The LuLac Edition #5, 223, December 27th, 2024

 

MOVING ON 2024

Our “Moving On” logo.

JANUARY

Frank Ryan, 87, American football player (Los Angeles Rams, Cleveland Browns, Washington Redskins) and mathematician, complications from Alzheimer's disease.

Bridget Dobson, 85, American television writer (General Hospital, The Guiding Light) and producer (Santa Barbara).

Billy Gardner, 96, American baseball player (Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees) and coach (Minnesota Twins).

Glynis Johns, 100, British actress (Mary Poppins, A Little Night Music, The Sundowners), Tony winner (1973).

Elliott D. Kieff, 80, American virologist.

David Soul, 80, American-British actor (Starsky & Hutch, Magnum Force) and singer ("Don't Give Up on Us".

Burke Dales, 46, Canadian football player (Calgary Stampeders, Edmonton Eskimos).

Dix Davis, 97, American child actor (Our Town) and intelligence analyst.

Bill Hayes, 98, American singer ("The Ballad of Davy Crockett") and actor (Days of Our Lives, The Cardinal).

Robin Herbert, 89, British banker and horticulturist.

Bud Harrelson, 79, American baseball player (New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers), complications from Alzheimer's disease.

Jerry Wampfler, 91, American football coach (Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions).

Margo Smith, 84, American singer ("Still a Woman"), complications from a stroke.

Harry Connick Sr., 97, American attorney, district attorney of New Orleans (1973–2003).

Rod Holcomb, 80, American television director (ER, The Greatest American Hero) and producer (The Six Million Dollar Man), Emmy winner (2009).

Jesse Jane, 43, American pornographic actress (Pirates, Pirates II: Stagnetti's Revenge) and host (Naughty Amateur Home Videos).[722] (body discovered on this date) 1/24/24

Jimy Williams, 80, American baseball player (St. Louis Cardinals) and manager (Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays).

Joe Madison, 74, American radio talk-show host (SiriusXM Urban View, WOL-AM) and activist, prostate cancer.

Al McBean, 85, American baseball player (Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres)

FEBRUARY

Asahi, 21, Japanese professional wrestler (Ice Ribbon,  traffic collision.

Pearl Berg, 114, American supercentenarian.

Alonzo Johnson, 60, American football player (Florida Gators, Philadelphia Eagles).

Don Murray, 94, American actor (Bus Stop, A Hatful of Rain, The Plainsman).

Carl Weathers, 76, American actor (Rocky, Predator, The Mandalorian) and football player, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Tony Hutson, 49, American football player (Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins).

Bill Lachemann, 89, American baseball coach (Los Angeles Angels).

Toby Keith, 62, American country singer ("Should've Been a Cowboy", "How Do You Like Me Now?!", "Red Solo Cup") and songwriter, stomach cancer.

Mojo Nixon, 66, American musician ("Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant with My Two-Headed Love Child") and actor (Super Mario Bros., Great Balls of Fire!).

Shurron Pierson, 41, American football player (Oakland Raiders, Chicago Bears).

Joe Louis Dudley Sr. was an American businessman and hair-care entrepreneur. He was the president and chief executive officer for Dudley Products Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of hair and skin care products for the African American community.

Jim Hannan, 84, American baseball player (Washington Senators) and executive, founder, president, and chairman of the board for the MLBPAA.

Bob Edwards, 76, American journalist (NPR) and radio host (Morning Edition, The Bob Edwards Show), Peabody Award winner (1999), bladder cancer and heart ailment.

E. Duke Vincent, 91, American television producer (Dynasty, Beverly Hills, 90210, Charlie's Angels).

Randy Sparks, 90, American musician (The New Christy Minstrels, The Back Porch Majority) and songwriter ("Green, Green").

Lefty Driesell, 92, American Hall of Fame college basketball coach (Davidson Wildcats, Maryland Terrapins, James Madison Dukes).

Golden Richards, 73, American football player (Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos), Super Bowl champion (1978), congestive heart failure.

Richard Lewis, 76, American comedian and actor (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Anything but Love, Robin Hood: Men in Tights), heart attack.

Andy Russell, 82, American football player (Pittsburgh Steelers).

Charles Dierkop, 87, American actor (Police Woman, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting), complications from a heart attack and pneumonia.

 

MARCH

Chance Browne, 75, American cartoonist (Hi and Lois), pancreatic cancer.

Mark Dodson, 64, American voice actor (Gremlins, Return of the Jedi, Day of the Dead), heart attack.

Ed Ott, 72, American baseball player (Pittsburgh Pirates, California Angels), World Series champion (1979). U. L. Washington, 70, American baseball player (Kansas City Royals, Montreal Expos, Pittsburgh Pirates), cancer.

Steve Lawrence, 88, American singer ("Go Away Little Girl", "Footsteps") and actor (The Blues Brothers), complications from Alzheimer's disease.

Eric Carmen, 74, American musician (Raspberries), singer ("Hungry Eyes"), and songwriter ("All by Myself").

Marian Gołębiewski, 86, Polish Roman Catholic prelate, bishop of Koszalin-Kołobrzeg (1996–2004) and archbishop of Wrocław (2004–2013).

Bill Plummer, 76, American baseball player (Cincinnati Reds) and coach (Seattle Mariners, Colorado Rockies), World Series champion (1975, 1976), complications from a heart attack.

Dan Wakefield, 91, American novelist, journalist and screenwriter (Going All the Way).

Jennifer Mary Leak (September 28, 1947 – March 18, 2024) was a Canadian film and television actress, best known for her role as Colleen North in the 1968 film Yours, Mine and Ours.

M. Emmet Walsh, 88, American actor (Blade Runner, Blood Simple, Fletch), cardiac arrest.

Ron Harper, 91, American actor (Planet of the Apes, Land of the Lost, Generations).

Odell Jones, 71, American baseball player (Pittsburgh Pirates, Texas Rangers, Milwaukee Brewers).

Peter George Angelos  was an American trial lawyer and baseball executive from Baltimore, Maryland. Angelos was the majority owner of the Baltimore Orioles, a team in the American League of Major League Baseball, from 1993 until his death in 2024.

Joe Lieberman, 82, American politician, member of the U.S. Senate (1989–2013), Connecticut attorney general (1983–1989) and member of the Connecticut State Senate (1971–1981), complications from a fall. He was talked about being a running mate for John McCain in 2008 on a bipartisan ticket.

 

APRIL

Michael Ward, 57, American musician (The Wallflowers, School of Fish), complications from diabetes.

Jerry Grote, 81, American baseball player (New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Kansas City Royals), World Series champion (1969), respiratory failure.

Toni Ann Palermo, 91, American baseball player (Chicago Colleens, Springfield Sallies).

Pat Zachry, 71, American baseball player (Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers), World Series champion (1976).

O. J. Simpson, 76, American Hall of Fame football player (Buffalo Bills) and actor (The Naked Gun, The Towering Inferno), Heisman Trophy winner (1968), prostate cancer.

Whitey Herzog, 92, American Hall of Fame baseball player (Washington Senators), executive (New York Mets), and manager (St. Louis Cardinals), World Series champion (1969, 1982).

Ken Holtzman, 78, American baseball player (Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees), World Series champion (1972, 1973, 1974), heart disease.

David McCarty, 54, American baseball player (Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox), World Series champion (2004), heart attack.

Carl Erskine, 97, American baseball player (Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers), World Series champion (1955), pneumonia.

Roman Gabriel, 83, American Hall of Fame football player (Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles) and actor (The Undefeated).

David Pryor, 89, American politician, governor of Arkansas (1975–1979), member of the U.S. Senate (1979–1997) and the House of Representatives (1966–1973).

Marla Vene Adams  was an American actress. She was best known for playing the roles of Belle Clemens on the CBS soap opera The Secret Storm (1968 to 1974) and Dina Abbott Mergeron on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless (1983 to 1986, 1991, 1996, 2008, 2017 to 2020). She won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role on The Young and the Restless in 2021.

Lawrence Lucchino  was an American lawyer and Major League Baseball executive. He served as president of the Baltimore Orioles, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the San Diego Padres, and president and CEO of the Boston Red Sox.

 

MAY

Joe Shipley, 88, American baseball player (San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox).

Richard Tandy, 76, English Hall of Fame musician (Electric Light Orchestra, The Move).

Darius Morris, 33, American basketball player (Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers.

Kevin Hardy, 78, American football player (San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers).

Robert Francis Logan: From 1961 to 1963, Logan played J.R. Hale, the young valet parking attendant on ABC's 77 Sunset Strip. Logan succeeded the previous attendant, Kookie, played by Edward Byrnes, who in the story line became a full-fledged investigator. From 1965 to 1966, Logan played the part of Jericho Jones on NBC's Daniel Boone.

Don Penny, 91, American actor (12 O'Clock High, The Wackiest Ship in the Army, The Lieutenant) and comedian.

Pete McCloskey, 96, American politician and activist, member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1967–1983), heart and kidney failure. He ran against Richard Nixon in the 1972 Presidential election as a peace candidate.

Mark Damon, 91, American actor (House of Usher, Ringo and His Golden Pistol) and film producer (Monster).

David Sanborn, 78, American alto saxophonist (Young Americans) and television host (Night Music), six-time Grammy winner, prostate cancer.

Cyril Wecht, 93, American forensic pathologist, Allegheny County Medical Examiner (1970–1980, 1996–2006).

Jimmy James, 83, Jamaican-British singer ("Now Is the Time", "I'll Go Where Your Music Takes Me"), complications from Parkinson's disease and a heart condition.

Montserrat Casas, 90, Spanish Roman Catholic nun, abbess of the Royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Pedralbes (since 2013).

Dabney Coleman, 92, American actor (9 to 5, Tootsie, The Guardian), Emmy winner (1987), cardiac arrest.

Fred Roos, 89, American film producer (The Godfather Part II, Apocalypse Now, The Outsiders), Oscar winner (1975).

Richard Foronjy, 86, American actor (Serpico, Midnight Run, Carlito's Way).

Jim Otto, 86, American Hall of Fame football player (Oakland Raiders).

Darryl Hickman, 92, American actor (The Grapes of Wrath, Leave Her to Heaven, Fighting Father Dunne).

Tony Scott, 72, American baseball player (Montreal Expos, St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros).

Bill Walton, 71, American Hall of Fame basketball player (UCLA Bruins, Portland Trail Blazers, Boston Celtics), and sportscaster, colorectal cancer.

Róbert Cvi Bornstein, 98, Slovak resistance fighter and Holocaust survivor.

Hank Allen, 83, American baseball player (Washington Senators, Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers).

Kent Shelhamer, 99, American politician, member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (1965–1976).

 

JUNE

 

Larry Allen, 52, American Hall of Fame football player (Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers).

Parnelli Jones, 90, American Hall of Fame racing driver and team owner (Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing), 1963 Indianapolis 500 winner.

Tony Lo Bianco, 87, American actor (The Honeymoon Killers, The French Connection, The Seven-Ups), prostate cancer.

Howard Fineman, 75, American journalist and television commentator (NBC News), pancreatic cancer,

Jerry West, 86, American Hall of Fame basketball player, coach, and executive (Los Angeles Lakers), NBA champion (1972) and Olympic champion (1960).

Mike Brumley, 61, American baseball player (Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox) and coach (Seattle Mariners), traffic collision.

Kevin Campbell, 54, English footballer (Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, Everton).

Willie Mays, 93, American Hall of Fame baseball player (New York / San Francisco Giants, New York Mets), World Series champion (1954), heart failure.

Taylor Tuli Wily was an American actor, sumo wrestler and mixed martial artist He competed in UFC where he was billed as Teila Tuli and also competed in sumo wrestling. As an actor, he was known for his recurring role as Kamekona Tupuola on both Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum P.I.

Jimmy Connors, 77 passed away in Scranton. He worked as Scranton's Director of Community Development for four years prior to becoming mayor in 1990.

Connors switched his party affiliation from Democratic to Republican prior to running for Mayor of Scranton in 1989.[3] He won the 1989 mayoral election, defeating Democrat Jerry Notarianni to win the first of three consecutive terms.  Connors received approximately 15,000 votes, while Notarianni placed second with 13,500 votes,

In 1998, Connors ran for Pennsylvania's 10th congressional district. However, he lost the Republican primary to Don Sherwood. Connors supported Ed Rendell's successful gubernatorial candidacy in 2002. In 2003, Pennsylvania Governor Rendell appointed Connors as the deputy director of his Northeastern Pennsylvania office. Connors retired from the position at the end of 2009 to focus on his family and volunteer work.

Martin Mull, 80, American actor (Clue, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Roseanne) and musician.

Orlando Cepeda, 86, Puerto Rican Hall of Fame baseball player (San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals), World Series champion (1967).

 

JULY

Judith Belushi-Pisano, 73, American radio and television producer (Biography, The National Lampoon Radio Hour), endometrial cancer.

Joe Bonsall, 76, American Hall of Fame singer (The Oak Ridge Boys), complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Shelley Duvall, 75, American actress (The Shining, Nashville, 3 Women), complications from diabetes.

Jacoby Jones, 40, American football player (Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, San Diego Chargers), Super Bowl champion (2012).

Jerry Walker, 85, American baseball player (Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Athletics, Cleveland Indians), heart attack.

Bob Newhart, 94, American comedian and actor (The Bob Newhart Show, Newhart, Elf), Emmy (2013) and Grammy (1961) winner.

Jerry Fuller, 85, American songwriter ("Young Girl", "Travelin' Man", "Show and Tell"), lung cancer.

Mike Ferraro, 79, American baseball player (New York Yankees, Seattle Pilots/Milwaukee Brewers).

Mel Held, 95, American baseball player (Baltimore Orioles).

Sandy Posey, 80, American singer ("Single Girl", "Born a Woman", "I Take It Back"), complications from dementia.

Jerry Miller, 81, American musician (Moby Grape, The Rhythm Dukes) and songwriter.

Denny Lemaster, 85, American baseball player (Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros, Montreal Expos).

Chino XL, 50, American rapper ("Kreep") and actor (Alex & Emma), suicide.

Doug Creek, 55, American baseball player (St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, Tampa Bay Devil Rays), pancreatic cancer.

John Brumwell Mayall  was an English blues and rock musician, songwriter and producer. In the 1960s, he formed John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, a band that has counted among its members some of the most famous blues and blues rock musicians ", and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the musical influence category in 2024.

Milton Teagle "Richard" Simmons was an American fitness instructor and television personality. He was a promoter of weight-loss programs, most prominently through his television show, The Richard Simmons Show and later the Sweatin' to the Oldies line of aerobics videos. He was 76.

AUGUST

Ina Jaffe, 75, American journalist (NPR), cancer.

Joseph Hand Sr. 87, was an American businessman and media executive from Philadelphia. He was the chairman of Joe Hand Promotions, Inc., a promoter of Pay-Per-View and Closed Circuit broadcasts of sporting events, which he founded in 1971.

Billy Bean, 60, American baseball player (Detroit Tigers, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers), acute myeloid leukemia. In July 2014, he was named MLB's first ambassador for inclusion, having publicly come out as gay in 1999.[2] In January 2016, he became MLB's vice president,[3] ambassador for inclusion and was senior vice president and special assistant to the commissioner.

Jack Russell, 63, American singer and songwriter (Great White), Lewy body dementia and multiple system atrophy.

Mitzi McCall, 93, American actress (Ice Age, World's Greatest Dad, Alright Already) and comedian.

Mike Cubbage, 74, American baseball player (Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets), cancer.

Ángel Salazar  68., was a Cuban-American comedian and actor. He was known for saying "Sheck it out" ("check it out") before, during, and after jokes. As an actor, he was best known for his role as Chi-Chi in the 1983 film Scarface.

Wally Amos, 88, American businessman (Famous Amos) and television personality (Learn to Read), complications from dementia.

Gena Rowlands, 94, American actress (A Woman Under the Influence, Gloria, The Notebook), four-time Emmy winner, complications from Alzheimer's disease.

Peter Marshall, 98, American game show host (Hollywood Squares) and actor (Annie, Ensign Pulver), four-time Emmy winner, kidney failure.

John Amos, 84, American actor (Good Times, Roots, The West Wing), heart failure. He was best known for his role as the adult Kunta Kinte in the landmark miniseries Roots and for portraying James Evans Sr. on the CBS television series Good Times. His other television work includes The Mary Tyler Moore Show, a recurring role as Admiral Percy Fitzwallace on The West Wing, and the role of the Mayor of Washington DC Ethan Baker in the series The District. Amos was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Ard and an NAACP Image Award. In film, he played numerous supporting roles in movies such as The Beastmaster (1982), Coming to America (1988), Lock Up (1989), Die Hard 2 (1990), and Coming 2 America (2021).

Mike Stensrud, 68, American football player (Iowa State University, Houston Oilers, Kansas City Chiefs).

Debbie Drake, 94, American fitness and nutrition guru and television host (The Debbie Drake Show).

 

SEPTEMBER

Linda Deutsch, 80, American journalist (Associated Press), pancreatic cancer.

Eric Gilliland, 62, American television producer and writer (Roseanne, That '70s Show, My Boys), colon cancer.

James Darren, 88, American singer ("Goodbye Cruel World", "All" )and actor (Gidget, T. J. Hooker), heart failure.

Sérgio Mendes, 83, Brazilian bossa nova musician ("The Look of Love", "The Fool on the Hill", "Never Gonna Let You Go"),

Charley Johnson, 85, American football player (St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Oilers, Denver Broncos)

Will Jennings, 80, American Hall of Fame lyricist ("My Heart Will Go On", "Tears in Heaven", "Up Where We Belong"), Oscar winner (1983, 1998), Grammy winner (1993, 1999).

Johnny Thunder, 93, American singer ("Loop de Loop").

Ed Kranepool, 79, American baseball player (New York Mets), cardiac arrest.

Doug Bird, 74, American baseball player (Kansas City Royals, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs).

Kris Kristofferson, 88, American Hall of Fame singer-songwriter ("Me and Bobby McGee", "Help Me Make It Through the Night") and actor (A Star Is Born), Grammy winner (1972, 1974, 1975).

Ron Ely, 86, American actor (Tarzan, Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze, The Aquanauts).

Ozzie Virgil Sr., 92, Dominican baseball player (New York Giants, Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates), pancreatitis.

Pete Rose, 83, American baseball player (Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, Montreal Expos) and manager, World Series champion (1975, 1976, 1980), heart disease.

Mercury Morris, ) was an American professional football player who was a running back and kick returner. He played for eight years, primarily for the Miami Dolphins, in the American Football League (AFL) as a rookie in 1969 then in the American Football Conference (AFC) following the 1970 merger with the National Football League (NFL). Morris played in three Super Bowls, winning twice, and was selected to three Pro Bowls.

 

Daniel Jackson Evans 89  was an American politician from Washington. A member of the Republican Party, he served as governor of Washington from 1965 to 1977 and a member of the United States Senate from 1983 to 1989.

 

OCTOBER

 

Matthew Lewis, 94, American photojournalist (The Washington Post), Pulitzer Prize winner (1975).

Megan Marshack, 70, American television news writer and producer, liver and kidney failure. Marshack worked on Rockefeller's vice-presidential staff, in Washington, D.C., for two years, and remained with his team after he left office in 1977 and returned to New York.[1][5] There had been speculation in the press regarding the nature of the relationship between Marshack and the married Rockefeller. Marshack was with Rockefeller on the night of his death, and did not phone an ambulance for nearly an hour after his fatal heart attack. Longtime Rockefeller aide Joseph E. Persico claimed in the PBS documentary about the Rockefeller family, "It became known that he had been alone with a young woman who worked for him, in undeniably intimate circumstances, and in the course of that evening had died from a heart attack." Initial reports of Rockefeller's death stated that the former vice president had died in his office; these were later amended to say that his death occurred at a townhouse he owned. It has also been reported that he may have died at Marshack's apartment. News organizations widely reported that Marshack was a named beneficiary in Rockefeller's will, which specified that personal loans he had made to Marshack totaling $45,000 were to be forgiven. The bulk of his estate was left to his wife, Margaretta L. "Happy" Rockefeller, with other large gifts going to museums.

Lilibert, 100, Luxembourgish lyricist ("Memphis, Tennessee").

Bob Speake, 94, American baseball player (Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants).

Allan Blye, 87, Canadian-born American television writer (The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour) and actor (Mister Rogers' Neighborhood).

Greg Landry, 77, American football player and coach (Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears).

John Lasell, 95, American actor (Dark Shadows, The F.B.I, The Fugitive).

Petar Matić Dule, 104, Serbian army colonel general, politician and World War II veteran, last living People's Hero of Yugoslavia.

Luis Tiant, 83, Cuban baseball player (Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees).

Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, 79, French traditionalist Catholic prelate, bishop of the Society of Saint Pius X (since 1988), injuries sustained in a fall.

J. J. Jeffrey, 84, American radio executive (Atlantic Coast Radio) and disc jockey (WFIL, WLS), cancer.

Ethel Kennedy, 96, American human rights advocate, founder of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, complications from a stroke.

Lilly Ledbetter, 86, American equal-pay activist (Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009), respiratory failure.

Louis Scolnik, 101, American civil rights attorney and jurist, associate justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court (1983–1988).

Sherry Coben, 71, American television writer and producer (Kate & Allie, Ryan's Hope, Bailey Kipper's P.O.V.), cancer.

Mitzi Gaynor, 93, American actress (There's No Business Like Show Business, The Birds and the Bees, South Pacific), singer and dancer.

Bobby Gill, 65, American racing driver (NASCAR), brain cancer.

Rudy May, 80, American baseball player (Montreal Expos, New York Yankees, California Angels), complications from diabetes.

Mimi Hines  was a Canadian actress, singer, and comedian, best known for her appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show and her work on Broadway. She succeeded Barbra Streisand in the original production of Funny Girl.

Charles Brandt, 82, American investigator, writer (I Heard You Paint Houses), and speaker.

Jack Jones, 86, American singer ("Wives and Lovers", "Love Boat") and actor (Over the Garden Wall), leukemia.

Phil Lesh, 84, American Hall of Fame musician (Grateful Dead) and songwriter ("Box of Rain", "Truckin'").

Jim Donovan, 68, American sportscaster (Cleveland Browns Radio Network) and news anchor (WKYC), chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Wally Kennedy, 76, American television and radio announcer (WPVI-TV).

Fernando Valenzuela  nicknamed "El Toro", was a Mexican professional baseball pitcher. Valenzuela played 17 Major League Baseball (MLB) seasons, from 1980 to 1997 (except for a one-year sabbatical in Mexico in 1992). He played for six MLB teams, most prominently with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who signed him in 1979 and gave him his MLB debut in 1980. Valenzuela batted and threw left-handed, with an unorthodox windup. He was one of a small number of pitchers who regularly threw a screwball in the modern era.

 Abdul Salaam (born Larry Faulk,) 71  was an American professional football player who played defensive tackle for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL)He was a member of a defensive line known as the "New York Sack Exchange".

 

NOVEMBER

 

Quincy Jones, 91, American Hall of Fame record producer (Thriller, "We Are the World"), composer ("Soul Bossa Nova"), and arranger, 28-time Grammy winner, pancreatic cancer.

Bobby Allison, 86, American Hall of Fame racing driver, NASCAR Cup Series champion (1983) and three-time Daytona 500 winner.

Jon Kenny, 66, Irish comedian and actor (The Banshees of Inisherin, Les Misérables, Father Ted), heart attack.

Eileen Kramer, 110, Australian dancer and choreographer.

Jonathan Haze, 95, American actor (The Little Shop of Horrors, The Terror, It Conquered the World).

Dub Jones, 99, American football player (Miami Seahawks, Brooklyn Dodgers, Cleveland Browns) and coach.

Elwood Edwards, 74, American voice actor (America Online), complications from a stroke.

Ella Jenkins, 100, American singer-songwriter. was an American singer-songwriter and centenarian. Called the "First lady of children's music", She was a leading performer of folk and children's music.

Gerry Faust, 89, American football coach (Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Akron Zips). was an American high school and college football coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Notre Dame from 1981 to 1985 and at the University of Akron from 1986 to 1994.

John Robinson, 89, American football coach (USC Trojans, Los Angeles Rams), pneumonia.

Rico Carty, 85, Dominican baseball player (Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs).

Chuck Woolery, 83, American game show host (Wheel of Fortune, Love Connection) and musician (The Avant-Garde).

Gail Henley, 96, American baseball player (Pittsburgh Pirates) Although his playing career lasted for 14 seasons (1948–1961), he appeared in only 14 games in Major League Baseball as a right fielder and pinch hitter, all during the opening weeks of 1954, for the Pittsburgh Pirates,

Earl Holliman, 96, American actor (Police Woman, The Rainmaker, The Twilight Zone).

Marshall Brickman, 85, American screenwriter (Annie Hall, Manhattan) and playwright (Jersey Boys), Oscar winner (1978).

Nizoramo Zaripova, 101, Tajik politician, member of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union (1958–1966).

heodore Bevry Olson  was an American lawyer who served as the 42nd solicitor general of the United States from 2001 to 2004 in the administration of President George W. Bush.

 

DECEMBER

Jimmy Wilkerson, 43, American football player (Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers), heart attack.

Rocky Colavito, 91, American baseball player (Cleveland Indians), complications from diabetes.

Michael Cole, 84, American actor (The Mod Squad, General Hospital, It)

The Amazing Kreskin, 89, American mentalist, complications from dementia.

Jill Jacobson, 70, American actress (Falcon Crest, Days of Our Lives, Newhart).

Merv Rettenmund, 81, American baseball player (Baltimore Orioles, California Angels) and coach (San Diego Padres).

Orlando Rossardi, 86, Cuban poet, playwright, and researcher.

Sam Fox, 95, American businessman and diplomat, ambassador to Belgium (2007–2009).

Rickey Henderson, 65, American Hall of Fame baseball player (Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres), World Series champion (1989, 1993), pneumonia.

Fred Lorenzen, 89, American Hall of Fame racing driver, Daytona 500 winner (1965), complications from dementia.

Francis Bellotti, 101, American politician, lieutenant governor (1963–1965) and attorney general of Massachusetts (1975–1987).

Mike Brewer, 80, American musician (Brewer & Shipley) and songwriter ("One Toke Over the Line")

Bill Kelly, 74, American singer ("Timothy") and guitarist (The Buoys.

 A teenage actor known for his role in “Baby Driver” and several voice acting roles has died. He was 16.  Hudson Meek died after falling out of a moving car on Dec. 21, the Jefferson County, Alabama Coroner’s Office confirmed.

Bill Bergey, 79, American football player (Cincinnati Bengals, Philadelphia Eagles), cancer. During his career, Bergey was named to five Pro Bowls, was a two-time first-team All-Pro, and made one Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl XV, his final professional game. He is an inductee of the Eagles Hall of Fame and the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame.

Richard Perry, 82, American record producer ("You're So Vain", "Photograph", "Slow Hand")  Perry was well established as a producer by 1970. His credits during the subsequent decade included albums by Harry Nilsson (Nilsson Schmilsson, Son of Schmilsson), Barbra Streisand (Stoney End, Barbra Joan Streisand, Live Concert at the Forum), Carly Simon (No Secrets, Hotcakes, Playing Possum), Art Garfunkel (Breakaway), Diana Ross (Baby It's Me), Martha Reeves (Martha Reeves), Manhattan Transfer (Coming Out), Leo Sayer (Leo Sayer), and Andy Williams (Solitaire). Among his projects was the 1973 album Ringo, by Beatles drummer Ringo Starr. The album featured work by the other three Beatles and reached No. 2 on the Pop Albums chart. Another high point was his work with Fanny. Perry produced the group's first three albums, Fanny (1970), Charity Ball, which featured the top 40 title track (1971), and Fanny Hill (1972.

Sylvia Rambo, 88, American jurist, judge of the U.S. District Court for Middle Pennsylvania (1979–2024)

Chisako Kakehi was a Japanese serial killer who was sentenced to death for the murders of three men, including her husband, and for the attempted murder of a fourth. She was also suspected of being responsible for at least seven other deaths. Kakehi was arrested in 2014, after an autopsy on her fourth husband, Isao Kake revealed traces of cyanide poisoning. She initially pleaded not guilty, but during her 2017 trial, confessed, stating on the witness stand that she had no intention of hiding the guilt and wanted to kill her husband out of deep hatred;[5] two days later, she retracted this confession, claiming to not remember having said it.[6] Her lawyers subsequently argued that she suffered from dementia and could not be convicted due to diminished responsibility.