2007 notable deaths

A | Robert Adler, 93. Co-inventor of the TV remote, the 1956 Zenith Space Command. Feb. 15.

Ralph Alpher, 86. Physicist; did key work on underpinnings of the "Big Bang" theory. Aug. 12.

Michelangelo Antonioni, 94. Italian filmmaker whose depiction of modern-day malaise made him a symbol of art-house cinema ("Blow-Up," "L'Avventura"). July 30.

Brooke Astor, 105. Philanthropist gave millions to New York City institutions, large and small. Aug. 13.

Warren Avis, 92. Founded Avis Rent A Car. April 24.

B | John Backus, 82. Developer of Fortran programming language that changed how people interacted with computers. March 17.

Enrico Banducci, 85. His San Francisco nightclub, the hungry i, hosted comedians such as Mort Sahl. Oct. 9.

William Becker, 85. Co-founded the Motel 6 chain. April 2.

Maurice Bejart, 80. Avant-garde French choreographer. Nov. 22.

Chris Benoit, 40. World Wrestling Entertainment star. Found June 25; apparent suicide after killing wife, 7-year-old son.

Ingmar Bergman, 87. Swedish filmmaker; one of the greatest in cinema history ("The Seventh Seal," "Cries and Whispers"). July 30.

Benazir Bhutto, 54. Pakistan opposition leader and former prime minister; assassinated after a campaign rally. Dec. 27.

Joey Bishop, 89. Stone-faced TV and nightclub comedian; last of the Rat Pack. Oct. 17.

Peg Bracken, 89. Wrote hugely popular "I Hate to Cook Book." Oct. 20.

Teresa Brewer, 76. Singer topped the charts in the 1950s ("Till I Waltz Again With You"). Oct. 17.

Art Buchwald, 81. Pulitzer-winning humorist who skewered Washington's elite. Jan. 17.

Lew Burdette, 80. MVP of the 1957 World Series when he pitched for the Milwaukee Braves. Feb. 6.

C | Dr. J. Robert Cade, 80. Inventor of Gatorade. Nov. 27.

Liz Claiborne, 78. Her fashion designs became a cornerstone of career women's wardrobes. June 26.

Regine Crespin, 80. French opera great. July 5.

The Rev. John H. Cross Jr., 82. Pastor of church in Birmingham, Ala., where four girls died in a 1963 racist bombing. Nov. 15.

William Crowe, 82. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, ambassador to Britain. Oct. 18.

D | Barbara West Dainton, 96. Englishwoman believed to be one of the last two survivors from the Titanic. Oct. 16.

Michael K. Deaver, 69. Adviser to Ronald Reagan who directed the president's picturesque public appearances. Aug. 18.

Yvonne De Carlo, 84. The vampire mom on "The Munsters." Jan. 8.

Vincent DeDomenico, 92. Co-inventor of Rice-A-Roni, famed for catchy TV jingle. Oct. 18.

Calvert DeForest, 85. Played bespectacled nebbish Larry "Bud" Melman on David Letterman's shows. March 19.

Harry Dent, 77. Former top adviser to President Nixon; helped him win the South. Sept. 28.

Baron Guy de Rothschild, 98. Managed his family's French banking empire. June 12.

Denny Doherty, 66. Member of 1960s folk-rock group the Mamas and the Papas ("California Dreamin' "). Jan. 19.

The Rev. Robert Drinan, 86. Priest who represented Massachusetts in the U.S. House during the 1970s. Jan. 28.

Lucky Dube, 43. South African reggae star. Oct. 18. Shot in apparent carjacking attempt.

E | Thomas Eagleton, 77. Former senator who resigned as George McGovern's running mate in 1972 after it was revealed he had been hospitalized for depression. March 4.

Bob Evans, 89. Created namesake restaurant chain. June 21.

F | The Rev. Jerry Falwell, 73. Evangelist used the power of television to transform the religious right into a mighty political force. May 15.

Gianfranco Ferre, 62. Italian designer known as "architect of fashion." June 17.

Bill Flemming, 80. Longtime ABC Sports broadcaster. July 20.

Dan Fogelberg, 56. Singer-songwriter's hits "Leader of the Band" and "Same Old Lang Syne" helped define the soft-rock era. Dec. 16.

Bill France Jr., 74. Transformed NASCAR from a small Southern sport into a billion-dollar conglomerate. June 4.

G | Ernest Gallo, 97. With his brother, he built the world's largest winemaking empire. March 6.

Alice Ghostley, 81. Tony-winning actress ("The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window"). Sept. 21.

Robert Goulet, 73. Baritone made Broadway debut in "Camelot"; won Tony in 1968 for "The Happy Time." Oct. 30.

Ruth Graham, 87. The Rev. Billy Graham's closest confidante, providing a solid foundation for her husband's evangelism career. June 14.

Merv Griffin, 82. Singer turned TV host turned impresario who parlayed game shows into a multimillion-dollar empire. Aug. 12.

George Grizzard, 79. Tony-winning Broadway actor ("A Delicate Balance"). Oct. 2.

H | Stanley Myron Handelman, 77. Comic known for subtle humor, trademark oversized glasses. Aug. 5.

Johnny Hart, 76. Cartoonist whose "B.C." showed the Stone Age's humorous side. April 7.

Kitty Carlisle Hart, 96. Singer-actress; career spanned Broadway, opera, television and film (the Marx Brothers' "A Night at the Opera"). April 17.

Bill Hartack, 74. Hall of Fame jockey; one of only two to win five Kentucky Derbys. Nov. 26.

Lee Hazlewood, 78. Singer, songwriter; produced Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'." Aug. 4.

Leona Helmsley, 87. Ran a $5 billion real-estate empire with her husband but became known as the "queen of mean" during her 1989 tax-evasion trial. Aug. 20.

Don Herbert, 89. Television's "Mr. Wizard." June 12.

Silvestre Herrera, 90. Awarded Medal of Honor for a one-man assault on an enemy position during World War II. Nov. 26.

Don Ho, 76. Hawaiian crooner ("Tiny Bubbles"); entertained tourists. April 14.

The Rev. Rex Humbard, 88. His televangelism ministry once spanned the globe. Sept. 21.

E. Howard Hunt, 88. Helped organize the Watergate break-in. Jan. 23.

Betty Hutton, 86. Singer-actress who brought brassy vitality to Hollywood musicals ("Annie Get Your Gun"). March 11.

Henry Hyde, 83. Illinois congressman steered impeachment proceedings against President Clinton. Nov. 29.

I | Molly Ivins, 62. Best-selling author, columnist; a sharp-witted liberal who referred to President Bush as "Shrub." Jan. 31.

J | Richard Jewell, 44. Former security guard wrongly linked to 1996 Olympic bombing in Atlanta. Aug. 29.

K | The Rev. D. James Kennedy, 76. Megachurch pastor; prominent Christian broadcaster. Sept. 5.

Deborah Kerr, 86. Actress who kissed Burt Lancaster on a beach in "From Here to Eternity" and danced with Yul Brynner in "The King and I." Oct. 16.

Michael Kidd, 92 (though often listed as 88). Choreographer's joyously athletic dances for ballet, Broadway and Hollywood won him five Tony Awards and an Oscar. Dec. 23.

Roger M. King, 63. CBS and King World Productions executive; helped bring such stars as Oprah Winfrey to television. Dec. 8.

Yolanda King, 51. Actress and activist; daughter of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. May 15.

Irene Morgan Kirkaldy, 90. A black woman whose refusal to give up her bus seat led to a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in the 1940s. Aug. 10.

Evel Knievel, 69. Motorcycle daredevil known for spectacular jumps and bone-crushing crashes. Nov. 30.

Teddy Kollek, 95. Six-term mayor of Jerusalem; tried to balance needs of Jewish and Arab populations. Jan. 2.

Hilly Kristal, 75. His Manhattan club CBGB served as birthplace of punk rock. Aug. 28.

Bowie Kuhn, 80. Baseball commissioner during development of free agency, multimillion-dollar contracts. March 15.

L | Frankie Laine, 93. Big-voiced singer; one of the most popular entertainers of the 1950s ("That Lucky Old Sun"). Feb. 6.

Madeleine L'Engle, 88. Author who captivated children with "A Wrinkle in Time." Sept. 6.

Ira Levin, 78. Best-selling novelist ("Rosemary's Baby," "The Boys From Brazil"). Nov. 12.

Sol LeWitt, 78. Influential abstract painter, sculptor. April 8.

Charles W. Lindberg, 86. Helped raise first American flag over Iwo Jima. June 24.

M | Paul MacCready, 81. Designed the Gossamer Condor flying machine, which in 1977 made the first sustained, controlled flight powered solely by human muscle. Aug. 28.

Norman Mailer, 84. The pugnacious prince of American letters. Nov. 10.

Tommy Makem, 74. Irish singer; starred with the Clancy Brothers during the folk-music boom. Aug. 1.

Marcel Marceau, 84. French master of pantomime who transformed silence into poetry. Sept. 22.

Doug Marlette, 57. Pulitzer-winning editorial cartoonist, creator of comic strip "Kudzu." July 10. Car accident.

Barbara McNair, 72. Pioneering black singer-actress; had her own TV variety show. Feb. 4.

Gian Carlo Menotti, 95. Pulitzer-winning Italian composer ("The Consul," "Amahl and the Night Visitors"); founded Spoleto arts festivals. Feb. 1.

Tammy Faye Messner, 65. Helped then-husband Jim Bakker build a TV evangelism empire that later collapsed in disgrace. July 20.

N | Barry Nelson, 89. MGM contract player; later first actor to play James Bond on screen. April 7.

Joe Nuxhall, 79. Youngest major-leaguer ever at age 15; later a Cincinnati sportscaster. Nov. 15.

O | Al Oerter, 71. Discus great who won gold medals in four Olympics. Oct. 1.

Tillie Olsen, 94. Influential feminist author ("Tell Me a Riddle"). Jan. 1.

Sembene Ousmane, 84. Father of Senegalese cinema; one of the pioneers of the art in Africa. June 9.

P | Grace Paley, 84. Acclaimed poet and short-story writer. Aug. 22.

Oscar Peterson, 82. Jazz piano virtuoso became one of the most-recorded and honored jazz pianists of all time. Dec. 23.

Abbe Pierre, 94. Beloved French priest praised for devotion to the needy. Jan. 22.

Carlo Ponti, 94. Italian producer who discovered — and married — Sophia Loren. Jan. 9.

Tom Poston, 85. The tall, pasty-faced TV comic whose characters were clueless ("Newhart"). April 30.

Alan Pottasch, 79. Pepsi exec whose '60s ads dubbed baby boomers "the Pepsi Generation." July 27.

Q | Milo Radulovich, 81. Serviceman championed by Edward R. Murrow when the military threatened to decommission him during the anti-communist crackdown of the 1950s. Nov. 19.

Boots Randolph, 80. His spirited saxophone made "Yakety Sax" a hit. July 3.

Charles Nelson Reilly, 76. Tony Award winner; known for ribald TV game-show appearances. May 25.

Phil Rizzuto, 89. Hall of Fame Yankee shortstop; sportscaster much loved for exclaiming "Holy cow!" Aug. 13.

Max Roach, 83. Jazz drummer whose rhythmic innovations defined bebop. Aug. 15.

Eddie Robinson, 88. Longtime Grambling coach; transformed small college into a football power. April 3.

Anita Roddick, 64. Founded eco-friendly beauty retailer The Body Shop. Sept. 10.

Catherine Roraback, 87. Attorney who won 1965 Supreme Court that established the right to contraceptives and privacy. Oct. 17.

Mstislav Rostropovich, 80. Ebullient master cellist who fought for the rights of Soviet-era dissidents. April 27.

S | Herbert Saffir, 90. Engineer; created the five-category system to describe hurricane strength. Nov. 21.

Vincent Sardi Jr., 91. Consummate host of Sardi's, famed Broadway watering hole. Jan. 4.

Walter M. Schirra Jr. , 84. An original Mercury Seven astronaut, who combined the Right Stuff with a pronounced rebellious streak. May 3.

Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., 89. Pulitzer-winning historian; Kennedy administration "court philosopher." Feb. 28.

Mohammad Zahir Shah, 92. Afghanistan's last king, who oversaw four decades of peace before a 1973 coup. July 23.

Sidney Sheldon, 89. Stage and screen writer-turned-best-selling novelist ("The Other Side of Midnight"). Jan. 30.

Joel Siegel, 63. "Good Morning America" movie critic. June 29.

Beverly Sills , 78. Opera diva with a dazzling voice, bubbly personality. July 2.

Ian Smith, 88. Rhodesia's last white prime minister; his attempts to resist black rule brought isolation and civil war. Nov. 20.

Roger B. Smith, 82. Led General Motors; was subject of Michael Moore's documentary "Roger & Me." Nov. 29.

Tom Snyder, 71. Late-late night TV talk-show host with a robust laugh, trademark cloud of cigarette smoke. July 29.

Darryl Stingley, 55. New England Patriots player paralyzed during on-field collision in 1978. April 5. Complications of paralysis.

T | Iwao Takamoto, 81. Animator who created Scooby-Doo. Jan. 8.

Paul Tibbets, 92. Piloted the B-29 that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Nov. 1.

Betty Trezza, 81. Player in World War II-era women's baseball league immortalized in "A League of Their Own." Jan. 16.

Walter Turnbull, 62. Founded acclaimed Boys Choir of Harlem. March 23.

Ike Turner, 76. Role as one of rock's critical architects was overshadowed by his ogrelike image as the man who brutally abused former wife Tina Turner. Dec. 12.

U | Miyoshi Umeki, 78. Oscar-winning actress ("Sayonara"). Aug. 28.

V | Jack Valenti, 85. Film-industry lobbyist; instituted modern movie-ratings system. April 26.

Butch van Breda Kolff, 84. Led the Los Angeles Lakers to two NBA finals appearances, won 482 games as a college coach. Aug. 22.

Guy Vander Jagt, 75. 13-term Michigan congressman; led House GOP election strategy. June 22.

Kurt Vonnegut, 84. Novelist who captured the absurdity of the world in darkly humorous works such as "Slaughterhouse-Five." April 11.

Werner von Trapp, 91. Member of singing family made famous by "The Sound of Music." Oct. 11.

W | Porter Wagoner, 80. Grand Ole Opry star; helped launch the career of Dolly Parton. Oct. 28.

Kurt Waldheim, 88. U.N. secretary-general; Austrian president; was revealed to have been in German army unit that committed atrocities in World War II. June 14.

Bill Walsh, 75. San Francisco 49ers coach; won three Super Bowls. July 30.

Helen Robson Walton, 87. Widow of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton; philanthropist. April 19.

Nina Wang, 69. Hong Kong businesswoman; one of world's richest women. April 3.

Dick Wilson, 91. Played the fussy, mustachioed grocer who begged customers "Please, don't squeeze the Charmin." Nov. 19.

Jane Wyman, 90. Won Oscar as deaf rape victim in "Johnny Belinda"; later in TV's "Falcon Crest." Ronald Reagan's ex-wife. Sept. 10.

Y | Yahweh Ben Yahweh, 71. Former cult leader in Miami linked to nearly two dozen gruesome killings in the 1980s. May 7.