Each year, we pause and remember
those who died during the previous 12 months. For the next two weeks, we’ll
take a look back at those who left a lasting imprint on our world.
January
 |
| Reporter Clare Hollingworth |
Clare
Hollingworth
Clare Hollingworth was born on October
10, 1911 in Knighton, England. She became a journalist in 1939 and was the first
war correspondent to report the outbreak of World War II, landing “the scoop of the
century.” Hollingworth’s knowledge of the war earned her the designation of "the
undisputed doyenne of war correspondents" from the New York Times.
Hollingworth began reporting for The Guardian in 1950, and as a British
reporter covered wars in China, Algeria, Vietnam, and Iran. Hollingworth was
also the last reporter the Shah of Iran requested be allowed to interview him.
 |
| Clare Hollingworth |
During her life, Hollingworth was awarded
Woman Journalist of the Year in 1962, the James Cameron Award for Journalism in
1994, and in 1999, Hollingworth received a lifetime achievement award from
the UK TV program “What the Papers Say.” She was also made an officer in the
Order of the British Empire for services rendered in journalism.
Hollingworth died January 10, 2017
after being discovered unresponsive in her apartment. She was 105 years old.
 |
| Mary Tyler Moore as Mary Richards |
Mary
Tyler Moore
Who could turn the world on with
her smile … Mary Tyler Moore, who died in January. Moore was best known for her
two television roles, playing the perky Laura Petrie in The Dick Van Dyke Show
from 1961 to 1966, and as Mary Richards on the Mary Tyler Moore Show from
1971 to 1977.
In both roles, Mary pushed the
gender boundaries. As Laura Petrie, she was a modern wife and mom. But it was
the role of Mary Richards, a single career woman working as a news producer for WJM
that made her an inspiration to girls and young women everywhere. (She was one
of the reasons I pursued a career in broadcasting and journalism.) At a time when women were just
beginning to break into male-dominated jobs, it was a breath of fresh air to
see her portray a smart, witty woman, sans husband and children, who worked and
held her own in the then male-dominated work world. And Mary Richards didn’t have
to act tough to pull it off. She remained quintessentially Mary Tyler Moore.
 |
| Mary Tyler Moore |
Mary also appeared in several films
including Thoroughly Modern Millie in
1967, Change of Habit with Elvis
Presley in 1969, and Ordinary People in
1980 for which she was nominated for an Oscar and an Academy Award for Best
Actress. Moore went on to star in several plays in the 1980s and wrote two
books, both memoirs, describing her life, losing her only son, her
battle with alcoholism, and living with Type 1 diabetes.
Mary Tyler Moore died on January
25, 2017 from cardiac arrest complicated by pneumonia. She was 80 years old. She was
buried in Oak Lawn Cemetery in Fairfield, Connecticut.
February
 |
| Al Jarreau in the 70s |
Al
Jarreau
Jazz singer Al Jarreau announced
his retirement two days before he died in February. Born Alwin Lopez Jarreau, Al would make jazz
music his life. Starting with nightclubs and working up to appearances on the
late night shows, Jarreau gained fame when he sang on Saturday Night Live
during its first season in 1976.
He soon released his first album, We Got By in 1978, and won his first
Grammy Award for best Jazz Vocal Performance for his album, Look to the Rainbow. We’re in This Love
Together put him on top of the Pop charts in 1981 where he remained with After All in 1984, and scored another spot with the theme from the television show, Moonlighting.
 |
| Al Jarreau |
Jarreau continued touring during
the 1990s but stepped back from making records. He released a handful of albums during
the 2000s, preferring to take to the stage and perform his music live. In fact,
Jarreau had to cancel his remaining 2017 tour dates after he was hospitalized
for exhaustion on February 8, 2017. Four days later, on February 12, Al Jarreau
died of respiratory failure at the age of 76. He was buried at Forest Lawn
Memorial Park Cemetery.
Bill
Paxton
 |
| A Young Bill Paxton |
He was that character actor who
could portray “every man” but is best known for his leading roles. William
“Bill” Paxton starred in The Terminator,
Aliens, True Lies, Twister, Titanic and Nightcrawler,
just a few of his recognized film hits. He also starred in the drama series Big Love (2006-2011) earning three
Golden Globe Awards. His final film, The
Circle was released in April 2017.
Paxton knew he wanted to be an
entertainer at an early age. He formed a band called Martini Ranch in the 1980s, releasing one
album and a music video. By the Nineties, he was appearing in box-office hits
like Tombstone, True Lies and Apollo 13.
 |
| Bill Paxton |
But Paxton was also a force behind
the screen. In 1997, he produced the film Traveller,
and directed Frailty in 2001, and The Greatest Game Ever Played in 2005. Then came the HBO series Big Love
in 2006 and Paxton made the character of Bill Henrickson believable. After the
show ended in 2011, Paxton went on to co-star with Kevin Costner in the History
Channel miniseries Hatfield and McCoys
for which he was nominated for an Emmy. In 2014, he returned to television to
play John Garrett in Agents of
S.H.I.E.L.D, and again in 2017 in Training
Day.
Bill Paxton died on February 25,
2017 from a fatal stroke following heart surgery. He was 61 years old. He was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park.
March
 |
| Chuck Berry in the 50s |
Chuck
Berry
Charles Edward Anderson Berry was
an American music innovator; a man Rock and Roll greats owe a
huge debt to. Thanks to Chuck Berry’s stunning grasp of rhythm and blues, he changed
the sounds of the Fifties, and influenced decades of musicians to come. The
Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and Aerosmith are just a few groups that have
thanked him for his influence.
Berry began his musical career
patterning himself after Nat King Cole but soon realized that he had more
to offer than imitations. Self-taught on the guitar, Berry started playing
clubs with the Sir John Trio in St. Louis. While visiting Blues clubs in
Chicago, he asked Muddy Waters for advice on how to make it in the business.
Waters connected him to Chess Records, and Berry soon signed a record deal.
With his one-of-a-kind guitar riffs, and his signature “duck walk” across the
stage, Berry became a popular performer.
 |
| Chuck Berry |
Some of his best loved songs
include “Maybellene,” “Johnny B. Goode,” and “Roll Over Beethoven.” By the
1970s, Berry had faded from the record music scene, but he went on to perform live
at concerts through the coming decades and had a standing weekly gig to play at Blueberry Hill, a restaurant
and pub located in St. Louis. Last year, he announced that he would release
an album in 2017. Berry was one of the first musicians inducted into the Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.
Chuck Berry died on March 18, 2017
of cardiac arrest at his home in Missouri. Berry was 90 years old. He was
buried with his Gibson guitar in his hometown of St. Louis.
 |
| David Rockefeller in the 60s |
David
Rockefeller
The world’s oldest billionaire died
in March. Standard oil founder, John D. Rockefeller’s youngest and last
surviving grandchild, David Rockefeller, spent his entire life in the corporate
world. Rockefeller served as chairman, president and chief executive officer of
Chase Manhattan Bank from 1957 to 1981. He was known and well regarded by
presidents, prime ministers, kings and queens around the world.
Brothers John D. and William made
the family fortune in the petroleum industry during the late 19th
and early 20th centuries. The founders, sons and grandsons branched
out into the real estate market with the development of Rockefeller Center,
the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Empire State Building, Lincoln
Center, the World Trade Center, and One
Chase Manhattan Plaza. The family was very involved in conservation helping
to create more than 20 national parks, and providing funds for the historical
restoration of Colonial Williamsburg. The Rockefellers are considered to have
been the most powerful family in American history.
 |
| David Rockefeller |
Rockefeller was also a well known
philanthropist, donating to causes that supported social change worldwide along
with donations to the arts, and for medical research. His memoirs were published
in 2002, something no other member of the family had ever done. His personal wealth was
estimated at more than $3 billion at the time of his death.
David Rockefeller died at his home
in Pocantico Hills, New York of congestive heart failure on March 20, 2017. He
was 101. Rockefeller was buried in the Rockefeller Family Cemetery in Sleepy
Hollow New York.
APRIL
 |
| Don Rickles in the 1960s |
Don
Rickles
America’s favorite insult stand-up
comic died in March. Don Rickles was known for his pointed barbs lobbed at
anyone famous. Rickles started his comedic career working bars and clubs in New
York and Los Angles. He developed his style as a way to discourage hecklers but audiences loved it. Frank Sinatra saw Rickles' act in Florida and
enjoyed it so much, they kept in touch and later became good friends.
During the 1960s, Rickles took
roles on sit coms and dramatic shows. He also appeared in the infamous Annette
Funicello Beach Party films, which brought his name into the mainstream. By the
end of the Sixties, he was appearing on Johnny Carson and The Dean Martin Show. In 1968, he released his first comedic album, “Hello Dummy.”
Rickles stared with Clint Eastwood,
Carol O’Conner, Telly Savalas and Donald Sutherland in Kelly’s Heroes, a comedy
war movie in 1970. By 1972, he had his own show, which lasted 13 episodes.
 |
| Comedian Don Rickles |
From the 1980’s through 2015,
Rickles appeared in movies, voiced characters in animated films, and kept his
stand up routine going on the road. He performed for presidents Ronald Reagan and
George H.W. Bush, and compared show notes with his best friend, comedian Bob Newhart. When
asked in 2015 if he had considered retiring, Rickles replied that he still
enjoyed doing the show, so he had no plans to quit.
Don Rickles died of kidney failure
at his home in Beverly Hills on April 6, 2017. He was 90 years old. Rickles was
buried at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery in L.A.
 |
| J. Geils in the 80s |
J.
Geils
John Warren Geils Jr. was the guitarist
and leader of the J. Geils Band during the 1980s. He began his musical career
by forming a group called Snoopy and the Sopwith Camels in the Sixties. The
group moved to Boston and changed its name to
the J. Geils Band. Between 1970 and 1985, the band released eleven
albums, two were successes – Love Stinks
in 1980, and Freeze Frame with the
Number One hit, “Centerfold” in 1985. The band broke up that same year. Geils
went on to race cars, and opened KTR Motorsports, a vintage sports car restoration company in Massachusetts.
 |
| J. Geils |
The J. Geils Band reunited in 1995,
2005, 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2013 to perform reunion concerts. Geils released
his first solo album, Jay Geils Plays
Jazz in 2005. His final album release was in 2009 with Toe Tappin’ Jazz.
Geils was found unresponsive at
his home in Groton, Massachusetts on April 11, 2017. He died of natural causes at the age of 71.
Roger
Moore
 |
| Roger Moore as 007 |
Sir Roger George Moore was best
known for playing the role of James Bond from 1973 to 1985. Moore took over the
Bond role from Sean Connery in 1972 and made made it his own. Born in Stockwell,
England, Moore began his career making television appearances and working as a
model. He signed a contract with Warner Brothers Studio in 1959 and continued
to take bit parts until he landed the lead role of Silky Harris on The Alaskans
(1959-1960.) His next regular part was as Beau Maverick playing the English
cousin to James Garner’s Brett Maverick in the Maverick western series. In 1962, he was
cast as Simon Templar in The Saint and stayed with the show until 1969 - one of the longest running series of its kind on British TV.
By now, Moore was known worldwide and the time seemed right to try films.
 |
| Roger Moore |
In August 1972, Moore was offered
the role of James Bond. From 1973 to
1985, he portrayed 007 in Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun, The
Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, and A View to a
Kill. Moore reigned as Bond for 12 years - the longest any actor held the part. He then took several years away from acting before returning to play numerous parts on British
television shows, and continuing with his voice-over work.
Roger Moore died in Switzerland of cancer on
May 23, 2017. He was 89
years old. Moore was buried at Cimetiere de Monaco.
 |
| Dictator Manuel Noriega |
Manuel
Noriega
Former Panamanian dictator Manuel
Noriega died in May. Noriega was at one time one of Central America’s most notorious
dictators and drug leaders leading a regime marked with brutality and repression. Noriega ruled
Panama during most of the 1980s before the CIA invaded the country and
overthrew his regime. He was the first head of state to be convicted in a U.S.
court, but during the trial it was discovered that he had been on the CIA’s pay
role as a spy. The CIA never commented on Noriega’s status with them.
 |
| Noriega's Mug Shot |
Noriega was sentenced in 1992 to 30
years in prison but it was later reduced to 17 years, and he was given prisoner of
war status. When his sentence was completed in the US, he appealed his extradition
to France on a money laundering charge. He was convicted in absentia to serve
ten years in a French prison. In April, 2010 he was extradited to France and
his sentence reduced to seven years. Once in France, Panama requested his extradition
to face charges of human rights violations he had ordered when he was dictator. Noriega
arrived in Panama in December 2011.
In February 2012, Noriega was taken
to a hospital in Panama City with a brain hemorrhage. One month later he was
diagnosed with a brain tumor. On January 23, 2017, he was released from prison
and placed under house arrest to undergo surgery to remove the tumor. On March
7, Noriega incurred a brain hemorrhage during the surgery. He was placed in a
medically induced coma and died on May 29, 2017 at the age of 83. He was cremated
and his ashes given to his wife.
JUNE
Adam
West
 |
| Adam West as Batman |
Adam West, long known for his
portrayal of Batman in the 1960s, died in June. West began his career in
westerns and cop shows during the ‘50s. He appeared in Maverick, The Rifleman, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, The Virginian,
and Perry Mason, among others. He also had a regular role on The Detectives from
1959-1962.
Then came the role of his lifetime,
playing Batman, part of the campy Dynamic Duo, which spent each episode
fighting to keep Gotham City free from villains. Cesar Romero played the Joker,
Burgess Meredith was the Penguin, and Burt Ward played sidekick Robin to West’s
Batman. The show became an immediate hit and aired for three seasons before
production costs ended it.
 |
| Adam West |
West went in search of more serious
fodder but discovered that he had been typecast at Batman - no one could
imagine him without the cape. West didn’t expect fame as a pop culture icon but discovered that he was in demand for live appearances as the caped crusader.
For the next forty+ years, West was
active, mainly as a voice artist working on dozens of animated series, video
games, and, yes, occasionally voicing Batman for cartoons. He also kept busy
with small parts on numerous television shows and films. In 1994, Back to the Batcave was published. In
it, West offered a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the television show
along with a complete episode guide.
Adam West died June 9, 2017 after a short battle with leukemia in Los
Angeles . He was 88 years old.
 |
| Helmut Kohl in 1969 |
Helmut
Kohl
Former German Chancellor Helmut
Kohl died in June. Kohl served from 1982 – 1998 as Germany’s chancellor – the
country’s longest serving leader since 1945. Kohl first became the leader of
Western Germany in 1982. His goal was to unify the western part of the country with Communist East
Germany. That process began in 1989 with the fall of the Berlin Wall. Kohl surprised the world one week later when he gave a speech offering a 10-point plan
to reunify the two countries into one Germany. By October 1990, Kohl was
chancellor of a unified Germany. After he left office in 1998, Kohl
kept abreast of what was happening, supporting European unity for the new
century.
 |
| Helmut Kohl |
Kohl was hospitalized in 2008 for a
serous head injury, which left him barely able to speak and bound to a
wheelchair. Helmut Kohl died June 16, 2017 in deteriorating health in his
hometown of Ludwigshafen. He was 87. He was buried in the Cathedral Chapter
Cemetery in Speyer.
~ Joy
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