Died 2018

Dennis Day (1942–2018), Original Disney Mouseketeer

Dennis Day was one of the original Mouseketeers, appearing on Disney's "The Mickey Mouse Club" during its first two seasons from 1955 through 1957.

Ray Sawyer (1937–2018), Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show singer

Ray Sawyer (1937–2018) was a vocalist with 1970s hit-makers Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show. The band was known for their song “The Cover of Rolling Stone,” which was written by Shel Silverstein. Other hits by the band were “Only Sixteen” and “When You’re in Love With a Beautiful Woman.”

The oldest U.S. WWII veteran has died — at 112

Richard Overton, at 112 years old, was the oldest remaining U.S. World War II veteran, the oldest man in the United States, and the third-oldest man in the world. He volunteered for the U.S. Army, serving all over the Pacific Theater in its all-black 188th Aviation Engineer Battalion. A native of Texas, Overton returned to his home state after the war and worked for the Texas Department of the Treasury.

Sister Wendy Beckett (1930–2018), nun became a BBC TV star

Sister Wendy’s art history documentaries aired on PBS in America.

Simcha Rotem (1924–2018), Warsaw ghetto uprising fighter

Resistance fighter against the Nazis in the heroic 1943 uprising.

Penny Marshall (1943–2018), filmmaker and “Laverne and Shirley” star

Penny Marshall (1943–2018) was the star of the popular sitcom, “Laverne and Shirley.” She later moved behind the camera to become an acclaimed director, helming the hit movies “Big,” “Awakenings,” and “A League of Their Own.”

Sondra Locke (1944–2018), Oscar-nominated actress

Sondra Locke, Oscar-nominated actress and frequent co-star of Clint Eastwood.

Nancy Wilson (1937–2018), award-winning song stylist

Nancy Wilson (1937–2018) was a Grammy and Emmy Award-winning singer who sang many styles of music but is most closely associated with jazz. Among her notable recordings are the 1964 hit “(You Don’t Know) How Glad I Am,” and her debut single, “Guess Who I Saw Today.” Aware of her singing talent from a young age, she transformed her gift for song into a performing and recording career that spanned more than half a century, beginning in the 1950s and extending until her retirement in the 2010s.

George H.W. Bush (1924–2018), 41st president of the United States

George Herbert Walker Bush served as president from 1989 to 1993.

Thomas Billington (1958–2018), wrestling legend known as “Dynamite Kid”

One half of former WWE tag team champions The British Bulldogs.

Ken Berry (1933 - 2018), star of the sitcom “F Troop”

Ken Berry (1933 – 2018) starred in the sitcom “F Troop” in the 1960s. Berry played Captain Parmenter on the Western themed sitcom for two years. He had a recurring role on the last season of “The Andy Griffith Show” as widowed farmer Sam Jones. That character was spun off to star on “Mayberry R.F.D.,” which ran from 1968 until 1971.

Gloria Katz (1942–2018), “American Graffiti” screenwriter

Script doctor for “Star Wars” who gave Princess Leia her strength.

Ricky Jay (1946–2018), magician and character actor

The sleight of hand master starred in “Boogie Nights”

Bernardo Bertolucci (1941–2018), Oscar-winning Italian director

Acclaimed films include “The Last Emperor” and “Last Tango in Paris.”

Vernita Lee (1935–2018), Oprah Winfrey’s mother

Vernita Lee, Oprah Winfrey’s mother, has died at the age of 83, according to multiple news sources. She died on Thanksgiving Day.

Devin Lima (1977 - 2018), LFO singer

The pop band was known for their hit song “Summer Girls”

William Goldman (1931 – 2018), Academy Award-winning screenwriter

William Goldman, the Academy Award-winning screenwriter of “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969) and “All the President's Men” (1976), died Friday, Nov. 16, 2018 in Manhattan of colon cancer and pneumonia, according to multiple news sources. He was 87.

Richard Proudfit (1929–2018), founder of Feed My Starving Children charity

Richard Proudfit founded Feed My Starving Children (FMSC), a Christian non-profit organization that sends nutritious meals to hungry children worldwide.

Roy Clark (1933-2018), “Hee Haw” star

Country music legend was a renowned guitarist.

Katherine MacGregor (1925 - 2018), Harriet Oleson on “Little House on the Prairie”

Played the gossipy neighbor of the Ingalls family.

Stan Lee (1922–2018), the great American writer who launched the Marvel Comics universe

Stan Lee, the Marvel Comics giant who created some of the most recognizable comic book heroes in history, died Monday, November 12, 2018, at the age of 95. According to multiple news sources, he died early in the morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

David Pearson (1934–2018), NASCAR’s “Silver Fox”

Hall of Fame driver, second in all-time wins.

Wally Triplett (1926–2018), pioneering NFL running back

First black player drafted in the NFL to play a regular season game.

Kitty O’Neil (1946–2018), pioneering deaf Hollywood stuntwoman

Legendary daredevil set the land speed record for female drivers.

Roy Hargrove (1969–2018), Grammy-winning visionary jazz trumpeter

Worked with Common and Erykah Badu.

Tree of Life Congregation Shooting Victims (2018)

11 people were killed, and six others wounded, when a gunman opened fire on the congregation attending services at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood on Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018. This was the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the United States, according to the Anti-Defamation League and Jewish Council for Public Affairs.

Jeffersontown Kentucky Shooting Victims (2018)

Mourning two grandparents murdered at a grocery store.

Ntozake Shange (1948–2018), pioneering black feminist poet and playwright

Wrote the influential play ‘For Colored Girls’ which won an Obie Award.

Tony Joe White (1943–2018), “Polk Salad Annie” songwriter

The “swamp rock” musician had songs recorded by Elvis Presley and Tina Turner.

James Karen (1923 - 2018), recognizable character actor

Appeared in “Poltergeist," “Wall Street,” and many other movies and TV shows.

Dorcas Reilly (1926–2018), creator of the green bean casserole

Dorcas Reilly first created the iconic green bean casserole in 1955 while working as a staff member in the kitchen at the Campbell Soup Company. Cream of Mushroom soup was a popular base for casseroles around the country, but Reilly was the first to add frozen green beans. Campbell Soup estimates that around 40 percent of their sales of cream of mushroom soup goes towards making green bean casserole.

Harry L. Ettlinger (1926 - 2018), one of World War II’s “Monuments Men”

Member of the Allied team that recovered valuable artwork stolen by the Nazis.

Joachim Roenneberg (1919–2018), Norwegian World War II hero

Leader of a daring raid that crippled Nazis’ nuclear ambitions.

Todd Bol (1956–2018), founder of the non-profit Little Free Library

Little free libraries are on front lawns in 88 countries.

Albert Lexie (1942–2018), shoe-shine man gave his tips to children’s hospital

Donated more than $200,000 to help “my kids” at children’s hospital in Pittsburgh.

Paul Allen (1953–2018), Microsoft co-founder

Started Microsoft with his childhood friend Bill Gates

Jim Taylor (1935 - 2018), Legendary Green Bay Packers fullback

Helped lead the Packers to victory in the first Super Bowl…

Hurricane Michael Victims (2018)

At least 26 people have died from the storm

Audrey Wells (1960–2018), screenwriter of “The Hate U Give”

Writer and director of “Under the Tuscan Sun.”

Tex Winter (1922–2018), genius behind the triangle offense

His innovative offense led the Bulls and Lakers to many NBA titles.

Peggy McCay (1927 – 2018), “Days of Our Lives” star

Played Caroline Brady on the soap for over 30 years.

George Taliaferro (1927–2018), first African-American player drafted by an NFL team

Three-time Pro Bowl selection played seven positions.

Scott Wilson (1942 – 2018), “The Walking Dead” actor

Veteran actor also appeared in “In Cold Blood.”

This Man's Obituary Raises a Lot of Surprising Questions

How should those who knew Rick Stein remember him?

Will Vinton (1947 – 2018), Claymation animator brought California Raisins to life

The animator behind the California Raisins, Will Vinton also coined the term Claymation.

Dave Anderson (1929–2018), longtime New York Times sports columnist

One of three sportswriters who have won a Pulitzer Prize for commentary.

Geoff Emerick (1945–2018), Beatles chief sound engineer

The man behind the board for “Revolver,” “Abbey Road,” and “Sgt. Pepper’s.”

Peggy Sue Gerron (1940–2018), inspiration for the Buddy Holly song

“Peggy Sue” was a top 3 hit song for Buddy Holly in 1957…

Otis Rush (1934–2018), Chicago blues guitar legend

Otis Rush was a legendary Chicago blues guitarist known for his fluid jazz-influenced style which came to be known in Chicago as the West Side blues sound. He was a major influence on many guitarists including Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, and Carlos Santana.