Notable deaths of 2004
Yasser Arafat, revered as the beacon of Palestinian statehood but reviled as a sponsor of terrorism, died on Nov. 11 at the age of 75. He died in a French military hospital at 3:30 a.m. Arafat’s passing marked the end of an era in modern Middle East history and prompted calls from President Bush and other world leaders to seize the moment to spur new efforts at Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking. (PPO/Getty Images)
Helen K. Copley, publisher emeritus and chairman emeritus of the Copley Press Inc., died on Aug. 25 in her home in La Jolla, Calif. She was 81. Copley published The San Diego Union-Tribune and its predecessors for nearly three decades after the death of her husband, James S. Copley, in 1973. She retired in 2001 and handed over The Copley Press Inc. to her son, David C. Copley. (AP/San Diego Union-Tribune)
