RIP, 2014

Once again, it has been quite a year for saying fond farewells to some of our most cherished actors, actresses and other notables.

Among those who died this year:

Elizabeth Jane Howard (British writer)
Phil Everly (US singer, Everly Brothers)
Simon Hoggart (British journalist and broadcaster)
Christopher Malcolm (British actor, AbFab)
Ariel Sharon (Israeli statesman)
Alexandra Bastedo (British actress)
Roger Lloyd-Pack (British actor, Only Fools And Horses)
Richard Shepherd (US film producer, Breakfast at Tiffany's)
Lord McAlpine (British politician)
Sir Chris Chataway (British athlete, Roger Bannister's pace-maker in the 4-minute mile record)
Claudio Abbado (Italian conductor)
Pete Seeger (US folk singer/songwriter)
Maximilian Schell (Austrian actor)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (US actor)
John Horsley (British actor, The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin)
Shirley Temple (US child actress and politician)
Sid Caesar (US comedian)
Ralph Waite (US actor, The Waltons)
Malcolm Tierney (British actor, Brookside, Lovejoy)
Maria von Trapp (Austrian singer, last of the Von Trapp Singers)
Alice Herz-Sommer (Czech pianist, last surviving Holocaust victim)
Beatrix Miller (former editor of British Vogue)
Alain Resnais (French arthouse film producer)
Jimmy Ellis (British actor, Z-Cars)
Peter Callander (British songwriter, Billy, don't be a Hero)
Bob Crow (British trade unionist)
Sir Anthony Wedgewood (Tony) Benn (British politician and former Cabinet Minister)
Clarissa Dickson Wright (British TV chef)
L'Wren Scott (US fashion designer, Mick Jagger's girlfriend)
Kate O'Mara (British actress)
Frankie Knuckles (US DJ and legend)
Bob Larbey (British TV comedy writer, The Good Life)
Mickey Rooney (US actor and comedian)
Peaches Geldof (British socialite, Bob's daughter)
Sue Townsend (British author, Adrian Mole)
Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Columbian author)
Edna Doré (British actress, EastEnders)
Bob Hoskins (British actor)
Efrem Zimbalist Jr (US actor)
Leslie Thomas (British (Welsh) author, The Virgin Soldiers)
Sir George Christie (British philanthropist, owner of Glyndebourne Opera House)
HR Giger (Swiss artist and sci-fi designer, Alien)
General Jaruzelski (Polish communist dictator)
Maya Angelou (US poet and civil rights campaigner)



Barbara Murray (British actress)
Rik Mayall (British comedian and actor)
Martha Hyer (US actress)
Little Jimmy Scott (US singer)
Sam Kelly (British actor, Porridge)
Gerry Goffin (US songwriter and producer)
Casey Kasem (US radio DJ and television host)
Francis Matthews (British actor)
Eli Wallach (US actor)
Patsy Byrne (British actress, "Nursie" in Blackadder)
Bobby Womack (US singer)
Eduard Shevardnadze (Georgian politician, former Soviet Foreign Minister under Gorbachev)
Tommy Ramone (US punk musician)
Lorin Maazel (US conductor)
Leee Black Childers (US photographer, Andy Warhol, David Bowie)
Elaine Stritch (US theatrical star and icon)
James Garner (US actor)
Dora Bryan (British comedienne and actress)
Ross Burden (New Zealand TV chef)
Kenny Ireland (British (Scottish) comedy actor, Benidorm)
Mike Smith (British radio DJ and TV presenter)
Charles Keating (British actor, "Rex Mottram" in Brideshead Revisited)
Robin Williams (US comedian and actor)
Lauren Bacall (US actress and legend)
James Alexander Gordon (UK broadcaster)
Licia Albanese (US opera singer)
Albert Reynolds (Irish statesman)
Sir Richard Attenborough (British film producer, director and actor)
Sandy Wilson (British lyricist and writer, The Boyfriend)
Bill Kerr (Australian actor and comedian, Hancock's Half Hour)
Joan Rivers (US comedienne and TV host)
Magda Olivero (Italian opera singer)
Richard Kiel (US actor, "Jaws" in the Bond films)
Sir Donald Sinden (British actor)
Ian Paisley (British (Northern Irish) politician and bigot)
Bob Crewe (US songwriter and producer, the Four Seasons)
Philip Somerville (British Royal milliner)
George Hamilton IV (US country singer)
Christopher Wray (British entrepreneur and lighting retailer)
Angus Lennie (British (Scottish) actor, "Shughie McFee" in Crossroads)



Polly Bergen (US actress)
Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (last of the Mitfords)
Dannie Abse (British (Welsh) poet)
Gaby Aghion (French fashion designer, founder of Chloé)
Sheila Tracy (British radio presenter)
Lynsey de Paul (British singer/songwriter)
Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier (Haitian dictator)
Geoffrey Holder (US actor, voodoo priest "Baron Samedi" in Live and Let Die)
John George Vanderbilt Henry Spencer-Churchill, 11th duke of Marlborough
Tim Hauser (US singer, Manhattan Transfer)
John Holt (Jamaican reggae singer, wrote The Tide Is High)
Raphael Ravenscroft (British (Scottish) saxophonist, Gerry Rafferty's Baker Street)
Lynda Bellingham (British actress and TV personality)
Gough Whitlam (Australian statesman)
Oscar de la Renta (Dominican/Spanish couturier)
Alvin Stardust (born Bernard Jewry, British glam rock singer and actor)
Jack Bruce (British musician, founder of Cream)
Acker Bilk (British Trad Jazz musician and singer)
Warren Clarke (British actor, Dalziel and Pascoe}
Glen Larson (US TV producer, Alias Smith and Jones, Quincy)
Jimmy Ruffin (US soul singer)
The Duchess of Alba (Spanish grandee)
Richard Pasco (British actor, Drummonds)
Ian McLagan (British musician, The Small Faces)
Baroness PD James (British crime writer)
Cherry Wainer (British pop organist, "the female Liberace")
Jeremy Thorpe (British politician, scandal-hit former Liberal Party leader)
Queen Fabiola of the Belgians
Tom Adams (British actor, The Onedin Line)
Virna Lisi (Italian actress)
Mandy Rice-Davies (British "model", central figure in the Profumo Affair)
John Freeman (British politician, diplomat and broadcaster)
Billie Whitelaw (British actress)
Joe Cocker (British singer)
Jeremy Lloyd (British comedy writer, Are You Being Served? and 'Allo 'Allo!)
David Ryall (British actor)
Luise Rayner (Austrian actress, 1st Oscar-winner)

And the final word, as always, goes to Stritchy...

Elaine Stritch - The Party's Over

RIP, all.