Mitch Mitchell was 61. He was the drummer for the legendary Jimi Hendrix Experience of the 1960s and the group's last surviving member.

Miriam Makeba was 76. She was the South African singer who wooed the world with her sultry voice but was banned from her own country for more than 30 years under apartheid.

Michael Crichton was 66. He was the million-selling author of such historic and prehistoric science fantasies as "Jurassic Park," "Timeline" and "The Andromeda Strain."

Jacques Piccard was 86. He was the Swiss deep sea explorer and inventor who holds the record for travelling to the deepest point underwater.

Studs Terkel was 96. He was the ageless master of listening and speaking, a broadcaster, activist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author whose best-selling oral histories celebrated the common people he liked to call the "non-celebrated."

Conrad "S.D. Jones" Efraim was 63. He was a former professional wrestler best known as Special Delivery Jones from his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).  I had an S.D. Jones action figure.

Charles Dubin was 87. He was a former Ontario chief justice who dominated courtrooms for more than half a century. If you're like me, you remember Charles Dubin best as the man who chaired the Dubin Inquiry after sprinter Ben Johnson lost his gold medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Tony Hillerman was 83. He was author of the acclaimed Navajo Tribal Police mystery novels and creator of two of the unlikeliest of literary heroes - Navajo police officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee.

Merl Saunders was 74. He was a keyboardist who had a long-term collaboration with Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead.

Rudy Ray Moore was 81. He was the self-proclaimed "Godfather of Rap" who influenced generations of rappers and comedians with his rhyming style, braggadocio and profanity-laced routines.

Dee Dee Warwick was 63. She was a soul singer who won recognition for both her solo work and her performances with her older sister Dionne Warwick.

Mr. Blackwell was 86. He was the acerbic designer whose annual worst-dressed list skewered the fashion felonies of celebrities from Zsa Zsa Gabor to Britney Spears.

Levi Stubbs was 72. His distinctive, rough-hewn voice and pleading vocal style elevated the Four Tops' soul classics to masterpieces.

Frank "Frankie Venom" Kerr was 51. He was the lead singer of the Hamilton-based punk rock pioneers Teenage Head.

Alton Ellis was 70. He was known as the "Godfather of Rocksteady," having a string of hits in a career spanning more than 50 years, including "I'm Still In Love", "Dance Crasher" and "I'm Just A Guy."

Paul Newman was 83. He was the legendary film star whose brilliant blue eyes, good looks, cool style and talent made him one of Hollywood's top actors over six decades.  He appeared in more than 50 movies, including "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"

Ron Lancaster was 69. He was a legendary CFL quarterback, coach and general manager known during his playing days as the Little General.

Richard Wright was 65. He was a founding member of the rock group Pink Floyd.  He wrote "The Great Gig in the Sky" and "Us and Them" for Dark Side of the Moon, and also worked on the group's epic compositions "Atom Heart Mother," "Echoes" and "Shine on You Crazy

Erik Nielsen was 84. He was a former deputy prime minister in Brian Mulroney's Conservative government and elder brother of comic Leslie Nielsen.

Jerry Reed was 71. He was a singer who became a good ol' boy actor in car chase movies like "Smokey and the Bandit."

Don LaFontaine was 68. He voiced over 5,000 trailers and almost 350,000 commercials and is responsible for the ubiquitous trailer-opening phrase "In a world..."

Walter "Killer" Kowalski was 81. He was a pro-wrestling pioneer famous for various moves, including a stomach vice grip called the "Killer Clutch."

Kevin Duckworth was 44. He was a two-time NBA All-Star who played on two Western Conference-winning teams with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Gene Upshaw was 63. He was the executive director of the NFL Players Association and a Hall of Fame guard with the Oakland Raiders.