Julian Allen; Created Stamps of Blues Singers

Julian Allen, 55, magazine illustrator who created postage stamps featuring blues singers. Allen taught editorial illustration at Parson’s School of Design in New York for several years and two years ago became chairman of the illustration department at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. He collaborated with writer Bruce Wagner on the comic strip “Wild Palms” for Details magazine. The strip was turned into a network television miniseries produced by Oliver Stone. Allen was commissioned to do the blues singers stamps for the Postal Service in 1994. As a staff artist with New York magazine, he illustrated such events as President Richard Nixon’s meetings with indicted White House aides. Allen drew portraits of wounded soldiers during recuperation from his own wounds in 1973 while covering the Arab-Israeli war in the Sinai desert. On Monday in Baltimore of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Jack Haskell; Announcer on Early TV

Jack Haskell, 79, fixture on early television with NBC’s “Today” and “Tonight” shows. Haskell appeared with Dave Garroway on “Garroway at Large” when it was based in Chicago and then joined Garroway in New York for the original “Today” show. Haskell also became familiar on the Jack Paar show and frequently replaced Ed McMahon as sidekick to “Tonight” host Johnny Carson. The versatile announcer and commentator also appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” “The Mike Douglas Show,” “The Bell Telephone Hour,” “The Garry Moore Show” and NBC’s “Monitor.” Born in Akron, Ohio, and brought up in Cleveland, Haskell started his career as a big band singer in Chicago and later sang with Doris Day and the Les Brown orchestra. Haskell also performed in summer stock musicals and supper clubs and in 1962 appeared on Broadway in “Mr. President.” He was educated at Northwestern University and served as a Navy pilot in the Pacific during World War II. On Saturday in Englewood, N.J.

Ben P. Walden; Breeder of Racehorses

Ben P. Walden, 67, breeder of thoroughbred racehorses and industry executive. Walden bred such horses as Lost Code, Fred Astaire and Dixieland Brass on his farm at Midway, Ky., for decades, working in partnership with his son Ben Jr. He moved to California in 1989 as general manager of California Thoroughbred Sales, which organizes auctions at Del Mar and other race areas. Allen retired three years later but remained a consultant. During his long career, the Kentuckian was president of the Thoroughbred Club of America, the Thoroughbred Breeders of Kentucky and the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Manager’s Club. On Sept. 12 in La Jolla of prostate cancer.

Mark Zarate; Visual Effects Specialist

Mark Zarate, 39, creative director and co-founder of the visual effects company called Ring of Fire. A native of Downey, Zarate grew up in Santa Fe Springs and studied photography and television production at Whittier’s Rio Hondo College and illustration at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Before setting up Ring of Fire with John Myers and Jerry Spivak two years ago, Zarate helped form the creative effects firms Two Headed Monster and Oso Visual Effects. With Oso, Zarate created comic book-type effects for the television Superman series “Lois and Clark” and worked on opening titles for such films as “Basic Instinct” and “Total Recall.” At Ring of Fire, Zarate earned a 1998 Emmy nomination for his effects merging actress Brooke Shields into classic films for the “I Love You, I Think” episode of her hit series “Suddenly Susan.” On Sept. 18 in Los Angeles of complications following an appendectomy.