Neil Armstrong would always be taking that first step onto the moon and Dick Clark was forever “the world’s oldest teenager.” Some of the notables who died in 2012 created images in our minds that remained unchanged over decades.
Sadly, for others an established image was shattered by a fall from grace. Whitney Houston ruled as a queen of pop music, but years of hard living harmed her voice while erratic behaviour and a troubled marriage took a toll on her image.
The year also saw the deaths of a number of TV stars, including Larry Hagman, who played oil baron J.R. Ewing on “Dallas.” Others in entertainment and the arts who died included: Etta James, Andy Griffith, Ernest Borgnine, Sherman Hemsley, Maurice Sendak, Donna Summer, Robin Gibb, Doc Watson, Richard Dawson, Nora Ephron, Phyllis Diller, Michael Clarke Duncan, Don Cornelius, Jan Berenstain, Ravi Shankar and Dave Brubeck. Here is a roll call of some of the people who died in 2012.
January
Etta James, 73. Blues singer best known for her performance of the enduring classic “At Last.” January 20. Complications from leukemia.
February
Don Cornelius, 75. As host of “Soul Train”, he helped break down racial barriers and broaden the reach of black culture with funky music, groovy dance steps and cutting edge style. February 1. Self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Whitney Houston, 48. She ruled as pop music’s queen until her majestic voice was ravaged by drug use and her regal image ruined by erratic behaviour and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown. February 11. Accidentally drowned in a bathtub.
Davy Jones, 66. Actor turned singer who helped propel the TV rock band The Monkees to the top of the pop charts. February 29. Heart attack.
April
Dick Clark, 82. Ever-youthful television entrepreneur who helped bring rock ‘n’ roll into the mainstream on “American Bandstand” and later produced and hosted game shows and the year-end countdown from Times Square. April 19.
May
Adam Yauch, 47. Also known as MCA, the gravelly voiced rapper helped make the Beastie Boys one of the seminal groups in hip-hop. May 4. Cancer.
Vidal Sassoon, 84. Celebrity hairstylist whose 1960s wash-and-wear cuts freed women from endless teasing and hairspray. May 9.
Donna Summer, 63. Disco queen whose pulsing anthems such as ‘Last Dance’, ‘Love to Love You Baby’ and ‘Bad Girls’ became the soundtrack for a glittery age of drugs, dance and flashy clothes. May 17.
Warda, 72. Algerian singer known by just one name whose sultry voice and range helped make her one of the giants of Arab song. May 17.
Robin Gibb, 62. One of the three Bee Gees whose falsetto harmonies powered such hits as ‘Stayin’ Alive’ and ‘Night Fever’ and defined the flashy disco era. May 20.
June
Kathryn Joosten, 72. Character actress best known as Karen McCluskey on ‘Desperate Housewives’ and the president’s secretary on ‘The West Wing’. June 2.
Bob Welch, 65. Former member of Fleetwood Mac who went on to write songs and record several hits during a solo career. June 7. Self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Ann Rutherford, 94. Actress who played the sweetheart in the long-running Andy Hardy series and Scarlett O’Hara’s youngest sister in ‘Gone With the Wind’. June 11.
July
Andy Griffith, 86. He made homespun Southern wisdom his trademark as a wise sheriff in ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ and a rumpled defence lawyer in ‘Matlock’. July 3.
Jon Lord, 71. British rocker and keyboardist whose driving tones helped turn Deep Purple and Whitesnake into two of the most popular hard rock acts in a generation. July 16.
Chad Everett, 75. Star of the 1970s TV series ‘Medical Centre’ who went on to appear in such films and TV shows as ‘Mulholland Drive’ and ‘Melrose Place’. July 24.
Suzy Gershman, 64. Her ‘Born to Shop’ travel guides have helped readers find where to browse and buy from Paris to Hong Kong. July 25.
Gore Vidal, 86. Author, playwright, politician and commentator whose novels, essays, plays and opinions were stamped by his immodest wit and unconventional wisdom. July 31.
August
Tony Scott, 68. Director of such Hollywood blockbusters as ‘Top Gun’, ‘Days of Thunder’ and ‘Beverly Hills Cop II’. August 19. Died after jumping from a bridge.
Chris Lighty, 44. A hip-hop mogul who helped the likes of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, 50 Cent and Mariah Carey attain hit records and lucrative careers outside music. August 30. Apparent suicide.
September
Andy Williams, 84. Silky-voiced, clean-cut crooner whose hit recording ‘Moon River’ and years of popular Christmas TV shows brought him fans the world over. September 25.
November
Larry Hagman, 81. Actor whose predatory oil baron J.R. Ewing on television’s nighttime soap opera ‘Dallas’ became a symbol for 1980s greed. November 23.
December
Jenni Rivera, 43. California-born singer who became a superstar adored by millions in a male-dominated genre of Mexican-American music. December 9. Plane crash.
Mary Ann Darling Fischer, 79. She gave birth to the US’ first known surviving quintuplets in 1963 in an event that brought intense media interest in her family life. December 9.
Ravi Shankar, 92. The sitar virtuoso who became a hippie musical icon of the 1960s after hobnobbing with the Beatles and who introduced traditional Indian ragas to Western audiences over an eight-decade career. December 11.