Bill Cobbs (1934–2024), actor known for Night at the Museum

Bill Cobbs was an actor known for many of his nearly 200 roles on film and TV, including parts in “Night at the Museum,” “Demolition Man,” “The Bodyguard,” “The West Wing,” and "I’ll Fly Away.” 

Sika Anoa’i (1945–2024), WWE Hall of Famer

Sika Anoa’i was a professional wrestler best known as half of the Wild Samoans tag team and the father of current WWE superstar Roman Reigns.

John Goodenough (1922–2023), Nobel-winning lithium-ion battery creator

John Goodenough was a scientist who won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work in the creation of the rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

Sam Gilliam (1933–2022), pioneering abstract artist

Sam Gilliam was an artist known for his groundbreaking work in abstract paintings on draped canvas.

Jack Ingram (1936–2021), NASCAR’s “Iron Man”

Jack Ingram was a NASCAR Hall of Famer known as “The Iron Man,” who won Xfinity Series championships in 1982 and 1985.

Siya Kakkar (2020), TikTok star

Siya Kakkar was a TikTok star from India with over a million followers who was known for her Indian music and dance videos.   

Joe Sinnott (1926–2020), one of the definitive Marvel Comics artists

Joe Sinnott was a comic artist who helped define the look of Marvel Comics with his work on “The Fantastic Four.”  

Russ Ewing (1923–2019), fearless Chicago TV news reporter

Russ Ewing was a longtime fearless Chicago TV news reporter who persuaded more than 100 criminal suspects to surrender. Ewing was a Chicago firefighter who then became a TV reporter, first working with Chicago station WMAQ and later with WLS. He became a trusted figure on the Chicago streets, and many criminals trusted Ewing to bring them in safely to the police. In 1975, Ewing and newspaper publisher Gus Savage talked two men into surrendering after they robbed a currency exchange and held two women hostage. Ewing was also an accomplished jazz pianist who performed on “The Tonight Show.”

Constance Adams (2018), pioneering space architect

Named a National Geographic Emerging Explorer…

Richard Harrison (1941 – 2018), “Pawn Stars” star

Known as “The Old Man” on the popular reality series…

Jim Hickman (1937 - 2016), MLB outfielder

Jim Hickman, a professional baseball outfielder who played for four teams during the 1960s and ‘70s, died June 25, 2016, according to multiple news sources. He was 79.

Bill Cunningham (1929 - 2016), New York Times fashion photographer

Bill Cunningham, fashion photographer for The New York Times, died June 25, 2016 according to multiple news sources. He was 87.

The Michael Jackson 5

The King of Pop was wildly successful both as a solo artist and with his brothers, churning out some of the best-selling and most critically-acclaimed albums of all time. But he also lent his incredible talent to others’ music, guest singing with many musicians over the years. Whether they were his sisters and brothers, his friends, or big groups coming together for worthy causes, the recording stars of the 1980s and '90s knew their songs would turn out even better with a little help from MJ.