Ronald Reagan

· 93; June 5 | 40th president of the United States, remembered as the "Great Communicator," whose eloquence promoted revolutionary economic policies at home and confrontational pursuits abroad, leading to the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.

Yasser Arafat

· 75; Nov. 11 | Arab leader of the Palestinian Authority who founded Fatah, forerunner of the terrorist-oriented PLO, but fell short of establishing a Palestinian state.

Geoffrey Beene

· 77; Sept. 28 | Innovative brand-name-labeled designer of men's and women's clothing.

Marlon Brando

· 80; July 1 | Academy Award-winning Hollywood actor who starred in numerous films, including On the Waterfront, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Godfather, and Apocalypse Now.

Ken Caminiti

· 41; Oct. 10 | 1996 National League MVP, who later admitted he won the award while using steroids; spent most of his 15-year career with the Astros and the San Diego Padres.

Ray Charles

· 73; June 10 | Blind singer, pianist, composer, rock pioneer, and 12-time Grammy Award winner whose soulful tunes combined gospel, blues, pop, country, and jazz.

Julia Child

· 91; Aug. 13 | Emmy Award-winning chef, author, and TV personality whose skill and buoyant style demystified French cooking for generations of Americans.

Rodney Dangerfield

· 82; Oct. 5 | Comic and actor whose self-deprecating one-liners brought him stardom in clubs, television, and movies and made his lament "I don't get no respect" a catchphrase.

Skeeter Davis

· 72; Sept. 19 | Long-time Grand Ole Opry star who hit the top of the pop charts with "The End of the World" in 1963.

Lowell "Cotton" Fitzsimmons

· 72; July 24 | NBA coach who won 832 basketball games in 21 seasons with five teams.

J.J. Jackson

· 62; March 17 | Longtime radio station disc jockey who in the 1980s helped usher in the music video era as one of MTV's first VJs.

Howard Keel

· 85; Nov. 7 | Baritone who romanced his way through a series of glittery MGM musicals (Kiss Me Kate and Annie Get Your Gun).

Bob Keeshan

· 76; Jan. 23 | For nearly 30 years television's gentle father figure, Captain Kangaroo.

Estée Lauder

· 97; April 24 | Entrepreneur who started a kitchen business blending face creams and built it into an international cosmetics empire.

Janet Leigh

· 77; Oct. 3 | The compelling beauty who co-starred with James Stewart, John Wayne, and Frank Sinatra in films of the 1940s to 1960s and achieved her most lasting fame as the victim of a shower slashing in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho.

Tug McGraw

· 59; Jan. 5 | Left-handed relief pitcher (180 saves in 19 years) who helped the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies capture World Series championships.

Jack Paar

· 85; Jan. 27 | Comedian who pioneered late-night talk as the unpredictable, intelligent host of "The Tonight Show" from 1957 to 1962.

Tony Randall

· 84; May 17 | Theater, film, and television actor best known for his role as the persnickety Felix Unger in the television series "The Odd Couple."

Christopher Reeve

· 52; Oct. 10 | Courageous actor who became a movie icon with the title role in 1978's Superman and continued to work after a fall from a horse in 1995 left him paralyzed and a tireless advocate for embryonic stem-cell research.

Marge Schott

· 75; March 2 | Chain-smoking, tough-talking former auto dealer who became the first woman to own a Major League Baseball team when she bought the Cincinnati Reds in 1984, winning the World Series in 1990 but forced out over her fractious ways and offensive remarks.

Peter Ustinov

· 82; March 28 | Brilliant wit and mimic who won two Oscars for an acting career that ranged from the evil Nero in Quo Vadis to Agatha Christie's quirky detective Hercule Poirot, and who also wrote novels, plays (Romanoff and Juliet), and movies (Billy Budd).

Fay Wray

· 96; Aug. 8 | Plucky film actress who won everlasting fame as the shrieking damsel held atop the Empire State Building by the giant ape in the 1933 classic King Kong.

Other notable deaths

Abu Abbas 55; March 8 | Former Palestine Liberation Front terrorist leader who organized the 1985 hijacking of the Achille Lauro, an Italian cruise ship.

Paul N. "Red" Adair 89; Aug. 7 | Oil-field firefighter instrumental in capping the hundreds of Kuwaiti oil wells set ablaze by the retreating Iraqi army in 1991.

Brock Adams 77; Sept. 10 | Six-term member of Congress who became President Carter's transportation secretary in 1977 and U.S. senator in 1986.

Eddie Adams 71; Sept. 19 | Photojournalist whose half-century of work was defined by a Pulitzer Prize-winning photo of a communist guerrilla being executed in a Saigon street during the Vietnam War.

Dayton Allen 85; Nov. 11 | Comedian and actor best known as the voice of the cartoon character Deputy Dawg and the grumpy mayor Phineas T. Bluster on TV's "The Howdy Doody Show."

Victor Argo 69; April 6 | Actor who played tough guys in dozens of films, including Mean Streets and Taxi Driver.

Richard Avedon 81; Oct. 1 | Nationally known fashion and portrait photographer.

Jackson Beck 92; July 28 | Voice-over master who bellowed, "It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman!" to introduce the "Superman" radio show.

Elmer Bernstein 82; Aug. 18 | Oscar-winning composer who scored more than 200 films.

Richard Bloch 78; July 21 | Founder, with his brother, of tax-preparation giant H&R Block Inc.

Daniel Boorstin 89; Feb. 28 | Prolific writer, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, and Librarian of Congress (1975-1987).

Laura Branigan 47; Aug. 26 | Grammy-nominated pop singer best known for her 1982 platinum hit "Gloria."

Harry "The Cat" Brecheen 89; Jan. 17 | St. Louis Cardinals pitching great who won three games in the 1946 World Series.

Roosevelt Brown 71; June 9 | Hall of Fame football player who spent 51 years with the New York Giants as offensive tackle (13 years), assistant coach, and scout.

Robert Bruce 87; Feb. 12 | University of Washington cardiologist who developed the treadmill test used to diagnose heart disease.

Lloyd Bucher 76; Jan. 28 | Navy commander of the spy ship USS Pueblo when it was shelled and captured by North Korea in 1968, who helped his crew survive 11 months of brutal captivity.

Neil Campbell 58; Oct. 21 | Author of biology textbooks, including Biology, reputedly the most widely used English-language scientific textbook in the world.

Henri Cartier-Bresson 95; Aug. 3 | French photojournalist who chronicled global events and captured human drama like no other.

Iris Chang 36; Nov. 10 | Acclaimed best-selling author who chronicled the Japanese occupation of China and the history of Chinese immigrants in the United States.

Jonathan Chao 66; Jan. 12 | Founder of China Ministries International and one of the foremost authorities on the church in China.

Alistair Cooke 96; March 30 | British-born journalist and radio and TV host of "Masterpiece Theatre."

Archibald Cox 92; May 29 | The special prosecutor fired by the Nixon administration as he pressed the White House to turn over tapes about the Watergate break-in.

Francis Crick 88; July 28 | Nobel Prize-winning molecular biologist who in 1959 co-discovered the DNA structure that carries hereditary characteristics from generation to generation.

Frances Dee 96; March 6 | Dark-haired beauty during Hollywood's golden era who starred in Little Women.

Jacques Derrida 74; Oct. 8 | French philosopher who originated deconstruction, a controversial and widely influential movement that shaped literary theory and a variety of other disciplines.

Charles Dumas 66; Jan. 5 | Olympic gold medalist who was the first high jumper to clear 7 feet.

Fred Ebb 76; Sept. 11 | Lyricist who, with partner John Kander, wrote the lyrics for such hit Broadway musicals as Cabaret and Woman of the Year as well as the big-city anthem "New York, New York."

Jack Eckerd 91 ; May 19 | Millionaire philanthropist and hard-driving businessman who turned three rundown drugstores into an empire that bore his name.

Donald Gardner 91; Sept. 5 | Songwriter who wrote the international favorite "All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth."

Joe Gold 82; July 11 | Bodybuilder who in 1965 opened the first Gold's Gym in Venice Beach, Calif.

Jerry Goldsmith 75; July 21 | Academy Award-winning composer who created music scores for TV ("Star Trek," "The Twilight Zone") and movies (Patton).

Pauline LaFon Gore 92; Dec. 15 | One of Vanderbilt University Law School's first female graduates, wife of Sen. Al Gore Sr., and mother of former vice president Al Gore Jr.

Arthur Hailey 84; Nov. 24 | Author of Airport, Hotel, and other novels that became hit movies.

Jean Ruth Hay 87; Sept. 18 | Awakened millions of American troops each morning during World War II with her upbeat radio program "Reveille with Beverly."

Syd Hoff 91; May 12 | Writer and illustrator who wrote more than 60 children's books, including Danny the Dinosaur, and contributed 571 cartoons to The New Yorker.

Illinois Jacquet 81; July 22 | Jazz tenor saxophonist and bandleader whose solo on the song "Flying Home," first recorded with Lionel Hampton's orchestra, made him a legend.

Art James 74; March 28 | Announcer or host for a dozen TV game shows over three decades, including "Concentration" and "Family Feud Challenge."

Rick James 56; Aug. 6 | R&B/funk musician best known for his 1981 hit "Super Freak."

Verona Johnston 114; Dec. 1 | America's oldest person, who voted in every election since women earned the right in 1920.

James Jordan Jr. 73; Feb. 4 | Advertising executive who wrote the memorable slogans "Wisk beats ring around the collar" and "Delta is ready when you are."

Johnny Kelley 97; Oct. 6 | Icon distance runner who ran the Boston Marathon a record 58 times, at age 84 the final time, winning twice and placing second seven times.

Ed Kemmer 84; Nov. 5 | Actor who played the intrepid Cmdr. Buzz Corry in the popular 1950s children's television show "Space Patrol."

Alan King 76; May 9 | His borscht-belt tirades airing the frustrations of suburban life led to a long comedy career in nightclubs and television that he later expanded to Broadway and the movies.

Harry Lampert 88; Nov. 13 | Illustrator who created the DC Comics superhero "The Flash."

Jerome Lawrence 88; Feb. 29 | Co-wrote hundreds of plays for stage, radio, and screen, including Inherit the Wind (based on the 1925 Scopes-evolution trial) and the musical Mame, and co-founded the Armed Forces Radio Service.

Anna Lee 91; May 14 | Actress who portrayed Lila Quartermaine on "General Hospital" for more than two decades.

Ed McAteer 78; Oct. 6 | The Southern Baptist layman credited as the "godfather" of the modern Religious Right.

Mary McGrory 85; April 21 | Nationally known liberal columnist for The Washington Post.

Norris McWhirter 78; April 20 | Journalist and BBC sports announcer who, with his twin brother Ross, started the Guinness Book of World Records in 1955.

Marlin Maddoux 70; March 4 | Christian broadcaster who founded USA Radio Network and hosted the "Point of View" radio talk show.

William Manchester 82; June 1 | Historian who brought a novelist's flair to his detailed biographies of prominent political and military figures, including John F. Kennedy and Winston Churchill (The Last Lion).

Bill Martin Jr. 88; Aug. 11 | Educator and best-selling author of hundreds of children's picture books such as Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom.

Robert Merrill 87; Oct. 23 | Acclaimed Metropolitan Opera baritone.

Ann Miller 81; Jan. 22 | Tap dancing's top lady, who clicked her way across films in the 1940s and 1950s (Kiss Me Kate, On the Town) and Broadway's 1979 Sugar Babies.

Robert Morgan 85; May 15 | Commander of the famed Memphis Belle B-17 that flew combat missions over Europe during World War II.

John Cullen Murphy 85; July 2 | Illustrator best known for the "Prince Valiant" cartoon strip for more than three decades.

Carl Mydans 97; Aug. 16 | Life magazine photographer whose memorable images include Gen. MacArthur walking through the water toward the shore in the Philippines.

Robert Pastorelli 49; March 8 | Actor who played the housepainter Eldin on the "Murphy Brown" TV series.

Larry Phillips 62; Sept. 21 | Lifelong stock car racer with more than 2,500 wins, including five Winston Racing Series championships.

William Pickering 93; March 15 | Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory who oversaw the launch of the first U.S. satellite and the first robotic missions to the Moon, Venus, and Mars.

Alvino Rey 95; Feb. 24 | Swing-band leader of the '30s and '40s and the pioneer of the pedal steel guitar.

Pierre Salinger 79; Oct. 16 | Award-winning journalist who served as President Kennedy's White House press secretary; he later became chief foreign correspondent for ABC News.

Isabel Sanford 86; July 9 | Actress who won an Emmy for her role as Louise on "The Jeffersons."

Norm Schachter 90; Oct. 2 | Referee of the first Super Bowl and the first "Monday Night Football" game.

Robert F. Seedlock 91; May 5 | Army general who led the arduous construction of the Burma Road that broke the Japanese blockade of China during World War II.

Jeff Smith 65; July 7 | White-bearded minister who became public TV's "Frugal Gourmet" and best-selling cookbook author before a sex scandal ruined his career.

Charles W. Sweeney 84; July 15 | Retired Air Force general who piloted the B-29 that dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki.

John H. Tietjen 75; Feb. 15 | Suspended seminary president at the heart of the liberal-conservative controversy that split the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in the 1970s, and a key force in the 1987 merger that created the left-leaning Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Pat Tillman 27; April 22 | Star NFL safety with the Arizona Cardinals who turned down a $3.6 million contract to enlist in the Army following the 9/11 attacks; killed in combat in Afghanistan.

Doris Troy 67; Feb. 16 | Soul singer who penned the hit "Just One Look" and whose life inspired the long-running touring musical Mama, I Want to Sing.

Jay Van Andel 80; Dec. 7 | Co-founder of Amway Corp. who helped turn neighborhood diet supplement and soap sales into a billion-dollar business.

Mona Van Duyn 83; Dec. 2 | The nation's first female poet laureate and a Pulitzer Prize winner (Near Changes, 1991).

Walter Wager 79; July 11 | Spy novelist who wrote more than 30 books, including 58 Minutes, which was adapted for film and released as Die Hard.

John Whitehead 55; May 11 | R&B singer and songwriter who, with Gene McFadden, recorded a string of hits in the 1970s.

Claude (Fiddler) Williams 96; April 25 | Renowned jazz violin virtuoso and Count Basie's first recorded guitarist.

Paul Winfield 62; March 7 | Emmy Award-winning actor ("Picket Fences") known for his versatility in stage, film, and television roles.

Sheik Ahmed Yassin Mid-60s; March 22 | Quadriplegic preacher who founded the Islamic group Hamas and presided over its rise to a violent, radical alternative to Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority; killed in an Israeli missile strike.

Irvin "Shorty" Yeaworth Jr. 78; July 19 | Prolific Christian filmmaker, also known widely for directing early in his career the 1958 movie The Blob.

Joseph Zimmerman 92; March 31 | Engineer who invented the first telephone answering machine, the Electronic Secretary.