In Memoriam: Notable deaths from 2021
In this Jan. 18, 2011, file photo, former college football coach Bobby Bowden poses with the Paul "Bear" Bryant College Coach of the Year Award in Houston. The Seminoles former coach was a living legend and one of the greatest coaches in College Football History. He built the Florida State University program into a national championship contender through most of his years in Tallahassee. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)Associated Press
Atlanta Braves' Hank Aaron smiles during a press conference at Atlanta Stadium, Ga., after the game in which he hit his 715th career home, in this April 8, 1974, file photo. With him is his wife Billye, partially obscured. Hank Aaron, who endured racist threats with stoic dignity during his pursuit of Babe Ruth’s home run record and gracefully left his mark as one of baseball’s greatest all-around players, died Friday. He was 86. The Atlanta Braves, Aaron's longtime team, said he died peacefully in his sleep. No cause was given. (AP Photo/File)Associated Press
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell speaks during a news conference at the United Nations headquarters Friday, Sept. 26, 2003. Powell, former Joint Chiefs chairman and secretary of state, has died from COVID-19 complications. In an announcement on social media Monday, Oct. 18, 2021 the family said Powell had been fully vaccinated. He was 84. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)Associated Press
In this Feb. 3, 2001, file photo, Rush Limbaugh puffs on his Ashton VSG cigar while waiting to tee off from the fifth tee of the Pebble Beach Golf Links during third round play of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in Pebble Beach, Calif. Limbaugh, the talk radio host who became the voice of American conservatism, has died. His death Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021, at the age of 70 was announced on his website. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)Associated Press
Norm MacDonald, known for his darkly sarcastic humor, found some of his earliest successes as a TV writer before joining "SNL" in 1994, where he eventually became a beloved anchor on Weekend Update. He died on Sept. 14 at the age of 61. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)Associated Press
Vicente Fernandez, an iconic Mexican singer, has died. The beloved vocalist was known by many nicknames, including “El Numero Uno,” “King of Ranchera,” or simply “Chente.” He won four Grammy awards, most recently in 2016, and eight Latin Grammy awards. Fernandez sang with his sons at the 2019 Latin Grammys. After the performance, he accepted the Premio de la Presidencia award. Vicente Fernandez died at the age of 81 on Dec. 12.Associated Press
Lee Elder waves as he arrives for the ceremonial tee shots before the first round of the Masters golf tournament on Thursday, April 8, 2021, in Augusta, Ga. At far right is Phil Mickelson. Person at right in cart is unidentified. Elder broke down racial barriers as the first Black golfer to play in the Masters and paved the way for Tiger Woods and others to follow. The PGA Tour confirmed Elder’s death, which was first reported by Debert Cook of African American Golfers Digest. He was 87. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)Associated Press
Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, right, performs behind singer Mick Jagger during their concert at the Rose Bowl, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, in Pasadena, Calif. Watts died in London today at age 80. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)Associated Press
DMX performs during the BET Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta on Oct. 1, 2011. The family of rapper DMX says he has died on April 9, 2021, after a career in which he delivered iconic hip-hop songs such as "Ruff Ryders' Anthem." (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)Associated Press
Actor Christopher Plummer seen at the press conference for "The Forger" during the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 12, 2014, in Toronto. Plummer, the dashing award-winning actor who played Captain von Trapp in the film "The Sound of Music" and at 82 became the oldest Academy Award winner in history, has died. He was 91. Plummer died Friday morning, Feb. 5, 2021, at his home in Connecticut with his wife, Elaine Taylor, by his side, said Lou Pitt, his longtime friend and manager. (Photo by Arthur Mola/Invision/AP, File)Associated Press
Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, R-Kan., attends the unveiling of his portrait at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, July 25, 2006. Bob Dole, who overcame disabling war wounds to become a sharp-tongued Senate leader from Kansas, a Republican presidential candidate and then a symbol and celebrant of his dwindling generation of World War II veterans, has died. He was 98. His wife, Elizabeth Dole, posted the announcement Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021, on Twitter. (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson, File)Associated Press
Mary Wilson, founding member of The Supremes, appears during a portrait session at Capitol Records in Los Angeles on June 12, 2014. Wilson, the longest-reigning original Supreme, has died at 76 years old. Publicist Jay Schwartz says Wilson died Monday night, Feb. 8, 2021, at her home in Las Vegas and that the cause was not immediately clear. Wilson, Diana Ross and Florence Ballard made up the first successful configuration of The Supremes. (Photo by Casey Curry/Invision/AP)Associated Press
In this June 26, 2011 file photo, Actress Olympia Dukakis, a celebrity Grand Marshall for the 41st annual Gay Pride parade, waves to the crowd while being driven past them in San Francisco. Olympia Dukakis, the veteran stage and screen actress whose flair for maternal roles helped her win an Oscar as Cher’s mother in the romantic comedy “Moonstruck,” has died. She was 89. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)Associated Press
"Hustler" magazine publisher Larry Flynt, right, and his brother Jimmy listen to the judge pass sentence after agreeing to a plea bargain with prosecutors in Hamilton County Court on May 12, 1999, in Cincinnati. Flynt, who turned "Hustler" magazine into an adult entertainment empire while championing First Amendment rights, has died at age 78. His nephew, Jimmy Flynt Jr., told The Associated Press that Flynt died Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021, of heart failure at his Hollywood Hills home in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Tom Uhlman, File)Associated Press
Actor/comedian Charles Grodin, appears at a news conference announcing him as host of CNBC's new primetime show "Charles Grodin" in New York on Nov. 15, 1994. Grodin, the offbeat actor and writer who scored as a newlywed cad in “The Heartbreak Kid” and the father in the “Beethoven” comedies, died Tuesday at his home in Wilton, Conn. from bone marrow cancer. He was 86. (AP Photo/Marty Lederhandler, File)Associated Press
Cloris Leachman attends the premiere of "The Comedian" during the 2016 AFI Fest on Nov. 11, 2016, in Los Angeles. Leachman stars in the faith-based film "I Can Only Imagine" which has made over $22 million in just six days of release on a $7 million budget. Leachman, a character actor whose depth of talent brought her an Oscar for the "The Last Picture Show" and Emmys for her comedic work in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and other TV series, has died. She was 94. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)Associated Press
Ron Popeil, the man behind those late-night, rapid-fire television commercials that sell everything from the Mr. Microphone to the Pocket Fisherman to the classic Veg-a-Matic, sits surrounded by his wares in his Beverly Hills office on Dec. 8, 1982. His Ronco Company accounts for $35 million in annual retail sales with its current line of 17 products. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)Associated Press
Acclaimed author Anne Rice wrote more than 30 books and sold more than 150 million copies in her career that spanned over five decades. Her "The Vampire Chronicles" series made her famous. The first book of the series, "Interview with a Vampire," was published in 1976 and adapted into a movie in 1994. She died on 12/11 at the age of 80.Associated Press
Tommy Lasorda and his wife Jo wave as they watch a video tribute to Tommy prior to the Los Angeles Dodgers' baseball game against the Colorado Rockies in Los Angeles, in this Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013, file photo. Lasorda, the fiery Hall of Fame manager who guided the Los Angeles Dodgers to two World Series titles and later became an ambassador for the sport he loved during his 71 years with the franchise, has died. He was 93. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)Associated Press
Actor Hal Holbrook appears during an interview in his New York apartment on Feb. 8, 1973. Holbrook died on Jan. 23 in Beverly Hills, California, his representative, Steve Rohr, told The Associated Press Tuesday. He was 95. (AP Photo/Jerry Mosey, File)Associated Press
Bernard Madoff exits Manhattan federal court, Tuesday, March 10, 2009, in New York. Madoff, the financier who pleaded guilty to orchestrating the largest Ponzi scheme in history, died early Wednesday, April 14, 2021, in a federal prison, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. (AP Photo/ Louis Lanzano, File)Associated Press
Larry King arrives at Trump Tower in New York on Dec. 1, 2016. King, who interviewed presidents, movie stars and ordinary Joes during a half-century in broadcasting, died at age 87 on Jan. 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)Associated Press
Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, married Queen Elizabeth in 1947, when she was still a princess, and fulfilled thousands of royal duties over decades of service. He died at the age of 99. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)Associated Press
In this Jan. 24, 2011 file photo, Dustin Diamond attends the SYFY premiere of "Mega Python vs. Gatoroid" at The Ziegfeld Theater in New York. Diamond, best known for his work on "Saved by the Bell," died after a three-week fight with carcinoma, according to his representative. He was 44. (AP Photo/Peter Kramer, File)Associated Press
Actor Yaphet Kotto appears on his wedding day in Baltimore, Md. on July 12, 1998. Kotto, the commanding actor of the James Bond film “Live and Let Die” and as Lt. Al Giardello on the 90's NBC police drama "Homicide: Life on the Street, died Monday, March 15, 2021 at age 81. (AP Photo/John Gillis, File)Associated Press
In this Wednesday, June 19, 2019 file photo, astronaut Michael Collins attends the JFK Space Summit at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston. Collins, who piloted the ship from which Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin left to make their historic first steps on the moon in 1969, died Wednesday, April 28, 2021, of cancer, his family said. He was 90. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)Associated Press
Biz Markie attends the 20th Century Fox press line on Day 2 of Comic-Con International on July 25, 2014, in San Diego. The hip-hop staple known for his beatboxing prowess, turntable mastery and the 1989 classic “Just a Friend,” has died. He was 57. Markie’s representative, Jenni Izumi, said in a statement that the rapper-DJ died peacefully Friday, July 16, 2021, with his wife by his side. No cause of death was released. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)Associated Press
Actor George Segal poses with a replica of his star at a ceremony honoring him on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles on Feb. 14, 2017. Segal, the banjo player turned actor who was nominated for an Oscar for 1966's “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” and starred in the ABC sitcom “The Goldbergs,” died at the age of 87. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)Associated Press
In this Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012, file photo, former "Today" show weatherman Willard Scott attends the "Today" show 60th anniversary celebration at the Edison Ballroom in New York. Scott, the beloved weatherman who charmed viewers of NBC’s “Today” show with his self-deprecating humor and cheerful personality, has died at age 78. Al Roker, his successor on the morning news show, announced that Scott died peacefully Saturday morning, Sept. 4, 2021, surrounded by family. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, File)Associated Press
In this Oct. 17, 2003, file photo, actor Ned Beatty poses at New York's Music Box Theatre where he plays the role of Big Daddy in a new production of Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." Beatty, the indelible character actor whose first film role, as a genial vacationer raped by a backwoodsman in 1972′s “Deliverance,” launched him on a long, prolific and accomplished career, died Sunday, June 13, 2021. He was 83. (AP Photo/Gino Domenico, File)Associated Press
Dusty Hill, of ZZ Top, performs before the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup series auto race in Concord, N.C., May 24, 2015. ZZ Top has announced that Hill, one of the Texas blues trio's bearded figures and bassist, has died at his Houston home. He was 72. In a Facebook post, bandmates Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard revealed Wednesday, July 28, 2021, that Hill had died in his sleep. (AP Photo/Mike McCarn, File)Associated Press
In this Nov. 9, 2006, file photo, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld asks for another question following his Landon Lecture at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kan. The family of Rumsfeld says he died June 29, 2021. He was 88. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner, File)Associated Press
Elgin Baylor waves as he is honored along with other members of the 1974 Los Angeles Lakers Championship team, at halftime of an NBA basketball game between the Houston Rockets and the Lakers in Los Angeles April 6, 2012. Elgin died at the age of 86. (AP Photo/Gus Ruelas, File)Associated Press
In this Jan. 16, 1973, file photo, Watergate figure G. Gordon Liddy is seen in Washington during a break in his trial. Liddy, a mastermind of the Watergate burglary and a radio talk show host after emerging from prison, has died at age 90. His son, Thomas Liddy, confirmed the death Tuesday, March 30, 2021. (AP Photo/William A. Smith, File)Associated Press
In this June 1993 file photo, President Bill Clinton stands behind his nominee for Ambassador to Japan, former Vice President Walter Mondale. Mondale, a liberal icon who lost the most lopsided presidential election after bluntly telling voters to expect a tax increase if he won, died Monday, April 19, 2021. He was 93. (AP Photo/Greg Gibson, File)Associated Press
Actress Markie Post attends the premiere for season two of "Santa Clarita Diet" in Los Angeles on March 22, 2018. Post, who played the public defender in the 1980s sitcom “Night Court” and was a regular presence across several decades of television died Saturday after a years-long battle with cancer. She was 70. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, FIle)Associated Press
Actor Dean Stockwell poses in Feb 1989 at an unknown location. Stockwell, a top Hollywood child actor who gained new success in middle age, garnering an Oscar nomination for “Married to the Mob” and Emmy nominations for “Quantum Leap,” died of natural causes at his home on Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. He was 85. (AP Photo/Alan Greth, File)Associated Press
In this March 7, 2010, file photo, actor Ed Asner arrives during the 82nd Academy Awards in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. Asner, the blustery but lovable Lou Grant in two successful television series, has died. He was 91. Asner's representative confirmed the death in an email Sunday, Aug. 29, 2021, to The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)Associated Press
Cicely Tyson arrives at night two of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Sept. 15, 2019, in Los Angeles. The pioneering Black actor who gained an Oscar nomination for her role as the sharecropper’s wife in “Sounder,” won a Tony Award in 2013 at age 88 and touched TV viewers’ hearts in “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.” She died Jan. 28, 2021. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)Associated Press
American actor James Michael Tyler poses for a portrait on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012, in New York. Tyler, the actor known widely for his recurring role as Gunther on “Friends,” died Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021, at his home in Los Angeles from prostate cancer. He was 59. (Photo by Carlo Allegri/Invision/AP, File)Associated Press
Composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim gestures during a gathering at Tufts University in Medford, Mass., on April 12, 2004. Sondheim, the songwriter who reshaped the American musical theater in the second half of the 20th century, has died at age 91. Sondheim's death was announced by his Texas-based attorney, Rick Pappas, who told The New York Times the composer died Friday, Nov. 26, 2021, at his home in Roxbury, Conn. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)Associated Press
Michael Nesmith of The Monkees performs at the 2014 Stagecoach Music Festival in Indio, Calif., on April 27, 2014. Nesmith, the guitar-strumming member of the 1960s, made-for-television rock band The Monkees, died at home Friday of natural causes, his family said in a statement. He was 78. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)Associated Press