April 1: Robert Walker, 54: Canadian-born American animator and director (Aladdin, Brother Bear, Mulan, The Lion King), was known as a “down-to-earth, quiet, thoughtful guy who cared about the people around him.” He translated his love and passion for drawing into a career as a Walt Disney layout artist and director — a career that culminated with a 2003 Academy Award nomination for the animated feature Brother Bear, a film that earned more than $250 million worldwide. Bob died from a heart attack at age 54, he had recently retired from the film industry.

April 1: Cynthia Lennon, 75:  Cynthia was John Lennon’s first wife and mother of Julian Lennon. Lennon’s former Beatles bandmate, Paul McCartney released a special message in honor of Cynthia, writing, “The news of Cynthia’s passing is very sad. She was a lovely lady who I’ve known since our early days together in Liverpool. She was a good mother to Julian and will be missed by us all; but I will always have great memories of our times together.” Cynthia lost her battle with cancer.

April 2: Linsey Berardi, 22: Bad Girls Club star (Oxygen), Linsey “Jade” Berardi, who was known as “Brooklyn Brat” on the show, reportedly got kicked off the show after getting in a fight with a cameraman. At this time, her cause of death is unknown.

April 2: Tom Towles, 65: a character actor, who was a regular in Rob Zombie films died from a stroke at a hospital in Pinellas, Florida.

April 3: Bob Burns, 64: former Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer died in a single-vehicle wreck along Tower Ridge Road in Cartersville (Bartow County) Georgia. He was not wearing a seatbelt and was the only occupant in the vehicle.

April 3: Terdell Middleton, 59: American football player (Green Bay Packers) was a running back and attended the University of Memphis during the fall of 1973. He was a third round pick in the 1977 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals and was traded to Green Bay in the preseason. He went to the Pro Bowl after the 1978 season, when he ran for 1,116 yards, sixth best in the NFL. He was five days short of his 60th birthday when he died.

April 5: Frederic Brandt, 65: Brandt was likely the inspiration for Martin Short’s character on “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” a parody that reportedly DEVASTATED the celebrity doctor. He was found dead in his Miami home on Sunday morning after hanging himself, a spokesperson for the Miami Police Department confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. Some of Brandt’s patients included Madonna and Stephanie Seymour.

April 6: Alton “Ben” Powers, 64: Good Times actor, (Keith Anderson) passed away, cause of death unknown.

April 7: Jose Capellan, 34: former major league pitcher, was found dead from an apparent heart attack at his home in Philadelphia. He apparently was taking Ambien, a drug used for sleep disorders.

April 8: Geoffrey Lewis, 79: had roles in Clint Eastwood movies (High Plains Drifter, Thunderball & Lightfoot, Every Which Way But Loose, Any Which Way You Can, Bronco Billy, Pink Cadillac, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil), plus other films (The Devil’s Rejects, Heaven’s Gate, Dillinger, TV Movie Salem’s Lot, Smile), and numerous television shows (Barnaby Jones, Hawaii Five-O, Lou Grant, Little House on the Prairie, Falcon Crest, Murder She Wrote). Geoffrey was the father of actress Juliette Lewis and he is survived by his wife Paula Hochhalter and nine other children including Lightfield and Matthew, both actors and Dierdre, an actress.

April 9: Alex Soto, 49: A popular Puerto Rican comedian and drag queen, Alex had been recovering from the amputation of his left foot when he suffered a heart attack. He died in Boston. He had previously battled diabetes.

April 10: Eduardo Gauggel Medina, 48 and Eduardo Gaugel Rivas, 70: both Honduran lawyers and politician, the elder Eduardo was also a member of the Supreme Court (1994-1998), the father and son were murdered in Honduras as they were entering Gauggel Rivas’ house in San Pedro Sula by gunman wielding high powered weapons. The son and father died at the scene suffering multiple gunshot wounds. One of the perpetrators was injured in the exchange and authorities arrested him at a clinic in Villa Nueva, 25 kilometers from where the original attack happened.

April 10: Lauren Hill, 19: American college basketball player, pediatric cancer advocate, died of Diffused Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). People diagnosed with this type of caner are given two years maximum to live. Lauren’s motto was “never give up.”

April 12: Ibrahim Sulayman Muhammad al-Rubaish, 35: Muslim cleric, said to be the religious leader of al-Qaeda in Yemen who had a $5m bounty on his head, has been killed by a US drone strike. It is unclear who launched the air strike. He was released from Guantanamo Bay in 2006, after which he joined al-Qaeda in Yemen.

April 12: Marion C. Stroud Havlicek Warner, 92: passed peacefully on April 12, 2015 at the age of 92 of complications from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Marion is survived by her children: Scott R Stroud (deceased), Jeffrey Stroud, Mary-Jo and Annabelle Havlicek. She was preceded in death by her brother Robert Muehlbach and sister Margaret Muehlbach Bauer; and her husbands, James Stroud, Joseph F. Havlicek and Charles W. Warner. She was the loving grandmother to Nick Stroud; Lauren and Jenene Ebstein; Teresa, Scott Robert, James and Holly Stroud; the generous great grandmother to ten and the caring great-great grandmother to three. She was a secretary of the Year recipient and many times Toastmaster’s Speaker Award winner. Marion lived in Stevens Point for almost two decades and worked at Robert’s Irrigation, Joern’s Furniture Company, Inc. and Washington Elementary School. She moved to Milwaukee in the mid-70’s. Marion loved crossword puzzles, murder mysteries, shopping,jewelry, shoes and tiramisu. She was my mother.

April 14: Percy Sledge, 73: best known for his hit “When a Man Loves a Woman,” died at his Baton Rouge, Louisiana home after a long battle with cancer. His career spanned 50 years.

April 14: Homaro Cantu, 38: American chef, suicide by hanging, was found on Chicago’s Northwest Side. He was found in the brewery he was planning to open in the summer in Old Irving Park. Cantu was a culinary innovator on many levels.

April 14: Kevin Rosier, 53: American super heavyweight kickboxing champion and mixed martial artist (UFC), was one of the first men to ever step into the UFC Octagon. Rosier, who took part in the UFC 1 tournament in 1993 was ill for quite some time, suffered an apparent fatal heart attack.

April 15: Joseph A Bennett, 44: British actor (The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, The Bill) and husband to Julie Graham, was found hanging in Richmond Park, SW London. Bennett met Graham when they were in a play together and they married in secret.

April 16: Johnny Kemp, 55: born August 2, 1959, Kemp started singing in Bahamian nightclubs at age 13. He moved to New York in 1979 with the band “Kinky Fox.” He is well known for his hit “Just Got Paid.” He died after falling and hitting his head on a rock on the beach in Jamaica. Reportedly he was to join the Tom Joyner Morning Cruise. He is survived by his wife Deidre and their two sons. Enjoy the video, it will have you out of your seats … (below)

April 18: Joseph Lechleider, 82: was father of the DSL Internet Technology.

April 19: Freddie Gray, 25: police suspect in Baltimore. Six police officers were suspended after Freddie Gray died from a severed spinal cord after being chased and arrested.

April 19: Betty Willis, 91: the American graphic designer who created the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign along Interstate 15 that has served as a gateway to the city since 1959 died of natural causes at the home of her daughter in Las Vegas. She was born in Overton, Nevada and when she was about 2-weeks old, her father moved the family to Las Vegas. She also designed the sign for the fabled Moulin Rouge Hotel. Though the building was destroyed in a series of fires, the sign was saved and moved to the Neon Museum in 2009. In addition to her daughter, Willis is survived by two grandchildren and a great grandchild.

April 21: Cindy Yang, 24: model, and entertainer Cindy Yang (Peng Hsin-yi) committed suicide in her Taichung residence by reportedly inhaling helium, leaving behind a suicide note, blaming coworkers and bullying on the Internet. Fans of “Cindy Yang” and of the TV show “University” pointed to a Facebook page also saying that bullying led her to take her own life. Police said that Peng’s suicide note mentioned Internet “haters” and colleagues as being the reason for her suicide.

April 23: Richard Corliss, 71: longtime film critic for Time magazine, and autor of three books, including Talking Pictures. He died under hospice care in New York City after suffering a stroke.

April 23: Paul Ryan, 69: Actor, TV Host and correspondent (Entertainment Tonight) died from leukemia at Providence Saint Joseph Hospital in Burbank. He acted, he interviewed celebrities, he was a TV hosting coach, speaker and even hosted Celebrity Master Class for the SAG Foundation.

April 23: Sawyer Sweeten, 19: the actor from Everybody Loves Raymond died from a suspected suicide (gunshot). He was 19 (photo is from 2010). He was only weeks from his 20th birthday. He was visiting his family in Texas where it is believed to have shot himself on their front porch.

April 24: Sabeen Mahmud, 39: Pakistani human rights activist, was shot dead in Karachi via a drive-by shooting after hosting a talk on allegations of torte in the province of Balochistan. She was driving home with her mother, who was also attacked. Ms. Mehmud was a director of the charity The Second Floor, also known as T2F.

April 25: notable deaths consequent to the 2015 Nepal earthquake: Dan Fredinburg, 33, American executive, head of privacy at Google; Mattias Kuhle, 67, German geographer.

April 26: Jayne Meadows-Allen, 95: legendary actress, award winner on stage and screen, born to missionary parents in China, died peacefully of natural causes in her Encino, Calif. home. Meadows-Allen was in the entertainment industry for more than six decades, from Broadway roles to TV roles. She was also a panelist on the CBS hit program, I’ve Got a Secret. During her run on the show, Jayne was the highest rated actress on CBS, second only to Lucille Ball. Winner of countless awards, Int’l Platform Association Award, Susan B. Anthony Award and many more. Jayne’s husband of 46 years, Steve Allen, the first host of The Tonight Show, passed away in 2000. Their son, Bill Allen states that she was immediately charmed by him when they met, even saying to her sister, Audrey Meadows, “If that man isn’t married soon he will be … and to me.”

April 27: Verne Gagne, 89: professional wrestler, trainer and promoter (AWA); wrestling legend and Wrestling Observer first year Hall of Famer had suffered from dementia for many years, which included a 2009 incident where he threw down a fellow nursing home resident. Gagne was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s (or possibly chronic traumatic encephalopathy caused by a lifetime of head injuries) and had been living in the “memory-loss” section at a Bloomington, Minn. health care facility. He continued to make public appearances in his last years, aided by his son Greg. He was 89 when he died.

April 27: Andrew Lesnie, 59: Australian cinematographer (The Lord of the Rings, I Am Legend, The Water Diviner), Oscar winner (2002), died from a heart attack.

April 30: Nigel Terry, 69: an English actor who starred as King Arthur in John Boorman’s 1981 medieval drama Excalibur died of emphysema. (Blogger’s Note: When I first saw Boorman’s “Excalibur” I watched it at least once a week for almost a year, I was that hypnotized by Nigel Terry’s performance.) Terry also played in Anthony Harvey’s The Lion in Winter. In 1986 he played a bisexual voluptuary with a goatee and a gleaming eye in Caravaggio opposite Sean Bean and Tilda Swinton. He also worked in theatre (the National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company), often working with director Max Stafford-Clark and playwright Howard Barker. In his last major film, Wolfgang Petersen’s Troy (2004) an epic starring Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom, he had the pleasure of playing a Trojan high priest and advisor to O’Toole’s King Priam. In 1993 in moved from London back to Cornwall partly to be near his parents in their later years, but also to enjoy the beauty of the cliffs and sea.

April 30: Ben E King, 76: soul and R&B singer, best known for his iconic 1961 single “Stand by Me,” died from coronary heart disease. Though he gained some fame with The Drifters, it was the classic Stand By Me that cemented his fame.

May 1: Dave Goldberg, 47: Silicon Valley entrepreneur, SurveyMonkey chief executive and husband of Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg was found lying next to a gym treadmill at a holiday resort in Mexico. Goldberg died of severe head trauma. He had vital signs when he was discovered, but later died at a hospital.

May 1: Grace Lee Whitney, 85: born in Detroit, Mich., she is best known for her Star Trek character, Yeoman Janice Rand of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Whitney passed away peacefully in her Coarsegold home.

May 2: Michael Blake, 69: author and Oscar-winning screenwriter of Dances With Wolves (he adapted the screenplay from his own novel), died peacefully after a lengthy illness in Tucson, Ariz. His novel sold more than 3.5 million copies and was translated into 15 languages. The 1990 film won seven Oscars. He is survived by his wife Marrianne and his three children.

May 2: Philip S. Goodman, 89: director, screenwriter and producer, who wrote for film and TV, died at his home in New York City. He wrote episodes for TV shows such as Profiles in Courage, Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Johnny Staccato. He directed the 1963 feature We Shall Return. He also wrote and directed television documentaries and industrial films for many years. In 1970 he wrote three episodes of National Educational Television’s “Our Vanishing Wilderness,” one of the first series on TV to focus on environmental issues. He also directed TV commercials for Coca-Cola, RCA, Revlon and Rheingold beer, among others. He is survived by his daughter Jody (a lawyer); a son Nicholas (a film producer); and two grandchildren.

May 4: William Bast, 84: wrote extensively for both film and TV and was also known for his two James Dean bios, died of complications from Alzheimer’s.

May 4: Ellen Albertini Dow, 101: whose memorable take on “Rapper’s Delight” stole the show in the 1998 Adam Sandler movie The Wedding Singer – and whose screen career started in her 70s. She died at the age of 101 from pneumonia.

May 4: Joshua Ozersky, 47: the prominent American food writer and a Portland resident, died of drowning after suffering a seizure in his Chicago hotel, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office. He was in Chicago to attend the James Beard Foundation Awards.

May 5: Gerard “Jock” Davison, 47: a former Belfast IRA commander and the most senior pro-peace process republican killed since the 1997 IRA ceasefire was shot dead, once in the back of the head in front of children going to a local primary school in the Markets area of south Belfast at 9am.

May 6: Guy Carawan, 87: a folk singer and political activist, introduced the song “We Shall Overcome” to the US civil rights movement.

May 7: Gilbert Lewis, 79: a character actor who played the kindly King of Cartoons on the first season of Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, died at  home peacefully in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

May 8: Joanne Copeland, 83: the second wife of Johnny Carson and a confidante of Truman Capote, died at her longtime home in Los Angeles. She had been in declining health and was in hospice care. She married Johnny Carson in 1963 and divorced him in 1972 when she became a confidante to Truman Capote. Capote even kept a writing room at her house, where he died in 1984. Joanne Carson had a second marriage later in life to Richard Rever that also ended in divorce.

May 9: Elizabeth Wilson, 94: a character actress of stage, screen and TV, Wilson has over 70 appearances to her credit. Special acknowledgment of her work in The Graduate, 9 to 5, The Incredible Shrinking Woman, The Addams Family and an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent. She was a Tony Award Winner.

May 11: Isobel Varley, 77: the world’s most tattooed female pensioner has died following a battle with Alzehimer’s disease. She was covered 93% with designs. Despite receiving her first tattoo in her late 40s, she went on to claim Guinness World Record for “most tattooed senior citizen (female)” and appeared in magazines, newspapers and advertisements across the globe.

May 12: Tony Ayala, Jr., 52: San Antonio boxer died from cardiac arrest. SAFD was dispatched to his home where they found him unresponsive. During his career he was 22-0 with 19 knockouts before he was convicted of rape and served 16 years in prison. He returned to prison in 2004 for parole violation and served another 10 years. He was the son of legendary trainer Tony Ayala, Sr., who died last year. His brothers, Mike, Sammy and Paulie all box on the amateur and pro levels.

May 12: John Colenback, 79: he played Dr. Dan Stewart on the defunct CBS soap opera As The World Turns and appeared in the original Broadway production of A Man for All Seasons. He died of complications from COPD according to his nephew. Other survivors include his brother and nieces and nephews.

May 12: Rachel Jacobs, 39: an American entrepreneur, who was thought to be missing after the 2015 Philadelphia Amtrak derailment was discovered dead from her injuries. She was CEO of ApprenNet and also co-founder of the non-profit Detroit-Nation. Her mother is former Michigan State Senator Gilda Z. Jacobs. Rachel leaves behind a husband and 2-year-old son.

May 12: William MacDonald, 90: Australian serial killer known as “The Mutilator,” MacDonald was New South Wales oldest and longest-serving prisoner. He was jailed for life in 1963 for murdering four men in Sydney and 1 in Brisbane. He gained notoriety for slicing off his victims’ genitals.

May 12: Saulat Mirza: Pakistani convicted murderer and political activist was executed by hanging at Machh jail for the murder of former KESC managing director Shahid Hamid, his driver and guard in 1997.

May 13: Gill Dennis, 74: co-writer of the screenplay for Walk The Line and the man who also penned Return to Oz (1985) and did the teleplay for the 1996 TNT Western Riders of the Purple Sage died of an apparent heart attack at his home in Portland, Ore. according to his wife, Kristen.

May 14: B.B. King, 89: King of the Blues, blues legend who was the idol of generations of musicians and fans alike died at his home in Las Vegas. His attorney, Arthur Williams, Jr. said that King told him he wanted his funeral to be held in a church in Indianola, Mississippi, near the site where he worked picking cotton as a boy. King’s eldest surviving daughter, Shirley King of Oak Park, Illi. said she was upset that she didn’t have a chance to see her father before he died. King was a 15-time Grammy winner and continued to perform well into his 80s. His health had been declining during the past year and he had collapsed during a concert in Chicago last October; King blamed it on dehydration and exhaustion. He had been in hospice care at his Las Vegas home. During his career spanning nearly 70 years he was a mentor to scores of guitarists including Eric Capton, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy, Jimi Hendrix, John Mayall and Keith Richards. King recorded more than 50 records and toured the world,performing 250 or more concerts a year. Singer Smokey Robinson praised the music legend. “The world has physically lost not only one of the greatest musical people ever but one of the greatest people ever. Enjoy your eternity,” Robinson said.

May 15: Corey Hill, 36: former UFC fighter died at a hospital in Tampa, Fla. He apparently suffered a collapsed lung and a heart attack. He is survived by his wife Lauran and three children.

May 27: Cotton Coulson, 63: filmmaker and photographer for National Geographic died in Norway after losing consciousness on a scuba dive off the coast of Norway. The dive was part of a 17-day National Geographic expedition. “Most of us divide time between family and career,” said Ford Cochran, director of programming for National Geographic Expeditions. “They found a way to mingle those things, doing the things they loved.”

May 27: Michael King, 67: television distributor who with his brother transformed a modest company they inherited from their father, into a syndicator of television megahits like The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, died from a lingering infection.

May 27: William Newman, 80: was a character actor that provided him with countless roles in TV and film. He made his film debut in Brubaker and followed this up with The Postman Always Rings Twice. He also appeared in Stephen King’s Silver Bullet and George A. Romero’s Monkey Shines. During the 90s he appeared in Leprechaun, Mrs. Doubtfire, The Stand, The Craft, Touch and two films with Skeet Ulrich. He was also a familiar face on TV. Newman died after a prolonged struggle against the vascular affliction, Multi-infarct Dementia. He died at Hayes Manor Senior Residence in Philadelphia.

May 28: Reynaldo Rey, 75: longtime actor with TV and movie credits died from complications of a stroke he suffered late last year. Rey also had a career as a stand-up comedian and had served as a co-host on BET’s stand-up show Comic View. He had recorded 3 comedy albums and 3 videos.

May 29: Betsy Palmer, 88: a veteran character actress who achieved lasting fame as the murderous camp cook in the horror film Friday the 13th died of natural causes at a hospice care center in Connecticut. In addition to films, Palmer had appeared on Broadway and in TV shows for decades before she played Mrs. Voorhees in Friday the 13th. She would say in later years that she only took the role because she wanted the money to buy a new car. Palmer is survived by her daughter, Melissa Merendino.

May 30: Jim Bailey, 77: a self-proclaimed “character actor” who did impersonations of female celebrities like Barbra Streisand, Judy Garland and Peggy Lee died from a heart attack due to complications from pneumonia.

May 30: Beau Biden, 46: Attorney General of Delaware and son of US Vice President Joe Biden, died after a battle with brain cancer.

May 30: Julie Harris, 94: British costume designer, who designed the clothes worn by The Beatles in the films A Hard Day’s Night and Help! and James Bond in the film Live and Let Die. Harris died in Westminster Hospital in London from a chest infection, according to her close friend, Jo Botting. Ms. Botting stated, “In a career that embraced more than 80 films and television productions … Julie worked with some of the greatest international stars.” She won an Oscar for costume design in the 1965 movie Darling. Ms. Harris never married or had children. She is survived by her god-daughter, Serena Dilnot.

June 1: Katherine Chappell, 29: American tourist, was a visual effects editor at  production company Scanline and helped create effects for the hit series Game of Thrones. She was attacked and killed by a lioness in South Africa. Apparently the animal approached the passenger side of the car and bit her through the window. Witnesses told park officials that the windows were down. There were numerous signs warning visitors to keep windows up.

June 2: Anthony Riley, 28: a vivacious street performer and a frontrunner on the 2015 season of The Voice who inspired one of the fastest four-chair turnaround in the series’ history apparently took his life. He mysteriously and abruptly left The Voice before the Knockout Rounds with no explanation other than “personal reasons.” It was later revealed that he’d dropped out in January to enter a two-week rehab program for substance abuse.

June 4: Hermann Zapf, 96: German typeface designer (Optima, Palatino, Zapfino).

June 6: Vincent Bugliosi, 80: Attorney and author of Helter Skelter, was the man who prosecuted Charles Manson and the members of his “family” for seven murders. The book about the Manson case became one of the best-selling true crime books of all time. Bugliosi died after a years-long battle with cancer, his son, Vincent Bugliosi, Jr. revealed to Retuers.

June 7: Sir Christopher Lee, 93: British actor (Dracula, The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars), voice artist and singer. He died at London’s Chelsea and Westminster Hospital after suffering heart and respiratory problems. His career spanned more than half a century. He defined the macabre for a generation of horror film enthusiasts and played the sinister vampire Dracula no fewer than nine times in productions from 1958 through 1973. He was 6’4″ tall so he was an ideal candidate to play the bloodsucking Count. After playing Dracula for 20 years he tired of the role and moved to the United States where he enjoyed a lucrative career in both films and TV mini-series. He made some comedies in the mid-80s and into the 90s and was Count Dooku in Star Wars: Episode II and Episode III and Saruman in Lord of the Rings. He is survived by his Danish wife, Birgit and their daughter Christina.

June 25: Patrick Macnee, 93: English-American actor (The Avengers, This Is Spinal Tap, A View to a Kill). Patrick Macnee played John Steed in the 1960s TV series The Avengers. It might not have made it to a second season if not for Macnee who breathed life into John Steed. It turned out that The Avengers was one of the first British programs to do well in America. The Avengers ran for 9 seasons plus a lame sequel in the mid-70s. He went on to do more TV and movies and publish a candid autobiography in 1988, Blind in One Ear. He was married three times, twice divorced. His last predeceased him. He is survived by his children. Blogger’s comment: Though I try to keep my comments to a minimum, The Avengers was one of the shows I watched religiously when I was growing up.