Schuyler Chapin (86) blue-blood impresario who held a string of jobs in the arts—including general manager of the Metropolitan Opera (1972-75), dean of the School of the Arts at Columbia University (1976-87), and cultural affairs commissioner of New York (1994-2001)—even though he never attended college. Chapin had been in ill health since suffering a heart attack in 2005 and died in New York City on March 7, 2009.

Barbara Parker (62) attorney-turned-author who wrote 12 mystery novels. Parker's first novel, Suspicion of Innocence, was a finalist for the Edgar Allen Poe Award for the best first mystery novel by an American author; it was later made into a 1997 TV movie. She died in Boca Raton, Florida on March 7, 2009.

Steve Bernard (61) cofounder of the Cape Cod Potato Chips company and two other snack food brands. Bernard and his wife, Lynn, founded Cape Cod Potato Chips in 1980 as an offshoot of their health food store. After a shaky start, the kettle-cooked chips took off and eventually got national distribution. The company was eventually sold to Lance Inc. in 1999. Bernard died of pancreatic cancer in Cape Cod, Massachusetts on March 7, 2009.

Susan Campoy (70) chef/owner of Julienne, a French-inspired bistro and a neighborhood mainstay in San Marino for more than 20 years. Campoy died of breast cancer in Duarte, California on March 4, 2009.

Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. (99) pioneer of TV technology who with his boss, Allen B. DuMont (d. 1965), and others in the new industry perfected the cathode ray tube that eventually allowed little boxes with grainy black and white screens to bring moving images into millions of homes. Goldsmith died of complications from a hip fracture, in Lacey, Washington on March 5, 2009.

Dr. Charles S. Lieber (78) clinical nutritionist who upset scientific dogma by showing that alcohol in excess can cause cirrhosis of the liver despite an adequate diet. Lieber died of stomach cancer in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on March 1, 2009.

Jacob T. ("Jack") Schwartz (79) mathematician and computer scientist who did seminal research in fields as diverse as molecular biology and robotics. Schwartz was chairman (1964-80) of New York University's computer science department, which he founded. During a career that also included 42 years as a professor at the Courant Institute for Mathematical Sciences at the university, he wrote more than a dozen books and more than 100 scientific papers and research reports. He died in his sleep of liver cancer, in New York City on March 2, 2009.

Rob Williams (29) British entrepreneur who in 1999 with business partner Jason Tavaria launched the online multimillion-pound instrumental music equipment firm Dolphin Music. The pair became one of the leading providers of musical equipment on the Internet but also opened a flagship Guitar Shop in Liverpool, which achieved sales in excess of £9.2 million in 2007, when it was ranked Britain's 11th fastest-growing company. Williams died after he fell 66 feet from a cliff onto rocks below in a freak snowboarding accident while vacationing in Verbier, Switzerland on March 2, 2009.

Joseph Bloch (91) longtime professor of piano literature at the Juilliard School in New York who indelibly shaped world-famous performers for nearly 50 years from 1948, among them Van Cliburn, Emanuel Ax, Garrick Ohlsson, Misha Dichter, Jeffrey Siegel, and Jeffrey Swann. Bloch died of a heart attack in Larchmont, New York on March 4, 2009.

Ernie Ashworth (80) Grand Ole Opry singer since 1964 who had a No. 1 hit in '63 with "Talk Back Trembling Lips." Ashworth began his career writing songs for Little Jimmy Dickens, Carl Smith, Johnny Horton, and pop idol Paul Anka. As a recording artist, he scored hits with "Everybody But Me" and "I Love to Dance with Annie." He died after a sudden illness, in Hartsville, Tennessee on March 2, 2009.

James G. ("Jim") Bellows (86) editor who transformed struggling newspapers in Los Angeles, Washington, and New York, nurtured the careers of novelist Tom Wolfe and columnist Jimmy Breslin, and helped to make Entertainment Tonight a TV hit. Bellows was an editor (1961-81) with the New York Herald Tribune, the Los Angeles Times and Herald Examiner, and the Washington Star. All but the Times eventually folded from financial pressures. Bellows died of complications from Alzheimer's disease in Santa Monica, California on March 6, 2009.

Jimmy Boyd (70) former skinny, red-headed kid of 12 who recorded "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," then reprised it dozens of times on TV variety shows in the '50s and later had an acting career in movies and on TV. Written by Tommie Connor, the song was an immediate hit in 1952, selling 2.5 million copies within weeks of its release. Boyd died of cancer in Santa Monica, California on March 7, 2009.

John Cephas (78) blues guitarist and singer with the duo Cephas & Wiggins. A 1989 National Heritage Fellowship Award winner, Cephas was known for his delicate finger picking and baritone vocals. He was on the executive committee of the National Council for the Traditional Arts and founded the Washington, DC Blues Society. After performing extensively overseas, Cephas & Wiggins recorded their first US album, Dog Days of August (1987). It won a Blues Music Award for Best Traditional Blues Album of the Year. Cephas died in Bowling Green, Virginia on March 4, 2009.

Sydney Chaplin (82) actor and singer who achieved his greatest success on stage, winning a Tony for starring in the late '50s Broadway musical Bells Are Ringing. Sydney Chaplin was the oldest surviving child of film legend Charlie Chaplin, second son of Chaplin and his second wife, Lita Grey, an ingenue who married the "little tramp" when she was 16 and he was 35. Their marriage ended when Sydney was 1 year old in a sensational divorce that made headlines. Sydney Chaplin also played gambler husband Nick Arnstein to Barbra Streisand's Fanny Brice in the Broadway musical Funny Girl (1964). He died of complications after a stroke, in Rancho Mirage, California on March 3, 2009.

Horton Foote (92) playwright and screenwriter who won a Pulitzer Prize and two Oscars for his stories of small-town Southern life. Foote was best known for his screenplays, like his adaptation of Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), and his original scripts Tender Mercies (1983) and The Trip to Bountiful (1985), all of which won Oscars for their stars—Gregory Peck, Robert Duvall, and Geraldine Page, respectively. Foote won his Oscars for the first two screenplays and was nominated for the third. His Pulitzer was for an off-off-Broadway play, The Young Man from Atlanta (1995). He died 10 days before his 93rd birthday, in Hartford, Connecticut on March 4, 2009.

Leonard Inskip (82) former Minneapolis Star Tribune editorial writer known for thought-provoking editorials focused on the community and social issues. Inskip died of complications from dementia in Minnetonka, Minnesota on March 6, 2009.

Takahiro Itoh (21) aspiring actor and younger brother of Japanese actor Atsushi Itoh, best known for his supporting role in the popular Fuji TV drama Densha Otoko. Takahiro Itoh was found dead in his car, an apparent suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning, in Sagamihira, Kanagawa, Japan on March 7, 2009.

Jang Ja-yeon (27) South Korean film and TV actress best known for her role as Sunny, one of a trio of mean girls who picked on lead female character Geum Jan-di (played by Gu Hye-seon) in the hit KBS-TV series Boys over Flower, a modern-day Cinderella tale of a poor but spunky schoolgirl at an elite high school who attracts the interest of four handsome and ultrarich boys at the school, known as the "F4" for "Flower Boys 4." The drama is based on the Japanese comic book Hanayori Danog by Yoko Kamio. Jang was found dead at her home, an apparent suicide by hanging, in Bundang, Gyeonggi, South Korea on March 7, 2009.

Francis Magalona (44) known as the king of Philippine rap music. A rapper, songwriter, and producer, Magalona, who also went by the name FrancisM, shot to national fame with his 1990 album Yo! and the hit song "Mga Kababayan Ko" ("My Countrymen"), in which he urged fellow Filipinos to be proud of their heritage, work hard, and strive for a better life. His 1992 album, Rap Is FrancisM, tackled the Philippines' many problems, including illegal drugs and political instability, making Magalona one of the most politically conscious voices of his generation. He died while undergoing treatment for leukemia, in Manila, the Philippines on March 6, 2009.

Irby Mandrell (84) father of the Mandrell sisters who taught his daughter Barbara to play an array of musical instruments at the shop he ran in Oceanside, Calif., then helped to guide her country singing career as her longtime manager. Irby Mandrell died after suffering a stroke, in Nashville, Tennessee on March 5, 2009.

George McKelvey (72) comedian who gave a boost to Steve Martin's early stand-up career and later became a club owner known as the "godfather" of the Denver comedy scene. McKelvey died of a stroke in Hemet, California on March 6, 2009.

Roger Nicholson (77) former managing director (1984-88) of Thomson Regional Newspapers in Britain and later European director for Ingersoll Publications. Nicholson died of cancer in Crieff, Scotland on March 3, 2009.

Tullio Pinelli (100) Italian screenwriter best known for his close association with director Federico Fellini. Pinelli cowrote more than a dozen of Fellini's films, including such legendary works as La Strada, La Dolce Vita, and 8 1/2. Four of his films with Fellini were nominated for Oscars. Pinelli died in Rome, Italy on March 7, 2009

Julie Powers (96) mother of actress Stefanie Powers, best known for her role as Robert Wagner's wife and crime-fighting partner, Jennifer Hart, on the popular '80s crime drama Hart to Hart. Born to Polish immigrants in Middletown, New York, Julie Powers later moved to Hollywood and became involved in several foreign film productions. She lived most of her life in Egypt, South America, Europe, Africa, the Far East, and many other continental locations as her daughter's successful career grew over the years. She died in Los Angeles, California on March 5, 2009.

Salvatore Samperi (64) Italian film director best known for erotic comedies that challenged the morals of Italy's middle class. Samperi's movies, among them Grazie, Zia (1968; Thank you, Aunt) and Malizia (1973; Malicious), offered a social critique of the Italian bourgeoisie, exploring the forbidden passions and relationships within middle-class families and exposing what he saw as their decadence and hypocrisy. Samperi died on Lake Bracciano, about 30 miles (50 km) north of Rome, Italy on March 4, 2009.

Kyle Rae Sweet (52) wife of rock musician Michael Sweet, best known as cofounder and frontman of the '80s Christian metal band Stryper. The couple met on the set of Stryper's video "You Know What to Do" and had been married for more than 20 years. Kyle Rae Sweet died of ovarian cancer in Boston, Massachusetts on March 5, 2009.

David Williams (58) session guitar player who performed and recorded with Michael Jackson, Madonna, and the Temptations, among others. Williams played guitar on many of Jackson's biggest hits, including those from the albums Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad. Through the '80s, his guitar style was one of the most in-demand sounds in pop music. He died of cardiac arrest four days after suffering a stroke, in Hampton, Virginia on March 6, 2009.

Alberto Zoppe (87) Italian-born circus performer whose somersaults from one horse to another helped him to win a place in the circus world's "Ring of Fame." Zoppe died in Greenbrier, Arkansas on March 5, 2009.

Daniel E. Button (91) former US congressman (R-NY), newspaper editor, and author of two books. As executive editor of the Albany (NY) Times Union in the '60s, Button challenged Albany's Democrat machine. He was elected to the House of Representatives as a Republican in a heavily Democrat district in 1966 and served two terms. He died of a respiratory ailment in Albany, New York on March 7, 2009.

Lepeti Tuitele Fazio (60) member of the Samoan royal family and wife of prominent San Francisco (Calif.) district attorney Bill Fazio. Lepeti Tuitele Fazio was born in American Samoa to the Tuitele clan, the leaders of whom have been chiefs of the western part of the nation for many generations. As a young woman she came to the US, where she met her future husband (who had run unsuccessfully for San Francisco DA three times) while working for Bank of America. The couple married during a nine-hour traditional ceremony in her native land in 1975. Lepeti Fazio apparently choked to death on a piece of chewing gum while discussing her brother's funeral arrangements in Leone, American Samoa on March 6, 2009.

George Keverian (77) former Massachusetts Speaker who courted reform-minded colleagues in an effort to bring more open leadership to the state House. Keverian struggled with his weight throughout his life, undergoing gastric bypass surgery in 2002. He died in Boston, Massachusetts on March 6, 2009.

Gen. Batista Tagme Na Wai (60) longtime chief of staff of Guinea-Bissau's antipolitical armed-wing forces who had served in a military junta that overthrew ousted ruler Joćo Bernardo ("Nino") Vieira during civil war in the '90s. After Vieira's return to power in the 2005 presidential elections, Na Wai was outspoken in his criticism of the president. He reported surviving an assassination attempt in January, when a militia assigned to the presidential palace opened fire on his staff car, although the militiamen denied it was an assassination attempt. Na Wai was killed in a rocket-propelled grenade attack in the military headquarters outside Bissau, Guinea-Bissau on March 1, 2009. The next day, Vieira was killed, apparently by troops loyal to Na Wai.

Col. John M. Thacker (90) retired US Air Force colonel and fighter pilot awarded the Silver Star for his actions at Pearl Harbor. Thacker was among the few pilots to become airborne during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941; his Silver Star citation said he fought the numerically superior Japanese fliers until his guns jammed and returned to his base on Oahu with several cannon holes in his aircraft. He died of kidney disease in McLean, Virginia on March 6, 2009.

Susan Tsvangirai (50) wife of Zimbabwe's former top trade union leader Morgan Tsvangirai, sworn in last month as prime minister of a unity government in the troubled South African nation after years in opposition to the regime of President Robert Mugabe. The couple had been married for more than 30 years and had six children. Susan Tsvangirai was killed in a car accident that also injured her husband outside Harare, Zimbabwe on March 6, 2009.

Joćo Bernardo Vieira (69) president of Guinea-Bissau who ruled the tiny West African nation for 23 of the past 29 years. Vieira came to power in a 1980 military coup but was forced out in '99 at the onset of the impoverished country's civil war. He later returned from exile in Portugal to win the country's 2005 presidential election. He was shot and killed by rival soldiers in his palace, apparently in retaliation for a March 1 bomb blast that killed military chief Gen. Batista Tagme Na Wai, in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau on March 2, 2009.

Davon Crawford (33) ex-convict believed responsible for the fatal shooting of five members of his family, including his newlywed second wife, Lechea Crawford (30), his sister-in-law Rose Stevens (25), and her three children, Destanee (4) and twins Dion and Davion Primm (2), during an apparent violent domestic disturbance at their west side Cleveland home on March 5. Crawford had been convicted of voluntary manslaughter as a 19-year-old in 1995 and spent five years in prison until he was paroled in 2000, but was incarcerated again in '02 on a felonious assault conviction involving domestic violence with his first wife and their children. In a 2005 petition for an early release, he wrote to a judge that he was ready to be a law-abiding citizen who would not let society down. He was released in 2007. The day after the shootings, he shot himself in the head as authorities were about to arrest him at his cousin's home outside Cleveland, Ohio on March 6, 2009.

Kenneth Otto Garner (53) Los Angeles deputy police chief who played central roles in helping to diversify the LAPD, improve the agency's ties to minority communities, and stem crime in South LA. Garner joined the LAPD in 1977 and rose through the ranks to become its second-highest-ranking black officer. He collapsed at his home and apparently died of heart failure, in Los Angeles, California on March 1, 2009.

Madelyn ("Maddie") Katz (73) philanthropist who helped to establish a UCLA Medical Center program to provide reconstructive plastic surgery to soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. With her husband, inventor Ronald A. Katz, Maddie Katz set up the Katz Family Foundation in 2002. Their $1 million gift helped to set up Operation Mend, which tries to provide advanced treatment at UCLA for military personnel who have undergone surgery and rehabilitation in San Antonio at Brooke Army Medical Center, a leader in burn victim treatment. Maddie Katz died of pancreatic cancer in Los Angeles, California on March 1, 2009.

Jack Lorenz (69) nationally prominent advocate for nature preservation during 18 years (1974-92) as executive director of the Izaak Walton League who developed a code of ethics governing outdoor activities. A resident of Woodstock, Va., Lorenz died of a stroke 12 days before his 70th birthday while visiting in San Diego, California on March 2, 2009.

Kenneth Morris (38) Texas man condemned to death for the 1991 capital murder of James Adams (63), shot and killed after a confrontation inside his northwest Houston home during a botched robbery with two accomplices. In 2003, Morris was within about two hours of being executed when he won a court reprieve to investigate claims that he was mentally retarded and ineligible for the death penalty, but those issues were resolved in '08 after his attorneys sought to overturn or delay his death sentence on grounds of racism. He was executed by lethal injection on his 38th birthday, in Huntsville, Texas on March 4, 2009.

David Paradiso (28) California murder suspect, shot and killed by a police detective after he stabbed Judge Cindy S. Fox with a 6-inch metal spike as she presided over his murder trial in San Joaquin County Superior Court. Paradiso was on trial for fatally stabbing his girlfriend, Eileen Pelt (20), in 2006. Authorities said they did not know how he got a weapon into the courtroom. He died at the scene in Lodi, California on March 4, 2009.

Willie Pondexter (34) Oklahoma man who along with three other accomplices was condemned to death for the fatal shooting of 85-year-old Martha Lennox during a robbery at her northeast Texas home in 1993. Pondexter already had a long criminal record at the time of the murder and spent some 15 years on death row. He did not deny his role in the killing and later expressed regret after his lawyers repeatedly sought clemency from the Texas governor but were turned down. He was executed by lethal injection in Huntsville, Texas on March 4, 2009.

Ann Marie Rogers (57) British breast cancer patient who won a landmark ruling in the High Court of Great Britain in 2006 against the Swindon Primary Care Trust hospice for the right to be treated with the drug Herceptin. During Rogers' legal battle, the PCT argued that it would fund the drug only for patients in "exceptional circumstances" and that the drug was not licensed for the treatment of early-stage breast cancer, the kind Rogers had at the time. Herceptin was later approved for funding. Rogers died of breast cancer in Swindon, Wilsthire, England on March 2, 2009.

Bishop Melvin E. Wheatley (93) former Denver bishop who risked censure in the United Methodist Church for appointing his denomination's first openly gay pastor in 1982. Wheatley died in Mission Viejo, California on March 1, 2009.

Marquis Cooper (26) linebacker for the Oakland Raiders, drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 2004 NFL draft. Cooper also played for the Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks, and Jacksonville Jaguars during a brief professional career (2006-08). He was the son of KPNX sportscaster Bruce Cooper. On March 1, he was reported missing along with Detroit Lions free agent defensive lineman Corey Smith and two former South Florida college football players, Nick Schuyler and William Bleakley, after a boating trip off the Gulf Coast near Clearwater, Florida. By March 2, Schuyler was found clinging to the 21-foot fishing boat that had capsized in rough seas. After several days of searching, the three other men were presumed dead by drowning on March 3, 2000.

Colleen Howe (76) wife of legendary Canadian ice hockey player Gordie Howe and one of the first women to be a sports agent. Colleen Howe worked with her husband to promote hockey during his 32-year professional career. Their Howe Foundation raised nearly $1 million for charities benefiting underprivileged children in over 65 cities in the US and Canada. The couple, also known as "Mr. and Mrs. Hockey" (nicknames the Howes trademarked for themselves), were inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame in November 2000, along with their two sons, Mark and Marty, also professional hockey players. Colleen Howe was diagnosed with Pick's disease, a rare form of dementia similar to Alzheimer’s, in 2002 and died in the Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan on March 6, 2009.

George McAfee (90) college and pro football Hall of Famer, a star for the NFL's Chicago Bears and at Duke University. In eight seasons with Chicago, McAfee gained more than 5,000 all-purpose yards and had 21 interceptions; his 35-yard interception return for a touchdown helped Chicago to a 73-0 victory over the Washington Redskins in the 1940 NFL championship. He died in Durham, North Carolina on March 4, 2009.

Kennedy McIntosh (60) basketball player who played four years in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls and the Seattle SuperSonics. McIntosh was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 1971 draft. He played with the Bulls for one season before moving on to the SuperSonics; his best season was in 1973-74 when he averaged 7.4 points per game. He left the NBA in 1975 because of injury. He died of a stroke in Santa Monica, California on March 6, 2009.

Alf Pike (91) Canadian hockey player, one of the last two surviving members of the New York Rangers' Stanley Cup-winning team of 1940 and later a Rangers coach. Pike was a 22-year-old rookie center when the Rangers beat Toronto in the 1940 Cup finals. He died in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on March 1, 2009.

Corey Smith (29) football defensive end, a free agent for the Detroit Lions. Smith was originally signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2002 and had played a brief stint for the San Francisco 49ers (2004-05). On March 1, he was reported missing along with Oakland Raider defensive linebacker Marquis Cooper and two former South Florida college football players, Nick Schuyler and William Bleakley, after a boating trip off the Gulf Coast near Clearwater, Florida. By March 2, Schuyler was found clinging to the 21-foot fishing boat that had capsized in rough seas. After several days of searching, the three other men were presumed dead by drowning on March 3, 2009.

Rod Smith (59) founder of a summer amateur basketball league that attracted such future NBA stars as Baron Davis and Paul Pierce. For more than 30 years, Smith ran the Say No Classic, an NCAA-sanctioned summer program in southern California. Others who played in the league included future NBA players Penny Hardaway, Cedric Ceballos, and Jordan Farmar. Smith died of a heart attack in West Covina, California on March 7, 2009.

Duane ("Moose") Woltzen (75) longtime Lakeland College basketball coach and athletic director (1965-88), winner of more than 500 games, who compiled a record of 536-229 for a career winning percentage of .700. Woltzen was known for taking the Muskies on overseas playing trips to such countries as Austria, Denmark, England, Holland, Jamaica, and Spain. He died in Port Washington, Wisconsin on March 6, 2009.