Garry Betty (b.1957) died on January 2.  Betty was an avid sf collector who owned more than 3,500 first editions and 10,000 pulps.  In 1996, he was named CEO of Earthlink and stayed at the company until he took a leave of absence following his diagnosis of cancer in November 2006.

Film Producer Steve Krantz (b.1923) died on January 4. Krantz is best known for producing the X-rated animated film "Fritz the Cat," but prior to that film, he was the producers of the animated series "Marvel Super-Heroes," "Rocket Robin Hood," and "Spider-Man." He was married to romance author Judith Krantz and produced many of the films based on her novels.

Chicago fan Lenny Wenshe (b.1955) died on January 5 after being admitted to the hospital with shortness of breath. Wenshe chaired Windycons 16 & 17, was a Director and Division Head for Chicon 5 in 1991, and ran the information desk at Chicon 2000. For the past several years, he served as Windycon's treasurer and was also a past board member of ISFiC.

Musician Pete Kleinow (b.1934) died on January 6. Best known for his work with the band "The Flying Burrito Brothers," he also worked in animation. His animation work began with stop-motion work on "Gumby," for which he also wrote the theme song. He also did work on "The Empire Strikes Back," "The Terminator," and "Gremlins."

Animator Iwao Takamoto (b.1925) died on January 8. Takamoto designed the characters for Scooby-Doo as well as Astro from the Jetsons and the Great Gazoo from the Flintstones. Takamoto received his first, informal, illustration lessons while interned with other Japanese Americans in camps during World War II. After the war, he worked for Disney on Cinderella and Peter Pan before moving to Hanna-Barbera. He was currently working as a vice president of Warner Brothers Animation and had developed the character design for Krypto the Superdog.

Filker Dave Alway (b.1951) died on January 9 shortly after returning from GAFilk. Alway suffered an apparent cardiac arrest and died before he could get to a hospital despite the fast action of his brother, Peter.

Actress Yvonne De Carlo (b.1922) died on January 10. De Carlo achieved her greatest fame as Lily Munster in the television series "The Munsters." De Carlo got her start in 1941, and most of her roles were in Westerns and sword and sandal epics. Her biggest success came on "The Munsters."

Producer Carlo Ponti (b.1912) died on January 10.  Ponti produced several genre films, including "The Flesh of Frankenstein," "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," and "Questi fantasmi." Most of his work was produced in Italy.  Ponti was twice married to Sophia Loren.

Robert Anton Wilson (b.1932) died on January 11. Along with Robert Shea, Wilson co-authored the Illuminatus Trilogy, and went on to publish numerous books of his own, including the Schroëdinger's Cat trilogy and the Cosmic Trigger trilogy.

Composer Harvey Cohen (b.1951) died on January 14 of a heart attack.  Cohen orchestrated the Peter Jackson film "King Kong" and the film adaptation of "The Bicentennial Man." He also worked as a composer for the animated television series "Batman" and "Superman."

Screenwriter Tudor Gates (b.1930) died on January 14.  Gates wrote the screenplay for the film "Barbarella" as well as several vampire films for Hammer films in the 1970s.

Swedish fan Ivar Berggren (b.1937), known as Banjan, died on 20 January In the late 1950s, he published the fanzine Sviraren and began organizing the Swedish annual Champagne Shootings.

Actress Myrtle Devenish (b.1913), died on January 21. Devenish appeared in Terry Gilliam's Time Bandits, Brazil and The Meaning of Life. She also appeared in 1988 in "The Hound of the Baskervilles" episode of The Return of Sherlock Holmes.

Actress Liz Renay (b.1926) died on January 22.  Renay starred in many B-films including "Mark of the Astro-Zombies," "Dimensions in Fear," "The Corpse Grinders," and the blaxploitation film "Blackenstein." Renay spent two years in prison when she refused to testify against her gangster boyfriend. Mickey Cohen.

Daniel Stern (b.1928) died on January 24 following heart surgery.  Stern published nine novels and several collections of short stories.  He often explored science fictional themes, although his work was not overtly science fiction.

Author Charles L. Fontenay (b.1917) died on January 27. Fontenay published several short stories in the 1950s and early 60s as well as the novels Twice Upon a Time, Rebels of the Red Planet, and The Day the Ocean Overflowed. More recently, his novel Kipton and the Towers of Time won the first Golden Duck Special Award, given to him for his portrayal of strong female characters.

Actor Tige Andrews (b.1920) died on January 27. Best known for his role as Captain Adam Greer on the television show "The Mod Squad," he also appeared in the "Star Trek" Episode "Friday's Child" as Kras, the second Klingon to appear on the show, and in the title role in "The Werewolf of Woodstock." Andrews also sang the song "Mack the Knife" in the original Broadway production of "Threepenny Opera."

Actor Lee Bergere (b.1919) died on January 31. Bergere appeared on "Star Trek" as Abraham Lincoln in the episode "The Savage Curtain." He also appeared in guest roles on "Wonder Woman," "The Six Million Dollar Man," and in the film "Time Trackers." Bergere appeared on both "The Munsters" and "The Addams Family."

Anthologist Roger Elwood (b.1943) died on February 2 In Norfolk City, Virginia. Elwood created numerous anthologies and was estimated to constitute a quarter of the market for science fiction stories in the 1960s and early 1970s.

Fan Lee Hoffman (b.1932) died of a massive heart attack on February 6. Hoffman entered fandom in 1950 with her publication of Quandry, and it wasn't until she attended Nolacon the next year that fandom learned Hoffman was a femmefan. Born Shirley Bell Hoffman, she was honored s Fan Guest of Honor at Chicon IV in 1982. In addition to her fan writing, Hoffman published several Western novels and received the Western Writers of America Spur Award for her novel The Valdez Horses, which was made into a film starring Charles Bronson. Hoffman also published four science fiction novels and had a story included in Again, Dangerous Visions. From 1956-1958, she was married to fan and editor Larry Shaw and worked as an assistant editor on Infinity Science Fiction and Science Fiction Adventures.

Author Fred Mustard Stewart (b.1932), died on February 7. His novel The Mephisto Waltz was turned into a film in 1971. Other novels of genre interest include The Star Child and The Methuselah Enzyme.

Actor Ian Richardson (b.1934) died on February 9. Richardson appeared in the film "Brazil" and most recently as Death and the narrator in the "Terry Pratchett's Hogfather." Other genre roles include Lord Groan in "Gormenghast," Merlin in "A Knight in Camelot," Mr. Book in "Dark City." In 1989, he was named a Commander of the British Empire. In the US, he may be most widely recognized for a series of mustard commercials in which he would ask "Pardon me, would you have any Grey Poupon?" from the back seat of a Rolls-Royce.

Author Benedict Kiely (b.1919) died on February 9.  The author of several novels and stories, his book Cards of the Gambler is a fantasy and his has also written genre short stories. 

Fan Patri Pugliese died on February 11. Pugliese worked as a dance-master at many east coast conventions and regency dances. He was known as Sir Patri du Chat Gris in the Society for Creative Anachronism.

Author Reginald Hickling (b.1920) died on February 11.  Hickling published the science fiction novel The Furious Evangelist, a dystopia, in 1950. As an lawyer for Britain's Colonial Legal Service, he drafted the Internal Security Act.

Artist Peter Ellenshaw (b.1913) died on February 12. Ellenshaw created matte paintings for several films, notably "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," "The Black Hole" and "Mary Poppins." His artwork also graced numerous rides at Disneyland. He served as the supervising matte artist on "Dick Tracy." During World War II, he served as an RAF pilot.

Monica Elizabeth Jolley (b.1923) died on February 13.  Jolley, who wrote as Elizabeth Jolley, wrote dark fantasies such as Milk and Honey.  Although she wrote since the 40s, she did not get her work published until the 70s.

Walker Edmiston (b.1926) died on February 15 from complication from cancer. Edmiston was a voice actor best known for providing the voice of Ernie, the Keebler Elf in a series of commercials. In addition, Edmiston provided voices for characters on the Sid and Marty Kofft shows "H.R. Pufnstuf" and "Bugaloos." In the 1950s, he had his own children's show on local television in Lost Angeles. He also worked on television shows "Buck Rogers in the Twenty-Fifth Century," "Spider-Man," and "Smurfs."

Actress Janet Blair (b.1921) died on February 19. In the 1955 adaptation of Mark Twain's book, "A Connecticut Yankee," she portrayed Sandy opposite Eddie Albert's Hank Martin and Boris Karloff's King Arthur. Blair appeared on the television shows "Fantasy Island" and "The Outer Limits."

Actor Derek Waring (b.1927) died on February 20.  Waring appeared as a Shardovan in the "Doctor Who" serial "Castrovalva." Waring also appeared in episodes of "The Adventures of Robin Hood" and "Ivanhoe."

UK librarian and author David Masson (b.1915) died on February 25. Masson published several stories in New Worlds in the 1960s, which were collected in his book The Caltraps of Time. He continued to publish into the early 1970s. His later stories were included in an expanded edition of Caltraps of Time.

French author Patrice Duvic (b.1946) died on February 25. Duvic served as an editor of Denoël and Presses Pocket. His books included Poisson-Pilote, Autant en emporte le divan, and Terminus. Duvic also wrote and directed the 1967 film "Vampirisme." Duvic also edited numerous anthologies and collections.

Author Leigh Eddings (b.1937) died on February 28. For many years, Leigh was a silent co-author with her husband David, of his novels, including The Belgariad and the Malloreon. Beginning with Belgarath the Sorcerer in 1995, Leigh received co-credit on their novels. Leigh Eddings had suffered a series of strokes leading up to her death.

Dale Hoover died in February. Hoover published the novels Shadow Twin and 65mm in the early 1990s. She also published some short stories during the same period and served as a small press editor.

Fan Jack Agnew (b.1923), one of the founding members of the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society, died on March 5 following heart surgery. Agnew was one of the founders of the Boys SF Club in 1935 and late rthat year founded PFSF. His art appeared in many early fanzines.  He was active in Fantascience Sales Service in the 40s and helped establish the Big Pond Fund, a forerunner of the Trans Atlantic Fan Fund.

French critic and philosopher Jean Baudrillard (b.1929) died on March 6.  He wrote many essays on  science fiction and his philosophical writing inspires "The Matrix" movies, although Baudrillard felt the filmmakers misunderstood his writing.

Author and journalist Charles Einstein (b.1926) died on March 7. In 1964, Einstein published the science fiction novel The Day New York Went Dry. The majority of Einstein's work, however, was in the field of Sports reporting, but his first novel, The Bloody Spur, was turned into the horror film While the City Sleeps. Einstein's half-brothers were actor Albert Brooks and "Super Dave" Osbourne.

Eleanor "Elly" Bloch (b.1915) died on March 7.  Bloch was the widow of horror writer Robert Bloch.  They were married from 1964 until his death thirty years later.

Paul Walker (b.1921) died on March 8. Walker was a critic and sf interviewer, whose interviews were collected in the book Speaking of Science Fiction.

Game designer Tom Moldvay (b.1949) died on March 9. Moldvay authored many of the early Dungeons and Dragons adventures for TSR, including X1: Isle of Dread, which was included in the D&D Expert Set as well as A2: Secret of the Slavers Stockade and X2: Castle Amber. In 1981, he edited the first major revision of the Basic D&D rule book and went on to co-develop the Prohibition-era game Gangbusters.

Joan Temple (b.1917) died on March 10.  Temple was the widow of British science fiction author William F. Temple. She was married to temple from 1939 until his death in 1989.

Actor Richard Jeni (b.1957) died of an apparent suicide on March 10. Jeni was a stand-up comedian who starred in the short lived television series, "Platypus Man," which was not genre-related. His one genre role was as Jim Carrey's sidekick in the film "The Mask."

Comic book writer Arnold Drake (b.1924) died on March 12 from pneumonia. Drake worked for DC, where he wrote for all their major characters, but helped create Deadman, The Doom Patrol, and Stanley and his Monster. He got his start after working with Bob Kane. After leaving DC in the early 70s, Drake worked for Marvel.

Actor Gareth Hunt (b.1942), best known for his role as Mike Gambit on The New Avengers, died from pancreatic cancer on March 14. Hunt appeared in the Doctor Who serial "Planet of the Spiders" as well as on the shows "Space: 1999" and "The New Adventures of Robin Hood."

Composer Herman Stein (b.1915) died on March 15. Stein was a staff composer at Universal Studios in the 1950s, where he wrote the scores for "It Came From Outer Space," "Creature from the Black Lagoon," and "The Incredible Shrinking Man." Stein's other work included episodes of "Lost in Space," "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea," and "King Kong vs. Godzilla."

Director Freddie Francis (b.1917) died on March 27. Francis won Oscars for his Cinematographic work on Glory and Sons and Lovers. In 1997, he won a British Society of Cinematographers Lifetime Achievement Award. He made his directorial debut in 1962 on "The Day of the Triffids" and went on to other genre work with "The Evil of Frankenstein," "They Came from Beyond Space," "Legend of the Werewolf." He also worked on Dracula films and his last directing job was for Tales from the Crypt in 1996.

Director Stuart Rosenberg (b.1927) died on March 19. Rosenberg may be best known for directing Westerns, including "Cool Hand Luke," and episodes of "," but he also directed genre films "The Amityville Horror" and three episodes of "The Twilight Zone."

Comic artist Marshall Rogers (b.1950) died on March 24 or 25. Rogers began working for DC and Marvel in the early 1970s and became a key illustrator of Batman. He helped redefine Batman as the Dark Knight in Detective Stories with his collaborator Steve Englehart. For Marvel, Rogers worked on Silver Surfer and Spider-Man. His own Cap'N Quick & A Foozle was published by Eclipse.

Rabbi David Honigsberg (b.1958) died of an heart attack on March 26. Honigsberg made his mark in fandom as a musician and as a rabbi, officiating at many fannish functions. In addition, he published several short stories as well as material for the role-playing game Ars Magica. He was part of the group "The Don't Quit Your Day Job Players." Honigsberg is survived by his wife, Alexandra.

Madelon Gernsback (b.1909) died on March 29.  Gernsback was the daughter of science fiction editor, publisher and author Hugo Gernsback.

Author Leslie Waller (b.1923) died on March 29.  Waller wrote the novelization of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and in 1950 published a "picture book," It Rhymes With Lust, a forerunner to graphic novels.

Seattle fan Gerald Perkins (b.1944) died on March 30, several days after lapsing into a coma. Perkins was a Bay area fan who had moved to Seattle a few years ago. He was involved in Baycon and furry fandom and had a couple of stories published in Sword and Sorceress and Aboriginal. Shortly before his death, a successful search for his biological family was launched by fans.

Cincinnati fan Linda Stoops has died. Stoops was involved in a variety of aspects of MillenniCon, including making awards, donating things for the kids' programming, running room parties at other conventions, going all-out for the Chocolate Party.

Comic artist Massimo Belardinelli (b.1938) died in March following a protracted illness.  Belardinelli was part of the original team to work on the comic "2000A.D." Belardinelli also worked on "Dan Dare" and a variety of other comics.

Actor George Swell (b.1924) died on April 1.  Sewell appeared in the Doctor Who serial "Remembrance of the Daleks" as Ratcliffe. He also played Alec Freeman in the television series "UFO." He appeared in the horror films "Doppleganger" and "The Haunted House of Horror."

Director Bob Clark (b.1941) died on April 4 when the car he and his son were driving in was involved in a head-on collision. Clark's most famous films were the teen comedy "Porky's" and "A Christmas Story," but he also worked within the genre, directing the "Remote Control Man" for the television series "Amazing Stories," and the films "Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things," "Deathdream," and "Baby Geniuses."

Actor Edward Mallory (b.1930) died on April 4. Mallory is best known for his lengthy appearance on the soap opera "The Days of Our Lives," but also appeared in a couple of episodes of the television series "The Munsters" and on "Bewitched." He appeared in the 1962 horror film "Experiment in Terror" and in an episode of the television series "Men into Space."

Ralph A. Sperry, Jr. (b.1944) died on April 6. Sperry wrote the science fiction novel Status Quotient: The Carrier and several short stories. He was diagnosed with lung cancer in the Fall of 2006.

Actor Barry Nelson (b.1920) died on April 7. Nelson held the distinction of being the first actor to portray Ian Fleming's spy James Bond, when he appeared in a television production of "Casino Royale" in 1954. He also appeared in the television shows "Fantasy Island," "Battlestar Galactica," "The Twilight Zone," and "Salvage 1."

Screenwriter Dave Martin (b.1935) died on April 10. Martin wrote several episodes of "Doctor Who," including "The Hand of Fear," "The Claw of Axos," "The Three Doctors," and "The Armageddon Factor." He also became the first writer to work on both the original "Doctor Who" and the revamped series with the Hugo-nominated episode "School Reunion." For his story "The Invisible Enemy," Martin created a robotic canine companion for the Doctor, K9.

Stuntman Jack Williams (b.1922) died on April 10. Williams got his start in 1936, and appeared in the film "Gone with the Wind." His genre credits include stunts in "Soylent Green," "Beneath the Planet of the Apes," "The Omega Man," and Innerspace. Williams appeared, mostly uncredited, in nearly 100 productions.

Author Kurt Vonnegut (b.1922) died on April 11 a couple of weeks after suffering a brain injury in a fall. Vonnegut was a highly acclaimed writer who wrote several science fiction novels, including Slaughterhouse Five, based on his experiences as a prisoner of war in Dresden in World War II, and The Sirens of Titan. One of his most enduring characters was science fiction writer Kilgore Trout, who appeared in multiple books. Philip José Farmer wrote the book Venus on the Half Shell using the Trout name as a pseudonym. Once Vonnegut achieved mainstream recognition, he adamantly denied being a science fiction writer.

Actor Roscoe Lee Browne (b.1925) died on April 11. Browne provided voice work for "Treasure Planet," "Batman: The Animated Series," and as Kingpin in the 1990s "Spider-Man" television series. He appeared in two episodes of "SeaQuest DSV" and in the film "Moon 44" (a.k.a. "Intruder"). He played Box in the film "Logan's Run."

Jamie Bishop, the son of science fiction author Michael Bishop, was among those killed at Virginia Tech when a graduate student went on a shooting rampage on April 16. Bishop was an Academic Technology Liaison at Virginia Tech and also taught German classes. Bishop also was a digital artist, whose work included the cover of his father's books Brighten to Incandescence and A Reverie for Mr. Ray.

Writer Dick Vosburgh (b.1929) died on April 18.  Vosburgh provided the voice for Captain Dart on the puppet television show "Space Patrol." Over the years he wrote for both Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett on their own shows and on "The Two Ronnies."

Emily Sunstein (b.1924) died on April 21 in Philadelphia. Sunstein was a literary critic who wrote biographies of Mary Wollestonecraft and Mary Shelley, the latter the author of Frankenstein. Sunstein won the Modern Language Association Prize for Independent Scholars for her biography of Shelley.

Author Bill Nabors (b.1944) died on April 21.  Nabors was an historian who wrote two science fiction stories, "Where's the Luck" and "The State of Ultimate Peace." In the 1970s, he was in a writers group with Joe & Jack Haldeman, Gardner Dozois, Jack Dann, and George Alec Effinger.

Author Paul Erdman (b.1932) died on April 23.  Erdman wrote financial thrillers, some of which were set in the future, such as The Crash of 79 and The Last Days of America. Accused of fraud in Switzerland in the 1970s, he began writing his first novel while in jail.  After posting bail, he fled the country and was convicted in absentia.

Actor Roy Jenson (b.1927) died on April 24.  Jenson appeared in episodes of "Star Trek," "Knight Rider," "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea," and "Fantasy Island." He also played state security chief Donovan in the film "Soylent Green."

Minneapolis fan Doug Friauf died on April 25. Friauf was an active host of Minneapolis in '73 parties on many continents. Friauf was a guest of honor at Minicon 41 in 2006. Friauf helped produce the Minneapolis SF radio show Shockwave.

Actor Dabbs Greer (b.1917) died on April 28. Greer holds the distinction of portraying the first person saved by Superman on the George Reeve "Adventures of Superman" in 1952. He played the older Paul Edgecomb in the film "Green Mile" and appeared in episodes of "The Greatest American Hero," "The Incredible Hulk," "Shazam," "Starman," and "Space Patrol."

Actor Gordon Scott (b.1926) died on April 30. Scott got his start acting portraying Tarzan in a series of films from 1955-1960 and then began making sword and sandal films in Italy, beginning with a portrayal of Remus opposite Steve Reeve's Romulus in "Romule e Remo." In 1965, he portrayed Hercules in a made-for-tv film, "Hercules and the Princess of Troy."

Actor Tom Poston (b.1921) died on April 30. Perhaps best know for his role as handyman George Utley on "Newhart," Poston also had a recurring role on "Mork and Mindy." He appeared in "X-Files" spin-off "The Lone Gunman" as well as "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" and "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show."

Astronaut Wally Schirra (b.1923) died on May 3, possibly as a result of cancer. Schirra was the fifth American in space and the third American to orbit the Earth. After the Mercury mission ended, Schirra went on the fly both the Gemini mission and Apollo mission, the only astronaut to fly on all three missions. When he flew on Gemini 6A, Schirra participated in the first rendezvous in space. Schirra's last flight was aboard Apollo 7, the first three-man mission. Schirra published the book Schirra's Space about his experiences with NASA. Only two of the original Mercury astronauts survive Schirra.

Author Pat O'Shea (b.1931) died on May 3.  O'Shea wrote the young adult fantasy novels The Hounds of the Morrigan and Finn MacCool and the Small Men of Deeds.

Fan and filker Frank Gasperik died on May 3.  Gasperik was tuckerized in two separate Larry Niven/Jerry Pournelle novels, first as Mark Czescu in Lucifer's Hammer and later as Harry Reddington in Footfall.

Director Curtis Harrington (b.1922) died on May 6 in Hollywood. Harrington directed "Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet" in 1965 using the name John Sebastian and went on to direct "Queen of Blood" under his own name. He also directed episodes of the television shows "Wonder Woman," "Tales of the Unexpected," and the 1987 version of "The Twilight Zone."

Actor Nicholas Worth (b.1937) died on May 7 of heart failure. Worth appeared in several science fiction films and television shows, including the role of Lonzak in "Star Trek: Voyager," Pauly in "Darkman," and Bruno in the 1982 film "Swamp Thing." Worth also had guest roles on "The Greatest American Hero" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." In later years, he was active in video game voice work. One of her earliest roles was in the blaxploitation film "Scream Blacula Scream."

Screenwriter Bernard Gordon (b.1918) died on May 11. Blacklisted in the 1950s during the McCarthy era, Gordon wrote many films under the pseudonym Raymond T. Marcus. His genre films include "The Day of the Triffids," "The Zombies of Mora Tau," and "Earth vs. the Flying Saucers." In 1999, he led the protest against an honorary Oscar being awarded to Elia Kazan.

Author Lloyd Alexander (b.1924) died on May 17, two weeks after his wife's death. Alexander's most famous work was the Chronicles of Prydain, the first book of which, The Black Cauldron, was turned into an animated film by Disney. The final book in the series, The High King, won the Newbery Medal in 1969. He also wrote the Westmark trilogy and many other books.

Fan Don Dailey (b.1949) died on May 22 following a long battle with cancer. Dailey was involved with Star Fleet Command, First Fandom, and MUFON and was the editor of the first fandom newsletter.

Animator Art Stevens (b.1915) died on May 22. Stevens joined Disney in 1940 when he worked as an in-betweener on "Fantasia." Stevens went on to work on "Robin Hood," "Bedknobs and Broomsticks," and "Peter Pan," among other films. In 1992, he received the Golden Award from the Motion Picture Screen Cartoonists Guild.

Actor Charles Nelson Reilly (b.1931) died on May 27. Best known for his lengthy string of appearance on the game show "Match Game," Reilly made guest appearances on several genre-related shows, including "The X-Files," "Spacecats," "Amazing Stories," and "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir." Nominated for three Emmy Awards, he won the Tony Award for his role in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying."

Clifton Amsbury died on May 28. Amsbury was one of the founders of the Science Correspondence Club. According to Frederik Pohl, Amsbury was "The first organized fan anywhere." Amsbury, who was active as early as 1928, was also a convention goer and participant throughout his life.

Actor Nick Ramus (b.1952) died on May 30.  Ramus appeared as the helmsman of the USS Saratoga in "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home."

Fan Dave Wood (b.1936) died on June 6.  Wood was an active fanzine editor in the 1950s and 60s, editing the fanzine Brenschluss.  In 1983, he began editing Xyster, which won him a Nova Aweard in 1984.

Don Herbert (b.1917) died on June 12 of bone cancer. Herbert, better known as Mr. Wizard, taught a generation science. His original show, "Watch Mr. Wizard," ran from 1951-1964 and won a Peabody Award in 1954. Herbert's show did science using ingredients and tools that could be found around the house. He was one of the first guests on "Late Night with David Letterman."

Walter J. Daugherty (b.1917) died on June 14. Daugherty was long active in fandom, chairing the 1946 Worldcon (Pacificon I) and being Guest of Honor at the 1968 Worldcon (Baycon). In 1948, Daughetry proposed a traveling west coast convention, that debuted as Westercon. Daugherty chaired the second Westercon in 1949 and was its Fan Guest of Honor in 1997.

Author Jim Raymond van Scyoc died on June 18.  Although van Scyoc published a few short stories of his own and was a founding member of the Bay Area writers group Ad Hoc, he is perhaps best known as the husband of sf author Sydney van Scyoc.

Canadian SF Author Douglas Hill (b.1935) was killed on June 21 when he was struck by a car while crossing the street in London, England. Hill had recently finished writing a fantasy trilogy to be published by MacMillan UK. Hill began publishing in 1965 with the novel The Supernatural and has published numerous novels, both in series and stand-alone, in the years since.

Fan Peggy Crawford (b.1924) died on died June 23, 2007. Crawford founded Fantasy Publishing Company with her husband, Bill Crawford, following World War II. The published the magazines Fantasy Book, Spaceway, Coven 13, and Witchcraft & Sorcery.

Portland fan Juanita Sharp (b.1924) died on June 25. Although Sharp was not active in fandom in recent years, in 1950, she worked on NorWesCon, the Worldcon in Seattle. Sharp also helped in production of fanzines. Sharp was married to fellow fan Joseph Salta for 52 years at the time of his death in 2006.

Ohio fan Liz Gross (b.1940) died on June 27 following a two and a half week coma resulting from pneumonia that grew out of a cold she caught at Wiscon. Gross has recently retired from a professorship at Ohio State University. Gross had served as chair of both Context and Marcon in Columbus and was one of the founders of Context.

Makeup artist William Tuttle (b.1912) died on June 27.  Tuttle won a special Oscar for his work on "7 Faces of Dr. Lao" and also worked on "The Picture of Dorian Gray," "Young Frankenstein," and "Logan's Run." Tuttle won Saturn Awards for the last two, as well as for his work on "The Fury," and "Love at First Bite."

Screenwriter Brian Finch (b.1936) died on June 27. Finch wrote screenplays for genre shows "Captain Scarlet," "The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne," and "The Tomorrow People." In the 1960s, he served as a ghostwriter for the Beatles.

Actor William Hutt (b.1920) died on June 27. Best known for his appearances at the Stratford Festival in Canada, Hutt also appeared in an episode of the television show "The Starlost" and in the film "The Shape of Things to Come."

Author Sterling Lanier (b.1927) died on June 28. Lanier is best known for his Hiero novels, but when serving as an editor for Chilson in the 1960s, he convinced the publisher to buy a science fiction manuscript (Chilson is an automotive publisher). The resulting book was Franker Herbert's Dune.

Author Fred Saberhagen (b.1930) died on June 29. Saberhagen's career began with the publication of "Volume Paa-Pyx" in Galaxy in 1961. His first novel, The Golden People, followed in 1964. Saberhagen may be best known for his Berserker series, which began in 1967, his Dracula sequence, beginning in 1975, and his Swords/Lost Swords series, starting in 1986. Saberhagen received a Nebula nomination in 1966 for "Masque of the Red Shift," and a Hugo nomination the following year for "Mr. Jester."

Composer Will Shaeffer (b.1928) died on June 30 after a battle with cancer. Shaeffer wrote several theme songs for television, including the music for "The Jetsons," "The Flintstones," "Super Friends," and "I Dream of Jeannie."

Actor Kerwin Matthews (b.1923) died on July 5. Matthews is best remembered for his role as Sinbad in "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad," but appeared in other genre work as well. His first screen role was in the television series "Space Patrol" and he also appeared in "Ghostbreakers," "The Boy Who Cried Werewolf," and "Nightmare in Blood," his final role.

Agent Perry Knowlton (b.1927) died on July 6. For the past several years Knowlton, who was a former chairman and CEO of the Curtis Brown agency, suffered from Alzheimer's. From the end of World War II until 1959 when he joined Curtis Brown, Knowlton worked as an editor for Scribner's. Knowlton handled the works and estates of C.S. Lewis, A.A. Milne, Frederik Pohl, Frank Robinson, and Ayn Rand.

Actor Charles Lane (b.1905) died on July 9. Lane is best known for his role as a newspaper reporter in Frank Capra's "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," but also appeared in Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life." Other genre roles included an uncredited appearance in "Mighty Joe Young," an appearances in "Dark Shadows," "The Munsters," and "Bewitched," and the film "Strange Invaders." Lane got his start in 1931, appearing in more than 300 films and television shows before his final appearance in 2006.

Actor Peter Tuddenham (b.1918) died on July 9.  Tuddenham provided the voices for Orac and Slave on "Blake's 7" and appeared in the "Doctor Who" serial "The Masque of Mandragora." He also did voice work for the "Doctor Who" serials "Time and the Rani" and "The Ark in Space."

Author Ronda Thompson (b.1955) died on July 11.  Thompson was a romance writer who published several paranormal romances, including the regency series Wild Wulfs of London, which incorporated lyncathropy.

Marc Behm (b.1925) died on July 12.  Behm wrote several novels with science fictional themes and was also a screenwriter, co-writing the Beatles' film "Help," among others.

Actor Frank Maher (b.1929) died on July 13.  Maher made his debut as an extra in "Caesar and Cleopatra." He went on to appear in episodes of "Space:1999" and "The Prisoner," and to work as a stuntman on "Blake's 7."

Actor Kieron Moore (b.1924) died on July 15. Moore appeared in more than fifty films during his career, including "Satellite in the Sky," about the first British orbital launch, "Darby O'Gill and the Little People," "Doctor Blood's Coffin," and "The Day of the Triffids."

Screenwriter Max Hodge (b.1916) died on July 17.  While working as a writer for the "Batman" television show, Hodge modified a little-used comic book character, Mr. Zero and created Mr. Freeze, who was so popular he found his way back into the comics and into the film "Batman and Robin."

Bart Burns (b.1918) died on July 17. Burns appeared in the television film "Earth II" and in the episode "Valley of My Shadow" of "The Twilight Zone."

Actress Laura Devon (b.1937) died on July 19. Devon appeared on several genre television shows in the 1960s, including "The Twilight Zone" and "The Invaders." In 1966, she appeared in the film "Chamber of Horrors."

László Kovács (b.1933) died on July 21. Kovacs worked on "Ghostbusters" and "Jack Frost." In 1955, he was cinematographer for the film "Blood of Dracula's Castle," under the name Leslie Kovacs. His first film was "The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies!!?"

Author Alice Borchardt (b.1939) died on July 24. Borchardt, who is Anne Rice's sister, is the author of fantasy trilogy The Silver Wolf, Night of the Wolf and The Wolf King. Her first novel, Devoted, was published in 1995. She also published two novels with an Arthurian background.

Author Peter L. Manly (b.1945) died on July 27.  Manly was a fan who published two sf novels on line and several stories and non-fiction essays in Analog. In addition to his science fictional activities, Manly was a regular contributor to Arizona Flyways magazine and built replicas of Galileo's early telescopes.

Film Director Ingmar Bergman (b.1918) died on July 30.  Bergman's most famous genre-related film was "The Seventh Seal" and many other films included fantastic elements. He won three Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film as well as the Irving R. Thalberg Memorial Award.

Leslie Flood (b.1921) died on August 1 of leukemia.  Flood became active in the British sf scene in the 1950s, becoming chief reader for the Gollancz SF line through the 1960s and opening the bookshop Fantasy Centre.  In 1951, he co-founded the International Fantasy Awards. They lasted until 1957, when Flood presented J.R.R. Tolkien with his award. He reviewed for New Worlds and took over the Carnell Literary Agency after John Carnell's death.

British author Colin Kapp (b.1928) died on August 3. Kapp was the author of the Cageworld series as well as a series of short stories featuring the unorthodox engineers. Capp's first short story, "Life Plan" appeared in New Worlds in 1958 and his first novel, The Dark Mind was published in 1964, although serialized the year before.

Author John Gardner (b.1926) died on August 3.  Gardner is best known for his sixteen James Bond novels, but he wrote several books creating his own characters. Foremost among these was the Boysie Oakes series.

Actor James T. Callahan (b.1930) died on August 3. Callahan appeared in "Return of the Living Dead III," "Amazing Stories," and "Holmes and Yoyo," among other genre roles on television. He also appeared in the "Twilight Zone" episode "Ninety Years Without Slumbering." Callahan was best known for his role as the grandfather on the television show "Charles in Charge."

Producer Peter Graham Scott (b.1923) died on August 5. Scott produced episodes of "Tales of Mystery" and "Into the Labyrinth," as well as a version of "The Canterville Ghost." He also worked as a director with credits on "The Prisoner" and "The Avengers."

Author Jürgen Grasmück (b.1940) died on August 7.  Grasmück published his first story, "Atomkrieg auf dem Mars" in 1956 and his first novel the same year.  In addition to science fiction, Grasmück would go on to publish horror, being considered by many the father of the German horror novel. He also published under several pseudonyms, including Dan Shocker, Jay Grams, and Steve D. Rock. 

Cincinnati fan Mary Martin (b.1921) died on August 12. In addition to being the first female accredited plastic surgeon in Ohio, Martin was a longtime fan with an enormous collection of pulps. Martin hosted the CFG Christmas party for more than 30 years.

Producer Aida Young (b.1920) died on August 12. Young worked as a production manager on "Danger Man" and "Invisible Man" and went on to produce "Dracula Has Risen from the Grave," "Taste the Blood of Dracula," and "Scars of Dracula."

Film editor Anthony Carras (b.1920) died on August 15 from liver cancer.  Carras's film work included numerous films by Roger Corman, including "Tales of Terror," "X," and "Last Woman on Earth."

Screenwriter Clive Exton (b.1930) died on August 16.  Exton worked on the film "Red Sonja" and the mini-series "The Infinite Worlds of H.G. Wells."

Screenwriter Max Hodge (b.1916) died on August 17. Although Hodge mostly wrote screenplays for television mysteries and detective shows, he also wrote four scripts for the 1966 television series "Batman." All four of his scripts focused on Mr. Freeze, portrayed on the show by Otto Preminger.

Author Rubens Teixeira Scavone (b.1925) died on August 17. A Brazilian author, Scavone began writing science fiction in 1958 with the novel The Man Who Saw UFOs, which led to him being labeled a ufologist. He is considered to be an important part of the first wave of Brazilian sf authors, although his career included several non-genre books as well as sf.

Richard Hauptmann (b.1945) died on August 20.  Hauptmann was an expert on the writing of Jack Williamson and wrote The Work of Jack Williamson: An Annotated Bibliography and Guide and Seventy-Five: The Diamond Anniversary of a Science Fiction Pioneer.  He also founded small press Cacahuete Press, which published chapbooks by Williamson and Connie Willis.

José Coiro (b.1933) died on August 22 of heart failure.  Coiro was a biology professor and sf author who belonged to the first wave of Brazilian sf authors.  He began publishing in the early 1070s and published his most recent sf collection, O Hidronauta e Outros Contos de Ficção Científica, in 1996.

Denny Martin Flinn (b.1947) died of cancer on August 24. Flinn was the co-screenwriter for the film "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" as well as the Star Trek novel The Fearful Summons. He wrote and directed the off-Broadway musical "Groucho."

Joseph Louis Hensley, (b.1926) died Monday, August 27, 2007, of complications from Leukemia. Hensley published science fiction under his own name and as Louis J. A. Adams. His first published novel was "The Color of Hate," in 1960. Hensley was also a First Fandom Dinosaur and he received the First Fandom Hall of Fame Award in 2006.

Sherwin "Shevie" J. Kader (b.1935) died on August 27. Kader was active in the SCA as Solomon ben Jacob. He also taught fencing and was a winemaker. At one time, he served in the Israeli Border Guard and worked at several kibbutzim in Israel. He had a heart transplant around 1991 and may have been one of the longest living heart transplant recipients.

Jerry Bono (b.1942) died on August 31. Bono worked as a key costumer on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek Deep Space Nine.

Author Madeleine L'Engle (b.1918) died on September 6. L'Engle was best known for her novel A Winkle in Time, which was awarded the Newbery Medal and was the start of the five book Time Quintet. L'Engle's first novel, The Small Rain, was published in 1945.

Actor Percy Rodrigues (b.1918) died on September 6.  Rodrigues appeared in episodes of "Star Trek," "The Starlost," and "Planet of the Apes. He provided the narration for the Disney film "Captain EO"  and voice work for the film "Galaxina."

Ralph Kent (b.1939) died on September 10. Kent, born Ralph Kwiatkowski, began working for Walt Disney as a marketing production artist for Disneyland in 1963. Kent designed the training material for four Disney exhibits at the 1964 World's Fair. He later became director of Walt Disney Imagineering East in Florida and was one of the few authorized to sign Mickey Mouse's autograph.

Visual effects artist Emilio Ruiz del Rio (b.1923) died on September 14.  He won a Goya Award for his work on the film "El Laberinto del fauno" and also worked on "Dune", the two "Conan" films, and "Red Sonja." He did matte work for "La Mansión de los Cthulhu."

Actress Brett Somers (b.1924) died on September 15. Although best known for her lengthy run of the game show "Match Game," Somers also appeared in the original "Battlestar Galactica" as Siress Belloby.

Author Robert Jordan (b.1948) died on September 16. Jordan, which is a pseudonym for James Rigney, Jr., was best known for his Wheel of Time series. He was working on the massive twelfth and final volume at the time of his death. Jordan also wrote several Conan novels and the Fallon series of historical novels, the latter under the name Reagan O'Neal. In 2006, Jordan announced he was suffering from amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy.

Actress Alice Ghostley (b.1926) died on September 21. Ghostley was best known for her role as Esmerelda on "Bewitched." She also protrayed Granny in the film "The Addams Family Reunion" and appeared in episodes of Disney's "Hercules" television series, "Highway to Heaven," "Touched by an Angel," and "Tales from the Darkside."

Mime Marcel Marceau (b.1923 as Marcel Mangel) died on September 22. Marceau, who lost a father in Auschwitz, fought with the French Resistance in World War II before making a name for himself as a mime. He appeared in the film "Barbarella" and in "Silent Movie." In the latter film, he famously had the only speaking role.

Actor Michael Evans (b.1920) died on September 23. Evans played King Ludwig in the fantasy film "The Sword and Sorcerer" and also appeared in the time travel film "Time After Time."

Australian author Terry Dartnell died on September 24.  Dartnell had published several short stories and his story "Ones and Zeros" made the Aurealis short list in 2005. He had said that when he retired he planned on writing a novel.

Animator Hiroshi Ôsaka (b.1963) died on September 24. Ôsaka worked on the anime film "Cowboy Bebop" as well as the television series on which it was based.  He also worked on "Mobile Suit V Gundam."

Randy van Horne (b.1924) died of cancer on September 26. Van Horne is best known as the singer for the theme songs on "The Jetsons" and "The Flintstones." After serving in World War II, van Horne studied music and formed a vocal group. By the mid-fifties, van Horne had assembled an ensemble of session vocalists, which included Marni Nixon and Thurl Ravencroft.

Screenwriter Charles B. Griffith (b.1930) died on September 28 of a heart attack. Griffith wrote several B science fiction/horror films including "It Conquered the World," "Attack of the Crab Monsters," and "Beast from the Haunted Castle," although he is best remembered for the films "Little Shop of Horrors" and "Death Race 2000." Griffith also worked as a director on "Forbidden Island" and other films and appeared in many of the films he wrote.

Actress Lois Maxwell (b.1927) died on September 29.  Maxwell was best known for her role as Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond films, a role she played from "Dr. No" in 1962 through "A View to a Kill" in 1985. She also did voice work for the film "Invaders from the Deep" and appeared in the television show "UFO."

Fan Betty Claar died of cancer on October 3. Claar was active in convention running and vice-chaired Norwescon as well as filling a variety of other positions at that and other conventions.

Robert Bussard (b.1928) died on October 6.  Bussard created the idea of the Bussard Ramjet, a space propulsion system that harvested hydrogen as it moved through interstellar space.  The ramjet provided genre writers with a theoretical basis for interstellar flight.

Bud Ekins (b.1930) died on October 6. Ekins was a stunt man who got his start doing the motorcycle jump for his friend Steve McQueen in "The Great Escape." He went on to do stunts in such genre films as "Sorcerer," "Escape from Witch Mountain," and "The Thing with Two Heads." In addition to his film work, Ekins founded the Baja 1000 off-road motorcycle race.

Fan Dave Ish (b.1937) died of pancreatic cancer on October 8.  Ish became active during Seventh Fandom in the1950s and began publishing the fanzine Sol in 1951. He gafiated shortly after publishing "The Fantasy People" in New World Writing in 1956.

Fan Calvin W. "Biff" Demmon (b.1942) died on October 10. Demmon was a long-time fan who also published short fiction. His story "The Importance of Being Important" appeared in F&SF in 1963 and he had three additional stories published. He also published the fanzines W'basket and Chicken Wagon. Demmon appeared on "The Dating Game" in 1965.

Fan Rick Urdiales (b.1954) was killed on October 14. Urdiales, who worked as a professor at Blue River Metropolitan Community College, had entered the Writers of the Future Contest and was a third quarter finalist in 1988. Daniel C. Hoyle has been charged with first degree murder.

Actress Deborah Kerr (b.1921) died on October 16.  Best known for her role in "From Here to Eternity," "The King and I," and "An Affair to Remember," Kerr also appeared in "The Prisoner of Zenda," "King Solomon's Mines," "Eye of the Devil," and the original "Casino Royale."

Infinity Plus reviewer Simeon Shoul died on October 16.Shoul also published the gaming sourcebook The Dragon and the Bear: The Novgorod Tribunal for Ars Magica.

Alan Coren (b.1938) died on October 18.  Coren wrote a spoof of George Orwell's 1984, which was reprinted in multiple best of year anthologies.  He also worked as editor of Punch magazine and wrote for a variety of mainstream publications.

Producer Robert F. O'Neill (b.1921) died on October 23. O'Neill produced the short lived horror anthology series "Darkroom" in 1981, the series "The Invisible Man" in 1975, and the paranormal series "The Sixth Sense." He also produced the made-for-tv film "Gemini Man."

Jerzy Peterkiewicz (b.1916) died on October 26.  Most well-known as a poet, Peterkiewicz also wrote fantasies and science fiction novels, receiving the accolade of novel of the month from the Guardian for Inner Circle.

Fan Hank Reinhardt (b.1933) died on October 30 after a lengthy hospital stay. Reinhardt died of a staph infection he acquired during his hospital stay. A long-time mainstay in Southern fandom, Reinhardt was know for his knowledge of weapons and fighting styles. For many years, he served as the head of Museum Replicas, Ltd. In 1967, Reinhardt introduced the SCA to Southern fandom and he won the Rebel Award in 1973. In 1990, he became the first recipient of Dragon*Con's Georgia Fandom Award. He was married to Baen books publisher Toni Weisskopf.

Actor and singer Robert Goulet (b.1933) died on October 30. Goulet made his debut in the play "Camelot," in which he portrayed Sir Lancelot. He went on to appear in many made-for-television musicals with fantasy elements, including "Brigadoon" and "Carousel." In the early 1980s, he appeared in several episodes of "Fantasy Island" and the film "Beetlejuice."

Susan Chandler, the widow of science fiction author A. Bertram Chandler, died in Australia in October. In 1990, Chandler co-edited From Sea to Shining Star, which included stories by her late husband. She also had co-writer credit with her husband for the story "The Long Way."

Author Roger Eldridge (b.1944) died on December 4.  Eldridge was primarily a journalist, but published the sf novels The Shadow of the Gloom-World and The Fishers of Darksea.

Comic book artist Paul Norris (b.1914) died on November 5.  Norris worked on DC Comics original "Sandman" before invented the character Aquaman with Mort Weisinger. Norris went on to illustrate "Tarzan," "Tom Corbett, Space Cadet," and other comic features for King Syndicate and DC Comics.

Peter Handford (b.1919) died on November 6. Handford was a sound recorder who worked on the "Tales of the Unexpected" television series and the films "Mysterious Island," "From Beyond the Grave." He won an Oscar in 1986 for his work on "Out of Africa" and was nominated again in 1989 for "Gorillas in the Mist."

Mitchell Harding (b.1928 as E. Loring Ware) died on November 9. Harding was a co-founder, with Mike Hodel, of "Hour 25," later renamed "Mike Hodel's Hour 25," a Los Angeles area radio show devoted to science fiction. Harding appeared on the show as "John Henry Thong." He also read the news on KCRW.

Novelist Ira Levin (b.1929) died on November 12. Levin is best known for his novels Rosemary's Baby, The Boys from Brazil, and The Stepford Wives, all of which were turned into successful films. His first play, "No Time for Privates" helped launch Andy Griffiths's career and his first novel, A Kiss Before Dying, won the Edgar Award for First Novel.

Anime fan Steve Pearl died on November 12. Pearl was the moderator of rec.arts.anime.info from 1993 to 2001. In 1992, he founded the Atlantic Anime Alliance and was the permanent Fan Guest of Honor at Otakon from 1994 through 2000. Pearl had been suffering from diabetes for several years.

Michael Blodgett (b.1940) died on November 14. Although best known for his appearance in the film "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls," Blodgett had genre credits with appearances in the television series "The Munsters," "Isis" and "Electra Woman and Dyna Girl." Blodgett also wrote the script for the film "Turner and Hooch."

Sidney Coleman (b.1937) died on November 18. Although best known as a physics professor, most recently at Harvard, Coleman was one of the founders of Advent:Publishing, the Chicago-based fan-run press which published Heinlein in Dimension, among other non-fiction books on science fiction.

Anthologist Peter Haining (b.1940) died on November 19. Haining not only edited several anthologies of short stories, including , but also wrote several books about Doctor Who, including Doctor Who: A Celebration Two Decades Through Time and Space, Doctor Who: The Key to Time A year by year record, and The Nine Lives of Doctor Who.

Actor Dick Wilson (b.1916) died on November 19. Although best known for his role in Charmin bath tissue commercials as Mr. Whipple, Wilson also had a recurring role on the television series "Bewitched," in which he appeared as a drunk who would vow to go sober after seeing Samantha Stevens perform magic. He also had bit parts in several other fantasy and science fiction themed television shows.

Verity Lambert (b.1935) died on November 22, five days shy of her birthday. Lambert was the first female producer working at the BBC when she was appointed to oversee the production of the 1963 children's television series "Doctor Who." Lambert stayed with the series for three years and also served as executive producer of Quatermass in 1979.

Costume designer Marit Allen (b.1941) died of a brain aneurysm on November 26. Allen was nominated for a Saturn in 1987 for her work on the film "Little Shop of Horrors," and received Emmy nominations in 1995 and 1998. She died while in Australia working on the upcoming film "Justice League of America." Allen also worked on "Hulk" and "Thunderbirds."

Actress Jeanne Bates (b.1918) died on November 28. Bates appeared in "Wonder Woman," "Topper Returns," "The Twilight Zone," and numerous Westerns and soap operas over a career that spanned nearly six decades. She was married to Lew C. Lansworth, for whose mystery series "Whodunnit" she provided the signature scream.

Casting director Mali Finn (b.1938) died on November 28. Finn began work as a casting director in 1981, starting her own company in 1989. She was instrumental in casting such genre films as the "Matrix" films, "Batman & Robin," "Batman Forever," and "Terminator 2," among others.

Producer Tony Tenser (b.1920) died on December 5. Tenser founded Tigon Studios and produced numerous horror films, including "Curse of the Crimson Altar," "The Haunted House of Horror," and "Blood on Satan's Claw." He is also credited with originating the term "sex kitten" to refer to Bridgette Bardot.

Seattle fan Anita Rowland (b.1956) died after a long battle with cancer on December 10. Rowland, who is survived by her husband, Jack William Bell, was active in con-running, running the con-suite for Potlatch when it was held in Seattle. Rowland was also an active blogger

Producer Freddie Fields (b.1923) died on December 11. Fields was a talent agent who became a film producer. His genre films include "Millennium" and "Poltergeist II: The Other Side." Fields was an innovator in salary negotiations as well as in the layout of actor credits in films.

Producer Frank Capra, Jr. (b.1934) died on December 19. In addition to being the son of the famous director, Capra produced several films, including at least five of genre interest. His first movie was "Marooned," and was followed by three "Planet of the Apes Sequels" (Escape from, Conquest of, and Battle for). His last genre-outing was in 1984 with "Firestarter."

Inventor J.L. Cassingham (b.1918) died on December 23. Cassingham developed the Geiger counter and worked as a technical advisor on the atomic era films "Zombies of the Stratosphere," "The Magnetic Monster," "The Atomic Kid," and "The Brain from Planet Arous."

Fan Joeseph Grillot (Joey) died on December 25 following a weeklong bout of pneumonia. Grillot was active in New Orleans fandom. Following Hurricane Katrina, Grillot lost everything, although he managed to escape the city. He has been in ill health for the past few years.

Bookstore owner Marion Van Der Voort died on December 26 following a lengthy battle with double pneumonia. Van Der Voort and her husband, Richard, ran the UK bookshop At the Sign of the Dragon for thirty-five years.

Gail Dalmas, wife of science fiction author John Dalmas, died on December 30 of pneumonia.  Dalmas has suffered a series of minor strokes preceding her pneumonia and her swallowing and gagging reflexes had suffered as a result.