Notable deaths of 2015
A reverse chronological look at some of the notable deaths of 2015. Click on the person's name for a more detailed obituary.
Sept. 19 — Jackie Collins, the novelist whose raunchy tales of glamor and fame sold more than 500 million books in a writing career spanning almost a half century. She published her first novel, ‘The World is Full of Married Men,' in 1968 and went on to write 30 New York Times bestsellers, according to her website.
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Aug. 30 — Wes Craven, the prolific writer-director who thrilled audiences with iconic and bloody suburban slashers like “Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Scream” that made his name synonymous with horror. A prolific writer, director and editor, Craven is credited with reinventing the teen horror genre with the 1984 release of “A Nightmare on Elm Street.”
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Aug. 4 — Elsie Hillman, a philanthropist and political activist who helped propel moderate Republicans to state and national offices. She was a former Republican National Committeewoman who used her political acumen and money to help President George H.W. Bush get elected in 1988 and congressman Tom Ridge get elected governor in 1994.
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July 31 — Roddy Piper, the kilt wearing trash-talker who headlined the first WrestleMania and later found movie stardom. Nicknamed “Rowdy,” Piper was called “one of the most entertaining, controversial and bombastic performers ever in WWE, beloved by millions of fans around the world” by WWE chairman Vince McMahon.
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July 31 — Richard S. Schweiker, a liberal Republican who became Ronald Reagan's surprise pick for vice president in his unsuccessful 1976 campaign and later served in his Cabinet. Elected to the U.S. House in 1960 and the U.S. Senate in 1968, Schweiker was pro-labor and an outspoken critic of the Vietnam War.
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July 10 — Omar Sharif, the Egyptian-born actor with the dark, soulful eyes who soared to international stardom in movie epics “Lawrence of Arabia” and “Doctor Zhivago.” Sharif earned a best supporting actor nomination for “Lawrence of Arabia” and remained a sought-after actor for many years, partly because of his proficiency at playing different nationalities.
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June 11 — Ornette Coleman, the visionary saxophonist who pioneered “free jazz” and won a Pulitzer Prize in 2007. His quartet shook up the jazz establishment when it burst on the scene in 1959 with the album “The Shape of Jazz to Come,” which liberated musicians to freely improvise off the melody.
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June 9 — Douglas Danforth, the retired chairman and CEO of Westinghouse Electric Corp. and later the CEO and chairman of the Pirates. He's credited as the man most responsible for keeping the team in Pittsburgh when it was up for sale in the mid 1980s.
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June 7 — Christopher Lee, an actor who brought dramatic gravitas and aristocratic bearing to villains from Dracula to the wicked wizard Saruman in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. He appeared in more than 250 movies, taking on memorable roles such as the James Bond enemy Scaramanga and the evil Count Dooku in two “Star Wars” prequels.
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May 30 — John M. Petersen, a philanthropist and retired insurance executive whose historic largesse helped pay for the landmark Petersen Events Center at the University of Pittsburgh. He and his wife, Gertrude, donated $10 million toward the events center that opened in 2002, a $119 million project that Pitt chancellor emeritus Mark Nordenberg said invigorated perceptions of Pitt.
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May 23 — John Forbes Nash Jr., a mathematical genius whose struggle with schizophrenia was chronicled in the 2001 movie “A Beautiful Mind.” He won the Nobel Prize in economics in 1994 for his work in game theory, which offered insight into the dynamics of human rivalry. It is considered one of the most influential ideas of the 20th century.
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May 14 — B.B. King, whose scorching guitar licks and heartfelt vocals made him the idol of generations of musicians and fans while earning him the nickname King of the Blues. The 15-time Grammy winner served as a mentor to scores of guitarists, from Eric Clapton to Otis Rush and Jimi Hendrix. He recorded more than 50 albums and toured the world well into his 80s, often performing 250 or more concerts a year.
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April 30 — Ben E. King, singer of such classics as “Stand By Me,” “There Goes My Baby” and “Spanish Harlem.” As a member of the Drifters, King co-wrote and sang lead on “There Goes My Baby.” “Stand By Me,” written with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, was chosen one of the Songs of the Century by the Recording Industry Association of America.
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April 14 — Percy Sledge, who soared from part-time singer and hospital orderly to lasting fame with his aching, forlorn performance on the classic “When a Man Loves a Woman.” Sledge's song is considered by many the definitive soul balland and helped lead to his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.
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April 6 — James Best, a prolific character actor best known for his role as Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane on “The Dukes of Hazzard.” Playing the lawman futilely chasing the Duke brothers, Best employed a battery of catch phrases in the role, as well as a memorable laugh that was comically villainous. A veteran of World War II, he also acted in movies including “The Caine Mutiny” and “Rolling Thunder.”
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March 23 — Lee Kuan Yew, a towering figure in post-colonial Asia, who oversaw tiny Singapore's transformation from British tropical outpost to an affluent, global city in just over a generation, setting the example for developing economies from China to Dubai.
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March 21 — Chuck Bednarik, a Pro Football Hall of Famer and one of the last great two-way NFL players. Known as “Concrete Charlie,” he epitomized the tough-guy linebacker and also was an outstanding center for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1949 to 1962. He was selected first overall in the 1949 NFL draft by the Eagles.
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March 12 — Terry Pratchett, creator of the “Discworld” series of more than 40 comic novels set in a teeming fantasy world and author of more than 70 books. He suffered from a rare form of early onset Alzheimer's disease and earned respect in Britain and beyond with his dignified campaign for the right of critically ill patients to choose assisted suicide.
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March 8 — Sam Simon, a co-creator of “The Simpsons” who made a midlife career shift into philanthropy and channeled much of his personal fortune into social causes including animal welfare. After writing for shows like “Taxi” and “Cheers,” he helped launch “The Simpsons” in 1989 and left after its fourth season.
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March 1 — Minnie Minoso, regarded as baseball's first black Latino star and major league baseball's first black player in Chicago in 1951. The Havana native, known as the “Cuban Comet,” was one of only two players to appear in a major league game in five decades.
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Feb. 27 — Leonard Nimoy, the actor known and loved by generations of “Star Trek” fans as the pointy-eared, purely logical science officer Mr. Spock. Although he followed his 1966-69 “Star Trek” run with a notable career as both an actor and director, in the public's mind he would always be Spock. His half-human, half-Vulcan character was the calm counterpoint to William Shatner's often-emotional Captain Kirk on one of TV and film's most revered cult series.
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Feb. 26 — Earl Lloyd, the first black player in NBA history. A West Virginia State graduate, he made his NBA debut in 1950 for the Washington Capitols, and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003 as a contributor for breaking the NBA's racial barrier.
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Feb. 15 — Arnaud de Borchgrave, an internationally renowned journalist who once kept the starched fatigues of about a dozen nations in a Geneva closet — covered 18 wars and other major events in 90 countries during a news career spanning nearly seven decades.
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Feb. 11 — Jerry Tarkanian, a Hall of Fame coach who won a national title at UNLV and made the school synonymous with basketball. Tarkanian couldn't stop fighting the NCAA any more than he could give up chewing towels courtside. Although he built a basketball dynasty in the desert, it was his decades-long battle with the NCAA that defined him far more than the wins and losses.
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Feb. 11 — Gary Glick, the first overall selection in the 1956 NFL Draft, by the Steelers. The safety out of Colorado State played four seasons with the Steelers, recording four interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries, before playing with the Redskins, Baltimore Colts and Chargers. He's also the only defensive back taken with the first overall pick.
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Feb. 7 — Dean Smith, once the winningest coach in NCAA Division I men's basketball history who captured two national titles and an Olympic gold medal in 1976. Smith coached North Carolina for 36 seasons, and the Tar Heels advanced to 11 Final Fours, winning championships in 1982 and 1993. He entered the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983.
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Jan. 23 — Ernie Banks, one of baseball's most ebullient and optimistic ambassadors. Known worldwide as “Mr. Cub,” he became the Cubs' first black player on Sept. 17, 1953, and went on to become an 11-time All-Star and two-time National League Most Valuable Player (1958-59). Banks, who hit 512 home runs and had 1,636 RBIs, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1977.
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Jan. 23 — King Abdullah, whose incremental reforms in Saudi Arabia echoed mightily. In nearly two decades in power, he acted at times with unusual forcefulness for a Saudi monarch. At home, the results were reforms, including advancements for women, that were startling — for the kingdom at least — and a heavy crackdown against al-Qaida militants. Abroad, his methods translated into a powerful assertion of Saudi Arabia's influence around the Middle East.
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Jan. 11 — Anita Ekberg, the Swedish-born actress and sex symbol of the 1950s and '60s who was immortalized bathing in the Trevi fountain in “La Dolce Vita.” She was a favorite of the tabloid press in that era, but maintained a problematic relationship with her native country, because she never starred in a Swedish film.
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Jan. 8 — Andrae Crouch, a legendary gospel performer, songwriter and choir director whose work graced songs by Michael Jackson and Madonna and movies such as “The Lion King.” Crouch earned seven Grammys during his half-century career, as well as an Academy Award nomination for his work on “The Color Purple.”
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Jan. 4 — Stuart Scott, a longtime “SportsCenter” anchor and ESPN personality known for his enthusiasm and ubiquity. He often anchored the 11 p.m. “SportsCenter,” where he would punctuate emphatic highlights with “Boo-ya!” or note a slick move as being “as cool as the other side of the pillow.”
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Jan. 1 — Donna Douglas, who played the buxom tomboy Elly May Clampett on the hit 1960s sitcom “The Beverly Hillbillies.” As Elly May, she seemed blissfully unaware of her status as a bumpkin blond bombshell. Typically she was clad in a snug flannel shirt and tight jeans cinched with a rope belt, and she seemed to prefer her critters to any beau.
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Jan. 1 — Mario Cuomo, 82, a son of Italian immigrants who became an eloquent spokesman for a generation of liberal Democrats during his three terms as governor of New York but couldn't quite bring himself to run for president.
