The Departed: Those We Lost in 2009

After losing the likes of Paul Newman, Bernie Mac, George Carlin, Estelle Getty, Roy Scheider and Heath Ledger in 2008 who would have ever thought 2009 would have also taken so many recognizable and loved names. Of course, these are the things we never plan on as once again I continue the tradition I started back in 2006, remembering those we lost over the past year. Like always I will remind you this is not a complete list, but to my knowledge it is a pretty good representation of those we lost from the world of entertainment…

Pat Hingle (Died January 3, 2009) – Commissioner Gordon in the ’80s and ’90s series of Batman movies. Died from Myelodysplasia (blood cancer).
Ricardo Montalban (Died January 14, 2009) – Played the memorable role of Khan in Star Trek – The Wrath of Khan as well as the television series “Fantasy Island”. Died due to congestive heart failure.
John Updike (Died January 27, 2009) – Won the Pulitzer Prize twice and author of “The Witches of Eastwick.” Died from lung cancer.
James Whitmore (Died February 6, 2009) – I will always know him as Brooks from The Shawshank Redemption. Died from lung cancer.
Howard Zieff (Died February 22, 2009) – Directed Private Benjamin. Cause of death was Parkinson’s disease.
Horton Foote (Died March 4, 2009) – Pulitzer Prize winner and two-time Oscar-winning screenwriter of To Kill a Mockingbird and Tender Mercies. Died of natural causes.
Betsy Blair (Died March 13, 2009) – Oscar-nominated actress from Marty and was at one time married to Gene Kelly. Cause of death was cancer.
Ron Silver (Died March 15, 2009) – I’ll remember him from his role as Bruno Gianelli on “The West Wing” as well as the nasty Senator Aaron McComb in Timecop. Died due to esophageal cancer.
Natasha Richardson (Died March 18, 2009) – Daughter of Vanessa Redgrave and wife of Liam Neeson, one of her final roles was opposite her mother in Evening in 2007. She died due to a epidural hematoma caused by a skiing accident.
Bea Arthur (Died April 25, 2009) – Some know her as Maude from “Maude” and others as Dorothy from “The Golden Girls,” but everyone knows her. Died due to lung cancer.
Dom DeLuise (Died May 4, 2009) – I just watched him in countless films with Mel Brooks from Silent Movie to Blazing Saddles. Cause of death was kidney failure and respiratory complications from cancer.
David Carradine (Died June 3, 2009) – Most recently known as Bill from Kill Bill, but probably more famously known as Kwai Chang Caine from the TV series “Kung Fu”. Cause of death was accidental asphyxiation.
Ed McMahon (Died June 23, 2009) – Best known as Johnny Carson’s “The Tonight Show” sidekick and announcer as well as the Publisher’s Clearing House spokesman. Died as a result of pneumonia brought on by cancer.
Farrah Fawcett (Died June 25, 2009) – “Charlie’s Angels” star. Died due to cancer.
Michael Jackson (Died June 25, 2009) – Really needs no introduction. The “King of Pop.” Cause of death was cardiac arrest brought on by an overdose of prescription drugs. His death was later ruled a homicide.
Billy Mays (Died June 28, 2009) – Popular television spokesman for several products. Died due to heart disease.
Harve Presnell (Died June 30, 2009) – 1965 Golden Globe winner. Died of pancreatic cancer.
Karl Malden (Died July 1, 2009) – Oscar winning actor from On the Waterfront and co-star of A Streetcar Named Desire. Died of natural causes.
Walter Cronkite (Died , 2009) – Longtime CBS evening newscaster most likely remembered for his reporting of the John F. Kennedy assassination. Died of cerebrovascular disease.
John Hughes (Died August 6, 2009) – One-of-a-kind writer/director of such films as Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Sixteen Candles and Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Cause of death was a heart attack.
Les Paul (Died August 13, 2009) – Not an actor or director, but worth a mention as the inventor of the electric guitar. Died due to complications from pneumonia.
Patrick Swayze (Died September 14, 2009) – You know him from Red Dawn, Dirty Dancing, Point Break and Ghost. Died after a long fight with pancreatic cancer.
Mary Travers (Died September 16, 2009) – One of the lead members of the popular folk group Peter, Paul and Mary. Died due to leukemia.
Al Martino (Died October 13, 2009) – Played Johnny Fontaine in The Godfather.
Joseph Wiseman (Died October 19, 2009) – Played the title character Dr. No in the first James Bond movie.
Lou Jacobi (Died October 23, 2009) – Played “Mr. Hans Van Daan” in both the original 1955 Broadway production of “The Diary of Anne Frank” and in George Stevens’ 1959 film of the same name.
Edward Woodward (Died November 16, 2009) – Golden Globe-winning actor from the television series “The Equalizer” and most recognizable recently after playing Tom Weaver in Edgar Wright’s Hot Fuzz.
Roy Edward Disney (Died December 16, 2009) – Nephew of Walt Disney he was credited with restoring Disney to classic cartoon status. Died as a result of stomach cancer.
Jennifer Jones (Died December 17, 2009) – Five time Oscar-nominated actress and won in 1944 for her leading role in The Song of Bernadette. Her final film role was in 1974’s The Towering Inferno.
Brittany Murphy (Died December 20, 2009) – Known for her roles in films such as Clueless, 8 Mile and Sin City as well as voicing the role of Luanne on FOX’s “King of the Hill”. Cause of death was cardiac arrest.