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OBITUARY
His speech at Carnegie Mellon University after a pancreatic cancer diagnosis became an Internet phenomenon and bestselling book.
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Johnny Griffin, the tenor saxophonist known as the "Little Giant," whose big, rich sound and lightning speed made for a distinct musical signature during an era when bebop was king, has died. He was 80. >>
Eugene Foster, the retired pathologist who orchestrated the DNA testing that showed Thomas Jefferson fathered at least one of the children of slave Sally Hemings, died Monday at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, according to his son-in-law Brian Pusser. He was 81. >>
The R & B musician was earlier part of the Hollywood Flames doo-wop group and sang lead on the hit 'Buzz Buzz Buzz.' Later, he recorded 'The Duck' and 'The Chicken' under the name Jackie Lee. >>
Larry Haines, a two-time Daytime Emmy winner for his 35-year role on the soap opera "Search for Tomorrow," has died. He was 89. >>
The doctor linked diseases to specific genes, established one of the nation's first departments of medical genetics and was one of the first to propose sequencing the human genome. He was 86. >>
Sidney Craig, who with his wife Jenny built the Jenny Craig weight loss program into a multimillion-dollar business based on a philosophy of moderation, with small-portioned meals, a balanced diet and regular physical exercise, has died. He was 76. >>
Charles Z. Wick, the controversial, long-serving director of the United States Information Agency, who raised the agency's profile, doubled its budget and extended its ability to reach foreign audiences through new technology such as satellite television, died of natural causes Sunday at his Los Angeles home. He was 90. >>
OBITUARY
The stage veteran received acclaim as the wisecracking Sophia Petrillo on 'The Golden Girls.' Getty had been battling Lewy body dementia, her caretaker said. >>
Jerome Holtzman, who went from copy boy to baseball Hall of Famer in a distinguished career as a Chicago sportswriter, died Saturday in Evanston, Ill., after a long illness. He was 81. >>
Robert Berning, who as the principal wine buyer for Trader Joe's beginning in the 1970s helped introduce consumers to bargain-priced wines from around the globe, has died. He was 73. >>
Dinko Sakic, the last known living commander of a World War II concentration camp, died Sunday night in a Croatian hospital while serving a 20-year sentence for war crimes, officials said Monday. He was 87. >>
Artie TraumSongwriter in the Greenwich scene >>Regional Soviet newspapers in 1980 were reporting an unusually large number of deaths of rocket scientists, and the obituaries were running a bit later than usual. >>
Sherman E. Lee, a former longtime director of the Cleveland Museum of Art whose keen-eyed collecting of old European and Asian masterpieces gave it international prestige, died of natural causes July 9 in Chapel Hill, N.C. He was 90. >>
Anatoly Pristavkin, a writer who headed the Russian president's pardons commission throughout the 1990s, died July 11 in Moscow. He was 76. >>
A public memorial tribute to jazz pianist Gerald Wiggins is scheduled for 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. July 28 at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center, 4718 W. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles. Wiggins died July 13 at age 86. >>
Huffington, father to former Rep. Michael Huffington, also served as ambassador to Austria. >>
John M. LeedomAn expert in infectious disease >>Robert M. DeHaven, a World War II fighter ace who downed 14 enemy planes in the Pacific and later became a test pilot and executive with Hughes Aircraft, died July 10 at a hospital near his home in Encino after a long illness. He was 86. >>
Jo Stafford, a singer who was a favorite of GIs during World War II and whose recordings made the pop music charts dozens of times in the 1950s, died Sunday of congestive heart failure at her home in Century City. She was 90. >>
The Cuban American spent six days a week at his cramped shop near Western Avenue, serving longtime customers who became good friends. >>
Hayward 'Chuck' CarboSinger for Spiders R&B quintet >>He was awarded the National Medal of Science in 1983 for his work in genetically engineered vaccines and other research. >>
Patricia Buckley Bozell, who was a matriarch of a prominent conservative family and helped start Triumph, an opinion journal of Roman Catholic orthodoxy, died Saturday at her home in Washington, D.C. She was 81 and had throat cancer. >>
Archie R. McCardell, the executive who was in charge at International Harvester during a 172-day strike by United Auto Workers that began in 1979 and dealt a punishing financial blow to the company, died of complications from heart failure Friday in a Casper, Wyo., hospital, said his grandson, Scott Arcenas. McCardell was 81 and had lived in Wyoming since 1998. >>
Madeleine Stoner, a USC professor of social work who was an expert on homelessness and advised policymakers on how to prevent it, died Sunday at her Westwood home. She was 70. >>
Les Crane, called the "bad boy of late-night television" when he vied for ratings against talk-show king Johnny Carson in the mid-1960s, died of natural causes Sunday at Marin General Hospital in Greenbrae, north of San Francisco. He was 74. >>
Claudio Guzman, who produced one of the nation's first bicultural Spanish-English educational television programs for children, "Villa Alegre," which premiered in 1973 on PBS, has died. He was 80. >>
Bobby Durham, a jazz drummer of impeccable taste and versatility who teamed with Oscar Peterson and Ella Fitzgerald and became a fixture of the Jazz at the Philharmonic touring concert series, died July 7 at a hospital in Genoa, Italy. He was 71 and had lung cancer and emphysema. >>
Gerald Wiggins, a jazz pianist whose long career embraced numerous recordings with his trio, performances with Louis Armstrong, Benny Carter, Roy Eldridge, Zoot Sims, accompaniment for Lena Horne and Nat "King" Cole, and vocal coaching for Marilyn Monroe, has died. He was 86. >>
Bronislaw GeremekFormer Polish foreign minister >>Thomas Nee, the artistic director of the La Jolla Symphony and Chorus for 31 years, who built a small community ensemble into an orchestra of more than 100 musicians that regularly premiered works by contemporary composers, died July 7 at the Glenbrook Skilled Nursing facility in Carlsbad, Calif. He was 87. >>
George B. Hartzog Jr., a former director of the National Park Service who led an unprecedented expansion of the nation's system of parks, wildlife refuges and historic sites and who helped secure passage of the National Historic Preservation Act in 1966, has died. He was 88. >>
A founding member of the Los Angeles-based Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Alexander wrote some 25 books for kids. >>
His advances, such as the coronary artery bypass, heart-lung machine pump, Army MASH units and synthetic blood vessels led many to regard the Texan as 'the greatest surgeon ever.' >>
Tony Snow, the conservative commentator who brought a flashy, talk-show style of repartee to the job of White House press secretary under President Bush, died Saturday at a Washington hospital after a high-profile battle with colon cancer. He was 53. >>
Last summer, Ryan J. Connolly's Army unit shipped out from Germany to Afghanistan, leaving the soldier behind while he awaited the birth of his first child. Kayla was born that June and he spent two weeks with her and his wife before rejoining his fellow soldiers. >>
For a man who never spoke of joining the Army, a soldier's life came naturally to Alejandro Dominguez. >>
Bobby Murcer, a five-time All-Star outfielder who spent nearly four decades with the New York Yankees as a player, executive and announcer, died Saturday at an Oklahoma City hospital of complications from a malignant brain tumor. He was 62. >>
His Phoenix Decorating Co. broadened the concept of parade floats by emphasizing animation and going beyond mere flowers to use items such as sesame seeds and beans. >>
In the oeuvre of actress Evelyn Keyes, the role of Suellen O'Hara was a "bit part," nothing like the leading roles she played in later films, or her real-life role as wife of directors John Huston and Charles Vidor and jazz musician Artie Shaw. >>
Charles H. Joffe, a legendary manager of comic talent who helped guide the careers of Dick Cavett, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal and Woody Allen and co-produced nearly all of Allen's films, died Wednesday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after a long illness. He was 78. >>
Rocky Aoki, the colorful Tokyo-born founder of the Benihana steakhouse chain, where chefs entertain diners with acrobatic knife performances, has died. He was 69. >>
Dorian Leigh, an early supermodel who made Revlon's 1950s Fire and Ice cosmetics line famous, has died. She was 91. >>
Bruce Conner, a Bay Area artist who used sculpture, drawing, film and photography to explore mortality and other cosmic mysteries, died Monday at his home in San Francisco. He was 74. >>
Long after she transformed herself from a blue-collar worker into vice president of Diana's Mexican Food Products, her family's $30-million corporation, Hortensia Magaña remained concerned with the fate of the working class. >>
Ruth Greenglass, whose testimony in a sensational Cold War espionage trial helped send her sister-in-law Ethel Rosenberg to the electric chair, has died. She was 84. >>
John Marks Templeton, a pioneer in the investment industry and a champion of spiritual research who founded the annual Templeton Prize, died Tuesday of pneumonia at a hospital in Nassau, the Bahamas. He was 95. >>
Robert V. Phillips, a former general manager and chief engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power whose novel plan to ration electricity helped the city get through the Arab oil embargo in the early 1970s, has died. He was 91. >>
Robert C. Lobdell, former vice president and general counsel for the Los Angeles Times and Times Mirror Co., died Monday at Stanford University Hospital from complications of a bacterial infection. He was 82. >>
Douglas Dollarhide, whose election as Compton's first black mayor in 1969 symbolized the demographic transformation of what was once a predominantly white area, has died. He was 85. >>
Even in the genre of science fiction, writer Thomas M. Disch was considered unconventional. >>
Pete KameronCo-founder of LA Weekly >>Don S. Davis, a college professor who found a second career as a character actor, gaining notice for his roles in TV's "Stargate: SG-1" and "Twin Peaks," died of a heart attack June 29 at his home in Gibsons, Canada. He was 65. >>
Robert C. Seamans Jr., a leading U.S. scientist-administrator during the space race of the 1960s and secretary of the Air Force during the Vietnam War, died June 28 at his home in Beverly Farms, Mass., after a heart attack. He was 89. >>
He was clean and sober the last 25 years and started Boxing Against Alcohol and Drugs to counsel youths to avoid the troubles he had. >>
A memorial service for film and TV producer Sandy Howard, who died May 16 at age 80, will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Linwood Dunn Theater at the Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study, 1313 N. Vine St., Hollywood. Details: (310) 398-8680. >>
Jake Yelner thought he'd pulled a fast one on his mother. >>
He wrote "Baseball's Greatest Experiement: Jackie Robinson and his Legacy." >>
Thich Huyen Quang, the patriarch of an outlawed Buddhist church in Vietnam who spent more than two decades in and out of house arrest, died Saturday after months of failing health. He was 87. >>
President Bush calls the uncompromising Republican from North Carolina a 'great patriot.' He infuriated liberals with his race-baiting tactics and presidents of both parties with his use of senatorial >>
Angel Tavira Maldonado, a Mexican regional musician whose stirring debut acting performance in "El Violin" ("The Violin") moved audiences and won critical acclaim, including a best actor award at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, died Monday in a Mexico City hospital. He was 83. >>
Eric Lieber, a veteran television producer who created and executive-produced TV's long-running dating show "Love Connection," has died. He was 71. >>
The pioneering black pilot wrote an autobiography, 'A-Train: Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman' and was in Washington in 2007 to receive the Congressional Gold Medal with others from the Tuskegee group. >>
Isaac StarkmanJerry's Famous Deli founder >>Turner became known for the highly stylized covers he created for major titles and his depictions of curvaceous female characters. >>
Larry Harmon, the entrepreneur who brought Bozo the Clown to television as a children's show host in the late 1950s and spent the next 50 years promoting the flame-haired circus character, died Thursday. He was 83. >>
Muriel Gluck, a philanthropist who gave millions of dollars to support the arts and education, primarily in Los Angeles and San Diego, has died. She was 97. >>
Irina Baronova, the last of the three "baby ballerinas" whose international careers were launched by choreographer George Balanchine, has died. She was 89. >>
Warren J. Ferguson, a senior Circuit Court judge who served nearly 42 years on the federal bench and presided over several cases with broad implications, including a case that helped alter the way the NBA selects players, has died. He was 87. >>
Ronnie MathewsJazz pianist was a prolific sideman >>OBITUARY
Clay Felker, the innovative founding editor of New York magazine who was widely considered one of the great post-World War II magazine editors in the U.S. and a key figure in the emergence of New Journalism in the 1960s, died Tuesday. He was 82. >>
John PontCoach of Indiana in its Rose Bowl game >>Donald White, a former schoolteacher and social activist who helped organize and coordinate dozens of initiatives involving human rights in Central America and antiwar efforts around the world, has died. He was 71. >>
Kenneth Reich, a retired Los Angeles Times reporter who, in his 39 years at the paper, covered politics, earthquakes and preparations for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, has died. He was 70. >>
The raconteur with scissors catered to movie stars, UCLA sports figures and Howard Hughes. >>
Publicist and artists manager Edgar Vincent, who represented tenor Plácido Domingo, soprano Beverly Sills and dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov amid a host of A-list singers, conductors and instrumentalists, died Thursday at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. He was 90. >>
Daihachi Oguchi, the Japanese master drummer who led the spread of the art of "taiko" drumming to the U.S. and throughout Japan, has died after being hit by a car in Tokyo, an official at his ensemble said. He was 84. >>
Alton W. Knappenberger, a Pennsylvania farm laborer who received the Medal of Honor after using his exceptional marksmanship to hold off two German infantry companies near Rome during World War II, died June 9 at Pottstown, Pa., Memorial Medical Center. He was 84 and had suffered five heart attacks over the last 30 years. >>
Dave Carpenter, a jazz bassist who worked with scores of legendary names, appeared on more than 200 recordings and was a founding member of the Lounge Art Ensemble, died June 23 of a heart attack at his home in Burbank. He was 48. >>
Ira B. Tucker, lead singer of the Dixie Hummingbirds, performed a style of gospel music that erased boundaries between music and movement, praise and performance, style and spirit. >>
Katherine Bogdanovich Loker, an heir to the StarKist tuna fortune and a major philanthropist in Southern California, died Thursday at her Oceanside home from complications of a stroke, according to a spokesman for USC, her alma mater. She was 92. >>
Howard BrandyPublicist for films, music and TV >>Pianist Leonard Pennario, a best-selling recording artist who made his concert debut with the Dallas Symphony at age 12 after learning Grieg's Piano Concerto in a week so he could play it from memory, has died. He was 83. >>
Severin Wunderman, the owner of Corum, the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer, who was also an art collector and philanthropist, died Wednesday at his home in Nice, France, his son, Michael, said. He was 69. >>
The greatest moment of Ray Bartlett's life was an honor bestowed upon him by the family of baseball great Jackie Robinson, his childhood friend and college teammate. They asked him to represent Robinson in the 1999 Rose Parade as a grand marshal. >>
Friends and fans praise the work of George Carlin, who died of heart failure Sunday at age 71. >>
Trailblazers often flame out, but Carlin just kept burning through the decades. >>
AN APPRECIATION
The comedian liked to cause a fuss with his observations -- and we liked him for it. >>
He gained notoriety for his 'seven dirty words,' but his incisive commentaries were as clever as they were vulgar. >>
Trained as a ballerina in the Russian tradition, she had 'Singin' in the Rain' and 'Silk Stockings' among her many credits. >>
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HEADLINERS
Comedian gained notoriety for his 'seven dirty words,' but his incisive commentaries were as clever as they were vulgar.
 PHOTOS Funeral Notices
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Notable: 2007
Among the major notables who passed from the scene this year, three of the most famous -- two masters of cinema and a genius of football -- died on the same day: July 30. A roll call of newsworthy figures who died in 2007. PHOTOS
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