standard
Gentle on My Mind
and turned his back on Hollywood to return to bluegrass music, died June 4. The singer-songwriter, comedian, tap-clog dancer, TV performer and riverboat enthusiast had cancer for more than a decade.
Nigel Hawthorne,
72, a versatile actor known around the world as the scheming civil servant Sir Humphrey in the British television series
Yes, Minister,
died Dec. 26 of a heart attack. He appeared in everything from farce to Shakespearean tragedy and won a Tony Award in 1991 for his depiction of writer C. S. Lewis in the play
Shadowlands.
Joe Henderson,
64, one of the great jazz saxophonists and a composer who wrote a handful of tunes known by almost every jazz student, died June 30 of heart failure after a long struggle with emphysema.
Christopher Hewett,
80, a British stage actor who began his career at age 7 but who was best known for starring in the TV sitcom
Mr. Belvedere,
died Aug. 3.
John Lee Hooker,
83, the veteran bluesman whose foot stompin' and gravelly voice on songs such as
Boom Boom
and
Boogie Chillen
electrified audiences and inspired generations of musicians, died June 21 of natural causes.
Frances R. Horwich,
94, whose
Ding Dong School
helped change children's television and led the way for shows like
Sesame Street
and
Mister Rogers Neighborhood,
died July 22.
Glenn Hughes,
50, a singer who performed as the mustachioed, leather-clad biker in the disco band the Village People, died of lung cancer on March 4.
Paul Hume,
85, the critic who angered President Truman by writing that Truman's daughter, Margaret, "cannot sing very well," died Nov. 26.
Pauline Kael,
82, one of the most influential film critics of the 20th century, who helped to establish the reputations of such filmmakers as Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg from her lofty perch at The New Yorker, died Sept. 3 of Parkinson's disease.
Ken Kesey,
66, the counter-culture icon and author whose bus tour through America symbolized the psychedelic 1960s, died Nov. 10 from complications following surgery to remove a cancerous tumor on his liver.
Hank Ketcham,
81, whose lovable scamp Dennis the Menace tormented cranky Mr. Wilson and amused readers of comics for five decades, died June 1. He had suffered from heart disease and cancer.
John Knowles,
75, the author whose novel about adolescent conflict,
A Separate Peace,
has been read by millions, died Nov. 29.
Howard W. Koch,
84, a producer and director whose credits included
The Manchurian Candidate
and the TV series Maverick,
died Feb. 16.
Stanley Kramer,
87, producer and director of some of Hollywood's most celebrated "message" films including
High Noon, The Defiant Ones
and
Judgment at Nuremberg,
died Feb. 19. He had been ill with pneumonia.
Jay Livingston,
86, the Oscar-winning composer and lyricist whose collaboration with Ray Evans led to such hits as
Silver Bells, Mona Lisa
and Que Sera, Sera,
died Oct. 17.
Jack Lemmon,
76, the two-time Oscar winner whose acting talents ranged from adroit comedies
The Apartment
and
Some Like It Hot
to the dramatic intensity of
Days of Wine and Roses
and
Tuesdays with Morrie,
died June 27 from complications related to cancer.
John Lewis,
80, a pianist with a distinctively soft touch who masterminded one of the most famous ensembles in jazz, the Modern Jazz Quartet, died March 29.
Anne Morrow Lindbergh,
94, the wife of aviator Charles Lindbergh, who became his co-pilot and wrote extensively about their pioneering adventures in flight, died Feb. 7. She published 13 books of memoirs, fiction, poems and essays.
Robert Ludlum,
73, the author of the Jason Bourne series of spy thrillers and
The Matarese Circle,
died March 12. The cause of death was believed to be a heart attack.
Norma Macmillan,
79, the voice of television's Casper the Friendly Ghost and Gumby, died March 16.
Peter Maas,
72, the best-selling author who chronicled the Mafia from informants Joe Valachi through Sammy "The Bull" Gravano during a prolific 50-year career, died Aug. 23.
Kal Mann,
84, who wrote lighthearted lyrics for rock hits such as Elvis Presley's
(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear and the Dovell's
Bristol Stomp,
died Nov. 28.
Whitman Mayo,
70, who played Grady Wilson on the 1970s television series
Sanford and Son,
died May 22. The character became so popular that in 1975 NBC briefly aired Mayo's own show,
Grady.
Dorothy McGuire,
85, the soft-voiced actress who lent dignity and inner strength to such films as
Gentlemen's Agreement
and
Friendly Persuasion,
died Sept. 13.
Gardner McKay,
69, who starred in the early 1960s television series
Adventures in Paradise
before turning to writing, died Nov. 21 of prostate cancer.
Jason Miller,
62, the playwright who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1973 for
That Championship Season,
died May 13 of a heart attack. Miller also won a Tony award for the play, and in the same year was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Father Damien Karras in the horror movie
The Exorcist.
Lorenzo Music,
64, who provided the distinctive voice of Garfield the cartoon cat and worked on TV series including
The Bob Newhart Show
and
Rhoda,
died Aug. 4 of lung cancer.
James Myers,
81, whose tune
Rock Around the Clock,
recorded by Bill Haley and His Comets
,
became the granddaddy of all rock 'n' roll songs
,
died May 9.
Alex Nicol
, 85, an actor who appeared in about 40 films ranging from
Strategic Air Command
with James Stewart to spaghetti Westerns and science fiction, died July 29. Nicol also had prominent roles on Broadway, including Brick in Tennessee Williams's
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,
and delved into directing.
Fred Neil,
64, the folk singer who wrote
Everybody's Talking,
a hit for Harry Nilsson, died July 7.
Carroll O'Connor,
76, the actor whose portrayal of irascible bigot Archie Bunker on
All in the Family
helped make the groundbreaking TV comedy part of the American dialogue on race and politics, died of a heart attack on June 21.
Lani O'Grady,
46, who played the oldest daughter on the 1970s show
Eight Is Enough,
died Sept. 25.
John Phillips,
65, the songwriter who penned
California Dreamin'
and other hits of the 1960s as co-founder of the pop-folk quartet the Mamas and the Papas, died March 18 of heart failure.
Anthony Quinn,
86, the two-time Oscar winning international leading man with a film career spanning six decades, died June 3 of respiratory failure. Both Quinn's screen presence and personal style were larger than life. The barrel-chested actor fathered 13 children and starred in 100 feature films, including the fierce Bedouin leader in
Lawrence of Arabia
in 1962 and the earthy hero of the 1964 film
Zorba the Greek.
In his last years he lived in Bristol.
Alan Rafkin,
73, the Emmy-winning director whose credits include four decades of television's most popular comedies, including
The Andy Griffith Show
and
M*A*S*H,
died Aug. 6 of heart disease.
Joey Ramone,
49, the punk rock icon whose signature yelp melded with the Ramones' three-chord thrash to launch an explosion of bands like the Clash and the Sex Pistols, died April 15 of lymphoma.
Walter Reed,
85, one of Hollywood's premier character actors from the 1940s through the '60s, best known for his work in movie and television westerns, died of kidney failure Aug. 20.
Herbert Ross,
74, a choreographer and director who worked on films including
Funny Girl
with Barbra Streisand and
Steel Magnolias
with Julia Roberts, died Oct. 10.
W. G. Sebald,
57, a writer who challenged the traditional forms of fiction and nonfiction in a quartet of books that gained widespread critical acclaim over the last decade, was killed in an automobile accident on Dec. 14. He had recently completed a U.S. tour in support of his latest book,
Austerlitz.
Sir Harry Secombe,
79, a comedian whose gift for the ridiculous on radio's
Goon Show
made him one of Britain's best-loved entertainers, died April 11.
Anthony Shaffer,
75, the British playwright whose thriller
Sleuth
was one of the most successful plays of the 1970s, died Nov. 6.
Frank Slaughter,
93, the novelist and physician whose best-selling books often drew upon his medical knowledge, died May 17. All the while working as a physician, he published 62 books that sold 60 million copies, from 1941's
That None Shall Die
to
No Greater Love,
which was published in 1985.
O. C. Smith,
65, who had a Grammy-winning hit in 1968 with
Little Green Apples,
died Nov. 23.
Ann Southern,
92, movie star of the 1930s and '40s whose wisecracking comedic flair brought her more popularity during the 1950s as a TV star, died March 15 of heart failure.
Kim Stanley,
76, an actress whose infrequent but luminous stage portraits brought her to the edge of greatness but who ultimately shrank from the pressures of performance and stardom, died Aug. 20 after a long illness.
Isaac Stern,
81, a violinist who in his prime was considered one of the great instrumentalists of the 20th century, and who also became an important power broker in the classical music world after he led a successful campaign to save Carnegie Hall from destruction, died Sept. 22.
Jerry Sterner,
62, the playwright who wrote the off-Broadway hit
Other People's Money,
set at a struggling Rhode Island company, died June 11.
Beatrice Straight,
86, who earned an Academy Award for her role as William Holden's estranged wife in the classic television satire
Network,
died April 7. She also earned a Tony for her work on Broadway and was nominated for a television Emmy.
Ron Townson,
68, the centerpiece singer for the Grammy-winning pop group The 5th Dimension, which had a string of hits in the 1960s such as
Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In
and
Up, Up and Away,
died Aug. 2.
Dorothy Tutin,
70, a British stage and movie actress whose career spanned nearly half a century, died Aug. 6 of leukemia.
Deborah Walley,
57, who appeared in a series of 1960's beach movies, died May 10 of esophageal cancer. Her 15 feature films included
Gidget Goes Hawaiian, Beach Blanket Bingo
and
Spinout.
Ray Walston,
86, who played the lovable extraterrestrial Uncle Martin on the 1960s TV sitcom
My Favorite Martian, the devil in
Damn Yankees and Judge Bone on
Picket Fences,
died Jan. 1 of apparent natural causes.
Eudora Welty,
92, the meticulous writer whose loving depictions of small-town Mississippi brought her international acclaim, died July 23 of pneumonia. Welty, who was also praised for her heart-wrenching photographs of poverty in Depression-era Mississippi, was the author of novels including
The Ponder Heart, Losing Battles
and
The Optimist's Daughter,
for which she won the Pulitzer Prize in 1973.
Justin Wilson,
87, the Cajun humorist and chef whose distinctive accent delighted viewers of his
Cookin' Cajun
television show, died Sept. 5.
Edward Winter,
63, a charactor actor who worked in theater, films and television, died March 8 of Parkinson's disease. He portrayed Colonel Flagg in the TV series
M*A*S*H.
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