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Images: Notable deaths in 2012

Whitney Houston, Neil Armstrong among notable deaths in 2012

Penn State coach Joe Paterno’s death on Jan. 22, came less than three months after it was disclosed he had lung cancer and the child sex-abuse revelations shifted the ground at Penn State. Associated Press/October 2009
Actor Larry Hagman, who for more than a decade played villainous patriarch JR Ewing in the TV soap Dallas, died at the age of 81 on Nov. 24. Associated Press/October 2008
Nora Ephron, essayist, author and filmmaker who thrived in the male-dominated worlds of movies and journalism and was loved, respected and feared for her wit died at age 71 on June 26. Associated Press/November 2010
Henry Hill, whose life as a mobster and FBI informant was the basis for the Martin Scorsese film “Goodfellas,” died June 12. Associated Press/February 2005
Baseball union leader Marvin Miller died Nov. 27 in New York. He was 95. Associated Press/July 1981
Singer Whitney Houston, who ruled as pop music’s queen until her voice was ravaged by drug use and her image ruined by erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to Bobby Brown, died Feb. 11. She was 48 Associated Press/April 2010
Don Cornelius, who 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, died Feb. 1 at his home in Los Angeles. He was 75. Associated Press/March 2006
Television news journalist Mike Wallace, famed for his tough interviews on “60 Minutes,” died April 7. He was 93. Associated Press/January 2008
Dick Clark, the television host who helped bring rock ‘n’ roll into the mainstream on “American Bandstand,” died April 18. He was 82. Associated Press/April 2002
Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell, who moved the Browns to Baltimore, died Sept. 6. He was 87, Associated Press/November 1995
Angelo Dundee, the peerless trainer who was in the corner for Muhammad Ali, pictured, and Sugar Ray Leonard and always drew the best out of his fighters, died on Feb. 1. He was 90. Associated Press/February 1962
George McGovern, former U.S. senator and a Democrat who lost to President Richard Nixon in 1972 in a landslide, died Oct. 21. He was 90. Associated Press/May 2012
Actor Michael Clarke Duncan, best known for his role in “The Green Mile,” died on Sept. 3. He was 54. Associated Press/January 2001
Astronaut Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, died July 23. She was 61. Associated Press File photo
Junior Seau smiles, a former NFL star, was found dead at his home in Oceanside, Calif., on May 2. He was 43. Associated Press/August 2006
Gary Carter, the Hall of Fame catcher, died on Feb. 16. He was 58. Associated Press/October 1986
Author Gore Vidal, the author, playwright, politician and commentator whose novels, essays, plays and opinions were stamped by his immodest wit and unconventional wisdom, died July 31 at his home in Los Angeles. He was 86. Associated Press/May 2003
British entertainer Davy Jones, an actor turned singer who helped propel the TV rock band The Monkees to the top of the pop charts, died on Feb. 29. He was 66. Daily Herald file photo
Donna Summer, the Queen of Disco who ruled the dance floors with anthems like “Last Dance,” “Love to Love You Baby,” and “Bad Girl,” died on May 17. She was 63. Associated Press/May 2008
Tony Scott, director of several Hollywood blockbusters, including “Top Gun,” died on Aug. 19. He was 68. Associated Press/October 2010
Richard Dawson, the wisecracking British entertainer who was among the schemers in the 1960s sitcom “Hogan’s Heroes” and a decade later began kissing thousands of female contestants as host of the game show “Family Feud” died June 2. He was 79. Associated Press/June 1978
Ray Bradbury, who wrote everything from science-fiction and mystery to humor, died on June 5. He was 91. Associated Press/November 2000
Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, died on Aug. 25. He was 82. Associated Press/June 2012
Ernest Borgnine, the beefy screen star known for blustery, often villainous roles, but who won the best-actor Oscar for playing against type as a lovesick butcher in “Marty” in 1955, died July 8. He was 95. Associated Press/October 2010
Art Ginsburg, known as Mr. Food, died on Nov. 21. He was 81. Associated Press/October 2010
Charles Durning, the two-time Oscar nominee who was dubbed the king of the character actors for his skill in playing everything from a Nazi colonel to the pope, died Dec. 24. He was 89. Associated Press/January 2008
Jenni Rivera, the Mexican-American singer and reality TV star, died Dec. 9. She was 43. Associated Press/March 2012
Sherman Hemsley, the actor who made the irascible, bigoted George Jefferson of “The Jeffersons” one of television’s most memorable characters and a symbol for urban upward mobility, died July 24. He was 74. Associated Press/May 1998
Etta James, the feisty rhythm and blues singer whose raw, passionate vocals anchored many hits and made the yearning ballad “At Last” an enduring anthem for weddings, commercials and even President Barack Obama, died Jan. 20. She was 73. Associated Press/November 2008
Levon Helm, a key member of The Band who lent his distinctive Southern voice to classics like “The Weight” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” died April 19. He was 71. Associated Press/November 2011
Jack Klugman, a star of the stage and screen best remembered for “Quincy, M.E.” and “The Odd Couple” on television, died Dec. 24. He was 90. Associated Press/October 2005
Alex Karras, who gained fame in the NFL as a fearsome defensive lineman and later as an actor, died on Oct. 10. He was 77. Associated Press/1968
Dave Brubeck, the jazz legend whose pioneering style in pieces such as “Take Five” caught listeners’ ears with exotic, challenging rhythms, died Dec. 5. He was 91. Associated Press/July 2007
Ben Gazzara, whose powerful dramatic performances brought an intensity to a variety of roles and made him a memorable presence in films, on television and on Broadway in the original “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” died Feb. 3. He was 81. Associated Press/January 2011
Andy Williams, who had a string of gold albums and hosted several variety shows and specials such as, “The Andy Williams Show,” died on Sept. 25. He was 84. Associated Press/February 2009
Indian musician Ravi Shankar, 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, died on Dec. 11. He was 92. Associated Press/February 212
Rodney King, whose 1991 videotaped beating by Los Angeles police officers was the spark for one of the most destructive U.S. race riots, died on June 17. He was 47. Associated Press/April 2012
Former U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, a longtime Senate moderate and architect of one-bullet theory in the assassination of John F. Kennedy, died on Oct. 14. He was 82. Associated Press/March 2010
Hector “Macho” Camacho, a boxer known for skill and flamboyance in the ring, as well as for a messy personal life and run-ins with the police, died on Nov. 24. He was 50. Associated Press/July 2001
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