Notable deaths: From a president to a busboy
Two notable U.S. statesmen died in 2018, former President George H.W. Bush in November and Sen. John McCain in August. Bush’s wife, Barbara, died in April.
The year also saw the death of one of the world’s best-known singers, Aretha Franklin.
Several influential giants in their respective fields — including global dipolmat Kofi Annan, the Rev. Billy Graham and physicist Stephen Hawking — died during the year.
Here is a roll call of some of those who died in 2018.
JANUARY
Thomas S. Monson, 90. Revered by nearly 16 million Mormons worldwide as president of the church. Jan. 2.
John Young, 87. Astronaut who walked on the moon and commanded first space shuttle flight. Jan. 5.
Keith Jackson, 89. Voice of college football. Jan. 12.
Dolores O’Riordan, 46. Singer for Irish rock band The Cranberries. Jan. 15.
Ingvar Kamprad, 91. Co-founder of IKEA. Jan. 27.
Mort Walker, 94. Creator of comic strip “Beetle Bailey.” Jan. 27.
FEBRUARY
John Mahoney, 77. Actor portrayed the blue-collar dad in sitcom “Frasier.” Feb. 4.
Marty Allen, 95. Bugeyed comedian with wild black hair. Feb. 12.
The Rev. Billy Graham, 99. Transformed American religious life through his preaching and activism. Feb. 21.
Nanette Fabray, 97. Vivacious actress, singer and dancer. Feb. 22.
Sridevi, 54. Bollywood’s leading lady of the 1980s and ’90s. Feb. 24. MARCH
Roger Bannister, 88. First runner to break the 4-minute mile. March 3.
Stephen Hawking, 76. Theoretical physicist whose brillia nt mind ranged across time and space though his body was paralyzed. March 14.
H. Wayne Huizenga, 80. Built a business empire that included Blockbuster, AutoNation and pro sports teams. March 22.
Linda Brown, 75. Kansas girl at the center of Supreme Court’s landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling. March 25.
APRIL
Winnie MadikizelaMandela, 81. Nelson Mandela’s ex-wife and antiapartheid activist. April 2.
Yvonne Staples, 80. Member of the Staple Singers hit-making gospel group. April 10.
Milos Forman, 86. Film director of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “Amadeus.” April 14.
R. Lee Ermey, 74. Former Marine and actor. April 15.
Barbara Bush, 92. Former first lady, wife of President George H.W. Bush, and mother of President George W. Bush. April 17.
MAY
Tom Wolfe, 88. The white-suited wizard of “new journalism.” May 14.
Philip Roth, 85. Prizewinning novelist. May 22.
Alan Bean, 86. Apollo 12 astronaut was the fourth man to walk on the moon. May 26.
JUNE
Kate Spade, 55. Fashion designer known for her sleek handbags. June 5.
Anthony Bourdain, 61. Celebrity chef. June 8.
Kazuo Kashio, 89. Cofounder of Japan’s Casio Computer Co. June 18.
Vinnie Paul, 54. Drummer of heavy metal band Pantera. June 22.
Joseph Jackson, 89. Patriarch of the Jackson musical family. June 27.
Steve Ditko, 90. Marvel Comics artist. June 29.
JULY
Nancy Sinatra, 101. Childhood sweetheart of Frank Sinatra and first of four wives and mother of his three children. July 13.
Alene Duerk, 98. Navy’s first female admiral. July 21.
AUGUST
Stan Mikita, 78. Hockey great for the Chicago Blackhawks. Aug. 7.
Aretha Franklin, 76. The undisputed “Queen of Soul” on such R&B classics as “I Say a Little Prayer” and “Respect.” Aug. 16.
Kofi Annan, 80. Global diplomat and the first black African to become United Nations secretary-general. Aug. 18.
John McCain, 81. Faced down captors as Vietnam POW before 35-year political career that took him to Congress and the Republican presidential nomination. Aug. 25.
Neil Simon, 91. Playwright of comedic hits “The Odd Couple,” “Barefoot in the Park” and the “Brighton Beach” trilogy. Aug. 26.
SEPTEMBER
Burt Reynolds, 82. Film and television star. Sept. 6.
Richard DeVos, 92. Billionaire and co-founder of direct-selling giant Amway. Sept. 6.
Mac Miller, 26. Hip-hop star. Sept. 7.
Otis Rush, 84. Blues guitarist. Sept. 29.
OCTOBER
Juan Romero, 68. Hotel busboy who came to Robert F. Kennedy’s aid when the New York senator was fatally shot. Oct. 1.
Leon Lederman, 96. Nobel Prize winning physicist coined the phrase “God particle.” Oct. 3.
George Taliaferro, 91. First black player drafted in the NFL. Oct. 8.
Paul G. Allen, 65. Cofounded Microsoft with his childhood friend Bill Gates. Oct. 15.
James “Whitey” Bulger, 89. Boston gangster. Oct. 30.
NOVEMBER
Raymond Chow, 91. Hong Kong film producer introduced the world to Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. Nov. 2.
Stan Lee, 95. Revolution- ized comic books by creating Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the Incredible Hulk. Nov. 12.
Roy Clark, 85. Guitar virtuoso who headlined TV show “Hee Haw.” Nov. 15.
William Goldman, 87. Oscar-winning screenwriter. Nov. 16.
Stephen Hillenburg, 57. Creator of cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants. Nov. 26.
Jean Barker, 96. Socialite, codebreaker and British government minister. Nov. 26.
George H.W. Bush, 94. U.S. president, vice president, director of the CIA, father of President George W. Bush and an aviator during World War II. Nov. 30.
DECEMBER
Nancy Wilson, 81. Grammy-winning pop-jazz singer. Dec. 13.
Penny Marshall, 75. Star of sitcom “Laverne & Shirley” who parlayed fame into a career directing crowd-pleasing movies “Big” and “A League of Their Own.” Dec. 17.