The Blog of Death

John Raitt

John Emmett Raitt, the legendary Broadway musical star who created the role of Billy Bigelow in the original production of "Carousel," died on Feb. 20 from complications of pneumonia. He was 88.

The California native began to develop his deep baritone voice in his teens. He studied physical education at the University of Southern California and the University of Redlands, but also sang at Rotary Club luncheons and church functions. Raitt made his professional debut in 1940 as a chorus singer with the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera. Within five years, he became the company's star, tackling lead roles in "The Barber of Seville" and "Carmen."

In 1944, Raitt received an invitation to travel to New York City and audition for the role of Curly in "Oklahoma!" After four days on the train, he raced to the St. James Theater and requested a few minutes to warm up. When Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II acquiesced, Raitt launched into a rousing rendition of Figaro's aria from "The Barber of Seville," then performed all of Curly's songs from "Oklahoma!" After a few moments of stunned silence, Rodgers and Hammerstein hired the talented singer to play the part in the show's national touring company.

That audition left a strong impression on Hammerstein. When he and Rodgers began working on their second collaboration, "Carousel," Hammerstein composed the seven-minute-long "Soliloquy" for Raitt. On opening night in 1945, Raitt made his Broadway debut as Bigalow, a ne'er-do-well carnival barker. His performance wowed the audience and earned him the Drama Critics Award and the Donaldson Award.

After a long run in "Carousel," Raitt appeared in the Broadway productions of "Magdalena," "Three Wishes for Jamie" and "Carnival in Flanders." The hardworking performer then toured with Mary Martin in "Annie Get Your Gun," and headlined in "South Pacific," "Man of La Mancha," "Kismet," "Shenandoah," "Zorba" and "Fiddler on the Roof." Playing Sid Sorokin in the musical comedy "The Pajama Game," he missed only one out of 1,060 performances. Raitt reprised the role in the 1957 film adaptation opposite Doris Day.

Raitt's marriages to Marjorie Haydock and Kathleen Smith Landry ended in divorce, but his third union to high school sweetheart Rosemary Kraemer lasted until his death. Raitt had three children -- two sons, Steven and David, and a daughter, Grammy Award-winning blues singer and guitarist Bonnie Raitt. He and Bonnie occasionally performed duets together and were particularly fond of singing the songs "Blowing Away" and "Hey, There."

Raitt continued performing into his 80s, touring the country with his one-man show, "An Evening With John Raitt," and was inducted into the New York Theater Hall of Fame in 1993. He released the album, "Broadway Legend," in 1995, and received a lifetime achievement award from the Los Angeles Critics Circle three years later. His star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is located at 6126 Hollywood Blvd.

On Feb. 22, the lights of Broadway were dimmed in his honor.

• Playlist from IBDb

• Listen to a Tribute From NPR

• Watch Raitt and Shirley Jones Perform at the Kennedy Center

Download "Surrey With the Fringe on Top" From "Oklahoma!"

Barbara Jo Petry

Barbara Jo Petry, a Texas author best known for writing a popular series of cozy mysteries, was struck and killed by an automobile on Feb. 18. She died a day later in the hospital at the age of 57.

Readers knew the Austin resident as Barbara Burnett Smith. Her five-book Purple Sage series featured the crime-solving adventures of Jolie Wyatt, a radio station reporter and aspiring writer. "Writers of the Purple Sage," the book that launched the series, was nominated in 1994 for an Agatha Award for best first mystery novel. In addition, Petry penned the books "Bead on Trouble" and "Mauve and Murder."

For two decades, Petry did vocal work in radio and television commercials. She also owned and operated Catalyst Training & Development, a company that provides communication and leadership classes to corporations, government agencies and non-profit organizations.

Petry and her husband Gary drove to San Antonio on Feb. 18, to rescue an Airedale. On the way home, the couple stopped at the Remember the Alibi mystery bookstore. Unexpectedly, the dog jumped out of the car and ran into traffic. The night was dark and rainy, and as Petry tried to save the animal she was struck and fatally injured by a passing car.

Alec Stall

Alec Stall, an up-and-coming filmmaker, died on Feb. 14 while shooting a movie about extreme skiing. He was 23.

Raised in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., Stall graduated last May from the University of Vermont with a degree in political science. While in school, he and his friends formed Meathead Films, a Burlington-based production company dedicated to producing East Coast ski pictures. Meathead Films has released four movies to date, three of which featured Stall.

Stall trekked up Mount Mansfield, the highest of Vermont's peaks, on Feb. 14 with his friends Kristian Geissler, Chris James and Geoff MacDonald. He was being photographed by James and filmed by MacDonald while freeskiing down the steep chute high above Smugglers' Notch when he lost his balance and fell about 30 feet from the edge of the cliff. Just then, a slab of snow above Stall broke loose and swept him off the cliff. He fell approximately 500 feet and died from the injuries he sustained. No one else was hurt in the avalanche.

Known as "Thumper" and "Baller," Stall was passionate about extreme winter sports. From the ages of 12 to 17, he was a member of the freestyle mogul team in Killington, Vt. A slalom and giant slalom racer, Stall hoped to someday live in France in order to participate in the world's most extreme skiing. Although he knew freeskiing was inherently dangerous, Stall viewed the sport as a natural high.

''You don't know whether you'll be able to walk away. You put it all on the line," he once said.

• Watch a Video of Stall in Action

Dick Weber

Richard Anthony Weber, one of the first big stars of bowling, died on Feb. 13. Cause of death was not released. He was 75.

A native of Indianapolis, Weber was only 8 years old when he developed an interest in bowling. His first job involved setting pins by hand for 3 cents a game. After winning $36 in his debut tournament, Weber decided to pursue the sport as a career.

The right-hander moved to St. Louis in 1955 to bowl with the Budweisers, a 5-member team that eventually rolled a 15-game total of 3,858, a high score record held for 36 years. Weber was the anchorman of the team; he rolled games of 258, 258 and 259.

Bowling Magazine named Weber to its all-American team 11 times and named him the best bowler of the 20th century. A charter member of the Professional Bowlers Association, he won 26 P.B.A. Tour titles and six titles on the P.B.A. Senior Tour from 1959 to 1992.

ABC broadcasts of bowling events on Saturday afternoons turned Weber into an international ambassador for the sport. Known as "The Old Smoothie" and "Mr. Bowling," he promoted the game by bowling on Miami Beach, inside a cargo plane and on "The Late Show With David Letterman." Weber also made an instructional video for beginners.

Weber was inducted into the American Bowling Congress Hall of Fame in 1970 and the P.B.A. Hall of Fame in 1975. He later owned and operated his own bowling centers and served as a spokesman for AMF, a manufacturer of bowling equipment.

Weber also passed his love of the game on to his children. His three sons and one daughter each bowled perfect games (scoring 300 points). One son, Pete Weber, later became the second-leading money-winner in bowling history and was voted to the P.B.A. Hall of Fame in 1975. Pete was scheduled to defend his title in the U.S. Open on Feb. 13, but withdrew from the tournament to be with his family.

• Listen to a Tribute From NPR

A Short Break

I'll be out of town until Feb. 24th. Feel free to post tributes and send obituary submissions in my absence. --Jade Walker

Hunter S. Thompson

Hunter Stockton Thompson, the renegade writer who stretched the boundaries of journalism, committed suicide on Feb. 20 at the age of 67. He died at his fortified compound in Woody Creek, Colo., of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

Born in Louisville, Ky., Thompson finished high school, but missed the graduation ceremony because he was in jail serving a 60-day sentence for robbery. When he got out, Thompson enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and discovered a passion for journalism. He edited the sports section at an Air Force newspaper in Florida, then worked as a correspondent for the New York Herald Tribune and the National Observer.

In the 1970s, Thompson helped pioneer the "New Journalism" movement. Utilizing first person narrative, he discussed current events and politics in a more novelistic and opinionated manner. While writing for Rolling Stone magazine, the gonzo journalist once covered a district attorneys' anti-drug conference after taking copious amounts of psychedelic drugs.

The unapologetic and self-destructive writer never graduated from college, yet he bestowed on himself the title of "the good doctor." His original voice filled nearly a dozen books, including "Hell's Angels," "Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72" and "Kingdom of Fear: Loathsome Secrets of a Star-Crossed Child in the Final Days of the American Century." Thompson was best known for "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream," the 1972 book that turned him into a counterculture icon. His latest book, "Hey Rube: Blood Sport, the Bush Doctrine, and the Downward Spiral of Dumbness," was published in 2004.

Thompson's influence reached from bookstores to newsstands to Hollywood. Cartoonist Garry Trudeau modeled the balding, pot-smoking character of Uncle Duke in the "Doonesbury" comic strip after Thompson, a move that angered the journalist. At one point, Thompson vowed to set Trudeau on fire, if they ever met. Bill Murray portrayed him in the 1980 film "Where the Buffalo Roam," and Johnny Depp did so in the 1998 film "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." A film adaptation of "The Rum Diary," Thompson's only published work of intentional fiction, is currently in production.

Thompson became more reclusive in recent years, spending most of his time shooting firearms in his backyard. In 2000, he accidentally shot his assistant, Deborah Fuller, while chasing a bear off his property. Thompson also wrote the popular column, Hey Rube, for ESPN.com. In his most recent column ("Fore!"), he called Murray to discuss a new extreme sport: shooting golf balls like skeet.

[Update, March 8, 2005: Thompson's body was found in a chair in his kitchen in front of his typewriter. On stationary from the Fourth Amendment Foundation, an organization that defends victims of unwarranted search and seizure, Thompson had typed the word "counselor" in the center of the page. He also left behind a suicide note.]

[Update, Aug. 22, 2005: In keeping with his wishes, Hunter S. Thompson's ashes were fired from a 153-foot tower erected in Woody Creek, Colo., on Saturday. About 250 friends and family attended the private ceremony, including actors Johnny Depp and Bill Murray, musician Lyle Lovett and Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.).]

• Listen to a Tribute From NPR

• Complete Coverage From The New York Times

Sandra Dee

Sandra Dee, an actress who starred in numerous teen films as the beautiful All-American girl next door, died on Feb. 20 of complications from kidney disease. She was 62.

Born Alexandra Zuck, the New Jersey native was still in elementary school when her mother pushed her into modeling. At 14, she signed a seven-year contract with Universal Studios and moved to California. By the time she made her screen debut in the 1957 movie "Until They Sail," the studio had changed her name to Sandra Dee. Dee's performance in that film earned her a Golden Globe nomination for New Star of the Year.

During the 1960s, Dee achieved fame and fortune starring in more than a dozen teen movies, such as "Gidget," "The Reluctant Debutante," "The Restless Years" and "Tammy and the Doctor.'' Young girls adopted Dee's fresh-faced appearance and perky personality; teenaged boys viewed the starlet's wide-eyed innocence as both charming and approachable.

Sixteen-year-old Dee and 24-year-old pop singer Bobby Darin dated for only a month before eloping in 1960. The couple made three films together ("Come September," "If a Man Answers" and "That Funny Feeling"), and had a son, Dodd, before breaking up in 1967. Their divorce tarnished Dee's clean-cut image and prompted Universal to drop her. She managed to land a few small film and TV roles in the 1970s, but for the most part, her career in Hollywood was over. In 1978, audiences were reminded of Dee's former image when actress Stockard Channing sang "Look At Me, I'm Sandra Dee" in the hit film "Grease."

For most of her life, Dee struggled with anorexia and bulimia. She also abused drugs and alcohol, and suffered from chronic depression. Unable to find steady work in later years, these conditions only worsened. When her mother died in 1988, Dee stopped eating, dropped down to 80 pounds and spent three years as a shut-in. With Dodd's aid and years of therapy, Dee was able to turn her life around.

In 1994, Dodd published a biography of his parents' stormy marriage titled "Dream Lovers: The Magnificent Shattered Lives of Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee." The couple's relationship was also chronicled in the 2004 biopic "Beyond the Sea," starring Kevin Spacey and Kate Bosworth.

Download "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee"

Abdul Hussein al-Basri

Abdul Hussein Khazal al-Basri, an Iraqi journalist working for the U.S.-funded television station Al-Hurra, was murdered on Feb. 9. He was 40.

Al-Basri and his 3-year-old son, Mohammed, were leaving their Basra home when three gunmen opened fire on them. The boy was also killed.

Launched in February 2004, Al-Hurra ("The Free Ones") tailors its programming to Arab audiences and competes with Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya. Al-Hurra has been denounced by several Muslim clerics as a source of American propaganda.

Prior to joining Al-Hurra, al-Basri worked as a correspondent for Iraq's Radio Sawa. He edited a local newspaper in Basra and was a member of the political office of the Islamic Dawa Party, an influential Shiite movement. Al-Basri was also head of the Basra City Council press office.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 36 other journalists have been killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion began in 2003. Another 18 media workers -- drivers, translators and security guards working for members of the news media -- have also been killed.

Tyrone Davis

Tyrone Davis, a suave soul singer who placed 43 songs in the R&B charts between 1968 and 1988, died on Feb. 9 of pneumonia. He was 66.

The Mississippi native was just a teenager when he moved to Chicago in 1959. Davis toiled at a factory during the day and spent his evenings honing his smooth vocal style. Years of performing in the city's west- and south-side blues clubs led to a record deal with the Four Brothers label and a job working for blues guitarist Freddie King as a valet and chauffeur.

"Tyrone the Wonder Boy" moved to Dakar Records in 1968 and found a national audience with the single, "Can I Change My Mind." The song topped the R&B charts, and became a No. 5 pop hit. In the 1970s, the baritone scored other R&B hits with "Turn Back the Hands of Time" and "Turning Point."

Davis continued to record albums and tour the club circuit through the 1980s and 1990s. In 1998, the master of soul ballads received the Pioneer Award from the R&B Foundation. His last album, "Legendary Hall of Famer," was released in October, a month after a stroke forced him to retire. Davis remained hospitalized until his death.

Download MP3s by Tyrone Davis

James Porter

James R. Porter, a former priest and convicted child molester, died on Feb. 11. Cause of death was not released. He was 70.

Born in Revere, Mass., Porter was the second son of an oil company chemist. He graduated from Boston College with a degree in mathematics and entered St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore. Although the seminary recommended Porter as a young man of "excellent character," allegations of abuse surfaced only a few weeks after the church gave him his first post in North Attleborough, Mass., in 1960. He molested children, often brazenly, even as parents shared their suspicions with church authorities. Instead of turning Porter over to the police, however, the church transferred him to a parish in Fall River, Mass.

Over the next few years, the church responded to numerous complaints about Porter's inappropriate behavior with children by transferring him to two more towns. In 1965, Porter was ordered to seek spiritual counseling at the Jemez Springs Foundation House, a Catholic rest center in New Mexico that helps priests overcome problems with alcoholism and sexual misconduct. Upon his release, Porter resumed his criminal activities and the church continued to protect him. Before he left the priesthood in 1974, Porter abused children in Texas, Minnesota and New Mexico.

Porter married, fathered four children and lived a quiet life until 1987 when he served four months in jail for molesting his children's baby-sitter. Three years later, Frank Fitzpatrick, a Rhode Island private investigator who had been an altar boy under Porter, contacted the former priest. During taped telephone conversations, Porter admitted to sexually abusing dozens of children but couldn't remember any of their names. In response, Fitzpatrick took out advertisements in New England newspapers to find Porter's victims and seek justice.

Porter returned to face trial in Massachusetts in 1993, and was convicted of molesting 28 children and sentenced to 18 to 20 years in prison. In a television interview, he confessed to abusing as many as 100 children. The high-profile case foreshadowed the clergy sex abuse scandal that swept through the Roman Catholic Church in 2002.

Porter completed his prison sentence last year, but was being held pending the completion of a civil commitment hearing to determine if he should be committed indefinitely as a sexual predator. The hearing, which was postponed last month when Porter became ill, featured testimony from several of his victims. Porter's ex-wife also came forward and testified that she once caught him touching a neighborhood boy.

"Father Porter came to symbolize the start of an era when people could talk about priest abuse. The irony is James Porter caused a lot of laws to be changed, caused a lot of people to come forward," said attorney Roderick MacLeish, who represented 101 Porter victims in lawsuits.

Last May, Porter married Anne Milner, a former nun he knew from seminary. The couple became reacquainted in 2002 when Milner wrote Porter in prison.

• Complete Coverage of Abuse in the Catholic Church From The Boston Globe

June Bronhill

Australian opera star June Bronhill died in her sleep on Jan. 24. Cause of death was not released. She was 75.

Born June Gough in Broken Hill, New South Wales, she took piano and vocal lessons throughout her childhood. After winning a singing competition in 1950, June changed her last name to Bronhill to honor the people of her hometown, who raised £1,500 to send her overseas.

Bronhill made her debut in 1954 at Sadler�s Wells Opera Company in London as Adele in "Die Fledermaus." Four years later, she received a 20 minute standing ovation on opening night for her performance in Franz Lehar's "The Merry Widow." Despite her small stature -- she was barely five feet tall -- Bronhill's vibrant personality and clear voice could fill an entire opera house.

For four decades, the coloratura soprano performed in Britain, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Bronhill regularly appeared on the British Broadcasting Corp. show "Friday Night Is Music Night," but was best known for her roles in the operas "Lucia di Lammermoor," "The Magic Flute," "The Cunning Little Vixen," "Rigoletto," "Don Pasquale" and "The Sound of Music." She sang on 30 operetta albums, most of which are currently out of circulation. However, several of Bronhill's early London recordings were re-released in 2004.

For her contributions to the music industry, Bronhill was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1976. An auditorium and a street in Broken Hill were also named in her honor.

Bronhill suffered from breast cancer in the 1980s, then steadily lost her hearing. Robbed of her music and the ability to perform, the gregarious singer was forced to retire in 1993. Bronhill married twice and had one daughter.

• Listen to a Tribute From The World Today

Najai Turpin

Najai Turpin, a contestant on the new NBC reality show, "The Contender," committed suicide on Feb. 14. He was 23.

The Philadelphia native was an aspiring middleweight boxer known as Nitro. Described in his show bio as soft spoken and polite, Turpin cared for his younger brother, sister, niece and nephew after his mother died in 2000. At 5 feet 5 inches and 151 lbs., Turpin had a career record of 13 wins, 1 loss and 9 knockouts.

Before landing a spot on the new TV series, Turpin did construction work in the mornings and toiled at a Philadelphia restaurant in the evenings. Early Monday, he shot himself in the head with a small caliber semiautomatic weapon while sitting in a parked car outside the gym where he trained. His girlfriend, Angela Chapple, had just exited the vehicle when he took his own life. Turpin left no suicide note.

In the week before his death, Turpin twice left a boxing camp because he couldn't focus on his training. Although Chapple has declined all interview requirests, she put out a statement that said the couple had "more love than issues." Turpin is survived by his 2-year-old daughter, Anyae.

"The Contender" is a 13-episode series that follows the personal and professional lives of 16 boxers vying for a $1 million prize. Network executives said Turpin's untimely death will not delay the show's debut on March 7 or alter its ending. All of the show's bouts have already been taped, except for its live championship, which will take place in May.

Turpin is not the first reality show contestant to take his own life. In 1997, Sinisa Savija, a participant on the Swedish version of the show "Survivor," committed suicide after he was voted off the island. Last summer, Jose Maria, the winner of the first Portugal edition of the show "Big Brother," threatened to kill himself by jumping off a bridge. Two policemen eventually hoisted him to safety.

Doc Abraham

For 50 years, George "Doc" Abraham and his wife Katy offered advice to amateur and expert gardeners. The Abrahams debuted on WHAM 1180-AM in Rochester, N.Y., in 1952. Their half-hour call-in show, "The Green Thumb," featured poetry recitations and advice on flowers, vegetable gardens and lawn care. The popular gardening program also aired on WOKR-TV Channel 13 for many years.

Health problems forced the couple to broadcast their final show on Dec. 14, 2002, but they continued to teach gardening classes in the Finger Lakes region. For hosting one of the longest-running shows on American radio, the Abrahams were inducted into the Rochester Radio Hall of Fame.

Born in Wayland, N.Y., Abraham was only five years old when he decided to become a plant doctor. From that point on, everyone -- including his neighbor Katy -- called him "Doc." Abraham and Katy both graduated from Cornell University with double degrees in horticulture and journalism. During World War II, he served with the U.S. Army in North Africa while she worked at a munitions plant in Ithaca, N.Y. They wed in 1942 while he was on a 36-hour leave.

After the war, Abraham and Katy opened a small greenhouse business, had two children, Darryl and Leanna, and began writing a gardening column. Syndicated in 130 newspapers, the column once reached 5 million readers; it still appears in dozens of small newspapers and magazines. The couple also published 16 gardening books, including "The Green Thumb Garden Handbook," "Green Thumb Wisdom: Garden Myths Revealed!" and "Growing Plants From Seed." Abraham's autobiography, "A Bathtub Built for Two," will hit store shelves this summer.

Abraham died on Jan. 27 of complications from congestive heart failure. He was 89. The gardening guru and his co-host wife always ended their radio program with a simple sign-off: "Goodbye, friends. We gotta grow now!"

• Listen to a Tribute From NPR

Big Joe Burrell

Big Joe Burrell, a larger-than-life blues singer and saxophonist, died on Feb. 2 from complications following abdominal surgery. He was 80.

One of seven children, Burrell spent his early years in Port Huron, Mich., listening to his mother sing and his father play the guitar, harmonica and piano. At 10, the boy's mother borrowed $5 from her boss in order to buy him a saxophone. The request was granted and changed his life.

For the next six decades, Burrell sang and played jazz, rock and blues on his sax. He dropped out of high school in the ninth grade to pursue a music career, and was already working gigs at local clubs when World War II called him into the service. Burrell joined the U.S. Army in 1943 and played in the military's show band, then spent two years battling tuberculosis -- a condition that temporarily hindered his ability to play.

After recovering from the disease, Burrell moved to Toledo, Ohio, and formed the Red Tops Organ Trio. At a dance in Akron, the band opened for legendary blues guitarist B.B. King. King loved Burrell's big sax sound, and immediately invited him to join his band. Burrell agreed and spent the next two years touring the United States. When Count Basie heard him play, he also invited Burrell to join with his orchestra in New York City. Through Basie, Burrell landed a job backing The Miller Sisters as they toured Bermuda, the Bahamas and Europe.

Burrell spent the next decade living in Toronto and playing in a jazz band with Big John Little. He was en route to New York in 1976 when he stumbled upon the burgeoning music scene in Burlington, Vt. For the next 30 years, Burrell became a fixture in the area, and even received a key to the city from the mayor.

His informal jam sessions at the now-defunct Hunt's club drew standing room only audiences. With guitarist Paul Asbell, keyboardist Chuck Eller, bassist Tony Markellis and drummer Russ Lawton, Burrell formed the Unknown Blues Band, a group that performed in clubs and jazz festivals all over New England and released the albums "Live at Hunt's" and "Every Time I Hear That Mellow Saxophone."

One person who heard the gregarious saxophonist perform was Trey Anastasio, a University of Vermont student and guitarist who later formed the touring rock band Phish. Once he became a successful musician in his own right, Anastasio invited Burrell to open for Phish and play in a solo project he formed.

Until his death, Burrell played a gig every Thursday night at the Halvorson's Upstreet Café. He also performed benefit concerts for the Multicultural Center of Greater Burlington, Women Helping Battered Women and the Flynn Center Endowment Fund. His autobiography, "We Call Him 'Big' Joe! Big Horn, Big Soul, Big Man: A Musician's Odyssey," was published in 2002.

Arthur Miller

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Arthur Asher Miller died on Feb. 10 of congestive heart failure. He was 89.

The New York native was born into a middle-class Jewish family. His father, a Polish immigrant and clothing manufacturer, struggled and failed to keep the family business open after the stock market crashed in 1929. To make ends meet during the Depression, the Millers were forced to move from their spacious uptown Manhattan apartment to a small house in Brooklyn.

Since his parents were unable to afford his tuition, Miller worked a variety of jobs (truck driver, docker, singer, waiter) to save up enough money to attend the University of Michigan. In college, he supplemented his income by writing plays, entering them in contests and living off the prize money. After graduation, Miller supported himself by working at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and writing radio scripts.

It took Miller only six weeks to write the play, "Death of a Salesman," which debuted on Broadway in 1949. The story of Willy Loman, a salesman destroyed by his own stubborn belief in the American Dream, earned Miller raved reviews and international fame. Directed by Elia Kazan, "Death of a Salesman" was the first play to take the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, the Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize.

In 1953, Miller received another Tony for "The Crucible." A play about the mass hysteria that occurred during the 1692 Salem witch trials also served as an allegory to Sen. Joe McCarthy's communist investigations. Although "The Crucible" lasted only 197 performances on its first Broadway run, the play became immensely popular on high school and college campuses. The text sold more than 7 million copies and inspired a 1996 film, starring Joan Allen, Winona Ryder and Miller's son-in-law, Daniel Day-Lewis.

Miller was summoned before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1956, but refused to give up the names of Communist writers he met at a meeting a decade earlier. For his silence, Miller was fined $500 and given a suspended one-month jail sentence. The decision was reversed on appeal in the mid-1960s.

Miller wrote several plays over the next two decades, but few achieved critical or popular favor. Then in the 1980s, a Broadway revival of "Death of a Salesman," starring Dustin Hoffman, and a Chinese production of the play which he directed at the Beijing Peoples' Art Theatre, bought Miller back into the limelight. He became increasingly disillusioned with the New York theater scene, however, and premiered his 1991 play, "The Ride Down Mt. Morgan," in London. When Miller returned to Broadway in 1994 with "Broken Glass," the play earned a Tony nomination but failed to generate much interest with theatre patrons. In England, it won an Olivier Award.

Fifty years after it won a Tony for best play, "Death of a Salesman" received a Tony for best revival. That same year, Brian Dennehy (who played Loman) won the top acting prize. Elizabeth Franz won for featured actress, Robert Falls won for best play director and Miller received a lifetime achievement award.

Over the course of his six-decade career, Miller wrote numerous screenplays, a book of short stories ("I Don't Need You Any More"), a novella ("Plain Girl"), two travel books and the 1987 autobiography, "Timebends: A Life." His short story, "Beavers,'' about a man who contemplates killing a beaver on his property, appears in the current issue of Harper's magazine. The short story, "The Turpentine Still," about a dying expatriate who ponders his own legacy, will appear in an upcoming issue of the Southwest Review.

Miller was married three times. With his first wife, Mary Slattery, he fathered a son and a daughter. They divorced soon after he had an affair with actress Marilyn Monroe. Although his marriage to Monroe ended in divorce after only five years, Miller found great inspiration from the union. He penned the screenplay for the 1960 film "The Misfits," which starred Monroe, and later reflected on their relationship in the plays "After the Fall" and "Finishing the Picture." Miller wed his third wife, Austrian photographer Inge Morath, in 1962, the same year Monroe committed suicide. They were together for 40 years and had one daughter before Morath died in 2002. For the past three years, he and artist Agnes Barley lived together on his Connecticut farm.

At the time of his death, Miller was editing an anthology for the Library of America and working on the London revival of "Death of a Salesman," which will premiere in May. Earlier this evening, the lights of Broadway were dimmed in his honor.

• Playlist From IBDb.com

• Listen to Several Tributes From NPR

• Complete Coverage From The New York Times

George Perkins

George Dewey Perkins, the oldest Marine in the United States, died on Feb. 9 of natural causes. He was 106.

Born March 10, 1898 in Iola, Kan., Perkins served with the U.S. Marine Corps from 1917 to 1919. Just before getting shipped off to France, Perkins and other members of his unit came down with the Spanish flu, an illness that killed somewhere between 20 and 40 million people worldwide in a single year.

An estimated 43,000 servicemen mobilized to fight in World War I died of influenza. Perkins credited his sergeant, an American Indian, with saving his life. Instead of allowing the unit's doctors to care for the troops, the sergeant treated them with tribal medications.

After the war ended, Perkins moved to Shreveport, La., to work in the oil fields. In 1921, he cracked his skull against a heavy pipe. Although other medical personnel gave Perkins up for dead, one nurse stayed by his side and managed to revive him. That nurse later became his wife. The couple was married for 65 years, until Miriam's death in 1986.

Perkins remained active until a week ago. He honored currently deployed Marines last May and took part in Veterans' Day ceremonies in November. Perkins will be buried in Centuries Memorial Park Cemetery in Shreveport with full military and Masonic honors.

Kate Peyton

Kate Peyton, a producer for the British Broadcasting Corp., was murdered on Feb. 9 while on assignment in Somalia. She was 39.

Peyton had only been in Mogadishu for a few hours when an unknown militiaman gunned her down outside the Sahafi Hotel. Shot in the back, she later died in surgery from internal bleeding. BBC reporter Peter Greste was with Peyton during the shooting, but he escaped injury.

Although she was raised in Suffolk, England, Peyton loved Africa and was devoted to sharing stories about its people. Based in Johannesburg, she had covered the continent for the BBC for the past 12 years. Peyton also worked as a producer and trainer for the South African Broadcasting Corp., and occasionally filed stories with National Public Radio in the United States.

The British journalist went to Somalia to do a series of reports on the country, which has not had a functioning national government for 14 years. Although rival warlords continue to battle for control of its capital city, members of the transitional government plan to return on Feb. 21 and stabilize the region. Since Mogadishu doesn't have a working police force, no formal investigation has been launched to bring Peyton's killer to justice.

"Kate was one of our most experienced and respected foreign affairs producers who had worked all over Africa and all over the world. She will be greatly missed, both professionally and personally," BBC Director of News, Helen Boaden, said.

At least eight foreign journalists have been killed covering Somalia since 1991.

John Vernon

John Vernon, a prolific character actor who played crafty villains and crusty authority figures, died on Feb. 1 following complications from heart surgery. He was 72.

Born Adolphus Raymondus Vernon Agopsowicz in Saskatchewan, Canada, Vernon was still a teenager when he decided to dedicate his life to acting. He attended the Banff School of Fine Arts in Alberta, then traveled to London to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. His classmates there were Peter O'Toole, Alan Bates and Albert Finney. After returning home, he adopted the name John Vernon and became a spear carrier at the Stratford Festival of Canada.

Although he was trained for the stage -- Vernon acted opposite Christopher Plummer in the 1956 Broadway production of "The Royal Hunt of the Sun" -- his big break came playing the title role in "Wojeck." The 1960s Canadian Broadcasting Corp. crime series was inspired by the exploits of Toronto coroner Dr. Morton Shulman.

Canadian and Hollywood producers took notice of the rugged actor's versatile talents and cast him in more than 200 films and TV productions, including "The Outlaw Josey Wales," "Dirty Harry," "Topaz," "Point Blank," "Airplane II," "Killer Klowns From Outer Space" and "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka." Vernon was best known in the states for playing the slimy Dean Wormer in the 1978 college comedy "Animal House."

Vernon's distinctive voice led to a wide variety of audio roles as well. In the 1956 film version of George Orwell's "1984," he provided the voice of Big Brother. Vernon also voiced characters in the cartoons "Pinky and the Brain," "The Incredible Hulk" and " Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman," and in the video games "Star Trek: Klingon Academy," "Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2," "Earth and Beyond" and "Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel."

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Ivan Noble

When British Broadcasting Corp. journalist Ivan Noble was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in 2002, he decided to chronicle his battle with cancer in an online journal.

Noble's "tumor diary," which ran for three years on the BBC News Website, featured stories about his radiotherapy, chemotherapy and brain surgeries. He wrote more than 60 entries in order to demystify the disease and to fight the powerlessness he felt. Thousands of people from all over the world read Noble's diary on the Web and sent him encouraging feedback. He once said their words helped keep him alive. Noble experienced two periods of remission, but the tumor returned late last year.

Born in Leeds, England, Noble studied German at the University of Aston in Birmingham. He spent two years working as a translator in East Germany before joining the BBC. Prior to becoming the news Website's science and technology correspondent, Noble worked as a sub-editor in Nairobi and trained other reporters in online journalism techniques.

Noble died on Feb. 1 at the age of 37. He is survived by his wife and two young children. Noble's final column, written last year in anticipation of being too ill to work, was posted on Sunday. A collection of his diary entries will be published in book form later this year with all proceeds going to charity.

"What I wanted to do with this column was try to prove that it was possible to survive and beat cancer and not to be crushed by it," Noble wrote. "Even though I have to take my leave now, I feel like I managed it. I have not been defeated.

• Read Noble's Tumor Diary

Max Schmeling

Maximilian Adolph Otto Siegfried Schmeling, the German boxing legend who twice squared off against world heavyweight champion Joe Louis, died on Feb. 2. Cause of death was not released. He was 99.

Born in Uckermar, Germany, Schmeling was a self-taught boxer with a powerful right-handed punch. He turned pro in 1924 and won the German light heavyweight title three years later. Known as the "Black Uhlan of the Rhine," Schmeling was the first German, and European, to become the heavyweight world champion when he beat Jack Sharkey in 1930. Sharkey won the title back in 1932 on a disputed decision.

Although he was not a member of the Nazi Party, Schmeling was touted in propaganda as a symbol of Aryan supremacy. When he squared off with the undefeated Louis in 1936, the fight took on mythic proportions in the boxing and political arenas. In the 12th round, Schmeling knocked out the "Brown Bomber." Louis' defeat sparked riots in Harlem; one man who had bet on Schmeling was later hospitalized with a fractured skull and multiple stab wounds.

At their rematch in 1938, the tables turned and Louis knocked Schmeling out two minutes and four seconds into the first round. En route to the hospital, Schmeling's ambulance had to make a detour to avoid the celebratory street parties. Schmeling returned to Germany on a stretcher two weeks later, still healing from two broken vertebra.

Despite the differences in their races and nationalities, Schmeling and Louis remained friends for many years. Schmeling occasionally gave money to the Louis family, and even paid for the American boxer's funeral in 1981.

Schmeling was drafted into the military and served as a German paratrooper during World War II, but he didn't support the Third Reich's ethnic cleansing efforts. He refused to fire his Jewish-American manager Joe Jacobs, or divorce his wife, actress Anny Ondra, and marry a member of the "master race." He also hid two Jewish boys in his hotel apartment and helped sneak them out of the country.

After the war, the nearly destitute Schmeling resumed his boxing career. He fought until 1948 before retiring at the age of 43 with a record of 56-10-4 and 39 knockouts. His life was chronicled in the bestselling 1977 autobiography, "Max Schmeling." In 1992, the pugilist was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Schmeling used his fight proceeds to buy Coca-Cola distributorships in Germany and became wealthy bottling and distributing the soft drink. Through the Max Schmeling Foundation, he gave away hundreds of thousands of dollars to help the elderly and the poor.

• Listen to the Ringside Broadcast of the Joe Louis-Max Schmeling Rematch

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Dan Lee

Dan Lee, the Canadian animator who designed several characters for the 2003 blockbuster hit "Finding Nemo," died on Jan. 15 of cancer. He was 35.

The Montreal native became interested in animation as a teenager. He graduated from the classical animation program at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario, and won the Board of Governors Silver Medal for Academic Excellence.

Lee worked on TV cartoons and commercials at Kennedy Cartoons in Toronto and Colossal Pictures in San Francisco. Then in 1996, he joined Pixar Animation Studios as a sketch artist, character designer and animator. Over the next eight years, Lee designed characters for the animated films "A Bug's Life," "Toy Story 2," "Monsters, Inc." and "Finding Nemo."

"Dan was a longtime member of our Pixar family. He single-handedly designed Nemo and has been a major influence at Pixar. Dan was a wonderful, irreplaceable, talented human being, and we miss him terribly," Andrew Stanton, the director of "Finding Nemo," said.

Although he was a non-smoker who lived a healthy and active lifestyle, Lee was diagnosed with lung cancer in August 2003. While undergoing two types of radiation and chemotherapy, he continued working on future Pixar projects.

Ossie Davis

Ossie Davis, a veteran actor, writer, producer and director who championed racial justice, died on Feb. 4 of natural causes. He was 87.

Born Raiford Chatman Davis, the Georgia native became known as "Ossie" after a clerk misunderstood Davis' mother when she called out his initials, R.C. The budding thespian attended Howard University for three years, but dropped out to study drama with the Rose McClendon Players in Harlem. The school later granted him an honorary degree.

Davis served four years in the U.S. Army as a medical technician during World War II, and occasionally performed shows for his fellow soldiers. Upon his return to the states, he made his Broadway debut in the 1946 production of "Jeb Turner." The play brought him in contact with actress Ruby Dee, who would become his wife and life-long partner. They had three children -- Nora Day, Hasna Muhammad and blues guitarist Guy Davis.

Davis made his uncredited film debut in "No Way Out," a 1950 drama which also featured Dee and introduced America to actor Sidney Poitier. Over the next half century, Davis appeared in dozens of films, including "School Daze," "Do the Right Thing," "Jungle Fever," "Doctor Dolittle," "The Cardinal," "The Hill," "Grumpy Old Men," "Baadasssss," "12 Angry Men," "I'm Not Rappaport" and "Bubba Ho-Tep." He wrote and directed "Cotton Comes to Harlem," produced and directed "Countdown at Kusini," and simply directed "Black Girl" and "Gordon's War."

Davis' first television performance was in the 1965 show "The Emperor Jones." He followed that up with appearances on more than 50 comedies, dramas and westerns, and received Emmy nominations for his work in the made-for-TV movies "Teacher, Teacher" and "Miss Evers' Boys." Davis debuted as a playwright on Broadway in 1961 with the successful comedy "Purlie Victorious." He and his wife starred in the play; Davis then performed the title role in the 1963 film version, "Gone Are the Days." Seven years later, the play became the Best Musical Tony nominee "Purlie!"

Davis and Dee acted together in numerous TV projects ("Roots: The Next Generation," "Martin Luther King: The Dream and the Drum," "The Stand" and "Ossie and Ruby!"), but remained deeply committed to civil rights issues. They campaigned against lynching in the late-1940s and publicly opposed the McCarthy communist witch hunts of the 1950s. As the civil rights movement gained momentum in the 1960s, Davis and Dee became vocal advocates for racial equality. They helped organize the 1963 March on Washington and were master and mistress of ceremonies.

Davis spoke at Dr. Martin Luther King's funeral and eulogized Malcolm X, calling him "a prince -- our own black shining prince! -- who didn't hesitate to die, because he loved us so." He repeated the eulogy in a heartfelt voice-over for the 1992 Spike Lee biopic, "Malcolm X." Davis also narrated commercials for the United Negro College fund, and made the phrase "A mind is a terrible thing to waste" sound both poignant and memorable.

To celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in 1998, the couple published the dual autobiography, "In This Life Together." Both were inducted into the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Hall of Fame and the Theater Hall of Fame, and received several joint honors, such as the White House's National Medal of Arts, the Screen Actors Guild lifetime achievement award, the Academy of Television Arts and Science's Silver Circle Award and the Kennedy Center Honors.

Davis was found dead in his hotel room in Miami, where he was shooting the road-trip movie "Retirement," with Rip Torn, Jack Warden and George Segal. Dee was in New Zealand preparing for work on a separate project at the time of his unexpected death.

• Listen to an Interview With Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee

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Priscilla Ford

Priscilla Joyce Ford, a mass murderer and the only woman on Nevada's death row, died on Jan. 29. Cause of death was not released. She was 75.

On Nov. 27, 1980, Thanksgiving Day, Ford was driving north on Virginia Street in Reno, Nev. Going about 40 mph, she intentionally steered her blue Lincoln Continental onto the crowded sidewalk and mowed down as many people as she could. Seven pedestrians died and 23 were injured in the incident.

Ford fled the scene, but stopped in traffic five blocks later. Police caught up with her at a red light and placed her under arrest. As she was given tests to determine her blood alcohol level -- it was .162 -- Ford called her victims "beasts" and "pigs." A plea of not guilty by reason of insanity was entered on Ford's behalf and the judge ordered her to undergo mental health treatment so she would be competent to stand trial.

The six-month trial featured 93 witnesses and more than 500 exhibits; at the time, it was the longest and most expensive in Reno history. Ford took the stand in her own defense and told the court that she was the spirit of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit and Adam reincarnate. Prosecutors argued that she knew the difference between right and wrong.

In March 1982, the jury convicted Ford of six counts of murder and 23 counts of attempted murder, and sentenced her to die in Nevada's gas chamber. Over the next two decades, Ford's execution dates were set and stayed several times. Although the state appeals process ended in 1989, her federal appeals continued to challenge the death sentence.

When asked why she murdered the innocent bystanders, Ford originally blamed the event on "voices," then said she did it to get attention for her daughter's case. In 1973, her 11-year-old daughter was sent to the county's juvenile detention center after Ford was arrested for trespassing and assault. Ford later accused the authorities of kidnapping the girl. In 1985, Ford claimed she didn't remember the incident, but said she was ready "to die every day."

A Michigan native, Ford earned a bachelor's degree in education and worked for several years as a teacher. She began seeking treatment for mental illness in 1970, and was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic with violent tendencies. Ford claimed to have god-like powers and the ability to smite those who crossed her, however, she refused to stay on her medication.

Prior to the killings, Ford was working at a Macy's department store in Reno as a gift-wrapper. She spent the rest of her life on death row at the Southern Nevada Women's Correctional Center in Las Vegas.

Nick McDonald

A few minutes after President John F. Kennedy was shot on Nov. 22, 1963, Dallas Police Officer Maurice "Nick" McDonald arrived at Dealey Plaza. He and several other officers received a tip about a suspicious man who had snuck into the Texas Theater without paying for his movie.

McDonald and the other officers entered the rear of the darkened movie theater to search for their suspect. Lee Harvey Oswald was sitting in the audience.

When McDonald confronted him, Oswald said, "Well, it's all over now." But as McDonald tried to search and cuff him, Oswald stood and punched the officer right between the eyes. The blow so was powerful it knocked McDonald's hat off his head.

Oswald then used his right hand to shove a gun into the officer's stomach. Just as Oswald pulled the trigger, McDonald jammed his hand into the firing mechanism. The gun's hammer snapped against the flesh of his hand, but the bullet didn't fire. In response, McDonald hit Oswald and fought for control of the weapon. Several other officers grabbed the assassin and placed him under arrest.

Oswald was linked to the Kennedy assassination later that day. While in police custody on Nov. 24, 1963, he was shot to death on live television by nightclub owner Jack Ruby. Oswald was also suspected in the murder of Dallas police officer J.D. Tippit, who was killed shortly after the president was shot. Tippit was McDonald's lockermate.

Born in Camden, Ark., McDonald graduated from high school and enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He served during the Korean War before joining the Dallas Police Department in 1955. McDonald remained on the force for 25 years, but capturing President Kennedy's killer was his most memorable case. He later chronicled the event in his memoir, "The Arrest and Capture of Lee Harvey Oswald."

McDonald died on Jan. 27 of complications from diabetes. He was 76.

Gil Bennion

Gilbert Edward Bennion, the oldest Australian World War I veteran, died on Jan. 27. Cause of death was not released. He was 106.

Born in 1898, Bennion left home at 13 to work for the Queensland Railway Department. Over the next six years, he learned shorthand and telegraphy at the local technical college, and worked his way up to night stationmaster.

In 1918, Bennion enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force. He trained at Enoggera, Queensland, and passed a non-commissioned officers' course. Just before joining the Queensland 8th Reinforcements, Bennion was promoted to corporal. Although he did not fight overseas -- the Armistice ending the war was signed on Nov. 11, 1918 -- Bennion was discharged as a veteran and later served during peacetime as an officer in the Citizen Military Force.

After the war, Bennion returned to his job at Queensland Rail. He worked at 35 different stations before transferring to the Tweed Heads station in northern New South Wales. Bennion became the last stationmaster of Tweed Heads when the train line from Brisbane closed in 1961.

Getting married was the best thing Bennion ever did, he once said. However, he outlived both of his wives. He wed Nellie in 1919; she died in 1973. Bennion was in his 90s when he married his second wife Rene; she died in 2000. His retirement years were spent fishing and participating in the Tweed Heads Senior Citizens Group, which he helped to establish.

In 2000, Bennion received the 80th Anniversary Armistice Remembrance Medal, the first commemorative medal in the Australian system of honors and awards. Two years later, he was presented with the Centenary medal, for making a contribution to Australian society. He is survived by his daughter Shirley, son Neville, three grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

With Bennion's passing, only three Australian veterans of the Great War remain. They are John Ross, 105; William Allan, 105; and Peter Casserly, 106.