Jan. 2: Actor Pete Postlethwaite died at the age of 64 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was best known for roles in movies such as "In The Name Of The Father," "The Usual Suspects," "Lost World: Jurassic Park," and "Inception." He was once called "the best actor in the world" by Steven Spielberg. (credit: Lisa Maree Williams / Getty Images)
anne-francis
Jan. 3: Actress Anne Francis died at the age of 80 after battling lung cancer. She was best known for her role in the movie "Forbidden Planet" and for her work in television. (credit: Kevin Winter / Getty Images)
gerry-rafferty
Jan. 4: Gerry Rafferty died at the age of 63 after a long illness. He was best known for his hit single "Stuck in the Middle With You" that was used by director Quentin Tarantino for an iconic scene in "Reservoir Dogs." (credit: Universal Music Publishing Group)
sargent-shriver
Jan. 18: The father to former Calif. First Lady Maria Shriver and brother in-law to John F. Kennedy, Shriver founded the Peace Corps and was a former Democratic vice presidential candidate. He was 95. (credit: Brian Snyder-Pool / Getty Images)
jack-lalanne
Jan. 23: Hailed as the father of the fitness movement, Jack LaLanne died at the age of 96 at his home in Morro Bay, Calif. LaLanne is best known for his television program "The Jack LaLanne Show" that debuted nationally in 1959 and for his line of home juicers. (credit: Toby Canham/Getty Images)
len-lesser
Feb. 16: Len Lesser died from pneumonia at the age of 88. He was best known for his role as Uncle Leo on the popular 90s sitcom "Seinfeld". However, he had roles in TV shows such as "Gunsmoke," "Have Gun Will Travel," and "Dragnet." (Credit: Meaghan Murphy / Getty Images)
duke-snider
Feb. 27: Brooklyn Dodgers’ Duke Snider was considered one of the best centerfielders of his time, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1980. He was in declining health in recent years because of diabetes. He was 84. (credit: Lisa Blumenfeld / Getty Images)
jane-russell
Feb. 28: Legendary sex symbol and actress Jane Russell played opposite Marilyn Monroe in the classic "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." She starred in over 20 movies in her career and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She was 89. (credit: Mark Ralston / AFP / Getty Images)
mike-starr
March 8: Mike Starr was a founding member of 90s grunge rock band Alice in Chains who struggled with addiction throughout his adult life. He died in his home in Salt Lake City at the age of 44. Toxicology tests showed that he had xanax and alcohol in his system when he died. (credit: Irwin Entertainment / VH1 Television)
nate-dogg
March 15: Born Nathaniel Hale, he became known as one of the smoothest R&B and rap vocalists of his generation. He came to national attention after he was featured in Dr. Dre’s album "The Chronic". Nate Dogg long suffered from ill health and had two strokes in 2007 and 2008 and died at the age of 41. (Credit: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images)
michael-gough
March 17: Michael Gough enjoyed a long acting career that began in 1946. Gough was featured in a number of different films and television shows such as "The Boys From Brazil," "Sleepy Hollow" and most famously Bruce Wayne’s butler Alfred Pennyworth in several "Batman" movies. He was 94. (credit: Warner Bros. Pictures/Getty Images)
warren-christopher
March 18: Warren Christopher was best known as President Clinton’s secretary of state and as a diplomat who secured the release of U.S. hostages from Iran for President Carter. He died due to complications from kidney and bladder cancer at the age of 85. (credit: Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images)
lanford-wilson
March 23: Lanford Wilson was a Pulitzer Prize winning playwright whose work brought attention to Off-Off-Broadway. His works were often considered to be earthy and realist and are still performed in regional theaters across the country. He died at the age of 73 from pneumonia. (Credit: Smith & Kraus Pub Inc./Getty Images)
elizabeth-taylor
March 23: One of the most glamorous actresses that have ever graced the silver screen, Elizabeth Taylor died due to congestive heart failure at 79. She was best known for roles such as Cleopatra in "Cleopatra" and Virginia Woolf in "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf." Taylor also led a crusade against AIDS after the death of her friend Rock Hudson. (credit: Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images)
geraldine-ferraro
March 26: Geraldine Ferraro was the first female vice presidential candidate after Democrat Walter Mondale picked her to be his running mate in 1984. She grew up in New York City and she started her career as a teacher and a lawyer, eventually moved on to be a district attorney and won a House seat in 1978. Ferraro died due to complications from blood cancer at the age of 75. (credit: Tim Sloan / AFP / Getty Images)
sidney-lumet
April 9: Director Sidney Lumet started his career in Off-Broadway productions before going to television. He then moved on to movies where he directed well known flicks like "12 Angry Men" and "Dog Day Afternoon." He was 87. (credit: Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images)
marathon
April 19: Greite Waitz won a total of nine New York City Marathons, a world championship gold medal, and an Olympic silver medal. She is considered one of the greatest runners of all time. She died at the age of 57 after a six-year battle with cancer. (credit: Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)
reporters
April 20: Tim Hetherington, 40, and Chris Hondros, 40, were award winning photojournalists that were killed by mortar shells while covering the Libyan civil war. (credit: Katie Orlinsky via Getty Images)
tv-on-the-radio
April 20: Gerard Smith was the bass player for the popular band TV on the Radio. He was battling lung cancer when the band released the album "Nine Types of Light." He was 36. (credit: Kevin Winter / Getty Images)
arthur-laurents
May 5: Arthur Laurents was a playwright, stage director, and screenwriter. He got his start in radio and then moved on to do training films for the U.S. Army during WWII. After the war, he started writing for Broadway and composed classics like "West Side Story," "Gypsy," and "La Cage Aux Folles." He was 93. (credit: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images)
STEMPEL
May 7: Robert Stempel was the CEO of General Motors from 1990 to 1992 when he was voted out after GM closed about a dozen plants, lost 74,000 jobs, and lost $7 billion. Stempel was also behind the push for electric cars. He died at the age of 77 in West Palm Beach, Fla. (credit: Peter Parks/AFP/Getty Images)
osama
May 1: Osama Bin Laden, who planned the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., was the leader of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda. He was killed in a raid in Pakistan that was conducted by U.S. Navy SEALs. He was 57. (credit: AFP / Getty Images)
harmon-killebrew
May 17: Harmon Killebrew enjoyed a long 22-year Hall of Fame career for the Minnesota Twins, belting 573 home runs. He was a tremendous hitter and he earned the nicknames "Killer" and "Hammerin’ Harmon." He died at the age of 74 after a battle with esophageal cancer. (credit: A. Messerschmidt / Getty Images)
macho-man-randy-savage
May 20: Born Randall Mario Poffo, the "Macho Man" Randy Savage was a legendary wrestler best known for his flashy ringside wardrobe and distinct gravelly voice. During his career, he held 20 championships within several promotions. He died of a sudden heart attack at the age of 58 while driving with his wife Barbara Lynn Payne. (credit: Kevin Winter / Getty Images)
jeff-conaway
May 27: Jeff Conaway was best known for his roles in the movie "Grease" and the TV series "Taxi." He struggled with addiction for a number of years and was featured in the reality series "Celebrity Rehab." He died from complications due to an overdose at the age of 60. (credit: Todd Williamson / Getty Images for TV Land)
jack-kevorkian
June 3: Jack Kevorkian was infamous from his championing of a patient’s right to die. In 1999, he began a prison sentence of 10 to 25 years for second-degree murder for an assisted suicide. He was released in eight years on parole with the condition that he would not offer suicide advice to any other patients. He was 83. (credit: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images)
clarence-clemons
June 12: Best known as the sax player for Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, he was also an actor that appeared in TV shows such as "Diff’rent Strokes," "The Simpsons," and "The Wire." Clemons suffered a deadly stroke at the age of 69. (credit: Vince Bucci / Getty Images)
lawrence-eagleburger
June 14: Lawrence Eagleburger, former secretary of state for President George H.W. Bush, had a distinguished political career earning the Presidential Citizens medal and the Department of States’ Distinguished Service award. He was also given an honorary knighthood from Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II. He died from a heart attack at the age of 80. (credit: Saul Loeb / AFP / Getty Images)
ryan-dunn
June 20: Ryan Dunn was a daredevil who was best known for his work on "Jackass." He died in a drunk driving accident at the age of 34. (credit: Michael Buckner/Getty Images)
peter-falk
June 23: Peter Falk was best known as the beloved television character Columbo, the rumpled L.A. homicide detective. Falk was also known as the grandfather in the classic film "The Princess Bride." He died in his Beverly Hills home at the age of 83. (credit: Toby Canham / Getty Images)
betty-ford
July 8: Betty Ford was the wife to former President Gerald Ford. After her time in the White House, she founded the Betty Ford Center, a clinic dedicated to helping patients suffering from addiction. She died from natural causes at the age of 93. (credit: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)
sherwood-schwartz
July 12: Television producer Sherwood Schwartz created the popular sitcoms "The Brady Bunch" and "Gilligan’s Island." Schwartz died at the age of 94. (credit: Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images)
amy-winehouse
July 23: Singer Amy Winehouse was a talent best known for the Motown-inspired song "Rehab." Struggling with addiction for several years, she finally succumbed and died from alcohol poisoning at the age of 27. (credit: Shaun Curry / AFP / Getty Images)
hideki-irabu
July 28: Hideki Irabu is best known for his time with the New York Yankees. He was plagued by personal issues in his last few years, and died of an apparent suicide near his home in Los Angeles at the age of 42. (credit: Stan Honda / AFP / Getty Images)
bubba-smith
Aug. 3: Bubba Smith was a Hall of Fame football player for the Baltimore Colts, Oakland Raiders, and Houston Oilers. After football he went to Hollywood, clinching his most famous role as Moses Hightower in the "Police Academy" series. He was died from acute drug intoxication and heart disease at the age of 66. (credit: Warner Bros. Pictures/Getty Images)
hugh-l-carey
Aug. 7: Hugh L. Carey was the former governor of New York who navigated New York City and the state through the treacherous financial climate of the 1970s. He was 92. (credit: George De Sota / Newsmakers)
jani-lane
Aug. 10: Jani Lane was the lead singer of Warrant during its heyday in the 1980s. He wrote a number of the group’s hits, including "Cherry Pie," "Down Boys," and "Uncle Tom’s Cabin." Lane died from alcohol poisoning at the age 47. (credit: Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images)
nick-ashford
Aug. 22: R&B songwriter Nick Ashford and his wife Valerie Simpson created Motown hits like "Ain’t No Mountain High Enough," and "Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing." He died from throat cancer at the age of 70. (credit: Bryan Bedder / Getty Images)
frank-potenza
Aug. 23: Frank Potenza worked as a beat cop in Manhattan for 20 years before joining his nephew Jimmy Kimmel’s late night talk show. With his comedic timing and genuine personality, "Uncle Frank" gained his own following. He died from cancer at 77. (credit: Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images)
mary-fickett
Sept. 8: For decades, actress Mary Fickett played Ruth Martin in the popular daytime drama "All My Children." During one 1973 episode, she made an impassioned speech against the war in Vietnam that she won an Emmy Award for. It was the first Emmy given to a daytime drama actress. She was 83. (credit: American Broadcasting Company (ABC) / Creative Horizons)
cliff-robertson
Sept. 10: Actor Cliff Robertson won a Best Actor Academy Award in 1968 for his role in "Charly." In 1977, he exposed a studio boss as a forger and embezzler which left him blacklisted from Hollywood for years. He played a few parts since then, but his most recent role was Ben Parker in "Spider-Man 3." He was 88. (credit: John W. Ferguson / Getty Images)
andy-whitfield
Sept. 11: Actor Andy Whitfield was best known for playing the title role in "Spartacus: Blood and Sand." In 2010, he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and began immediate treatment. The disease ended up taking his life at the age of 39. (credit: Jason Merritt / Getty Images)
kara-kennedy
Sept. 16: Kara Kennedy, the eldest daughter of former Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, died from a heart attack at the age of 51. (credit: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)
arch-west-doritos
Sept. 20: Known as the inventor of the popular snack chip Doritos, Arch West died in a hospital in Dallas, Texas, at the age of 97. (credit: Frito Lay/Getty Images)
jobs
Oct. 5: Steve Jobs was the beloved genius who, along with a few others, started Apple Computers in a garage. He grew the company into a dominant technological force that became the world’s largest company. Jobs died after a long battle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 56. (credit: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
charles-napier
Oct. 5: A penchant for playing tough guys, actor Charles Napier had a long career that took him from "Rambo: First Blood Part II" to "Star Trek: Deep Space 9." He was 75. (credit: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images)
al-davis
Oct. 8: Al Davis, the Hall of Fame owner of the Raiders, helped push the NFL and the sport of football to the prominent place it stands today. Starting off as a coach of the Raiders, he moved on to be the general manager. He left for a few years to be the AFL commissioner and after both leagues merged, he returned to the Raiders as a general partner and eventually owned the club. He died in his home in Oakland at the age of 82. (credit: Brian Bahr / Getty Images)
mikey-welsh
Oct. 9: Two weeks before he died in a Chicago hotel room, former Weezer bassist Mikey Welsh wrote on Twitter, "Dreamt i died in chicago next weekend (heart attack in my sleep). need to write my will today." He died from an apparent drug overdose at the age of 40. (credit: http://www.facebook.com/MikeyWelshArt)
dan-wheldon
Oct. 16: Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon died in a fiery IndyCar crash in Las Vegas at the age of 33. (credit: Gavin Lawrence / Getty Images)
gadhafi
Oct. 20: Eccentric dictator Muammar Qaddafi rose to power in the late 1960s and ruled Libya until Libyan rebels overthrew his government and ultimately killed him. Qaddafi is accused of being behind the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland, that killed 270 people. (Credit: Mahmud Turkia/AFP/Getty Images)
dorothy-emma-howell-rodham
Nov. 1: Dorothy Emma Howell Rodham was the mother to former senator and presidential candidate Hillary Rodham-Clinton. She was 92. (credit: Stan Honda / AFP / Getty Images)
andy-rooney
Nov. 5: Andy Rooney was the caustic, but always funny, commenter on CBS’ "60 Minutes." His commentaries ranged from musing if there was a real Mrs. Smith that made Mrs. Smith pies to how he should be treated by fans if spotted in a restaurant. ("Just let me eat my dinner.") He died from complications from a surgery at the age of 92. (credit: Joe Corrigan / Getty Images)
joe-frazier
Nov. 7: Joe Frazier fought in some of the most legendary matches in the history of boxing against Muhammed Ali. In what was called "The Fight of the Century," Frazier knocked Ali down in the final round, and beat him on points. Both of them, however, needed to be taken to the hospital immediately after the match. "Smokin’ Joe" Frazier beat Ali but he lost the fight against liver cancer at the age of 67. (credit: Brad Barket / Getty Images)
heavy-d
Nov. 8: Heavy D, born Dwight Arrington Myers, once fronted the influential hip-hop group Heavy D and the Boyz. Once calling himself the "Overweight Lover," Heavy D was known for his girth, but he lost the weight in his later years. He died after collapsing on the sidewalk of his Beverly Hills home at the age of 44. (credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images)
bil-keane
Nov. 8: Bill Keane was the creator of "Family Circus," one of the most popular newspaper comics of all time. He was known for his family friendly style, and gentle humor. He was 89. (credit: http://www.familycircus.com/)
evelyn-lauder
Nov. 12: Evelyn Lauder was a refugee from Nazi-occupied Europe who married into the Lauder clan and became an executive at Estee Lauder. In 1989, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and soon after started the Pink Ribbon campaign to fight against the disease. She died from ovarian cancer at the age of 75. (credit: Theo Wargo / Getty Images for Estee Lauder)
kurt-budke
Nov. 17: Kurt Budke, the head coach of the Oklahoma State women’s basketball team, died in a plane crash along with an assistant coach on a recruiting trip. He was 50. (credit: http://www.okstate.com)
greg-halman
Nov. 21: Seattle Mariners’ Greg Halman was fatally stabbed in Rotterdam. Halman signed with the Mariners in 2004 at the age of 16 for a seven-year contract. He showed great promise before his career was cut short at the age of 24. (credit: Otto Greule Jr. / Getty Images)
newmccaffrey
Nov. 21: Anne McCaffrey was a prolific science fiction writer who was best known for her Pern series. Her writing career started with the low paying science fiction magazines of the 1950s and then she rose to fame at the publication of her story "The Ship Who Sang." She was still writing to the time of her death at 85. (credit: http://www.harpercollins.com)
potter
Dec 8: Best known for his work as Col. Potter in the classic TV show "M*A*S*H" and Officer Bill Gannon in "Dragnet," Morgan had a career that spanned over 50 years as playing gruff authority figures. He died in his home in Los Angeles at the age of 96. (credit: 20th Century Fox Television)
joker1
Dec. 8: Jerry Robinson was best known as the creator of the Joker, Batman’s archnemesis. Robinson was asked to join the Batman team on a tennis court in the Poconos by creator Bob Kane. He was 89. (credit: DC Comics)
kim-jong-il
Dec. 18: Inheriting power from his father in 1994, North Korean dictator Kim John Il led his nation through a devastating famine while frustrating global powers about giving up nuclear arms in return for energy and other assistance. State media announced his death from cardiac and cerebrovascular diseases at age 69. (credit: Pool/Getty Images)
