Celebrity Deaths: 2012 Famous Deaths List By Famous Celebrity Deaths List  [4 more lists]

5/9/12: Legendary hairdresser Vidal Sassoon was found dead in his Los Angeles home at age 84. He had been diagnosed with blood cancer in 2009 and was fighting leukemia in 2011. Sassoon is best known for Mia Farrow's iconic pixie cut in Rosemary's Baby. He grew up in England and later fought in the Israeli Army during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

5/8/12: Beloved children's book author, Maurice Sendak passed away due to complications from a stroke. Maurice is best known for his book "Where the Wild Things Are" as well as his other short stories, "The Sign on Rosie's Door" and "Higglety Pigglety Pop!". He was 83.

5/6/12: George Lindsey who played Goober on the classic TV show "The Andy Griffith Show," died Sunday morning after an extended illness. He also appeared on "Gunsmoke" and "Hee Haw", he was 83.

5/4/12: Adam Yauch was better known as "MCA" from the iconic hip hop group The Beastie Boys. He was 47 years old. Yauch had been diagnosed with the cancer that eventually ended his life in 2009. The Beastie Boys were inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame about 1 month before his death. Yauch as also a film director and the founder of movie distribution company Oscilloscope Laboratories.

5/2/12: Patricia Median had lead roles in "Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion" in 1950, "Sangaree" with Lamas in 1953, "Plunder of the Sun" with Ford in 1953, "Botany Bay" with Ladd in 1953 and "Phantom of the Rue Morgue" with Malden in 1954. She passed away at the age of 92.

5/4/12: Bob Stewart created such beloved and long-running television game shows as To Tell The Truth, The Price Is Right, Password, and Pyramid, passed away at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles of natural causes. He was 91.

5/2/12: At 43 years old, NFL legend Junior Seau was founded dead in his home in Oceanside, CA, from an apparent suicide by gunshot. After playing for USC, Seau was a first-round NFL draft pick in 1990 and played in the league for 20 years for the San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins, and New England Patriots. He left behind 3 children.

4/23/12: Tommy Marth played the saxophone for The Killers he was found dead at his Las Vegas home of an apparent suicide. Marth played sax on two Killers albums -- Sam's Town and Day & Age. He also toured with the band in 2008 and 2009. He was 33.

4/18/12: Renowned TV Host, Dick Clark, died at the age of 82 after suffering a heart attack post surgery. Clark was known for hosting the long running music TV program, "American Bandstand" as well as game shows like "Pyramid". He created the extremely popular "Dick Clark's New Years Rockin' Eve" in 1972.

4/18/12: Levon Helm, drummer and lead singer of The Band, one of the most original and critically acclaimed rock bands of all time. Although The Band had 3 lead vocalists, Levon sang lead on most of their hits, including Up On Cripple Creek and The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. Levon continued to tour and record with The Band after the original lineup disbanded in the late 70s, and also released various solo efforts.

In recent years he had a career resurgence with his "Rambles" - ad hoc concerts in his home at upstate New York filled with guest stars from across the rock spectrum. The success of these downhome, unique, $100 per ticket shows led to a record deal and multiple critically acclaimed records including Dirt Farmer.

Helm passed at the age of 71 after a long battle with cancer.

4/13/12: Jonathan Frid, a Canadian actor best knowing for playing Barnabas Collins on the 1960s supernatural soap opera "Dark Shadows," died of natural causes, at age 87.

4/7/12: Long time news correspondent, Mike Wallace, passed away of natural causes. He was 93. Wallace was known for his 4 decades of reporting on the popular news program, "60 Minutes".

4/6/12: Popular American painter, Thomas Kinkade died of an overdose at the age of 54.

3/10/12: Jean Giraud, also known as Moebius, died in Paris after a long battle with cancer. The comic book artist was a founder of Métal Hurlant (Heavy Metal), which published some of his most famous serials, including The Airtight Garage and Arzach. He contributed to the aesthetic and vision of many films, including Alien, The Fifth Element, and Tron, and collaborated with Alejandro Jodorowsky on a film adaptation of Dune.

3/8/12: Jimmy Ellis, lead singer for the Trammps, known for their hit "Disco Inferno", died Thursday in a South Carolina nursing home. He was 74.

3/5/12: Songwriter Robert B. Sherman, most known as one half of the Sherman Brothers, passed away of natural causes. Sherman wrote classic songs for movies such as "Mary Poppins", "The Jungle Book" and "Winnie the Pooh" as well as the theme for the park ride "It's a Small World (After All)". He was 86.

3/3/12: Influential American Rock guitarist, Ronnie Montrose passed away at the age of 64 from prostate cancer. He was known for his work with musicians such as Sammy Hagar, Herbie Hancock, Van Morrison and Boz Scaggs.

3/3/12: Leonard Cimino was known as the most in-demand character actor for over 609 years. He played gangsters, grandfathers, the pope, Vincent van Gogh and "Scary German Guy," before succumbing to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at the age of 94.

3/2/12: James Q. Wilson, the American political scientist known for creating the "Broken Windows" theory, died at the age of 80 from leukemia.

3/1/12: Conservative commentator, and Internet publishing startup founder Andrew
Breitbart has died, according to Breitbart.com, his publishing company,
after dying unexpectedly from natural causes shortly after midnight
Thursday morning. Brietbart, who was well known for his politics and
political blogging, apparently died at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
this morning. Brietbart headed up Brietbart.com, the online publisher of a
network of online content sites, including BigHollywood.com,
BigJournalism.com, and BigPeace.com. The company had--according to
regulatory filings last year--raised $10M in funding, and quietly been
building out a technology team to drive those sites. Breitbart is known
more for his politics, and in particular his role in the ACORN scandal,
the firing and re-hiring of U.S. Department of Agriculture official
Shirley Sherrod, and breaking the news on Rep. Anthony Weiner. Breitbart
was 43

2/29/12: Davy Jones, lead singer of The Monkees, who were known for their hit songs like "Daydream Believer" and "Last Train to Clarksville" as well as the TV show by the same name, died after suffering a heart attack. He was 66.

2/25/12: Actor, Erland Josephson, most known for his roles in Igmar Bergman's films "Scenes From a Marriage" and "Cries and Whispers", died from Parkinson's Disease. He was 88.

2/16/12: Former MLB catcher, Gary Carter, passed away due to complications from a brain tumor. During his career he played mainly for the Expos and the Mets. Carter won 3 Gold Glove awards and 5 Silver Sluggers. In 2003 he was induced to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He was 57.

2/12/12: Irish actor, David Kelly, most known for his roles in "Faulty Towers", "Waking Ned Devine" and Tim Burton's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", died at the age of 82.

2/11/12: Gospel-trained pop diva, who during the course of her life sold over 55 million records, as well as the star of popular films "The Bodyguard" and "Waiting to Exhale." Houston had become a regular feature in tabloids, due to her own admitted years of drug abuse and a tumultuous marriage with fellow musician and vocalist Bobby Brown. Houston died at age 48. The reason for her death was initially unknown.

2/7/12: Former Outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Danny Clyburn was shot and killed in his hometown of Lancaster, SC. He was 37.

2/5/12: Actor Bill Hinzman, most known as the original Zombie from "Night of the Living Dead", passed away due to complications from cancer. He was 75.

2/3/12: Director Zalman King died after a long battle with cancer. He is most well known for movies like "9 1/2 Weeks" and "Red Shoe Diaries". He was 70.

2/3/12: Beloved actor, Ben Gazzara, passed away due to complications from pancreatic cancer. He was best known for his work in films by John Cassavetes like, "Husbands" and "The Killing of a Chinese Bookie". Gazzara was also in such films as "The Spanish Prisoner", "Bandits" and "Summer of Sam". He was 81.

2/1/12: Creator and host of the hit show "Soul Train", Don Cornelius, was found dead in his Los Angeles home from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was 75.

1/31/12 Leslie Carter is the sister of former Backstreet Boy Nick Carter, and teen pop rapper Aaron Carter. Leslie was found dead of an apparent presecription overdose at the family's home in upstate New York. Officials who responded to a 911 call found three prescriptions near her body: Olanzapine (used to treat the symptoms of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder), Cyclobenzaprine (a muscle relaxant) and Alprazolam (used to treat anxiety or panic disorders). Her half sister said she had fallen in the shower the day before and seemed depressed. She had moved home to kick a drug habit and deal with several mental issues that have plagued her for the majority of her life. Leslie was 25 years old.

1/26/12: Robert Hegyes, an actor best known for his role as Epstein on the popular TV show ""Welcom Back, Kotter"", died of a heart attack. He was 60.

1/24/12 Joe Farentino was an iconic TV actor with over 100 credits to his name. He died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angelesat the age of 73 from complications due to a broken hip.

1/24/12: Dick Tufeld was the man who voiced the robot in the 1960's sitcom "Lost In Space", he died peacefully at an L.A. area hospital according to Dick's "Lost in Space" co-star Bill Mumy.

According to Mumy, Tufeld -- a cancer survivor -- suffered from Parkinson's disease. He was 85 years old.

1/22/12: A fixture in college football for over four decades, Joe Paterno passed away on January 22, 2012, from complications from lung cancer. "JoePa" as he was fondly known served as the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions from 1966 until 2011 and won 409 games, the most of any NCAA Division I coach in history. Paterno was 85.

1/20/12: Prolific singer/songwriter Etta James passed away after a long bout with leukemia. James bridged the gap between R&B and rock & roll, with hits like "Dance With Me, Henry," "At Last," "Tell Mama," and "I'd Rather Go Blind." She is the winner of 6 Grammys and 17 Blues Music Awards as well as being an inductee to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Blues Hall of Fame and the Grammy's Hall of Fame. She was 73.

1/19/12: Freestyle skier and X-Games winner Sarah Burke died from injuries sustained after a crash at the bottom of a superpipe on 1/10. She was 29.

1/17/12: Johnny Otis was known to most as the "Godfather of Rhythm and Blues." He was a songwriter, musician and producer. He notably discovered and produced for Etta James and also wrote the hit song "Every Beat of My Heart" which was later used by Gladys Knight and the Pips. He was 90.

1/1/12: Bob Anderson, famed English fencer and actor, died on New Year's Day at the age of 89. He was most well known for being the fight double for Darth Vader in the original "Star Wars" trilogy as well as the fight choreographer. Anderson helped create the lightsaber fighting style. He was also the Sword Master for the "Lord of the Rings" Trilogy, "Highlander" and "The Princess Bride."