2006 Notable Deaths
Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, Dec. 29
Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi dictator who terrorized a nation for nearly a quarter-century until he was deposed and captured by U.S. troops, was hanged on Dec. 29 for ordering the murders of 148 of his countrymen 24 years ago. (AFP/Getty Images)
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Hall-of-fame boxer Willie Pep, Nov. 23
Willie Pep, a hall-of-fame boxer and one of the best fighters of the 20th century, died on Nov. 23. He was 84. The embodiment of finesse and speed in his prime, Pep was 230-11-1 with 65 KOs during his 26-year career. Pep was inducted to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. In 1999, he was listed fifth among the best fighters of the 20th century as chosen by a five-member panel for The Associated Press. (AP/Hartford Courant)
Physicist James A. Van Allen, Aug. 9
Physicist James A. Van Allen, a leader in space exploration who discovered the radiation belts surrounding the Earth that now bear his name, died on Aug. 9. He was 91. In a career that stretched over more than a half-century, Van Allen designed scientific instruments for dozens of research flights, first with small rockets and balloons, and eventually with space probes that traveled to distant planets and beyond. Van Allen gained global attention in the late 1950s when instruments he designed and placed aboard the first U.S. satellite, Explorer I, discovered the bands of intense radiation that surround the earth, now known as the Van Allen Belts. (AP/University of Iowa Office of University Relations, Tom Jorgensen)
Guitarist Johnny Jenkins, June 26
Johnny Jenkins, a guitarist who worked with Otis Redding in the early 1960s and influenced Jimi Hendrix through his acrobatic playing style, died in his hometown of Macon, Ga., on June 26. He was 67. (AP/The Macon Telegraph, Robert Seay)
JonBenet’s mother, Patsy Ramsey, June 24
Patsy Ramsey, who with her husband became suspects in the sensational 1996 murder of their daughter, JonBenet, died after battling a recurrence of ovarian cancer on June 24. Her husband, John, was at was at her side. She was 49. JonBenet, a 6-year-old beauty pageant contestant, was found strangled and bludgeoned in the basement of the family’s home in Boulder, Colo., the day after Christmas 1996. (AFP/Getty Images, Mario Tama)
Former heavyweight boxing champ Floyd Patterson, May 11
Floyd Patterson, who avenged an embarrassing loss to Ingemar Johansson by beating him a year later to become the first boxer to regain the heavyweight title, died May 11. He was 71. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
