Robert Bork

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Robert H. Bork, who stepped in to fire the Watergate prosecutor at Richard Nixon's behest and whose failed 1980s nomination to the Supreme Court helped draw the modern boundaries of cultural fights over abortion, civil rights and other issues, died Dec. 19 at age 85.

Ravi Shankar

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Ravi Shankar, the sitar virtuoso who became a hippie musical icon of the 1960s after hobnobbing with the Beatles and who introduced traditional Indian ragas to Western audiences over an eight-decade career, died Dec. 11 at age 92.

Dave Brubeck

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Jazz composer and pianist Dave Brubeck, whose pioneering style in pieces such as "Take Five" caught listeners' ears with exotic, challenging rhythms, died Dec. 5 at age 91.

Larry Hagman

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Actor Larry Hagman died Nov. 23 at the age of 81 in Texas. Hagman's most famous role was that of J.R. Ewing, the fabulously wealthy, charming and conniving Texas oilman on the CBS show "Dallas." The show aired on CBS for 13-years and was one of the most successful in television history.

Deborah Raffin

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Deborah Raffin, an actress who ran a successful audiobook company with the help of her celebrity friends, died on Nov. 21. She was 59. Raffin died of leukemia at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center She was diagnosed with the blood cancer about a year ago.

Slater Martin

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Slater Martin, who won four NBA titles with the Minneapolis Lakers, died on Oct. 18, 2012. He was 86. (credit: NBA Photos/NBAE via Getty Images)

Arlen Specter

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Former U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, the outspoken Pennsylvania centrist whose switch from Republican to Democrat ended a 30-year career in which he played a pivotal role in several Supreme Court nominations, died Sunday. He was 82.

Alex Karras

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Alex Karras, the rugged lineman who anchored the Detroit Lions' defense in the 1960s, then went on to an acting career in which he starred in the sitcom "Webster" and famously punched a horse in the 1974 comedy "Blazing Saddles," died Oct. 10. He was 77.

Andy Williams

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Andy Williams, an American singer and entertainer best known for crooning such pop standards as "Moon River," died in Branson, Mo. at age 84.

Michael Clarke Duncan

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Actor Michael Clarke Duncan died on Sept. 3, 2012. He was 54 years old.

Rev. Sun Myung Moon

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The Rev. Sun Myung Moon, a self-proclaimed messiah best known for conducting mass weddings involving thousands of couples, died Monday at a church-owned hospital near his home in Gapyeong County, northeast of Seoul, two weeks after being hospitalized with pneumonia. He was 92.

Hal David

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Hal David, the stylish, heartfelt lyricist who teamed with Burt Bacharach on dozens of timeless songs for movies, television and a variety of recording artists in the 1960s and beyond, died Sept. 1. He was 91.

Neil Armstrong

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Neil Armstrong died on Aug. 25, 2012 at the age of 82.

In this handout provided by NASA, Apollo 11 Astronaut Neil Armstrong speaks during a celebration dinner at Ohio State University honoring former U.S. Sen. and astronaut John Glenn's 50th anniversary of his flight aboard Friendship 7 on February 20, 2012 in Columbus, Ohio.

Phyllis Diller

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Comedienne Phyllis Diller died August 20 at the age of 95. She was a trend-setting standup comic who has made many appearances at various celebrity roasts.

Tony Scott

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Tony Scott, director of such Hollywood hits as "Top Gun," "Days of Thunder" and "Beverly Hills Cop II," died August 19 after jumping from a Los Angeles County bridge. He was producer and director Ridley Scott's younger brother.

Ron Palillo

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Ron Palillo, the actor best known as the nerdy high-school student Arnold Horshack on "Welcome Back, Kotter," died in Florida at age 63. Palillo's friend, Karen Poindexter, says Palillo died early Aug. 14 in Palm Beach Gardens of an apparent heart attack.

Helen Gurley Brown

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Longtime editor of Cosmopolitan Magazine, Helen Gurley Brown, died on Aug. 13, 2012. She was 90 years old.

Gore Vidal

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Gore Vidal, a writer of celebrated novels, plays and essays, died on July 31, 2012. He was 86.

Chris Marker

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Award-winning French filmmaker Chris Marker died on July 30, one day after his 91st birthday. His 1962 classic "La Jetee" -- a 28-minute post-apocalyptic movie comprised almost entirely of stills -- is often ranked among the best time-travel films ever made, but many cinephiles regard his entire career (e.g. "Sans soleil," "A Grin Without a Cat") in the highest regard.

Sherman Hemsley

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Sherman Hemsley, star of The Jeffersons, died at his home at the age of 74. No word yet on his cause of death.

Sally Ride

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Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, has passed away at the age of 61 after a courageous 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer, her foundation said in a press release.

Tom Davis

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Tom Davis, the writer who with Al Franken helped develop some of the most popular skits in the early years of "Saturday Night Live" died in New York on July 19. He was 59.

Celeste Holm

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Celeste Holm, a versatile, bright-eyed blonde who soared to Broadway fame in "Oklahoma!" and won an Oscar in "Gentleman's Agreement," died Sunday, a relative said. She was 95. She was also nominated for Oscars for her roles in "Come to the Stable" and "All About Eve."

Richard D. Zanuck

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Producer Richard D. Zanuck died on July 13, 2012. He was 77.

Ernest Borgnine

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Ernest Borgnine, the beefy screen star known for blustery, often villainous roles, but who won the best actor Oscar for playing against type as a lovesick butcher in "Marty" in 1955, died July 8. He was 95.

Andy Griffith

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A family friend confirmed to CBS News on July 3 that beloved TV actor Andy Griffith died.

Nora Ephron

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Nora Ephron, director of "Sleepless in Seattle," died on June 26, 2012. She was 71.

Ann Rutherford

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The demure brunette actress who played the sweetheart in the long-running Andy Hardy series and Scarlett O'Hara's youngest sister in "Gone With the Wind," actress Ann Rutherford died June 11. She was 94.

Ray Bradbury

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Ray Bradbury, the science fiction-fantasy master who transformed his childhood dreams and Cold War fears into telepathic Martians, lovesick sea monsters, and, in uncanny detail, the high-tech, book-burning future of "Fahrenheit 451," died June 5. He was 91.

Eduard Khil

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Eduard Khil was a beloved Soviet crooner who won sudden international stardom two years ago when a 1976 video of him singing "trololo" instead of the song's censored words became a global Internet hit on YouTube. Khil, best known as Mr. Trololo, died June 4 at age 77.

Richard Dawson

'Family Feud' host and 'Hogan's Heroes' star Richard Dawson died Saturday, June 2 due to complications of cancer. He was 79.

(credit: Newsmakers)

Doc Watson

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Doc Watson, the blind Grammy-award winning folk musician whose mountain-rooted sound was embraced by generations and whose lightning-fast style of flatpicking influenced guitarists around the world, died May 29 at a North Carolina hospital. He was 89.

Robin Gibb

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Robin Gibb, 62, died May 20 following a long battle with cancer and intestinal surgery. Gibb was a member (along with brothers Barry and Maurice) of the Bee-Gees, charted a string of #1 hits, many of which became immortal thanks to their use in the hit movie "Saturday Night Fever."

Donna Summer

(credit: Thos Robinson/Getty Images for The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis)

Donna Summer, who was the reigning superstar of the disco scene, died May 17 after a long battle with cancer. Her string of hits included "Love To Love You Baby," "Last Dance," "Bad Girls," "Hot Stuff," and "I Feel Love," which many credit with being one of the most influential early tracks in electronic dance music. She was 63 years old.

Vidal Sassoon

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Celebrity hairstylist Vidal Sassoon, whose 1960s wash-and-wear cuts freed women from endless teasing and hairspray, died at age 84 on May 9. Sassoon's famous slogan was "If you don't look good, we don't look good."

Maurice Sendak

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"Where the Wild Things Are" author and illustrator Maurice Sendak died of a stroke early May 8 at age 83. The children's book author and illustrator who saw the sometimes-dark side of childhood also wrote "In the Night Kitchen" and "Brundibar."

George Lindsey

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Actor George Lindsey of "The Andy Griffith Show" died May 6, 2012. He was 83.

Adam Yauch

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Adam Yauch went by the name MCA as one of the three members of seminal rap group Beastie Boys, along with Mike Diamond (Mike D) and Adam Horowitz (Ad-Rock). Yauch died May 3 at age 47 following a battle with cancer. He was diagnosed in 2009 after finding a tumor in his salivary gland.

Dick Clark

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Dick Clark died of a massive heart attack on Wednesday, April 18. He was 82.

Levon Helm

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Drummer of The Band, Levon Helm, died on April 19. He was 71.

Jonathan Frid

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Jonathan Frid, who achieved his greatest fame played the vampire Barnabas Collins in the gothic-campy TV soap opera "Dark Shadows," died April 14 of natural causes. He was 87 years old.

Andrew Breitbart

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Conservative media publisher and activist Andrew Breitbart, who was behind investigations that led to the resignations of former Rep. Anthony Weiner of New York and former U.S. Agriculture Department official Shirley Sherrod, died in Los Angeles at age 43 on March 1.

Davy Jones

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Davy Jones, singer for the 1960s pop-rock group The Monkees, died at 66 of a heart attack on Feb. 29. Jones sang lead on some of the "Prefab Five"s most enduring hits, such as "Daydream Believer" and "I Wanna Be Free."

Whitney Houston

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Whitney Houston died on Feb. 11. She was 48.

Don Cornelius

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Don Cornelius (pictured with Aretha Franklin) was found dead at his Los Angeles home on Feb. 1. Police said he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The creator and host of "Soul Train" was 75 years old.

Ian Abercrombie

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Actor Ian Abercrombie, best known for his role Elaine's boss , Mr. Pitt, on 'Seinfeld', died from complications of kidney failure on Jan. 26. He was 77 years old.

Robert Hegyes

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Robert Hegyes, the actor best known for playing Jewish Puerto Rican student Juan Epstein on the 1970s TV show "Welcome Back Kotter" (with John Travolta, pictured), died of cardiac arrest on Jan. 26. He was 60.

Joe Paterno

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Former Penn State University head football coach Joe Paterno died on Sunday, Jan. 22, according to family. He was 85.

Etta James

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Singer Etta James died from complications from leukemia on Jan. 20. She was 73.

Bill Janklow

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Bill Janklow, a flamboyant politician who left a lasting mark on South Dakota politics by serving four terms as governor but resigned as the state's congressman after causing a fatal traffic accident, has died. He was 72.

Bob Anderson

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Bob Anderson, an Olympic fencer for the United Kingdom, died Jan. 2 at age 89. He was a renowned film fight choreographer who worked on, among other films, the original "Star Wars" trilogy.

Mike Colalillo

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Mike Colalillo, the last Medal of Honor recipient in Minnesota, died at age 86. Colalillo received the nation’s highest military honor for bravery in combat for killing or wounding 25 Germans and helping a seriously wounded comrade to safety during a fierce firefight near Untergriesheim, Germany, on April 7, 1945, toward the end of World War II.