Courtesy the Dead People Server (dpsinfo.com):
January
Bob Anderson (swordmaster) -- Dead. Died January 1, 2012. Born September 15, 1922. Choreographed sword fights and trained actors for The Princess Bride, The Lord of the Rings and the Star Wars movies as well as the Highlander series. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Jenny Tomasin (actress) -- Dead. Hypertensive heart disease. Died January 3, 2012. Born November 30, 1936. Ruby on Upstairs/Downstairs, also appeared on Dr. Who and Emmerdale. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Eve Arnold (phtographer) -- Dead. Died January 4, 2012. Born April 21, 1912. Photographer known for shooting the famous (Marilyn Monroe, Marlena Dietrich) and the unknown (starving children). Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Roger Boisjoly (engineer/ethics lecturer) -- Dead. Cancer Died January 6, 2012. Born April 25, 1938. A Morton Thiokol engineer who argued against launching the Challenger in January 1986 as he believed the O-rings would fail due to the cold. He was overruled. Despite the fact he was right, NASA made it hard for him to work in the industry after he resigned from Morton Thiokol (now ATK Space Systems). Received the AAAS Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award in 1988. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary
Jerome Rubin (futurist/lawyer) -- Dead. Stroke Died January 9, 2012. Born March 9, 1925. A lawyer who helped develop an early commercial database (Lexis/Nexis) and predicted eBooks. Obituary
Mary Raftery (journalist) -- Dead. Died January 10, 2012. Born 1957. Irish journalist who produced documentaries on child sexual abuse by the Catholic Church (States of Fear) Wikipedia IMDb Obituary
Richard Threlkeld (journalist) -- Dead. Car accident. Died January 13, 2012. Born November 30, 1937. Journalist who alternated between working at CBS and ABC, one of the last journalists out of Saigon in 1975. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Etta James (singer) -- Dead.. Leukemia. Died January 20, 2012. Born January 25, 1938. Jazz singer, best known for the classic "At Last." Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Dick Tufeld (voice) -- Dead. Died January 22, 2012. Born December 11, 1926. Famous line: "Danger, danger Will Robinson!" Lost in Space, heard on other Irwin Allen shows, died 3 years after the robot driver Bob May. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary
Bingham Ray (movie company manager) -- Dead. Stroke Died January 23, 2012. Born circa 1954. Suffered a stroke while attending the Sundance Film Festival, co-founder of October Films, president of United Artists. IMDb Obituary
James Farentino (actor) -- Dead. Heart failure. Died January 24, 2012. Born February 24, 1938. On many TV series since the '60s, including Dynasty and a stint as Doug Ross's father on ER, divorced from Michele Lee. Wikipedia IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Robert Hegyes (actor) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died January 26, 2012. Born May 7, 1951. Epstein on Welcome Back Kotter, Cagney and Lacey, died about 7 months before fellow Kotter alum Ron Palillo. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
John Rich (TV director) -- Dead. Died January 29, 2012. Born July 6, 1925. Directed many episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show and All in the Family (including the famous Sammy Davis, Jr. episode) Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Damien Bona (writer) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died January 29, 2012. Born March 18, 1955. Co-wrote Inside Oscar. Obituary
February
Don Cornelius (producer/host) -- Dead.Suicide-gunshot. Died February 1, 2012. Born September 27, 1936. The man who brought you Soul Train. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Nello Ferrara (candy company director/lawyer) -- Dead. Died February 3, 2012. Born circa 1918. Studied law but went to work at his father's company (Ferrara Pan Candy) and invented Lemonhead and Atomic FireBall candies. Obituary
Ben Gazzara (actor) -- Dead. Pancreatic cancer. Died February 3, 2012. Born August 28, 1930. Run for Your Life and more movies than you'd imagine. Wikipedia IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Peter Breck (actor) -- Dead. Dementia Died February 6, 2012. Born March 13, 1929. The TV series Maverick and The Big Valley, loads of '60s and '70s TV guest spots. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Patricia Stephens Due (civil rights leader) -- Dead. Thyroid cancer. Died February 7, 2012. Born December 9, 1939. An organizer for civil rights in the South in the '60s, she later wrote an award-winning book (Freedom in the Family: A Mother-Daughter Memoir of the Fight for Civil Rights) on her experiences with her daughter Tananarive Due. Wikipedia Obituary
Jill Kinmont Boothe (educator/skiier) -- Dead. Died February 9, 2012. Born February 16 1936. Skiier on a track for the Olympics before she became paralyzed in an accident; inspired two movies (The Other Side of the Mountain) based on her accident and rehabilitation. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Jeffrey Zaslow (writer) --Dead. Car accident. Died February 10, 2012. Born October 6, 1958. Advice columnist (All That Jazz) and journalist (Wall Street Journal) who became the co-writer of a number of memoirish-books, including Randy Pauch's The Last Lecture and Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly's Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope. Killed while on a book tour for The Magic Room. Wikipedia Obituary
Whitney Houston (singer/actress) -- Dead. Rumor. Drowning/effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use. Died February 11, 2012. Born August 9, 1963. Very talented singer in the '80s and '90s. "I Wanna Dance with Somebody Who Loves Me." Too young to be listed here, she was included here for 10 years due to persistant rumors about her health, died at 48. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
David Kelly (actor) -- Dead. Died February 12, 2012. Born July 11, 1929. The faux-Ned in Waking Ned Devine; not to be confused with the American TV producer. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary
Gregg Jevin (legend) -- Dead. Debatable - either drowned or sat on his pen. Died February 23, 2012. Born circa 1960. An actor of mythic proportions, he was a Zelig-like performer who popped in and out of plays, TV shows and movies on whim.
Jan Berenstain (cartoonist/writer) -- Dead. Stroke. Died February 24, 2012. Born July 26, 1923. With her husband Stan, she wrote and illustrated over 200 Berenstain Bears books. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Davy Jones (singer/actor) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died February 29, 2012. Born December 30, 1945. Former Monkee, raised horses. Wikipedia IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
March
Ralph McQuarrie (artist) -- Dead. Parkinson's disease. Died March 3, 2012. Born June 13, 1929. Propobably best-known for his conceptual art for Star Wars. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary
Joan Taylor (actress/businesswoman) -- Dead. Died March 4, 2012. Born August 18, 1929. Earth vs. the Flying Saucers, 20 Million Miles to Earth, wrote the script for Fools Rush In and managed the syndication of Hawaii 5-0 for many years. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Robert B. Sherman (songwriter) -- Dead. Died March 5, 2012. Born December 19, 1925. With his brother Richard, he wrote iconic music for Disney ("It's a Small World After All" and the score for Mary Poppins), one of the liberators of Dachau. Wikipedia IBDB IMDb Obituary
Adrienne Rich (poet/essayist) -- Dead. Complications of rheumatoid arthritis Died March 27, 2012. Born May 16, 1929. Won the National Book Award for Diving into the Wreck. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary
Warren Stevens (actor) -- Dead. Lung disease. Died March 27, 2012. Born November 2, 1919. Extremely busy TV actor during the '50s, '60s and '70s, he starred in Forbidden Planet as the ship's doctor. Wikipedia IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Earl Scruggs (country musician) -- Dead. Died March 28, 2012. Born January 6, 1924. Flatt and Scruggs. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
April
Thomas Kinkade (painter/businessman) -- Dead. Overdose of alcohol and Valium. Died April 6, 2012. Born January 19, 1958. Turned "painted lights" in landscapes into a multi-million dollar business. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Mike Wallace (newscaster) -- Dead. Died April 7, 2012. Born May 9, 1918. 60 Minutes, portrayed by Christopher Plummer in The Insider, worked until he was nearly 89. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Jonathan Frid (actor) -- Dead. Died (Friday) April 13, 2012. Born December 2, 1924. Most famous as Barnabas Collins in Dark Shadows, died just before the Depp DS remake came out (in which Frid had a cameo), played Jonathan Brewster in an '80s Broadway revival of Arsenic and Old Lace. Wikipedia IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Dick Clark (host/producer/for a long time "the world's oldest teenager") -- Dead. Heart attack. Died April 18, 2012. Born November 30, 1929. Host of American Bandstand, The $10,000 Pyramid, and New Year's Rockin' Eve, continued working after suffering a severe stroke in 2004. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Levon Helm (drummer/actor) -- Dead. Throat cancer. Died April 19, 2012. Born May 26, 1940. Played with The Band ("The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down") and played Loretta Lynn's father in Coal Miner's Daughter Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Joel Goldsmith (composer) -- Dead. Died April 29, 2012. Born November 19, 1957. Wrote most of the music for the various Stargate TV series. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
May
George Lindsey (actor) -- Dead. Died May 6, 2012. Born December 17, 1928. Longtime Hee-Haw regular, Goober Pyle on the Andy Griffith Show, fundraiser for the Alabama Special Olympics. Wikipedia IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Maurice Sendak (writer) -- Dead. Stroke. Died May 8, 2012. Born June 10, 1928. Great kids' book writer, Where the Wild Things Are. Wikipedia IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Vidal Sassoon (hairstylist/businessman) -- Dead. Died May 9, 2012. Born January 17, 1928. The first celebrity hairstylist to globally market products, he gave Mia Farrow her memorable haircut for Rosemary's Baby. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Donna Summer (singer) -- Dead. Breast/lung cancer. Died May 17, 2012. Born December 31, 1948. The Disco Queen, her hits included "Love to Love Ya Baby (a short version and a 17 minute version)," "On the Radio" and "She Worked Hard for the Money." Wikipedia IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Robin Gibb (singer/songwriter) -- Dead. Cancer. Died May 20, 2012. Born December 22, 1949. Part of the Bee Gees (the thin one), Saturday Night Fever. Wikipedia IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Leo Dillon (artist) -- Dead. Died May 26, 2012. Born March 2, 1933. Illustrated the Dangerous Visions collections and many children's books with his wife Diane. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary
Dick Beals (voice) -- Dead. Died May 29, 2012. March 16, 1927. The original voice for Speedy Alka-Seltzer, Gumby and Davey (Davey & Goliath). Wikipedia IMDb Obituary
Doc Watson (guitarist) -- Dead. Complications following colon surgery. Died May 29, 2012. Born March 3, 1923. Legendary flat-picking guitarist who won many Grammys for best folk recording. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
June
Richard Dawson (actor/gameshow host) -- Dead. Rumor. Esophageal cancer. Died June 2, 2012. Born November 20, 1932. Survey says dead. Leering Family Feud host, a Laugh-in and Hogan's Heroes regular. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary
Kathryn Joosten (actress/psychiatric nurse) -- Dead. Lung cancer. Died June 2, 2012. Born December 20, 1939. The West Wing, died not long after filming her character's death scene for the finale of Desperate Housewies. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Ray Bradbury (author/futurist) -- Dead. Died June 5, 2012. Born August 22, 1920. The Martian Chronicles and Fahrenheit 451, wrote the script for movies such as Moby Dick. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary Obituary FindAGrave AwardWeb
Frank Cady (actor) -- Dead. Rumor. Died June 8, 2012. Born September 8, 1915. Mr. Drucker on Green Acres. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary
Ann Rutherford (actress) -- Dead. Heart disease. Died June 11, 2012. Born November 2, 1917. Carreen in Gone with the Wind, appeared in some Andy Hardy movies. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary
Rodney King (man who begged us all to just get along) -- Dead. Drowning. Died June 17, 2012. Born April 2, 1965. Man beaten by cops, cops found not guilty of police brutality, verdict sparked LA riots and Rodney asked people to "just get along." Wikipedia IMDb Obituary
LeRoy Neiman (artist) -- Dead. Died June 20, 2012. Born June 8, 1921. Painted for Playboy, many Olympics Games and illustrated many pop culture events of the '60s and '70s. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary
Nora Ephron (director/writer) -- Dead. Cancer. Died June 26, 2012. Born May 19, 1941. Wrote Heartburn, a thinly-veiled account of her marriage to Carl Bernstein, went on to direct movies like Sleepless in Seattle. Wikipedia IBDB IMDb FindAGrave Obituary
Doris Singleton (actress) -- Dead. Died June 26, 2012. Born September 28, 1919. Frequent co-star of Lucille Ball in series including I Love Lucy. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Don Grady (composer/actor) -- Dead. Cancer. Died June 27, 2012. Born June 8, 1944. Robbie on My Three Sons, a Mouseketeer, older brother of Eight is Enough's Lani O'Grady, composed music for the Discovery Channel and for The Phil Donahue Show. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Richard Isay (psychiatrist/writer) -- Dead. Cancer. Died June 28, 2012. Born December 13, 1934. Psychiatrist who fought institutionalized homophobia among psychoanlysts, wrote books including Becoming Gay. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary
January
Bob Anderson (swordmaster) -- Dead. Died January 1, 2012. Born September 15, 1922. Choreographed sword fights and trained actors for The Princess Bride, The Lord of the Rings and the Star Wars movies as well as the Highlander series. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Jenny Tomasin (actress) -- Dead. Hypertensive heart disease. Died January 3, 2012. Born November 30, 1936. Ruby on Upstairs/Downstairs, also appeared on Dr. Who and Emmerdale. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Eve Arnold (phtographer) -- Dead. Died January 4, 2012. Born April 21, 1912. Photographer known for shooting the famous (Marilyn Monroe, Marlena Dietrich) and the unknown (starving children). Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Roger Boisjoly (engineer/ethics lecturer) -- Dead. Cancer Died January 6, 2012. Born April 25, 1938. A Morton Thiokol engineer who argued against launching the Challenger in January 1986 as he believed the O-rings would fail due to the cold. He was overruled. Despite the fact he was right, NASA made it hard for him to work in the industry after he resigned from Morton Thiokol (now ATK Space Systems). Received the AAAS Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award in 1988. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary
Jerome Rubin (futurist/lawyer) -- Dead. Stroke Died January 9, 2012. Born March 9, 1925. A lawyer who helped develop an early commercial database (Lexis/Nexis) and predicted eBooks. Obituary
Mary Raftery (journalist) -- Dead. Died January 10, 2012. Born 1957. Irish journalist who produced documentaries on child sexual abuse by the Catholic Church (States of Fear) Wikipedia IMDb Obituary
Richard Threlkeld (journalist) -- Dead. Car accident. Died January 13, 2012. Born November 30, 1937. Journalist who alternated between working at CBS and ABC, one of the last journalists out of Saigon in 1975. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Etta James (singer) -- Dead.. Leukemia. Died January 20, 2012. Born January 25, 1938. Jazz singer, best known for the classic "At Last." Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Dick Tufeld (voice) -- Dead. Died January 22, 2012. Born December 11, 1926. Famous line: "Danger, danger Will Robinson!" Lost in Space, heard on other Irwin Allen shows, died 3 years after the robot driver Bob May. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary
Bingham Ray (movie company manager) -- Dead. Stroke Died January 23, 2012. Born circa 1954. Suffered a stroke while attending the Sundance Film Festival, co-founder of October Films, president of United Artists. IMDb Obituary
James Farentino (actor) -- Dead. Heart failure. Died January 24, 2012. Born February 24, 1938. On many TV series since the '60s, including Dynasty and a stint as Doug Ross's father on ER, divorced from Michele Lee. Wikipedia IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Robert Hegyes (actor) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died January 26, 2012. Born May 7, 1951. Epstein on Welcome Back Kotter, Cagney and Lacey, died about 7 months before fellow Kotter alum Ron Palillo. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
John Rich (TV director) -- Dead. Died January 29, 2012. Born July 6, 1925. Directed many episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show and All in the Family (including the famous Sammy Davis, Jr. episode) Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Damien Bona (writer) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died January 29, 2012. Born March 18, 1955. Co-wrote Inside Oscar. Obituary
February
Don Cornelius (producer/host) -- Dead.Suicide-gunshot. Died February 1, 2012. Born September 27, 1936. The man who brought you Soul Train. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Nello Ferrara (candy company director/lawyer) -- Dead. Died February 3, 2012. Born circa 1918. Studied law but went to work at his father's company (Ferrara Pan Candy) and invented Lemonhead and Atomic FireBall candies. Obituary
Ben Gazzara (actor) -- Dead. Pancreatic cancer. Died February 3, 2012. Born August 28, 1930. Run for Your Life and more movies than you'd imagine. Wikipedia IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Peter Breck (actor) -- Dead. Dementia Died February 6, 2012. Born March 13, 1929. The TV series Maverick and The Big Valley, loads of '60s and '70s TV guest spots. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Patricia Stephens Due (civil rights leader) -- Dead. Thyroid cancer. Died February 7, 2012. Born December 9, 1939. An organizer for civil rights in the South in the '60s, she later wrote an award-winning book (Freedom in the Family: A Mother-Daughter Memoir of the Fight for Civil Rights) on her experiences with her daughter Tananarive Due. Wikipedia Obituary
Jill Kinmont Boothe (educator/skiier) -- Dead. Died February 9, 2012. Born February 16 1936. Skiier on a track for the Olympics before she became paralyzed in an accident; inspired two movies (The Other Side of the Mountain) based on her accident and rehabilitation. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Jeffrey Zaslow (writer) --Dead. Car accident. Died February 10, 2012. Born October 6, 1958. Advice columnist (All That Jazz) and journalist (Wall Street Journal) who became the co-writer of a number of memoirish-books, including Randy Pauch's The Last Lecture and Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly's Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope. Killed while on a book tour for The Magic Room. Wikipedia Obituary
Whitney Houston (singer/actress) -- Dead. Rumor. Drowning/effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use. Died February 11, 2012. Born August 9, 1963. Very talented singer in the '80s and '90s. "I Wanna Dance with Somebody Who Loves Me." Too young to be listed here, she was included here for 10 years due to persistant rumors about her health, died at 48. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
David Kelly (actor) -- Dead. Died February 12, 2012. Born July 11, 1929. The faux-Ned in Waking Ned Devine; not to be confused with the American TV producer. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary
Gregg Jevin (legend) -- Dead. Debatable - either drowned or sat on his pen. Died February 23, 2012. Born circa 1960. An actor of mythic proportions, he was a Zelig-like performer who popped in and out of plays, TV shows and movies on whim.
Jan Berenstain (cartoonist/writer) -- Dead. Stroke. Died February 24, 2012. Born July 26, 1923. With her husband Stan, she wrote and illustrated over 200 Berenstain Bears books. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Davy Jones (singer/actor) -- Dead. Heart attack. Died February 29, 2012. Born December 30, 1945. Former Monkee, raised horses. Wikipedia IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
March
Ralph McQuarrie (artist) -- Dead. Parkinson's disease. Died March 3, 2012. Born June 13, 1929. Propobably best-known for his conceptual art for Star Wars. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary
Joan Taylor (actress/businesswoman) -- Dead. Died March 4, 2012. Born August 18, 1929. Earth vs. the Flying Saucers, 20 Million Miles to Earth, wrote the script for Fools Rush In and managed the syndication of Hawaii 5-0 for many years. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Robert B. Sherman (songwriter) -- Dead. Died March 5, 2012. Born December 19, 1925. With his brother Richard, he wrote iconic music for Disney ("It's a Small World After All" and the score for Mary Poppins), one of the liberators of Dachau. Wikipedia IBDB IMDb Obituary
Adrienne Rich (poet/essayist) -- Dead. Complications of rheumatoid arthritis Died March 27, 2012. Born May 16, 1929. Won the National Book Award for Diving into the Wreck. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary
Warren Stevens (actor) -- Dead. Lung disease. Died March 27, 2012. Born November 2, 1919. Extremely busy TV actor during the '50s, '60s and '70s, he starred in Forbidden Planet as the ship's doctor. Wikipedia IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Earl Scruggs (country musician) -- Dead. Died March 28, 2012. Born January 6, 1924. Flatt and Scruggs. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
April
Thomas Kinkade (painter/businessman) -- Dead. Overdose of alcohol and Valium. Died April 6, 2012. Born January 19, 1958. Turned "painted lights" in landscapes into a multi-million dollar business. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Mike Wallace (newscaster) -- Dead. Died April 7, 2012. Born May 9, 1918. 60 Minutes, portrayed by Christopher Plummer in The Insider, worked until he was nearly 89. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Jonathan Frid (actor) -- Dead. Died (Friday) April 13, 2012. Born December 2, 1924. Most famous as Barnabas Collins in Dark Shadows, died just before the Depp DS remake came out (in which Frid had a cameo), played Jonathan Brewster in an '80s Broadway revival of Arsenic and Old Lace. Wikipedia IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Dick Clark (host/producer/for a long time "the world's oldest teenager") -- Dead. Heart attack. Died April 18, 2012. Born November 30, 1929. Host of American Bandstand, The $10,000 Pyramid, and New Year's Rockin' Eve, continued working after suffering a severe stroke in 2004. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Levon Helm (drummer/actor) -- Dead. Throat cancer. Died April 19, 2012. Born May 26, 1940. Played with The Band ("The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down") and played Loretta Lynn's father in Coal Miner's Daughter Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Joel Goldsmith (composer) -- Dead. Died April 29, 2012. Born November 19, 1957. Wrote most of the music for the various Stargate TV series. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
May
George Lindsey (actor) -- Dead. Died May 6, 2012. Born December 17, 1928. Longtime Hee-Haw regular, Goober Pyle on the Andy Griffith Show, fundraiser for the Alabama Special Olympics. Wikipedia IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Maurice Sendak (writer) -- Dead. Stroke. Died May 8, 2012. Born June 10, 1928. Great kids' book writer, Where the Wild Things Are. Wikipedia IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Vidal Sassoon (hairstylist/businessman) -- Dead. Died May 9, 2012. Born January 17, 1928. The first celebrity hairstylist to globally market products, he gave Mia Farrow her memorable haircut for Rosemary's Baby. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Donna Summer (singer) -- Dead. Breast/lung cancer. Died May 17, 2012. Born December 31, 1948. The Disco Queen, her hits included "Love to Love Ya Baby (a short version and a 17 minute version)," "On the Radio" and "She Worked Hard for the Money." Wikipedia IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Robin Gibb (singer/songwriter) -- Dead. Cancer. Died May 20, 2012. Born December 22, 1949. Part of the Bee Gees (the thin one), Saturday Night Fever. Wikipedia IBDB IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Leo Dillon (artist) -- Dead. Died May 26, 2012. Born March 2, 1933. Illustrated the Dangerous Visions collections and many children's books with his wife Diane. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary
Dick Beals (voice) -- Dead. Died May 29, 2012. March 16, 1927. The original voice for Speedy Alka-Seltzer, Gumby and Davey (Davey & Goliath). Wikipedia IMDb Obituary
Doc Watson (guitarist) -- Dead. Complications following colon surgery. Died May 29, 2012. Born March 3, 1923. Legendary flat-picking guitarist who won many Grammys for best folk recording. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
June
Richard Dawson (actor/gameshow host) -- Dead. Rumor. Esophageal cancer. Died June 2, 2012. Born November 20, 1932. Survey says dead. Leering Family Feud host, a Laugh-in and Hogan's Heroes regular. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary
Kathryn Joosten (actress/psychiatric nurse) -- Dead. Lung cancer. Died June 2, 2012. Born December 20, 1939. The West Wing, died not long after filming her character's death scene for the finale of Desperate Housewies. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Ray Bradbury (author/futurist) -- Dead. Died June 5, 2012. Born August 22, 1920. The Martian Chronicles and Fahrenheit 451, wrote the script for movies such as Moby Dick. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary Obituary FindAGrave AwardWeb
Frank Cady (actor) -- Dead. Rumor. Died June 8, 2012. Born September 8, 1915. Mr. Drucker on Green Acres. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary
Ann Rutherford (actress) -- Dead. Heart disease. Died June 11, 2012. Born November 2, 1917. Carreen in Gone with the Wind, appeared in some Andy Hardy movies. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary
Rodney King (man who begged us all to just get along) -- Dead. Drowning. Died June 17, 2012. Born April 2, 1965. Man beaten by cops, cops found not guilty of police brutality, verdict sparked LA riots and Rodney asked people to "just get along." Wikipedia IMDb Obituary
LeRoy Neiman (artist) -- Dead. Died June 20, 2012. Born June 8, 1921. Painted for Playboy, many Olympics Games and illustrated many pop culture events of the '60s and '70s. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary
Nora Ephron (director/writer) -- Dead. Cancer. Died June 26, 2012. Born May 19, 1941. Wrote Heartburn, a thinly-veiled account of her marriage to Carl Bernstein, went on to direct movies like Sleepless in Seattle. Wikipedia IBDB IMDb FindAGrave Obituary
Doris Singleton (actress) -- Dead. Died June 26, 2012. Born September 28, 1919. Frequent co-star of Lucille Ball in series including I Love Lucy. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Don Grady (composer/actor) -- Dead. Cancer. Died June 27, 2012. Born June 8, 1944. Robbie on My Three Sons, a Mouseketeer, older brother of Eight is Enough's Lani O'Grady, composed music for the Discovery Channel and for The Phil Donahue Show. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary FindAGrave
Richard Isay (psychiatrist/writer) -- Dead. Cancer. Died June 28, 2012. Born December 13, 1934. Psychiatrist who fought institutionalized homophobia among psychoanlysts, wrote books including Becoming Gay. Wikipedia IMDb Obituary