Earl Cooley dies at 98; smoke jumper was one of the first to make the leap

He wrote a book about the U.S. Forest Service's storied corps of parachutists who jump in hazardous, remote areas to quickly control fires that ground-based crews cannot reach.

Lewis Millett dies at 88; veteran of three wars was the recipient of the Medal of Honor

The retired Army colonel was awarded the nation's highest military honor when he led a successful bayonet charge up Hill 180 in Korea. He earned numerous other medals during his 31-year career.

Frances L. Brody dies at 93; philanthropist, arts advocate and collector

She was a founding benefactor of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and a guiding patron of the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Gardens in San Marino.

Edward Woodward dies at 79; British actor starred in 'The Equalizer,' 'Breaker Morant'

The Golden Globe and Emmy-winning Royal Academy of Dramatic Art graduate also recorded 12 solo albums as a singer.

Ken Ober dies at 52; host of MTV's 'Remote Control' game show

The comedian and actor was doing stand-up when he landed the job of guiding the 1980s game show, which featured raucous question-and-answer trivia contests about TV reruns.

Bobby Frankel dies at 68; Hall of Fame racehorse trainer

Frankel, a five-time Eclipse Award winner, was known as brash and opinionated but also soft-hearted. 'His comments were always blunt, but I loved listening,' his friend Joe Torre said.

James Lilley dies at 81; ambassador to China and CIA operative

Lilley, who was born in China, was respected by both China and Taiwan. He watched the Tiananmen Square protests unfold and was highly critical of Beijing's crackdown.

Valerie Oppenheimer dies at 77; UCLA sociologist studied effects of work on marriage

She is best known for a 1988 study that found that with economics playing a greater role for husband and wife, the timing of marriage became more important.

Alice S. Rossi dies at 87; feminist author and scholar

The founding member of NOW wrote 'Equality Between the Sexes' and compiled 'The Feminist Papers.'

George Zoritch dies at 92; ballet star and teacher

He was best known for his work with the Ballet Russe companies beginning in the 1930s. He later taught in West Hollywood and at the University of Arizona.

Michael Kabotie dies at 67; Hopi artist and jeweler taught at Idyllwild

The prominent silversmith and painter was an innovator in the Native American fine arts movement. His work is displayed at museums around the world.

Douglas R. Ring dies at 65; influential L.A. developer, philanthropist

He served on a number of public boards and led the effort to rebuild the L.A. Central Library after two arson fires. His holdings in Marina del Rey often sparked controversy.

Winter D. Horton Jr. dies at 80; co-founder of L.A. public television station KCET

The broadcasting pioneer helped shape public television programming in the 1960s and later was appointed by President Clinton to the board of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

David Lloyd dies at 75; TV comedy writer wrote the classic 'Chuckles Bites the Dust' sitcom episode

Over four decades, he wrote jokes and scripts for 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show,' 'Taxi, 'Cheers' and many others.

Dr. William Ganz dies at 90; cardiologist co-invented flexible balloon catheter

He also played a key role in the development of thrombolysis, in which enzymes are injected into the bloodstream to break down clots that block the vessels.

Esther Hautzig dies at 79; wrote 'The Endless Steppe' about Siberian exile

The author's family was sent to the remote Soviet area for being capitalists. The action may have saved them from death in the Holocaust.

John J. O'Connor III dies at 79; attorney and husband of former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor

In a groundbreaking role reversal, he gave up his partnership at a venerable Phoenix law firm to accompany her to Washington when she became the court's first female member in 1981.

'Banjo Fred' Starner dies at 72; folk singer documented hobo music and culture

The economics professor taught himself to play the five-string banjo and 12-string guitar after seeing a performance by Pete Seeger.

Vitaly Ginzburg dies at 93; Nobel Prize-winning Russian physicist

Ginzburg played a key role in the Soviet Union's development of the hydrogen bomb. He was awarded the Nobel for his work on the theoretical underpinnings of superconductivity.

Jan Vandersloot dies at 64; leading Orange County environmental activist

He was a founder of the Bolsa Chica Land Trust and a founder and board member of the Ocean Outfall Group, which pushed to clean up waste water pumped offshore in Huntington Beach.