In Memorial 2015

A look back at those we lost in 2015.  Most obituaries courtesy of CNN.

January 1---Mario Cuomo (82), former Governor of the state of New York and father of current New York governor Andrew and CNN reporter Chris.

January 2---Donna Douglas (81), former actress who played Elly May Clampett on the TV series "The Beverley Hillbillies."

January 2---Little Jimmy Dickens (94), Country music star who was the oldest living member of the Grand Ole Opry.  Dickens most notable hit was "May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose."

January 3---Edward Brooke (95), former US Senator from Massachusetts who became the first African-American to be popularly elected to the seat.

January 4---Stuart Scott (49), legendary ESPN anchor whose flamboyance and colorful terms made him a must-watch on every show he was on, including "SportsCenter" and "NFL Countdown."

January 7---Rod Taylor (84), actor who starred in the Alfred Hitchcock film "The Birds."

January 8---Andrae Crouch (72), Grammy-award winning musician whose gospel music has been involved in multiple songs.  He also directed the choir for Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" and Madonna's "Like a Prayer."

January 10---Taylor Negron (57), actor and comedian who appeared in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" and "Angels in the Outfield."

January 11---Anita Ekberg (83), actress and international sex symbol who starred in the film "La Dolce Vita."

January 15---Kim Fowley (75), legendary music producer who formed the band The Runaways.

January 18---A$AP Yams (26), hip-hop artist who was one of the founding members of the group A$AP Mob.

January 19---Anne Kirkbride (60), UK actress who starred in the longtime soap opera "Coronation Street."

January 23---Ernie Banks (83), legendary MLB player who spent his whole career with the Chicago Cubs, earning the nickname "Mr. Cub."

January 24---Joe Franklin (88), longtime New York radio and TV personality who worked for WJZ, WOR and recently at Bloomberg Radio Network.

January 29---Colleen McCullough (77), Australian writer who wrote the novel "The Thorn Birds."

February 3---Charles Sifford (92), the first African-American golfer to play on the PGA tour.

February 7---Billy Casper (83), legendary golfer who won 3 major titles and 51 PGA tour events.

February 7---Dean Smith (83), legendary head College Basketball coach, most notably at the University of North Carolina.  Smith amassed 879 victories all time and, at the time of his retirement, was the all time wins leader in D1 Men's basketball history.

February 9---Ed Sabol (98), founder of "NFL Films," the company that gave fans an alternative look at the NFL both on and off the field.  Sabol was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.

February 11---Jerry Tarkanian (84), legendary head College Basketball coach, most notably at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).  During his career, Tarkanian led the "Runnin' Rebels" to the 1990 National Championship and a trip to the Final Four in 1991.

February 11---Bob Simon (73), longtime correspondent for CBS News and their long-running program "60 Minutes."

February 12---David Carr (58), longtime media columnist for the New York Times.

February 13---Gary Owens (80), former voice-over performer who was the announcer for the TV show "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In."

February 14---Philip Levine (87), former US poet laureate whose work reflected the voice and soul of blue collar Americans during the 20th century.

February 16---Lesley Gore (68), former singer who had hit songs with "You Don't Own Me" and former #1 hit "It's My Party."

February 16---Mexican Actress Lorena Rojas (44).

February 19---Harris Wittels (30), executive producer of the NBC series "Parks and Recreation."

February 21---Bruce Sinofsky (58), Oscar-nominated director of the series "West Memphis Three."  The series was about the murder conviction of three Arkansas teens that were later dismissed after there was doubt about the crime brought up in the film.

February 27---Leonard Nimoy (83), legendary actor best known for portraying Spock in the "Star Trek" series and films.

March 1---Daniel Von Bargen (64), character actor who is best known as Mr. Kruger in "Seinfeld" and a military commander in "Malcolm in the Middle."  Von Bargen may also be known as the chief of the local police station going head to head against the state troopers in the film "Super Troopers."

March 9---Sam Simon (59), former writer and producer of "The Simpsons."

March 9---Wendell D. Middlebrooks (36), former actor best known as the delivery in the Miller High Life commercials.

March 15---Mike Porcaro (59), bassist for the band Toto.

March 20---A.J. Pero (55), longtime drummer for the band Twisted Sister.

March 23---Lee Kuan Yew (91), known as the founding father of Singapore.

April 1---Cynthia Lennon (75), first wife of the late John Lennon.

April 2---Rev. Robert H Schuller (88), televangelist and founder of the Crystal Cathedral church in California.

April 3---Robert Lewis Burns Jr. (64), the original drummer for the band Lynard Skinard.

April 6---James Best (88), former actor best known for his role as sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane in the hit TV series "The Dukes of Hazzard."

April 6---Ben Powers (64), former actor who portrayed Thelma's husband, Keith Anderson, in the final season of the show "Good Times."

April 9---Richard Dysart (86), Emmy award-winning actor who played Leland McKenzie, the cranky senior partner in the series "L.A. Law."

April 13---Gunter Grass (87), Nobel literature laureate best known for his novel "The Tin Drum."

April 14---Percy Sledge (73), former singer best known for his classic hit "When a Man Loves a Woman."

April 15---Jonathan Crombie (48), actor who co-starred in the TV movie "Anne of Green Gables."

April 16---Johnny Kemp (54(or 55)), R&B singer known for the 1988 party anthem "Just Got Paid."

April 21---Mary Doyle Keefe (92), model for the Norman Rockwell photo "Rosie the Riveter."

April 27---Andrew Lesnie (59), Oscar-winning cinematographer who collaborated with Peter Jackson on the "Lord of the Rings" and "Hobbit" films.

April 27---Suzanne Crough (52), actress who portrayed Tracy, the youngest daughter of "The Partridge Family."

April 28---Jack Ely (71), co-founder of the legendary band The Kingsmen.  The band is best known for the 1963 hit "Louie, Louie."

April 30---Ben E. King (76), singer who sang the legendary love song "Stand By Me."

May 1---Grace Lee Whitney (85), actress who portrayed Yeoman Janice Rand in the "Star Trek" films and TV series.

May 5---Ellen Albertini Dow (101), the woman best known as the rapping granny in the film "The Wedding Singer."

May 6---Jim Wright (92), former house speaker whose congressional career spanned more than three decades.

May 6---Errol Brown (71), lead singer of the band Hot Chocolate, who had major hits with "You Sexy Thing" and "Every 1's a Winner."

May 9---Elizabeth Wilson (94), longtime character actor best known for playing the mother of Dustin Hoffman's character in "The Graduate."

May 14---B.B. King (89), legendary blues singer and guitarist who helped bring blues music to the mainstream.

May 20---Mary Ellen Trainor (62), actress who was in films such as "The Goonies," "Forrest Gump" and the "Lethal Weapon" franchise.

May 23---John Forbes Nash, Jr. (86), mathematician whose life was the inspiration to the film "A Beautiful Mind."  Nash and his wife were killed in a car crash.

May 23---Anne Meara (85), comedian who was one half of the comedy duo "Stiller and Meara" with her husband Jerry Stiller.  Meara is also the mother of actor Ben Stiller.

May 27---Marselis Parsons (70), longtime anchor and reporter for Vermont television station WCAX.

May 29---Betsy Palmer (88), actress who starred as the mother-turned-murderer in "Friday the 13th."

May 30---Joseph "Beau" Biden III (46), attorney general of Delaware and son of Vice President Joe Biden.

June 6---Ronnie Gilbert (88), singer with the 1950s folk group The Weavers.

June 6---Vincent Bugliosi (80), former Los Angeles prosecutor who wrote the book "Helter Skelter" about the Manson family killings.

June 7---Christopher Lee (93), legendary actor who portrayed Count Dracula and a Bond villain in "The Man with the Golden Gun."  Lee later played the role of Samuran in the "Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" films.

June 11---Ornette Coleman (85), saxophonist whose experimental sounds helped create what he called "Free Jazz."

June 11---Virgil Runnels (69), Hall of Fame professional wrestler better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes.  Rhodes had been working with WWE as a coach in the NXT developmental program and both his sons Dustin (Goldust) and Cody (Stardust) are still competing in the company.

June 22---James Horner (61), Academy Award winning composer who was best known for scoring the hit film "Titanic."

June 23---Dick Van Patten (86), actor best known as the father on the TV show "Eight is Enough."

June 25---Patrick Macnee (93), British actor who starred in the 1960s TV series "The Avengers."

June 27---Chris Squire (67), bassist and co-founder of the rock group Yes.

July 2---Charlie Sanders (68), hall of fame football player who spent all 10 of his seasons in the NFL with the Detroit Lions.

July 3---Diana Douglas Webster (92), first wife of legendary actor Kirk and mother of actor Michael Douglas.

July 3---Amanda Peterson (43), former actress best known for her role opposite Patrick Dempsey in the film "Can't Buy Me Love."

July 6---Jerry Weintraub (77), producer of the famed "Ocean Eleven" movies.

July 8---Irwin Keyes (63), character actor from films such as "Intolerable Cruelty" and "Night of 1,000 Corpses."

July 10---Omar Sharif (83), legendary actor best known for his role alongside Peter O'Toole in "Lawrence of Arabia."

July 10---Roger Rees (71), actor known for his roles in "Cheers" and "The West Wing."

July 18---Alex Rocco (79), character actor best known for his role as a mobster and Las Vegas casino owner in the hit movie "The Godfather."

July 18---George Coe (86), actor who was part of "Saturday Night Live's" Not Ready for Prime Time Players.

July 30---Lynn Anderson (67), legendary singer who topped the country charts with her song "(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden."

July 31---"Rowdy" Roddy Piper (61), legendary pro wrestler known for his rivalry with Hulk Hogan and talk show "Piper's Pit."

August 7---Louise Suggs (91), one of the founders of the Ladies Professional Golfers Association (LPGA).

August 9---Frank Gifford (84), former NFL player for the New York Giants who later became one of the lead broadcasters during the start of ABC's "Monday Night Football" in 1970.  Gifford held that post until the late 1990s and is also the husband of Kathie Lee Gifford.

August 15---Julian Bond (75), civil rights activist and former chairman of the NAACP.

August 16---Emma Didlake (110), recognized as the country's oldest known living veteran.  Didlake was honored by President Obama just before her passing.

August 17---Yvonne Craig (78), former actress best known as Batgirl in the "Batman" TV series.

August 24---Justin Wilson (37), IndyCar driver who died after an incident during a race at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania,

August 25---Dr. James "Red" Duke, Jr. (86), Texas surgeon who was on duty at the hospital John F. Kennedy was taken to after his assassination.

August 26---Amelia Boynton Robinson (104), known as the Matriarch of the Civil Rights movement.

August 27---Darryl Dawkins (58), longtime NBA center known as "Chocolate Thunder" for his emphatic dunks during his playing days.

August 28---Kyle Jean-Baptiste (21), Broadway actor who became the first African-American to play the lead role in the production of "Les Miserables."

August 30---Oliver Sacks (82), Acclaimed author and neurologist who wrote about his battle with cancer.

August 30---Wes Craven (76), legendary Horror film director whose work includes the "Nightmare on Elm Street" and "Scream" series.

August 30---Brad Anderson (91), creator of the comic strip "Marmaduke."

September 1---Dean Jones (84), actor who starred in the Disney films "That Darn Cat" and "The Love Bug."

September 6---Martin Milner (83), actor who starred in the TV series "Adam 12" and "Route 66."

September 7---Dickie Moore (89), child star who appeared in the "Our Gang" series of shorts.

September 11---Kerry Simon (60), restaurateur and alumni of the hit series "Iron Chef."

September 13---Moses Malone (60), longtime NBA player who won 3 MVP titles, 1 NBA championship and was the first player drafted in the NBA out of High School.

September 13---Gary Richrath (65), longtime guitarist for the band REO Speedwagon.

September 19---Jackie Collins (77), best-selling author of books such as "Hollywood Wives," "Rock Star" and "The Stud."

September 20---Jack Larson (87), former actor best known as Jimmy Olsen in the early TV version of "Superman."

September 22---Yogi Berra (90), legendary MLB catcher and coach/manager who guided the Yankees to 10 world championships as a player.  Berra is one of only a few men to manage both New York team (Yankees and Mets) and is best known for his "Yogi-isms" like "It ain't over 'til it's over."

September 28---Catherine Coulson (71), former actress best known as the "Log Lady" in the TV series "Twin Peaks."

October 6---Billy Joe Royal (73), former singer who is best known for his 1965 hit song "Down in the Boondocks."

October 8---Paul Prudhomme (75), famed chef who owned the New Orleans-based restaurant K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen.

October 15---Ken Taylor (81), former Canadian ambassador who was best known for his role in the Iran hostage crisis.

October 20---Cory Wells (74), one of the three singers for the band Three Dog Night.  The band had chart-topping hits like "Joy to the World" and "Shambala."

October 24---Maureen O'Hara (95), legendary actress who was best known as the mother of Natalie Wood's character in "Miracle on 34th Street."

October 25---Phil "Flip" Saunders (60), NBA head coach who recently coached the Minnesota Timberwolves.  Saunders died from cancer days before the team's season opener.

October 30---Al Molinaro (96), former actor who played Big Al Delvecchio in the TV series "Happy Days."

November 1---Fred Thompson (73), former senator and presidential candidate from the state of Tennessee.  Thompson was also a former actor who starred as the District Attorney Arthur Branch in the TV series "Law and Order" and it's "SVU" spin-off.

November 2---Barbara Snelling (87), former Vermont Lieutenant Governor and widow of former Vermont Governor Richard Snelling.

November 4---Melissa Mathison (65), screenwriter for "E.T.:  The Extra Terrestrial" and ex-wife of Harrison Ford.

November 7---Gunnar Hansen (68), former actor known for his role as Leatherface in the original version of Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

November 9---Allen Toussaint (77), legendary R&B singer/songwriter who collaborated/recorded songs with the Rolling Stones, Glen Campbell and Elvis Costello.

November 9---Tommy Hanson (29), former baseball pitcher who played for the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels.

November 16---David Canary (77), actor whose roles included Candy in the TV western "Bonanza" and as Adam and Stuart Chandler in the soap opera "All My Children."

December 3---Scott Weiland (48), lead singer of the music groups Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver.

December 4---Robert Loggia (85), legendary actor who had roles alongside Al Pacino in Scarface and Tom Hanks in Big.

December 10---Dolph Schayes (87), known as one of the first superstars in the NBA.

December 19---Kurt Masur (89), legendary music conductor of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

December 27---Dave Henderson (57), former MLB outfielder who helped the Boston Red Sox make the World Series in 1986.  Henderson would help the Oakland Athletics win the World Series in 1989.

December 27---George Lemon (83), better known as Meadowlark Lemon during his time with the Harlem Globetrotters.  Lemon was known as the "Clown Prince of Basketball" as a member of the team.

December 28---Lemmy Kilmister (70), legendary frontman for the band Motorhead.

December 31---Wayne Rogers (82), actor best known as "Trapper John" McIntyre in the TV series "M*A*S*H."

December 31---Natalie Cole (65), Grammy award-winning singer and daughter of legendary singer Nat King Cole.