Saying goodbye to those who died in 2004

DaKon · Ville Supporter Joined: 19 Feb 2002 Posts: 2342

Ronald Reagan changed history with his tough-minded stance on the Soviets and his insistence on the importance of tax cuts.

His influence rings throughout the White House, the Congress and the nation's state capitals, and seemed to ring even louder this election year.

Yasser Arafat was a hero to the Palestinian people, bringing their cause to the world stage, but was a terrorist to many. It could be years before we learn whether his long-term influence will be for the good or ill.

They are two notables who died in 2004 who profoundly influenced world history.

Francis Crick helped alter the history of science as co-discoverer of the structure of DNA. The world of business lost cosmetics queen Estee Lauder and the men who built the Eckerd drugstore and cofounded H&R Block. Archibald Cox and Sam Dash, who died on the same day, helped steer the Watergate investigation.

In the arts, we lost Ray Charles, the giant of soul whose music touched our hearts even as our feet were pounding along with his rhythms. We said farewell to Marlon Brando, whose realistic, macho acting style redefined Hollywood stardom, and Fay Wray, who forever thrilled film fans as the girl who captivated King Kong.

Here, a roll call of those we lost in 2004. (Cause of death of younger notables when available.)

JANUARY:

James E. "Doc" Counsilman, 83. Innovative swim coach, led Indiana University to six NCAA championships and coached 48 Olympians including Mark Spitz. Jan. 4.

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.

Spalding Gray, 62. Actor-writer who laid bare his life in acclaimed monologues like "Swimming to Cambodia." Jan. 10. Apparent suicide.

Harold Shipman, 57. British doctor blamed for killing at least 215 patients. Jan. 13. Suicide in prison.

Uta Hagen, 84. Broadway actress best known for role as brutal Martha in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" Jan. 14.

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

Harry Claiborne, 86. Federal judge removed after conviction for filing false tax returns. Jan. 19.

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.

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:

Jose Lopez Portillo, 83. Governed Mexico from 1976 to 1982, through oil-driven boom to debt-induced bust. Feb. 17.

Daniel J. Boorstin, 89. Former Librarian of Congress; million-selling historian, social critic. Feb. 28.

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.

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

William H. Pickering, 93. Oversaw launch of first U.S. satellite in 1958. March 15.

Former Queen Juliana, 94. Reigned 32 years as Dutch queen. March 20.

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

Sir Peter Ustinov, 82. Won two Oscarsl; 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.

Fred Olivi, 82. Copiloted the plane that dropped the bomb on Nagasaki. April 8.

Phil Sokolof, 82. Nebraska multimillionaire, used wealth to press for better nutrition. April 15.

Mary McGrory, 85. Washington Post columnist; won Pulitzer for Watergate writings. April 21.

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.

MAY:

Darrell Johnson, 75. Managed Boston Red Sox to the 1975 World Series. May 3.

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

Akhmad Kadyrov, 52. Kremlin-backed leader of Russia's troubled Chechnya province. May 9. Assassinated.

Col. Robert Morgan, 85. Commander of famed bomber Memphis Belle during World War II. May 15.

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

Arnold Beckman, 104. Prolific inventor of scientific instruments; philanthropist. May 18.

Jack Eckerd, 91. Formed drugstore empire that bears his name. May 19.

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

Roger W. Straus Jr., 87. Co-founded publishing house Farrar, Straus & Giroux. 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.

Blue Ruler, one of the best men that the ville has ever known or will know. Great spirit and humor.

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.

Robert Teeter, 65. Influential Republican pollster; worked in several presidential races. June 13.

Mattie Stepanek, 13. Child poet whose inspirational verse made him a best-selling writer ("Heartsongs") and a prominent voice for muscular dystrophy sufferers. June 22.

JULY:

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

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.

Illinois Jacquet, 81. Saxophonist who played with nearly every jazz luminary of his time. July 22.

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.

Czeslaw Milosz, 93. Polish poet and Nobel laureate known for works about some of the worst cruelties of the 20th century. Aug. 14.

Hiram Fong, 97. First Asian-American elected to Senate, representing Hawaii. Aug. 18.

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

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

SEPTEMBER:

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

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.

Fred Ebb, about 76. Wrote lyrics for "Chicago" and "Cabaret." Sept. 11.

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.

Francoise Sagan, 69. French author, famous in her teens for the best-selling "Bonjour Tristesse." Sept. 24.

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.

Jacques Derrida, 74. World-renowned thinker who founded the school of literary analysis known as deconstructionism. Oct. 8.

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.

Paul H. Nitze, 97. Arms control adviser who served under eight presidents and helped frame the Cold War policy of containment. Oct. 19.

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

NOVEMBER:

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.

Reed Irvine, 82. Founder of the conservative watchdog group Accuracy in Media. Nov. 16.

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

Cy Coleman, 75. Composer of Broadway musicals ("Sweet Charity," "City of Angels"); pop songs ("The Best Is Yet to Come"). Nov. 18.

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.

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.

"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.

Donald L. Hollowell, 87. A civil rights attorney who once helped free the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. from prison and worked to desegregate Atlanta's public schools, died Monday of heart failure, a funeral home said. Dec. 27.

Actor Jerry Orbach, 69. He played a sardonic, seen-it-all cop on TV's "Law & Order" and scored on Broadway as a song-and-dance man. He died of prostate cancer. Dec. 28.

Artie Shaw, 94. Clarinetist and bandleader whose recording of "Begin the Beguine" epitomized the Big Band era. Dec. 30.

rANCOR hUNTER · Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2005 11:47 pm Post subject:

Great Thread. Thanks for posting

Clay Pigeon · Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2005 1:12 am Post subject:

As a resident of Grand Rapids, MI (Amway is HQ'ed in GR area), I have to say that Jay Van Andel will be missed. One of my the guys in my painting class was a family friend of the guy.

Rebel_Rouser · Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2005 1:42 am Post subject:

Thanks for posting Dakon I read it all, one of the top of my head that was not included was Hall of Famer Reggie White who just passed days ago
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Longest Running Show in Broadway History 1/9/06

Kahlan Amnell · Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2005 2:01 am Post subject:

Paddyjack · Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2005 2:55 am Post subject:

Kahlan Amnell · Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2005 4:30 am Post subject:

s.Squirrel · Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2005 8:45 am Post subject:

Lets not forget all the ww2 vets who passed in 2004.
I have an enormous amount of respect for all of them.
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Easy Target

Lt. Black · Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2005 2:29 am Post subject:

Rebel_Rouser · Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2005 2:48 am Post subject:

out of all of them listed Ronald Reagan had the biggest impact on my life
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Longest Running Show in Broadway History 1/9/06

KopiKat · Registered User Joined: 15 May 2002 Posts: 923

Ronald Regan, Blue Ruler(Mr. Soren to those who didn't know him by name), Ray Charles, and anyone who fought in any war the United States fought gets my greatest respect.

God bless those soldiers who died defending freedom and opressed people everywhere. They have recieved the highest honor.

And let us also pray for anyone else who died in 2004, because they need our prayers the most.

-KK
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.Bez · Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2005 1:13 am Post subject:

Also, the Vietnam vets, and the young men and women who died in our conflect out east, God Bless.

Spotty · Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2005 1:34 pm Post subject:

.Bez · Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2005 8:56 pm Post subject:

Although it isn't in 2004, I would also like to add, JDP (Josh P.). He is 16 years old and died in a car accident 4.2.05. He goes to my school and is know by everyone. The two others in the car will be fine. I would like to remind you to wear your seatbelts, the one person who wore his walked away with luckily only a severd ear and a burn where the belt was. Josh was in the back and went out of the sunroof and into the lawn, aprox. 50ft. The driver was serverly cut and is recovering at her home right now, the only reason she wasn't thrown from the car was the steering wheel. Josh however wasn't as lucky and after two days on life support he died. The kids were giong quit fast in a 30MPH residental zone, they hit a "bumb" which was wuit a big bumb. They ended up hydroplaning from the earlier rain, and hit a firehydrant. (This is what I was told by the multiple people who were friends with him (my neighbor, brother, and a lot of my friends) we wont know what acually happened maybe ever becuase neither of the two survivors remmeber. The driver may be charged with vehicular manslaughter which will be another tragedy. Sad to see peoples lives ruined and life lost with one bad idea. BE CAREFUL PEOPLE.

RIP JOSH