Recently Departed
Heath Ledger
Patrick Hillery, April 12 Irish President (1976–1990) and Minister (1959–1973), European Commissioner for the Ortoli Commission Aged 84
John Button, April 8 Australian senator, Minister for Industry, Technology and Commerce (1983–1993), pancreatic cancer aged 74
Dith Pran, March 30 Cambodian journalist, survivor of the Killing Fields, pancreatic cancer Aged 64
Richard Widmark, March 24 Actor (Kiss of Death, Judgment at Nuremberg, Journey to the bottom of the sea), after long illness Aged 93
Bill Brown, March 16 Australian cricket captain, member of 1948 Invincible team Aged 95
Clyde Cameron, March 14 Australian politician, MP (1949–1980), Minister in the Whitlam Government Aged 95
Norman "Hurricane" Smith, March 3 British singer, recording engineer (The Beatles, Pink Floyd) and record producer Aged 85
Mike Smith, Febuary 28 British rock and roll singer and keyboardist (The Dave Clark Five), pneumonia Aged 64
Smoky Dawson, Febuary 13 Australian country music performer, after a short illness Aged 94
Roy Scheider, Febuary 10 American Academy Award-nominated actor (The French Connection, Jaws, All That Jazz), staph infection aged 75
Andrew Harwood, Febuary 7 Australian radio & TV presenter (It's Academic, Jeopardy!), actor (The Paul Hogan Show), asthma attack Aged 62
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Febuary 5 , Indian founder of Transcendental Meditation movement, former guru to The Beatles aged 91?
Harry Richard Landis, Febuary 4, American second-to-last World War I veteran Aged 108
Suharto, January 27 Indonesian President (1967–1998), multiple organ dysfunction syndrome Aged 86
Suzanne Pleshette, January 19 American actress (The Bob Newhart Show, The Birds), respiratory failure Aged 70
John Stewart, January 19, American musician Hit song "Gold" 1978 , stroke aged 68
Bobby Fischer, January 17, American chess grandmaster, world champion aged 64
Sir Edmund Hillary January 11 New Zealand mountaineer, first to reach summit of Mount Everest, heart failure. aged 88
George Moore January 8 Australian champion Jockey aged 84
Jimmy Stewart January 3 British Racing Driver aged 76
2007
Evil
Knievel 
December 1 Famous bike rider and thrill seeker
Marcel marceau
22 September Famous Mime artist aged 84
Colin McRae 15 September World Rally Champ Aged 39
Luciano Pavarotti
6 September 2007 Opera superstar aged 71
Lucky Grills 27 July 2007 Actor best known for Bluey and bargarse aged 79
Stan Zemanek 12 July 2007 Radio/TV presenter Australia Great entertainer
George Rrurrambu 
10 June 2007 Lead singer Warumpi Band Aboriginal Rock Aged 50
Bobby "Boris" Pickett 26 April 2007 Singer Monster mash aged 69
Boris Yeltsin 
23
April 2007 Former USSR leader and Vodka fan Aged 76
Lobby Loyde 22 April 2007 Australian guitarist Aged 65 Ex Aztecs and Coloured Balls
Emma Bodie Begay 6 April 2007 , Navajo Indian Last link to its past aged 119
Frederick John Inman 8 March 2007 "are you being served" I'm Free
Shane Cross 6 March 2007 Champion Australian Skateboarder only 21
Billy Thorpe 28 Feb 2007 Australian Icon Rock and roll singer
Anna Nichol Smith 9 Feb 2007 Ex Playboy Bunny media prize
Frankie Laine 8 Feb 2007 50s Icon sang Rawhide
Joe Strummer Musician 21-Aug-1952 22-Dec-2002 punk rock group The Clash
Marvin Gaye Singer 02-Apr-1939 01-Apr-1984 Singer shot and killed by his father
John Stevens 10-Jun-1940 13-Sep-1994 70s Band Free drummer and bandleader
Mahalia Jackson 26-Oct-1911 27-Jan-1972 Queen of Gospel Music
Bon Scott Musician 09-Jul-1946 19-Feb-1980 Lead Singer for AC/DC
Arthur Alexander Singer 10-May-1940 09-Jun-1993 Influential soul singer
Floyd Cramer 27-Oct-1933 31-Dec-1997 Country music pianist
Aaliyah Singer 16-Jan-1979 25-Aug-2001 R&B singer plane crash
Kurt Cobain Musician 20-Feb-1967 05-Apr-1994 Lead singer of Nirvana
Billie Holiday Singer 07-Apr-1915 17-Jul-1959 Singer with a haunting
Jim Morrison Singer 08-Dec-1943 03-Jul-1971 Lead singer and songwriter, The Doors
Barry White Singer 12-Sep-1944 04-Jul-2003 Soulful R&B singer
Long John Baldry Singer 12-Jan-1941 21-Jul-2005 Singer, Blues Incorporated
Luther Vandross Singer 20-Apr-1951 01-Jul-2005 R&B Singer
Freddie Mercury 05-Sep-1946 24-Nov-1991 Lead singer, Queen
Robert Wise Film Director 10-Sep-1914 14-Sep-2005 The Sound of Music
Sam Cooke Singer 22-Jan-1931 11-Dec-1964 Soul and R&B singer
Dale Evans 31-Oct-1912 07-Feb-2001 Singer
Ethel Merman Singer 16-Jan-1908 15-Feb-1984 singer
Al Jolson 26-May-1886 23-Oct-1950 The Jazz Singer
Lou Rawls 01-Dec-1935 06-Jan-2006 jazz/soul singer
Ian Curtis 15-Jul-1956 18-May-1980 Lead singer of Joy Division
Roy Acuff 15-Sep-1903 23-Nov-1992 Country music pioneer
Rudy Vallee 28-Jul-1901 03-Jul-1986 Singer, actor, bandleader
Hoyt Axton 25-Mar-1938 26-Oct-1999 singer, songwriter, composer
Wendy O. Williams 28-May-1949 06-Apr-1998 Singer for The Plasmatics
Serge Reggiani Musician 02-May-1922 22-Jul-2004 French singer, actor, painter
June Carter Cash 23-Jun-1929 15-May-2003 Country singer
Brad Nowell 22-Feb-1968 25-May-1996 Lead singer of Sublime
Eddie Fontaine 06-Mar-1927 13-Apr-1992 singer and character actor
Richard Haydn 10-Mar-1905 25-Apr-1985 The Sound of Music
Dixie Lee 04-Nov-1911 01-Nov-1952 Singer and wife of Bing Crosby
Frances Faye Singer 04-Nov-1912 08-Nov-1991 Out, Lesbian nightclub singer
Howard Lindsay 29-Mar-1889 11-Feb-1968 The Sound of Music
Danny Joe Brown 24-Aug-1951 10-Mar-2005 Singer for Molly Hatchet
Roger Miller Country 02-Jan-1936 25-Oct-1992 King of the Road
Marty Robbins Country 26-Sep-1925 08-Dec-1982 El Paso
Dinah Shore 29-Feb-1916 24-Feb-1994
Hank Williams, Sr. 17-Sep-1923 01-Jan-1953 Take These Chains From My Heart
Minnie Pearl 25-Oct-1912 04-Mar-1996 Her hat cost $1.98
Merle Travis 29-Nov-1917 20-Oct-1983 Influential finger picking country guitarist
Tex Ritter 12-Jan-1905 02-Jan-1974 You Two-Timed Me Once Too Often
Elvis Presley 08-Jan-1935 16-Aug-1977 Rock and roll icon
Johnny Cash 26-Feb-1932 12-Sep-2003 The Man in Black
George Harrison 24-Feb-1943 29-Nov-2001 Beatle
Charlie Chaplin 16-Apr-1889 25-Dec-1977 Silent film comedian
Jim Reeves Country 20-Aug-1923 31-Jul-1964 He'll Have to Go
Roy Rogers 05-Nov-1911 06-Jul-1998 Cowboy movie actor rode Trigger
Ernest Tubb 09-Feb-1914 06-Sep-1984 The Texas Troubadour
Jerry Goldsmith 10-Feb-1929 21-Jul-2004 Prominent soundtrack composer
Henry Mancini 16-Apr-1924 14-Jun-1994 Theme for The Pink Panther
Nino Rota 03-Dec-1911 10-Apr-1979 Film composer, The Godfather
Richard Rodgers 28-Jun-1902 30-Dec-1979 Rodgers and Hammerstein
Patsy Cline 08-Sep-1932 05-Mar-1963 I Fall To Pieces
Waylon Jennings 15-Jun-1937 13-Feb-2002 Don't Let Your Babies
Gene Autry 27-Sep-1907 02-Oct-1998 Singing cowboy
Chet Atkins 20-Jun-1924 30-Jun-2001 Prominent country picker
Hoagy Carmichael 11-Nov-1899 27-Dec-1981 Songwriter, Stardust, Heart and Soul
Harold Arlen 15-Feb-1905 23-Apr-1986 Wrote score to Wizard of Oz
Tammy Wynette 05-May-1942 06-Apr-1998 Stand By Your Man
Oscar Hammerstein 12-Jul-1895 23-Aug-1960 Rodgers and Hammerstein
Conway Twitty 01-Sep-1933 05-Jun-1993 It's Only Make Believe
Peter Allen Singer 10-Feb-1944 18-Jun-1992 I Go To Rio
Elmer Bernstein 04-Apr-1922 18-Aug-2004 Scored The Magnificent Seven
Tennessee Ernie Ford 13-Feb-1919 17-Oct-1991 Sixteen Tons
Shannon Hoon 26-Sep-1967 21-Oct-1995 Front man for Blind Melon
Jimmie Rodgers 08-Sep-1897 26-May-1933 Pioneering country singer
Faron Young 25-Feb-1932 10-Dec-1996 The Hillbilly Heartthrob
Rick Danko 09-Dec-1943 10-Dec-1999 The Band
Shari Lewis 17-Jan-1933 02-Aug-1998 early children’s television Lamb Chop's Play-Along
Willie Shoemaker 19-Aug-1931 12-Oct-2003 One of the Greatest 20th century jockey
Sidney Sheldon 11-Feb 1917 30-Jan-2007 Producer I dream of Jeannie
and there will be more......