By Carla Rivera, Los Angeles Times
Tom Fuentes was chairman of the Orange County Republican Party from 1985 to 2004. He helped maintain its powerhouse status and is remembered as 'the godfather of every idealistic person in the party, young and old.'
By Elaine Woo, Los Angeles Times
'Naked Came the Stranger' was concocted by Newsday columnist Mike McGrady with two dozen colleagues to prove that a poorly written potboiler could succeed with enough sex. It became a sensation in 1969 when the hoax was exposed.
By Elaine Woo, Los Angeles Times
In 1976, the school bus driver helped lead 26 children to safety after they'd been abducted and buried by three young men planning to seek ransom.
By Randy Lewis, Los Angeles Times
Doug Dillard played with his brothers in the bluegrass group, performed as a solo artist and collaborated with numerous other country, bluegrass, rock and pop musicians.
By August Brown and Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times
An icon of dance music, Donna Summer left an enduring legacy that helped open the way to techno and house music.
Los Angeles Times staff and wire reports
Thoroughbred owner waged a four-year court battle over the disqualification of Dancer's Image because of a drug found in the colt's system.
By Tina Susman, Los Angeles Times
Mary Richardson Kennedy, the estranged wife of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was found dead in New York on Wednesday afternoon. She was 52.
By Reed Johnson and Ken Ellingwood, Los Angeles Times
A towering literary figure at home and abroad, he was pivotal in raising the profile of the hemisphere's Spanish-language writing in the second half of the 20th century.
Los Angeles Times wire reports
Harold Poling steered the automaker through the recessions of the early 1980s and early '90s. He also approved spending $3 billion to engineer the Taurus.
By Randy Lewis, Los Angeles Times
As a key part of the integrated house band at Memphis' Stax Records, Dunn set the funky tone for soul hits from Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett and Sam & Dave. He later joined John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd in the Blues Brothers.
By Dennis McLellan, Los Angeles Times
Joyce Redman, a veteran of the London and Broadway stage, earned Oscar nominations for 'Othello' and for 'Tom Jones,' in which she had an erotically charged dinner-eating scene opposite Albert Finney.
By Elaine Woo, Los Angeles Times
His accounts of the rich and famous often were criticized as inaccurate or dishonest, including a book on heiress Barbara Hutton that was recalled. But that didn't keep his other works from making the bestseller list.
Associated Press
Best known for his work in Vietnam, he carved out new standards for covering war with a camera and led 'Horst's army' of young photographers, whom he recruited and trained.
By Valerie J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times
With his powerful but sweet tenor, Russell spent half a century harmonizing with the vocal group widely regarded as the 'kings of a cappella.'
By Shav Glick and Jerry Hirsch, Special to The Times
He retired from racing and built the Cobra, which married Ford V-8 engines with a lightweight British chassis. He later worked with Ford on the Mustang.
By Elaine Woo, Los Angeles Times
Known for the painterly quality of his photos, he often used self-portraits to explore conflicting ideas about identity.
By Dennis McLellan, Los Angeles Times
A veteran conductor, arranger and composer, Mort Lindsey was the musical director for Judy Garland's famed 1961 Carnegie Hall concert.
By Mary Rourke, Special to the Los Angeles Times
He changed women's styles with his sleek, geometric cuts, popularized the hand-held blow dryer and helped launch the age of the signature hair salon.
By David G. Savage, Washington Bureau
The lawyer helped write the civil rights and voting rights acts of the '60s. While working for his predecessor, Robert F. Kennedy, he faced down Gov. George Wallace to desegregate the University of Alabama.
By Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times
Kenneth Leventhal, a pioneer in the accounting field, became a major player in Southern California real estate after World War II.