Arthur Miller was 89.  He was the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright whose most famous fictional creation, Willy Loman in "Death of a Salesman," came to symbolize the American Dream gone awry.

Jimmy Smith was 79.  He helped change the sound of jazz by almost single-handedly introducing the soulful electric riffs of the Hammond B-3 organ.

Keith Knudsen was 56.  He was the longtime Doobie Brothers drummer who was part of the band during a string of hits that included "Taking it to the Streets" and "Black Water".

Bob McAdorey was 69.  He was a long time DJ with CHUM and later a Global TV fixture. I remember him well from his days on Global TV as an afternoon entertainment reporter.  He was a funny dude and will be missed.

Gnassingbe Eyadema was 68.  He was the president of Togo and Africa's longest-ruling leader.

Ossie Davis was 87.  He was an actor distinguished for roles dealing with racial injustice on stage, screen and in real life.  I remember him best from his appearance in three Spike Lee films, "School Daze," "Do the Right Thing" and "Jungle Fever."

Max Schmeling was 99.  He was the heavyweight champion whose two fights with Joe Louis set off a propaganda war between the Nazi regime and the United States on the eve of World War II. I've been tracking celebrity deaths since September 2000 and this is the first time I've

John Vernon was 72.  He was the star of the 1960s drama "Wojeck" before moving on to a career in Hollywood. I remember him fondly as Dean Vernon Wormer in "Animal House".  "The time has come for someone to put his foot down. And that foot is me."

Dan Lee was 35.  He was the Toronto animator who designed the character of Nemo for the blockbuster Pixar film "Finding Nemo".  He also helped animate "A Bug's Life", "Toy Story 2", "Monsters, Inc." and a 2007 Pixar release.

Johnny Carson was 79. He was host of the "Tonight Show" for thirty years. While the rest of the continent remembers Johnny Carson from late night TV, I know him best for his guest appearance on episode 9F19 of The Simpsons, "Krusty Gets Kancelled".  When Krusty went looking for tips

Lamont Bentley was 31. He starred as Hakeem Campbell on the UPN sitcom "Moesha".

Virginia Mayo was 84. She was the stunning blond actress who brought beauty and romance to films of the 1940s and 1950s with such co-stars as James Cagney, Bob Hope, Gregory Peck, Danny Kaye and Ronald Reagan.

Ruth Warrick was 88. She was the darling of the daytime soap opera "All My Children" who launched her career in Orson Welles' all-time classic "Citizen Kane".

Zhao Ziyang was 85. He was the former prime minister of China and a reform-minded Communist Party leader who was toppled in a power struggle after the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests.

Earl Cameron was 89. He was host of CBC's national television news from 1959 to 1966.

Spencer Dryden was 66. He was the drummer for the Jefferson Airplane in the band's glory years, including the breakthrough 1967 album "Surrealistic Pillow" and the Woodstock festival.

Bud Poile was 80. He's a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame who helped the Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup in 1947 and was the first general manager of both the Philadelphia Flyers and Vancouver Canucks.

Artie Shaw was 94. He was the clarinetist and bandleader whose recording of "Begin the Beguine" epitomized the Big Band era.

Jerry Orbach was 69. He played Detective Lennie Briscoe for twelve seasons on "Law & Order" and was a star on Broadway as a song-and-dance man. He was set to star in "Law & Order: Trial By Jury" and I was looking forward to that series because Lennie Briscoe was

Susan Sontag was 71. She was the author, activist and self-defined "zealot of seriousness" whose voracious mind and provocative prose made her a leading intellectual of the past half century.

Reggie White was 43. He was the NFL's former all-time sack leader who put together a Hall of Fame career as a defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers from 1985-1998. He also played for the Carolina Panthers in 2000. It's been a rough week for deaths

Doug Ault was 54. He hit .245 with 11 homers and 64 RBIs during the Toronto Blue Jays' inaugural season but he's best known for hitting two home runs in a 9-5 win over the Chicago White Sox on opening day. As a big fan of baseball trivia and Blue

Johnny Oates was 58. He managed the Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles, compiling a regular season record of 797-746.

Bobby Mattick was 89. He was one of the Toronto Blue Jays' original employees, managing the team in 1980 and 1981.  He played a key administrative role in scouting and developing the talent that carried the Blue Jays to five AL East titles and two World Series championships.

Arthur "Bo" Agee Sr. was 52. He was the father of  Arthur Agee Jr., chronicled in the acclaimed documentary "Hoop Dreams".