Artists and entertainers who died in 2007

February:

• Gian Carlo Menotti, 95. Pulitzer-winning Italian composer ("The Consul," "Amahl and the Night Visitors"); founded Spoleto arts festivals. Feb. 1.
• Joe Hunter, 79. Motown's first bandleader; three-time Grammy winner with the Funk Brothers. Feb. 2.
• Eric von Schmidt, 75. A mainstay of the blues and folk scene in the 1950s and 1960s who influenced Bob Dylan. Feb. 2.
• Billy Henderson, 67. Member of the Spinners ("Could It Be I'm Falling in Love.") Feb. 2.
• Barbara McNair, 72. Pioneering black singer-actress; had her own TV variety show. Feb. 4.
• Frankie Laine, 93. Big-voiced singer; one of the most popular entertainers of the 1950s ("That Lucky Old Sun.") Feb. 6.
• Anna Nicole Smith, 39. Model and sometime actress. Feb. 8. Accidental overdose of medication.
• Ian Richardson, 72. Actor; played Jean-Paul Marat in "Marat/Sade" on Broadway and the screen. Feb. 9.
• Marianne Fredriksson, 79. One of Sweden's most admired writers ("Hanna's Daughters.") Feb. 11.
• Ellen Hanley, 80. Played Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia's first wife in the Pulitzer-winning musical "Fiorello!" Feb. 12.
• Robert Adler, 93. Co-inventor of the TV remote, the 1956 Zenith Space Command. Feb. 15.
• Walker Edmiston, 81. The voice of Ernie the Keebler elf in TV commercials. Feb. 15.
• Ray Evans, 92. Oscar-winning songwriter ("Mona Lisa," "Buttons and Bows.") Feb. 15.
• Janet Blair, 85. Vivacious Hollywood actress in 1940s musicals and comedies ("My Sister Eileen.") Feb. 19
• Fons Rademakers, 86. Dutch film director whose 1986 "De Aanslag" ("The Assault") won Oscar as best foreign language film. Feb. 22.
• Lothar-Guenther Buchheim, 89. German author; wrote autobiographical novel "Das Boot." Feb. 22.
• Mark Spoelstra, 66. Singer who was an important figure in the folk music renaissance of the 1960s. Feb. 25.
• Bobby Rosengarden, 82. Jazz drummer; bandleader for "The Dick Cavett Show." Feb. 27.
• Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., 89. Pulitzer-winning historian; Kennedy administration "court philosopher." Feb. 28.

March:

• Henri Troyat, 95. One of France's most prolific and respected authors. March 2.
• Marjabelle Young Stewart, 82. Etiquette authority; co-wrote "White Gloves and Party Manners." March 3.
• Andy Sidaris, 76. Emmy-winning director of "Wide World of Sports." March 7.
• Brad Delp, 55. Lead singer for the band Boston ("More Than a Feeling.") March 9. Suicide.
• Richard Jeni, 49. Standup comedian, frequently "Tonight Show" guest. March 10. Apparent suicide.
• Betty Hutton, 86. Singer-actress who brought brassy vitality to Hollywood musicals ("Annie Get Your Gun.") March 11.
• Vilma Ebsen, 96. She danced in "Broadway Melody of 1936" with her brother Buddy. March 12.
• Stuart Rosenberg, 79. TV, film director ("Cool Hand Luke.") March 15.
• Charles Harrelson, 69. Actor Woody Harrelson's father, sentenced to life for killing a federal judge. March 15.
• Carol Richards, 84. Singer; teamed with Bing Crosby on "Silver Bells." March 16.
• Luther Ingram, 69. R&B singer and songwriter known for "If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don't Want to Be Right)." March 19.
• Calvert DeForest, 85. Played bespectacled nebbish Larry "Bud" Melman on David Letterman's shows. March 19.
• Walter Turnbull, 62. Founded the acclaimed Boys Choir of Harlem. March 23.
• Robert E. Petersen, 80. Publisher whose Hot Rod, Motor Trend magazines helped shape car culture. March 23.
• Henson Cargill, 66. Country singer ("Skip a Rope.") March 24.
• Calvin Lockhart, 72. Played underworld figures in 1970s blaxploitation films. March 29.
• Tom Moore, 88. Helped ABC Television Network become competitive. March 31.

Slide show   Newsmaker Farewells From Boris Yeltsin to Evel Knievel, a look at newsmakers and top sports figures who died in 2007. more photos

April:

• Danny Barcelona, 77. Drummer with Louis Armstrong. April 1.
• Bob Clark, 67. Film director known for holiday classic "A Christmas Story." April 4.
• Edward Mallory, 76. Portrayed angst-ridden Dr. Bill Horton on soap opera "Days of Our Lives." April 4.
• Stan Daniels, 72. Emmy-winning TV writer and producer ("The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Taxi.")
• George Jenkins, 98. Art director; won Oscar for "All the President's Men." April 6.
• Barry Nelson, 89. MGM contract player; later first actor to play James Bond on screen. April 7.
• Johnny Hart, 76. Cartoonist whose "B.C." showed the humorous side of the Stone Age. April 7.
• Sol LeWitt, 78. Influential abstract painter, sculptor. April 8.
• Kurt Vonnegut, 84. Novelist who captured the absurdity of the world in darkly humorous works such as "Slaughterhouse-Five." April 11.
• Roscoe Lee Browne, 81. Emmy-winning actor known for rich voice, dignified bearing. April 11.
• Don Ho, 76. Hawaiian crooner ("Tiny Bubbles"); entertained tourists for decades. April 14.
• Brant Parker, 86. Illustrated "The Wizard of Id" comic strip. April 15.
• James B. Davis Sr., 90. Founded gospel group the Dixie Hummingbirds. April 17.
• Kitty Carlisle Hart, 96. Singer-actress; long career spanned Broadway, opera, television and film ("A Night at the Opera.") April 17.
• Andrew Hill, 75. Jazz pianist, composer known for complex post-bop style. April 20.
• Anne Pitoniak, 85. Tony-nominated actress ("`night, Mother.") April 22.
• David Halberstam, 73. Journalist whose acclaimed books included towering study of Vietnam War, poignant portrait of aging baseball stars. April 23.
• Bobby "Boris" Pickett, 69. Did his dead-on Boris Karloff impression in the novelty hit "Monster Mash." April 25.
• Jack Valenti, 85. Film industry lobbyist; instituted movie ratings system. April 26.
• Mstislav Rostropovich, 80. The ebullient master cellist who fought for the rights of Soviet-era dissidents. April 27.
• Dabbs Greer, 90. Character actor; played minister in "Little House on the Prairie." April 28.
• Tommy Newsom, 78. "The Tonight Show" musician whose "Mr. Excitement" nickname was a running joke for Johnny Carson. April 28.
• Tom Poston, 85. The tall, pasty-faced TV comic whose characters were clueless. ("Newhart.") April 30.
• Zola Taylor, 69. Singer with the Platters ("The Great Pretender.") April 30.

May:

• Isabella Blow, 48. Vibrant guru of British fashion scene. May 7.
• Bernard Gordon, 88. Screenwriter, blacklisted in the 1950s. ("55 Days at Peking.") May 11.
• Lloyd Alexander, 83. Children's book author ("The Chronicles of Prydain.") May 17.
• Carl Wright, 75. Tap dancer turned actor ("Barbershop," "Big Momma's House.") May 19.
• Charles Nelson Reilly, 76. Tony Award winner; later known for ribald TV game show appearances. May 25.
• Gretchen Wyler, 75. Broadway actress ("Silk Stockings.") May 27.
• Mark Harris, 84. Novelist ("Bang the Drum Slowly.") May 30.
• William Meredith, 88. Pulitzer Prize-winning poet ("Partial Accounts: New and Selected Poems.") May 30.

MORE FROM CELEBRITIES

Celebrities Section Front

Crikey! 'Croc Hunter' daughter gets own doll Brinkley testifies affair 'shattered' her world Accountant sues Rachael Ray for $1 million Paparazzi feel the heat in California Brinkley's husband details affair with teen French locals indifferent to Brangelina Joy Division singer's gravestone stolen Jolie’s doctor says twins could be weeks away Access Hollywood section Celebrities Section Front   Add Celebrities headlines to your news reader: