Heart Failure

Carole D’Andrea (1937–2025), West Side Story actress 

Carole D’Andrea was an actress who originated the role of Velma in “West Side Story” on Broadway, then also played her in the 1961 film adaptation.

Barbara Dane (1927–2024), folk singer and activist

Barbara Dane was a folk, blues, and jazz singer who spent her career fighting for peace and justice through the power of song.

Johnny Neel (1954–2024), Allman Brothers keyboardist, songwriter

Johnny Neel was a keyboardist and songwriter best known for his work with the Dickey Betts Band and the Allman Brothers Band, co-writing the chart-topping “Good Clean Fun.” 

Gail Lumet Buckley (1937–2024), author of Black family histories

Gail Lumet Buckley was an author and journalist whose work chronicled her family’s experiences from slavery to middle class America.

Duke Fakir (1935–2024), last surviving founder of the Four Tops

Duke Fakir was a singer best known as the last surviving founder of legendary Motown group the Four Tops.

Larry Beightol (1942–2024), longtime NFL coach

Larry Beightol was a lifelong football coach and Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame inductee who had a two-decade career in the NFL, including stints with the Packers, Jets, Dolphins and other teams. 

Tony Ganios (1959–2024), star of Porky’s, The Wanderer

Tony Ganios was an actor best known for playing Anthony “Meat” Tuperello in the “Porky’s” series and Perry in “The Wanderers.” 

Seiji Ozawa (1935–2024), norm-breaking conductor 

Seiji Ozawa was an offbeat, norm-breaking Japanese conductor who led the Boston Symphony Orchestra longer than any other music director.

Roy Calne (1930–2024), pioneering organ transplant surgeon

Roy Calne was a British surgeon who specialized in organ transplants, working with the teams who conducted the first liver transplant, intestinal transplant, and several pioneering combined transplants.

Bobby Ussery (1935–2023), Hall of Fame jockey 

Bobby Ussery was a Hall of Fame jockey who won the Kentucky Derby on Proud Clarion in 1967.

Catherine Burks-Brooks (1939–2023), Freedom Rider 

Catherine Burks-Brooks was a civil rights activist who joined the Freedom Riders as they campaigned for anti-segregation laws to be enforced in the South. 

Jim Turner (1941–2023), Super Bowl champ with New York Jets

Jim Turner was a placekicker in the NFL who went to two Super Bowls with the New York Jets and the Denver Broncos.

Leo D. Sullivan (1940–2023), Soul Train, Fat Albert animator 

Leo D. Sullivan was a pioneering Black animator whose credits included the intro to “Soul Train.”

Willis Reed (1942–2023), all-time Knicks great

Willis Reed was an all-time New York Knicks great who helped his team win two NBA championships in the 1970s.

Leiji Matsumoto (1938–2023), Manga legend 

Leiji Matsumoto was a Japanese manga and anime creator best known for “Space Battleship Yamato” (a.k.a. “Star Blazers”) and “Galaxy Express 999.” 

David Durenberger (1934–2023), U.S. senator from Minnesota

David Durenberger was a Republican U.S. senator from Minnesota who served for 16 years.

Gregory Allen Howard (1952–2023), Remember the Titans screenwriter

Gregory Allen Howard was a screenwriter known for writing the screenplays to movies including “Remember the Titans” and “Harriet.”

Chris Ford (1949–2023), Boston Celtics great

Chris Ford was a basketball player with the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons who scored the first three-point shot in NBA history.

Carole Cook (1924–2023), “Sixteen Candles” and Broadway star

Carole Cook was an actress known for roles in movies and TV shows including “Sixteen Candles,” “The Incredible Mr. Limpet,” and “The Lucy Show.”

Dolores Hughes (2022), “Mema” from “Hollywood Hillbillies”   

Dolores Hughes , known as "Mema," starred on the 2014 reality TV series “Hollywood Hillbillies.”   

Lucious Jackson (1941–2022), former Philadelphia 76ers star 

Lucious Jackson was a former NBA all-star with the Philadelphia 76ers who helped them win the 1967 NBA championship.

Dwight Smith (1963–2022), former Cubs and Braves outfielder 

Dwight Smith was a former outfielder with the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves who won a World Series title with the Braves in 1995.

Hollis Resnik (1955–2022), Chicago actress known for “Les Misérables”

Hollis Resnik was one of the greats of the Chicago theater scene, who also had movie and TV roles.

Nehemiah Persoff (1919–2022), character actor known for “Yentl,” “The Twilight Zone”

Nehemiah Persoff was a prolific character actor whose many memorable roles included Rebbe Mendel, the father of Barbra Streisand’s character in “Yentl.”

Mitchell Ryan (1934–2022), actor known for “Lethal Weapon,” “Dharma & Greg”

Mitchell Ryan was an actor known for many roles, including the villainous General Peter McAllister in “Lethal Weapon.”

Sally Kellerman (1937–2022), actor played “Hot Lips” Houlihan in “M*A*S*H”

Sally Kellerman was an Oscar-nominated actor for her role as “Hot Lips” Houlihan in the movie “M*A*S*H” and starred in “Back to School.”

Chris Dickerson (1939–2021), first Black Mr. America

Chris Dickerson was a bodybuilder who became the first Black man to win the Mr. America title, in 1970.

Max Cleland (1942–2021), U.S. senator from Georgia

Max Cleland was a disabled Vietnam veteran and a former Democratic U.S. senator from Georgia.

Florence Henderson (1934 - 2016), The Brady Bunch star

Florence Henderson, the actress known to millions as Carol Brady from TV’s “The Brady Bunch,” died Thursday, Nov. 24, 2016, of heart failure. She was 82.