People we lost in 2018

Following is a cross section of those we lost in 2018, certainly not the complete list. I've tried to include people from various walks of life. This list starts with the most recent and goes back through the year.

Actress Penny Marshall, who found fame in TV's "Laverne & Shirley" before going on to direct such beloved films as "Big" and "A League of Their Own," died on Monday, December 17. She was 75.

George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st President of the United States and the patriarch of one of America's dominant political dynasties, died November 30 at the age of 94

Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of the animated show "SpongeBob Squarepants," died November 26 following a battle with the neurodegenerative disease ALS. He was 57

Roy Clark, a country music star and former host of the long-running TV series "Hee Haw," died November 15, his publicist told CNN. He was 85.

Stan Lee, the colorful Marvel Comics patriarch who helped usher in a new era of superhero storytelling and saw his creations become a giant influence in the movie business, died November 12 at the age of 95.

Billionaire Paul Allen, the Microsoft co-founder along with Bill Gates, died on October 15, according to his investment firm Vulcan. Allen also owned two professional sports teams, NFL's Seattle Seahawks and the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers. He was 65.

Jamal Ahmad Khashoggi was a Saudi Arabian dissident, author, columnist for the Washington Post, and a general manager and editor-in-chief of Al-Arab News Channel who was assassinated at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018, just days short of his 60th birthday.

Actor Burt Reynolds, whose easygoing charms and handsome looks drew prominent roles in films such as "Smokey and the Bandit" and "Boogie Nights," died on September 6. He was 82.

Neil Simon, the playwright and screenwriter whose indestructible comedies including "The Odd Couple," "Barefoot in the Park," "The Sunshine Boys" and "Brighton Beach Memoirs" made him one of the most successful writers in American history, died on August 26. He was 91.

John McCain, a Vietnam War hero who served in the US Senate for more than 30 years and ran for president twice, died August 25 at the age of 81. McCain, a conservative maverick, won the Republican nomination in 2008 but lost to Barack Obama. He continued to serve in Congress after being diagnosed with brain cancer last year.

Robin Leach, the debonair TV host who regaled audiences with talk of "champagne wishes and caviar dreams," died August 24, his publicist confirmed. He was 76.

Kofi Annan, the first black African to lead the United Nations, died August 18 at the age of 80. He served as the UN's Secretary-General from 1997 to 2006. His efforts to secure a more peaceful world brought him and the UN the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001.

Aretha Franklin, whose gospel-rooted singing and bluesy yet expansive delivery earned her the title "the Queen of Soul," died August 16, a family statement said. She was 76.

Charlotte Rae, a gregarious actress with a prodigious career on stage, screen and TV, died August 5 at the age of 92, according to her son, Larry Strauss. She is best known for her role as housekeeper Edna Garrett, first on the sitcom "Different Strokes" and then the spinoff "The Facts of Life."

Adrian Cronauer, the former American airman whose radio show provided the inspiration for Robin Williams' character in "Good Morning, Vietnam," died on July 18, according to his family. He was 79.

Alan Diaz, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his photograph of terrified Cuban boy Elian Gonzalez looking at an armed US agent, died at the age of 71, the Associated Press said on July 3.

The suicide of Anthony Bourdain, the chef and gifted storyteller who took viewers around the world, was confirmed on June 8. He was 61.

Kate Brosnahan Spade, who created an iconic, accessible handbag line that bridged Main Street and high-end fashion, hanged herself in an apparent suicide June 5, according to New York Police Department sources. She was 55. Her company has retail shops and outlet stores all over the world.

Actor Jerry Maren died May 24 due to complications from congestive heart failure, according to his family. Maren, 98, was the last surviving munchkin from "The Wizard of Oz."

Philip Roth, a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, died May 22 at the age of 85. Roth was one of America's most prolific and controversial 20th-century novelists, with a career that spanned decades and more than two dozen books.

Tom Wolfe, the innovative journalist and author who wrote such best-selling masterpieces as "The Bonfire of the Vanities" and "The Right Stuff, died on May 14 at the age of 87. Wolfe was known as a pioneer of a literary style that became known as New Journalism. It was a long-form of writing in which writers deeply immersed themselves in the subject they were writing about.

Margot Kidder, who played Lois Lane in the original 1978 "Superman" movie, died on May 13, confirmed by her manager. Kidder was 69 years old.

Verne Troyer, an actor who played Mini-Me in two of the Austin Powers comedy films, died at the age of 49, according to statements posted to his social media accounts on April 21. No cause of death was immediately released.

Barbara Bush, the matriarch of a Republican political dynasty and a first lady who elevated the cause of literacy, died April 17, according to a statement from her husband's office. She was 92.

Harry Anderson, best known for playing Judge Harry Stone on TV's "Night Court," was found dead inside his home in Asheville, North Carolina, on April 16, according to police. He was 65.

Steven Bochco, a producer whose boundary-pushing series like "Hill Street Blues" and "NYPD Blue" helped define the modern TV drama, died April 1 after a battle with leukemia. He was 74.

Linda Brown, who as a little girl was at the center of the US Supreme Court case that ended segregation in schools (Brown vs Board of Education), died on March 25, a funeral home spokesman said. She was 75.

Stephen Hawking, the brilliant British physicist who overcame a debilitating disease to publish wildly popular books probing the mysteries of the universe, died on March 14. He was 76.

Fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy, a pioneer in high-end ready-to-wear who was famous for styling Audrey Hepburn's little black dress in "Breakfast at Tiffany's," died at the age of 91, the House of Givenchy confirmed on March 12.

Evangelist Billy Graham—a confidant to presidents, a guiding light to generations of American evangelicals, and a globe-trotting preacher who converted millions to Christianity—died February 21 at the age of 99.

Jerry Van Dyke, the younger brother of fellow comedian and actor Dick Van Dyke, died January 5 at his Arkansas ranch according to his wife, Shirley Ann Jones. He was 86. Jerry Van Dyke was known for several roles, most notably for playing the assistant football coach on the late '80s and '90s hit show "Coach," for which he earned four Emmy nominations. He also made appearances on his brother's classic sitcom "The Dick Van Dyke Show."

Former astronaut John Young, a NASA trailblazer whose six journeys into space included a walk on the moon and the first space shuttle flight, died January 5 after complications from pneumonia, NASA said. He was 87.