Saying Goodbye to the Greats in 2012

As 2012 draws to a close, I'd like to pay tribute to some of the great people we lost this year.  In no particular order, these are some of the famous people who passed away this year.

General Norman Schwarzkopf - military
Charles Durning - actor 
Jack Klugman - actor 
Dave Brubeck - jazz legend
Larry Hagman - actor
'Mr. Food' Art Ginsburg- television food reporter/author
Gary Collins - actor 
Alex Karras - actor & NFL legend
Andy Williams - singer
Steve Sabol - sports film maker
John Ingle - actor
Michael Clarke Duncan - actor 
Neil Armstrong - astronaut 
Phyllis Diller - comedienne  
'Arnold Horschack' Ron Palillo  - actor
Marvin Hamlisch - composer
Chad Everett - actor 
Sherman Hemsley - actor 
Sally Ride - astronaut
Donald Sobol - author
Celeste Holm - actress 
Ernest Borgnine -actor
Andy Griffith - actor
Nora Ephron - screenwriter
Frank Cady - actor
Ray Bradbury - author
Richard Dawson - actor
Robin Gibb - singer & composer
Donna Summer - singer
Carroll Shelby - car designer
Vidal Sassoon - hairdresser
Maurice Sendak - author
'Goober' George Lindsey - actor
Beastie Boy Adam Yauch -musician
Junior Seau - sports figure
'Barnabas Collins' Johnathan Frid - actor
Dick Clark - entertainer & host of American Bandstand
Mike Wallace  - journalist
Thomas Kinkade - artist
Davy Jones - singer & actor
Jan Berenstain - author
Whitney Houston - singer & actress
Ben Gazzara - actor
Muhammad Ali - boxer
Don Cornelius - host of Soul Train
James Farentino - actor
'Juan Epstein' Robert "Bobby" Hegyes -actor
Joe Paterno - sports legend
Etta James - singer

Sure, there were a lot of other notables, but these were the ones who meant something to me.  I remember dancing around the living room to my sister's BeeGees album, or to the songs on American Bandstand and Soul Train.  And I remember sitting around watching Welcome Back, Kotter or Hogan's Heroes or The Monkees.  (Or who could forget that one episode of The Brady Bunch where Marsha sent a letter to Davy Jones?)  Glued to the TV during Desert Storm or when Sally Ride went into space.  Ali was the greatest and Phyllis was the mouthiest and Dave was the legend and Etta was the queen.

But the hardest of all for me to take was learning Ray Bradbury had died. =o(

So many lost this year.  May Stormin' Norman lead them all into eternity.