Award winning artist Frank Kelly Freas (b.1922) died in the morning of January 2. Freas was the artist guest of honor at Torcon III in 2003, but was unable to attend the convention after suffering a fall. His career spanned several decades during which he produced numerous iconic covers and illustrations, perhaps the best known for Fredric Brown's "Martians, Go Home." Freas was the recipient of ten Hugos and a retro-Hugo as well as three Chesley, five Locus and a Skylark Award. He was an official NASA artist and created the mission patch for Skylab-1.

Los Angeles fan Michael Mason (b.1960) died unexpectedly near the end of 2004. He was found on the evening of January 3 when friends entered his apartment after growing concerned over him. Mason served as the librarian for LASFS and chaired Loscon in 2002.

Comic book artist Will Eisner (b.1917) died on January 3 following heart bypass surgery. Eisner created "The Spirit" in 1940. He received the 1995 Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award and the 1998 Reuben Award as cartoonist of the year from the National Cartoonists Society. Eisner was instrumental in established the graphic novel in the 1970s.

SF critic K.V. Bailey (b.1914) died on January 3 following a fall. Bailey's articles appeared in Foundation and Vector as well as in fiction magazine The Third Alternative. In addition to criticism, his poetry was published in Star*Line and collected in two books, The Sky Giants and The Vortices of Time.

Humphrey Carpenter (b.1946) died on January 4. Carpenter was a scholar who wrote J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography in 1977. Carpenter was given complete access to Tolkien's papers as well as interviews with family and friends.

Gerlad Pollinger (b.1925) died on January 5. Pollinger served as a literary agent for more than fifty years. Some of his genre authors included James Blish, Eric Frank Russell, and John Wyndham. In 1958, along with his father, he opened the agency Laurence Pollinger, Ltd., where he remained in various roles until 1999.

Fan Anna Vargo died early in the morning on January 9. Vargo had been ill for some time. In October, she underwent surgery for cancer. Vargo was a west coast fan who was a long-time convention attendee.

Anthony Sterling Rodgers (b.2004) died in an accident on January 11. Anthony was the new-born son of Alan Rodgers and Amy Sterling Casil. Alan was injured in the same incident and is in the hospital, although the doctors do not know how long he will be staying there. All projects Alan has been working on for Wildside Press should be considered to be on hold.

Author Bruce B. Cassiday died on January 12 from complications from Parkinson's Disease. Cassiday mostly wrote westerns, by he also edited Argosy from 1954-1973. He wrote Flash Gordon novelizations. With Dieter Wuckel, he co-wrote The Illustrated History of Science Fiction.

Bollywood actor Amrish Puri (b.1932) died of a brain hemorrhage on January 12. Puri is best known to Western audiences for his role as the evil Mola Ram in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom." Most of his more than 200 films were made in India, beginning in 1971 with "Reshma Aur Shera." At the time of his death, he was working on the film "Mumbai Express."

Author Kelly Goldberg, who wrote as d.g.k. goldberg, died of cancer on January 14. Goldberg published the novel Skating on the Edge. Goldberg also published numerous short stories in various anthologies. She was diagnosed with cancer in late 2004.

Swedish author Sven Christer Swahn (b.1938) died on January 15. Swahn was the author of numerous novels and six collections. His writing covered a variety of areas and he also translated the works of authors like Philip K. Dick, Ursula Le Guin, and Brian Aldiss into Swedish.

German author and editor Walter Ernsting (b.1920) died on January 15. Ernsting co-founded the long-running Perry Rhodan science fiction series in 1961. The majority of Ernsting's fiction was published under the name Clark Darlton. During World War II, he was drafted into the Wehrmacht and spent time in Norway and on the Eastern front before being captured and sent to Siberia as a POW. Ernsting's first novel was Ufo am Nachthimmel

Actress Virginia Mayo (b.1920) died on January 17 of pneumonia and heart failure. Best known for her roles as Danny Kaye's love interest in his MGM films, she eventually appeared in a few minor genre movies including "The Haunted" and "Evil Spirits."

Editor and bookseller Stephen Gregg (b.1954) died on January 18 from Pick's Disease. From 1973-1979, he published the semi-prozine Eternity. In 1975, he opened the Clemson newsstand, a bookstore which specialized in science fiction and comics.

Bookseller Geoffrey Palmer (b.1912) died on January 22. Palmer, along with Noel Lloyd, opened the Compton Bookshop in Islington, England in 1976. They later started a publishing company, Hermitage Books, which specialized in the works of E.F. Benson. He and Lloyd co-wrote several books and Palmer authored the novel To Church on Sunday.

Writer and producer Phil DeGuerre (b.1944) died on January 24 from cancer. DeGuerre was an executive producer on both "Max Headroom" and the revival of "The Twilight Zone."

Bookseller Beverly Mason (b.1936) died in Rockford, Illinois on February 3. Mason and her husband ran Toad Hall Records and Books. They were frequent attendees at Pulpcon.

Actor John R. Vernon (b.1932) died on February 3. Although best known for his role as Dean Worner in "Animal House," he has been associated with science fiction films since his first role, as the voice of Big Brother in the original version of "1984." Other work has included voice work as Prince Namor in "The Sub-Mariner" and other Marvel based cartoons, "Killer Klowns from Outer Space," and voice work for various video games.

Actor Ossie Davis (b.1912) died on February 4. Davis appeared in a handful of genre works including the Eddie Murphy remake of "Doctor Doolittle," "The Stand," a voice in Disney's "Dinosaur" and the film "Bubba Ho-Tep." In 2004, Davis was the recipient of a Kennedy Center Honor. He was a featured speaker at the funerals of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. He is perhaps most recognizable as the voiceover saying "A mind is a terrible thing to waste" in ads for the United Negro College Fund.

Missouri fan Richard A. Husband (b.1953) died on February 9. Husband had been suffering from esophageal cancer, which was in remission. Paramedics believe he choked while taking medication.

Playwright Arthur Miller (b.1915) died on February 10. Best known for the plays "The Crucible" and "Death of a Salesman," some of Miller's works also touched on the fantastic, such as "The Creation of the World and Other Business."

Author Jack Chalker (b.1944) died on February 11. Chalker suffered from congestive heart failure on December 7 and underwent a series of surgeries. Chalker began publishing with the novel A Jungle of Stars in 1976, and went on to write numerous books. He was perhaps best known for Midnight at the Well of Souls and its sequels. Chalker was twice nominated for the Hugo (best amateur magazine and best nonfiction book). In 1980, he received the Skylark Award and in 1992, the Readercon Award for The Science Fantasy Publishers: A Critical and Bibliographic History: Third Edition.

Actor Brian Kelly (b.1931) died on February 12 of pneumonia. Kelly served as the executive producer of the film "Blade Runner," based on Philip K. Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.

Author and poet Sonya Dorman Hess (b.1924) died on February 14, 2005 in Taos, New Mexico. Dorman published numerous stories in the 1960s and '70s. She won the Rhysling Award for her poem "Corruption of Metals" in 1978. Her story "When I Was Miss Dow" was included on the 1996 Retrospective Tiptree Award shortlist and was a Nebula nominee.

Author F.M. Busby (b.1921), died on February 17. Busby, who won the Hugo for best fanzine in 1960 for "Cry of the Nameless" and went on to write several novels, has been in the hospital for several weeks and was recently moved to a nursing home.

Actor Dan O'Herlihy (b.1919) died on February 17. O'Herlihy appeared in RoboCop and RoboCop 2 as the Old Man and played Grig in The Last Starfighter. He had the title role in The Cabinet of Caligari and as General Black in Fail-Safe. Over his career spanning more than fifty years, he appeared in numerous other genre films.

Actress Sandra Dee (b.1942) died on February 20 from kidney disease. Dee, born Alexandra Zuck, is best known for starring in a variety of teen idol films in the 1950s and 60s, but in 1970 she appeared in the film "The Dunwich Horror" and made an appearance in the original film "Fantasy Island," which was darker than the series it spawned.

Actor John Raitt (b.1917) died on February 20. Raitt only appeared in a handful of films, but he created the role of Billy Bigelow in the Broadway production of "Carousel," about a carnival worker who comes back from the dead to oversee his daughter's life. Raitt's daughter is singer Bonnie Raitt.

Polish fantasy artist Zdzislaw Beksinski (b.1929) was found murdered with multiple stab wounds in his home in Warsaw on Tuesday, February 22, 2005. Beksinski was also a photographer and sculptor.

French actress Simone Simon (b.1910) died on February 22. Simon appeared in the films "Cat People" and "The Curse of the Cat People." She also appeared in the film "The Devil and Daniel Webster." The majority of Simon's films were French.

Computer programmer Jef Raskin (b.1944) died on February 26. Raskin joined Apple computers in 1978 and went on to create the interface used for the original Apple MacIntosh He began work on the project, which he initiated, in 1979 and is the one who oversaw development and selected the name for the computer.

Artist James Avati (b.1912) died on February 27. He began seeling covers for paperbacks in 1949 and created covers for works by Tennessee Williams, J.D. Salinger, and John Steinbeck. His genre credits include covers for books by Harry Harrison. In 1995, he was named to the New York City Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame.

Raelyn Moore (b.1928) died on February 27. Moore was the wife of science fiction author Ward Moore and an author in her own right, with stories appearing in F&SF, Orbit and other places. In 1978, she published the novel What Happened to Emily Goode After the Great Exhibition. She published a non-fiction book about the Wizard of Oz in 1974.

Michigan Filker "Dr. John" Filpus has died. In addition to filking, Dr. John had a strong interest in centaurs and wrote several fan stories about the animals. Dr. John was an active convention attendee in the Upper Midwest and also attended several worldcons. He played classical guitar as well as bass and synthesizer. He was found in his Lansing, Michigan apartment.

Fan G. (Gertrude) M. Carr (b.1907) died on March 6. Carr entered fandom in 1949 and was named best new fan by NFFF. She was the original editor o Cry of the Nameless and was a member of both SAPS and FAPA. She left SAPS in 1960, but rejoined in the 1980s, remaining active until 2003.

Producer Debra Hill (b.1950) died on March 7. Hill wrote and produced the film Halloween and many other genre films, including writing credits on several Halloween sequels and production credits for The Fisher King, The Fog and Escape from New York.

Playwright Willis Hall (b.1929) died on March 10. Hll wrote several children's fantasies for stage, television and in novel form. From 1986-88, his series Return o the Antelope, about a group of Lilliputians, ran on the BBC. He also wrote musical adaptations of The Wind in the Willows and Peter Pan.

Karen Wynn Fonstad, (b.1945) died on March 11 of complications from breast cancer. Fonstad was a freelance cartographer, part-time lecturer at The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, and an invited speaker for many events. She was the author and illustrator of The Atlas of Middle-earth, The Atlas of Pern, The Atlas of the Land, The Atlas of the Dragonlance World and The Forgotten Realms Atlas. Karen helped develop Eowyn Challenge-Worldwide Walk to Rivendell and Beyond where over 800 people have logged 200,000 miles in the past two years.

Game designer Redmond Simonson (b.1943) died on March 11 in Garland, Texas. Simonson and Jim Dunnigan founded Simulations Publications, Inc. to publish their table-top wargames. SPI was purchased by TSR in 1982.

Author Andre Norton (b.1912) died on March 17. Born Alice Mary Norton, she adopted her pseudonym in part to mask her gender at a time when science fiction was predominantly a male field. She began publishing genre work in 1947 with the story "The People of the Crater" (later expanded to Garan the Eternal). She is perhaps best known as the author of juveniles and the Witch World series. Norton was named a grandmaster of the SFWA in 1983 and this year SFWA has announced the creation of an Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Novels.

Writer and actor David Kossoff (b.1920) , who wrote the BBC radio series "Man Into Space," died on March 23 from liver cancer. Kossoff also appeared in the film "The Mouse that Roared." Other genre credits include the British television series "Robin Hood," "Svengali," and the 1956 version of "1984."

Fan Art Rapp (b.1924) died on March 24. One of the early members of SAPS, he served as the APA's OE twice, in from its tenth to twelfth issue and again from 1983-1985. He was the editor of the fanzine Spacewarp, publishing more than forty issues from 1947-1950. He turned it over to F. Towner Laney and Charles Burbee for two issues while he served in Korea and eventually published 204 issues before he ceased publication in the 1990s. Rapp had been suffering from Alzheimer's.

Actor Barney Martin (b.1923) died on March 28. Martin was best known for played Jerry Seinfeld's father on the television show "Seinfeld," but he also portrayed Hermann Göring in the original film "The Producers." Another early credit was in "Charly," based on "Flowers for Algernon." He provided voice work for "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command."

Author Saul Bellow (b.1915) died on April 5. Although Bellow is best known for his non-genre writing, his 1970 novel Mr. Sammler's Planet described a utopia established on the moon. Bellow won the 1975 Pulitzer Prize for his novel Humboldt's Gift.

Leonard A. Robbins (b.1921) died on April 5 from ALS and pneumonia. Robbins was a bilbliographer who compiled The Pulp Magazine Index. At the time of his death, he was finishing work on Index to Short Stories.

Author Terri E. Pinckard (b.1930) died on April 10. Pinckard wrote radio adapteations as well as her own fiction. Some of her stories include "The Hate" and "A Small Planet of Our Own." Pinckard and her husband hosted a long-running SF-writers' salon at their home in California.

Publisher Samantha Kate Downing (b1967) died on April 12. Downing served as editor, business director, and layout artist for Deep7 Games. Deep7 publishes the official Red Dwarf RPG and many other games. Downing's husband, Todd Downing, will continue to run the company.

Actress Margaretta Scott (b.1912) died on April 15. Scott appeared in numerous films, one of the earliest being "Things That Come," written by H.G. Wells. In that film, Scott played duel roles of Roxana and Rowena.

Fan Bill Bowers (b.1943) died on the evening of April 17. Bowers was a long-time fanzine fan, who co-published Double Bill with Bill Mallardi in the 1960s. In the 1970s, he published Outworlds. Bowers was the Fan Guest of Honor at Iguanacon in 1978 and also chaired the short-lived Spacecon.

Director George P. Cosmatos (b.1941) died on April 19 of lung cancer. Best known for his work on "Rambo: First Blood Part II," he also directed horror film "Leviathan. "

Actress Ruth Hussey (b.1914) died on April 19. Best known for her role as photographer Liz Imbrie in The Philadelphia Story, Hussey also appeared in multiple episodes of "Science Fiction Theatre," including The Unguided Missile and 100 Years Young. Her first film was Madame X in 1937.

Actor Norman Bird (b.1920) died on April 22. Bird appeared in "Omen III: The Final Conflict," and "Shadowlands," about C.S. Lewis. In 1978, he provided the voice for Bilbo Baggins in the animated "Lord of the Rings."

Sir John Mills (b.1908) died on April 23. The actor appeared in more than 100 films beginning in 1932. Some of his genre work included the title character in Quatermass and roles in Around the World in 80 Days and Frankenstein. In 1971, Mills received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in Ryan's Daughter. He was knighted in 1976.

Josef Nesvadba (b.1926) died on April 26. Born in Prague, Nesvadba was a practicing psychiatrist who began writing science fiction stories in the 1950s and later turned to novels and plays. His story "Captain Nemo's Last Adventure" was translated into English and often reprinted.

Actor Mason Adams (b.1919) died on April 26. Adams was best known for his role as Charlie Hume on "Lou Grant," but appeared in "Omen III: The Final Conflict" and "Revenge of the Stepford Wives."

Actress Maria Schell (b.1926) died on April 26 of pneumonia. Schell was actor Maximilian Schell's sister. She appeared in "Superman" as Vond-Ah and as Anna Lustig in "The Martian Chronicles.

Brazlian author Lúcia Machado de Almeida (b.1920) died on April 30. Almeida wrote several young adult novels in both science fiction and mystery genres. Among her better known works was Spharion. In 1968, she received the Jabuti Award for Xisto no Espaço.

Author and fan John Brosnan (b.1947) was found dead in his flat,. He is believed to have died on either April 8 or 9. Brosnan was the author of several science fiction novels, most recently Mothership. He published the fanzine Scab and also published fiction under the names Harry Adam Knight, Simon Ian Calder, and James Blackstone.

Animator Joe Grant (b.1908) died on May 6. Grant designed the character of the witch for Disney's first feature length film, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." In a decades spanning career, he co-wrote "Dumbo" and worked on character design for Aladdin, The Lion King and Mulan. He was also one of the writers of the Donald Duck short "Der Fuehrer's Face."

Author Jeff Slaten (b.1955) died on May 7 following an heart attack. Slaten co-wrote Death Jag with Albert Ellis and also worked as co-author with Robert E. Vardeman. He was active in the Society for Creative Anachronism. In the 1970s, he sold some stories to Atlas Comics and worked for Mike High Comics in Denver.

Kansas City fan Vince Kohler (b.1940) died on May 11. Kohler's death came at the end of a two year battle with cancer. Kohler's activity with KCSFFS dates back more than 20 years and he has long been a resource for films for the Kansas City community and served as a liaison between Kansas City fandom and Hollywood.

Screenwriter Ed Adlum (b.1944) died on May 14 of degenerative brain disease. Adlum, who also wrote using the name Ed Kelleher, wrote "Invasion of the Blood Farmers," "Prime Evil," and "Voodoo Dolls."

Comic artist Paul Cassidy (b.1910) died on May 15. Cassidy is reportedly the artist who formalized the S shield on Superman's costume and added it to his cape. Cassidy was working as an assistant/ghost artist for Joe Shuster at the time and left in 1940. He eventually tried to develop his own comic, "Fantasy, the Moon Boy"

Actor Frank Gorshin, (b.1934), best known to fans as The Riddler on the 1960s Batman television series, died on May 17 after a long struggle with lung cancer, emphysema and pneumonia. Gorshin received an Emmy nomination for his role as The Riddler and another Emmy nomination for his role as Commander Bele in the Star Trek episode "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield."

Actor Henry Corden (b.1920) died of emphysema om May 19. Corden got his start in films in "The Secret Life of Walty Mitty" and went on to appear in 90 films, playing Paw Rugg in the "Atom Ant" series and eventually taking over the role of Fred Flintstone in 1977. In the "Return to the Planet of the Apes, he voiced General Urko.

Editor and publisher Samuel Herbert Post (b.1924) died from inoperable cancer on May 20. Post published numerous science fiction authors in his career, including Poul Anderson, Gordon Dickson, C.M. Kornbluth and H.P. Lovecraft.

Author Pat York was killed in a car accident in Columbus, Ohio on May 21. She was visiting family at the time of her death. York began publishing in 1995 with the story "Truckin'" in Tomorrow SF. Her story "You Wandered off Like a Foolish Child to Break Your Heart and Mine" made the Nebula ballot in 2000, and her stories made the preliminary Nebula ballot on two other occasions.

Actor Howard Morris (b.1919) died on May 21. Morris did voice work in numerous television shows, including "The Flintstones," "Winnie the Pooh (as the gopher), "Magilla Gorilla" (as Mr. Peebles), and Atom Ant (in the title role). In 1998, he appeared in "The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit."

Voice artist Thurl Ravenscroft (b.1914) died on May 22 of prostate cancer. Ravencroft is best known as the voice of cereal spokescreature Tony the Tiger. He also provided the voice for Kirby in the Brave Little Toaster series and voices in a variety of Disney films. He voices Thing 1 in The Cat in the Hat.

German author Christian Anton Mayer (b.1922) died on May 24. Mayer wrote using the name Carl Amery, and his novels included Das Königsprojekt, Der Untergang der Stadt Passau, and An den Feuern der Leyermark.

Fan Noreen Shaw (b.1930) died on May 25. Shaw chaired the 1955 Worldcon, Clevention. Shaw was married to editor Larry Shaw. She was an original member of the Cleveland fan group "The Terrans." In 1962, she and Larry were nominated for the Best Fanzine Hugo for Axe.

Actor Eddie Albert (b.1908) died of pneumonia on May 26. Although best known for his role as Oliver Wendell Douglas on the television series "Green Acres." He has appeared in a variety of genre films as well, including "Escape to Witch Mountain" and "The Borrowers." He provided the voice of the narrator for "The Lorax"

Fan Fred B. Torck (b.1947) died on May 30. Torck was active in Oregon fandom, creating the position of logistics chief for OryCon and working in a variety of positions when WesterCon was held in Portland.

Actor Leon Askin (b.1907) died on June 1. Askin, who was a Jewish refugee from the Nazis, is perhaps most recognizable as General Burkhalter from "Hogan's Heroes." He also appeared in "Young Frankenstein," "Airplane II," and "Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse." He made appearances in the 1950s as a guest star on "The Adventures of Superman."

Lucy Richardson (b.1957) died on June 1. Richardson worked in the art department for "Star Wars: Episode 1: The Phantom Menace," and "The Princess Bride." She served as a production designer on "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles," but her place in pop culture was settled much earlier when she, as a schoolmate of Julian Lennon, provided the inspiration for the Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."

Actor Michael Billington (b.1941) died on June 3. Billington was best known for his role as Col. Paul Foster on the show "UFO." Often mentioned as a possible James Bond, he appeared in the movie "The Spy Who Loved Me" as Sergei Barsov.

Author Warren Norwood (b.1945) died of liver disease on June 3. Norwood, who published novels in the 1980s, had entered hospice care a couple of days prior to his death.

Bookseller Peder Wagtskjold died on June 6 following a brief illness. Wagtskjold worked at DreamHaven Books in Minneapolis for more than a decade before branching out to found PDW books, a mail order company specializing in horror and Arkham House titles.

Actress Anne Bancroft (b.1931) died of cancer on June 6. Bancroft, who was married to Mel Brooks, is best known for her roles Annie Sullivan in "The Miracle Worker" and as Mrs. Robinson in "The Graduate." She appeared in films of genre interest as the voice of the Queen in "Antz," as Madame Ouspenskaya in Brooks's horror spoof "Dracula: Dead and Loving It" and as Helene Hanff in "84 Charing Cross Road."

Artist David C. Sutherland III (b.1949) died on June 7 in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. Sutherland is best known for his work for TSR from its earliest days into the 1980s, including the cover for the original AD&D Monster Manual.

Actor Ed Bishop (b.1932) died on June 8. Bishop was best known for his role as Ed Straker on the show "UFO," but also had a bit role in "2001: A Space Odyssey" and appeared in "Battle Beneath the Earth" and "The Mouse on the Moon." He provided voices for the animated version of "Star Trek"

Actor Dana Elcar (b.1927) died on June 10. Best known for his roles on "MacGyver" and "Baa Baa Black Sheep," he portrayed Dimitri Moisevitch in the film "2010." Other genre work included the movie "Condorman" and "The Nude Bomb."

Actor Robert Clarke (b.1920) died on June 11. Clarke appeared in several genre films, including "Midnight Movie Massacre," "Frankenstein Island," and "Beyond the Time Barrier." In 1950, he portrayed D'Artagnan in "The Three Musketeers," and the following year he had the title role in "Tales of Robin Hood."

Actor Lane Smith (b.1936) died on June 13. Smith is best known for his role as Perry White on the television show "Lois and Clark." Smith also played the role of reporter Emmett Seaborn in the mini-series "From the Earth to the Moon." He appeared in both "V" and "Alien Nation." Smith made his film debut in 1970 in "Maidstone."

Actor Jonathan Adams (b.1931) died on June 13 from a stroke. He appeared in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" as Dr. Everett Von Scott (A Rival Scientist). In 1984, he appeared in a television version of H.G. Wells's "The Invisible Man," and had a role in the 1987 television series "Star Cops."

Israeli author Dan Taslka (b.1936) died in Tel Aviv on June 15 following a struggle with cancer. Tsalka was born in Poland and fled at the start of World War II, eventually winding up in Israel. His novels include The Third Voyage of the Aldeberan, The War Between the Children of Earth and the Children of the Pit, and Under the Sign of the Lotus. In addition, he wrote non-fiction articles about SF in the 1960s.

Comic book artist Andy Roberts (b.1963) died on June 18 after sustaining injuries when struck by a motorcycle on June 12. He wrote "Frieda's Friends" and helped set up the small press comic convention Caption. Roberts was a songwriter, guitarist and vocalist for the London rock group Linus.

Comic penciller Sam Kweskin (b.1924) died on June 23. Kweskin worked for Marvel. He began working as a penciller and inker in the 1950s and in the 1970s, worked on Daredevil, Dr. Strange, and Sub-Mariner. Some of his work appeared with the byline Irv Wesley.

Actor Paul Winchell (b.1922) died on June 24. Winchell is best known to modern audiences as the voice behind Tigger in Disney's Winnie the Pooh cartoons. However, his voice work was much broader than just the one character, including title work on "Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines" and "The Jetsons." He got his start performing as a ventriloquist with his dummies, Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smiff. In addition to his entertainment work, Winchell held a patent for an artificial heart and a battery powered automobile.

Costumer Bobby Gear (b.1942) died on June 25. Gear suffered a stroke last year and while in the hospital was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She was a Baltimore area fan, married to Marty Gear, and active in BSFS and the Costumer's Guild. In 1998, she co-chaired the BucConeer Masquerade and worked as a judge for a wide variety of masquerades over the years. In 1986, she was nominated for a Best Fanzine Hugo for Greater Columbia Fantasy Costumers Guild Newsletter.

Actor John Fiedler (b.1925) died on June 25, the day after Paul Winchell. Just as Winchell has always provided the voice for Disney's Tigger, Fiedler provided the voice for Piglet. Fiedler provided voice work for other Disney films and appeared on camera for a season of Kolchak: The Night Stalker. He got his start in 1950 played Cadet Alfie Higgins on Tom Corbett, Space Cadet.

Michael Cuneo (b.1964) died of a brain tumor on June 25. Cuneo was on the team that won the Emmy Award seven times for his prop and model making for Star Trek: The Next Generation. He also worked on the TV series Lexx. Living in Massachusetts, Cuneo was an active supporter of fandom.

Cartoonist Rowland B. Wilson (b.1930) died on June 28 following an heart attack. Wilson's work, which frequently included fantastic elements, appeared in The Saturday Evening Post and The New Yorker. His animation earned him an Emmy for "Schoolhouse Rock." He went on to do animation on the Disney films "The Little Mermaid," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," "Tarzan," and "Hercules."

Bookseller John McLaughlin (b.1942) died on June 30. McLaughlin founded the Book Sail, specializing in rare books and art. He was personally a collector of pulp magazines. From 1984 to 2002, McLaughlin had been the owner of the only known manuscript of Dracula, with corrections in Bram Stoker's own hand. In 2002, he had Christie's sell the manuscript for $944,000.

Kansas City fan Rita Corriell (b.1915) died in June. Corriell and her husband, Vern, were founders of the Burroughs Bibliophiles as well as a founder of KaCSFFS. Corriell, a member of First Fandom, began reading Weird Tales in the 1920s and as a collector had a complete run of the magazine.

Author Chris Bunch (b.1943) died on July 4. Bunch was a Viet Nam veteran. During the war, he served as both a patrol commander and a correspondent for Stars and Stripes. Continuing as a journalist after the war, he also wrote several novels in collaboration with Allan Cole as well as solo ventures. He has written the Seer King series, the Sten series (with Cole) and The Last Legion series. His novel The Dogs from Hell is scheduled for an August publication.

Author Evan Hunter (b.1926) died on July 6 of cancer of the larynx. Although best known for his mysteries and screenplays, Hunter also wrote science fiction novels early in his career. Hunter was known by a variety of pseudonyms, perhaps Ed McBain being the best known. He was born Salvatore Lombino, but changed his name in 1952.

Fan Giles Hart (b.1950) was killed during the London terrorist bombings on July 7 while riding on a bus in Tavistock Square. Hart was scheduled to speak on the "Lesser Known Works of Lewis Carroll" later in the day. Following his death, Hart received the Knights Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland for his services to democracy. Hart had been a strong supporter of Solidarity in the 1980s. He was also the chairman of the H.G. Wells Society.

Packager Byron Preiss (b.1953) died on July 9 in a car accident while returning from synagogue. Through his Byron Preiss Visual Publications, Preiss assembled a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction titles, but until recently he was not a publisher. His recent into publishing, ibooks, has reprinted a lot of science fiction, as well as best of series for both fantasy and science fiction.

Actor Kevin Hagen (b.1928) died on July 9. Hagen was best known for his role as Doc Baker on "Little House on the Prairie," but he appeared in other westerns as well. His genre roles included the recurring role as Kobick on "Land of the Giants" and as Rob Wellan on "Amazing Stories." He played multiple roles on "The Time Tunnel" and "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea."

Actress Gretchen Franklin (b.1911) died on July 11. Franklin made her debut in 1954 in the mystery "Before I Wake" and went on to appear in "Help!," the 1973 version of "The Three Musketeers," and "Quatermass" as Edna.

Fan Linda Ann Moss died on July 12. Moss was active in APA fandom.

Actress Geraldine Fitzgerald (b.1913) died on July 17. Fitzgerald had a long career in film, beginning in 1934. In 1986, she appeared in her one genre film, Poltergeist II: The Other Side.

Comic artist Jim Aparo (b.1933) died on July 19. Aparo was considered one of the definitive Batman artists from the mid-1970s and also did work on Aquaman and the Phantom Stranger. He began working at Charlton in the 1960s, but was brought the DC by Dick Giordano.

Argentine author Magdalena Mouján Otano (b.1925) died on July 19. Otano's fiction appeared in numerous Argentine magazines and her story "Gu Ta Gutarrak: was censored by the French government. More recently, she had a story in the anthology Cosmos Latinos.

Actor Edward Bunker (b.1933) died on July 19. Bunker was convicted of several crimes and was on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List as well as being the youngest prisoner ever placed in San Quentin Prison. He began acting with "Straight Time" in 1978, and appeared in the Stephen King film "The Running Man" in 1987.

Actor James Doohan (b.1920), best known for playing Montgomery Scott on Star Trek, died on July 20. Doohan got his start in the television show Space Command in 1953. He has provided voice work for a variety of cartoons as well. Doohan is credited with creating the basic Klingon language for Star Trek: The Motion Picture. In recent years, he has suffererd from Parkinson's Disease and Alzheimer's.

Actor George Wallace (b.1917) died on July 22 following a fall. In 1952, he portrayed Commander Cody in "Radar Men from the Moon." Four years later, he was a bosun in "Forbidden Planet." Mostly appearing in Westerns, he did appear in the original television film "The Six Million Dollar Man" and "The Bicentennial Man." His last role was as Chief Justice Pollard in "Minority Report."

Actor David Jackson (b.1934) died on July 25 from an heart attack. Jackson appeared in "Blood from the Mummy's Tomb" in 1971 and spent the 1978-1979 season on "Blake's 7" playing Olag Gan.

Fan Ray Gish died on July 30. Gish was recently diagnoses with prostate cancer and had entered hospice a few days before his death. Gish served as chair for LepreCon 14 and 24 and was a board member of LepreCon, Inc. and CASFS. For many years, he was active in running the LepreCon and CopperCon art shows. In 2004, he ran the World Fantasy Con art show.

Mark Simpson, the owner of Page 45, a Nottingham, England comic shop, fell ill and died suddenly on July 31.

Actress Ileen Getz (b.1961) died on August 4. Getz appeared in several episodes of "Third Rock from the Sun" playing Judith Draper.

UFO researcher Philip J. Klass (b.1919) died on August 9. Klass was a technical journalist for Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine and after participating in an IEEE panel on UFOs in 1966 became an avid debunker of UFOs.

Animator Joe Ranft (b.1960) died on August 16 when his car plunged off a cliff into the Pacific Ocean. Ranft worked for Disney and Pixar, beginning with The Brave Little Toaster. From the very beginning of his career, he worked as a writer, director and voice artist, providing voices for Heimlich in "A Bug's Life" and Wheezy in "Toy Story 2."

Astrophysicist John Bahcall (b.1935) died on August 17. Bahcall helped prove that the sun was powered by internal nuclear reactions. In the 1960s, he helped discover neutrinos being emitted from the sun. Bahcall was one of the driving forces behind the development of the Hubble Space Telescope and fought against NASA's decision to allow it to be deorbited following the Columbia disaster of 2003.

Filker Hal Frank (b.1936) died on August 18. Frank was inducted into the Dorsai Irregulars in 1975. One of Frank's most widely known songs was Green Hills of Harmony. He was also an actor, making his screen debut in the time travel film "Somewhere in Time."

Actor Mel Welles (b.1924) died on August 19 of heart failure. Welles appeared as Iben in "Abbot and Costello Meet the Mummy" and as a gravedigger in "The Undead." In 1960, he portrayed Gravis Mushnik in the original version of "The Little Shop of Horrors."

Inventor Robert A. Moog (b.1934) died on August 21. Moog's name became synonymous with the synthesizer he created in the 1960s. His doctors detected an inoperable brain tumor in April.

French editor Daniel Riche (b.1949) died on August 21 following a struggle with cancer. Riche published the fanzine Nyarlathotep and went on to compile numerous "Best of" collections. In 1976, he published, along with Boris Eizykman La Bande Dessinée de Science-Fiction Américaine, a look at American SF comics.

Actor Brock Peters (b.1927) died on August 23 of pancreatic cancer. Peters is best known for his role as Tom Robinson in "To Kill A Mockingbird," but appeared in numerous genre films and shows, including "Soylent Green," "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home," and "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country." On "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," Peters had a recurring role as Joseph Sisko, Benjamin Sisko's father.

Television executive Perry Lafferty (b.1918) died on August 25. Lafferty directed three episodes of "The Twilight Zone:" In His Image, The Thirty-Fathom Grave, and Valley of the Shadow.

Fred Joerger (b.1913), a model maker for Disney, died on August 26. Joerger's best known work was the Sleeping Beauty Castle in the middle of Disneyland which was based on a model he made. Joerger was one of the first three model makers hired by Disney in 1953. Other early models were the basis for the steamboat Mark Twain, the Matterhorn, the Jungle Cruise and Main Street.

Actor Michael Sheard (b.1940) died on August 31 of cancer. Sheard portrayed Admiral Ozzel in "The Empire Strikes Back" and Adolf Hitler in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." His acting career dates back to 1964 and in the following year he appeared in a television adaptation of "1984." Sheard has portrayed Hitler in at least five projects and Heinrich Himmler twice. Sheard made several guest appearance on "Doctor Who" and was a staple at British SF Conventions.

Actor Bob Denver (b.1935) died on September 2. Best known for his roles as Maynard G. Krebs on "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" and Gilligan on "Gilligan's Island," he appeared in the genre children's show "Far Out Space Nuts" in the mid-1970s. He also appeared in the made-for TV movie "The Invisible Woman."

Australian fan Womble (nee Karen Warnock) died on September 10, more than a year after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Womble also suffered from diabetes, which had left her blind by the time of Aussiecon III in 1999. Despite her afflictions, she learned to use a computer and worked until the end. She is survived by Gerald Smith, her husband. A funeral will be held in Sydney with a memorial service in Melbourne.

St Louis fan Dan Patterson died on September 13 after being electrocuted in his home. In addition to being an artist, Patterson had an interest in motorcycles. He combined these interests by painting bikes.

Vladimir Volkoff (b.1932) died on September 13 at his home in Perigord, France. Best known for writing spy thrillers, Volkoff received the Jules Verne Award in 1963 for his novel Metro pour L'enfer (Subway to Hell). Volkoff was born in Paris to Russian émigré parents.

Director Robert Wise (b.1914) died on September 14. Best known for his Oscar winning films "West Side Story" and "The Sound of Music," Wise also directed the classic "The Day the Earth Stood Still," "The Andromeda Strain," "Star Trek: The Motion Picture," and the 1963 version of "The Haunting." He made his directorial debut in 1944 with "The Curse of the Cat People." In 1941, he worked as a film editor on "Citizen Kane," and was the last surviving crew member of that film.

Director and cinematographer Guy Green (b.1913) died on September 15. Green won an Academy Award for his work on the 1948 non-genre film "Great Expectations." In 1952, Green served as director of photography on "The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men." He was the cinematographer for the Errol Flynn historical epic "The Dark Avenger."

Actress Constance Moore (b.1920) died in Los Angeles on September 16 of heart failure. Moore made her screen debut in 1937 and two years later appeared as Wilma Deering opposite Buster Crabbe in "Buck Rogers." She reprised the role in 1953 in the film "Planet Outlaws."

Fan Kelly Turner (b.1961) died on September 18 after a brief and completely unexpected illness. Turner was an active costumer in the 1970s and 80s, working on the committee for Costume-Cons 1 & 2 and chairing Costume-Con 6. He served as Masquerade Director for the Westercon in 1986 and helped build the V-Ger Flyby sets for "Star Trek: The Motion Picture."

Director Richard E. Cunha (b.1922) died on September 18 of complications following heart surgery. Cunha was active for less than ten years in the late fifties and sixties, during which time he directed "She Demons," "Giant from the Unknown," "Missile to the Moon," and "Frankenstein's Daughter."

Author Charles Harness (b.1915) is reported to have died on September 20. Harness's works include The Paradox Men, The Ring of Ritornel and "The Rose." Harness worked as a patent attorney for more than thirty-five years, only publishing SF sporadically.

Kelly Eileen O'Guinn (b.1972) died on September 22. Known as Kielle, she was diagnosed with colon cancer four months ago. She was active in web-publishing and role-playing fanfic.

Actor Tommy Bond (b.1926), best known for playing Butch in the "Our Gang" comedies, died on September 24 following complications from heart disease. Bond also portrayed Jimmy Olsen in "The Adventures of Superman" and "Atom Man vs. Superman," both starring Kirk Alyn as Superman. He starting in the "Our Gang" comedies in 1932 playing a character named "Tommy." In 1951, he had an uncredited role in "Bedtime for Bonzo."

Actor Don Adams (b.1923) died on September 25. Best known for his role as Agent 86, Maxwell Smart on the television show "Get Smart," Adams also provided the voice of Inspector Gadget and Tennessee Tuxedo.

Author Helen Cresswell (b.1934) died on September 26 at her home in Eakring, England, from cancer. Cresswell is perhaps best known for her Lizzie Drippings books, which were turned into a British television series. She wrote numerous other fantasy books for children as well and received the Phoenix Award for The Night Watchmen and the BAFTA Children's Writer Award.

Jerry Juhl (b.1938) died on September 27 from cancer. Juhl was the head writer on "The Muppet Show" and wrote most of the Muppet feature films, as well as the Muppet's work on "Sesame Street" and "Fraggle Rock."

Belfast fan Joe Nolan died on September 28. Nolan is believed to have been the oldest Irish fan. He was active in the Belfast SF Group at the Monico and supported the early Nicons. Nolan was an ardent reader as well as a writer of both sf history and local history.

Actor Hamilton Camp (b.1934) died on October 2. Camp provided voice work for numerous science fiction series and video games. He also appeared on Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek Deep Space Nine, as Leck in multiple episodes of the latter. Camp portrayed H.G. Wells in two episodes of Lois and Clark. He began acting in the 1946 film Bedlam. He was also part of the folk duo Gibson and Camp an was a founder of the Committee, a satirical comedy troupe in San Francisco.

Nipsey Russell (b.1924) died on October 2 after a bout of cancer. Russell appeared as the Tinman in the 1978 film "The Wiz," a version of L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz. Although Russell only made a handful of films, he was active on Broadway and appeared on numerous gameshows, notably Match Game and Hollywood Squares.

Fan Barry Bard of Arizona died on October 7. Bard was active in running Phoenix conventions, often serving as procurement officer. Until recently, he was Comic Con International's Freebie Coordinator.

Actor Charles Rocket (b.1949) was found dead in a field on October 7 with a slashed throat. Police have since ruled his death a suicide. Rocket did voice work in several video games, including Star Wars: Starfighter. He appeared in genre films "Hocus Pocus" and "Earth Girls Are Easy" as well as television show "Max Headroom." He gained his greatest notoriety as a cast member of "Saturday Night Live" in 1981 when he cursed on air and was fired from the show.

Artist Bernie Zuber (b.1933) died on October 14. Zuber was the original vice president of the Mythopoeic Society as well as a long-time member of LASFS. In addition, he served as the first editor for Mythlore. In 1977, he became the founder and president of the Tolkien Fellowships.

Comics artist Bob White (b.1928) died on October 21 of complications arising from heart trouble. White was best known for his work on Archie Comics, particularly his illustration of Jughead, but he was also responsible for Cosmo the Merry Martian, which ran for six issues in 1958.

Actor William Hootkins (b.1948) died on October 23 of pancreatic cancer. Hootkins appeared in numerous genre films including "Star Wars" (as Red Six), "Flash Gordon," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Batman" and more. He also provided voice work for the video game "EverQuest II."

Swedish author and fan Dénis Lindbohm, (b.1927) died on October 24th after battling cancer for several years. Lindholm began publishing short stories in 1945. During the 1950s, he established Club Meteor, one of the first Swedish fan clubs. He turned to writing novels in the 70s.

Artist Keith Parkinson (b.1958) died on October 26 after fighting Leukemia since 2004. Parkinson began his career as an illustrator for TSR and then moved on to do book covers and other art as a freelance artist, as well as work as a game designer. He won the Chesley Award for book covers in 1988 and 1989. In 2002, Parkinson became the art director for Sigil Games Online.

Actor Lloyd Bochner (b.1924) died on October 29. Bochner is perhaps best known for his role as Chambers in the Twilight Zone episode "To Serve Man," in which he understood what the aliens were doing. He also had recurring roles on the original Battlestar Galactica and provided the voice for Mayor Hamilton in the animated Batman series.

Comic author Ryan Richard Carriere (b.1973) was killed on October 31 when a truck struck him while he was bicycling in Toronto. The majority if not entirety of Carriere's comics output came in the form of mini-comics and contriubtions small press anthologies.

Artist Tom Gill (b.1913) has died of heart failure. Gill became an artist while at the New York Daily News in the 1930s. Beginning in 1948, he began a twenty year run illustrating the comic book The Lone Ranger and other western titles. Gill was a long-time instructor at New York's School of Visual Arts.

Screenwriter Michael Pillar (b.1948) died on November 1. Pillar is best known for his work on "Star Trek," having worked on "The Next Generation," "Deep Space Nine" and "Voyager," as well as the screenplay for the film "Star Trek: Insurrection." He was the creator of the short lived "Legend" as well as a writer for "The Dead Zone." He also worked as a producer on many of the shows he wrote for.

Actress Jean Carson (b.1923) died on November 2 following a stroke. Carson appeared in "The Twilight Zone" episode "A Most Unusual Camera" and on "The Inner Sanctum" in "Dead Level." In 1958, she appeared in the film "I Married a Monster from Outer Space."

Author Michael Coney (b.1932) died on November 4 after battling asbestos-induced lung cancer. Earlier this year, Coney made several of his unpublished novels available on his website. In 1987, Coney received the Aurora Award Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1977, he won the British Science Fiction Award his novel Brontomek.

Ottawa fan Sansoucy Walker died on November 4. She had been suffering from atrial fibrulation for the last few years. No date for a memorial service or funeral has been set. Walker was a trained archaeologist and one of the founding members of the Ottawa Science Fiction Society.

Author John Fowles (b.1926) died on November 5. Although Fowles is best known for his non-genre works, such as The French Lieutenant's Woman, he also wrote genre-related novels The Magus and A Maggot.

Producer Moustapha Akkad (b.1935) died on November 11 from wounds sustained in the Amman, Jordan terrorist attacks. Akkad is best known as the executive producer of the Halloween series of horror films. He also produced and directed the controversial 1976 biopic "Mohammed: Messenger of God," about the life of the prophet Mohammed. His daughter, Rima Akkad Monla, died in the attacks on November 9.

Actor Keith Andes (b.1920) died on November 11 of suicide by asphyxiation. Best known for his role as General George C. Marshall in the World War II film "Tora, Tora, Tora," Andes provided the voice of the title character in the animated series "Birdman and the Galaxy Trio."

Fan Irving M. Koch (b.1947) died on November 19 while taking a nap. Koch started Chattacon in Chattanooga, Tennessee in the 1970s. He was instrumental in the bid to hold a Worldcon or a NASFiC in Charlotte. The funeral is scheduled to be held in Jackson, GA on November 22.

Actress Nora Denny (b.1927) died on November 20. Denny played Mrs. Teevee in the 1971 version of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." In "Splash," she played Mrs. Stein. She also appeared on "My Favorite Martian."

Actor Pat Morita (b.1932) died on November 24. Best known for his roles as Arnold on Happy Days and Mr. Miyagi in the Karate Kids films, Morita spent time in a Japanese internment camp for Japanese during World War II. He provided voice work for Mulan and Mulan II. He appeared in the films Timemaster and Full Moon High.

Actress Jocelyn Brando (b.1919) died on November 28. Brando, who was Marlon Brando's sister, appeared in several films, including the horror film "Dark Night of the Scarecrow" and the thriller "Starflight One."

Actress Wendie Jo Sperber (b.1958) died after an 8 year battle with breast cancer on November 29. Sperber portrayed Linda McFly in the first and third Back the the Future films. She also provided a voice in an episode of the television series "Dinosaurs." She may be best remembered, however, for her non-genre role in the Tom Hanks-Peter Scolari television series "Bosom Buddies."

Director Herbert L. Strock (b.1918) died on November 30 of heart failure following a car accident. Strock worked on numerous creature features in the 1950s, including "I Was a Teenage Frankenstein," "Blood of Dracula," and "How to Make a Monster." He also worked on the television series "Science Fiction Theater," "Sea Hunt" and "Men Into Space."

Author and editor Kenneth Macksey (b.1923) died on November 30. Macksey published more than fifty books, among them several collections of alternate history speculation, such as Invasion and The Hitler Options. He fought in World War II and was injured in Normandy in 1944, at which time he was awarded the Military Cross.

Comic illustrator Bill Fraccio (b.1924) died in mid-November. Fraccio worked in collaboration with Tony Tallarico, who signed most of their work. In the mid-1960s, Fraccio worked on Charlton's superhero line, including a revival of The Blue Beetle. Some of their work was published over the name Tony Williamsune. Fraccio also worked for EC, Hillman and other publishers.

Howard Gotlieb (b.1926) died on December 1. Gotlieb was an archivist at Boston University whose claim to genre fame is that he convinced Isaac Asimov to donate his papers to the university. Prior to Gotlieb's intervention, Asimov often destroyed his papers as he didn't consider them important.

Actor Jack Colvin (b.1934) died on December 1 in Hollywood of complications following a stroke. Colvin was best known for his work as reporter Jack McGee in the 1970s television series "The Incredible Hulk." Colvin also appeared on "The Six Million Dollar Man" and "The Bionic Woman."

Producer Gregg Hoffman (b.1963) died suddenly on December 4 in Hollywood after being admitted to hospital with neck pain. Hoffman was the producer of the "Saw" films as well as "George of the Jungle 2."

Actor Gilbert Mack (b.1912) died on December 5. Mack did voice work on "Gigantor," "Astroboy" and the title character on "Johnny Jupiter." Before doing voice work, Mack had appeared on television and was a vaudevillian and a performer in the Yiddish theater. In the 1960s, he provided the voice for Hawkman on the Superman/Aquaman Hour.

Author J.N. Williamson (b.1932) died on December 8. Williamson, who also wrote as Julian Shock, was the editor of the Masques series of horror anthologies as well as the author of numerous novels and short stories. Williamson won the Balrog Award in 1985 for his editorial work on Masques and received a Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2003.

Author Robert Sheckley (b.1928) died in a Poughkeepsie hospital on December 9 following surgery for a brain aneurysm in late November. Earlier this year, Sheckley, the author of the novels Immortality, Inc., Dimension of Miracles, and Mindswap, was hospitalized in Ukraine. He was slated to be one of the guests of honor at this year's Worldcon, Interaction, but was unable to attend. His family stood in for him. Sheckley's story "The Seventh Victim" was made into the film "The Tenth Victim." From 1980-1981, he served as the editor of OMNI Magazine. In 2001, he was named Author Emeritus by the SFWA. He was awarded the Jupiter Award for "A Suppliant in Space" in 1974 and the Gallun Award in 1991.

Actor Richard Pryor (b.1940) died of a heart attack on December 10. Pryor, best known for his stand-up comedy and comedy films, many of which co-starred Gene Wilder, also appeared in "Superman III," "The Toy," and the title role in "The Wiz." He co-wrote Mel Brooks's "Blazing Saddles." Pryor suffered from multiple sclerosis since 1986.

Army Lt. Walter Haut (b.1922) died on December15 in Roswell, NM. In 1947, Haut issued a press release dictated by Colonel William Blanchard which stated hat the army had recovered a flying saucer which had crashed in Roswell.

Author Kenneth Bulmer (b.1921) died on December 16. Bulmer has used numerous pseudonyms over the course of his career, including Alan Burt Akers and Manning Norvil. His 53 book long Dray Prescott series was originally published as by Akers and later under the protagonist's name. In addition to science fiction, Bulmer also wrote westerns and historical adventures.

Actor John Spencer (b.1946) died on December 16 of a heart attack. Perhaps best known for his roles as Leo McGarry on "The West Wing" and Tommy Mullaney on "LA Law." He began acting on The "Patty Duke Show" in 1963 and in 1983 appeared in "WarGames." He also provided a voice for the video game "Wing Commander IV." He was born John Speshock.

Dancer Aurora Miranda (b.1915) died on December 22. Miranda, who was a sister to Carmen Miranda, appeared in the Disney film "The Three Caballeros," in which she danced with Donald Duck.

Actor Michael Vale (b.1922) died of complications from diabetes on December 24. Vale appeared in "The Marathon Man" and the short film "Psychic Parrot." He was best known, however, for his longtime role as Fred the Baker (1982-1997) in a series of commercials for Dunkin Donuts in which he woke up early announcing "Time to make the donuts."

Actor Vincent Schiavelli (b.1948) died of lung cancer on December 26. Schiavelli, whose hang-dog looks were immediately recognizable, appeared in several genre films and television shows, including John O'Connor in "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension" and Uncle Enyos in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." In 1997, Vanity Fair named him one of the best character actors in America.

Rona Jaffe (b.1931) died on December 30. Jaffe's tie to the genre was the novel "Mazes and Monsters," an indictment of the Dungeons and Dragons fad of the early 1980s. "Mazes and Monsters," which espoused the idea that role-playing led to more dangerous activities was also turned into a film of the same title starring Tom Hanks.

Fan "Big Hearted" Howard DeVore (b.1925) died on December 31 following a stay in the hospital for an infection in his legs. DeVore had been active in fandom since the 1930s, and when he went off to fight in World War II, he padlocked his collection in a room in his parents' house to ensure it would be safe, and took the key with him. DeVore published numerous fanzines and was active in several fannish ventures, including NFFF and First Fandom. DeVore was also a book and magazine dealer. He had been scheduled to be the fan guest of honor at LACon III in 2006. DeVore was nominated for the Best Hugo in the Related Work category in 1999 for his book The Hugo, Nebula and World Fantasy Awards.