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YEAR END: 2018 in memoriam

Some of the entertainers, innovators, news makers and people of note that left us this year
Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking. Source: Facebook. Photo credit: CERN/Laurent Egli 2012

As the year closes, we at Village Media would like to take pause and remember those the world lost in 2018.

Here are just some of the entertainers, innovators, news makers and people of note that left us this year (in no particular order):

Stephen Hawking (March 14) - English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author. At the time of his death, Hawking was the director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge. He served as the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge between 1979 and 2009. In 2015, the first Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication was awarded, an honour bestowed to individuals in science and the arts to recognize work by those helping to promote public awareness of science. Professor Stephen Hawking received thirteen honorary degrees throughout his career, and was presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 and the Fundamental Physics prize in 2013. His 1988 publication, A Brief History of Time, quickly became a bestseller and has sold more than 10 million copies.

Ken Berry (Dec. 1) - actor known for his roles in F Troop, The Andy Griffith Show, Mayberry R.F.D., Love American Style, Mama’s Family, and many others.

James ‘Whitey’ Bulger (Oct. 30) - American gangster and FBI informant; indicted for 19 murders based on grand jury testimony from Kevin Weeks and other former associates. Portrayed by Johnny Depp in the 2015 film Black Mass.

Stephen Hillenburg (Nov. 26) - animator, cartoonist, and marine biology teacher; best known as the creator, director, producer and writer of SpongeBob SquarePants.

Jackson Odell (June 8) - actor; best known as Ari Caldwell on the TV series The Goldbergs.

Richard Jay Potash, AKA Ricky Jay (Nov. 24) - magician, writer and actor; remembered for his roles in The Prestige, Mystery Men, Heist, Boogie Nights, Tomorrow Never Dies, Magnolia, and the HBO TV series Deadwood. Mark Singer of The New Yorker referred to Jay as "perhaps the most gifted sleight of hand artist alive.”

Eddie Clarke (Jan. 10) - musician; last surviving original member and guitar player for Motorhead.

Sir Roger Bannister (March 3) - athlete; first man to run a mile in under four minutes. Became a leading neurologist and the Master of Pembroke College, Oxford.

Nicolas Roeg (Nov. 23) - English director and cinematographer; known for Don’t Look Now, Bad Timing, The Witches and for directing David Bowie in The Man Who Fell to Earth. Cited as being highly influential by such directors as Steven Soderbergh, Christopher Nolan, and Danny Boyle.

Anthony Bourdain (June 8) - author, celebrity chef, television personality; first became known in 2000 after the publication of his bestselling book Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. Hosted a number of popular culinary travel shows, including A Cook’s Tour, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, The Layover, and Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. Named Food Writer of the Year in 2001 by Bon Appétit magazine for Kitchen Confidential. No Reservations won a Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for Nonfiction Programming in 2009 and 2011, and won the Critics' Choice Best Reality Series award in 2012. From 2013 to 2016 and in 2018, Bourdain won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Informational Series or Special for Parts Unknown. The 2013 series also won a Peabody Award.

William Goldman (Nov. 16) - novelist, playwright, and screenwriter; known for penning screenplays for The Stepford Wives, A Bridge Too Far, The Princess Bride, Misery, Chaplin, Last Action Hero and many others. Won Academy Awards for his screenplays Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and All the President's Men.

Gary Kurtz (Sept. 23) - American film producer and assistant director whose credits include Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, American Graffiti, and The Dark Crystal.

Bill Daily (Sept. 4) - actor best known for his roles in I Dream of Jeanie, Love American Style, The Bob Newhart Show, ALF, and Caroline in the City.

Malcolm James McCormick, AKA Mac Miller (Sept. 7) - rapper, record producer; debut studio album, Blue Slide Park reached No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 chart, the first independently distributed debut album to top the chart since Tha Dogg Pound's 1995 album, Dogg Food.

Mark E. Smith (Jan. 24) - English singer songwriter; best known as the vocalist for the punk band The Fall. The band released 31 studio albums, 32 live albums and 46 singles since its formation in 1976.

Bernardo Bertolucci (Nov. 26) - Italian director and screenwriter; credits include The Conformist, Last Tango in Paris, Little Buddha, The Sheltering Sky, and The Last Emperor for which he won Oscars for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Scott Wilson (Oct. 6) - actor with more than 50 film credits to his name, including In The Heat of The Night, In Cold Blood, The Great Gatsby, The Right Stuff, Dead Man Walking, Pearl Harbour, and more. Most recently remembered for his portrayal of Hershel Greene in the hit TV series The Walking Dead, and Adel Johnson in the Netflix series The OA.

Doreen Tracey (Jan. 10) - British-born American performer; one of the original Mickey Mouse Club Mouseketeers from 1955-58.

Neil Simon (Aug. 26) - celebrated American playwright, screenwriter and author; notable works include Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple, The Out-of-Towners, God’s Favourite, Biloxi Blues, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, The Goodbye Girl, and numerous others. Was presented the American Comedy Awards Lifetime Achievement Award in 1989, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Lost in Yonkers in 1991, became a Kennedy Centre honouree in 1995, and received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2006.

Robin Leach (Aug. 29) - English entertainment reporter best remembered as the host of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.

Douglas Rain (Nov. 11) - Canadian actor; best remembered for voicing the Hal 9000 computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Marty Balin (Sept. 27) - musician, singer, songwriter; best known as the founder and one of the lead singers and songwriters of Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship. Inducted as a member of Jefferson Airplane into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, and was presented a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.

Milos Forman (April 13) - director; best remembered for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Hair, The People vs Larry Flint, Amadeus, and Man on the Moon. He won Academy Awards for Cuckoo’s Nest and Amadeus, and was nominated for The People vs Larry Flint.

Katherine Noel Valentine Brosnahan, AKA Kate Spade (June 5) - award-winning American fashion designer and business woman; founder of Kate Spade New York.

Dorothy Malone (Jan. 19) - actor; Best Supporting Actress Academy Award winner for her role in Written on the Wind. Other film credits include Basic Instinct, Peyton Place, Ironside, The Untouchables, and many more.

Jerry van Dyke (Jan. 5) - actor and comedian; younger brother of Dick van Dyke. Credits include The Dick van Dyke Show, My Mother the Car, Headmaster, Love American Style, Coach, and many others.

Keith Jackson (Jan. 12) - American sports commentator, journalist, author, and radio personality; best known for his coverage of college football from 1952 to 2006.

Burt Reynolds (Sept. 6) - actor whose career spanned 50 years; in addition to his numerous television appearances, film credits include his breakout role as Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, as well as The Longest Yard, Gator, Smokey and the Bandit, Hooper, Stroker Ace, The Cannonball Run and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Boogie Nights. Won two Golden Globe Awards for his work in the TV series Evening Shade.

Dolores O’Riordan (Jan. 15) - Irish singer, songwriter; vocalist for the band The Cranberries. The band’s hit singles include Linger, Zombie, Salvation and Dreams.

Simon Shelton (Jan. 17) - British actor; best known as Tinky Winky in the BBC children's show Teletubbies.

Mark Salling (Jan. 30) - actor; best remembered as Noah ‘Puck’ Puckerman on the TV series Glee. Faced controversy after being arrested and charged with possession of child pornography in 2015 for which he faced a sentence of between four and seven years. He committed suicide prior to his sentencing.

Reg E. Cathey (Feb. 9) - actor; best remembered as Norman Wilson in The Wire, Martin Querns in Oz, Dr. Franklin Storm in the 2015 reboot of Fantastic Four, and Freddy Hayes in House of Cards. Other credits include Se7en, St. Vincent, Luke Cage, Inside Amy Schumer, and many others.

Ed King (Aug. 22) - musician; guitar player for Strawberry Alarm Clock and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

David Ogden Stiers (March 3) - actor; best remembered for his portrayal of Major Charles Emerson Winchester in the hit TV series M*A*S*H. Other credits include Rizzoli & Isles, Stargate: Atlantis, The Dead Zone, Teacher’s Pet, Love & Money, North and South, Two Guys a Girl and a Pizza Place, and more.

Yvonne Staples (April 10) - singer; long time member and manager of the Staple Singers whose hits included Respect Yourself, I'll Take You There, If You're Ready (Come Go with Me), and Let's Do It Again.

Mitzi Shore (April 11) - club owner; co-founder of The Comedy Store comedy club in Los Angeles, and founder of the Comedy Channel Inc. The Comedy Store hosted numerous now-famous comedians, including Robin Williams, Garry Shandling, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Chevy Chase, Sam Kinison, Marc Maron, Jim Carrey, Joe Rogan, and Bill Burr.

R. Lee Ermey (April 15) - actor and Marine corps drill instructor; best remembered for his breakout performance as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Full Metal Jacket. Other credits include Toy Story (voice), Se7en, Mississippi Burning, House, Scrubs, and more.

Harry Anderson (April 16) - magician, comedian, actor; best remembered as Judge Harry Stone in the TV series Night Court. Other credits include Tales From the Crypt, It (1990 TV mini-series), Cheers, Dave’s World, 30 Rock, and more.

Tim Bergling, AKA Avicii (April 20) - Swedish musician, DJ, and record producer; released 48 singles, including the hits Wake Me Up and Hey Brother.

Verne Troyer (April 21) - actor, stunt performer; best remembered as Mini Me in the Austin Powers films. Other credits include Men in Black, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Two and a Half Men, Boston Public, and more.

Scott Hutchison (May 10) - Scottish musician; best remembered as a founding member and primary songwriter for Frightened Rabbit.

Margot Kidder (May 13) - Canadian-American actor; best remembered for portraying Lois Lane in the Superman film series starring Christopher Reeve. Other credits include The Amityville Horror, Tales From the Crypt, Boston Common, Smallville, and many others.

Roy Clark (Nov. 15) - singer, musician; best remembered as the host of Hee Haw from 1969 to 1997. Noted as a very influential figure in country music. Released 37 studio albums and 68 singles throughout his career, including the hits I Never Picked Cotton, The Tips of My Fingers, Yesterday When I Was Young, Come Live With Me, and Honeymoon Feeling. Received numerous Country Music Association Awards and Academy of Country Music Awards between 1970 and 1980.

Katherine MacGregor (Nov. 13) - actor; best known as Harriet Oleson in Little House on the Prairie TV series.

Charlotte Rae (Aug. 5) - actor; best remembered as Edna Garrett in the sitcoms Diff’rent Strokes and The Facts of Life.

Joe Jackson (June 27) - manager and father of the legendary Michael Jackson.

Richard ‘The Old Man’ Harrison (June 25) - business man and TV personality; best remembered as the co-owner of the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop featured on the History Channel series Pawn Stars.

Vincent Paul Abbott, AKA Vinnie Paul (June 22) - musician; best known as the drummer and a founding member of Pantera. Was also a member of Hellyeah from 2006 until his death.

Charles Krauthammer (June 21) - political columnist; his column for The Washington Post won the Pulitzer Prize in 1987. His weekly column was syndicated in over 400 publications world-wide.

Pamela Gidley (April 16) - actor; best known for playing Teresa Banks in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. Other credits include CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Pretender, and Angel Street.

Chuck McCann (April 8) - comedian, voice actor, puppeteer, actor; numerous credits include The Powerpuff Girls, Duckman, Animaniacs, Tale Spin, Duck Tales, Richie Rich, The Smurfs, and more.

Steven Bochco (April 1) - television writer and producer; best known for Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, Columbo, Doogie Howser MD, NYPD Blue, Murder in the First, and more. Throughout his career, he won 10 Emmy Awards, four Peabody Awards, and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1996.

Stan Lee (Nov. 12) - comic book writer, editor and publisher whose career spanned more than 60 years; co-created numerous Marvel characters, including Spider-Man, the X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Black Panther, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, and Ant-Man. Inducted into the comic book industry's Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1995. Lee was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts’ National Medal of Arts in 2008.

Alan Longmuir (July 2) - Scottish musician; founding member and bass player for The Bay City Rollers.

Lewis Gilbert (Feb. 23) - British director, producer, screenwriter; his numerous credits include Reach For the Sky, Sink the Bismark!, Educating Rita, Alfie, Shirley Valentine, and the James Bond films You Only Live Twice, Spy Who Loved Me, and Moonraker. Alfie earned him the Jury Special Prize at the 1966 Cannes Film Festival.

Mickey Jones (Feb. 7) - musician, actor; drummer for Bob Dylan, Johnny Rivers, and Kenny Rogers and the First Edition. Numerous film credits include Stir Crazy, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, National Lampoon’s Vacation, Starman, Total Recall, Sling Blade, and many more.

Adrian Cronauer (July 18) - broadcaster on armed forces radio; portrayed by Robin Williams in the 1987 film Good Morning, Vietnam.

John Mahoney (Feb. 4) - actor; best remembered as Martin Crane on Frasier. Other credits include Tin Men, Moonstruck, Barton Fink, Reality Bites, The Hudsucker Proxy, Say Anything…, and many more.

Pete Shelley (Dec. 6) - English musician; co-founder, vocalist and guitar player of the Buzzcocks.

Alan Bean (May 26) - astronaut; part of Apollo 12, the second manned mission to the moon, and the Skylab 3 mission.

Barbara Bush (April 27) - wife of the 41st President of the United States, George H.W. Bush; and mother of the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush.

George H.W. Bush (Nov. 30) - The 41st President of the United States. He also served as congressman, ambassador, CIA director, and the 43rd Vice President of the United States. Father of the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush. Recognized as Time’s Man of the Year in 1990.

Peggy McCay (Oct. 7) - actor; best remembered as Caroline Brady in Days of Our Lives.

Lindsay Kemp (Aug. 25) - British actor, dancer, choreographer; known as an important mentor to David Bowie and Kate Bush.

Ursula K. Le Guin (Jan. 22) - science fiction and fantasy author of the Earthsea series; noted as an influence on other popular authors, including Salman Rushdie, David Mitchell, Neil Gaiman and Iain Banks. Winner of the the Hugo Award, Nebula Award, Locus Award, and World Fantasy Award, each more than once. The New York Times described her as “America's greatest living science fiction writer” in 2016.

James Karen (Oct. 23) - actor; best remembered for his roles in Poltergeist, The Return of the Living Dead, Invaders from Mars, and The Pursuit of Happyness. Other credits include M*A*S*H, Eight is Enough, Dallas, Quincey ME, Dynasty, Moonlighting, Charles in Charge, The Larry Sanders Show, and countless others.

Mike Taylor, AKA Beard Guy (Dec. 29) - Canadian musician; keyboard player and vocalist with Walk Off the Earth.

John McCain (Aug. 25) - American politician; was a US Senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death. Ran as the Republican nominee for President of the United States in the 2008 election, losing to Barack Obama. He was a Vietnamese prisoner of war for more than five years during which he suffered injury and torture that left him with permanent physical limitations.

Brian Christopher Lawler (July 29) - wrestler; best known for his career in the World Wrestling Federation where he performed as Brian Christopher and Grand Master Sexay. Was a one-time WWF Tag Team Champion as part of Too Cool with Scotty 2 Hotty, and won 44 United States Wrestling Association titles.

Nancy Sinatra Sr. (July 13) - first wife of acclaimed singer Frank Sinatra.

Tab Hunter (July 8) - actor, singer, 1950s Hollywood heartthrob; had a No. 1 hit single in 1957 with Young Love.

Steve Ditko (June 29) - comic book artist and writer; best known for co-creating the Marvel characters Spider-Man and Doctor Strange with Stan Lee.

Harlan Ellison (June 28) - writer; best known for writing the Star Trek episode The City on the Edge of Forever, and episodes of The Outer Limits, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Twilight Zone, Babylon 5, and more. He wrote more than 1,700 short stories, novellas, screenplays, comic book scripts, teleplays, essays, and a wide range of criticism covering literature, film, television, and print media.

Martin Bregman (June 16) - film producer; credits include Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Scarface, Carlito’s Way, and more.

Matt ‘Guitar’ Murphy (June 15) - musician; blues guitarist associated with The Blues Brothers, Memphis Slim and Howlin’ Wolf.

Eunice Gayson (June 8) - actor; best known as James Bond’s love interest Sylvia Trench in the first two films of the series, Dr. No and From Russia With Love.

Ray Thomas (Jan. 4) - English musician; flautist, singer and founding member of The Moody Blues. His playing was featured on the band’s 1967 hit Nights in White Satin. Posthumously inducted, along with the rest of the band, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.

Aretha Franklin (Aug. 16) - singer, songwriter and civil rights activist; known world-wide as The Queen of Soul, her numerous hits include Respect, Chain of Fools, Think, (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You), Rock Steady,  and I Say a Little Prayer. Became the most charted female artist in music history after recording 112 Billboard charted singles. Became the first female performer inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, and was presented both the the National Medal of Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Jerry Maren (May 24) - actor; last surviving Munchkin and member of the Lollipop Guild from 1939’s The Wizard of Oz.

Robert Mandan (April 29) - actor; best remembered as Chester Tate in the satirical sitcom Soap. Other credits include Maude, Marcus Welby M.D., CHiPs, Private Benjamin, Three’s Company, The Love Boat, Santa Barbara, and more.

Tom Wolfe (May 14) - journalist, author; works include The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, The Right Stuff, and The Bonfire of the Vanities.

DuShon Monique Brown (March 23) - actor; best known for portraying nurse Katie Welch in Prison Break, and Connie in Chicago Fire.

Hubert de Givenchy (March 10) - French fashion designer; founded the house of Givenchy in 1952. Known as personal and professional designer for Audrey Hepburn and Jacqueline Kennedy. Designed Hepburn’s infamous ‘little black dress’ worn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Billy Graham (Feb 21) - American evangelist; spiritual advisor to US Presidents from Harry S. Truman to Barack Obama.

Jóhann Jóhannsson (Feb. 9) - Icelandic composer; created scores for a number of feature films, including The Theory of Everything, Sicario, Arrival, Blade Runner 2049, Christopher Robin and many others.

Mort Walker (Jan. 27) - comic strip writer; best known for creating Beetle Bailey and Hi and Lois.

Donnelly Rhodes (Jan. 8) - Canadian actor; best known as Dutch Leitner in Soap. Other credits include Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Cheers, Taxi, The Young and the Restless, Supernatural, Empty Nest, and more.  

Penny Marshall (Dec. 17) - actor, producer, director; best remembered for portraying Laverne DeFazio in the TV series Laverne & Shirley and Happy Days. Feature film directing credits include Big, Awakenings, A League of Their Own, and Riding in Cars With Boys.

Galt MacDermot (Dec. 17) - composer; best known for the musicals Hair and Two Gentlemen of Verona.

Joe Osborn (Dec. 14) - musician; member of the infamous Wrecking Crew who played bass on recordings by The Mamas and the Papas, The Grass Roots, The 5th Dimension, Simon and Garfunkel, Neil Diamond, and Nancy Sinatra.

Nancy Wilson (Dec. 13) - jazz singer; known for (You Don’t Know) How Glad I Am and Guess Who I Saw Today. Recorded 70 albums throughout her career and earned three Grammy Awards.

Sondra Locke (Nov. 3) - actor; long time romantic partner of Clint Eastwood starring opposite him in The Outlaw Josey Wales, Every Which Way But Loose, and Any Which Way You Can.

Ray Sawyer (Dec. 28) - singer, percussionist; member the band Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show. Primarily a backing vocalist, Sawyer was featured on the band’s 1972 smash hit, The Cover of Rolling Stone, as well as Sylvia’s Mother and When You’re in Love With a Beautiful Woman.

John Young (Jan. 5) - astronaut; as commander of the Apollo 16 mission, he became the ninth person to walk on the moon in 1972. Through 42 years of active service with NASA, he became the first person to fly six missions.

Sister Wendy Beckett (Dec. 26) - Roman Catholic Carmelite nun and art historian, who gained popularity through a succession of popular TV programmes, including Sister Wendy's Odyssey and Sister Wendy's Grand Tour.


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