Died December 7

Merv Rettenmund (1943–2024), World Series champion

Merv Rettenmund was a 13-year veteran of Major League Baseball who won two World Series rings playing with two different 1970s dynasties – the powerhouse Baltimore Orioles and Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine – then a third coaching the 1990s Oakland Athletics. 

Benjamin Zephaniah (1958–2023), poet, author, and Peaky Blinders actor

Benjamin Zephaniah was a celebrated British poet, author and playwright who regularly appeared on the period crime drama “Peaky Blinders.” 

Jim Fosgate (1937–2022), inventor of the first car stereo amplifier

Jim Fosgate was an inventor and engineer who created the first car stereo amplifier.

Johnny Johnson (1921–2022), last surviving WWII Dambuster

Johnny Johnson was the last surviving member of the Royal Air Force squadron who bombed German dams in the morale-boosting World War II Dambusters raid.

Steve Bronski (1960–2021), Bronski Beat co-founder

Steve Bronski was a co-founder of the British synthpop band Bronski Beat known for their hit song "Smalltown Boy."

Greg Tate (1957–2021), The Village Voice cultural critic

Greg Tate was a longtime cultural critic for The Village Voice as well as the founder of the band Burnt Sugar.

Doug Scott (1941–2020), trailblazing mountain climber

Doug Scott was an English mountain climber who was part of the first team to summit Mount Everest via its challenging southwest face.

Chuck Yeager (1923–2020), first human to go faster than the speed of sound

Chuck Yeager was a retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general who was the first human to break the sound barrier.

Natalie Desselle Reid (1967–2020), starred in 'B.A.P.S.'

Natalie Desselle Reid was a comic actor known for roles in "B.A.P.S." and "Madea's Big Happy Family."

Dick Allen (1942–2020), Phillies, White Sox legend

Dick Allen was a legendary slugger for the Philies and White Sox who was a seven-time All-Star.

Steve Reevis (1962 – 2017), played Shep Proudfoot in “Fargo”

Steve Reevis, the actor known for his supporting roles in “Fargo” and “Dances with Wolves,” has died, according to The Associated Press. He was 55.

Larry Steinbachek (1960–2016), Bronski Beat keyboard player

Keyboard player co-founded 1980s British synthpop band Bronski Beat.

Johannah Deakin (1973 - 2016), mother of One Direction star Louis Tomlinson

Johannah Deakin, the mother of One Direction star Louis Tomlinson, died Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016. Deakin, who had leukemia, was 43.

Greg Lake (1947–2016), Emerson, Lake & Palmer co-founder

English guitarist co-founded King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

Elizabeth Edwards: A Legacy of Caring

Elizabeth Edwards, who lost her long and public fight against breast cancer Dec. 7, 2010, didn't seek the spotlight. Instead, it found her when her husband, John, decided to run for political office. She embraced her role, becoming her husband's closest adviser during his stint in the U.S. Senate, when he was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2004, and as he sought his party's presidential nod in 2008.

Elaine Riley (1917 - 2015), actress in classic Westerns

Elaine Riley, an actress who appeared in dozens of 1940s and '50s motion pictures, has died, according to multiple news sources. Riley, who died Dec. 7, was 98.