Willem de Looper (76) abstract painter and former chief curator of the Phillips Collection in Washington. De Looper began working in 1959 as a security guard for what was then known as the Phillips Gallery; he became assistant curator in '72 and in '82 was named curator. In 1987, he retired to paint full-time. He died of emphysema in Washington, DC on January 31, 2009.

Blair Lent (80) children's book author and award-winning artist whose detailed work illustrated beloved books like Tikki Tikki Tembo, The Funny Little Woman, and Why the Sun & the Moon Live in the Sky. Although Lent occasionally wrote and illustrated his own books, like Pistachio, about a green cow and a circus, he specialized in illustrating international folk tales retold by other writers. He died of pneumonia in Medford, Massachusetts on January 27, 2009.

George Schneeman (74) painter and collage artist who collaborated with poets to produce works of postwar Modernism. Schneeman died of heart failure after two recent falls, in New York City on January 27, 2009.

John Updike (76) Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, man of letters, and chronicler of sex, divorce, and other adventures in the postwar prime of the American empire. Updike was best known for his four "Rabbit" novels, although he also wrote short stories, poems, criticism, the memoir Self-Consciousness, and even a famous essay about baseball great Ted Williams. He released more than 50 books in a career that started in the '50s, winning virtually every literary prize, including two Pulitzers, for Rabbit Is Rich and Rabbit at Rest, and two National Book Awards. He died of lung cancer in Beverly Farms, Massachusetts on January 27, 2009.

Christopher Augur (55) French scientist, a member of France’s Institute of Research for Development, or IRD. Augur had been working with Mexico’s Metropolitan Autonomous University’s biotechnology department for several months. He was shot in the head during a robbery near Mexico City’s airport on Jan. 27 and died four days later in the fourth such incident near the airport involving foreigners in the past year, on January 31, 2009. Mexican police said they’d arrested two suspects.

Hans Beck (79) creator of the colorful plastic Playmobil toy figures that sold by the millions around the world. A cabinetmaker and model builder, Beck became a pattern developer for Horst Brandstaetter, owner of Geobra Brandstaetter GmbH & Co., the Zirndorf-based company that owns the Playmobil brand, in 1958; in '71, he created and developed the 3-inch-tall line of figures for the company, dubbed Playmobil and brought to market in '74. He died in Frankfurt, Germany on January 30, 2009.

Milton Parker (90) owner of New York's famed Carnegie Deli, where theater district tourists and celebrities feast on 5-inch-tall pastrami sandwiches, corned beef, brisket, and tongue, cheesecake and matzo balls, soups and pickles. Parker, who bought the Carnegie in 1976, retired in 2002 after handing over control of the business to his son-in-law. He died of respiratory problems less than three weeks after his 90th birthday, in Queens, New York on January 30, 2009.

Dr. David C. Sabiston Jr. (84) cardiac surgeon who led a team in performing an early and daring coronary bypass operation on a human in the '60s, paving the way for more effective cardiac procedures. In 1962, while at Johns Hopkins University, Sabiston operated on a beating heart and used a vein stripped from the patient's leg to bypass a blocked coronary artery and increase the flow of blood to the heart. He died of a stroke in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on January 26, 2009.

Alan Scott (72) Australian-born blacksmith whose skill in using radiant heat led to a revival of the ancient craft of building brick ovens, allowing bakers to turn out bread with moist interiors and crisp crusts. Scott moved to California in the mid-'60s and opened a blacksmith shop by the beach near Point Reyes. He died of congestive heart failure in Tasmania, Australia on January 26, 2009.

Robert L. Stone (87) former chief executive of the Hertz Corp. who hired O. J. Simpson in the '70s as a pitchman for the car rental giant. Stone became chairman and CEO of Hertz in 1972, when the car rental company was a unit of the RCA Corp. He came to Hertz from NBC, then also an RCA unit. In 1978, after overseeing the growth of Hertz, Stone became chief operating officer of Columbia Pictures, where his responsibilities included the company's TV division. He died of heart failure in Boca Grande, Florida on January 28, 2009.

John P. Diggins (73) intellectual historian who brought a new approach to the history of the American left and right and to figures as varied as Thorstein Veblen, Max Weber, Abraham Lincoln, and Ronald Reagan, whom he considered "...one of the two or three truly great Presidents in history." Diggins, who taught at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, died of colon cancer in New York City on January 28, 2009.

Mary Crist Fleming (98) founder of American schools abroad, including the American School in Thorpe, Surrey, England. In 1956, Fleming founded the American School in Montagnola, Switzerland, where she died on January 28, 2009.

Bob ("Barefoot") Hardison (75) sober alcoholic who created and maintained a personal web site for members of Alcoholics Anonymous and other recovery groups. Hardison's web site, Barefoot's World, was first published on Jan. 29, 1996 and shared his insights into problems of survival, and journals of his extensive travels. He had been sober for more than 34 years. The web site also provided a wealth of wisdom on AA history and its 12-step guide, with tips on how to get through the recovery process. Hardison died lof lung cancer in Spokane, Washington on January 31, 2009.

Eloy O. Aguilar (72) award-winning Associated Press bureau chief who mentored a generation of journalists in Mexico and Central America as he covered civil wars, disasters, and political upheaval. Aguilar was the face of the AP in much of Latin America for more than 25 years, leading efforts for press freedom and the improvement of journalistic standards in both English and Spanish. He collapsed and died in Mexico City, Mexico on January 30, 2009.

James Brady (80) celebrity columnist who created the New York Post's gossipy "Page Six." Brady also wrote the celebrity profile column "In Step with..." for Parade magazine for nearly 25 years. He was hired by media mogul Rupert Murdoch in 1974 to edit the then-new weekly Star magazine and later was an associate publisher at the New York Post. He died in New York City on January 26, 2009.

Nicholas Carter-Leedham (20) lead guitarist of the Canadian screamo punk band Last Chance Glory who had played a few gigs at the Mavericks in Ottawa but most recently performed at several charity concerts in Petawawa for the Salvation Army and the Truckers Toy Drive. Carter-Leedham was killed in a car accident in Pembroke, Ottawa, Canada on January 28, 2009.

Charles Cooper (31) musician and record producer best known as cofounder of the Chicago-based electronic music duo Telefon Tel Aviv (with Joshua Eustis). The pair had contributed to several other projects, including a compilation album of remixes for a Nine Inch Nails EP and had composed the score for the feature film New Port South (2001). They had planned a tour of the US and Europe in support of a new full-length album. Cooper had been reported missing on Jan. 21 after an argument with his girlfriend and was found dead a week later outside Chicago, Illinois on January 27, 2009.

Hank Crawford (74) jazz saxophonist whose solos as a sideman for Ray Charles led to a long career as a leader of jazz and soul bands and a lengthy discography. Along with David ("Fathead") Newman and Leroy ("Hog") Cooper, Crawford was the third of Charles's saxophonists to die this month. He died of complications from a stroke he suffered in 2000, in Memphis, Tennessee on January 29, 2009.

Marguerite, Baroness de Reuter (96) last link to the 19th century founder of the Thomson Reuters news agency. The baroness was the widow of Oliver, fourth Baron de Reuter, whose German-born grandfather Paul Julius Reuter established the news service in London in 1851. She died at a French nursing home near the border with Monaco on January 25, 2009.

Christine Gentry (88) jazz pianist and organist who recorded for MCA Records. Gentry had a five-year stint as host of her own TV show in Birmingham and was invited to China by Madame Chiang Kai-shek to perform at the Royal Palace during her eclectic musical career that spanned decades. She was still actively performing at 83 when she made it to network TV as a contestant on NBC's reality show, Second Chance: Search for America's Most Talented Senior, and one of her last public performances was in January 2007 when she performed at the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library as part of an annual music celebration honoring her cousin, legendary Sun Records founder Sam Phillips. Gentry died after a fall in Florence, Alabama on January 31, 2009.

Kim Manners (58) director and producer of the Fox series The X-Files. Manners was a producer on nearly 160 episodes of the series and directed more than 50, earning four shared Emmy nominations for his work. He also directed multiple episodes of such TV shows as Charlie's Angels, Simon & Simon, 21 Jump Street, and The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. At his death, he was a director and executive producer on the CW series Supernatural. He died of lung cancer in Los Angeles, California on January 25, 2009.

John Martyn (60) Scottish singer and guitarist whose mix of folk and jazz and innovative use of electronic effects have influenced a broad range of musicians since the '70s. Martyn died of pneumonia in Kilkenny, Ireland on January 29, 2009.

Philip Newby (37) actor who appeared in several feature films, including two Pirates of the Caribbean movies, Dead Man's Chest (2006) and At World's End (2007), and the thrillers Alien Raiders (2008) and The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007), and made recurring guest appearances on such TV programs as ER, Boston Legal, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Newby was also active in Los Angeles theater, particularly at Theatre of NOTE and Sacred Fools, where he appeared in such productions as La Bete, Beaverquest!, and A Mulholland Christmas Carol. He died in Los Angeles, California on January 30, 2009.

Billy Powell (56) Lynyrd Skynyrd keyboard player who played on such hits as "Sweet Home Alabama" and survived the 1977 plane crash that killed three band members. Powell had a history of heart problems, and a heart attack was suspected when he died in Orange Park, Florida on January 28, 2009.

Clint Ritchie (70) real-life cowboy and veteran actor best known for originating the role (1979-98) of Clint Buchanan on the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live. Ritchie died in Roseville, California on January 31, 2009.

Roy A. Somlyo (83) producer or manager of more than 100 shows on Broadway, in London, or on tour and managing producer of the annual Tony Awards telecast for more than 10 years. Somlyo died of cancer in New York City on January 29, 2009.

Wayne Thomas (77) off-screen voice known as "Freight Train Wayne" who orchestrated the "red light, green light" milk-drinking game, a highlight of Cartoon Express (1954-66), the children's TV show hosted by "Engineer Bill" Stulla (d. 2008) on Los Angeles's KHJ-TV. Thomas died of pneumonia in Alhambra, California on January 27, 2009.

Brandon Zucker (13) California boy who suffered severe brain damage in 2000 and never recovered from his injuries after he tumbled from the "taxicab" on Disneyland's Roger Rabbit Car Toon Spin ride and was trapped underneath the next car (the vehicle rolled over him, folding his 45-pound body in half) for about 10 minutes before he was rescued. The widely publicized accident led to the first major investigation under a law that regulates safety issues at amusement parks. Zucker died in Orange, California on January 26, 2009.

Jerry Fowler (68) former NFL lineman who served four years in prison for taking kickbacks on voting machine contracts as Louisiana elections commissioner (1980-2000). Fowler played in four games for the Houston Oilers in 1964 before moving on to politics. He died of complications from surgery in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on January 26, 2009.

Guy Hunt (75) Alabama's first Republican governor (1987-93) since Reconstruction who also became its first to be removed from office for a criminal conviction. Halfway through his second term Hunt was convicted of violating the state ethics law for misusing 1987 inaugural funds. He had been treated for cancer for the last two years and was frail when he underwent gallbladder surgery in November 2008 and never recovered; he died in Birmingham, Alabama on January 30, 2009.

Avraham Ravitz (75) ultra-Orthodox Jewish lawmaker who served in Israel's parliament for 20 years. Ravitz represented the United Torah Judaism and Degel Hatorah parties and was chairman of parliament's powerful Finance Committee. He also was deputy minister in the housing, education, and welfare ministries and deputy speaker of parliament. He suffered from a heart condition and had been hospitalized since early January. He died in Jerusalem overnight on January 25-26, 2009.

Ramaswamy Venkataraman (98) India's eighth president (1987-92) who earlier helped to draft the country's constitution, adopted in 1950. Venkataraman was also a member of India's first Parliament. He was hospitalized on Jan. 12 with complaints of delirium and dehydration, and his condition progressively deteriorated. He died in New Delhi, India on January 27, 2009.

Wendell Wyatt (91) former US congressman (R-Ore.) who represented Oregon's 1st Congressional District for 10 years. Wyatt worked on bills that established the Tualatin Reclamation Project in Washington County and the 40-foot shipping channel in the Columbia River from Astoria to Portland. He died in Portland, Oregon on January 28, 2009.

Stephen I. Zetterberg (92) California Democrat whose loss to Richard M. Nixon in a primary race for Congress in 1948 helped to propel Nixon's early career. Zetterberg died of heart failure in Claremont, California on January 30, 2009.

Erik Ayala (24) unemployed data entry clerk believed to be the gunman who opened fire and killed two teenage girls and wounded seven others, including six foreign exchange students and an employee outside a youth nightclub during an apparently random act of violence in one of downtown Portland's worst mass shootings ever on January 24. Police said Ayala was depressed over financial problems and had recently purchased the 9-mm handgun used in the rampage at a pawn shop despite the fact that he wasn't a US citizen. He died after shooting himself in the head in Portland, Oregon on January 26, 2009.

Rose Dean-Davis (67) devoted wife best known in Britain for her persistent efforts to free her then-husband George Davis in 1974 after he was sentenced to 20 years in prison on an armed robbery conviction. His wife's efforts led to Davis's release in 1976, but he was arrested again 18 months later while attempting to rob a bank branch in north London. Dean-Davis died of cancer in London, England on January 31, 2009.

Charles Gordon (80) administrative law judge for the California state Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board who won the prestigious Carnegie Medal for heroism after he disarmed a gunman holding a lawyer hostage in his courtroom in 1991. Gordon died of interstitial lung disease in Tarzana, California on January 30, 2009.

Chris Jones (37) popular Bucks County (Pa.) police officer, a 10-year veteran of the force. Jones was the first officer killed in the line of duty in the department's history. He was writing a speeding ticket when a passing Toyota rear-ended a nearby Pontiac, then struck the officer's cruiser, trapping him under his own vehicle. He later died at a hospital in Middletown Township, Pennsylvania on January 29, 2009.

Rabbi Leon Klenicki (78) advocate for improving interfaith relations, particularly with the Roman Catholic Church. As director of interfaith affairs for the Anti-Defamation League and its coliaison to the Vatican, Klenicki was an important voice of American Judaism over the 40 years of improving Catholic-Jewish relations after the Second Vatican Council. He died of cancer in Monroe Township, New Jersey on January 25, 2009.

Virgil Martinez (41) Texas man condemned to death for gunning down four people, including his ex-girlfriend Veronica Fuentes (27) and her two children, Joshua (5) and Cassandra (3), during an apparent shooting frenzy outside Houston in 1996. Martinez also shot and mortally wounded their neighbor, John Gomez (18), who told a police officer at the slaying scene that Fuentes' former boyfriend was the gunman before he later succumbed to his wounds. Martinez was executed by lethal injection in Huntsville, Texas on January 27, 2009.

Ricardo Ortiz (46) high-ranking Texas prison gang member condemned to death for the retaliation killing of fellow inmate Gerardo Garcia (22) by injecting him with a fatal overdose of heroin to prevent Garcia from testifying against him regarding a series of unsolved bank robberies the pair were suspected of committing in El Paso in 1997. Ortiz had a long criminal history that included a string of violent robberies, burglary, and possession of deadly weapons in prison, including a homemade spear used to stab another fellow inmate. He was never tried for the 1990 execution-style slayings of two Houston-area parolees. He was executed by lethal injection in Huntsville, Texas on January 28, 2009.

Berta Rosenberg (112) supercentenarian, perhaps best known for being the world's oldest living Jewish person ever recorded by the Gerontology Research Group, the fifth oldest German-born person, and the 19th-oldest verified person in the world. Rosenberg immigrated to the US in 1938, just months before the Nazis launched an attack on the Jewish people in Germany. She worked as a cleaning lady in New York and later developed a business selling housewares. She died in New York City on January 28, 2009.

David Weiss (100) Holocaust survivor who escaped death in both world wars. Weiss remained deeply faithful when he was sent to the Nazi concentration camp where his pregnant wife, Rivkah, and three children were killed in Poland's Auschwitz gas chamber during World War II. After the war, Weiss moved to Israel and became a truck driver, but moved to Brooklyn, New York after his second wife, Chaya, died of cancer and later earned a living in a knitting factory despite his difficulty in learning English. He died in a house fire in Williamsburg, New York on January 31, 2009.

Glenn ("Jeep") Davis (74) three-time Olympic gold medal hurdler. Davis was gold medalist in the 400-meter hurdles at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and in the 400-meter hurdles and 1600-meter relay at the '60 Rome games. In 1958, he set world records in the 440-yard run and in the 400-meter low hurdles. He also held records for the outdoor 50-yard hurdles at Ohio State University. He died in Barberton, Ohio on January 28, 2009.

John Gordy (73) former offensive lineman for the University of Tennessee and the Detroit Lions who helped to form the NFL Players' Association. Gordy was a three-time Pro Bowler with Detroit before a knee injury led to his retirement in 1967. He died of pancreatic cancer in Orange, California on January 30, 2009.

Helio Gracie (95) one of the main creators of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which gained worldwide popularity. Gracie introduced a series of adaptations to traditional Japanese Jiu-Jitsu that emphasized leverage and position as a way to compensate for size differences among opponents. He died of pneumonia in the mountain resort town of Petropolis near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on January 29, 2009.

Rosario Iglesias (98) Mexican world-class runner in the 90-years-and-older category. The news vendor took up sports at age 80 and later held five world records for her age group. In 2004, Iglesias carried the Olympic torch before tens of thousands on the featured leg of its passage through Mexico en route to Athens. She died in Mexico City, Mexico on January 31, 2009.

Ingemar Johansson (76) Swede who stunned the boxing world by knocking out Floyd Patterson to win the heavyweight title on June 26, 1959. Johansson floored the American seven times in the third round before referee Ruby Goldstein stopped the fight 2:03 into it. Hundreds of thousands of Swedes listened to the live radio broadcast at 3 a.m. as Johansson became only the fifth heavyweight champion born outside the US. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and dementia more than 10 years ago, when he lived in Stockholm. He spent the rest of his life in Kungsbacka, on Sweden's west coast, only a few miles from the house where he grew up. He had been hospitalized with pneumonia and died in Kungsbacka, Sweden on January 30, 2009.

Eddie Logan (98) former boxer and Negro League baseball player who shined shoes at Santa Anita since the racetrack opened on Christmas Day 1934, servicing such Hall of Fame jockeys as Eddie Arcaro, John Longden, Bill Shoemaker, Laffit Pincy Jr., and Chris McCarron. Logan appeared in Santa Anita's winner's circle to present the trophy for the Eddie Logan Stakes on Dec. 27, 2008. He never recovered after suffering a seizure and stroke on Jan. 3 and died in nearby Monrovia, California on January 31, 2009.

Teddy Mayer (73) former McLaren Formula One boss who won titles with Emerson Fittipaldi and James Hunt in the '70s. An American who had lived in England for several years, Mayer helped to build McLaren Automotive into a Formula One powerhouse. He won two F1 championships at McLaren, then moved into CART racing. Later he joined the Penske team and, as vice chairman, oversaw the team's successes in the '90s. He died in Woking, England on January 30, 2009.

Bob Thompson (66) head coach of Duke University's swimming and diving team for 27 years before retiring in 2005. Thompson's swimmers included two All-Americans, two Atlantic Coast Conference champions, and four All-ACC honorees. He also coached two-time All-American Nancy Hogshead, who won three gold medals and one silver at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Thompson died of cancer in Durham, North Carolina on January 25, 2009.

Billy Wilson (81) former San Francisco 49ers receiver and a six-time Pro Bowl player in the '50s. Wilson played in the NFL (1951-60) and led the league in receptions three times, retiring with 407 catches for 5,902 yards and 49 touchdowns. He died of cancer in Carlsbad, California on January 27, 2009.