Notable deaths in 2011

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, the mercurial strongman extolled at home as the “Dear Leader” and reviled abroad as a tyrant, died at 69 on Saturday Dec. 17, 2011. No cause of death was reported, but Kim was believed to have suffered in recent years from diabetes and heart disease.  (Sasha Mordovets/Getty)

Former Czech President Vaclav Havel, a dissident playwright jailed by Communists who then became Czech president and a symbol of peace and freedom after leading the bloodless “Velvet Revolution,” died at 75.  (Petr Josek Snr/Reuters)

Literary critic and writer Christopher Hitchens  (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)

TV on the Radio bassist Gerard Smith died on April 20 of lung cancer, the band announced on its Web site. He was 34.  (Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images)

Comedian Patrice O’Neal passed away on Nov. 28, 2011 at the age of 41. He struggled with diabetes and suffered a stroke in Oct. 2011. O’Neal was known for several appearances on “The Office” and “Chapelle’s Show,” as well as an appearance on “Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen.”  (Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

The only daughter of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, Svetlana Peters, who denounced communism but later said she regretted coming to the United States, has died in Wisconsin.  (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Long time New York Times journalist died at the age of 85.  (Bloomberg/Getty Images)

British playwright Shelagh Delaney, best known for her debut work “A Taste of Honey” from 1958, has died aged 71, her agent said on Nov. 21, 2011. Her words were a major influence on Morrissey, lead singer of indie band The Smiths, who also grew up in Manchester. He used lyrics from her plays, notably A Taste of Honey, and featured her in the artwork for the “Louder Than Bombs” album.  (Evening Standard/Getty Images)

Former heavyweight World boxing champion Joe Frazier died in Philadelphia a month after being diagnosed with liver cancer. He died at the age of 67 years old on Monday, Nov. 7.  (Will Burgess/ Reuters)

Matty Alou won the National League batting title in 1966 while with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He and his brothers Felipe and Jesus became the only trio of brothers to play outfield together in a 1963 game. He was 72. Full obituary.

Notable sports deaths of 2011  (Diamond Images / Getty Images)

A legendary producer, director and impresario of the Geffen Playhouse, Gil Cates restored the luster to the Academy Awards telecasts, recruiting hosts such as Billy Crystal and Steve Martin. He was 77. Full obituary

Notable film and television deaths of 2011  (Kevork Djansezian / Associated Press)

Andy Rooney  (CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images)

Dorothy Rodham, Hilary Clinton’s mother, died this morning at age 92.  (Brian Snyder/Reuters)

Civil rights activist Shuttlesworth died at age 89.  (Tami Chappell / Reuters)

Steve Jobs shows off the new Macbook Air ultra portable laptop during his keynote speech at the MacWorld Conference & Expo in San Francisco.  (TONY AVELAR/AFP/Getty Images)

Nobel prize for medicine winner Ralph Steinman.  (Ho New/Reuters)

Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize winner and environmentalist Wangari Maathai died in hospital where she was undergoing treatment for cancer; she was the founder of Green Belt Movement, a civil and women rights activist and also served as a Member of Parliament.  (Scanpix Denmark / Reuters)

Kennedy speaks during her father’s funeral service in Boston in 2009.  (Brian Snyder/Reuters)

Actor Andy Whitfield, the former star of TV show “Spartacus: Blood and Sand,” died on Sept. 11 of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in Sydney, Australia at 39 years old.  (Michael Caulfield/WireImage)

Grammy-winning Delta bluesman David “Honeyboy” Edwards died today at age 96.  (Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)

June Wayne founded the Tamarind Lithography Workshop in Los Angeles in the 1960s, where leading artists collaborated with professional printers to create high-quality prints. She was also a prolific artist in her own right. She was 93. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2010  (Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times)

Jani Lane, former lead singer of the 1980s glam-band Warrant, was found dead in a hotel room in California.   (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Grand Ole Opry star Billy Grammer, best known for his 1959 hit “Gotta Travel On”, died at age 85.  (Redferns/Getty Images)

Marshall Grant, who worked as Johnny Cash‘s road manager and played bass for him for more than two decades, helped create the singer’s famous sound. He was 83. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2010   (Wayne Risher / Associated Press)

Bernadine Healy, a cardiologist and educator, was the first woman to head the National Institutes of Health. She led the Red Cross relief efforts after 9/11. She was 67. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2010   (Rick Bowmer / Associated Press)

Former Oregon Sen. Mark Hatfield dies at 89   (Joyce Naltchayan/Getty Images)

Actress Annette Charles, best known for playing Cha Cha DiGrigorio in the 1978 movie ‘Grease’, died at age of 63 from cancer.  (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

The Oscar-nominated art director was best known for her work on “The Last Picture Show” and “Paper Moon,” both directed by former husband Peter Bogdanovich. She also was an executive in filmmaker James L. Brooks’ company. She was 72. Full obituary

Notable film and television deaths of 2010   (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

He became the first foreign-born chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and guided military and humanitarian efforts in the post-Cold War era of the 1990s. He was 75. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2010   (Rick Bowmer / Associated Press)

British singer Amy Winehouse was found dead at her home in north London on July 23, 2011. She was 27 years old.  (Photo by Samir Hussein/Getty Images)

The British painter, whose works are highly prized by collectors, created subjects in anguished, anti-erotic poses. He used impasto, a technique involving the thick application of paint, to create his highly textured portraits. He was 88. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2010  (Stephan Agostini / AFP/Getty Images)

Lillian Mobley, a tireless South Los Angeles activist, fought to establish the King/Drew hospital and its related medical school. Above, Mobley, right, looks on as Dr. George Locke greets Rep. Maxine Waters at King/Drew in 2004. She was 81. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2010   (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

American painter and knight in France’s Legion of Honor Cy Twombly, famous for his large-scale abstract paintings and use of graffiti, died in Rome on July 5. He was 83.   (FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP/Getty Images)

Famed British stage actress Anna Massey died July 2 of cancer at the age of 73.  (David Montgomery/Getty Images)

Longtime NFL tight end John Mackey and the first National Football League Players Association president John Mackey died at the age of 69 after a decade long battle with rontal temporal dementia.   (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

Former UNLV star, and NBA basketball player Armen Gilliam died at the age of 47 while reportedly playing basketball at a gym in Pennsylvania. Gilliam was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1987 NBA draft.   (Photo credit should read MATT CAMPBELL/AFP/Getty Images)

‘Jackass’ star Ryan Dunn died June 20, 2011, following a fiery car crash. He was 34.  (Michael Buckner/Getty Images)

Former NBA All-Star Mike Mitchell died June 9, 2011, following a long battle with cancer. A first round pick by Cleveland in 1978, the fan favorite spent 10 seasons in the NBA, the final six and a half with San Antonio. Mitchell was 55.   (NBA Photos/NBAE via Getty Images)

Former Detroit Tigers outfielder Jim Northrup died June 8, 2011, after having a seizure. His two-run triple in Game Seven of the 1968 World Series helped lead the Tigers to a 4-1 win. Northrup spent 12 seasons playing ball with Detroit, the Montreal Expos and Baltimore Orioles before moving into the broadcast booth. He was 71.   (Louis Requena/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Stern, pictured with Marilyn Gleason and Jane Kean, was a television writer, director and producer for such programs as “The Honeymooners” and “Get Smart.” Stern was also the co-creator and publisher of Mad Libs. He died on June 7 at the age of 87.   (RENE MACURA/AFP/Getty Images)

Boxer Genero Hernandez (R) died June 7, 2011, from a rare form of cancer. The two-time world super featherweight champion retired in 1999 with a 38-2-1 record, 17 of those wins coming by knockout. Hernandez was 45.  (Al Bello/ALLSPORT)

World Series hero Jose Pagan died June 7, 2011. A two-run double in Game Seven of the 1971 series led his Pittsburgh Pirates to an eventual win over the Baltimore Orioles. Pagan spent 15 seasons in the big leagues with Pittsburgh and the Philadelphia Phillies. He was 76.  (Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

Pratt was a former Black Panther whose 1972 murder conviction was overturned after he spent 27 years behind bars for a crime he said he did not commit. He was 63. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2010  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

“Cosby Show” and “Sesame Street” actress Clarice Taylor died on May 30. She was 93.  (NBC/Carsey-Werner Distribution)

Pro football hall of famer Andy Robustelli died May 31, 2011. Small for defensive end position at six feet one inch, Robustelli was picked for the Pro Bowl seven times and a First-team All-Pro seven times over 13 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and the New York Giants. Robustelli was 85.  (Michael P. Malarkey/Getty Images)