Final goodbye: Roll call of some who died in 2014

OCTOBER:

Comer Cottrell, 82. Black hair-care entrepreneur who made millions with an affordable kit that brought the glossy celebrity Jheri curl into the homes of average African Americans. Oct. 3.

Jean-Claude Duvalier, 63. He presided over what was widely acknowledged as a corrupt, brutal regime as the self-proclaimed “president for life” of Haiti until an uprising sent him into a 25-year exile. Oct. 4. Heart attack.
Marian Seldes, 86. Tony Award-winning star of “A Delicate Balance” who was a teacher of Kevin Kline and Robin Williams, a muse to playwright Edward Albee and a Guinness Book of World Records holder for most consecutive performances. Oct. 6.
Jan Hooks, 57. Former “Saturday Night Live” cast member. Oct. 9.
Tim Hauser, 72. Founder and singer of the Grammy-winning vocal troupe The Manhattan Transfer. Oct. 16.

Oscar de la Renta, 82. Worldly gentleman designer who shaped the wardrobe of socialites, first ladies and Hollywood stars for more than four decades. Oct. 20.
Gough Whitlam, 98. Flamboyant Australian prime minister and controversial social reformer whose grip on power was cut short by a bitter constitutional crisis. Oct. 21.

Ben Bradlee, 93. Hard-charging editor who guided The Washington Post through its Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the Watergate scandal and invigorated its newsroom for more than two decades. Oct. 21.
Joan Quigley, 87. Astrologer who helped determine President Ronald Reagan’s schedule. Oct. 21.
John “Bull” Bramlett, 73. Former professional football and baseball player who was nicknamed the “Meanest Man in Football.” Oct. 23.
Jack Broughton, 89. Decorated Air Force fighter pilot who flew more than 200 missions in Korea and Vietnam and later became an outspoken critic of the White House and military leaders. Oct. 24.
Marcia Strassman, 66. She played Gabe Kaplan’s wife, Julie, on the 1970s sitcom “Welcome Back, Kotter.” Oct. 24.

Jack Bruce, 71. British musician best known as the bass player and vocalist of the power blues trio Cream. Oct. 25.
Michael Sata, 77. Longtime opposition leader who was finally elected president of Zambia in 2011. Oct. 28.
Harold Gary Morse, 77. He transformed his father’s cluster of a few hundred mobile homes in central Florida into the gigantic retirement utopia The Villages. Oct. 29.
Thomas Menino, 71. Boston’s longest-serving mayor whose mumbling and occasional bumbling belied his political ingenuity and endeared him to a city whose skyline he helped reshape. Oct. 30.
NOVEMBER:
Tom Sneddon, 73. Former district attorney who sought twice to try Michael Jackson on child molestation charges. Nov. 1.
Veljko Kadijevic, 88. Former Yugoslav general who was accused of war crimes in Croatia and who fled to Russia to avoid testifying at a U.N. tribunal. Nov. 2.
Tom Magliozzi, 77. He was one half of the brother duo who hosted National Public Radio’s “Car Talk,” where they bantered with callers and commiserated over their car problems. Nov. 3.
S. Donald Stookey, 99. He was the scientist who forever changed cooking with the invention of CorningWare, a versatile glass found in millions of American kitchens. Nov. 4.
Raymond Almiran Montgomery, 78. Author of the popular children’s book series “Choose Your Own Adventure.” Nov. 9.
Tomas Young, 34. Wounded Iraq War veteran who was an outspoken critic of the conflict and the subject of the 2007 documentary “Body of War.” Nov. 10.
Ken Takakura, 83. Craggy-faced star known for playing outlaws and stoic heroes in scores of Japanese films. Nov. 10.

Big Bank Hank, 57. Member of the pioneering hip-hop group the Sugarhill Gang responsible for one of the most popular rap songs of all time, “Rapper’s Delight.” Nov. 11.
Marge Roukema, 85. New Jersey Republican who spent more than two decades in Congress sparring regularly with ideologues within her party. Nov. 12.
Jane Byrne, 81. She capitalized on Chicago’s slow reaction to a snowstorm to score one of the biggest election upsets in the city’s history and become its first and only female mayor. Nov. 14.
John T. Downey, 84. Former CIA agent who survived more than 20 years in Chinese prisons during the Cold War before becoming a Connecticut judge. Nov. 17.

Mike Nichols, 83. Director of matchless versatility who brought fierce wit, caustic social commentary and wicked absurdity to such film, TV and stage hits as “The Graduate,” ”Angels in America” and “Monty Python’s Spamalot.” Nov. 19.
Maria del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Silva, 88. The Duchess of Alba, she was one of Spain’s wealthiest and most colorful aristocrats and recognized as the world’s most titled noble. Nov. 19.

Marion Barry, 78. Former District of Columbia mayor whose four terms were overshadowed by his 1990 arrest after being caught on videotape smoking crack cocaine. Nov. 23.
Sabah, 87. Lebanese singer and actress who was an icon of Arab music. Nov. 26.
Roberto Gomez Bolanos, 85. Iconic Mexican comedian who wrote and played the boy television character “El Chavo del Ocho” that defined a generation for millions of Latin American children. Nov. 28.
Anthony Marshall, 90. His aristocratic life as philanthropist Brooke Astor’s only child unraveled as he was convicted of raiding her fortune. Nov. 30.
DECEMBER:
Dennis Walaker, 73. As mayor of Fargo, North Dakota, he was known for leading the state’s largest city through several successful fights against the Red River. Dec. 2.
Herman Badillo, 85. Bronx politician who became the first person born in Puerto Rico to become a U.S. congressman. Dec. 3.
Queen Fabiola, 86. She was inseparable from her husband, the late King Baudouin, and popular across much of Belgium. Dec. 5.
Ernest Brace, 83. Civilian captured during the Vietnam War while flying supplies for the CIA who later tapped code through a wall to fellow prisoner John McCain. Dec. 5.
Ralph Baer, 92. Video game pioneer who created both the precursor to “Pong” and the electronic memory game Simon and led the team that developed the first home video game console. Dec. 6.
Larry J. Cano, 90. Founder of the El Torito restaurant chain who helped popularize guacamole, fajitas and margaritas with the U.S. masses. Dec. 10.
Norman Bridwell, 86. Illustrator whose story about a girl and her puppy marked the birth of the supersized franchise Clifford the Big Red Dog. Dec. 12.
David Garth, 84. Political adviser who spearheaded creation of the modern political TV commercial and helped elect governors, senators and mayors. Dec. 15.