The good, the bad and the ugly of who died in 2006! Happy 2007!
Well 2007 is here and we had a great little party (we estimate 32 people or so of us in one room) to kick it off. We ate good food, drank a good deal and all in all had a friendly and sociable time. As of yet I have no new years resolution (it usually takes me a while to figure a feasible one out), but I’m thinking of trying to organize a group of people who have a shared interest (in an as of yet secret topic) into road trips to secret and mysterious places (we shall see). But that is the future.
I didn’t work today so I have successfully wasted my time trolling on the net stealing information which I then complied into an interesting listing of things that came to pass in 2006; specifically a listing of well known, important, socially and/or artistically influential people who died in 2006.
Here we are the good, the bad and the ugly of who died in 2006.
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Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, Dec. 29
Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi dictator who terrorized a nation for nearly a quarter-century until he was deposed and captured by U.S. troops, was hanged on Dec. 29 for ordering the murders of 148 of his countrymen 24 years ago.
Former President Gerald R. Ford, Dec. 26
Former President Gerald R. Ford, who declared "Our long national nightmare is over" as he replaced Richard Nixon but may have doomed his own chances of election by pardoning his disgraced predecessor, died at his desert home on Dec. 26. He was 93.
'Godfather of Soul' James Brown, Dec. 25
James Brown, the undeniable "Godfather of Soul," died of heart failure on Christmas morning. He was 73. The pompadoured dynamo's classic singles included "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" and "I Got You (I Feel Good)." One of the major musical influences of the past 50 years, Brown was to rhythm and dance music what Bob Dylan was to lyrics. From Mick Jagger to Michael Jackson, David Bowie to Public Enemy, Brown's rapid-footed dancing, hard-charging beats and heartfelt yet often unintelligible vocals changed the musical landscape.
Broadcasting pioneer Frank Stanton, Dec. 24
Frank Stanton, a broadcasting pioneer and CBS president for 26 years who helped turn its TV operation into the "Tiffany network" and built CBS News into a respected information source, died in his sleep at his Boston home on Dec. 24. He was 98. During his long association with CBS founder William S. Paley, the psychologist helped build the company from a modest chain of radio affiliates into a communications empire.
Animator Joe Barbera, Dec. 18
Joe Barbera, half of the Hanna-Barbera animation team that produced such beloved cartoon characters as Tom and Jerry, Yogi Bear and the Flintstones, died of natural causes on Dec. 18. His wife Sheila was at his side. He was 95. With his longtime partner, Bill Hanna, Barbera first found success creating the highly successful Tom and Jerry cartoons. The antics of the battling cat and mouse went on to win seven Academy Awards, more than any other series with the same characters.
Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, Dec. 14
Ahmet Ertegun, the Turkish ambassador's son whose ear for the culture of black America would make his Atlantic Records a legendary fount of 20th-century popular music, died on Dec. 14. He was 83. Ertegun was a true titan of the music industry across decades -- his upstart Atlantic label became the home of R&B music in the 1950s with Ray Charles, Big Joe Turner, Ruth Brown, the Drifters and the Coasters and then triumphed in new turfs in the 1960s and 1970s with signatures acts such as Aretha Franklin, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Sonny & Cher and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
Director Robert Altman, Nov. 20
Robert Altman, the caustic and irreverent satirist behind "M-A-S-H," "Nashville" and "The Player" who made a career out of bucking Hollywood, died on Nov. 20. He was 81. A five-time Academy Award nominee for best director, most recently for 2001's "Gosford Park," Altman finally won a lifetime achievement Oscar in 2006.
Actor Jack Palance, Nov. 10
Jack Palance, the craggy-faced menace in "Shane," "Sudden Fear" and other films who turned to comedy at 70 with his Oscar-winning self-parody in "City Slickers," died on Nov. 10. Palance died of natural causes at his home in Montecito, Calif., surrounded by family,. Palance was 85 according to Associated Press records, but his family gave his age as 87.
Author William Styron, Nov. 1
William Styron, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist whose explorations of the darkest corners of the mind were charged by personal demons that nearly drove him to suicide, died in Martha's Vineyard, Mass., on Nov. 1. He was 81. Styron was reportedly working on a military novel, yet published no full-length work of fiction after "Sophie's Choice," which came out in 1979. His other works include "Lie Down In Darkness" and "The Confessions of Nat Turner," which won the Pulitzer despite protests that the book was racist and inaccurate.
Actress Phyllis Kirk, Oct. 19
Phyllis Kirk, who played the raven-haired beauty stalked by Vincent Price in the 1950s horror film "House of Wax," died of a post cerebral aneurysm on Oct. 19. She was 79. Kirk gained the most attention for her role in "House of Wax" because it was the first major 3-D movie. She later worked in television, memorably playing Peter Lawford's wife in the series, "The Thin Man." She was also a regular on "The Red Buttons Show" and hosted the ABC talk show "The Young Set."
Surfboarding photographer Warren Bolster, Sept. 6
Warren Bolster, a leading surfing photographer whose detour into skateboarding journalism helped popularize and define the wheeled sport during its explosive rebirth in the 1970s, died on Sept. 6. He was 59. Bolster, who had battled chronic pain and addiction to a painkiller, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home in Mokuleia, Hawaii. He is pictured with his sons, Warren, left, and Edward.
Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, Sept. 4
"The Crocodile Hunter", Steve Irwin, 44, who made a career out of getting dangerously close to deadly beasts, was stabbed through the heart on Sept. 4, by a stingray during filming of a new TV program on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
Photographer Joe Rosenthal, Aug. 20
Photographer Joe Rosenthal, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his immortal image of six World War II servicemen raising an American flag over battle-scarred Iwo Jima, died on Aug. 20. He was 94. His photo, taken for The Associated Press on Feb. 23, 1945, became the model for the Iwo Jima Memorial near Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. The memorial, dedicated in 1954 and known officially as the Marine Corps War Memorial, commemorates the Marines who died taking the Pacific island in World War II.
Physicist James A. Van Allen, Aug. 9
Physicist James A. Van Allen, a leader in space exploration who discovered the radiation belts surrounding the Earth that now bear his name, died on Aug. 9. He was 91. In a career that stretched over more than a half-century, Van Allen designed scientific instruments for dozens of research flights, first with small rockets and balloons, and eventually with space probes that traveled to distant planets and beyond. Van Allen gained global attention in the late 1950s when instruments he designed and placed aboard the first U.S. satellite, Explorer I, discovered the bands of intense radiation that surround the earth, now known as the Van Allen Belts.
Actor Mako, July 21
Mako, the Japanese-American acting pioneer who opened the doors for Asian Americans to Hollywood, died of esophageal cancer at his home in southern California on July 21. He was 72. Born as Makoto Iwamatsu in Kobe, Japan, in 1933, he moved to the United States to join his parents, who had emigrated there earlier, when he was 15. After his service in the U.S. military, he embarked upon a career in film and theater. In the 1966 film "The Sand Pebbles," which starred Steve McQueen, he played the Chinese character Po-han, earning an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor.
Hooters chairman Robert Brooks, July 16
Robert Brooks, the chairman of Hooters of America Inc. who made a fortune selling chicken wings served by scantily clad waitresses, was found dead at his home on July 16. He was 69. It was unclear how Brooks died.
Pink Floyd co-founder Syd Barrett, July
Syd Barrett, the troubled genius who co-founded Pink Floyd but spent his last years in reclusive anonymity, has died, it was announced on July 11. He was 60. A spokeswoman said Barrett died several days earlier. She did not disclose the cause of death. Barrett co-founded Pink Floyd in 1965 with Roger Waters and wrote many of the band's early songs. The group's jazz-infused rock made them darlings of the London psychedelic scene Barrett's behavior grew increasingly erratic, and he left the group in 1968. He spent much of the rest of his life living quietly in his hometown of Cambridge, England.
Enron founder Kenneth Lay, July 5
Enron Corp. founder Kenneth Lay, who was convicted of helping perpetuate one of the most sprawling business frauds in U.S. history, has died of a heart attack in Colorado. He was 64.
TV mogul Aaron Spelling, June 23
Aaron Spelling, a one-time movie bit player who created a massive number of hit series, from the vintage "Charlie's Angels" and "Dynasty" to "Beverly Hills 90210" and "Melrose Place," died on June 23. He was 83. During the 1970s and 1980s, Spelling provided series and movies exclusively for ABC and is credited for the network's rise to major status. Jokesters referred to it as "The Aaron Broadcasting Company."
Clarabell the Clown actor Lew Anderson, May 14
Lew Anderson, who captivated young baby boomers as the "Howdy Doody Show's" final Clarabell the Clown, died on May 14 at the age of 84. The musician and actor died of complications of prostate cancer. Long mute as Clarabell, Anderson broke the clown's silence in the show's final episode in 1960. With trembling lips and a visible tear in his eye, he spoke the show's final words: "Goodbye, kids."
Special effects pioneer Arthur Widmer, May 28
Arthur Widmer, a pioneer in film special-effects technology who received a lifetime achievement award in 2005 from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, died of cancer on May 28. He was 92. In presenting the award to Widmer, the academy noted his significant contributions to the development of the Ultra Violet and "blue screen" compositing processes.
Ska great Desmond Dekker, May 25
Desmond Dekker, who brought the sound of Jamaican ska music to the world with songs such as "Israelites," died on May 25 in his home in England of an apparent heart attack. He was 64. Dekker's 1969 song "Israelites," a top 10 single in both Britain and the United States, was the first international hit produced by Jamaica's vibrant music scene.
Actor Don Knotts, Feb. 24
Don Knotts, the saucer-eyed, scarecrow-thin comic actor best known for his roles as the high-strung, small-town deputy Barney Fife on the 1960s CBS series "The Andy Griffith Show" and the leisure-suit-clad landlord Ralph Furley on ABC's '70s sitcom "Three's Company," died on Feb. 24. He was 81.
Former U.S. poet laureate Stanley Kunitz, May 14
Stanley Kunitz, a former U.S. poet laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner whose expressive verse, social commitment and generosity to young writers spanned three-quarters of a century, died on May 14 at his home in Manhattan. He was 100.
Author Jane Jacobs, April 25
Jane Jacobs, an author and community activist of singular influence whose classic "The Death and Life of Great American Cities" transformed ideas about urban planning, died on April 25. Jacobs, a longtime resident of Toronto, was 89.
Former Yugoslavian President Slobodan Milosevic, March 11
Former Yugoslavian President Slobodan Milosevic, who orchestrated the Balkan wars of the 1990s and was on trial for war crimes, was found dead in his prison cell near The Hague on March 11. Cause of death was an apparent heart attack. He was 64.
Photographer-filmmaker Gordon Parks, March 7
Photographer Gordon Parks, who captured the struggles and triumphs of black America as a photographer for Life magazine and then became Hollywood's first major black director with "The Learning Tree" and the hit "Shaft," died on March 7. He was 93.
Actor Darren McGavin, Feb. 25
Darren McGavin, the husky, tough-talking actor who starred in the TV series "Mike Hammer," played a grouchy dad in the holiday classic "A Christmas Story" and had other strong roles in such films as "The Man with the Golden Arm" and "The Natural," died on Feb. 25. He was 83.
'Jaws' author Peter Benchley, Feb. 11
Peter Benchley, whose novel "Jaws" terrorized millions of swimmers even as the author himself became an advocate for the conservation of sharks, died at his home in Princeton, N.J., on Feb. 11. He was 65. Wendy Benchley, married to the author for 41 years, said the cause of death ,was idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive and a fatal scarring of the lungs.
Feminist-author Betty Friedan, Feb. 4
Betty Friedan, whose manifesto "The Feminine Mystique" helped shatter the cozy suburban ideal of the post-World War II era and laid the groundwork for the modern feminist movement, died on Feb. 4, her birthday, of congestive heart failure. She was 85. Friedan's assertion that a woman needed more than a husband and children was a radical break from the Eisenhower era, when the very idea of a wife doing any work outside of house work was fodder for gag writers.
Actor/political activist Al Lewis, Feb. 3
Al Lewis, a longtime political activist best known for his television role as Grandpa Munster on "The Munsters" sitcom, died on Feb. 3 after years of failing health. He was 95.
Coretta Scott King, Jan. 31
Coretta Scott King, who turned a life shattered by her husband's assassination into one devoted to enshrining his legacy of human rights and equality, has died. She was 78. She was a supportive lieutenant to her husband, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., during the most tumultuous days of the American civil rights movement. She had married him in 1953. After her husband's assassination in Memphis, Tenn., on April 4, 1968, she kept his dream alive while also raising their four children.
NOTE: if I missed anyone you think was “well known, important, socially and/or artistically influential” I apologize! Feel free to add them to comments.
Happy 2007!
I didn’t work today so I have successfully wasted my time trolling on the net stealing information which I then complied into an interesting listing of things that came to pass in 2006; specifically a listing of well known, important, socially and/or artistically influential people who died in 2006.
Here we are the good, the bad and the ugly of who died in 2006.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, Dec. 29
Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi dictator who terrorized a nation for nearly a quarter-century until he was deposed and captured by U.S. troops, was hanged on Dec. 29 for ordering the murders of 148 of his countrymen 24 years ago.
Former President Gerald R. Ford, Dec. 26
Former President Gerald R. Ford, who declared "Our long national nightmare is over" as he replaced Richard Nixon but may have doomed his own chances of election by pardoning his disgraced predecessor, died at his desert home on Dec. 26. He was 93.
'Godfather of Soul' James Brown, Dec. 25
James Brown, the undeniable "Godfather of Soul," died of heart failure on Christmas morning. He was 73. The pompadoured dynamo's classic singles included "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" and "I Got You (I Feel Good)." One of the major musical influences of the past 50 years, Brown was to rhythm and dance music what Bob Dylan was to lyrics. From Mick Jagger to Michael Jackson, David Bowie to Public Enemy, Brown's rapid-footed dancing, hard-charging beats and heartfelt yet often unintelligible vocals changed the musical landscape.
Broadcasting pioneer Frank Stanton, Dec. 24
Frank Stanton, a broadcasting pioneer and CBS president for 26 years who helped turn its TV operation into the "Tiffany network" and built CBS News into a respected information source, died in his sleep at his Boston home on Dec. 24. He was 98. During his long association with CBS founder William S. Paley, the psychologist helped build the company from a modest chain of radio affiliates into a communications empire.
Animator Joe Barbera, Dec. 18
Joe Barbera, half of the Hanna-Barbera animation team that produced such beloved cartoon characters as Tom and Jerry, Yogi Bear and the Flintstones, died of natural causes on Dec. 18. His wife Sheila was at his side. He was 95. With his longtime partner, Bill Hanna, Barbera first found success creating the highly successful Tom and Jerry cartoons. The antics of the battling cat and mouse went on to win seven Academy Awards, more than any other series with the same characters.
Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, Dec. 14
Ahmet Ertegun, the Turkish ambassador's son whose ear for the culture of black America would make his Atlantic Records a legendary fount of 20th-century popular music, died on Dec. 14. He was 83. Ertegun was a true titan of the music industry across decades -- his upstart Atlantic label became the home of R&B music in the 1950s with Ray Charles, Big Joe Turner, Ruth Brown, the Drifters and the Coasters and then triumphed in new turfs in the 1960s and 1970s with signatures acts such as Aretha Franklin, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Sonny & Cher and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
Director Robert Altman, Nov. 20
Robert Altman, the caustic and irreverent satirist behind "M-A-S-H," "Nashville" and "The Player" who made a career out of bucking Hollywood, died on Nov. 20. He was 81. A five-time Academy Award nominee for best director, most recently for 2001's "Gosford Park," Altman finally won a lifetime achievement Oscar in 2006.
Actor Jack Palance, Nov. 10
Jack Palance, the craggy-faced menace in "Shane," "Sudden Fear" and other films who turned to comedy at 70 with his Oscar-winning self-parody in "City Slickers," died on Nov. 10. Palance died of natural causes at his home in Montecito, Calif., surrounded by family,. Palance was 85 according to Associated Press records, but his family gave his age as 87.
Author William Styron, Nov. 1
William Styron, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist whose explorations of the darkest corners of the mind were charged by personal demons that nearly drove him to suicide, died in Martha's Vineyard, Mass., on Nov. 1. He was 81. Styron was reportedly working on a military novel, yet published no full-length work of fiction after "Sophie's Choice," which came out in 1979. His other works include "Lie Down In Darkness" and "The Confessions of Nat Turner," which won the Pulitzer despite protests that the book was racist and inaccurate.
Actress Phyllis Kirk, Oct. 19
Phyllis Kirk, who played the raven-haired beauty stalked by Vincent Price in the 1950s horror film "House of Wax," died of a post cerebral aneurysm on Oct. 19. She was 79. Kirk gained the most attention for her role in "House of Wax" because it was the first major 3-D movie. She later worked in television, memorably playing Peter Lawford's wife in the series, "The Thin Man." She was also a regular on "The Red Buttons Show" and hosted the ABC talk show "The Young Set."
Surfboarding photographer Warren Bolster, Sept. 6
Warren Bolster, a leading surfing photographer whose detour into skateboarding journalism helped popularize and define the wheeled sport during its explosive rebirth in the 1970s, died on Sept. 6. He was 59. Bolster, who had battled chronic pain and addiction to a painkiller, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home in Mokuleia, Hawaii. He is pictured with his sons, Warren, left, and Edward.
Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, Sept. 4
"The Crocodile Hunter", Steve Irwin, 44, who made a career out of getting dangerously close to deadly beasts, was stabbed through the heart on Sept. 4, by a stingray during filming of a new TV program on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
Photographer Joe Rosenthal, Aug. 20
Photographer Joe Rosenthal, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his immortal image of six World War II servicemen raising an American flag over battle-scarred Iwo Jima, died on Aug. 20. He was 94. His photo, taken for The Associated Press on Feb. 23, 1945, became the model for the Iwo Jima Memorial near Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. The memorial, dedicated in 1954 and known officially as the Marine Corps War Memorial, commemorates the Marines who died taking the Pacific island in World War II.
Physicist James A. Van Allen, Aug. 9
Physicist James A. Van Allen, a leader in space exploration who discovered the radiation belts surrounding the Earth that now bear his name, died on Aug. 9. He was 91. In a career that stretched over more than a half-century, Van Allen designed scientific instruments for dozens of research flights, first with small rockets and balloons, and eventually with space probes that traveled to distant planets and beyond. Van Allen gained global attention in the late 1950s when instruments he designed and placed aboard the first U.S. satellite, Explorer I, discovered the bands of intense radiation that surround the earth, now known as the Van Allen Belts.
Actor Mako, July 21
Mako, the Japanese-American acting pioneer who opened the doors for Asian Americans to Hollywood, died of esophageal cancer at his home in southern California on July 21. He was 72. Born as Makoto Iwamatsu in Kobe, Japan, in 1933, he moved to the United States to join his parents, who had emigrated there earlier, when he was 15. After his service in the U.S. military, he embarked upon a career in film and theater. In the 1966 film "The Sand Pebbles," which starred Steve McQueen, he played the Chinese character Po-han, earning an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor.
Hooters chairman Robert Brooks, July 16
Robert Brooks, the chairman of Hooters of America Inc. who made a fortune selling chicken wings served by scantily clad waitresses, was found dead at his home on July 16. He was 69. It was unclear how Brooks died.
Pink Floyd co-founder Syd Barrett, July
Syd Barrett, the troubled genius who co-founded Pink Floyd but spent his last years in reclusive anonymity, has died, it was announced on July 11. He was 60. A spokeswoman said Barrett died several days earlier. She did not disclose the cause of death. Barrett co-founded Pink Floyd in 1965 with Roger Waters and wrote many of the band's early songs. The group's jazz-infused rock made them darlings of the London psychedelic scene Barrett's behavior grew increasingly erratic, and he left the group in 1968. He spent much of the rest of his life living quietly in his hometown of Cambridge, England.
Enron founder Kenneth Lay, July 5
Enron Corp. founder Kenneth Lay, who was convicted of helping perpetuate one of the most sprawling business frauds in U.S. history, has died of a heart attack in Colorado. He was 64.
TV mogul Aaron Spelling, June 23
Aaron Spelling, a one-time movie bit player who created a massive number of hit series, from the vintage "Charlie's Angels" and "Dynasty" to "Beverly Hills 90210" and "Melrose Place," died on June 23. He was 83. During the 1970s and 1980s, Spelling provided series and movies exclusively for ABC and is credited for the network's rise to major status. Jokesters referred to it as "The Aaron Broadcasting Company."
Clarabell the Clown actor Lew Anderson, May 14
Lew Anderson, who captivated young baby boomers as the "Howdy Doody Show's" final Clarabell the Clown, died on May 14 at the age of 84. The musician and actor died of complications of prostate cancer. Long mute as Clarabell, Anderson broke the clown's silence in the show's final episode in 1960. With trembling lips and a visible tear in his eye, he spoke the show's final words: "Goodbye, kids."
Special effects pioneer Arthur Widmer, May 28
Arthur Widmer, a pioneer in film special-effects technology who received a lifetime achievement award in 2005 from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, died of cancer on May 28. He was 92. In presenting the award to Widmer, the academy noted his significant contributions to the development of the Ultra Violet and "blue screen" compositing processes.
Ska great Desmond Dekker, May 25
Desmond Dekker, who brought the sound of Jamaican ska music to the world with songs such as "Israelites," died on May 25 in his home in England of an apparent heart attack. He was 64. Dekker's 1969 song "Israelites," a top 10 single in both Britain and the United States, was the first international hit produced by Jamaica's vibrant music scene.
Actor Don Knotts, Feb. 24
Don Knotts, the saucer-eyed, scarecrow-thin comic actor best known for his roles as the high-strung, small-town deputy Barney Fife on the 1960s CBS series "The Andy Griffith Show" and the leisure-suit-clad landlord Ralph Furley on ABC's '70s sitcom "Three's Company," died on Feb. 24. He was 81.
Former U.S. poet laureate Stanley Kunitz, May 14
Stanley Kunitz, a former U.S. poet laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner whose expressive verse, social commitment and generosity to young writers spanned three-quarters of a century, died on May 14 at his home in Manhattan. He was 100.
Author Jane Jacobs, April 25
Jane Jacobs, an author and community activist of singular influence whose classic "The Death and Life of Great American Cities" transformed ideas about urban planning, died on April 25. Jacobs, a longtime resident of Toronto, was 89.
Former Yugoslavian President Slobodan Milosevic, March 11
Former Yugoslavian President Slobodan Milosevic, who orchestrated the Balkan wars of the 1990s and was on trial for war crimes, was found dead in his prison cell near The Hague on March 11. Cause of death was an apparent heart attack. He was 64.
Photographer-filmmaker Gordon Parks, March 7
Photographer Gordon Parks, who captured the struggles and triumphs of black America as a photographer for Life magazine and then became Hollywood's first major black director with "The Learning Tree" and the hit "Shaft," died on March 7. He was 93.
Actor Darren McGavin, Feb. 25
Darren McGavin, the husky, tough-talking actor who starred in the TV series "Mike Hammer," played a grouchy dad in the holiday classic "A Christmas Story" and had other strong roles in such films as "The Man with the Golden Arm" and "The Natural," died on Feb. 25. He was 83.
'Jaws' author Peter Benchley, Feb. 11
Peter Benchley, whose novel "Jaws" terrorized millions of swimmers even as the author himself became an advocate for the conservation of sharks, died at his home in Princeton, N.J., on Feb. 11. He was 65. Wendy Benchley, married to the author for 41 years, said the cause of death ,was idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive and a fatal scarring of the lungs.
Feminist-author Betty Friedan, Feb. 4
Betty Friedan, whose manifesto "The Feminine Mystique" helped shatter the cozy suburban ideal of the post-World War II era and laid the groundwork for the modern feminist movement, died on Feb. 4, her birthday, of congestive heart failure. She was 85. Friedan's assertion that a woman needed more than a husband and children was a radical break from the Eisenhower era, when the very idea of a wife doing any work outside of house work was fodder for gag writers.
Actor/political activist Al Lewis, Feb. 3
Al Lewis, a longtime political activist best known for his television role as Grandpa Munster on "The Munsters" sitcom, died on Feb. 3 after years of failing health. He was 95.
Coretta Scott King, Jan. 31
Coretta Scott King, who turned a life shattered by her husband's assassination into one devoted to enshrining his legacy of human rights and equality, has died. She was 78. She was a supportive lieutenant to her husband, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., during the most tumultuous days of the American civil rights movement. She had married him in 1953. After her husband's assassination in Memphis, Tenn., on April 4, 1968, she kept his dream alive while also raising their four children.
NOTE: if I missed anyone you think was “well known, important, socially and/or artistically influential” I apologize! Feel free to add them to comments.
Happy 2007!