by Ruth Valancius, Toronto Star
Hollywood lost a great leading man with the death of Marlon Brando. The legendary actor died of lung failure in a Los Angeles hospital on July 1 at the age of 80. Brando's brilliant performance as the brutish Stanley Kowalski in the Tennessee Williams play A Streetcar Named Desire in 1947 led him to stardom. His performance as the Mafia kingpin Don Corleone in The Godfather brought him fame. During his career he was nominated for eight Oscars, winning for On The Waterfront (1954) and The Godfather (1972). Married three times, Brando had nine children.
Another Hollywood legend, Fay Wray, died of a heart ailment on Aug. 8 at the age of 96. Born Vina Fay Wray on a ranch near Cardston, Alta., she played the blonde heroine in the 1933 film classic King Kong, a role that would define her career, thought she starred in about 75 other pictures.
Janet Leigh died peacefully at home on Oct. 3, her actress daughters Kelly Curtis and Jamie Lee Curtis at her side. The past year Leigh had suffered from vasculitis. She was 77. Leigh is famous for the terrifying shower scene in the 1960 Alfred Hitchcock thriller Psycho. And the only American movie star to make the American Film Institute's list of 100 notable films of the century three times - for Touch of Evil (1957), Psycho and The Manchurian Candidate (1962).
The music world suffered a great loss with the death of Ray Charles on June 10. The singer, songwriter and entertainer died at the age of 73 after a long battle with liver disease. Left blind by glaucoma at the age seven, Ray learned to read and write music in Braille and play a variety of instruments including the piano and saxophone. During his career he won 13 Grammy Awards and a lifetime achievement honour in 1987.
And the world lost a hero when Christopher Reeve died of complications from a serious bloodstream infection caused by bedsores on Oct. 10. He was 52. Reeve played Superman, the comic book hero in four movies from 1978 to 1987. Following a 1995 horseback riding accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down Reeve became a spokesperson for spinal chord research. He helped make stem cell research a major campaign issue in this year's U.S. presidential election.
Also notable is the death of Ronald Reagan, the actor who became 40th president of the United States. Reagan died on June 5 at the age of 93 following a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease.
Others whose death made news in 2004:
January
Paul M. Keyes, 79
Emmy-award winning comedy writer and producer of such TV shows as Jack Paar's Tonight Show, The Dean Martin Show and Rowan And Martin's Laugh-in. Jan. 2.Joan Aiken, 79
Author of the popular children's books The Wolves Of Willoughby Chase and The Winter Sleepwalker published her first book of short stories at the age of 18. Jan. 4.Brian Gibson, 59
Directed The Josephine Baker Story and the film about the life of Tina Turner, What's Love Got To Do with It? Jan. 4.John Toland, 91
Winner of the 1971 Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction for The Rising Sun, a historical narrative about the rise and fall of the Japanese empire during World War II but probably best known for 1976's Adolf Hitler: The Definitive Biography. Jan. 4.Doug Morton, 77
Abstract painter best known in the Canadian art community as a member of the Regina Five. Jan. 4.Kiharu Nakamura, 90
Wrote several books about her experiences as a geisha in pre-war Japan. Jan. 5.Francesco Scavullo, 82
The fashion photographer shot covers for Cosmopolitan magazine for more than 30 years. Jan. 6.Ingrid Thulin, 77
One of Sweden's best actresses. It was her film work with Ingmar Bergman that brought her fame. Jan. 7.Eddy Zwaneveld, 64
The film board technician with the National Film Board 21 years won a technical achievement award in 1999 for his role in the research, design and development of the DigiSync Film Keycode Reader, technology now used throughout the industry. Jan. 8.Rógerio Sganzerla, 57
The Brazilian experimental filmmaker is best known for Cinema Marginal's The Red Light Bandit (1968). Jan. 9.Alexandra Ripley, 71
Historical fiction writer best known for Scarlett, Gone With The Wind's official sequel, which ended up a bestseller. Jan. 10.Spalding Gray, 62
The writer and star of Swimming To Cambodia had many small movie and TV roles. Disappeared Jan. 10; body found March 7.Uta Hagen, 84
The stage legend worked with drama greats Edward Albee, Tennessee Williams and Lynn Fontanne, helped found HB Studios, an acting school she ran with her husband, was an advisor and master teacher to Toronto's Actors' Workshop and contributor of a series of books on acting. Jan. 14.Ron O'Neal, 66
The actor achieved some fame with the film Superfly. Jan. 14.Alex Barris, 81
The newspaper columnist and author hosted CBC-TV programs in the 1950s and 1960s. Jan. 15.Olivia Goldsmith, 54
Best-selling author known for The First Wives Club turned into the 1996 hit film starring Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler and Diane Keaton. Jan. 15.Ray Stark, 88
Considered one of the last great independent producers, his productions include Funny Girl, The Way We Were and The Sunshine Boys. Jan. 17.Walter Grealis, 74
Founder of the music trade publication RPM and one of the inspirations behind the Juno Awards. Jan. 20.George Woodbridge, 73
Worked as an illustrator for Mad magazine for nearly 50 years. Jan. 20.Ann Miller, 81
The actress and tap dancer whose career peaked in the 1940's and early 1950's starred in On the Town, Easter Parade and Kiss Me Kate. While in her sixties she earned millions on Broadway and touring in Sugar Babies. Jan. 22.Bob Keeshan, 76
Television's Captain Kangaroo. His morning children's show ran 30 years on CBS, winning six Emmy Awards, three Gabriels and three Peabody Awards. Jan. 23.Helmut Newton, 83
Berlin-born legendary photographer for Vogue magazine and more, whose images of some of the most beautiful women in the world were often calculated to shock. Jan. 23Reva Brooks, 90
The Toronto-born photographer was selected as one of the top 50 women photographers of all time. Jan. 24.Jack Paar, 85
The late-night TV talk show host was the second host of the Tonight Show. Jan. 27.M.M. Kaye, 95
Author of the runaway bestseller The Far Pavilions. Jan. 29.Janet Frame, 79
The New Zealand author's three-part autobiography was turned into the film Angel At My Table. Jan. 29.Joe Viterelli, 66
The actor played tough guy roles appearing in such films as Mickey Blue Eyes and Analyze This. Jan. 29.February
O.W. Fischer, 88
The actor was West Germany's version of Cary Grant. Feb. 1.Jose Luis Castillo-Puche, 84
The prize-winning novelist and journalist wrote a memoir about his friend Ernest Hemingway. Feb. 2.Cornelius Bumpus, 58
Steely Dan saxophonist and former member of the Doobie Brothers. Feb. 43.Frances Partridge, 103
Last survivor of the literary Bloomsbury Group's most famous love quadrangle. Feb. 5Nicholas "Niki" Goldschmidt, 95
Conductor, pianist, baritone, administrator and teacher made music accessible to all ages through the numerous festivals he organized across Canada. Feb. 8.Robert Colesberry, 57
The co-creator and executive producer of HBO's police drama series The Wire produced such films as Mississippi Burning, After Hours, The Natural and The King Of Comedy. Feb. 9.Jan Miner, 86
The stage actress was Madge the manicurist in Palmolive TV ads. Feb. 15.Doris Troy, 67
Born Doris Payne, the singer/songwriter was best known for the 1963 hit "Just One Look." Feb. 16.Sofia Golovkina, 88
Danced for Russia's Bolshoi Theatre for almost 30 years directing its school, with an iron fist, for more than 40. Feb. 17.Jean Rouch, 86
The French film director was a pioneer in 1960s documentary style work known as "cinema verité." Feb. 18.Bart Howard, 88
"Fly Me To The Moon," the songwriter and pianist's best known composition, became famous when Peggy Lee sang it on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1960. Feb. 21.Guido Molinari, 70
Montreal abstract painter and dominant figure in Canadian art for more than five decades. Feb. 21.Vijay Anand, 71
Directed the Bollywood classics Guide, Black Market, Jewel Thief, The Third Story and Ram Balram. Feb. 23.Carl Anderson, 58
Played Judas Iscariot in Jesus Christ Superstar in the original 1971 Broadway production and in the 1973 Norman Jewison film. Feb. 23.Don Cornell, 84
Big-band singer whose string of hits during the 1950s and early 1960s included "It Isn't Fair." Feb. 23.John Randolph, 88
The Tony Award-winning actor played Roseanne's father in Roseanne and Tom Hanks' grandfather in You've Got Mail. Feb. 24.Daniel J. Boorstin, 89
The Pulitzer Prize-winning historian who wrote more than 20 history books was appointed librarian of Congress by President Ford in 1974. Feb. 28.Toni Onley, 75
An Order of Canada officer, this watercolourist painted moody, expressionist landscapes of the West Coast. Feb. 29.March
Nat Taylor, 98
Created the concept of the multiplex theatre. Produced a number of thrillers including Canada's first horror film, 1961's The Mask. Natural causes. March 1.Nancy Deale Greene, 70
Widow of Canadian actor Lorne Greene. The actress appeared in stage, screen and television productions in New York and Toronto. March 2.Mercedes McCambridge, 85
Oscar-winning actress was the voice of the demon in the 1973 smash hit The Exorcist. March 2.Frances Dee, 94
The actress achieved stardom in 1930 opposite Maurice Chevalier in The Playboy of Paris, one of the first talkie musicals. March 6.Paul Winfield, 62
Oscar-nominated actor played Diahann Carroll's boyfriend in her situation comedy Julia. In 1995 won an Emmy for his guest appearance on Picket Fences. March 7.Robert Pastorelli, 49
Played Eldin, Murphy Brown's house painter on the CBS television comedy. March 8.Jack Creley, 78
The actor was one of Toronto's biggest celebrities in the 1960s and 1970s. His acting career spanned more than five decades and included every type of entertainment: slapstick, sitcoms, Shakespeare. March 10.Dave Blood, 47
Born Dave Schulthise, he was the bassist for the Dead Milkmen, one of punk rock's top acts during the 1980s. March 10.Genevieve, 83
Born Ginette Marguerite Auger, the French singer began appearing on Jack Paar's Tonight Show in 1957. Her mangled English was a running gag on the show. March 14.John "J.J." Jackson, 62
Long-time radio station disc jockey was the first VJ on MTV. March 17.Ludmila Tcherina, 79
At age 15, the French performer was the youngest prima ballerina in the history of dance. Later became an actress and artist. March 20.Don "D.T." Thompson, 71
Tenor sax man who travelled with singer Anne Murray returned to jazz in the 1980s, often playing at George's Spaghetti House. March 21.Johnny Bristol, 65
The writer, singer and former Motown producer worked with Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. March 21.Lorand Fenyves, 86
U of T's professor emeritus of violin was a graduate of Budapest's Franz Liszt Academy of Music. In 1962 came to Canada and coached Les Jeunesses Musicales. Was a visiting lecturer at U of T's music faculty in 1965, which led to becoming professor of violin. March 23.Jan Berry, 62
Member of the California surf-music duo Jan and Dean, whose 1960s hits included Deadman's Curve and Little Old Lady From Pasadena. March 26.Jan Sterling, 82
The star of many Hollywood film noirs in the 1940s and 1950s, she was nominated for a best-actress Oscar for 1954's The High And The Mighty. March 26.Robert Merle, 95
The winner of France's highest literary honour wrote the novel that inspired the movie The Day Of The Dolphin. March 27.Sir Peter Ustinov, 82
The actor, author, director and storyteller's international career spanned six decades. Won Oscars for Spartacus (1961) and Topkapi (1965). Evil Under The Sun (1979) led to a series of performances as the super-sleuth Hercule Poirot. He played the title role in King Lear for the Stratford Festival in 1979 and 1980. In Toronto he worked on a series of TV specials including An Evening With Peter Ustinov (1995) and The Salem Witch Trials (2002), his last. March 28.Bob Copper, 89
British folk singer died four days after being made a Member of the Order of the British Empire at Buckingham Palace. March 29.Hubert Gregg, 89
After 32 years, the actor and writer was still hosting BBC Radio's musical requests program Thanks For The Memory. March 29.Alistair Cooke, 95
Supervised, helped write and narrated America, a 13-hour television survey of America history, which became the basis of his best selling book America: A Personal History Of The United States. TV audiences know him as master of ceremonies of Omnibus and later as host of Masterpiece Theatre. March 30.April
Carrie Snodgress, 57
Oscar-nominated actress for her role as the frustrated homemaker in 1970's Diary of a Mad Housewife. Also starred in Pale Rider and Wild Things. April 1.Paul Atkinson, 58
Guitarist for the British Invasion band the Zombies became a music industry executive who signed such acts as Abba and Judas Priest. April 1.Micheline Charest, 51
Co-founder of Cinar Corp., an award-winning producer of children's TV series including Caillou and Arthur. The company has been mired in scandals since 2000. April 14.Norris McWhirter, 78
Co-founded the Guinness Book Of Records with his twin brother and turned it into a best-seller. April 19.Estee Lauder, 97
Born Josephine Esther Mentzer, founded the cosmetics company Estee Lauder Inc. April 24.Hubert Selby Jr., 75
Author of Last Exit To Brooklyn made into a film in 1989, Requiem For A Dream, The Room and The Demon. April 26.May
Felix Haug, 52
Half of the band Double, whose song "The Captain Of Her Heart" was a hit in the '80s. May 1.Gilbert Lani Kauhi, 66
Aso known as "Zulu," the actor played Detective Kono Kalakaua, Jack Lord's Hawaiian sidekick on the Hawaii Five-O TV series for four seasons. May 3.Barney Kessel, 80
The jazz guitarist performed with Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum and countless others. May 6.Rudy Maugeri, 73
The Torontonian was a member of the 1950s doo-wop quartet The Crew Cuts, one of the first white groups to record black R&B songs. Their hits included the Chords' "Sh-Boom" and the Penguins' "Earth Angel." May 7.Alan King, 76
His long comedy career in nightclubs and TV expanded to film. Appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show 93 times. Had supporting roles in more than 20 films. May 9.John Whitehead, 55
R&B artist best known for the 1979 hit "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now." May 11.Syd Hoff, 91
Cartoonist for The New Yorker and illustrator of children's books. May 12.Anna Lee, 90
Her career in movies and television spanned nearly 70 years. Since 1978 she portrayed Lila Quartermaine on ABC's General Hospital. May 14.June Taylor, 86.
Emmy-winning choreographer for Jackie Gleason's TV series. May 16.Harry Elton, 74
Long-time CBC radio host died travelling in Tibet with the Canada-China Friendship Association. May 16.Tony Randall, 84
Emmy-winning actor played the fussy half of TV's The Odd Couple, which ran from 1970 to 1975. Played Rock Hudson's neurotic best friend in Pillow Talk (1959), Lover Come Back (1961) and Send Me No Flowers (1964). May 17.Joergen Nash, 84
Artist who claimed responsibility in 1963 for beheading Copenhagen's statue of the Little Mermaid. May 17.Irene Manning, 91
Classically trained signer appeared in the 1940s musicals Yankee Doodle Dandy, Shine On Harvest Moon and The Desert Song. May 28.Etienne Roda-Gil, 62
Celebrated French lyricist worked with such artists at Mort Shuman and Vanessa Paradis. Paradis' Joe Le Taxi became a worldwide hit in 1987. May 29.Robert Quine, 61
Rock guitarist, founding member of Richard Hell and the Voidoids, went on to collaborate with everyone from Lou Reed to Matthew Sweet to They Might Be Giants. May 31.June
William Manchester, 82
The historian wrote 18 books and two novels. In recent years best known for his multivolume biography of Churchill, The Last Lion. June 1.Dom Moraes, 66
Author, poet published nearly 30 books, becoming one of India's leading literary figures. June 2.Nicolai Ghiaurov, 74
Bulgarian opera singer was one of the great basses of the post-World War II era. June 2.Brian Linehan, 59
Remembered for the long-winded questions he asked stars on Citytv's interview show City Lights. The show ran 17 seasons. June 4.Nino Manfredi, 83
Italian film star appeared in some of Italy's best comedies of the 1960s and 70s. June 4.Steve Lacy, 69
Born Steven Lackritz in New York, the soprano sax man influenced John Coltrane and others. Worked with pianist/composer Thelonious Monk. June 4.Ronald Reagan, 93
His acting career spanned 30 years. Breakthrough role was in the 1940 movie Knute Rockne, All American. Biggest hit was Kings Row (1942) and best known film Bedtime For Bonzo (1951). June 5.Barbara Whiting Smith, 73
The actress appeared in such 1940s and 1950s films as Carnival In Costa Rica and Beware, My Lovely. June 9.Ray Charles, 73
Laid the foundation for soul music. Best known for the hits Georgia On My Mind - the ballad, which became the official song of his home state - and Hit The Road Jack. June 10.Jack McClelland, 81
Transformed the publishing business in Canada in 1960 by promoting Canadian authors through his family firm McClelland and Stewart. June 14.Mattie Stepanek, 13
The child poet published five books of poetry including the bestselling Heartsongs. June 22.Hugh Cave, 93
The horror author who wrote more than 800 pulp fiction stories during the 1930s and 1940s continued to publish well into his 90s. June 27.July
Marlon Brando, 80
Took up acting after being kicked out of military school. A devotee of the acting technique known as "The Method." Notable quotes from characters he played include "Hey, STELLA!" and "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse." July 1.Syreeta Wright, 58
Born Rita Wright, the singer/songwriter recorded six albums for Motown, the most notable two produced by her ex-husband Stevie Wonder. July 5.Jeff Smith, 65
Television's Frugal Gourmet had his career ruined by a sex scandal. July 7.Paula Danziger, 59
Author of more than 30 children's books including The Cat Ate My Gymsuit. July 8.Isabel Sanford, 86
Actress played the role of Louise Jefferson on TV's The Jeffersons, which ran on CBS from 1975 to 1985. July 9.Frances Hyland, 77
The Saskatchewan-born actress who acted and directed for more than 50 years was a firm favourite at the Stratford Festival. July 11.Betty Oliphant, 85
Canada's foremost ballet teacher. As director of the National Ballet School she trained Veronica Tennant, Karen Kain and Rex Harrington. July 12.Carlos Kleiber, 74
The eccentric conductor was a brilliant interpreter of opera. July 13.Arthur Kane, 55
Original bass guitarist for the 1970s punk rock group New York Dolls. July 13.Irvin "Shorty" Yeaworth, 78
Director of the 1958 sci-fi film The Blob. July 19.Jerry Goldsmith, 75
Composed movie scores for Alien, Rambo, Patton and Chinatown, which he wrote and recorded in 10 days. Won an Oscar for the music for 1976's The Omen. Also composed scores for TV shows including The Waltons and The Twilight Zone. July 21.Piero Piccioni, 82
Composed music for more than 100 movies in Italy and abroad. July 23.Andre Noble, 25
The Toronto actor who co-starred in the recent Canadian movie Sugar died accidentally near his hometown of Centreville, Nfld. July 30.Virginia Grey, 87
The actress who began her film career in 1927 with Uncle Tom's Cabin appeared in more than 100 movies and 40 TV shows. July 31.August
Henri Cartier-Bresson, 95
The French photographer, one of the greats of the 20th century was famous for capturing the "decisive moment." Aug 3.Rick James, 56
Born James Johnson Jr. in Buffalo, the funk legend is best known for the 1981 hit "Super Freak." He spent many of his early performing years in Toronto. Aug. 6.Fay Wray, 96
The King Kong actress had 11 leading roles in films in 1933. She retired from film in 1942. Aug. 8.Leon Golub, 82
The artist's work in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Tate Gallery in London depicts the horrors of war. Aug. 8.Robert "Gypsy Boots" Bootzin, 89
California fitness icon and author of Barefeet And Good Things To Eat and The Gypsy In Me appeared regularly on The Steve Allen Show in the early 1960s. Aug. 8.David Raksin, 92
ilm score composer. Best known for Laura, the theme song of the 1944 film noir. Aug. 9.Bill Martin Jr., 88
The author of hundreds of children's picture books published his first in 1945 while serving in the Army Air Force during World War II. Aug. 11.Julia Child, 91
The famous chef who popularized French cooking in North America published a two-volume Mastering The Art Of French Cooking in 1961. Her cooking show The French Chef was the first of several PBS cooking series. She co-founded the James Beard Foundation in New York in 1986 and the American Institute of Wine and Food in San Francisco in 1981. Aug 12.Neal Fredericks, 35
Cinematographer of the successful low-budget horror film The Blair Witch Project died in a plane crash while filming a movie in Florida on Aug. 14.Czeslaw Milosz, 93
Polish-American author, translator and critic won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1980. Aug. 14.Carl Mydans, 97
Life magazine photographer mostly known for his photographs of World War II. Aug. 17.Elmer Bernstein, 82
Oscar winning composer wrote the film scores for The Ten Commandments, The Magnificent Seven, To Kill A Mockingbird, The Great Escape and True Grit. Aug. 18.Charlie Waller, 69
Self-taught guitarist and vocalist founded the Country Gentlemen bluegrass band. Waller was still playing with the band, formed in 1957, until his death. Aug. 18.Al Dvorin, 81
The Elvis Presley concert announcer made the phrase "Elvis has left the building" famous. Aug. 22.Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, 78
Psychiatrist and author of the 1969 groundbreaking book On Death And Dying. Aug. 24.Laura Branigan, 47
The singer's disco hit song "Gloria" lasted 36 weeks on the pop charts, earning her the first of four Grammy nominations. Aug 26.Bob Boyer, 56
Aboriginal artist born near Prince Albert, Sask. known for his elaborate blanket designs often critiquing colonial history. Aug. 30.September
Caitlin Clarke, 52
The actress who taught drama to young people played Valerian in the movie Dragonslayer. Sept. 9.Fred Ebb, 71
Wordsmith wrote scores for such hit shows as Cabaret, Chicago and the Manhattan anthem "New York, New York." Sept. 11.Bill Glassco, 69
Co-founded the Tarragon Theatre, one of the most highly regarded theatre companies in Canada. Was Tarragon's artistic director to 1982. Sept. 13.Johnny Ramone, 55
Born John Cummings, the guitarist was a founder of the seminal punk band the Ramones. Sept. 15.Walter Stewart, 73
The journalist and author held a number of high-level positions at Maclean's magazine. Sept. 15.Russ Meyer, 82
The maverick director's cheap-thrill movies starred busty actresses who kicked ass. Sept. 18.Skeeter Davis, 72
Sang on the Grand Ole Opry radio show for more than 40 years. She hit the pop charts in 1963 with "The End Of The World." Sept. 19.Ellis L. Marsalis, Sr., 96
Patriarch of a family of world famous jazz musicians including his grandson Wynton Marsalis. Involved in the civil rights movement. Sept. 19.Francoise Sagan, 69
Controversial French author who shot to fame at age 18 with her first novel Bonjour Tristesse was an icon of 1950s intellectuals. Sept. 24.October
Bruce Palmer, 58
Bassist and co-founder of the country-rock band Buffalo Springfield moved to Belleville, Ont. after leaving the music business. Oct. 1.Richard Avedon, 81
Jimmy Durante, Brigitte Bardot, Jacques Cousteau and Andy Warhol are among the many personalities caught on film by the portrait photographer whose career spanned 60 years. Oct. 1.Janet Leigh, 77
Houdini (1954), The Perfect Furlough (1958) and Who Was That Lady? (1960) were pictures the actress made with her third husband Tony Curtis. 1980's The Fog was her last starring role. Oct. 3.Rodney Dangerfield, 82
Born Jacob Cohen, the comedian is best known for his line, "I don't get no respect." Appeared more than 70 times on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. After Caddyshack, he starred in his own movies. Oct. 5.Jacques Derrida, 74
The world-renowned French philosopher was the father of deconstructionism. Oct. 8.Christopher Reeve, 52
The unknown actor was chosen from among 200 others for the lead in the first Superman movie. Won a Screen Actors Guild award for best actor in the 1988 remake of the Hitchcock thriller Rear Window. Oct 10.Doug Bennett, 52
Lead singer of the Canadian band Doug and the Slugs, formed in 1977. Wrote a number of hits for the group including "Day By Day" and "Making it Work." Oct. 16.Anthony Hecht, 81
Poet won the Pulitzer Prize in 1968 for The Hard Hours. Oct. 20.Robert Merrill, 87
The powerful baritone was a favourite singer at the Metropolitan Opera for 30 years and also sang at New York Yankees games. Oct. 23.John Peel, 65
Legendary British disc jockey launched the careers of dozens of bands. Oct. 25.Vaughn Meader, 68
The comic/musician was the JFK mimic on The First Family parody album released in 1962. Oct. 29.Peggy Ryan, 80
Dancer/actor's most memorable movie roles were teaming with Donald O'Connor in such musicals as This Is The Life and When Johnny Comes Marching Home. In 1969 began starring in the TV police drama Hawaii Five-O as Jack Lord's secretary. Oct. 30.November
Theo van Gogh, 47
Dutch filmmakerwas great-grandnephew of Vincent van Gogh. His controversial film Submission was about the abuse of Muslim women. Nov. 2.Howard Keel, 85
The baritone romanced his way through such MGM musicals as Kiss Me Kate and Annie Get Your Gun. At 66 he became a TV star playing Clayton Farlow, husband on Miss Ellie Ewing on Dallas. Nov. 7.Iris Chang, 36
The Chinese-American author of the 1997 bestseller The Rape Of Nanking died by her own hand. She was reported missing Nov. 9.O.D.B., 35
Rap artist Russell Jones, also known as Ol' Dirty Bastard or Dirt McGirt, was a founding member of the rap group the Wu-Tang Clan. Nov. 13.Roy Thomas, 54
Aboriginal artist known for his colourful totemic images inspired a generation of younger artists. His work was exhibited at the National Art Gallery of Canada, the Museum of Civilization and Art Gallery of Ontario. Nov. 13.John Morgan, 74
The dim-witted Mike from Canmore was among the popular characters the comic played on CBC's Royal Canadian Air Farce. The troupe debuted on CBC Radio in 1973. Nov. 15.Cy Coleman, 75
The legendary New York tunesmith composed 11 original Broadway musicals including Sweet Charity and City Of Angels as well as pop hits like "Witchcraft" and "The Best Is Yet To Come." Nov. 18.Terry Melcher, 62
Doris Day's son produced albums and co-wrote the hit song "Kokomo" for the Beach Boys. Nov. 19.Tom Rivers, 57
The rebel AM radio disc jockey's dismissal from Toronto's CHUM-AM in 1982 drew headlines. He joined rival station CFTR in 1983, boosting the ratings. Nov. 20.Ron Bryden, 77
Theatre critic, former director of U of T's Graduate Centre for Study of Drama and literary advisor for the Shaw Festival for 10 years until he retired in 2002. Nov. 22.Larry Brown, 53
The author who wrote about the lives of rural southerners won the Southern Book Critics Circle Award twice. Nov. 24.Arthur Hailey, 84
Best-selling author published 11 books in 38 languages. His 1968 novel Airport made into the movie starring Burt Lancaster led the way for other disaster movies of the '70s. His novels Hotel, Wheels, The Moneychangers and Strong Medicine also became movies. Nov. 24.Joseph Hansen, 81
The mystery writer who penned more than 40 books was one of the first of his genre to create a gay lead character. Nov. 24.Philippe de Broca, 71
French director, known for his eccentric comedies, made more than 30 movies. His most popular early films included 1963's L'homme de Rio (The Man From Rio) and the 1966 anti-war film Le Roi de Coeur (The King Of Hearts). Nov. 26.John D. Barrymore, 72
Drew Barrymore's father came from a long line of actors, including his father John Barrymore. Nov. 29.Hilary Corbett, 75
Designed costumes for the Shaw Festival and for Trelawney Of The Wells staged in Toronto in 1974. In 1975 began a 20-year career as a costume designer for CBC-TV. Nov. 29.Pierre Berton, 84
Journalist and Canadian historian wrote more than 70 books with Mysterious North, Klondike and The Last Spike winning the Governor-General's literary award for non-fiction. Was made a companion of the Order of Canada. Appeared on the long-running CBC-TV show Front Page Challenge. Nov. 30.December
Larry Buchanan, 81
Creator the highly successful TV movies Mars Needs Women and Curse Of The Swamp Creature. Dec. 2.Alicia Markova, 94
Britain's first ballerina co-founded the English National Ballet. Dec. 2.Serge Lavoie, 41
The ballet master with South Carolina's Columbia City Ballet danced with Karen Kain before his career as principal dancer with the National Ballet of Canada was cut short due to injuries. Dec. 4.Jerry Scoggins, 93
Sang the theme song for The Beverly Hillbillies TV show. The song, "The Ballad Of Jed Clampett" and show were instant hits when they premiered in 1962. Dec. 7.Dawn "Break-a-Dawn' Flemming, 31
Former radio show host of Buffalo's 93.7 WBLK-FM, which served Southern Ontario listeners until Toronto's FLOW hit the airwaves in 2001. Dec. 8."Dimebag" Darrell Armstrong, 38
Co-founder and lead guitarist of Pantera, an influential, platinum-selling and Grammy-nominated heavy metal band. Later left to found Damageplan. Dec. 8.Fernando Poe, 65
The Filipino film star was the main challenger in May's presidential election in the Philippines. Dec. 14.Sidonie Goossens, 105
The BBC Symphony Orchestra's principal harpist from 1930 until she retired 50 years later was the last survivor of a distinguished musical family. Dec. 15.Agnes Martin, 92
One of the world's foremost abstract painters, the Saskatchewan-born artist's work reflected the simple life. Dec. 16.Renata Tebaldi, 82
This Italian soprano was renowned for her angelic voice, her stardom at New York's Metropolitan and Italy's La Scala and her media-fuelled rivalry with Maria Callas. Dec. 18.Tom Wesselmann, 73
This U.S. pop artist was best known for his modern take on the reclining female nude. Dec. 18.Gretchen Bender, 53
This New York video artist not only created high art, she also directed music videos and created the rapid-fire credits for America's Most Wanted, arguably ushering in the quick-edit era. Dec. 19.Tony van Bridge, 87
This veteran actor found acclaim at the Stratford Festival, the Shaw Festival and on CBC-TV. Dec. 20.Susan Sontag, 71
The voracious mind and provocative prose of this author, activist and self-defined "zealot of seriousness" made her a leading intellectual of the past half-century. Dec. 28.2004
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