Billy C. Clark (80) Appalachian author who wrote about Kentucky's Big Sandy River region. Clark was known as "the chronicler of the Big Sandy region" through his 16 books and numerous short stories and poems. He was probably best known for A Long Row to Hoe (1960), the story of a poor family living where the Big Sandy and Ohio rivers come together. In 1986, he became writer-in-residence at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia, where he died on March 15, 2009.

Johnny Donnels (84) painter and photographer who won acclaim for his pictures of the people and places in New Orleans' French Quarter. Donnels had a gallery near Jackson Square for more than 50 years. He lived in the Quarter for most of his life and was playwright Tennessee Williams' neighbor in the '40s. He fell outside his Desire Street home last week and broke his hip. He died in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 19, 2009.

Pirkle Jones (95) photographer whose images of migrant farm workers, threatened California towns and valleys, and the Black Panthers at the peak of their power made him one of the most admired photographers of his generation. Shown above is Jones's photo of San Francisco's bullet-riddled Black Panther headquarters on Sept. 10, 1968, after the conviction (for voluntary manslaughter, not murder as charged) of the group's cofounder, Huey Newton, in the death of a police officer. Jones died in San Rafael, California on March 15, 2009.

Jane Mayhall (90) poet who gained prominence late in life. Mayhall's work was influenced by her slow-paced Kentucky girlhood, her bustling adult life in Manhattan, and her profound grief after the death of her husband, Leslie George Katz, in 1997 after more than 50 years of marriage. Her poetry appeared regularly over the years in the New Yorker, the New York Times, and other publications. She died in New York City on March 17, 2009.

Lionel Ziprin (84) poet and philosopher of New York's Lower East Side and the East Village. For decades, Ziprin attracted other poets, artists, experimental filmmakers, would-be philosophers, and spiritual seekers. His apartment in the East Village was a bohemian salon, welcoming, among others, ethnomusicologist Harry Smith, photographer Robert Frank, and jazz musician Thelonious Monk, who would drop by for meals between sets at the Five Spot. Bob Dylan visited occasionally. All would listen as Ziprin held forth for hours on magic, interplanetary rhythms, angels, apparitions, and Jewish history. He died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in New York City on March 15, 2009.

Edgar F. Callahan (80) former chairman of the National Credit Union Administration under President Ronald Reagan who brought stability to the credit union industry at a time of economic uncertainty. The agency regulates the industry and administers the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund, the equivalent of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Callahan died of complications from an infection after a blood transfusion, in Sacramento, California on March 18, 2009.

Nicholas Hughes (47) son of poets Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes. Nicholas Hughes was a fisheries biologist who studied stream fish and spent much of his time trekking across Alaska on field studies. His mother committed suicide in 1963 after the breakup of her marriage to Ted Hughes. Nicholas Hughes had long struggled from depression. He hanged himself at his home in Alaska on March 16, 2009.

John Leech (74) cofounder of Los Angeles's legendary Onyx Café. A hangout for literary figures and bohemians in the city's Los Feliz area, the Onyx opened its doors in 1982. It hosted monthly art exhibits and poetry slams and was a launching pad for local musicians. It closed in 1998. Leech died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Los Angeles, California on March 18, 2009.

Dr. William B. Schwartz (86) renowned kidney disease specialist and researcher who later turned his attention to health policy and began sounding a warning in the '80s that rising health-care costs would force America to begin rationing medical care. Schwartz died of complications from Alzheimer's disease in Los Angeles, California on March 15, 2009.

Dr. Earl H. Wood (97) physiologist and a member of the team that invented a revolutionary pressurized garment, the G-suit, that helps pilots to avoid blacking out while in flight. In 1942, Wood joined a pioneering team at the Mayo Clinic that was charged with helping military air crews to survive increased physical stress created by more powerful aircraft. Wood died in Rochester, Minnesota on March 18, 2009.

Marjorie Grene (98) honorary distinguished professor of philosophy at Virginia Tech since 1988. Grene's chief contribution was helping to found the field of philosophy of biology, which focuses on topics such as evolutionary theory and genetics. She also wrote influential texts on existentialism. Grene died in Blacksburg, Virginia on March 16, 2009.

Bob Arbogast (81) comedy writer and radio personality for several Los Angeles stations in the '60s. The father of longtime USC football announcer Pete Arbogast, Bob Arbogast also worked as a voice-over actor and was probably best known for his work on the Roger Ramjet cartoon series. He died of cancer in Fresno, California on March 21, 2009.

Eddie Bo (79) New Orleans blues singer-pianist and songwriter. Born Edwin Bocage, Bo composed the 1960 Etta James hit "My Dearest Darling" and "I'm Wise," made famous by Little Richard when retitled and released in '56 as "Slippin' & Slidin'." He released more than 50 singles—second only to Fats Domino among New Orleans artists. Bo died of a heart attack while out of town, on March 18, 2009.

Reese Cleghorn (78) former newspaper opinion editor credited with transforming the University of Maryland's journalism school. Cleghorn was dean of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism (1981-2000), turning it into one of the top programs in the country. Before that he worked for the AP, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Charlotte Observer, and Detroit Free Press. He died of heart problems in Washington, DC on March 16, 2009.

Ezio Flagello (78) bass with a rich voice and wide range who sang 528 performances at the Metropolitan Opera as part of an international career. A son of Italian immigrants in New York, Flagello also sang at major opera houses like La Scala in Milan, the Vienna State Opera, the San Francisco Opera, and the Houston Grand Opera. He died of heart failure in Palm Bay, Florida on March 19, 2009.

Gianni Giansanti (52) award-winning Italian photographer who snapped candid shots of Pope John Paul II during his pilgrimages. Giansanti was a 21-year-old free-lancer just breaking into photography during the years of Italian domestic terrorism when he shot the 1978 image that for many captured the horror of that era—the bullet-riddled body of Aldo Moro, kidnapped former Italian Christian Democrat premier, in the trunk of a parked car. Giansanti died of bone cancer in Rome, Italy on March 18, 2009.

Harry Harris (86) TV director who had a 50-year career directing TV series and made-for-TV movies and won an Emmy for directing an episode of Fame in 1982. Harris directed hundreds of episodes of TV series, including dozens of installments of Gunsmoke, Land of the Giants, Eight Is Enough, The Waltons, Falcon Crest, In the Heat of the Night, and 7th Heaven; his credits also include Rawhide, Daniel Boone, Branded, Lost in Space, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Magnum PI, and Beverly Hills 90210. He died of myelodysplasia, a blood disorder, in Los Angeles, California on March 19, 2009.

Joseph Jasgur (89) photographer who shot photos of Marilyn Monroe when she was just a 19-year-old brunette hoping to break into modeling. Several beach photos, in particular, years later created a sensation: one appeared to show a sixth toe on Monroe's left foot, which many Hollywood historians have dismissed as an optical illusion. In 2000 Jasgur signed away control of the photos to an Orlando drywall contractor, then spent his last years trying to get them back. He died two days before his 90th birthday, in Orlando, Florida on March 21, 2009.

Leonard Krys (64) actor and former travel agent whose 1991 near-fatal heart attack aboard a 10-hour Lufthansa flight launched a seven-year legal battle that helped to prompt US airlines to install defibrillators on their planes. Krys won a lawsuit against Lufthansa in Miami federal court (nonjury trial) which the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld. The airline argued that the incident should have been classified as an accident, per the Warsaw Convention, capping his payout at $75,000. Krys's health crisis spurred a midlife career switch; he had appeared in a handful of Telemundo telenovelas, independent films, regional theater productions, an episode of America's Most Wanted (as an Israeli searching for his son's killer), and in Latin pop star La India's video Traicion (as a priest). Krys died of a heart attack in Miami, Florida on March 16, 2009.

Morton Lachman (90) one of the creative minds behind Bob Hope, a writer and producer for the famous comedian for 28 years (1947-75) before shifting into sitcom production with shows including All in the Family, Gimme a Break, and Kate & Allie. Lachman died of a heart attack and diabetes three days before his 91st birthday, in Los Angeles, California on March 17, 2009.

Jack Lawrence (96) former podiatrist who wrote lyrics for songs, many of which became hits. Lawrence's biggest hits include "If I Didn't Care" (1939; first hit for the Ink Spots), "All or Nothing at All" (1943; No. 1 song for Frank Sinatra and the Harry James Orchestra), "Linda" (1947; commissioned by Lee Eastman, father of Linda Eastman, who grew up to marry Beatle Paul McCartney), and "Tenderly" (1947; a hit for Sarah Vaughan and Rosemary Clooney). Lawrence died of renal failure and complications from a fall, in Danbury, Connecticut on March 15, 2009.

Brandon McDaniel (20) guitarist and founding member of the popular contemporary Christian rock band MyCalvary. The band performed their first demo track, "No Turning Back," at a local CD release show in Spartanburg County, South Carolina in 2007. McDaniel was killed in a car accident in Spartanburg, South Carolina on March 17, 2009.

Natasha Richardson (45) British-born Tony-winning stage and film actress and wife of actor Liam Neeson. Richardson won her Tony for playing Sally Bowles in a 1998 stage revival of Cabaret. Her performing genes were inherited not just from her parents (actress Vanessa Redgrave and the late director Tony Richardson [d. 1991]), but also from her maternal grandparents (actors Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson), an aunt (Lynn Redgrave), and an uncle (Corin Redgrave); her younger sister, Joely Richardson, is also an actress. Natasha Richardson died two days after suffering a head injury during a beginners’ ski lesson in Canada, after being flown to New York City for treatment, on March 18, 2009.

Ron Silver (62) versatile Tony-winning actor and political activist who amassed an impressive list of roles based on real-life figures in movies including Reversal of Fortune and Ali. Silver played Henry Kissinger, Alan Dershowitz, and Angelo Dundee on the big screen and supported Bill Clinton, Rudolph W. Giuliani, and George W. Bush on the stump. On Broadway, he won a Tony in 1988 in David Mamet's Hollywood sendup Speed-the-Plow and was known for playing charming but manipulative characters. On TV he had recurring roles on several series, including Rhoda, Chicago Hope, The West Wing, and Veronica's Closet. A longtime liberal who became an outspoken supporter of former President George W. Bush's military response to 9/11, Silver died of esophageal cancer, diagnosed in 2007, in New York City on March 15, 2009.

Jeremy R. Azrael (73) leading expert on the Soviet economy and longtime political scientist at Rand Corp. Azrael was best known for establishing and leading a semiannual economic forum after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He died of lymphoma in Sherman Oaks, California on March 19, 2009.

Sir Nicholas Henderson (89) former British ambassador to the US who helped to build support for Britain's war effort in the Falkland Islands. Henderson played an instrumental role in building support in the US for Britain's decision to invade the Falkland Islands after they were seized by Argentina in 1982. He died in his sleep in London, England on March 16, 2009.

Michael V. O'Hare (73) bookkeeper to former US Sen. Thomas J. Dodd (D-Conn., d. 1971), a whistle-blower whom the senator mainly held to blame in a case that ultimately led the Senate to censure Dodd, father of current Sen. Chris Dodd, in 1967 for using campaign money for his personal benefit. O’Hare died of a stroke in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on March 15, 2009.

Joseph P. Albright (70) West Virginia Supreme Court justice, a former House of Delegates speaker who became the most consistent anchor for the high court's opinions. As a justice, Albright wrote more than 120 majority opinions. He was chief justice of the five-member court in 2005. He died of esophageal cancer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on March 21, 2009.

Richard Aoki (71) civil rights activist and one of the first members of the revolutionary Black Panther Party promoted to field marshal. Although there were several Asian-American members of the party, Aoki was the only one to gain a formal leadership position. He died in Oakland, California on March 15, 2009.

Maria Eufemia Domenici (110) Italian supercentenarian, believed to be one of the eight oldest-verified living people in Italy. Domenici lived in three centuries and was said to have witnessed the Indian famine, two World Wars, and some epidemic diseases, including the pandemic Spanish influenza that killed over 50 million people around the world in 1918-19. She died in Genoa, Italy on March 16, 2009.

William McInerney (45) father of accused school shooter Brandon McInerney (15), currently facing first-degree murder charges as an adult in the Feb. 12, 2008 fatal shooting of a gay classmate, Larry King (15), during an apparent violent hate crime attack in a classroom at their junior high school in southern California. William McInerney recently was involved in a domestic dispute with his sister and was expected to face criminal charges stemming from the incident. He was found dead at his home from what appeared to be a blunt-force head injury after an accidental fall, in Silver Strand, California on March 18, 2009.

Lovelle Mixon (26) Oakland, Calif. parole violator who opened fire on two police officers during what appeared to be a routine traffic stop, leading to a gunfight in which Mixon killed two more officers. In one of northern California's worst shooting rampages, four police officers were killed in the line of duty in a single day, the most in the department's history. Mixon was shot and killed in the gunfight after being caught hiding in an apartment in Oakland, California on March 21, 2009.

Mark Parker (44) former correctional officer paralyzed from the shoulders down when he was shot twice in the spine in a 1984 Orange County (Fla.) Courthouse shooting that killed two sheriff's deputies and led the way to tighter courthouse security systems across the US. One bailiff, William ("Arnie") Wilkerson, was killed at the scene; the other, Harry Dalton, who suffered from brain damage and was partially paralyzed, died in 1991 from his injuries. Parker was awarded the Purple Heart for his heroic efforts as he ran into the courthouse hallway warning people when the gunman burst inside and began to open fire on Jan. 10, 1984. He later attended annual memorial services for the slain victims and even witnessed the 2000 execution of gunman Thomas Provenzano. Parker died of complications from his injuries, in Orlando, Florida on March 19, 2009.

Catharina Peters-Keultjes (111) Dutch supercentenarian, believed to be one of the oldest residents in the Netherlands and the country's second-oldest verified person ever documented. Peters-Keultjes declined to celebrate her 111th birthday on March 14 owing to health problems. She died six days later, in Zevenaar, the Netherlands on March 20, 2009.

Khadijeh Saqafi (93) widow of the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (d. 1989), father of Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution. Saqafi was known as the "mother of the Islamic revolution." She died in Tehran, Iran on March 21, 2009.

Phong Thuc Tran (36) unemployed field technician, a suspect in the fatal shootings of two Southern California Gas Co. employees, Hung Duy Dao (37) and Charles Rene Santisteban (43), both found shot dead in their vehicles less than two days apart, outside or near the gas company in Anaheim and Pomona earlier this week. Police said Tran was angry for being forced to resign from the utility in 2007. On March 19, he was found in his car with an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head outside an Anaheim police station and later died at a hospital in Orange, California on March 21, 2009.

Carroll Walter ("Whitey") Lockman (82) former New York Giants outfielder-first baseman who set the stage for Bobby Thomson's pennant-winning home run against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1951 and played in two World Series at the Polo Grounds. Lockman was also a former Cubs manager and a longtime member of their organization. He died of pneumonia and pulmonary fibrosis in Scottsdale, Arizona on March 17, 2009.

Bill Bogash (92) pioneer Roller Derby star who launched his career on skates as a teenager during the Great Depression when he teamed up with his mother, Josephine, in 1935 at the second Transcontinental Roller Derby race in Kansas City. In 1952, Ma Bogash became the first female skater inducted into the Roller Derby Hall of Fame; Bill Bogash was inducted in '53. He led numerous teams around the nation during the '40s and coached the New York Chiefs to the first Roller Derby world championship at Madison Square Garden in 1949. He died of respiratory failure in Joshua Tree, California on March 20, 2009.

Jaroslav Pitner (83) former Czechoslovakian ice hockey coach who helped to direct his country's wins over the Soviet Union in the '60s. Pitner coached his countrymen (1966-73), taking them to the world title in Prague in 1972. Under his leadership, the Czech team also won a silver medal at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France and a bronze medal at the '72 Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan. Pitner's greatest achievement was the development of a defensive system that allowed Czechoslovakia to triumph over its rival, the Soviet Union, widely considered unbeatable at the time. Czechoslovakia beat the Soviet team by 2-0 and by 4-3 during the 1969 world championships in Stockholm, the year after the Soviet Union had sent troops into Czechoslovakia. Pitner died in Prague, Czech Republic on March 20, 2009.

Walt Poddubny (49) former National Hockey League player. Drafted 90th overall by Edmonton in 1980, Poddubny played 11 NHL seasons for the Oilers, Toronto, the New York Rangers, Quebec, and New Jersey. He had 184 goals and 238 assists in 468 games and topped the 30-goal mark three times. After finishing his playing career in the American Hockey League with the Worcester IceCats, he coached the Anchorage Aces in the West Coast Hockey League. He collapsed and died in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada on March 21, 2009.

Glenn Marlin Sundby (87) acrobat who cofounded USA Gymnastics and the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. In 1949, Sundby drew national attention by walking down the steps of the Washington Monument on his hands. In 1962, he helped to found the US Gymnastics Federation—now USA Gymnastics—and was its vice president. He also cofounded the US Sports Acrobatics Federation and the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame and started what is now International Gymnast, the sport's leading publication, in 1957. Sundby died in Vista, California on March 19, 2009.