Entertainment world suffered big losses in ’05

July
Luther Vandross, 54. Grammy winner known for his lush voice on such hits as "Here and Now," the bittersweet "Dance With My Father." July 1. Stroke.

Renaldo "Obie" Benson, 69. Member of Motown's Four Tops ("Baby I Need Your Loving"). July 1.

Ernest Lehman, 89. Six-time Oscar nominee as screenwriter ("North by Northwest") and producer ("Hello, Dolly"). July 2.

Nan Kempner, 74. Quintessential New York socialite, fashion plate. July 3.

June Haver, 79. Sunny star of 1940s musicals ("Oh, You Beautiful Doll"). July 4.

Ray Davis, 65. Member of influential funk band Parliament-Funkadelic ("One Nation Under a Groove"). July 5.

Evan Hunter, 78. His gritty Ed McBain detective series pioneered the police procedural genre. July 6.

Claude Simon, 91. French novelist; won 1985 Nobel for literature. July 6.

W. Pauline Nicholson, 76. She cooked Elvis Presley's favorite peanut butter and fried banana sandwiches. July 7.

Frances Langford, 92. Actress-singer who captivated soldiers on Bob Hope's USO tours during World War II. July 11.

Geraldine Fitzgerald, 91. In classic 1939 films "Dark Victory," "Wuthering Heights"; also noted stage actress. July 17.

Gavin Lambert, 80. Hollywood historian, wrote novels, screenplays, biographies. July 17.

Paul Duke, 78. Hosted public TV's "Washington Week in Review." July 18.

James Doohan, 85. As "Star Trek" chief engineer, he responded to the command "Beam me up, Scotty." July 20.

Long John Baldry, 64. British blues legend; helped launch careers of Rod Stewart, the Rolling Stones. July 21.

Eugene Record, 64. Founder of Chi-Lites vocal group ("Have You Seen Her?"). July 22.

Myron Floren, 85. Accordion player on "The Lawrence Welk Show." July 23.

Catherine Woolley, 100. Children's book author ("Ginnie and the New Girl"). July 23.

Danny Simon, 86. Comedy writer ("Your Show of Shows"); worked with his brother, Neil. July 26.

Robert Wright, 90. Broadcay composer, lyricist ("Kismet"). July 27.

Helen Phillips, 86. Broke Metropolitan Opera color barrier in 1947 as first black chorister. July 27.

Arthur Zankel, 73. Financier; gave $10 million for Carnegie Hall recital space. July 28.

Pat McCormick, 78. Walrus-mustachioed comedy performer, writer. July 29.

Al McKibbon, 86. Bassist with the George Shearing quintet. July 29.

Hildegarde, 99. Cabaret singer Walter Winchell dubbed "The Incomparable Hildegarde." July 29.

August
David Shaw, 62. Los Angeles Times' Pulitzer-winning media critic. Aug. 1.

Max Steele, 83. Prize-winning author ("Debby," "The Cat and the Coffee Drinkers"); creative writing teacher. Aug. 1.

Ibrahim Ferrer, 78. A leading voice in the Buena Vista Social Club of vintage Cuban performers. Aug. 6.

Peter Jennings, 67. Longtime ABC News anchor, part of a triumvirate that dominated network news for more than two decades. Aug. 7.

John H. Johnson, 87. Publisher whose Ebony, Jet magazines countered stereotypical coverage of blacks. Aug. 8.

Barbara Bel Geddes, 82. Oscar-nominated actress ("I Remember Mama") who reached her greatest fame as Miss Ellie Ewing in "Dallas." Aug. 8.

Judith Rossner, 70. Her hit novel "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" was made into movie starring Diane Keaton. Aug. 9.

Matthew McGrory, 32. Deep-voiced 7-foot-plus actor; the gentle giant in the movie "Big Fish." Aug. 9. Heart problem.

James Dougherty, 84. He married Norma Jeane Baker _ before she took the name Marilyn Monroe. Aug. 15.

Vassar Clements, 77. Nashville fiddle virtuoso, A-list studio musician. Aug. 16.

Dennis Lynds, 81. His Dan Fortune mysteries were praised for reflecting contemporary social issues. Aug. 19.

Robert A. Moog, 71. His synthesizers revolutionized music in the 1960s. Aug. 21.

Brock Peters, 78. In his long acting career, played the black man falsely accused of rape in "To Kill a Mockingbird." Aug. 23.

Cecily Brownstone, 96. A cuisine maven who wrote cookbooks and articles on food for The Associated Press for 39 years. Aug. 30.

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