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Why have so many important and/or famous people been dying this year? So far, according to Wikipedia:
01-11 - Sir Edmund Hillary (explorer, philanthropist)
01-15 - Brad Renfro (actor)
01-17 - Bobby Fischer (chess prodigy)
01-19 - Suzanne Pleshette (actress)
01-22 - Heath Ledger (actor)
02-05 - Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (spiritual leader)
02-10 - Roy Scheider (actor)
02-27 - William F. Buckley, Jr. (author, political theorist)
03-04 - Gary Gygax (game designer, author)
03-19 - Arthur C. Clarke (author)
04-05 - Charlton Heston (actor)
04-13 - Dr. John Archibald Wheeler (physicist)
04-29 - Dr. Albert Hofmann (chemist)
05-26 - Sydney Pollack (film director, producer)
06-02 - Bo Diddley (musician)
06-03 - Mel Ferrer (actor, film director)
06-13 - Tim Russert (journalist)
06-15 - Stan Winston (artist)
06-22 - George Carlin (actor, comedian)
06-29 - Don S. Davis (actor)
07-04 - Jesse Helms (politician)
07-12 - Tony Snow (political commentator)
07-25 - Randy Pausch (author, scientist)
08-03 - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (author)
08-09 - Bernie Mac (actor, comedian)
08-10 - Isaac Hayes (actor, musician)
08-16 - Ronnie Drew (musician)
09-01 - Don LaFontaine (actor)
09-12 - David Foster Wallace (author)
09-26 - Paul Newman (actor, philanthropist)
10-26 - Tony Hillerman (author)
11-04 - Dr. Michael Crichton (author)
That's certainly an esteemed list. I wonder if the 2007 list was comparable.
Maybe it is the war(s)?
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Here is the 2007 list
January 8 - Yvonne De Carlo, actress (Lily on the "Munsters"), age 84
January 10 - Carlo Ponti, producer ("Doctor Zhivago") and husband of Sophia Loren, age 94
January 14 - Darlene Conley, actress (Sally Spectra on "Bold and the Beautiful") age 72
January 16 - Ron Carey, actor (Ofc. Carl Levitt on "Barney Miller") age 71
January 17 - Art Buchwald, columnist for the Washington Post, age 81
January 19 - Denny Doherty, singer in the original Mamas and the Papas, age 66
January 20 - Sen. George Smathers, former U.S. Senator and confidant to several Presidents, age 93
January 27 - Tige Andrews, actor (Capt. Greer on "Mod Squad") age 86
January 29 - Barbaro, thoroughbred race horse injured at 2006 Preakness, age 4
January 30 - Sidney Sheldon, author, producer ("The Other Side of Midnight" and "I Dream of Jeannie") age 89
February 6 - Frankie Laine, singer (theme to "Rawhide") age 93
February 8 - Anna Nicole Smith,Playmate, Reality TV star, tabloid maven, age 39
Fenruary 24 - Lamar Lundy, defensive lineman and part of the "Fearsome Foursome" of the L.A. Rams of the '60s, age 71
February 28 - Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. Historian and Kennedy family confidant, age 89
March 4 - Sen. Thomas Eagleton,briefly a Vice Presidential nominee under George McGovern in 1972, age 77
March 9 - Brad Delp, lead singer of Boston ( "More Than a Feeling" and "Long Time" ) age 55
March 10 - Richard Jeni, comedian, ( HBO special "Richard Jeni: Good Catholic Boy") age 49
March 11 - Betty Hutton, actress ("Greatest Show on Earth" and "Annie Get Your Gun") age 86
March 15 - Bowie Kuhn, former Major League Baseball commissioner, age 80
April 3 - Eddie Robinson, head football coach for 56 years at Grambling State University, age 88
April 7 - Barry Nelson, actor ("My Favorite Husband" and "What's My Line") age 89
April 11 - Kurt Vonnegut,author ("Slaughterhouse-Five") age 84
April 14 - Don Ho, singer/performer ("Tiny Bubbles") age 76
April 17 - Kitty Carlisle Hart, actress ("to Tell the Truth") age 96
April 23 - David Halberstam, author ("The Best and the Brightest" and "The Fifties") age 73
April 23 - Boris Yeltsin, Former Russian President, age 76
April 25 - Bobby "Boris" Pickett singer "Monster Mash"), age 69
April 26 - Jack Valenti, former White House aide and long time president of the Motion Picture Association of America, age 85
April 28 - Tommy Newsom, bandleader called "Mr. Excitement" by Johnny Carson on the "Tonight Show", age 78
May 1 - Tom Poston, actor (Cliff Murdock on "The Bob Newhart Show") age 85
May 3 -Wally Schirra, Original Mercury 7 astronaut who also flew in the Gemini and Apollo programs, age 84
May 15 - Rev. Jerry Falwell, Founder and Chancellor of Liberty University, age 73
May 15 - Yolanda King, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s eldest child, age 51
June 14 - Ruth Graham, beloved wife of Rev. Billy Graham
June 26 - Liz Clairborne, fashion designer, age 78
June 29 - Joel Siegel, longtime movie critic for "Good Morning America", age 63
July 2 - Beverly Sills,Brooklyn-born opera diva, age 78
July 11 - Claudia "Lady Bird" Johnson, former First Lady of the United States 1963-1969, age 94
July 20 - Tammy Faye (Bakker) Messner, fomer wife of TV preacher Jim Bakker, age 65
July 29 - Tom Snyder, TV talk host ( "Tomorrow," "Late Late Show" ) age 71
July 30 - Ingmar Bergman, famed Swedish director ("The Seventh Seal" ) age 89
July 30 - Bill Walsh, legendary coach of the San Francisco 49ers, age 75
August 12 - Merv Griffin, talk show host, game show creator ("Jeopardy", "Wheel of Fortune") and casino owner, age 82
August 13 - Phil Rizzuto, New York Yankee shortstop and Baseball Hall of Famer, age 89
August 18 - Michael Deaver, close advisor to President Ronald Reagan, age 69
August 20 - Leona Helmsley, New York hotelier known as the "queen of mean," age 87
September 4 - Michael Evans, actor (Col. Douglas Austin on the "Young and the Restless") age 87
September 6 - Luciano Pavoratti, legendary Italian tenor, age 71
September 10 - Jane Wyman, actress (Angela Channing on "Falcon Crest") and 1st wife of Ronald Reagan, age 90
September 21 - Alice Ghostley, actress (Esmeralda on "Bewitched" and Bernice on "Designing Women" ) age 81
September 21 - Rex Humbard, TV Evangelist ("Cathedral of Tomorrow") age 88
September 22 - Marcel Marceau, legendary mime, age 84
September 29 - Lois Maxwell, actress (Miss Moneypenny in 14 James Bond films) age 80
October 17 - Joey Bishop, actor, comedian, last surviving member of the Rat Pack, age 89
October 17 - Teresa Brewer, singer ("Music! Music! Music!") age 76
October 23 - Deborah Kerr, actress ("From Here to Eternity" and "The King and I"), age 86
October 28 - Porter Wagoner, Country singer, Grand Ole Opry star, age 80
October 30 - Robert Goulet, singer/actor (Sir Lancelot in "Camelot") age 73
November 1 - Gen. Paul Tibbets, pilot of the Enola Gay which dropped the bomb on Hiroshima, age 92
November 10 - Norman Mailer, author ("The Executioner's Song") age 84
November 19 - Dick Wilson, actor ("Mr. Whipple" in over 500 Charmin commercials) age 91
November 27 - Sean Taylor, safety for the Washington Redskins, and before, the Miami Hurricanes, age 24
November 27 - Dr. Robert Cade, Univ. of Florida (Gators) researcher who invented Gatorade in 1965, age 80
November 30 - Evil Knievel, legendary motorcycle daredevil, age 69
December 12 - Ike Turner, controversial Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, age 76
December 27 - Benazir Bhutto, former Prime Minister and democratic advocate for Pakistan
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And 2006
January 6 - Lou Rawls, soul singer ("Lady Love") age 72
January 14 - Shelley Winters, two time Oscar winning actor ("The Diary of Anne Frank" and "A Patch of Blue") age 85
January 19 - Wilson Pickett, soul singer ("In the MIdnight Hour" and "Mustang Sally") age 64
January 19 - Anthony Franciosa, actor ("The Long Hot Summer" and "The Name of the Game") age 77
January 24 - Chris Penn, actor ("Reservoir Dogs" and "Starsky & Hutch") brother of Sean Penn, age 40
January 30 - Coretta Scott King, widow of Martin Luther King and Civil Rights matriarch, age 78
February 3 - Al Lewis, actor (Grandpa on "The Munsters" and Officer Leo Schnauzer on "Car 54, Where Are You?") age 82
February 4 - Betty Friedan, author ("The Feminine Mystique") and early leader of the feminist movement, age 85
February 12 - Peter Benchley, author ("Jaws") age 65
February 13 - Andreas Katsulas, actor (GKar on "Babylon 5") age 59
February 18 - William Cowsill, singer (The Cowsills, band that inspired the TV series "The Partridge Family" ) age 58
February 18 - Richard Bright, actor (Al Neri in " The Godfather") age 68
February 20 - Curt Gowdy, sportscaster ("American Sportsman") age 86
February 24 - Don Knotts, actor (Deputy Barney Fife on "The Andy Griffith Show" and Ralph Furley on "Three's Company" ) age 81
February 24 - Dennis Weaver, actor (Chester Goode on"Gunsmoke" and Sam McCloud on "McCloud") age 81
February 25 - Darren McGavin, actor (Carl Kolchak on "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" ) age 83
March 6 - Kirby Puckett,Baseball Hall of Famer who played for Minnesota Twins, age 44
March 6 - Dana Reeve, widow of Christopher Reeve, age 44
March 11 - Slobodan Milosevic. tyrant ("Butcher of the Balkans") age 64
March 13 - Maureen Stapleton, actress ("Reds" and "Interiors") age 80
March 26 - Buck Owens, singer, host ("Hee Haw") age 76
March 25 - Richard Fleischer, director ("Tora, Tora, Tora" and "Soylent Green") age 89
March 26 - Paul Dana, IRL race car driver - Rahal Letterman Racing Team, age 30
March 28 - Caspar Weinberger, Secretary of Defense under President Ronald Reagan, age 88
April 5 - Gene Pitney, singer/songwriter ("Town Without Pity" and "Liberty Valance") age 65
April 17 - Scott Brazil, producer/director ("The Shield" and "Hill Street Blues") age 50
May 2 - Louis Rukeyser, journalist ("Wall $treet Week With Louis Rukeyser") age 73
May 3 - Earl Woods, father of golfer Tiger Woods, age 74
May 11 - Floyd Patterson, Heavyweight boxing champion and Olympic Gold medalist, age 71
May 14 - Lew Anderson, actor and musician (Clarabell on "Howdy Doody Show") age 84
May 23 - Lloyd Bentsen, Secretary of the Treasury (under Clinton) and U.S. Senator from Texas 1971-1993, age 85
May 27 - Paul Gleason, actor (Principal Richard Vernon in "Breakfast Club") age 67
May 30 - Robert Sterling, actor (ghost George Kerby in "Topper") age 88
June 2 - Vince Welnick, keyboard player for the Grateful Dead, age 51
June 6 - Billy Preston, keyboardist ("Outta Space" and "Nothing From Nothing") age 59
June 20 - Claydes Charles Smith, musician (co-founder and lead guitarist of Kool & the Gang) age 57
June 23 - Aaron Spelling, producer ("Mod Squad," "Starsky and Hutch," "Charlie's Angels," "The Love Boat," "Dynasty," and "Beverly Hills 90210") age 83
June 24 - Patsy Ramsey, mother of slain child beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey, 49
June ? - Moose, actor (played Eddie on "Frazier") age 16 ½
July 1 - Benjamin Hendrickson, actor (Hal Munson on "As the World Turns") age 55
July 2 - Jan Murray, comic host ("Treasure Hunt") age 89
July 5 - Ken Lay, fomer CEO of Enron, who was convicted of conspiracy and fraud, age 64
July 7 - Syd Barrett, musician (founder of Pink Floyd) age 60
July 8 - June Allyson, actress ("The Glenn Miller Story" and "Strategic Air Command") age 88
Juky 11 - Barnard Hughes, actor (Grandpa in "Lost Boys") age, 90
July 13 - Red Buttons, actor ("Sayonara" and Poseidon Adventure") age 87
July 16 - Lt. Governor Win Rockefeller, Arkansas politician, billionaire great-grandson of Standard Oil founder John D. Rockefeller, age 57
July 17 - Mickey Spillane, writer (Mike Hammer novels) age 88
July 19 - Jack Warden, actor ("Crazy Like a Fox" and "Heaven Can Wait") age 85
August 11 - Mike Douglas, singer and talk show host ("The Mike Douglas Show:), age 81
August 14 - Bruno Kirby, actor (Ed Funillo in "City Slickers") age 57
August 30 - Glenn Ford, actor ( "The Blackboard Jungle," "Put the Blame on Mame") age 90
September 1 - Nellie Connally, wife of former Gov. John Connally of Texas (1917-1993) and the last surviving occupant of President Kennedy’s limousine when he was assassinated, age 87
September 2 - Bob Mathias, Olympic decathlete and U.S. Congressman (1967-1975), age 75
September 4 - Steve Irwin, Enviromentalist known as the "Croc Hunter," age 44
September 13 - Ann Richards, former Governor of Texas (1991 to 1995), age 73
September 14 - Michael Hargitay,bobybuilder ex-husband of Jayne Mansfield and father of "Law & Order: SVU" star Mariska Hargitay, age 80
September 17 - Patricia Kennedy Lawford, sister of John F. Kennedy and former wife of Peter Lawford, age 82
September 22 - Edward Albert Jr., actor ( Don Baker in "Butterflies Are Free") age 55
September 26 - Byron Nelson, Golfing great, age 94
October 11 - Corey Lidle, pitcher of the New York Yankees, age 34
October 14 - Freddy Fender, country singer ("Before the Next Teardrop Falls") age 69
October 20 - Phyllis Kirk, actress (Nora Charles on "The Thin Man") age 77
October 20 - Jane Wyatt, actress (Margaret Anderson on "Father Knows Best") age 96
October 28 - Red Auerbach, legendary winning coach of the Boston Celtics, age 89
November 9 - Ed Bradley, journalist, longtime corresponent for "60 Minutes," age 65
November 10- Jack Palance, actor (Curly Washburn in "City Slickers") age 87
November 17 - Bo Schembechler, legendary football coach at University of Michigan, age 77
November 21 - Robert Altman, director ("M.A.S.H.") age 81
December 12 - Peter Boyle, actor (Frank Barone on "Everybody Loves Raymond") age 71
December 25 - James Brown, Godfather of Soul, "I Got You (I Feel Good)" age 73
December 26 - President Gerald R. Ford, President of the United States 1974-1977, age 93
December 29 - Saddam Hussein,Butcher of Bagdad, age 69
I don't think this year was anything special, other than the number of people who died at a younger age.
I think maybe it's just that this year I'm more in touch with the world, and so I recognize more names. Either that or I'm completely crazy and don't know what I'm talking about.
Must they be mutually exclusive? :)
I'm going out on a limb and saying that many of them died because:
1) They were old
2) They were terminally ill
3) They were drug abusers
That said, it's really not all that surprising, now that I think about it...