Henry Hill dies at 69; mob informant was subject of ‘GoodFellas’

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The son of silent-film western star Harry Carey Sr., Carey Jr. was a venerable character actor who was believed to be the last surviving member of director John Ford’s legendary western stock company. His career spanned more than 50 years and included such Ford classics as “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” and “The Searchers.” He was 91. Full obituary
Notable deaths of 2012 (Los Angeles Times)

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The onetime headmistress of an elite girls’ school fatally shot Dr. Herman Tarnower, her lover and the creator of the famous “Scarsdale Diet.” The killing generated front-page headlines and national debates about whether she was a feminist martyr or vengeful murderer. She was 89. Full obituary
Notable deaths of 2012 (Ron Frehm / Associated Press)

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Often called “Stormin’ Norman” for his legendary temper, the former four-star general is best known as the commander of 1991’s Operation Desert Storm, which quickly drove an invading Iraq out of Kuwait. He reminded America what it was like to win a war and defined the nation’s renewed sense of military pride. He was 78. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (David Longstreath / Associated Press)

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The two-time Oscar nominee was dubbed the king of the character actors for his skill in playing everything from a Nazi colonel to the pope. His prolific work in films and television included supporting roles in the classic comedy “Tootsie” and the TV sitcom “Evening Shade.” He was 89. Full obituary
Notable deaths of 2012 (Chris Pizzello / Associated Press)

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The three-time Emmy winner portrayed the slovenly sportswriter Oscar Madison opposite Tony Randall on “The Odd Couple” and later played a crime-solving medical examiner on “Quincy, M.E.” He was 90. Full obituary
Notable deaths of 2012 (Los Angeles Times)

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Bork was the conservative legal champion whose bitter defeat for a Supreme Court seat in 1987 politicized the confirmation process and changed the court’s direction for decades. He was 85. Full obituary | Photos
Notable deaths of 2012 (John Duricka / Associated Press)

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The Hawaii Democrat was the second-longest-serving senator in U.S. history. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his World War II combat heroics. He was 88. Full obituary
Notable deaths of 2012 (Lucy Pemoni / Associated Press)

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House was a dentist-turned-ear specialist who 50 years ago defied the medical establishment and many advocates for the hearing impaired to champion an implantable device, now widely accepted, that made everyday sounds audible to the profoundly deaf. He was 89. Full obituary
Notable deaths of 2012 (Los Angeles Times)

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Shankar was already revered as a master of the sitar in 1966 when he met George Harrison, the Beatle who became his most famous disciple and gave the Indian musician-composer unexpected pop-culture cachet. He was 92. Full obituary | Photos
Notable deaths of 2012 (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

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Rivera defied the limits of genre and used her personal struggles in her songs, becoming a hero among Latin women in the U.S. and Mexico and a powerful player in a field dominated by machismo. She was 43. Full obituary | Photos
Notable deaths of 2012 (Victoria Will / Associated Press)

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Brubeck, a legendary jazz pianist and composer, won legions of fans over a six-decade career with his complex rhythms and harmonies. His quartet’s “Take Five” was the first million-selling jazz recording. He was 91. Full obituary | Photos
Notable deaths of 2012 (Handout)

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Niemeyer, who loved curves in design and disliked right angles, shared architecture’s Pritzker Prize in 1988. He designed the major buildings that form the heart of Brazil’s capital, Brasilia. He was 104. Full obituary | Photos

Notable deaths of 2012 (Andre Luiz / Associated Press)

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As head of the baseball union effort that allowed players to choose new teams when their contracts ended, Miller eventually guided players to an era of mega-salaries and free agency, thereby changing the landscape of American sports. He was 95. Full obituary
Notable deaths of 2012 (Associated Press)

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The film actress whose credits include roles in movies such as “Forty Carats” and “Once Is Not Enough” was also a veteran of television miniseries. Her company, Dove Books-on-Tape, became a major force in the audio book industry. She was 59. Full obituary
Notable deaths of 2012 (Los Angeles Times)

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The New Hampshire senator co-authored a groundbreaking budget-balancing law, championed ethics and led a commission that predicted the danger of terrorist attacks years before 9/11. He was 82. Full obituary
Notable deaths of 2012 (Ron Edmonds / Associated Press)

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Though already a television star for his role on 1960s sitcom “I Dream of Jeannie,” Hagman is best known for playing villainous patriarch J.R. Ewing in the TV soap “Dallas.” In 1980, an estimated 300 million viewers in 57 countries saw J.R. get shot. Hagman was 81. Full obituary
Notable deaths of 2012 (Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press)

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Former boxing champion Hector “Macho” Camacho fought a who’s who of legendary opponents stretching from Ray Mancini to Oscar De La Hoya. Known for flamboyance in the ring, he showed he understood the importance of selling a fight and employing some mental warfare. He was 50. Full obituary
Notable deaths of 2012 (Charles Rex Abrogast / Associated Press)

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The legendary Texas coach led the Longhorns to three national college football titles and 11 Southwest Conference titles in a 20-year tenure that ended in 1976. He was 88. Full obituary
Notable deaths of 2012 (Associated Press)

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The former Los Angeles City Councilman was a famously colorful figure who spent nearly two decades in office while contending with an array of personal, legal and political troubles. Nicknamed “the Artful Dodger” by some, he prevailed as an influential City Hall insider and as a successful fundraiser. He was 79. Full obituary
Notable deaths of 2012 (Los Angeles Times)

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The inventive American composer whose music celebrated the intricacies of modern life helped define the American sound in the 20th century. He received two Pulitzer Prizes, the Sibelius Medal and the National Medal of the Arts. He was 103. Full obituary
Notable deaths of 2012 (Jennifer S. Altman / For The Times)

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As the president of Mikawaya, the 102-year-old family business selling traditional Japanese sweet pastries and snacks, Hashimoto was one of Little Tokyo’s most influential business leaders. She also invented the popular fusion dessert known as mochi ice cream. She was 69. Full obituary
Notable deaths of 2012 (Mario G. Reyes / Rafu Shimpo)

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A versatile athlete, Campbell, center, was the first African American to win a gold medal in the Olympic decathlon. He bested then-world record holder Rafer Johnson at the 1956 Melbourne Summer Games. He was 78. Full obituary
Notable deaths of 2012 (Associated Press)

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One of only two female graduates in her 1954 Milan architecture school, Aulenti transformed a Paris train station into the Musee d’Orsay. She also designed museum spaces in San Francisco, Barcelona, Istanbul and Venice. She was 84. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Kaz Tsuruta / Asian Art Museum)

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As an experimental architect, Woods inspired colleagues and architecture students with radically inventive designs and installations that evoked futuristic worlds and cityscapes. Though his designs were rarely constructed, they were considered widely influential and were exhibited in museums around the world. He was 72. Full obituary
Notable deaths of 2012 (Robert Caplin / For the New York Times)

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One of the most provocative figures in 20th century psychology, the UC Berkeley professor created a furor when he argued that the gap between blacks and whites in IQ tests was largely due to genetic differences, not cultural or environmental factors. His assertions stirred critics to call him a racist. He was 89. Full obituary
Notable deaths of 2012 (Associated Press)

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The etiquette maven served as social secretary to First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and later wrote books and a syndicated column advising readers on good manners. Time magazine described her as “a superbly energetic amalgam of feminist and Tasteful Lady.” She was 86. Full obituary
Notable deaths of 2012 (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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The Hall of Fame boxing trainer directed several world-champion fighters including Thomas Hearns, Lennox Lewis and current heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko. His Detroit gym is one of the world’s best known boxing centers. He was 68. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Elizabeth Conley / Associated Press)

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Hailed as “one of the last thoroughgoing generalists,” the French American scholar helped found the field of cultural history and in his 90s wrote the epic if improbable bestseller “From Dawn to Decadence.” He was 104. Full obituary
Notable deaths of 2012 (Eric Gay / Associated Press)

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As one of the leaders of the famed 1973 occupation of Wounded Knee, S.D., he helped thrust the plight of Native Americans into the national spotlight. He later launched a career as an actor with roles in films including “The Last of the Mohicans” and “Natural Born Killers.” He was 72. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Jim Mone / Associated Press)

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A three-term U.S. senator from South Dakota, McGovern won the Democratic presidential nomination in 1972. Though he lost in a landslide against Richard M. Nixon, his campaign left a significant legacy, including his proposals, since fulfilled, that women be appointed to the Supreme Court and nominated for the vice presidency. He was 90. Full obituary
Notable deaths of 2012 (Walt Zeboski / Associated Press)

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The former king of Cambodia was a crafty political survivor whose fortunes were entwined with U.S. military involvement in Indochina. Long a symbol of Cambodian nationalism and independence, he was one of Southeast Asia’s most colorful statesmen. He was 89. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (David Van Der Veen / AFP / Getty Images)

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The longtime senator represented Pennsylvania for 30 years but perhaps was best known for his work in the Supreme Court nomination process. He was 82. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Matthew Cavanaugh / EPA)

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The fearsome defensive lineman was a fixture for the Detroit Lions for 12 seasons. He later worked as a “Monday Night Football” co-host and parlayed his hulking strength into an acting career with memorable roles on TV’s “Webster” and the film “Blazing Saddles.” He was 77. Full obituary Notable deaths of 2012 (Associated Press)

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The Trinidad-born former teacher blazed trails for minorities in California politics in the 1960s and ‘70s. His sometimes-controversial political career spanned more than four decades and included a stint as California’s only black lieutenant governor. He was 86. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 ()

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The beloved Los Angeles children’s TV show host known as Sheriff John was a welcome guest in homes throughout the 1950s and ‘60s. His lessons in manners, safety and patriotism were a hit with parents and children alike. He was 93. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Rothschild Photo / KTTV)

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A biologist and author, Commoner conducted research that helped propel a successful campaign for a nuclear test ban treaty in the 1960s. He also drew early attention to the dangers of dioxins, the potential of solar energy and recycling as a practical means of reducing waste. He was 95. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Oliver Morris)

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Known by his nickname Punch, the visionary publisher of the New York Times overcame a reputation as the idle prince of a newspaper dynasty to become the Times’ fourth publisher. His most important decision was to publish the Pentagon Papers. He was 86. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Ray Howard / Associated Press)

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With his silky voice and and casual style, the baritone most famous for his rendition of “Moon River” was one of America’s top vocalists from the 1950s into the 1970s. He was 84. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012

(Lennox McLendon / Associated Press)

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The former football player helped his father launch NFL Films, and offered an athlete’s perspective that helped the company combine gritty images with artistic flair. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell recalls him as a “creative genius.” He was 69. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (NFL Films)

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From humble beginnings as a ditch-digger in his native Chicago, Duncan rose to fame and earned an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of a gentle death row inmate in the prison drama “The Green Mile.” He was 54. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Carlo Allegri / Associated Press)

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David, pictured on the right with songwriting partner Burt Bacharach, helped pen hits such as “Walk on By,” “What the World Needs Now Is Love” and “Raindrops,” which won the Oscar for best original song in 1970. He was 91. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Los Angeles Times)

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The self-proclaimed Messiah from South Korea led the Unification Church, one of the most controversial religious movements to sweep America in the 1970s. Moon’s unorthodox movement was labeled a cult and featured mass marriage ceremonies. He was 92. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (John Marshall Mantel / Associated Press)

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The U.S. astronaut was the first person to set foot on the moon, forever establishing him as one of the great heroes of the 20th century. His “giant leap for mankind” in 1969 climaxed a monumental achievement in human history. He was 82. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (NASA)

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Known for her electrified hairdo and outlandish wardrobe, the zany housewife-turned-comedian made her comedy club debut at the age of 37. Famed for her self-deprecating jokes, Diller enjoyed a long career in clubs, movies and TV. She was 95. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

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Best known for adrenaline-filled movies including “Top Gun” and “Man on Fire,” the British director-producer made films centered on alpha-male action heroes. Scott died Aug. 19 after leaping off the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro. He was 68. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Gus Ruelas / Associated Press)

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Writer of the bestselling 1962 book “Sex and the Single Girl,” Brown broke ground by discussing the sex life of single women. The book led to led to a syndicated newspaper column, a movie of the same name and, in 1965, to Brown’s role as editor of Cosmopolitan. She was 90. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Santi Visalli / Getty Images)

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One of the notorious murderers whose 1963 slaying of an LAPD officer near Bakersfield was chronicled in Joseph Wambaugh’s book “The Onion Field,” Powell spent the rest of his life in prison for the crime. The incident shattered the image of the invincible cop and changed police practices. He was 79. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)

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Known for her often-caustic reviews that earned her a reputation as “the critic most hated by Hollywood,” Crist was the first woman to become a full-time film critic at a major American newspaper when she joined the New York Herald Tribune in 1963. She later gained national exposure as the longtime critic for the “Today” show and TV Guide. She was 90. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (George E. Joseph)

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The prolific composer won three Academy Awards for “The Way We Were” and “The Sting,” a Tony and a Pulitzer for “A Chorus Line” and four Emmys. Charming audiences with his improvisational agility, he was principal pops conductor for several major symphonies, including the Pasadena Symphony and Pops and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. He was 68. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

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The chief art critic for Time became known for blasting art-world darlings such as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Jeff Koons, artists he felt exemplified the triumph of the marketplace and celebrity. His television show “The Shock of the New” introduced audiences to the development of 20th century modernism. He was 74. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Associated Press)

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The iconoclastic author, savvy analyst and glorious gadfly of the national conscience was a literary juggernaut who wrote novels including “Lincoln” and the satirical “Myra Breckinridge.” His essays are considered among the most elegant in the English language. He was 86. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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With his powerful voice and beguiling style, Martin was one of the last of the big-name singer-actors from the golden age of Hollywood musicals. He toured for years with his wife, dancer-actress Cyd Charisse. Known for such musicals as “Ziegfeld Girl” and “Casbah,” he continued to perform into his 90s. He was 98. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Associated Press)

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The painter of dazzling geometric abstractions established a national reputation in 1959 as one of four Los Angeles-based Abstract Classicists. He created a highly acclaimed body of work that celebrates the glories of color. He was 86. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Louis Stern Fine Arts)

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Playing Archie Bunker’s bombastic black neighbor, George Jefferson, in “All in the Family” and later as the star of his own long-running sitcom, “The Jeffersons,” Hemsley was one of television’s most widely watched black actors. His career spanned four decades, with guest appearances on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and “Family Matters.” He was 74. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Los Angeles Times)

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The Los Angeles native, who held a doctorate in astrophysics from Stanford University, was the first American woman in space. At age 31, she was the youngest American sent into space and the first woman to make two trips into orbit. She also was the sole astronaut appointed to the Rogers Commission to investigate the 1986 explosion of the space shuttle Challenger. She was 61. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Associated Press)

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One of the top screenwriters of his generation, Pierson earned three Academy Award nominations and one win -- for his 1975 script for “Dog Day Afternoon.” He also served as president of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. He was 87. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Los Angeles Times)

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The versatile actress who achieved fame on Broadway in the original production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s hit musical “Oklahoma!” in 1943, above left, went on to win an Oscar for her role in the groundbreaking 1947 drama “Gentleman’s Agreement.” She also had frequent roles on television, including in the 1990s series “Promised Land.” She was 95. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Associated Press)

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The country music trailblazer was one of the first women to have a significant effect on country music. Her No. 1 hit, “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” (1952), not only turned her career around but also helped upend stereotypical thinking about men who strayed and the women they strayed with. She was 92. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Michael Ochs Archives)

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The author became a household name with “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” published in 1989. On bestseller lists for four years, Covey’s self-help and management theory has sold in excess of 20 million copies in 40 languages. He was 79. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (EPA)

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Head of production at 20th Century Fox, the Oscar-winning producer of such films as “Jaws” helped usher in the modern blockbuster era. He followed with well-regarded films such as “The Verdict” and “Driving Miss Daisy” and produced six films by director Tim Burton and helped launch the career of Steven Spielberg. He was 77. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Courtesy of Richard Zanuck)

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The icon of American cooking’s devotion to standard American fare made her a venerated figure in the food world. Her revised edition of “The Fannie Farmer Cookbook,” a basic text for home cooks since 1896, brought her philosophy of preserving the nightly supper hour back into the mainstream. She was 90. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Associated Press)

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The designer of classic Ferraris was responsible for the Ferrari 250 and 500, the Dino and the Daytona. He transformed his family business from a boutique manufacturer of hand-crafted designs into a high-volume producer that maintained the aesthetics of Italian automotive design. He was 85. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Associated Press)

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The stocky, gap-toothed Connecticut native won an Academy Award for his portrayal of a lonely Bronx butcher looking for love in the 1955 drama “Marty,” above. He also played the regulation-breaking commander of a PT boat in the South Pacific in ABC’s “McHale’s Navy.” He was 95. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Associated Press)

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A former high school music teacher, Griffith launched his career as an entertainer in the early 1950s and become one of the most beloved TV stars for his roles as the folksy sheriff in “The Andy Griffith Show” and later as a lawyer on “Matlock.” He was 86. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Getty Images)

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The onetime underground Jewish fighter served four terms as Israeli prime minister in the 1980s and early ‘90s. His unyielding belief in the right of Jews to all of the biblical land of Israel often exasperated U.S. policymakers. He was 96. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Jim Hollander / EPA)

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A rare author and screenwriter whose works appealed to highbrow readers and mainstream movie-goers, Ephron wrote fiction that was distinguished by characters who seemed simultaneously normal and extraordinary. Her hit movies include “Sleepless in Seattle,” “When Harry Met Sally...” and “Julie & Julia.” She was 71. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Charles Sykes / Associated Press)

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Though Grady’s musical talents at a young age led him to become a Mouseketeer on “The Mickey Mouse Club,” he is best known for playing son Robbie, pictured pictured at left with Fred MacMurray, on the family sitcom “My Three Sons.” He later became a composer and songwriter. He was 64. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Handout)

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Known for his colorful portraits of athletes in motion, the wildly successful American artist became an artistic fixture at such major sporting events as the Olympics and the Super Bowl. Neiman was also a longtime contributor to Playboy magazine. He was 91. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Bebeto Matthews / Associated Press)

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A film critic for the Village Voice and the New York Observer, Sarris was a leading proponent of the auteur theory -- that directors’ work reflects their distinctive styles. He elevated the status of film directors and molded a generation of movie makers and reviewers. He was 83. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Handout)

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The tape of King’s 1991 beating and the upheaval that followed in 1992 opened the door to widespread police reform. King, who became an icon of the civil rights movement, was found dead at the bottom of his swimming pool in Rialto. Authorities are investigating his death as an accidental drowning. He was 47. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Best known for her Oscar-nominated supporting role as a blowsy barfly in the 1972 movie “Fat City,” Tyrrell’s film credits also included “Islands in the Stream,” “Angel,” and “Cry-Baby.” Critics “hailed her as one of the best screen drunks they’d ever seen,” Roderick Mann later wrote in The Times. She was 67. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (George Wilhelm / Los Angeles Times)

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The Nobel Prize-winning chemist, left, helped solve a longstanding problem in the manufacture of medicines. He led development of a chemical catalyst to create safe compounds for producing L-Dopa, a drug for treating Parkinson’s disease. He was 95. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Diether Endlicher / Associated Press)

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The young woman from a working-class English town made headlines in 1978 when she was the first to give birth to a baby conceived by in-vitro fertilization. The technique raised moral and medical alarms at the time, but is commonplace today because of the more than 4 million women who have followed in her steps. She was 64. Above, John and Lesley Brown, pictured with daughter Louise Joy. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Peter Brinsden)

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The former head of Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry was an authoritarian who cracked down on political dissent. After a series of attacks inside the kingdom, he became a close Washington ally against Al Qaeda. He died just months after he was named heir apparent in the world’s leading oil power. He was 78. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Hassan Ammar / Associated Press)

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Dubbed “one of the true powerhouses of the pop music business” by Fortune magazine in 1986, the year she became BMI’s president and chief executive, Frances Williams Preston was a key figure in Nashville’s growth as a major music center, and nurtured the careers of numerous songwriters. She was 83. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Ed Rode / Associated Press)

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The Los Angeles native, who taught at Indiana University for almost five decades, was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in economics after demonstrating that communities can manage natural resources as well as or better than government or business. She was 78. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Gilles Petard / Redferns)

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Though she starred as Mickey Rooney‘s teenage girlfriend in Andy Hardy movies, it was her portrayal of Scarlett O’Hara’s younger sister Carreen in “Gone With the Wind” for which Rutherford, at left with Vivien Leigh and Evelyn Keyes, was best known. That role turned her “golden years into platinum,” she said. She was 94. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Associated Press)

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The onetime member of the Lucchese crime family turned government informant became the subject of the film classic “Goodfellas.” His crimes included participating in the largest single cash robbery in U.S. history and helping fix Boston College basketball games. He was 69. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Nati Harnik / Associated Press)

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The pioneering TV movie producer formed one of the first female producing teams in Hollywood, breaking ground for women in the industry. She focused on personal stories and worked on the acclaimed 1978 movie “Hustling,” about the life of a prostitute. She was 84. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 ()

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The last surviving member of the Platters’ five original members, left, founded the popular R&B group in Los Angeles in 1953 and named it after the term used by radio DJs for the vinyl records of the day. Reed was the only member of the Platters to perform on all of their nearly 400 recordings. Their hits included “Only You” and “The Great Pretender.” He was 83. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Gilles Petard / Redferns)

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The Nobel-winning physiologist, pictured at right with King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden, solved a puzzle that had perplexed biologists for decades: how nerves generate the electrical impulses that control muscle activities and even thoughts. That work “did for the cell biology of neurons what the structure of DNA did for the rest of biology,” 2000 Nobel laureate Eric R. Kandel later wrote. Huxley was 94. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Associated Press)

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Best known for his work on “Dynasty,” the acclaimed fashion designer (pictured with with Judie Argyros) also put a bra-less Farrah Fawcett in a see-through blouse for “Charlie’s Angels,” Tina Louise in a slinky nude-beige evening dress for “Gilligan’s Island” and Elizabeth Taylor in violet gowns for her “Passion” perfume commercials. Of his work on “Dynasty,” he once said, “When Im 90, my name will still be synonymous with shoulder pads.” He was 79. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Gilles Petard / Redferns)

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The South African paleoanthropologist, nominated three times for a Nobel Prize, excavated the Sterkfontein Caves, one of his nation’s most important fossil sites. He was also part of the research on hominids in the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, collaborating with a British archaeologist on the identification of one the early hominids, Homo habilis, in 1964. Tobias was 86. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Alexander Joe / AFP / Getty Images)

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The Fleetwood Mac guitarist and singer was with the band in the early 1970s when it was making the transition from British blues rock band to commercial powerhouse. His work on early albums such as “Future Games,” “Bare Trees” and “Heroes Are Hard to Find” with band mates who included Mick Fleetwood and John and Christie McVie set the tone for what was to come. He was 66. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Olivier Ferrand / Capitol Records)

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With more than 27 novels and 600 short stories, the sci-fi writer’s vividly rendered space-scapes provided the world with one of the most enduring speculative blueprints for the future. In “The Martian Chronicles” and other works, the L.A.-based Bradbury mixed small-town familiarity with otherworldly settings. He was 91. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

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The mentor to Mayor Tom Bradley, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, shown at left with Brookins, and others was the bishop and pastor of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles. He was 86. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 ()

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The guitarist and singer was one of the pioneering artists of roots-conscious Americana. He recorded more than 50 albums and won seven Grammy Awards. He was 89. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Robert Willett / MCT)

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The World Savings Bank executive was one of the first women on Wall Street. She and husband Herbert spent 43 years building Oakland’s World Savings Bank into a major -- and ultimately controversial -- adjustable mortgage lender. She was 81. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Jakub Mosur / For The Times)

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Less than three weeks after nosy neighbor Mrs. McCluskey succumbed to lung cancer on the series finale of “Desperate Housewives,” Kathryn Joosten -- who won two Emmy Awards for her portrayals of the television character -- died of the same disease. Joosten was also known for playing the president’s secretary on the TV series “The West Wing,” above. She was 72. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 (Warner Bros.)

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Though the British actor costarred in the popular TV series “Hogan’s Heroes,” his best-known role was as the host of the TV game show “Family Feud.” His trademark was charming female contestants by kissing them on the lips. He was 79. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2012 ()

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Robin Gibb, left, joined his brothers Barry, center, and Maurice in forming the Bee Gees pop group that helped define the sound of the disco era. Their hits included “Stayin’ Alive,” “Night Fever” and “How Deep Is Your Love?” from their “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack. Robin Gibb was 62. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2011 (Handout)

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Described as the queen of disco, Summer left an enduring legacy that helped open the way to techno and house music. Her hits include “Love to Love You Baby,” “Bad Girls” and “She Works Hard for the Money.” She was 63. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2011 (MCT)

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The Mexican novelist was 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. He was 83. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2011 (EPA)

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The charismatic Texan parlayed a short-lived racing career into a business building cult-classic cars, including the Shelby Cobra and Ford’s Shelby Mustang. He was 89. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2011 (Associated Press)

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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. He was 84. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2011 (Associated Press)

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The children’s book illustrator and writer radically changed the genre with tales of outsized monsters and frolicsome humor that tapped into the fears of childhood. He also collaborated on numerous operas, films and TV programs. He was 83. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2011 (Associated Press)

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The Southern-born character actor played dim hayseed Goober Pyle, the genial gas station auto mechanic on “The Andy Griffith Show” and “Mayberry R.F.D.” He also was a regular on “Hee Haw.” He was 83. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2011 (Associated Press)

98/100

The in-your-face rapper and bass player Adam Yauch, center, found fame in the transgressive, boundary-breaking trio the Beastie Boys. In later years, Yauch became a leading advocate for Tibetan independence. He was 47. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2011 (Frazer Harrison / Getty Images)

99/100

The star linebacker at USC and for his hometown San Diego Chargers made the Pro Bowl 12 years in a row and was voted All-Pro 10 times. He apparently ended his life with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 43. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2011 (Al Messerschmidt / Getty Images)

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Born Thomas Austin Preston Jr., the colorful and quotable Amarillo Slim won the World Series of Poker in 1972 and began promoting the game on TV and in books. He brought the game “out of the back alleys,” one expert said. He was 83. Full obituary

Notable deaths of 2011 (Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)

By Dennis McLellan, Los Angeles Times

June 14, 2012 12 AM PT

Henry Hill, the infamous mob informant whose life of crime was chronicled in the film classic “GoodFellas,” was the first to admit that he did “a lot of bad things back then.”

“I shot at people. I busted a lot of heads, and I buried a lot of bodies,” he told the London-based Daily Telegraph in 2010. “You can try to justify it by saying they deserved it, that they had it coming, but some just got whacked for absolutely no reason at all.”

Hill, 69, who was in the federal witness protection program in the 1980s and later made various attempts to cash in on his notoriety as an ex-mobster, died Tuesday at West Hills Hospital in West Hills, said Nate Caserta, the son of Hill’s girlfriend, Lisa Caserta.

Hill, who had open-heart surgery last year, died of complications of heart problems related to smoking, Nate Caserta said.

Hill was a onetime member of the Lucchese crime family in New York. His criminal endeavors included participating in the 1978 heist of $5.8 million from the Lufthansa air cargo terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport — the largest single cash robbery in U.S. history — and helping fix Boston College basketball games in the 1978-79 season.

In 1980, after narcotics agents busted the cocaine operation Hill was running, he chose to become a prosecution witness against his former mob associates and entered the witness protection program.

At the time, Hill also feared for his life: Jimmy “The Gent” Burke, the reputed mastermind of the Lufthansa heist, reportedly began killing those who had been involved in the robbery to keep them from sharing the profits.

“I knew I was going to get whacked and it came pretty close,” Hill told the Telegraph in 2010. “So it was either me or them. I knew it, and they knew it.

“Initially, I had a lot of remorse and it took me a long time to forgive myself for what I did, for being a rat. But I knew I saved a lot of lives by putting a lot of horrible people away. You live by the sword, you die by the sword.”

Hill’s testimony on the 1978 heist, murders and other crimes led to about 50 convictions, including those of Burke and Paul Vario, a Lucchese crime family captain. (Both died in prison.)

After entering the witness protection program, Hill, his wife Karen and their two children were relocated to Omaha. It was the first of numerous moves to different locations across the country, where Hill lived under a variety of assumed names. Hill and his wife were later divorced.

While still in the witness protection program, he was convicted of burglary, assault and three DWIs, according to a 2001 Associated Press story, which said he was tossed from the program in 1987.

Hill’s criminal career in the mob — it included extortion, truck hijackings, auto theft, illegal gambling, armed robbery and time in prison — was chronicled in journalist Nicholas Pileggi’s bestselling 1987 biography “Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family.”

The former mobster’s celebrity profile received an even bigger boost with the release of director Martin Scorsese’s 1990 movie “GoodFellas,” which was based on Pileggi’s book and starred Ray Liotta as Hill.

The movie, which also starred Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, “was 99.9 percent dead-on,” Hill told the St. Petersburg Times in 2011.

And, as the movie portrayed, he said he never whacked anybody. “I was the money man,” said Hill, whose criminal past included the 1967 robbery of $420,000 from the Air France cargo terminal at the Kennedy Airport.

Over the years, Hill was in demand as a lecturer and as a commentator on television shows and documentaries examining organized crime — as well as making phone-in appearances on Howard Stern’s radio program.

In 2001, he launched his own website, https://www.GoodFellaHenry.com.

“You want to enter my site?” visitors were asked. “Then leave your piece at the door.”

The site included autographed memorabilia, including a signed “GoodFellas” poster and autographed copies of “Wiseguy.”

It even offered a tongue-in-cheek, David Letterman-style Top 10 list of mob hits, including No. 3: YANKEE CLIPPER: “Baseball-batting the person to death, while taunting.”

Hill also made a few forays into book publishing: “The Wiseguy Cookbook,” a mix of recipes and personal history, was published in 2002. “A Goodfella’s Guide to New York” followed in 2003 and “Gangsters and Goodfellas: The Mob, Witness Protection, and Life on the Run,” written with Gus Russo, was published in 2004.

Hill had a number of run-ins with the law in his later years, including a charge of disturbing the peace in 2003 and charges of possession of cocaine and methamphetamine in 2005.

Despite attending substance-abuse classes, he continued to struggle with alcohol.

“I’ve been on every drug humanly possible, and I can’t get a handle on alcohol,” he told the Associated Press in 2009 after an arrest for a drunken disturbance in St. Louis.

The son of an Irish American electrician father and an Italian American mother, Hill was born in Brooklyn on June 11, 1943. As a boy, he grew to admire the local mobsters.

“I was intoxicated by their lifestyle when I was young,” he told the British newspaper the Sun in 2010. “Those guys were the role models of my neighborhood; they were the guys with the Cadillacs and diamond rings and a girl on each arm.”

The mobsters took him under their wing, he said. “I’m dyslexic and wasn’t good at school and they were the only guys patting me on the back.”

He began working as an errand boy for Vario’s men in 1955. But as a young man, he said in the Sun interview, he went on to do a lot of “nasty” stuff.

“I never killed anyone personally, but I buried a lot of bodies,” he said. “They would whack somebody and I had to go and dig the hole. I witnessed a lot of executions, maybe 10. I’ve seen guys killed for nothing. I had many sleepless nights and I still do today.”

In the 2011 interview with the St. Petersburg Times, Hill said he was living a quiet life in Topanga Canyon, with Caserta.

“I feel safe now,” he said.

A complete list of surviving family members was not available.

dennis.mclellan@latimes.com

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