Passages 2010

With the countdown of the final days of 2010 beginning this week, I'd like to dedicate this post to some of the celebrities who passed away during the year. I'll begin with two of my favorite ladies:

Rue McClanahan, my favorite Golden Girl, died of a massive stroke on June 3rd, at the age of 76.

Rue began her acting career at the age of 30, and was best known for playing the saucy character, Blanche Devereaux, on Golden Girls.

Actress Dixie Carter, who played the lovely Julia Sugarbaker on Designing Women, died of complications due to endometrial cancer on April 10th, at the age of 70.

TV legend John Forsythe, star of hit shows such as Dynasty and Charlie's Angels, passed away on April 2, 2010 at the age of 92.

Actor Peter Graves passed away of natural causes at his home in California on March 14th, at the age of 83. He was best known and revered for his role as the chief agent on the hit show Mission Impossible, as well as the host of A&E's Biography. You may also remember him as the pilot in the movie Airplane!.

Actor Dennis Hopper died as a result of prostate cancer on May 29th. Dennis was best known for his work in films such as Rebel Without a Cause, Easy Rider, Apocalypse Now, and Blue Velvet.

Former Diff'rent Strokes star Gary Coleman died on May 28th at the young age of 42, following a brain hemorrhage.

Legendary Yankees owner, George Steinbrenner, suffered a fatal heart attack on July 13, in Florida, a few days after celebrating his 80th birthday.

Actor Tony Curtis, who graced the screens since the 1950s, died in September at the age of 85. Over the course of his long career, Tony starred in over 150 movies, battled drug addiction, was married six times, and fathered six children, including actress Jamie Lee Curtis.

Steve Landesberg, best known for his role as the unflappable police detective on the ABC sitcom Barney Miller, died of colon cancer on December 20th.

Art Linkletter, the genial host of two of television’s longest-running shows, People Are Funny and House Party in the 1950s and 1960s, died May 26th at his home in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles. He was 97.

Linkletter is probably best rememembered for his interviews with children on House Party, which led to a series of Kids Say the Darndest Things books quoting children.

Sadly, the list goes on ...

Tom Bosley (Happy Days)
Helen Wagner (As the World Turns)
Pernell Roberts (Bonanza)
Patricia Neal (Actress)
Robert Culp (I Spy)
Robert B. Parker (Author)
Jill Clayburgh (Actress)
Kathryn Grayson (Actress)
Lena Horne (Singer)
Mitch Miller (Musician and Conductor)
Merlin Olsen (Football Star and Actor)
Eddie Fisher (Singer)
James MacArthur (Dano on Hawaii Five-O)
Jean Simmons (Actress)
Barbara Billingsly (June Cleaver on Leave It to Beaver)
Blake Edwards (Movie director and husband of Julie Andrews)
Elizabeth Edwards (Wife of politician John Edwards)
Leslie Nielsen (Actor)
Jimmy Dean (Singer and "Sausage King")
Fess Parker (Actor, best known for his portrayals of Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone)