Each year, we lose many talented and brilliant celebrities. Some are taken in what seems like an untimely manner while others live to a ripe old age. Here are some of the people we lost in 2006:
Lou Rawls, 72 – singer
January 6th
Rawls was known for his R&B hits such as “”You’ll Never Find, Another Love Like Mine.”
Shelley Winters, 83 – Actress
January 14th
Shelley won two Oscars for supporting roles in The Diary of Anne Frank and A Patch of Blue.
Wilson Pickett, 64 – Singer
January 19th
Wilson was famous for such hits as “In the Midnight Hour”, “Mustang Sally”.
Chris Penn, 40 – Actor
January 24th
Brother of actor Sean Penn, Chris starred in over 66 movies and television shows.
Coretta Scott King, 78 – Civil Rights campaigner
January 31st
The widow of Dr. Martin Luther King, Coretta helped carry on her late husband’s work in the Civil Rights movement.
Peter Benchley, 65 – Author (Jaws)
February 11th
Dennis Weaver, 81 – Actor
February 24th
Weaver starred in television’s “McCloud” for seven years, but also starred in many other shows and movies.
Don Knotts, 82 – Actor
February 24th
Don was loved as Barney Fife on “The Andy Griffith Show” but had a part in many other movies and other television shows.
Dana Reeve, 44 – Singer/Wife of Christopher Reeve
March 6th
Dana was a great singer, but her legacy may be in her care and love of her husband and son, and her activism.
Buck Owens, 76 – Singer/Songwriter
Buck was the co-host of the long running show “Hee Haw” and a very successful singer/songwriter.
Gene Pitney, 65 – Singer/Songwriter
April 5th
Gene recorded many successful songs of his own (“Town Without Pity,” “Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa”), but also wrote many songs for others including Ricky Nelson’s “Hello Mary Lou.”
Earl Woods, 74 – Father of Tiger Woods
May 3rd
Earl was the man who helped shape Tiger Woods into one of the best golfers in history.
Aaron Spelling, 83 – TV Producer
June 23rd
Great producer of such shows as “Charlie’s Angels” and “Dynasty”
Syd Barrett, 60 – Musician (Pink Floyd)
July 7th
Syd was one of the co-founders of Pink Floyd.
Red Buttons, 86 – Actor
Red won an Oscar for the film Sayonara.
Mike Douglas, 81 – Talk Show Host
Mike hosted a popular talk show during the 60s and 70s.
Steve Irwin, 44 – The Crocodile Hunter
September 4th
Well known animal naturalist and host of popular television shows
Jack Palance, 87 – Actor
November 10th
Western villain who earned a Best Supporting Oscar for a comedy at the age of 73
Robert Altman, 81 – Film Director
November 21st
Robert directed such films as MASH, Nashville, and A Prairie Home Companion.
Ahmet Ertegun, 83 – Record Company Boss
December 14th
Long time executive at Atlantic Records and also the co-owner of the New York Cosmos NASL soccer team during the 70s and early 80s
Joseph Barbera, 95 – Animator
December 18th
Co-founder of Hanna-Barbera and was well known for cartoons such as “Tom and Jerry,” “The Flintstones,” “The Jetsons,” and “Scooby-Doo.”
James Brown, 73 – Singer
December 25th
Brown’s career spanned five decades and he was known as the Godfather of Soul and The Hardest Working Man in Show Business.
I know I did not list everyone – please comment on those I may have unintentionally missed!