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2009 Necrology

What is a necrology? A necrology is a listing of people who have died during a specific time period. Find A Grave necrologies let you browse the names and faces of the 75 most famous people who have died during a selected year, all the way back to 1900. They are listed in order of their Find A Grave 'fame ranking', as voted by Find A Grave contributors. To view a necrology, simply select a year from the pop up list below. You can optionally select a category to restrict the list even further (just actors, just politicians, etc.). To visit the memorial page for any of the names listed on a necrology, click on their name or photo.

Select a year: 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Select a category: -- All Categories -- -------------- Actors Actresses Animals Artists and Architects Authors and Writers Business Magnates Crime Fighters and Lawyers Criminals, Eccentrics and Oddities Educators Entertainers Explorers and Adventurers Magician Medal of Honor Recipient Memorial Sites Military Figures Miscellaneous Musicians and Composers Native Americans Organized Crime Figures Philanthropists Politicians Relatives Of Notable Religious Figures Royalty Scientists and Inventors Social Reformers Sports Figures Suffragists US First Ladies US Presidents and Vice Presidents US Supreme Court Justices Victims of crime and disaster

Michael Jackson (1958 - 2009) Musician, Entertainer. He was called the "King of Pop," and is best remembered for his revolutionary videos such as "Thriller" (1982), and "Dangerous" (1991), as well as two Guinness World Records: Most successful entertainer of all time (with 13 Grammy Awards, 13 Number One single hits in a solo ca...

Patrick Swayze (1952 - 2009) Actor, Dancer. Swayze was the son of a dance instructor and an engineering drafter and one of five children. He engaged in a number of artistic pursuits starting in childhood, including dance, ice skating, acting, and gymnastics. At the age of 20, he moved to New York to train with the Harkness and ...

Walter Cronkite (1916 - 2009) Television Broadcast Journalist. Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, he attended two years at the University of Texas from 1933 to 1935 before dropping out in his junior year to take a job as a full time reporter with the Houston Press in Texas. He began his broadcasting career working at several radio st...

Farrah Fawcett (1947 - 2009) Actress. Born Mary Farrah Leni Fawcett, she is best known for her role as Jill Munroe from the television series "Charlie's Angels." She appeared on the series from 1976 to 1980. She left the show at the conclusion of the first season in 1976, but returned to the series in guest role appearances ov...

Edward Kennedy (1932 - 2009) US Senator. A member of the prominent Kennedy and Fitzgerald families, he attended Harvard University before being expelled for cheating on an exam. After serving in the United States Army from 1951 to 1953, he was readmitted to Harvard, graduating in 1956. He then studied at The Hague's Internatio...

Dom DeLuise (1933 - 2009) Entertainer. Born Dominick DeLuise, he graduated from Manhattan's High School of Performing Arts and attended Tufts University. He began acting in the late 1950s and became a fixture in films, television and plays, often working on comedies with Mel Brooks and Burt Reynolds, with credits including "...

Paul Harvey (1918 - 2009) News Commentator. Born Paul Harvey Aurandt, he was a radio legend who began his career in 1933 while still in high school. He became nationally syndicated for the first time in 1951, while working in Chicago. Known for his unique, staccato-style delivery of news combined with commentary, his style r...

Beatrice Arthur (1922 - 2009) Actress. In a stage and television career that covered more than 60 years, she earned both Tony and Emmy Awards. Born Bernice Frankel (she took her stage name from a brief marriage), she was raised in New York City, moved with her family to Maryland at 11, and received a degree in medical technology...

Ed McMahon (1923 - 2009) Television Personality. Born Edward Leo Peter McMahon, Jr. He was raised in Lowell, Massachusetts, and as a teenager worked as a bingo caller in Maine. He joined the Marines for World War II, serving as a fighter pilot, flight instructor and test pilot. After the war he attended Catholic Univers...

Godfrey Rampling (1909 - 2009) Olympic Gold Medal Winner. He helped England take the 4 X 400 metre relay at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Raised in Greenwich, he was educated at the Royal Military Academy, where he began comtetitive running (coached by Walter George, famed miler from the 1800s). After winning the 880 yard event in th...

Ricardo Montalban (1920 - 2009) Actor. Born Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino in Mexico City, Mexico the son of Spanish immigrants Ricarda Merino and Jenaro Montalbán. He and his brother moved to America as a high school students, attending Fairfax High School in Los Angeles. By his senior year he was proficient enough in E...

Soupy Sales (1926 - 2009) Comedian. Born Milton Supman, Soupy Sales was an early children's television show icon whose trademark was a cream pie to the face. With his two puppets White Fang, the meanest dog in the United States, and Black Tooth, the nicest dog in the United States, he used his skill of rubber faced improvis...

Karl Malden (1912 - 2009) Actor. A versatile performer mainly in supporting roles, he appeared in nearly one hundred motion pictures, television programs and theatre productions since the late 1930's. He was born Mladen George Sekulovich to Yugoslavian parents and raised in Gary, Indiana. After spending a few years working i...

David Carradine (1936 - 2009) American Actor. Best known for his work in the 1970's television series Kung Fu and more recently in the movie Kill Bill. Eldest son of legendary character actor John Carradine. He appeared in more than 100 feature films and was nominated four times for a Golden Globe Award. He starred on Broadway i...

Mary Travers (1936 - 2009) Vocalist. Along with Peter Yarrow and Paul Stookey, they formed the legendary folk music trio Peter, Paul and Mary. They are best known for the top twenty hits "If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)" (1962), "Puff (The Magic Dragon" (1963), "Blowin' in the Wind" (1963), "I Dig Rock and Roll Music" (19...

James Whitmore (1921 - 2009) Actor. He is best remembered for his film appearances in the 1954 science fiction classic "Them," and as Admiral William F. Halsey in the 1970 motion Picture "Tora, Tora, Tora." A graduate of Yale University, he was a member of its exclusive Skull and Bones secret society. Following college he serve...

Les Paul (1915 - 2009) Popular Music Pioneer. Born Lester William Polfuss, he was known as the "Wizard of Waukesha" and the father of the electric guitar. Paul's career spanned from the jazz age through the new millennium. One of the world's best-known electric guitars, the Gibson Les Paul, is named after him. Paul was a...

Edward Woodward (1930 - 2009) Actor. He was a distinguished performer with a 50-year career in theatre, films and television. He is best remembered by American audiences for his Golden Globe-winning role as 'Robert McCall' in the hit series "The Equalizer" (1985-1989). Woodward was educated at Kingston College and studied actin...

Jim Owens (1927 - 2009) College Football Coach, Professional Football Player. He was the head football coach at the University of Washington from 1957 to 1974, and the school's athletic director from 1960 to 1969. During his 18 year coaching tenure at Washington, he compiled a record of 99 wins, 82 losses, and 6 ties. He l...

James Calvert (1920 - 2009) United States Navy Vice Admiral. He was a 1942 graduate of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He served as a submarine officer on board the USS Jack and the USS Haddo during the Second World War, credited with sinking 15 Japanese ships over the course of nine combat patrols. He ...

Henry Gibson (1935 - 2009) Actor. Known primarily for comedy, his nearly 50 year career will probably be best remembered for the nonsense verse he deadpanned on "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In". Born James Bateman, he was raised in Philadelphia, and started acting from around age eight. After earning his degree from Catholic Unive...

Silvio Barbato (1959 - 2009) Opera Conductor, Composer. He had been music director of the Teatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro since 2002. Raised in Brazil after 1970, he attended the University of Brasilia where he studied conducting with Claudio Santoro. (After Santoro's death in 1989, Barbato was to promote several of his com...

Lou Albano (1933 - 2009) Entertainer. Born Louis Vincent Albano, he briefly attended the University of Tennessee and then served in the Army. In 1953 he became a professional wrestler, making his World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) debut in Montreal. He attained his greatest wrestling success as a tag team performer w...

Shelby Singleton (1931 - 2009) Music Producer. Gained first notice in early 1950s promoting music by his wife, Margie Singleton. Joined Mercury Records in 1957 and helped promote such hits as "Sea of Love" (Phil Phillips), "Chantilly Lace" (Big Bopper), "Running Bear" (Johnny Preston). In the early 1960s demonstrated keen ear, si...

Ron Sproat (1932 - 2009) Screenwriter. Best known as the head writer for the supernaturally-themed hit TV series "Dark Shadows" (1966 to 1971). He studied creative writing at Hamilton College and the University of Michigan, where he attained his MA and was recipient of the Avery Hopwood Award. Later he received his MFA fro...

Byron Palmer (1920 - 2009) Entertainer. He began his career with CBS as a radio announcer. He performed as a vocalist on radio with the group the Music Mates while stationed in the Pacific serving with the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He made his Broadway debut in the hit musical "Where's Charley?" (1948...

Gidget Chipperton (1994 - 2009) Animal Movie Actor. Gidget was known since the late 1990's as the Chihuahua in the Taco Bell television commercials in which she said the phrase "Yo Quiero Taco Bell" which meant "I want Taco Bell". She was originally cast as the girlfriend to the male Chihuahua in the ad by the director but at th...

Cordner Nelson (1918 - 2009) Editor, Publisher. Born Cordner Bruce Nelson with a fascination for Olympic track events, he created Track & Field News into the sport's premier monthly magazine. He became interested in the sport not as an athlete but as a spectator, when he attended track and field events at the 1932 Summer Olym...

Johnny Delgado (1948 - 2009) Actor. Born Juan Marasigan Feleo, he was popular Filipino movie and television performer, best known for the 1980s syndicated television show "Going' Bananas". His other TV credits included "Global Shockers", "Calla Lily" and "Maria Flordeluna". From the 1960s to 2000s, he appeared in over 50 intern...

John Hughes (1950 - 2009) Motion Picture Director, Screenwriter, Producer. He is best known for the 1980's comedy and teenager films "Sixteen Candles" (1984), "The Breakfast Club" (1985), "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (1986) and "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" (1987). He wrote the screenplay for the popular 1990 film "Home Alo...

Carl Ballantine (1917 - 2009) Entertainer. Fondly remembered for his role as 'Lester Gruber' in the television series "McHale's Navy" (1962-1966). Born Meyer Kessler in Chicago, he would strive to become a magician at an early age after he was impressed by his barber who performed magic tricks for him. Not long into his career w...

Pat Hingle (1924 - 2009) Actor. In a career that spanned over six decades, he was a memorable character peformer in motion pictures, television and theatre. Born Martin Patterson Hingle in Denver, Colorado, he was educated at the University of Texas and served in the United States Navy during World War II. After the war, h...

Eunice Shriver (1921 - 2009) Social Activist. She was best known as a founding member of the Special Olympics. Born into the powerful Kennedy family, her most famous siblings were US President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy. She was educated at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in L...

Dominick Dunne (1925 - 2009) Author and Journalist. He was part of a famous family that included his brother, novelist and screenwriter John Gregory Dunne; his brother's wife, author Joan Didion; and his son, Griffin. After Dunne's studies at Kingswood-Oxford, Williams College and service in World War II, including the battle o...

Brenda Joyce (1917 - 2009) Actress. She appeared in more than twenty feature films from 1939 until 1949 and is best remembered for her role as 'Jane' in the "Tarzan" film series appearing opposite Johnny Weissmuller and Lex Barker. Born Betty Graffina Leabo, she attended UCLA and was a model prior to her signing a contract wi...

Dan Seals (1948 - 2009) Musician. He is best known as half of the soft rock music duo England Dan and John Ford Coley. They are best remembered for the 1970s top ten hits "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight" (which became a certified gold record in 1976), "Nights Are Forever Without You", "We'll Never Have To Say Goodbye A...

Natasha Richardson (1963 - 2009) British Actress. She is best remembered for her role of Sally Bowles in the Broadway musical "Cabaret" (1998) and as Elizabeth James in the movie "The Parent Trap" (1998). A member of the acting Redgrave family, she was born Natasha Jane Richardson, the daughter of actress Vanessa Redgrave and direc...

Erich Kunzel (1935 - 2009) Orchestra Conductor. As maestro of the Cincinnati Pops for over 30 years, he presented everything from Beethoven to The Beatles, bringing the classics to new audiences. Raised mostly in Queens, New York, and in Connecticut, he graduated from Dartmouth, attended Harvard, and earned his master's degr...

Gale Storm (1922 - 2009) Actress and Singer. She will probably be best remembered for the 1950s television series "My Little Margie". Born Josephine Cottle, she was raised in Texas and was active in local and school theater. In 1939, she was encouraged by her teachers to enter the CBS-sponsored Gateway to Hollywood contest,...

Corazon Aquino (1933 - 2009) President of the Republic of the Philippines (1986 to 1992). She was the first woman President of the Philippines and the first woman to hold the office of President of any country in Asia. Born Maria Corazon Cojuangco, the sixth of eight children of a wealthy family living in Tarlac, Philippines...

Charlotte Turgeon (1912 - 2009) Author. Her numerous books on cooking helped popularize French cuisine in America. Raised in Massachusetts, she was a 1934 graduate of Smith College, ironically a classmate of her lifelong friend, the legendary Julia Child. Marriage to Amherst professor King Turgeon (deceased 1987) took her to Franc...

Patrick McGoohan (1928 - 2009) Actor, Director. He achieved international stardom during the 1960s for his role of 'John Drake' in "Danger Man" (also known as "Secret Agent") and as 'Number Six' in the classic cult series "The Prisoner". He was born Patrick Joseph McGoohan in Astoria, New York. As a child, he moved with his famil...

Robert Furchgott (1916 - 2009) Nobel Prize Winning Pharmacologist. His work with the gas Nitric Oxide (NO) lead to the development of Viagra. Raised in South Carolina, he earned a degree in chemistry from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, then got his Ph.D. in biochemistry from Northwestern in 1940. After teaching at...

Harold Fischer (1925 - 2009) Korean War Fighter Ace. A farm boy from Iowa, he initially enlisted in the US Army and then transferred to the Air Force in 1950. His notable combat record included 105 air combat missions during the Korean War. He was credited with shooting down 10 Soviet-made MiG-15 fighters, qualifying him as a d...

Maurice Jarre (1924 - 2009) Composer. He is best known for his musical contributions in motion pictures from the mid-1950s into the early-2000s. He achieved international recognition for his work in several David Lean films, which include the pictures "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962), "Doctor Zhivago" (1965) and "A Passage to India...

Dilys Laye (1934 - 2009) Actress. She had a long career in British stage and screen, primarily in comedic roles. Raised in London, she was educated at St. Dominic's Convent, and received theatrical training at the Aida Foster School. She made her professional bow in 1948 in a New Lindsey Theatre production of "Burning Bush"...

Harry Patch (1898 - 2009) Military Figure. He was Britain's last surviving World War I combat veteran. Called up for military service in 1916, he was trained as a machine-gunner in the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, British Army. On September 22, 1917, during the Battle of Passchendaele in Ypres, Belgium, he was seriousl...

Mollie Sugden (1922 - 2009) Actress. Best remembered as 'Mrs. Slocombe' on the British comedy "Are You Being Served?" Mollie Sugden was born in Keighley, West Yorkshire. She attended Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Her first television role came in 1962 with the series "Hugh and I," which ran for four season...

Al Cervi (1917 - 2009) Hall of Fame Professional Basketball Player, Coach. He is considered by many as being one of the most successful players during the pre-NBA era. For nine seasons (1937 to 1938, 1945 to 1953), he played at the guard position in the National Basketball League and National Basketball Association with t...

Coy Watson (1912 - 2009) Actor, Photographer. He was born James Caughey Watson, Jr. in Edendale, California, a suburb of Los Angeles, in what is known today as Echo Park. The eldest of nine children born to Golda and James 'Coy' Watson, Sr., himself an early motion picture pioneer. Coy Sr. worked as an assistant director an...

Mildred Cohn (1913 - 2009) Biochemist, Womens' Pioneer. Her innovative use of stable isotopes to study enzyme function and development of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to map protein structure earned her the National Medal of Science. Raised in New York City, the child of Russian immigrants, she graduated from high school...

Joan Stanton (1915 - 2009) Radio Actress. She portrayed reporter Lois Lane in over 1,600 episodes of "Superman" during the 1940s. Born Louise Abras, she was raised in Brooklyn after her father's early death. (She was to take the "Joan" half of her professional name to honor Joan Crawford; the origin of "Alexander" is unknown)...

Jack Nimitz (1930 - 2009) Jazz Musician. A baritone saxophonist , he was associated with such prominent bandleaders as Woody Herman and Stan Kenton during a career which covered six decades. Born in Washington, D.C., he started playing instruments at an early age and was performing with bandleaders Bob Astor and Johnny Bothw...

Michael Giddings (1920 - 2009) British Royal Air Force Air Marshal. Born Kenneth Charles Michael Giddings, he volunteered for the RAF in 1940 and trained in America. During World War II, he was a fighter pilot with 118 Squadron which flew Spitfires and Mustangs in support of the Allied advance. By the end of the war he was comman...

Paul Burke (1926 - 2009) Actor. He was a veteran performer, best known for his role as Detective Adam Flint in the TV series "Naked City", which he was twice nominated for an Emmy Award. He began acting at the Pasadena Playhouse at age 19 and landed his first leading role as Dr. Noah McCann in NBC's live television series "...

Alicia de Larrocha (1923 - 2009) Pianist. From a 75-year professional career, she shall probably be best remembered as an interpreter of the works of Mozart, and as a champion of Spanish composers. Born Alicia de Larrocha de la Calle into a musical family, she showed an early affinity for the piano, able even as a toddler to imitat...

Vern Gosdin (1934 - 2009) Singer, Songwriter. Known as "The Voice" because of his rich baritone singing, this Woodland, Alabama native turned the musical talent he acquired by being a part of a gospel music singing family to develop a successful country music career. In 1961 he accompanied his brother to California where he...

Ron Silver (1946 - 2009) Actor, director, producer, and political activist. Born Ronald Arthur Silver, the son of May Zimelman Silver, a teacher, and Irving Roy Silver, a clothing sales executive, he was raised in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, graduating from Stuyvesant High School. He then went to the State University...

Pearl Hackney (1916 - 2009) Actress. Though she had a long career on stage, as well as in movies and on radio, she will be best remembered for her numerous British television appearances. Raised in Liverpool, to which her family had moved after their business in Staffordshire failed, Hackney never attended school, but was draw...

Billy Mays (1958 - 2009) Television Pitchman. He was notable for the products he advertised such as OxiClean, Orange Glo, and Mighty Putty. He recently starred in the Discovery Channel show "Pitchmen" with Anthony Sullivan. He began his selling career in 1977 on the Atlantic City boardwalk. The first item he sold was the ...

John Quade (1938 - 2009) Actor. His hulking build and unsubtle facial features typed him in villainous roles, sometimes for comic effect. He is probably best remembered as Cholla, the bumbling leader of a motorcycle gang in the Clint Eastwood vehicles "Every Which Way But Loose" (1978), and "Any Which Way You Can" (1980...

Troy Smith (1922 - 2009) Businessman, Entrepreneur. He was the founder of the Sonic Drive-In food chain, formerly known as Top Hat. Raised in east-central Oklahoma, he served in the Army Air Corps during the Second World War, before returning home to Oklahoma where he worked as a milk and bread delivery man. Between 1948 an...

Robert Baker (1916 - 2009) Motion Picture and Television Producer, Director. Along with Monty Berman he co-produced many British films and television programs, most notably the hit 1960s series "The Saint", which starred Roger Moore. Born in London, Baker worked as a photographer before serving in the Army Film and Photograp...

Jon Hager (1941 - 2009) Musician. In the 1960s he formed the musical comedy duo "The Hager Twins" with his brother Jim. They were discovered by Buck Owens, who saw them performing at Disneyland. The Hagers were best known as regulars on the TV series "Hee-Haw", from 1969 to 1986. After the series ended they continued to pe...

Dennis Cole (1940 - 2009) Actor. A performer of mainly television, he is best known for his role as 'Detective Jim Briggs' in the police drama "Felony Squad" (1966 to 1969). With his athletic build, the Detroit native was able to find work as a model and later as a Hollywood stuntman, which led to bit acting parts. His firs...

Cheryl Holdridge (1944 - 2009) Actress. Born Cheryl Lynn Phelps to former Broadway dancer Julie Phelps in New Orleans, she was later given the family name of Holdridge by her stepfather Herbert Charles Holdridge, a retired United States Army Brigadier General. As a child, she moved to Burbank, California, and later to Sherman Oak...

Huey Long (1904 - 2009) Jazz Guitarist. In a musical career spanning more than 80 years, he is probably best remembered for having played with the Ink Spots when the group still had original members. Raised in southern Texas, Mr. Long learned to play the ukulele at an early age, and got his professional start in 1925; he w...

Billy Powell (1952 - 2009) Musician. Born William Norris Powell, Billy was the keyboardist for the legendary Southern Rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. Formed in 1966, Powell became the group's keyboard player in 1972 one year before the release of their first album. Lynyrd Skynyrd became one of the South's most popular rock and r...

Gibson (2002 - 2009) World's Tallest Dog. Gibson was a giant loveable 7' 1" Great Dane whom was the spokesdog for Forever Lawn, the makers of K9Grass, a line of artificial grass designed specifically for dogs. He gained international attention appearing on "Good Morning America", "The Tonight Show," "The Oprah Show", "L...

Frank McCourt (1930 - 2009) Author. He won the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for "Angela's Ashes", a memoir of his poverty-stricken childhood in Ireland. Born into a poor Brooklyn family, he moved with them to Limerick, Ireland, in 1934 to escape the Depression. There, things were no better, and McCourt quit school at 13 to work a serie...

Leon Kirchner (1919 - 2009) Pulitzer Prize-Winning Composer. His more than 60 year career will probably be best remembered for his role in the development of American chamber music. Raised initially in Brooklyn, he moved to California with his Russian immigrant family at age nine. After study at Los Angeles City College with E...

Austin Robbins (1944 - 2009) Professional Basketball Player. For eight seasons (1967 to 1975) he played at the center and forward positions in the American Basketball Association with the New Orleans Buccaneers, Utah Stars, San Diego Conquistadors, Kentucky Colonels and Virginia Squires. Robbins attended Groveland High School ...

Lou Saban (1921 - 2009) Professional Football Player, Coach. During his more than thirty years as a player and coach in football, he encompassed the college ranks, and three professional leagues. Born Louis Henry Saban, he attended Lyons Township High School in La Grange, Illinois. During his collegiate years at Indiana Un...

Harry Kalas (1936 - 2009) Hall of Fame Sports Broadcaster. He did play-by-play radio and television broadcasting for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1971 until his death in 2009, a span of 38 years. He was awarded the Baseball Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Broadcasting Award in 2002. Born in Naperville, Illinois, he began his ...

Al Martino (1927 - 2009) Vocalist. A popular singer, he enjoyed a successful recording career in the United States and Europe from the early 1950s into the mid-1970s. He is best known for the top twenty hits "I Love You Because" (1963), "I Love You More and More Every Day" (1964) and "Spanish Eyes" (1965). He is remembered ...

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