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2002: The Year in Review
December 29, 2002
As the year draws to a close, we say goodbye to some of the many figures in arts and entertainment who passed away this year:
Avery Schreiber, 66. Comedian who with partner Jack Burns was a television fixture in the 1960s. Jan. 7.
Ted Demme, 38. Director whose credits included the drug drama Blow. Jan. 13. Heart attack.
Peggy Lee, 81. The sultry singer who could heat up the room with hits such as Fever, Why Don't You Do Right? and Is That All There Is? Jan. 21.
Astrid Lindgren, 94. Swedish writer whose freethinking character Pippi Longstocking is cherished by youngsters around the world. Jan. 28.
Harold Russell, 88. He received two Oscars for his sensitive portrayal of a wounded veteran in The Best Years of Our Lives after losing his hands in World War II. Jan. 29.
James Blackwood, 82. The last founding member of the Blackwood Brothers Quartet, giants of gospel music. Feb. 3.
Waylon Jennings, 64. Singer whose rebellious songs and brash attitude defined the outlaw movement in country music. Feb. 13.
Howard K. Smith, 87. Esteemed newscaster; one of "Murrow's Boys" on CBS Radio in World War II, later ABC co-anchor and analyst. Feb. 15.
John Thaw, 60. British actor who delighted TV audiences as the grumpy, music-loving detective Inspector Morse. Feb. 21.
Chuck Jones, 89. Warner Bros. animator who helped give life to Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote. Feb. 22.
Spike Milligan, 83. Much-loved British comedian, author, gadfly and the last surviving member of "The Goon Show." Feb. 27.
Harlan Howard, 74. Songwriter whose country classics included the Patsy Cline hit I Fall to Pieces and the Grammy-winning Busted, sung by Ray Charles. March 3.
Irene Worth, 85. Three-time Tony Award winner whose many classical roles ranged from the Greeks to Shaw. March 10.
Sylvester "Pat" Weaver, 93. He created NBC's Today and Tonight shows, brought opera to TV and shaped the way Americans watched the infant medium; father of actor Sigourney Weaver. March 15.
Eileen Farrell, 82. Soprano who excelled in opera and pop in a string of successful recordings and performances. March 23.
Billy Wilder, 95. Oscar-winning filmmaker whose gifts for writing and directing led to such classics as Sunset Boulevard, Some Like It Hot and Double Indemnity. March 27.
Milton Berle, 93. Acerbic, cigar-smoking vaudevillian who eagerly embraced a new medium and became "Mr. Television" when the technology was in its infancy. March 27.
Dudley Moore, 66. The cuddly Englishman who pined for Bo Derek in 10 and portrayed a lovably forlorn drunk in Arthur. March 27.
Robert Urich, 55. Emmy-winning actor best known for his tough-guy roles in sleuth series such as Vega$ and Spenser: For Hire. April 16. Cancer.
Layne Staley, 34. Singer, guitarist for Alice in Chains, one of the most prominent bands of the early '90s Seattle grunge scene. April 19. Drug overdose.
Linda Lovelace, 53. She became an unlikely celebrity with the 1972 porn hit Deep Throat and later became a leading critic of the adult film industry. April 22. Car crash.
Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, 30. The effervescent, sometimes volatile member of the top-selling, Grammy-winning trio TLC. April 25. Car crash.
Ruth Handler, 85. She co-founded the Mattel toy company and created Barbie, the world's most popular doll and an American icon. April 27.
Otis Blackwell, 70. Songwriter who wrote the signature hits Don't Be Cruel for Elvis Presley and Great Balls of Fire for Jerry Lee Lewis. May 6.
Kevyn Aucoin, 40. Makeup artist to a bevy of stars, including Cindy Crawford, Janet Jackson and Britney Spears. May 7. Complications of a metabolic disorder.
Dave Berg, 81. His Mad magazine strip "The Lighter Side of . . ." affectionately spoofed the human condition for more than 40 years. May 16.
Mildred Wirt Benson, 96. The author who created Nancy Drew, girl sleuth, and inspired generations of young women with the teenage heroine's spunk, independence and resourcefulness. May 28.
Lew Wasserman, 89. One of the last old-time movie moguls who helped build an entertainment empire while keeping company with presidents and the most glittering of Hollywood stars. June 3.
Dee Dee Ramone, 50. Bass player for the pioneer punk band the Ramones. June 5. Heroin overdose.
Bill Blass, 79. American designer who shattered the Paris-centric fashion world with creations that mixed chic with casual. June 12.
John Entwistle, 57. The quiet, efficient bass player who helped make The Who one of the most dynamic rock bands in history. June 27. Heart attack caused by cocaine.
Rosemary Clooney, 74. The mellow-voiced singer who co-starred with Bing Crosby in White Christmas and staged a dramatic career comeback. June 29.
John Frankenheimer, 72. Director of such Hollywood classics as The Manchurian Candidate and Birdman of Alcatraz. July 6.
Ward Kimball, 88. Animator who became one of Walt Disney's trusted "Nine Old Men," developed or refined such characters as Mickey Mouse and Jiminy Cricket. July 8.
Rod Steiger, 77. The stocky, intense actor who played Marlon Brando's hoodlum brother in On the Waterfront and won an Oscar as a Southern police chief in In the Heat of the Night. July 9.
Chaim Potok, 73. Author whose Orthodox upbringing inspired The Chosen and other bestselling novels that explored the clash between religious and secular life. July 23.
Leo McKern, 82. Actor who gained fame as a curmudgeonly British barrister in the television series Rumpole of the Bailey and was a foil to the Beatles in Help! July 23.
Joshua Ryan Evans, 20. The 3-foot-2 actor played Timmy the living doll on the NBC soap Passions. Aug. 5. Cause not disclosed; he had a rare disease that stunted his growth.
Ed Headrick, 78. Father of the modern Frisbee and designer of Wham-O's first "professional model" flying disc. Aug. 12.
Lionel Hampton, 94. The vibraphone virtuoso and standout showman whose six-decade career ranked him with the greatest names in jazz. Aug. 31.
Kim Hunter, 79. Won a supporting actress Oscar in 1951 as the long-suffering Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire and appeared in three Planet of the Apes movies. Sept. 11.
Walter H. Annenberg, 94. He parlayed America's love affair with television into a fortune by launching TV Guide magazine and later served as ambassador to Britain. Oct. 1.
Bruce Paltrow, 58. Producer-director of St. Elsewhere, father of actor Gwyneth Paltrow. Oct. 3. Cancer.
Charles Guggenheim, 78. Documentary filmmaker whose works about civil rights, the Johnstown flood and Robert F. Kennedy won four Oscars. Oct. 9.
Stephen E. Ambrose, 66. Bestselling historian who made a career of offering a soldier's view of World War II. Oct. 13.
Adolph Green, 87. Author and lyricist who, with longtime collaborator Betty Comden, wrote On the Town and the screenplay for Singin' in the Rain. Oct. 23.
Richard Harris, 72. Irish actor who gained fame as the roistering star of such 1960s films as Camelot and reached a new generation as the wise old wizard Albus Dumbledore in two Harry Potter movies. Oct. 25.
Jam Master Jay ( Jason Mizell), 37. Deftly scratching vinyl records in time with a beat, the rap DJ helped make Run-DMC the first hip-hop group to break into mainstream music. Oct. 30. Shot to death.
Jonathan Harris, 87. He portrayed cowardly antagonist Dr. Zachary Smith on the 1960s sci-fi TV show Lost in Space. Nov. 3.
James Coburn, 74. He rose to fame in action films (The Magnificent Seven), portrayed a tongue-in-cheek secret agent (In Like Flint) and won an Academy Award decades later as an alcoholic father in Affliction. Nov. 18.
Joe Strummer, 50. Leader of the influential British punk rock band the Clash, which combined political and musical savvy in hits such as Train in Vain, Rock the Casbah and the seething London Calling. Heart attack. Dec. 22.
Herb Ritts, 50. Celebrity photographer whose stylish, mostly black-and-white portraits helped define the image-conscious 1980s and '90s. Dec. 26. Pneumonia.
George Roy Hill, 81. He directed two smash Paul Newman-Robert Redford hits, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting. Dec. 27.