Notable people who died between Jan 1 and Dec. 25

JANUARY

Erich Kaestner, 107. Believed to be Germany's last World War I veteran. Jan. 1.

Dr. Pramod Karan Sethi, 80. Inventor of low-cost artificial foot that helped millions in developing nations. Jan. 6.

Philip Agee, 72. Renegade CIA agent whose naming of operatives led to law against exposing spies. Jan. 7.

Sir Edmund Hillary, 88. Conquered Mount Everest; one of 20th century's greatest adventurers. Jan. 11.

Richard Knerr, 82. Co-founded Wham-O toy company that popularized Hula-Hoop, Frisbee. Jan. 14.

Dr. Judah Folkman, 74. Researcher who worked to cut off cancer from its blood supply, giving hope for a cure. Jan. 14.

Bobby Fischer, 64. Reclusive chess genius who dethroned Soviet champion in 1972. Jan. 17.

Suzanne Pleshette, 70. Beautiful, husky-voiced actress; sardonic wife on "The Bob Newhart Show." Jan. 19.

Kenneth Eugene Parnell, 76. Notorious California child molester; held young Steven Stayner for years. Jan. 20.

Richard Darman, 64. White House budget director; helped persuade first President Bush to compromise on new taxes. Jan. 25.

George Habash, 81. His PLO faction gained notoriety for 1970 hijackings of four Western airliners. Jan. 26.

Suharto, 86. Indonesian president, a Cold War U.S. ally whose brutal regime killed hundreds of thousands. Jan. 27.

Gordon B. Hinckley, 97. Led Mormon church during major period of expansion. Jan. 27.

FEBRUARY

Earl L. Butz, 98. U.S. agriculture secretary; forced out in 1976 over racist joke. Feb. 2.

Harry Richard Landis, 108. One of two surviving U.S. veterans of World War I. Feb. 4.

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, around 91. Beatles' guru; introduced transcendental meditation to West. Feb. 5.

Roy Scheider, 75. Two-time Oscar nominee ("The French Connection," "All That Jazz"); police chief in "Jaws." Feb. 10.

Rep. Tom Lantos, 80. 14-term California congressman; forceful voice for human rights. Feb. 11.

Evan Mecham, 83. Firebrand Arizona governor; removed in 1988 impeachment trial. Feb. 21.

William F. Buckley Jr., 82. Erudite author, editor; helped revive conservative movement. Feb. 27.

MARCH

Gary Gygax, 69. Co-created Dungeons & Dragons; father of role-playing games. March 4.

Joseph Weizenbaum, 85. Computer programmer; helped advance artificial intelligence. March 5.

Former Sen. Howard Metzenbaum, 90. Liberal Ohio Democrat who challenged big business. March 12.

Anthony Minghella, 54. Oscar-winning director, turned literary works ("The English Patient") into acclaimed movies. March 18. Hemorrhage.

Paul Scofield, 86. British actor; won Oscar for "A Man for All Seasons." March 19.

Arthur C. Clarke, 90. Visionary science-fiction writer ("2001: A Space Odyssey,") March 19.

Richard Widmark, 93. Hollywood leading man; made sensational debut as a giggling killer ("Kiss of Death.") March 24.

APRIL

John A. Wheeler, 96. Physicist; coined "black holes." April 13.

Edward Lorenz, 90. Father of chaos theory, "butterfly effect" concept. April 16.

Albert Hofmann, 102. Discoverer of LSD, which inspired — and arguably corrupted — millions in 1960s. April 29.

MAY

Deborah Jeane Palfrey, 52. "D.C. Madam" convicted of running elite prostitution ring. May 1. Suicide.

Mildred Loving, 68. Black woman whose challenge to Virginia's interracial marriage ban led to landmark ruling. May 2.

Irvine Robbins, 90. Co-founded Baskin-Robbins, brought exotic ice cream to every corner of America. May 5.

Eddy Arnold, 89. Country singer known for his mellow baritone ("Make the World Go Away.") May 8.

Robert Mondavi, 94. Vintner who helped Napa Valley become a wine-lovers' mecca. May 16.

Huntington Hartford, 97. A&P grocery heir; burned through most of $100 million fortune. May 19.

Hamilton Jordan, 63. Political strategist; helped Jimmy Carter win presidency. May 20.

Dick Martin, 86. Zany co-host of "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In," which took television by storm in 1960s. May 24.

J.R. Simplot, 99. Idaho's billionaire potato king. May 25.

Sydney Pollack, 73. Oscar-winning director, a Hollywood mainstay ("Tootsie," "Out of Africa."). May 26.

Harvey Korman, 81. Emmy winner for "The Carol Burnett Show"; conniving politician in "Blazing Saddles." May 29.

JUNE

Yves Saint Laurent, 71. One of most influential fashion designers of the 20th century. June 1.

Bo Diddley, 79. Founding father of rock 'n' roll, known for "shave and a haircut, two bits" rhythm. June 2.

Jim McKay, 86. "Wide World of Sports" host; told Americans about killings at 1972 Olympics. June 7.

Cyd Charisse, 86. Dancer turned actress; starred in musicals with Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly. June 17.

George Carlin, 71. The dean of counterculture comedians who taught us "Seven Words You Can Never Say On TV." June 22.

JULY

Larry Harmon, 83. Turned Bozo the Clown into a show-business staple. July 3.

Former Sen. Jesse Helms, 86. A champion of conservatism who spent three decades in Congress. July 4.

Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, 99. Heart surgeon who pioneered procedures such as bypass surgery. July 11.

Tony Snow, 53. White House press secretary who cheerfully sparred with reporters. July 12. Colon cancer.

Bruce E. Ivins, 62. Army scientist named as top suspect in 2001 anthrax attacks. July 29. Suicide.

Anne Armstrong, 80. Advanced women's role in GOP, was ambassador to Britain. July 30.

AUGUST

Alexander Solzhenitsyn, 89. Nobel-winning Russian author who chronicled Stalin's slave labor camps. Aug. 3.

Isaac Hayes, 65. Soul crooner who laid groundwork for disco; won Oscar, Grammy for "Theme From Shaft." Aug. 10.

Bill Gwatney, 48. Arkansas Democratic chairman. Aug. 13. Shot by intruder.

Jerry Wexler, 91. Record producer; coined "rhythm and blues," worked with Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles. Aug. 15.

Gene Upshaw, 63. Football star; leader of NFL players union. Aug. 20.

SEPTEMBER

W.D. Mohammed, 74. Succeeded his father as Nation of Islam leader. Sept. 9.

David Foster Wallace, 46. Author famed for complex, darkly witty works ("Infinite Jest.") Sept. 12. Suicide.

Norman Whitfield, 67. Motown songwriter, producer ("I Heard It Through the Grapevine.") Sept. 16.

OCTOBER

Joerg Haider, 58. Made his rightist party into powerful force in Austria. Oct. 11. Car accident.

Levi Stubbs, 72. Dynamic Four Tops frontman ("Baby I Need Your Loving.") Oct. 17.

George Keller, 84. Oversaw 1984 formation of energy giant Chevron. Oct. 17.

Mr. Blackwell, 86. Designer whose worst-dressed list skewered fashion felonies. Oct. 19.

Studs Terkel, 96. Broadcaster, Pulitzer-winning author; celebrated the common people. Oct. 31.

NOVEMBER

Madelyn Payne Dunham, 86. Barack Obama's grandmother, who helped rear him. Nov. 2.

Steve Fossett, 63. Millionaire adventurer who vanished during 2007 flight. Death confirmed Nov. 3.

Michael Crichton, 66. Author whose books became blockbuster films ("Jurassic Park.") Nov. 4.

John Leonard, 69. Literary critic; championed future Nobel winners Toni Morrison, Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Nov. 5.

Miriam Makeba, 76. South African singer who wooed the world with her sultry voice. Nov. 10.

Cecil Underwood, 86. Elected West Virginia governor in 1956 — and again in 1996. Nov. 24.

William Gibson, 94. Playwright; dramatized Helen Keller's story in "The Miracle Worker." Nov. 25.

The Rev. George M. Docherty, 97. His 1954 sermon got "under God" into Pledge of Allegiance. Nov. 27.

DECEMBER

Odetta, 77. Folk singer with powerful voice who inspired civil-rights marchers. Dec. 2.

Forrest J Ackerman, 92. Editor, literary agent; credited with coining term "sci-fi." Dec. 4.

Patriarch Alexy II, 79. Russian Orthodox Church head; oversaw post-Soviet era's religious revival. Dec. 5.

Martha "Sunny" von Bulow, 76. Comatose heiress; husband was acquitted of attempted murder. Dec. 6.

Bettie Page, 85. Beauty who daringly bared it all in the strait-laced '50s. Dec. 11.

Van Johnson, 92. Boy-next-door Hollywood star ("30 Seconds Over Tokyo."). Dec. 12.

Cardinal Avery Dulles, 90. First U.S. theologian to become a Roman Catholic cardinal. Dec. 12.

Sammy Baugh, 94. Hall of Fame Washington Redskins quarterback; revolutionized use of forward pass. Dec. 17.

W. Mark Felt, 95. FBI second-in-command who revealed himself as "Deep Throat" 30 years after Watergate. Dec. 18.

Paul Weyrich, 66. Activist who helped turn social conservatives into GOP force. Dec. 18.

Robert Mulligan, 83. Academy Award-nominated director of "To Kill a Mockingbird"; later helped launch Reese Witherspoon's career. Dec. 20.

Harold Pinter, 78. British Nobel laureate who produced some of his generation's most influential dramas and later became a staunch critic of the U.S.-led war in Iraq. Dec. 24.

Eartha Kitt, 81. A sultry singer, dancer and actress who rose from South Carolina cotton fields to become an international symbol of elegance and sensuality. Dec. 25.