IN MEMORIAM
2016
Sweat flies from the head of challenger Joe Frazier, left, as heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali connects with a right in the ninth round of their title fight, the Thrilla in Manila, Oct. 1, 1975. (Mitsunori Chigita / The Associated Press)
Muhammad Ali Jan. 17, 1942 - June 3, 2016
He was fast of fist and foot — lip, too — a heavyweight champion who promised to shock the world and did. He floated. He stung. Mostly he thrilled, even after the punches had taken their toll and his voice barely rose above a whisper. He was The Greatest.
A portrait of David Bowie at the 36th Cannes Film Festival in 2013. (Ralph Gatti/AFP/Getty Images)
David Bowie Jan. 8, 1947 - Jan. 10, 2016
David Bowie, the chameleon-like star who transformed the sound — and the look — of rock with his audacious creativity and his sexually ambiguous makeup and costumes, died at 69. Born David Jones in London, the singer came of age in the early 1970s glam-rock era. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.
Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro speaks to supporters Jan. 8, 1959, at the Batista military base "Columbia," now known as Ciudad Libertad. (The Associated Press)
Fidel Castro Aug. 13, 1923 - Nov. 25, 2016
The revolutionary led his bearded rebels to victorious revolution in 1959, embraced Soviet-style communism and defied the power of 10 U.S. presidents during his half-century of rule in Cuba.
Leonard Cohen performs during the first day of the 2009 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. (Chris Pizzello / The Associated Press)
Leonard Cohen Sept. 21, 1934 - Nov. 7, 2016
Cohen, the gravelly-voiced Canadian singer-songwriter of hits like "Hallelujah," "Suzanne" and "Bird on a Wire," blended folk music with a darker, sexual edge that won him fans around the world and among fellow musicians like Bob Dylan and R.E.M.
Miami Marlins pitchers José Fernández grins during spring training Feb. 16, 2014, in Jupiter, Fla. (Jeff Roberson / The Associated Press)
José Fernández July 31, 1992 - Sept. 25, 2016
The charismatic Miami Marlins ace died at 24 in a boating accident. Fernández had escaped from Cuba by boat as a teenager, and saved his mother when she fell overboard during the journey.
Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), C-3PO (Anthony Daniels), and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon. (Lucasfilm)
Carrie Fisher Oct. 21, 1956 - Dec. 27, 2016
Born into Hollywood royalty, Fisher was an actor, writer and activist who found enduring fame as Princess Leia in the original “Star Wars.”
Zsa Zsa Gabor poses for photos on the opening night of her show at the Riviera in Las Vegas in 1956. (LVNB via European Pressphoto Agency)
Zsa Zsa Gabor Feb. 6, 1917 - Dec. 18, 2016
One of three glamorous sisters from Hungary, the nine-times-married actress pioneered a version of celebrity — she was famous for being famous.
Juan Gabriel performs at the Latin Recording Academy Person of The Year event in his honor in Las Vegas in 2009. (Matt Sayles / The Associated Press)
Juan Gabriel Jan. 7, 1950 - Aug. 28, 2016
Juan Gabriel was Mexico’s leading singer-songwriter and top-selling artist. His ballads about love and heartbreak and bouncy mariachi tunes became hymns throughout Latin America and Spain and with Spanish speakers in the United States.
Sen. John Glenn talks with astronauts on the International Space Station via satellite in 2012. (Jay LaPrete / The Associated Press)
John Glenn July 18, 1921 - Dec. 8, 2016
Glenn's 1962 flight as the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the Earth made him an all-American hero and propelled him to a long career in the U.S. Senate.
Merle Haggard had dozens of No. 1 hits, including "Okie From Muskogee" and "Mama Tried." (Erik Bakke / Photostaff Inc.)
Merle Haggard April 6, 1937 - April 6, 2016
The songwriter's real-life experiences of poverty as the son of Oklahoma migrants, an early stint in prison and a life lived on the road gave his songs true grit when others would just have to imagine those scenarios for inspiration.
Tom Hayden, former radical student leader-turned California legislator, in a car on his way to news conferences. (The Associated Press)
Tom Hayden Dec. 11, 1939 - Oct. 23, 2016
An icon of the 1960s radical student movement against the Vietnam War and racial and economic injustice, the activist later married actress Jane Fonda, and served in the California Legislature.
Robert Reed and Florence Henderson with their real and on-screen daughters. Clockwise from left: Karen Reed, Maureen McCormick, Barbara Henderson, Susan Olsen and Eve Plumb. Their real daughters had guest roles on "The Brady Bunch" in a slumber-party episode. (The Associated Press)
Florence Henderson Feb. 14, 1934 - Nov. 24, 2016
The wholesome actress went from Broadway star to television icon when she became Carol Brady, the ever-cheerful matriarch of the “The Brady Bunch.”
Moderator Gwen Ifill asks a question during the 2008 vice presidential debate in St. Louis, Mo. (Don Emmert / The Associated Press)
Gwen Ifill Sept. 29, 1955 - Nov. 14, 2016
In a distinguished career, Ifill was in the forefront of a journalism vanguard as a black woman in a field dominated by white men. She was the longtime anchor of "PBS NewsHour," having first worked at newspapers in Boston and Baltimore, and at The Washington Post and The New York Times.
Harper Lee smiles before receiving the 2007 Presidential Medal of Freedom in the East Room of the White House on Nov. 5, 2007, in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)
Harper Lee April 28, 1926 - Feb. 19, 2016
The reclusive novelist wrote “To Kill a Mockingbird," a child’s-eye view of racial injustice in a small Southern town that became standard reading for millions of young people and an Oscar-winning film.
George Michael performs at "Concert of Hope" to mark World AIDS Day at London's Wembley Arena in 1992. (Gill Allen / The Associated Press)
George Michael June 25, 1963 - Dec. 25, 2016
Michael enjoyed immense popularity early in his career as a teenybopper idol, delivering a series of hits such as “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go." As a solo artist, he developed into a more serious singer and songwriter, lauded by critics for his tremendous vocal range.
Arnold Palmer blasts his way out of a sandy bunker during the British Open Championship at Birkdale, England, July 13, 1961. (The Associated Press)
Arnold Palmer Sept. 10, 1929 - Sept. 25, 2016
Palmer charged across the golf course and into America's living rooms with a go-for-broke style that made a country club sport popular for the everyman. At ease with presidents and the public, he was on a first-name basis with both.
Shimon Peres, whose life story mirrored that of the Jewish state of Israel, was celebrated around the world as a Nobel prize-winning visionary who pushed his country toward peace. (Oded Balilty / The Associated Press)
Shimon Peres Aug. 2, 1923 - Sept. 28, 2016
Peres was a young aide to Israel's founding fathers when the country declared independence in 1948, and he played a key role in turning Israel into a military power. He was part of the negotiations that sealed the first Israeli-Palestinian peace accord, garnering a Nobel Peace Prize.
Prince performs during the halftime show at Super Bowl XLI in Miami in 2007. (Chris O'Meara / The Associated Press)
Prince June 7, 1958 - April 21, 2016
Prince was a musical genius who blended disparate cultures — black and white, R&B and rock, queer and Christian — and hit the pop world with the force of destiny. His Oscar-winning rock movie, "Purple Rain," was quasi-biographical, drawn from his experiences as a budding musician in Minneapolis.
President Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan pose on the White House South Lawn in October 1988. (Ronald Reagan Presidental Library)
Nancy Reagan July 6, 1921 - March 6, 2016
She was Ronald Reagan’s closest adviser and fiercest protector throughout his journey from Hollywood actor to California governor to U.S. president — and finally during his 10-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Attorney General Janet Reno, left, talks with reporters at a Department of Justice news conference Friday, April 7, 2000, in Washington. (Rick Bowmer / The Associated Press)
Janet Reno July 21, 1938 - Nov. 7, 2016
A former Miami prosecutor who famously told reporters, “I don’t do spin,” Reno became the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general. She was at the epicenter of a relentless series of political storms, from the deadly raid on the Branch Davidian compound at Waco, Texas, to the seizure of 5-year-old Cuban immigrant Elián González.
Debbie Reynolds drives away from her home with her daughter, Carrie Fisher, 2, in 1956. (The Associated Press)
Debbie Reynolds April 1, 1932 - Dec. 28, 2016
Debbie Reynolds, who lit up the screen in “Singin’ in the Rain" and other Hollywood classics despite a tumultuous life, died a day after losing her daughter, Carrie Fisher. Reynolds was 84.
Morley Safer at his office in New York in 1985. (CBS Photo Archive via The Associated Press)
Morley Safer Nov. 8, 1931 - May 19, 2016
The veteran “60 Minutes” correspondent exposed a military atrocity in Vietnam that played an early role in changing Americans’ view of the war.
Bob Santos was held in high esteem in the International District community, often referred to as its unofficial mayor. (Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times)
"Uncle Bob" Santos 1934 - Aug. 27, 2016
Born and raised in Seattle’s Chinatown in the 1930s, Mr. Santos was the son of a Filipino immigrant father and a Native American-Filipino mother. He spent most of his life working to bring diverse cultures and communities together, serving as a liaison between other community activists, business leaders and government agencies.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia speaks at the dedication of Eckstein Hall, Marquette's new law-school building, on Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2010, in Milwaukee. (Morry Gash / The Associated Press)
Antonin Scalia March 11, 1936 - Feb. 13, 2016
Scalia used his keen intellect and missionary zeal in an unyielding attempt to move the court further to the right after his 1986 selection by President Reagan. He also advocated tirelessly in favor of originalism, the philosophy of constitutional interpretation that looks to the meaning of words and concepts as they were understood by the Founding Fathers.
Women opposed to the Equal Rights Amendment sit with Phyllis Schlafly, left, national chairman of Stop ERA, at a hearing of a Republican platform subcommittee on human rights and responsibilities in a free society in 1976. (The Associated Press)
Phyllis Schlafly Aug. 15, 1924 - Sept. 5, 2016
One of the most polarizing figures in American public life, Schlafly was a self-described housewife who was called “the first lady of the conservative movement.”
Artie (Garry Shandling) in "Hurlyburly," directed by Anthony Drazan. (Dareen Michaels)
Gary Shandling Nov. 29, 1949 - March 24, 2016
Shandling was among a generation of comics who helped revolutionize TV comedy by casting aside the setup-punchline mechanics of the traditional network sitcom and exploring characterization more deeply.
Dick Spady, the founder of Dick's Drive In's outside the original Dicks on 45th in Wallingford in 2002. (Steve Ringman / The Seattle Times)
Dick Spady Oct. 15, 1923 - Jan. 10, 2016
Dick Spady, the namesake and co-founder of beloved local burger chain Dick’s Drive-In, opened the Wallingford restaurant on Jan. 28, 1954. A longtime fixture of Seattle life, Dick’s has been celebrated by artists such as Sir Mix-A-Lot, Macklemore and Blue Scholars.
Alan Thicke in the pressroom at the 42nd annual Daytime Emmy Awards at Warner Bros in 2015. (The Associated Press)
Alan Thicke March 1, 1947 - Dec. 13, 2016
Thicke was a Canadian-born TV host, writer, composer and actor well-known in his homeland before making his name in the United States, most notably with the ABC series “Growing Pains.”
Abe Vigoda portrayed Phil Fish in the ABC sitcoms "Barney Miller" and "Fish." (ABC Television Network)
Abe Vigoda Feb. 24, 1921 - Jan. 26, 2016
Vigoda, tall and graying with a long face, sturdy jaw and deep-set eyes, was a 50-year-old stage actor who had earned his stripes on and off Broadway performing Shakespeare, Strindberg and Shaw when he got his big Hollywood break, winning the role of Salvatore Tessio in “The Godfather.”
Holocaust survivor, activist and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Elie Wiesel, 83, sits in his office in New York in 2012. (Bebeto Matthews / The Associated Press)
Elie Wiesel Sept. 30, 1928 - July 2, 2016
By the sheer force of his personality and his gift for the haunting phrase, Wiesel, who had been liberated from Buchenwald as a 16-year-old with the tattoo A-7713 on his arm, gradually exhumed the Holocaust from the burial ground of the history books. It was this speaking out against forgetfulness and violence that the Nobel committee recognized when it awarded him the Peace Prize in 1986.
Writer-director Mel Brooks with actors Marty Feldman, Gene Wilder and Teri Garr on the set of "Young Frankenstein" in 1974. (20th Century Fox)
Gene Wilder June 11, 1933 - Aug. 29, 2016
With his unkempt hair and delightful neuroticism, Wilder was a master at playing panicked characters caught up in kooky schemes, whether reviving a monster in “Young Frankenstein,” bilking Broadway in “The Producers” or punishing gluttonous children in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."
