Heinz Edelmann (75) graphic designer best known for his work as art director of the 1968 Beatles film Yellow Submarine. Edelmann also designed many book covers, including the first German edition of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Until 1999, he was a professor at the State Academy of Art & Design in Stuttgart, Germany, where he died on July 21, 2009.

E. Lynn Harris (54) pioneer of gay black fiction and a literary entrepreneur who rose from self-publishing to best-selling status. Harris, who lived in Atlanta, published 11 novels, 10 of which were on the New York Times best-seller list. He fell ill on a train to Los Angeles and blacked out for a few minutes, but seemed fine after that. He died after being stricken at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on July 23, 2009.

Frank McCourt (78) former New York schoolteacher, author of Angela’s Ashes, the Pulitzer Prize-winning “epic of woe” about his impoverished Irish childhood. McCourt had been gravely ill with meningitis and recently was treated for melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer and the cause of his death in New York City on July 19, 2009.

Joan Rapoport (66) artist and potter who taught classes at the now-defunct nonprofit adult school Everywoman’s Village in the San Fernando Valley. Rapoport specialized in raku, a centuries-old ceramic technique used to fire cups and bowls for traditional Japanese tea services. The wife of veteran sportswriter and columnist Ron Rapoport, she died of pancreatic cancer in Van Nuys, California on July 21, 2009.

John Ryan (88) cartoonist who created the popular Captain Pugwash British TV series. The BBC commissioned the first TV series based on the character in 1957, and it was shown in black-and-white over the next 10 years; color episodes appeared when the series was revived in the ‘70s. More than 20 Pugwash books have been published, but it was through the TV series that the character won broad appeal. Ryan had been frail for some time. He died in London, England on July 22, 2009.

Ruben Trejo (72) Mexican-American artist who taught at Eastern Washington University. Trejo worked in several media, including sculpture, mixed-media, painting, and drawing. His work was in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, and the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago. He died of myelodyslastic syndrome, a blood disorder, in Spokane, Washington on July 19, 2009.

Elin Brekke Vanderlip (90) Norwegian-born grande dame of the Palos Verdes Peninsula and founder in 1979 of Friends of French Art, a Los Angeles group that raised millions of dollars to help rescue France’s cultural riches. Vanderlip died of heart failure in Rancho Palos Verdes, California on July 20, 2009.

Gidget the Chihuahua (15) canine diva of ‘90s Taco Bell TV commercials who knew she was a star. Gidget traveled first-class, opened up the New York Stock Exchange, and made an appearance at Madison Square Garden. In later years, she did other acting work, appearing in a 2002 commercial for the insurance company GEICO and in the ‘03 movie Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde. She suffered a massive stroke at her trainer’s home and had to be euthanized, in Santa Clarita, California on July 21, 2009.

Alan G. Davenport (76) Canadian wind engineer who gauged the effects of wind on tall structures. Davenport used mathematics and experiments with wind tunnels to analyze some of the world’s biggest buildings, estimating how far they can lean before they fall over and how fast they can sway back and forth before occupants get seasick, partitions crack, or elevators get stuck. He died of complications from Parkinson’s disease, in London, Ontario, Canada on July 19, 2009.

Gerald H. F. Gardner (83) geophysicist, mathematician, and social activist who provided the statistics supporting the 1973 landmark US Supreme Court case that resulted in the prohibition of sex discrimination in newspaper employment ads. Gardner died of leukemia in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on July 25, 2009.

Elinor Gordon (91) dealer and collector who helped to elevate the status of Chinese export porcelain and acquired important pieces for collectors and museums. Gordon died of a stroke in East Sandwich, Massachusetts on July 22, 2009.

Edward T. Hall (95) cultural anthropologist who pioneered the study of nonverbal communication and interactions among members of different ethnic groups. Hall died in Santa Fe, New Mexico on July 20, 2009.

Lynn Pressman Raymond (97) former chief executive of Pressman Toy Corp., founded in 1922 by her husband, Jack (d. 1959). In the ‘50s, Raymond came up with the idea for toy doctor’s and nurse’s kits, which became huge best-sellers. At her suggestion, Pressman led the way in advertising toys and games on TV and pioneered the development of tie-ins to popular TV shows and stars. She died in New York City on July 22, 2009.

Mark Rosenzweig (86) University of California at Berkeley psychologist who pioneered studies showing that the human brain can physically grow and change as it ages. Rosenzweig died of kidney failure in Berkeley, California on July 20, 2009.

Ray Shaw (75) former Associated Press newsman and chairman of American City Business Journals. Shaw was working in his garage early July 18 when he was stung by a yellow jacket and collapsed. He was revived but died the next morning of complications from the insect sting, in Charlotte, North Carolina on July 19, 2009.

Martha B. Watson Stern (72) owner of the Texas kennel that bred Bo, President Barack Obama’s family dog. Stern drew attention in April as breeder of Bo, the Portuguese water dog puppy that became the pet of Obama, his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters, Malia and Sasha. She died in Charlottesville, Virginia on July 21, 2009.

George Weissman (90) businesss executive who helped to transform Philip Morris from a midlevel tobacco company to a diversified conglomerate known for contributions to the arts, then led New York’s Lincoln Center for nearly 10 years. Weissman died of complications from a recent fall at his home, 12 days after his 90th birthday, in Greenwich, Connecticut on July 24, 2009.

Alexander Heard (92) chancellor of Vanderbilt University in the ‘60s and ‘70s and an education adviser under three US Presidents: Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon. Heard died in Nashville, Tennesssee on July 24, 2009.

Stanley Lebergott (91) retired economist and professor who maintained that consumerism had brought improvements to the American standard of living. A former government economist and Wesleyan University professor, Lebergott disagreed with those who disdained “consumerism” as wasteful, pointless, and even immoral. He died of cardiac arrest in Middletown, Connecticut on July 24, 2009.

Yasmin Ahmad (51) Malaysian film director who won accolades for her depictions of struggles with racial prejudice and social barriers. Ahmad underwent brain surgery on July 24 to remove a blood clot after she suffered a stroke. She died the next day in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on July 25, 2009.

Ria Brieffies (51) Dutch pop singer and actress, a member of the popular Dutch girl group The Dolly Dots, who scored many hits throughout Europe in the ‘80s. Brieffies died of lung cancer in Westerland, the Netherlands on July 20, 2009.

Teresa Butz (39) younger sister of Broadway actor and singer Norbert Leo Butz, best known for his 2005 Tony-winning role as Freddy in the Broadway musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, based on the 1988 film starring Steve Martin. Teresa Butz died of multiple stab wounds after a brutal attack during a break-in at her home in Seattle, Washington on July 19, 2009. On July 24, Seattle police arrested suspect Isaiah M. K. Kalebu in connection with the crime.

Virginia Carroll (95) movie character actress and B-western leading lady who appeared opposite cowboy stars such as Don (“Red”) Barry, Gene Autry, Johnny Mack Brown, Bill Elliott, Roy Rogers, Whip Wilson, and Tex Ritter. Carroll was the widow of actor Ralph Byrd (d. 1952), who starred as Dick Tracy in movie serials and on early TV. She died in Santa Barbara, California on July 23, 2009.

Alexis Cohen (25) former two-time American Idol contestant. Cohen auditioned in Philadelphia for the popular Fox singing competition in August 2007, and the episode was aired in January ’08. She tried out again during the show’s eighth season; a video of her angry rant after being rejected by judges went viral on the Internet. Cohen suffered chest, head, and abdominal injuries when she was struck and killed by a hit-and-run car in Seaside Heights, New Jersey on July 25, 2009. Police later arrested Daniel Bark (23) in connection with her death.

John (Marmaduke) Dawson (64) longtime Grateful Dead collaborator who cowrote “Friend of the Devil” and developed a devoted following with his psychedelic country group, New Riders of the Purple Sage. Dawson died from stomach cancer in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where he had retired several years earlier, on July 21, 2009.

Armando del Moral (93) Spanish-language journalist, a member of the Hollywood Foreign Correspondents Association who helped to establish the Golden Globes. Del Moral died in North Hollywood, California on July 21, 2009.

David Drew (78) British music critic and musicologist who almost single-handedly rescued the work of Kurt Weill (Three-Penny Opera; d. 1950) from neglect and reclassified him as an important 20th-century composer. Drew died in London, England on July 25, 2009.

Éva Fenyvessy (98) Hungarian actress, one of the last few actors from ‘30s Hungarian movies. A former child stage actress, Fenyvessy made her film debut in the second Hungarian talking picture, Hyppolit a lakáj (1931; Hippolyt the Butler), in which she sang “Köszönöm, hogy imádott (Thank you for loving me),” still a popular song in Hungary. After that she made several more films into the ‘40s. She died in Budapest, Hungary on July 21, 2009.

Jessica Foxley (21) aspiring British model and pop singer who recorded several songs for BBC Radio 2 and whose debut single entitled “The Other Half of My Heart” was due to be shown on a Sky TV commercial later this year. Foxley was one of three persons killed in a single car accident caused by an oil spill in Colne, Lancaster, England on July 25, 2009.

Harvey Frand (68) Emmy-winning producer, the “man behind the curtain” on the Syfy hit Battlestar Galactica. Frand’s other credits include 34 episodes of the 1985-89 version of The Twilight Zone, Beauty & the Beast, The Young Riders, The Lazarus Man, The Pretender, and Strange World; he produced more than 20 pilots and movies of the week. He died after a brief hospitalization for respiratory problems, in Los Angeles, California on July 23, 2009.

Gangubai Hangal (96) veteran Indian classical singer who battled caste and gender prejudices to establish a career that spanned more than 70 years. Hangal was briefly hospitalized for respiratory problems. She was put on life support July 20 after her condition turned critical and died in Hubli, India, a city in Karnataka state, on July 21, 2009.

Scott Kurtis (38) son of journalist and TV personality Bill Kurtis, a former CBS correspondent and current host of crime and news documentary shows on the Arts & Entertainment channel. Scott Kurtis had been working for about 10 years at his father’s ranch in southeast Kansas. He had suffered from paranoid schizophrenia since his mid-teens, along with its complications of heart and thyroid ailments. He was found dead at his home in Sedan, Kansas on July 20, 2009.

Lee Kurty (70) actress who played nurse Zoe Lawton during the last season (1965-66) of the popular ‘60s TV medical series Dr. Kildare, opposite Richard Chamberlain in the title role. Kurty also appeared on the soaps Love of Life and Search for Tomorrow. She died of complications from dementia in Van Nuys, California on July 23, 2009.

Les Lye (84) Canadian actor and broadcaster best known in the US as the only adult cast member of the children’s comedy show You Can’t Do That on Television, a sort of junior version of Laugh-In that had its premiere in 1979 on Ottawa station CJOH-TV. When it was shown on Nickelodeon in the early ’80s, it quickly became one of that channel’s most popular programs. Lye died in Ottawa, Canada on July 21, 2009.

Frank Malley (67) Pennsylvania-born Irish singer and musician. Malley operated the Frank Malley Drafting Co. for 35 years but also performed at the Philadelphia Folk Festival, the Traditional Irish Music & Dance Festival of the Philadelphia Ceili Group, and other events. He died of cancer in Mount Airy, Pennsylvania on July 25, 2009.

Thomas N. Schroth (88) journalist who helped to expand and deepen political coverage of Washington as editor of Congressional Quarterly and a founding editor of National Journal. Schroth died of congestive heart failure in Sedgwick, Maine on July 23, 2009.

Gladys Bustamante (97) widow of Jamaica’s first prime minister and a staunch supporter of women’s and workers’ rights. Known as “Lady B,” Gladys married Alexander Bustamante (d. 1977) in 1963, a year after Jamaica was granted independence from Britain. She died after suffering from a fever, in Kingston, Jamaica on July 25, 2009.

Harry Patch (111) last British army veteran of World War I. The only other surviving UK-based British veteran of the war, former airman Henry Allingham, died a week earlier at age 113. Patch died in Wells, southwest England, on July 25, 2009.

Alexander H. Pope (80) former attorney who became Los Angeles County assessor in 1978 and faced the challenge of implementing property tax rollbacks newly mandated by Proposition 13. Pope died of complications from Parkinson’s disease in Berkeley, California on July 21, 2009.

Lily Burk (17) daughter of Los Angeles Times music writer Greg Burk and his wife, noted libel attorney Deborah Drooz. Lily Burk was scheduled to appear on stage in the lead role in her school’s production of David Mamet’s The Boston Marriage. She was reported missing just hours before she was found beaten to death in her parked car after a botched robbery in downtown Los Angeles, California on July 25, 2009. Police later arrested Charlie Samuel (50) in connection with her kidnapping and death.

William Coleman (114?) Alabama man whose family claimed he was 114 and that he was born on Feb. 5, 1895 (which would have made him one of the nation’s oldest residents) when they provided a copy of a 1910 US Census report that listed him as a 15-year-old living in Dallas County. But no birth certificate existed; his age claim was based on census records, family bibles, and church directories. He died in Mobile, Alabama on July 23, 2009.

Max Dunlap (81) Arizona man serving a life sentence for his part in the 1976 car-bomb death of Arizona Republic reporter Don Bolles. Dunlap was one of three men convicted of murder and conspiracy to commit murder in Bolles’s slaying. Prosecutors believed the reporter was targeted because he had written stories that upset a liquor wholesaler who was Dunlap’s mentor. Dunlap died in his prison cell in Tucson, Arizona on July 21, 2009.

Dr. Howard A. Engle (89) Miami Beach pediatrician whose 2000 class-action lawsuit against tobacco companies resulted in the largest punitive damage award in US history when a Miami jury awarded $145 billion. The Florida Supreme Court later overturned that verdict as excessive, ruling that thousands of smokers covered by the Engle case must prove damages individually, and those cases are currently being tried across the state. Engle had been in declining health for years from smoking-related ailments and died in Miami, Florida on July 22, 2009.

Robert Hilferty (49) free-lance writer and AIDS activist who made a short documentary film, Stop the Church (1989), that upset the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York and PBS-TV. The film documented a demonstration at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan by gay rights and abortion rights advocates; more than 4,500 people gathered outside while 134 went inside and collapsed in the aisles to symbolize death. PBS planned to broadcast the film in August 1991 but reneged, then rescheduled it a month later. Hilferty committed suicide while suffering from complications of a head injury he received in March, in New York City on July 24, 2009.

Marvallous Keene (36) Ohio man sentenced to die for his role in the notorious Christmas Eve 1992 killing spree in Dayton that left six people dead and two others wounded during a series of robberies. Keene was described as ringleader of a group that called itself the Downtown Posse at the time of the multiple slayings. He had began to show signs of remorse as he opted not to fight the death sentence during trial. He was executed by lethal injection in Lucasville, Ohio on July 21, 2009.

Melissa Ann Rice (24) Idaho woman accused of launching a cancer donation scam that netted her thousands of dollars and gifts from celebrities and an online support group sponsored by the Livestrong Foundation (precursor to Lance Armstrong’s cancer foundation). Rice was indicted by a Bonneville County grand jury on a felony charge of fraud after she duped national cancer foundations into donating funds and celebrity memorabilia to her by pretending to be a 15-year-old boy struggling with brain cancer. She was found dead inside her car, an apparent suicide in Ammon, Idaho on July 22, 2009.

Rick Bryan (47) All-America defensive end at the University of Oklahoma who played his entire NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons. Bryan was a three-time All-Big Eight selection and a two-time All-American and held the OU record for tackles by a lineman with 365. He started for Oklahoma (1981-83) and was drafted ninth overall by the Falcons in 1984. He died of congestive heart failure in Coweta, Oklahoma on July 25, 2009.

Sue Burns (58) part owner and largest shareholder of the San Francisco Giants. Burns was a devoted fan who often followed the team on the road and regularly went to spring training in Arizona, attending at least 1,000 games over the last 10 years. She was diagnosed with cancer on July 10 and missed Jonathan Sanchez’s no-hitter for the Giants that night—a rare absence from the ballpark. She died in San Francisco, California on July 19, 2009.

Vernon Forrest (38) boxer who held three championships and scored an upset of welterweight titleholder Shane Mosley in 2002. Forrest had fought professionally since 1992 and was considering a comeback from an injury. He was killed in an exchange of gunfire after he was robbed at a gas station in Atlanta, Georgia on July 25, 2009.

Ed Rudolph (68) three-time Olympic speedskater. Rudolph was on the 1960, ’64, and ‘68 US Olympic teams. He later became a developer in Colorado Springs and volunteered to help build the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center. Rudolph and his wife, Gwen, were killed in a traffic accident when the driver of a GMC Suburban swerved to avoid a deer and collided with Rudolph’s 2005 Acura, in Boulder, Wyoming on July 19, 2009.

Henry Surtees (18) up-and-coming British race car driver and son of 1964 Formula One world champion John Surtees. Henry Surtess had recently won more than three consecutive victories as a runner-up in a series of Formula Two junior road-racing competitions earlier this year. He died of injuries suffered in a race accident after being struck by a wheel from another car that had spun into the wall in London, England on July 19, 2009.

Carlton Willey (78) right-hander whose eight-year major league career included a World Series appearance for the Milwaukee Braves in 1958. Willey played in the major leagues (1958-65) after being signed by the Boston Braves in 1951. While playing for the Milwaukee Braves and the New York Mets, he racked up 38 wins and a career 3.76 ERA. In the 1958 World Series he recorded a pair of strikeouts against the New York Yankees, who won the series in seven games. Willey died of lung cancer in Cherryfield, Maine on July 20, 2009.