[Deathwatch] 2001 Wrap-up

[Deathwatch Central <cdw@slick.org>]

Friday December 28 8:01 PM ET 

2001 Claims Some Entertainment Greats

By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - From the ``quiet Beatle'' and the ''boogie
king'' of music fame to screen legends such as Hollywood's
Oscar-winning everyman and Roy Rogers' ``Queen of the West,'' the year
2001 claimed the lives of some of the world's greatest entertainers.

George Harrison, the retiring lead guitarist of the Fab Four who gave
the world ``Something'' and ``Here Comes the Sun,'' joined pioneering
blues guitarist John Lee Hooker, two-time Oscar winner Jack Lemmon and
singing cowgirl Dale Evans among the ranks of showbiz luminaries whose
deaths dimmed the dawn of the millennium.

Hollywood bid farewell to such greats as Academy Award winner Anthony
Quinn, best known for his title role in ``Zorba the Greek,'' television
actor Carroll O'Connor, acclaimed for playing the lovable bigot Archie
Bunker on ``All in the Family,'' and director-choreographer Herbert
Ross, the man behind the camera for ``The Goodbye Girl'' and ``The
Sunshine Boys.''

The year also marked the passing of one-time matinee idol Troy Donahue,
veteran television comic Imogene Coca and canny character actor Ray
Walston, who starred on stage and screen as the devil in ``Damn
Yankees'' and gained TV fame playing the extraterrestrial Uncle Martin
on ``My Favorite Martian.''

Besides Harrison and Hooker, the music industry lost more than its
share of performing legends, among them violin virtuoso Isaac Stern,
country guitarist Chet Atkins, laid-back crooner Perry Como, R&B
vocalist Aaliyah, punk rock pioneer Joey Ramone, Big Band leader Les
Brown, jazz saxophonist Joe Henderson and John Phillips of the Mamas
and the Papas.

Two of popular music's most prolific songwriters also reached their
final measure -- lyricist Kal Mann, who co-wrote hits for Chubby
Checker, Elvis Presley and Bobby Rydell, and Oscar-winning composer Jay
Livingston, who helped pen such hits as ``Que Sera Sera'' and ``Silver
Bells.''

Several leading ladies took their final bows, among them on-screen
matriarch Dorothy McGuire, film noir temptress Jane Greer, street-smart
showgirl Ann Sothern and Broadway and film actress Kim Stanley.

The following is a list of some of the entertainment figures who died
during the past 12 months, in the order of their passing:

-- Ray Walston, 86. Jan. 1. Tony and Emmy award-winning actor whose
best-known roles include the devil in ``Damn Yankees,'' the cranky
Uncle Martin of ``My Favorite Martian'' and the judge on TV series
``Picket Fences.''

-- Les Brown, 88. Jan. 4. Musician and orchestra leader who made his
Band of Renown a mainstay of Bob Hope's act for decades and turned
``Sentimental Journey'' into a No. 1 hit and standard in the American
repertoire.

-- Dale Evans, 88. Feb. 7. Actress-singer who became ``Queen of the
West'' by starring with husband Roy Rogers in 27 cowboy films and
writing their theme song, ``Happy Trails.''

-- Ann Sothern, 92. March 15. Actress who starred as the saucy,
liberated showgirl in MGM's ``Masie'' movies during the 1940s and
played single working women on TV in ``Private Secretary'' and ``The
Ann Southern Show.''

-- John Phillips, 65. March 18. Singer-songwriter who founded the 1960s
pop act the Mamas the Papas.

-- William Hanna, 90. March 22. Animator who co-founded with Joseph
Barbera the studio that created such TV cartoon favorites as Yogi Bear
and the Flintstones.

-- Billy Mitchell, 74. April 18. Saxophonist played with jazz greats
Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie and Woody Herman.

-- Perry Como, 88. May 12. Singer whose relaxed vocal style endured
through six decades with such easy-listening ballads as ''Catch a
Falling Star'' and ``It's Impossible.''

-- Imogene Coca, 92. June 2. TV comedian best remembered as Sid
Caesar's better half on ``Your Show of Shows'' in the 1950s.

-- Anthony Quinn, 86. June 3. Two-time Oscar winner known for his
portrayal of earthy characters with a zest for life, most notably the
worldly wise peasant in ``Zorba the Greek.''

-- John Lee Hooker, 83. June 21. Superstar blues guitarist dubbed ``The
King of the Boogie,'' helped turned the roots music of the Mississippi
Delta into one of the most influential genres of popular music.

-- Carroll O'Connor, 76. June 21. Emmy-winning actor who changed the
face of television through his portrayal of lovable bigot Archie Bunker
on the landmark show ``All in the Family.''

-- Jack Lemmon, 76. June 27. Two-time Oscar-winning actor whose roles
ranged from brash and befuddled young men to grumpy old ones, he formed
one of cinema's great odd couples with late partner Walter Matthau.

-- Joe Henderson, 64. June 30. Jazz tenor saxophonist who recorded with
musicians ranging from Miles Davis to Blood, Sweat and Tears.

-- Chet Atkins, 77. June 30. Influential guitarist who helped modernize
country music in the 1960s and played with stars ranging from Hank
Williams to Elvis Presley.

-- Kim Stanley, 76. Aug. 20. Stage, film and TV actress who starred in
Broadway's ``Bus Stop'' and ``Picnic'' and earned Oscar nominations for
``Seance on a Wet Afternoon'' and ``Frances.''

-- Jane Greer, 76. Aug. 24. Film noir actress who overcame facial
paralysis from Bell's palsy as a teen-ager and went on to enchant some
of Hollywood's biggest names on screen and off.

-- Aaliyah, 22. Aug. 25. R&B singer and budding actress who made her
film debut in ``Romeo Must Die'' and was killed in a plane crash in the
Bahamas.

-- Troy Donahue, 65. Sept. 2. Matinee idol who climbed to stardom in
the 1950s with his role in ``A Summer Place.''

-- Dorothy McGuire, 85. Sept. 13. Stage and screen actress notable for
her maternal roles in such films as ``A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,''
``Friendly Persuasion'' and ``Old Yeller.''

-- Fred de Cordova, 90. Sept. 15. Longtime producer for Johnny Carson
on NBC's ``The Tonight Show.''

-- Isaac Stern, 81. Sept. 22. Hailed as the ``supreme violin virtuoso
of the 20th century,'' he performed with the New York Philharmonic more
than any other violinist in history.

-- Herbert Ross, 76. Oct. 9. Director and choreographer whose credits
include the hit movies ``The Goodbye Girl,'' ``The Sunshine Boys'' and
``The Turning Point.''

-- Dagmar (Virginia Ruth Egnor), 79. Oct. 9. Buxom blonde actress who
became one of TV's first sex symbols in the pioneering NBC late-night
show ``Broadway Open House.''

-- George Harrison, 58. Nov. 29. Lead guitarist and youngest of the
Beatles whose fascination with Hindu spirituality and music flavored
the Fab Four's recordings.