The Blog of Death

Buddy Hackett

Leonard Hacker, a.k.a. "Buddy" Hackett, was a class clown who grew up to become one of Hollywood's most famous comedians.

In 1946, Hackett was invited to join the Three Stooges comedy team when "Curly" Howard suffered a stroke. Hackett declined, opting instead to perform stand-up in the Catskill Mountains. His career grew with appearances on the Jack Paar and Arthur Godfrey variety TV shows.

As a top act in nightclubs, Hackett spent more than 50 years making audiences laugh. He also appeared in two dozen movies, including "The Music Man," "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World," "The Love Bug" and "The Little Mermaid."

Hackett died over the weekend. Cause of death was not released. He was 78.

• IMDb Filmography

Diane Geppi-Aikens

Diane Geppi-Aikens simply refused to let her health get in the way of her passion -- coaching the Loyola of Maryland women's lacrosse team.

For the past eight years, Geppi-Aikens has battled an inoperable brain tumor. While partially paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair, Geppi-Aikens coached the Greyhounds to a No. 1 ranking. Her squad finished 17-2 this season, and reached the semifinals for the seventh time in her 15 years as head coach.

Geppi-Aikens was named national women's lacrosse coach of the year in 1996, 1997 and this season. She died on Sunday of brain cancer. She was 40.

Fred Sandback

String. Yarn. Wire. These were the simple items Fred Sandback turned into art.

As a youth, Sandback made stringed instruments like dulcimers and banjos. But when he matured, he turned his strings into art by sculpting with yarn and painting with string. His work has been featured in galleries in Dusseldorf and Cologne, Germany, and at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan.

"The first sculpture I made with a piece of string and a little wire was the outline of a rectangular solid ... lying on the floor. It was a casual act, but it seemed to open up a lot of possibilities for me," Sandback wrote in 1986.

Sandback committed suicide on June 23. He was 59.

I. Bernard Cohen

I. Bernard Cohen, a Harvard scholar who published 20 books and 150 articles, died June 20. Cause of death was not released. He was 89.

Cohen joined the Harvard University faculty as an instructor in physics in 1942. He taught classes for more than four decades before retiring as a professor emeritus of the history of science.

Throughout his teaching career, Cohen constantly published his writing. He was best known as an expert on the subject of Isaac Newton. In 1957, Cohen decided to publish a comprehensive edition of Newton's work in Latin. "Principia Mathematica" was finally finished in 1972; the 974-page, English translation was published in 1999.

Cohen's final book, "The Triumph of Numbers," was mailed to his publisher, W.W. Norton, two weeks ago.

Alex Gordon

Alex Gordon, a B-movie producer and promoter, died on June 24 of cancer. He was 80.

As a young man, Gordon produced a string of B-movies like "The She-Creature," "Dragstrip Girl," and "Shake, Rattle and Rock." He was also the executive producer of the Roger Corman film, "Day the World Ended."

In 1947, Gordon got a job working as the publicist for singer Gene Autry. He toured with the star to every state in the U.S. and overseas.

Gordon took a position in television production with 20th Century Fox in 1968, where he helped launch a film restoration program.

In the '80s he combined his two passions -- Gene Autry and movies -- to work as the vice president of Flying A Pictures. In this position, Gordon tracked down all of Autry's movie and TV appearances to create "bonus material" for the DVD releases of Autry's films.

Katharine Hepburn

The First Lady of Cinema died Saturday. Cause of death was not released. She was 96.

Katharine Hepburn, who was ranked the number one actress in the American Film Institute's list of "50 Greatest Movie Legends," acted for more than 60 years, both on stage and in film.

Her first starring role on Broadway occurred in 1932 as an Amazon princess in "A Warrior's Husband." Later that year, Hepburn made her film debut in "A Bill of Divorcement," starring opposite John Barrymore. She made five more movies in the next two years, including "Morning Glory," for which she won her first Academy Award.

At the time, Hollywood was not prepared for someone like Hepburn. She relished her privacy, skipped the interview process and chose her own wardrobe (she favored pants). Studio executives declared her to be "demanding," and her next few movies flopped.

Undaunted, Hepburn returned to Broadway to star in "The Philadelphia Story." It was a huge hit and Hepburn used its success to buy the film rights and return to Hollywood on her own terms. The 1940 film version, which costarred Jimmy Stewart and Cary Grant, was a box office hit and earned Hepburn her third Oscar nomination.

In 1942, Hepburn worked with Spencer Tracy on the film, "Woman of the Year." They fell in love off-screen, and began a relationship that lasted 25 years and eight more movies together. Her last film with Tracy was "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" She received her 10th Oscar nomination and her second win, though it was a movie she never actually watched. Tracy died weeks after it wrapped.

Even as she aged, Hepburn continued working. In the '70s, she made TV movies like "The Glass Menagerie" and "Love Among the Ruins." In the '80s, she made "On Golden Pond" with Henry Fonda. She received her 12th Oscar nomination for the film, and her fourth win. In 1994, she appeared in the remake of "An Affair to Remember," with Warren Beatty and Annette Bening.

Until 2002, Hepburn held the record for being the actress with the most Oscar nominations and most Oscar wins. (Meryl Streep finally beat her in the nominations category with her nod for "Adaptation.")

"I welcome death," Hepburn once said. "In death there are no interviews!"

• IMDb Filmography
• Complete Coverage From The New York Times

Doris Lund

Doris Herold Lund, best-selling author and freelance writer, died Thursday of multiple illnesses including Parkinson's disease and asthma. She was 84.

Lund started her writing career as a freelancer, contributing articles and stories to Reader's Digest, Ladies Home Journal and Good Housekeeping. She published eight popular children's books, including "Attic in the Wind," which sold over 1 million copies.

When her son Eric died of leukemia, Lund wrote a nonfiction book about his battle with the disease. "Eric" was published in 1974, and was eventually printed in 20 languages. Two years later, CBS aired a Hallmark TV movie based on her book, starring Patricia Neil, Claude Akins and Mark Hamill.

"I knew I was watching something unusually courageous. Being a writer, you take things in and regurgitate them automatically. I knew I was privileged," Lund once said.

Les Waters

David "Les" Waters was the kind of firefighter who was well-respected by his men. He fought the fire at every fire, no matter what.

For almost 30 years, Mr. Waters rose through the ranks in Sacramento, from engineer to captain to battalion chief. After retiring in 1974, he helped organize the Pioneer Mutual Hook and Ladder Association, which is working toward building a firefighting museum.

Waters died Friday from Parkinson's disease. He was 84.

George George

Space aliens traveling through the Milky Way who wanted to make a pit stop on Earth were welcome at George George's restaurant. In fact, the coffee was on the house.

In 1952, George made national headlines when he posted a sign on the Charcoal House restaurant in St. Petersburg, Fla., that read: ''Coffee Free Welcome Saucers.'' E.T. never took him up on the offer, but it was a fantastic marketing ploy.

George was also a World War II veteran, an actor and a writer. After he left the restaurant business, George became a car salesman, a job he did for 30 years.

George died Monday. Cause of death was not released. He was 88.

Harry Bush

If you needed to make a living wage in New York, Memphis or Miami, Harry Bush was the man to see.

Bush spent 35 years in the labor union industry. He was a founding member of New York City labor union District 65, and the Retail Wholesale Distribution Workers of America. He traveled throughout the South to lobby for workers' rights, including 40-hour work weeks, benefits and reasonable salaries.

As an advisory board member of Miami-Dade's Living Wage Commission, he encouraged the county to increase it hourly pay rate. In 1999, the county commission complied and voted unanimously to increase its minimum wage for county employees to $8.56/hour. The federal minimum wage is $5.15/hour.

Bush died Wednesday from heart failure. He was 85.

Sara Ann Freed

Sara Ann Freed, an influential editor of crime fiction, died Wednesday. Cause of death was not released, although Freed was being treated for leukemia. She was 57.

As the editor-in-chief of Mysterious Press and the senior editor at Warner Books, Freed worked with several prominent mystery authors, including Marcia Muller, James Patterson and Kelly Lange. She also helped Patricia Cornwell turn her fictional medical examiner, Kay Scarpetta, into the heroine of a best-selling series of books.

In 1999, Freed received the Ellery Queen Award from the Mystery Writers of America.

David Newman

David Newman, an Academy Award-nominated screenwriter, died Thursday after suffering a massive stroke. He was 66.

Newman wrote many screenplays, including "Sheena," "Santa Claus: The Movie," and "What's Up, Doc?" He collaborated with his wife, Leslie Newman, on the "Superman" films, and with director Robert Benton to write the 1967 film, "Bonnie and Clyde," which was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including best screenplay.

Newman also won the New York Film Critics Award, the National Society of Film Critics Award and three Writers Guild of America Awards.

John Adams

The clear-eyed vision of John G. Adams helped end Sen. Joseph McCarthy's anti-Communism campaign.

While working as the chief legal adviser to Army Secretary Robert T. Stevens in 1953, Adams wrote a 40-page memo detailing his belief that McCarthy's investigation of the Army for communist sympathizers was a personal vendetta. That memo led to weeks of televised hearings.

Although he called Adams a liar, the American public lost faith in McCarthy's zealous campaign, and the Senate censured him.

Adams later worked for criminal defense attorneys in Washington, and wrote his memoirs, "Without Precedent: The Story of the Death of McCarthyism," in 1983.

Adams died Thursday of lung cancer. He was 91.

Tiger Cub

A tiger cub living in Bandhavgarh National Park in India, died last Tuesday after eating a porcupine whose quills damaged its neck and intestines.

The 21-month-old tiger, which weighed 253 lbs., was born to Mohini, the tigress who injured several French tourists last March.

Denis Thatcher

Sir Denis Thatcher, a retired oil executive and the Iron Lady's consort, died of cancer. He was 88.

Thatcher, a millionaire with a penchant for gin and golf, was best known as the husband of the formidable, former British prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. His wife was by his side when he died.

Thatcher's baronetcy will now pass to his son who will become Sir Mark Thatcher, Bt.

Strom Thurmond

James Strom Thurmond, a former segregationist and South Carolina senator, died Thursday. Cause of death was not released. He was 100.

Thurmond's political career was extensive. He served as a county school superintendent, a state senator and a circuit judge until he enlisted in the Army to fight in World War II. When he came home a war hero, Thurmond returned to politics and became the governor of South Carolina in 1946.

He lost reelection, and ran for president but came a distant third to President Harry S. Truman. Thurmond practiced law until a slot opened up in the U.S. Senate. Then he ran as a write-in candidate and won, becoming the only person in history to capture a seat in Congress by write-in vote.

He was the originator of the 1956 Southern Manifesto, which denounced the Supreme Court's desegregation ruling. Although he grew up as a Democrat, Thurmond switched to the GOP in 1964. He served as a Republican leader until Jan. 2002.

Thurmond holds two other political records. He performed the longest solo Senate filibuster when he spoke against the 1957 civil rights bill for 24 hours and 18 minutes. He was also the longest-serving senator in history, representing South Carolina for more than 48 years.

Emma Taylor

At 111, Emma Taylor was the ninth-oldest person in the U.S. and the 18th-oldest in the world. She died on Tuesday.

Taylor survived an outbreak of Spanish flu in 1918, wrote an autobiography and taught home economics and business for almost four decades. After she retired, she traveled to 32 countries.

An independent woman, Taylor jokingly attributed her longevity to staying single.

Marc-Vivien Foe

Cameroon soccer player Marc-Vivien Foe, died Thursday during a Confederations Cup semi-final game against Colombia in Lyon, France. Cause of death was not released. He was 28.

The six-foot-three midfielder collapsed minutes before the match ended. He was placed on a stretcher, carried off the field and treated by doctors, but he could not be revived. The FIFA announced Foe's death minutes after the match ended in Cameroon's favor.

Foe played with Cameroon's Canon Yaounde, France's Lens, England's West Ham United, Lyon and Manchester City. Though he represented Cameroon 65 times and played in the World Cup, Foe also experienced some career setbacks. In 1998, he broke his leg prior to the finals, and in 2000, he contracted malaria.

Richard Pough

Richard Hooper Pough, an ornithologist, conservationist and author, died on June 25 of brain cancer. He was 99.

During the Great Depression, Pough visited Hawk Mountain, a site in Pennsylvania where hunters could shoot goshawks for $5/head. He was horrified to see the predatory birds slaughtered en masse, and took photographs of the hundreds of carcasses lying on the forest floor. One of these pictures caught the eye of Rosalie Edge, who then leased the 1,400 acres around Hawk Mountain. She installed a warden on the property, and opened the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary to the public.

Pough worked for the National Audubon Society from 1936 to 1948, documenting rare birds as a "roving warden," and wrote a series of popular bird guides.

In 1950, Pough and other scientists founded the Nature Conservancy, which has become one of the world's largest land conservation groups. Pough also spent eight years as chairman of the conservation and general ecology department at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

Chuck Carroll

Charles O. "Chuck" Carroll, was both a revered football player and a veteran prosecutor in King County, Wash.

Nicknamed the "Iron Man," Carroll was a 195-pound running back on the University of Washington football team. He scored 17 touchdowns in 1928, a record that wasn't beaten for 58 years. Carroll was inducted into the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame in 1964, and his jersey number (No. 2) was retired by the school.

He earned a law degree from Washington in 1932 and was appointed King County prosecutor in 1948. He spent several decades in public service until being indicted for his alleged connection to a Seattle police scandal.

Officers were accused of taking bribes and Carroll was charged with failing to vigorously prosecute police corruption. A judge dismissed the indictment, but it cost Carroll politically. He lost the Republican nomination for prosecutor in 1970, and returned to private law practice until 1985.

Carroll died on Monday. Cause of death was not released. He was 96.

Patsy Collins

You're the heir to a broadcasting empire. What do you do with your fortune? Well, if you're Priscilla "Patsy" Bulitt Collins, you give it away.

Her philanthropy roster was impressive by anyone's standards. She gave $800,000 to save a four-mile stretch of land along the Yakima River from logging. She and her sister Harriet donated the radio station (98.1 KING-FM) to a nonprofit arts collective in order to keep classical music on the dial. She bought the mansion where her mother grew up and then donated it to the historical society. She even financed a low-income housing project to be built next door.

Her life, while rich with money, was also filled with pain. But Collins countered that pain with a generous spirit. One of her boyfriends died in World War II; in response, Collins donated a landscaped grove to serve as a memorial to those Washington soldiers who died in war. Her father died of cancer, so she paid tribute to him by donating $2 million to the Seattle Public Library Foundation (the library will name its history and biography collection after him).

Collins died on Wednesday of complications from cancer. She was 82.

John C. Heidler

John Heidler was a chemical engineer with a passion for the education system in his small, Illinois town.

In the '70s, he was elected as the founding member of the Johnsburg School District 12 Board. He helped to design and construct the Johnsburg High School in Johnsburg, Ill. (pop. 4,631). And for the past 20 years, Heidler read the names of all the seniors who graduated from that school. When he grew too sick to attend this year's graduation ceremonies, Heidler signed all the diplomas from his bed.

Heidler died of mesothelioma, a cancer related to asbestos exposure, on June 16. He was 66.

Anne Belle

Anne Belle, who directed a film that received an Academy Award nomination, died on Wednesday of a heart attack. She was 68.

Belle was a documentary filmmaker, best known for creating movies about ballet dancers. She produced a trilogy of films about the ballerinas who worked with George Balanchine, including "Suzanne Farrell: Elusive Muse," which was nominated for an Oscar.

Fielder Cook

Veteran film director Fielder Cook died on June 20 after suffering a stroke. He was 80.

Cook never made any blockbuster hits, but he spent six decades making movies that featured stellar casts. He directed "A Big Hand for the Little Lady," with Henry Fonda and Joanne Woodward, "Prudence and the Pill," with Deborah Kerr and David Nive, and "The Member of the Wedding," starring Anna Paquin and Alfre Woodard. He also directed the TV movie, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," which was based on the best-selling autobiography by Maya Angelou.

Mort Viner

Mort Viner, a prominent Hollywood agent, died Sunday of a heart attack. He was 72.

Viner spent more than five decades representing Hollywood's elite. He started out with MCA, moved to Chasin, Park Citron and finally ended his career with ICM, where he worked for 30 years.

"When I arrived in Los Angeles for the first time, Mort was the person that was there to meet me. He drove me up to the Hollywood sign and we had a long talk about our dreams for the future. From that day forward he was always there for me and so many other Hollywood talents like Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Michael Crawford. He was there through the laughter and through the tears, always watching out for us," said actress Shirley MacLaine.

Chris Valovich

Chris Valovich, a veteran jockey who won 2,034 races, died on June 20 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was 41.

Valovich rode his first winner in 1982 at Louisiana Downs. The following year, he became the leading apprentice jockey at Oaklawn Park. More than 2,000 races later, the five-foot-four, 112-pound jockey rode the winners in 49 stakes races. His mounts earned more than $19 million.

Valovich's fabulous career was stalled, however, by his drug use. He first tested positive for a prohibited substance in 1988. Fourteen years later, the Arizona Racing Commission refused to renew his license when he failed a drug test.

Pasquale Garramone

Dr. Pasquale Garramone, a pioneer in medicine and physical therapy, died. Cause of death was not released. He was 95.

When he was 14, Garramone lost his left leg to osteomyelitis, a bone inflammation. The doctors who saved his life also inspired him to join the profession and aid other amputees.

For more than 50 years, Garramone helped thousands of wounded World War II veterans adapt to their combat disabilities. While on staff at Oak Forest Hospital in Oak Forest, Ill., Garramone ran the physical medicine department and assisted in the development of a new harness system for prosthetic legs.

John Hindle

John Hindle, a radio host in Australia, died on Tuesday. Cause of death was not released. He was 62.

Hindle began his career in Melbourne, writing for Reader's Digest and working as a film critic for the National Times and ABC radio and television. In 1983, he published the book, "Around the Bend, Three Middle-Aged Eccentrics...on a Raft Voyage Down the Mighty Murray River" with co-author John Hepworth. The book told the story of a rafting trip, and reflected on Hindle's love of adventure and alcohol.

Hindle later switched to broadcasting, and made a name for himself in the afternoon slot on 3AW Radio. There he presented the feature, "Letter to Mike," which offered observations on Melbourne life. He was filling in on the night slot at 3AK Radio when he died.

Lester Maddox

Lester Maddox, the segregationist who would be governor of Georgia, died Wednesday. Maddox was hospitalized after taking a fall, and was suffering from pneumonia and intestinal problems. He was 87.

In 1947, Maddox started the Pickrick Restaurant in Atlanta. His political ambitions were sparked by the 1954 Supreme Court ruling, Brown vs. Board of Education. When the Civil Rights Act desegregated public establishments, Maddox did everything he could to keep black people from eating at the Pickrick with white people. (To keep them away, Maddox sported a pistol while his friends carried pick handles.)

Maddox then closed the restaurant and ran for governor on an uncompromising segregationist platform. Despite having no political experience, he was elected in 1967.

"Georgians have lost more than a former Governor. We have lost a devoted family man, a dedicated public servant, and a prominent citizen who loved this State and her people," said Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue.

John Jympson

John Jympson, British film editor, died on June 3. Cause of death was not released. He was 72.

Although Jympson intended to become a veterinary surgeon, he dropped out of college and took a job as a film editor. For the past 50 years, he's honed his editing skills by tutoring under William Hornbeck, and working with directors like Alfred Hitchcock and Frank Oz.

Jympson cut dozens of movies including "A Hard Day's Night" (1964), "Little Shop of Horrors" (1986), "A Fish Called Wanda" (1988) and "In and Out" (1997).

Gladys Heldman

Tennis was a major part of Gladys Heldman's life.

She married former U.S. Junior Champion Julius Heldman. She founded and edited World Tennis magazine. Her daughters both played the game (Julie Heldman was once ranked No. 5 in the world). She even helped launch the Virginia Slims Circuit.

In response to her tireless efforts, Heldman was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1979.

Heldman died Sunday in New Mexico. Cause of death was not released. She was 81.

Max Manning

Max Manning was a 6-foot-4-inch right-hander with the talent to possibly make it in the majors. He even got a call to tryout for the Detroit Tigers in 1937, an offer that was later rescinded when the team realized Manning was black.

Undeterred, Manning played for the Johnson Stars in Atlantic City and the Newark Eagles in the Negro National League.

After playing in Mexican and Canadian baseball leagues, he gave up the game, graduated from college and spent the next 28 years teaching the sixth grade.

Manning died on Monday. Cause of death was not released. He was 84.

Marian Galvin Nuber

Marian Galvin Nuber was once a local hero.

In 1934, she received a Carnegie Hero Fund medal for rescuing a man from drowning in Long Lake near Port Orchard, Wash. The man's canoe had capsized and as he struggled in the water, Nuber swam over to him and pulled him to safety -- by his ear. She used the $500 prize money to attend art school but left early to marry Jim Galvin in 1937.

Galvin founded Galvin Flying Service in Seattle, which still operates out of Boeing Field. Ironically, Nuber didn't like to fly.

Nuber died on June 14. Cause of death was not released. She was 94.

Gregory J. White

Gregory J. White, a doctor who helped promote breastfeeding on a national scale, died on June 16 from complications of leukemia. He was 82.

Fifty years ago, Dr. White encouraged his wife, Mary, and her friends to form a support group for mothers who wanted to breastfeed their babies. At the time, bottlefeeding was the norm. Reader's Digest wrote about the group and women from all over the U.S. wrote letters, asking for advice on the subject.

In 1956, Mary White founded La Leche League International, an organization that provides information about the benefits of breastfeeding. Dr. White served as a member of its professional advisory board for 46 years.

Dr. White also promoted home births, natural childbirth, the inclusion of fathers in the delivery room and the pro-life cause. He was the father of 11 children.

Leon Uris

Best-selling novelist Leon Uris died on Saturday of congestive heart failure. He was 78.

Uris wrote dozens of books, including spy thrillers, courtroom dramas and historical fiction, but he was best known for "Exodus," which was published in 1958 and adapted into a film starring Paul Newman.

Dr. Wladislav Dering, who was identified as a war criminal in "Exodus," sued Uris for libel. A London court ruled in Dering's favor in 1964, but awarded him minimal damages.

HarperCollins will publish Uris' latest book, "O'Hara's Choice," in October.

Moshe Kupferman

Moshe Kupferman, a leading Israeli abstract artist, died on Friday of a heart attack. He was 77.

Kupferman exhibited his paintings at the Paris' Musee National d'Art Moderne, the International Art Fair in Basel, Switzerland and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Last year, Jerusalem's Israel Museum held a major retrospective of his art.

Maynard Jackson

Maynard Jackson, former mayor of Atlanta, died of heart failure on Monday. He was 65.

Jackson was elected in 1973 as the first black mayor of a major Southern city. He was only 35 at the time, making him the nation's youngest mayor.

He served two terms, and then a third from 1990 to 1994, when he won the election with 79 percent of the vote. Jackson was also the president of the National Conference of Democratic Mayors and of the national Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials.

"His commitment to public service, strong business acumen and love of family have firmly established his place in history. Atlanta's growth and prominence among the nation's most vital cities will also live on as a large part of Maynard Jackson's tremendous legacy," said Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue.

• Complete Coverage: AJC.com

Leonard Koppett

Leonard Koppett, a veteran sports writer who was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame, died of an apparent heart attack on Sunday. He was 79.

Koppett worked for the New York Herald Tribune and New York Post before moving to The New York Times in 1963. Ten years later, he became the Times' first West Coast sports correspondent. Koppett also worked as the editor of the Peninsula Times Tribune, and wrote baseball columns for U.S. newspapers.

Koppett wrote 15 sports books, including "The Rise and Fall of the Press Box," which will be released in October with Sportclassic Books.

Gloria Barinholtz

Gloria Barinholtz, who founded Adopt-A-Pet in 1981, died on Friday after suffering a heart attack. She was 75.

Adopt-A-Pet places abandoned animals in foster homes until they can be adopted. Over the past 22 years, Barinholtz helped place more than 11,000 cats and dogs in new homes.

Jeanne E. Hum

Despite her last name, Jeanne Hum was quite a whistler. She won seven international awards for her whistling and recorded two albums showcasing her talent.

Hum died on May 15 in Youngstown, Ohio, from complications of leukemia. She was 73.

Michael Hucko

Revered jazz clarinetist Michael "Peanuts" Hucko died on Friday in Fort Worth. Cause of death was not released. He was 85.

Hucko performed with some of America's greatest musicians, including Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman and Jack Teagarden. He was a featured player on the Lawrence Welk TV show and played lead alto saxophone and clarinet with Glenn Miller's band during World War II.

Ken Grimwood

Ken Grimwood, a speculative fiction writer, died on June 5 of an apparent heart attack. He was 59.

Grimwood was best known for his time travel novel, "Replay," which won the World Fantasy Award in 1988. He was working on a sequel to the book when he died.

Vasil Bykov

Belarusian author Vasil Bykov died of cancer on Sunday. He was 79.

Bykov's writing was translated into more than 40 languages. His books, "Sign of Misfortune," "Alpine Ballad" and "Sotnikov," are required reading for Belarusian school children.

Asa Baber

Asa Baber, columnist for Playboy, died on Monday. Cause of death was amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. He was 66.

Baber's "Men" column launched in 1982 and covered a variety of issues -- divorce, sexuality and male-bashing -- from a man's perspective. A collection of Baber's columns, "Naked at the Gender Gap: A Man's View of the War Between the Sexes," was published in 1992 by Birch Lane Press.

His last Playboy column ran in the June issue.

Roger Neilson

Roger Neilson, the innovative coach of eight National Hockey League teams, died on Saturday in Ontario. Cause of death was cancer. He was 69.

Neilson coached the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Buffalo Sabres, the Vancouver Canucks, the Los Angeles Kings, the New York Rangers, the Florida Panthers, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Ottawa Senators.

Last year, Ottawa made him the head coach for the last two games of the season so Neilson could become the ninth person in N.H.L. history to coach 1,000 games. In November, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Johnny Miles

Johnny Miles was a 20-year-old grocery delivery boy from Nova Scotia when he won the 1926 Boston Marathon, defeating the reigning Olympic champion, Albin Stenroos and Boston Marathon favorite, Clarence DeMar.

The next year, Miles dropped out of the race after he suffered from severe blisters caused by the ultra thin soles his father had created in order to make him run faster. In 1929, Miles tried again, and won the marathon.

Miles died on June 14 in Ontario. Cause of death was not released. He was 97.

Bob Stump

Bob Stump, who served as a Republican and Democratic statesman in Arizona, died on Friday of myelodysplasia, a rare blood disorder. He was 76.

Stump, who retired from public service in 2001, served four terms in the Arizona House of Representatives, five terms in the Arizona State Senate and 13 terms in Congress.

Fran Papasedero

Fran Papasedero, the head football coach of the Orlando Predators, died on Friday when he lost control of his car. It overturned several times and he was ejected from the vehicle and killed. He was 34.

Papasedero became coach of the Arena Football League team in 2001. Under his guidance, the Predators went 12-4 this year, before losing in the league semifinals.

Eugene Carapetyan

Eugene Carapetyan, an accomplished glider pilot and flight instructor, died on Thursday in a plane crash. He was 61.

Carapetyan was one of 50 glider pilots taking part in the 100th anniversary celebration of the Wright brothers' first flight in Kitty Hawk, N.C., when his sail plane crashed into the San Gabriel Mountains.

Nicole Bloom

Nicole Bloom, of Stevensville, Mich., died on Friday while climbing a mountain in Wyoming. Searchers say she apparently fell 800 feet from the crest of the east ridge of the Middle Teton. Bloom was 23.

Bloom graduated last May from Michigan Technological University with degrees in biology and environmental engineering. She was passionate about saving the environment, and was taking one final road trip before starting a job at the Great Lakes Environmental Center in Traverse City, Mich.

"She headed many environmental groups while in college. Her professors said she was the best environmental engineer Michigan Tech had ever seen. She had the ability and the education to make a difference," Brianne Bloom, Nicole's sister, said.

In her spare time, Bloom was an avid traveler and a black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

Freddie Meeks

Freddie Meeks, a black sailor who was pardoned by President Clinton for his role in a World War II mutiny, died. Cause of death was not released. He was 83.

Meeks was court-martialed by an all-white jury in 1944 for refusing to return to duty after an explosion at the Port Chicago naval facility near San Francisco. The explosion killed 320 servicemen and wounded 400.

Afterwards, more than 250 black sailors went on strike, saying they wanted assurances of safety. Most eventually returned to duty, but Meeks and 49 others were found guilty of mutiny and sentenced to prison and hard labor.

George Axelrod

George Axelrod, an author of successful plays and movies, died Saturday in Los Angeles. Cause of death was heart failure. He was 81.

Axelrod wrote the play and script for "The Seven Year Itch." After three years on Broadway, the movie version starring Marilyn Monroe became a box office hit. Axelrod also penned the screenplays for "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "The Manchurian Candidate."

William Marshall

Actor William Marshall, who performed for more than 40 years on Broadway, on television and in movies, died on June 11 from a heart attack. He was 78.

Marshall was best known as the title character in the cult horror film, "Blacula" (1972) and its sequel, "Scream, Blacula, Scream!" (1973).

His last role was as a riverboat poker player in the 1994 film "Maverick," starring Mel Gibson.

Harold Ashby

Harold Ashby, who died on June 13 at the age of 78, was one of the last surviving members of Duke Ellington's orchestra. He played tenor saxophone in its ranks from 1968 until 1975.

Ashby later played with Sy Oliver's band at the Rainbow Room in New York and did a short tour with Benny Goodman.

Giovanni Frau

Italy's oldest man died at the age of 112 on Friday.

Giovanni Frau was a farmer in Orroli, Sardinia. He attributed his longevity to homegrown food.

"He farmed all of his food. The bread he ate was his bread; the wine, from his vineyard," said Raffaele Moi, Frau's grandson.

Sardinia has the world's highest ratio of residents over the age of 100, according to Guinness World Records.

Louisiana Purchase O'Leary Wampler

Louisiana Purchase O'Leary Wampler, whose birth in a tent during preparations for the 1904 World's Fair gave her the unwieldy name, died Wednesday of pneumonia-related complications. She was 100.

The World's Fair Baby, as she was known, was the only child of a fairgrounds construction worker, and her name came from the official title: the Louisiana Purchase Exposition.

Art Cooper

Art Cooper, editor of GQ for 20 years, died on June 9. Cooper had a stroke while eating at the Four Seasons, several weeks after he retired from his post. He was 65.

Nearly 400 magazine publishers, editors and writers -- including Helen Gurley Brown, Tina Brown, David Halberstam and Jeff Greenfield -- appeared at Cooper's memorial in Manhattan this week. Harry Connick Jr. performed several songs in his honor.

Rick Lupe

Five weeks after suffering third-degree burns over 40 percent of his body, White Mountain Apache firefighter Rick Lupe died Thursday. He was 43.

Lupe was burned on May 14 during a prescribed burn on the Fort Apache Reservation in central Arizona. Wind fanned the flames, trapping him, and then blew away his protective fire shelter.

Lupe fell to the ground and let the fire burn his hands and face and sear his lungs. Then he walked half a mile for help.

Laura Sadler

British actress Laura Sadler died yesterday after falling 40 feet from the second-floor balcony of her boyfriend's flat in London.

Sadler will continue to appear as nurse Sandy Harper in the BBC One hospital drama, "Holby City," for the remaining eight episodes she had already filmed. She was 22.

Sedighieh Mohageri

Sedighieh Mohageri set herself on fire to protest a French crackdown on the Iranian opposition movement, the People's Mujahedeen.

Mohageri, a man and another woman performed self-immolation in Paris on Wednesday. The other two are in a serious condition.

Ryan Sayers

Ryan Sayers died on Steeple Peak in central Wyoming on Monday. Cause of death was lightning.

Sayers and his girlfriend, Katrin Birmann, were climbing up the 12,000-foot peak when lightning hit them. An hour later, they were hit by another lightning strike, which caused Sayers to fall about 300 feet into a ravine where he died. Birmann suffered minor burns but still managed to rappel down to Sayers' body and contact authorities for help.

Sayers was a double major in math and physics at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colo. He was 20.

Larry Doby

Three months after Jackie Robinson became the first black in modern major league baseball, Larry Doby broke the color barrier in the American League when he was promoted to the Cleveland Indians. He eventually became the second black to manage a major league team.

Doby died Wednesday night in Montclair, N.J., from complications of cancer. He was 79.

Rudolf F. Hoelker

Rudolf Franz Hoelker worked on the trajectory aspect of the guidance system that steered the Saturn rockets on the Apollo moon flights. Dr. Hoelker died on Saturday in Newton, Mass. He was 91.

Nemo

A tiny newborn dolphin nicknamed Nemo died Wednesday morning. The 3-foot, 46-pound Risso's dolphin beached herself on a Fort Lauderdale beach Monday. She was only about a week old when she came ashore.

Stacy Young

Stacy Young died on Monday at Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, Fla. Young was knocked out and suffered brain damage during a fight with another woman Saturday night in Sarasota during the "Toughman" competition, which matches amateur fighters. She was 30.

• Amateur Boxing Under Fire After Woman Dies (June 23, 2003)

Peter Redgrove

Peter Redgrove was a versatile and prolific writer whose output included about 50 verse collections, more than two dozen plays, a half-dozen novels and a number of short stories. Redgrove died on Monday in southwest England. He was 71.

Tony Roma

Tony Roma, whose casual rib joint became an international restaurant empire after it caught the attention of a Texas financier in the 1970s, died Friday of lung cancer. He was 78.

Selma Koch

Selma Koch, a Manhattan store owner who earned a national reputation by helping women find the right bra size, mostly through a discerning glance and never with a tape measure, died Thursday at Mount Sinai Medical Center. She was 95 and a 34B.

Hume Cronyn

Canadian-born stage and screen actor Hume Cronyn, who often played opposite his wife Jessica Tandy, has died. He was 91.

Known most recently for his roles in the 1980s "Cocoon" movies, the veteran actor died of prostate cancer Sunday at his home in Fairfield, Conn., according to a family spokeswoman.

Cronyn was married to Tandy for nearly 52 years. She died from ovarian cancer in September 1994.

DeVon Smith

DeVon Smith racked up 200,000 miles hitchhiking, traveling 41 times across the U.S., across Europe to Siberia, and all through South America. He died on May 30 from an apparent heart attack. He was 77.

Gregory Peck

Gregory Peck, the film actor who has died aged 87, appeared on the screen as the epitome of male virtue.

Tall, dark, handsome and romantic, he stood for goodness, decency, sobriety and sound sense -- to an extent that risked appearing dull. It was true that Peck could seem wooden, while the cynical complained of his complacency, blandness and political correctness. "When I'm wrongly cast," he himself admitted, "I sink with the ship."

But a film had to be very bad indeed to undermine his appeal at the box office. From the 1940s to the 1980s he was the star of nearly every film he played in.

David Brinkley

David Brinkley, the droll, junior half of the Huntley-Brinkley team that set an award-winning standard of professionalism in TV news broadcasting in its early days, died Wednesday night in Houston of complications resulting from a fall. He was 82.

Trevor Goddard

Trevor Goddard, an actor and light heavyweight boxer, died on June 7 from an apparent suicide. He was 37. According to The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office, cause of death was an accidental drug overdose.

Although he was born in Britain, Goddard was often mistaken for being Australian at auditions. So he used the vocal inflection to his advantage, and created a new identity to fit the image.

Goddard's big break came when he landed the role of Kano in the 1985 film, "Mortal Kombat." A series of small film roles followed, then from 1998 to 2001, he appeared as Lt. Comm. Mic Brumby in the CBS hit, "JAG." His final role was in the blockbuster, "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl."