Harry Carey Jr.
Character actor, best known for roles in classic Westerns like The Searchers and Red River but who also had a memorable turn in 1984's Gremlins, died Dec. 27. He was 91 and was thought to be the last surviving member of director John Ford's go-to casting circle.
Fontella Bass
Soul singer best known for her 1965 hit, "Rescue Me," died Dec. 26, 2012, at age 72 due to complications suffered from a heart attack.
Gerry Anderson
Thunderbirds creator died peacefully in his sleep Dec. 26, 2012 at age 83 after suffering from Alzheimer's disease for nearly three years.
Ray Collins
Original frontman for avant-rockers Mothers of Invention who recruited pal Frank Zappa to play guitar for the band died Dec. 24 at a Pomona, Calif., hospital. He was 73 and had been in a coma since suffering cardiac arrest on Dec. 18.
Charles Durning
Character actor best known for roles in Tootsie, The Sting, Home for the Holidays, Rescue Me and more, as well as a Tony winner for playing Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, died Dec. 24 of natural causes. He was 89.
Jack Klugman
The Odd Couple and Quincy M.E. star died at age 90 on Christmas Eve, 2012.
Jack Hanlon
The Our Gang star died at age 96 in late 2012.
Ravi Shankar
The 92-year-old sitar master passed away at a hospital near his home in Southern California after heart-valve replacement surgery.
Jenni Rivera
The Mexican-American singer and star of the reality show I Love Jenni died Dec. 9, 2012, after a plane she and six others were on crashed in Mexico. The Grammy nominee was 43.
Dave Brubeck
The jazz great, best known for his chart-topping Time Out, died one day shy of his 92 birthday.
Bonita Lynn Fields Elder
The former Mouseketeer who thrilled viewers with her dancing on the 1950s children's show The Mickey Mouse Club and later performed on Broadway, died Nov. 17, 2012 from throat cancer. She was 68.
Major Harris
R&B singer who helped pioneer the musical genre known as Philadelphia soul in the '70s as a member of the Delfonics before moving on to a successful solo career died at the age of 65. Among his best known songs was "Love Won't Let Me Wait."
Herbert Lom
The Pink Panther star passed away at 95. Throughout his career, he acted in over 100 films.
Dorothy McGuire
The singer, who along with her siblings Phyllis and Christine, formed the McGuire Sisters, died at the age of 84. The popular 50s trio had a string of hits, including he No.1 classics "Sincerely" and "Sugartime."
Joe South
The singer-songwriter, who earned Grammy Awards for writing such hits as "Games People Play" and "(I Never Promised You) A Rose Garden," died of a heart attack at the age of 72. He worked with such artists as Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and Aretha Franklin.
Michael Clarke Duncan
The actor, best known for his role in The Green Mile, passed away nearly two months after suffering from a heart attack. He was 54.
Jerry Nelson
The puppeteer—known for Sesame Street and The Muppets—died of unspecified causes at the age of 78.
Phyllis Diller
The legendary female comedian—whose career dates back to the 1950s—died in her sleep at the age of 95.
Tony Scott
British filmmaker and director of blockbusters including Top Gun, died from an apparent suicide at 68.
Scott McKenzie
The singer-songwriter, who sang the 1967 hippie anthem "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)," died after battling Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a disease that impacts the nervous system. He was 73.
William Windom
The Emmy-winning actor, famous for his roles in Star Trek and To Kill a Mockingbird, died from congestive heart failure at 88.
Ron Palillo
Actor best known for playing Arnold Horschack, the innocent class clown who along with John Travolta's Vinny Barbarino was one of the central members of the Sweathogs in the '70s sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter, died after suffering a heart attack in his sleep. He was 63.
Lupe Ontiveros
The actress, who appeared in such films as Selena and As Good As It Gets as well as the TV show Desperate Housewives, died from liver cancer. She was 69.
Frank Pierson
Veteran screenwriter, who was a three-time Acadamy Award nominee and won an Oscar for his screenplay of Dog Day Afternoon, died after battling a short illness. He was 87. Pierson most recently had worked on such TV shows as The Good Wife and Mad Men.