Blues legend B.B. King dies at age 89

Riley B. King, the legendary guitarist known as B.B. King, whose velvety voice and economical, expressive style brought blues from the margins to the mainstream, died Thursday night.

He was 89.

His daughter, Patty King, said he died in Las Vegas, where he announced two weeks ago that he was in home hospice care after suffering from dehydration.

King of the blues

A young King, then a disc jockey at WDIA, poses for a portrait circa 1948 in Memphis.

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Related gallery B.B. King, the Beale Street Blues Boy

The Mississippi native’s reign as “king of the blues” lasted more than six decades and straddled two centuries, influencing a generation of rock and blues musicians, from Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan to Sheryl Crow and John Mayer.

Musicians mourn the loss of B.B. King

His life was the subject of the documentary “B.B. King: The Life of Riley” and the inspiration for the the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center, which opened in Mississippi in 2008.

King’s enduring legacy came from his refusal to slow down even after cementing his status as an American music icon.

Even with a long list of honors to his name – a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, a Presidential Medal of Freedom – he maintained a relentless touring schedule well into his 80s.

Throughout his career, King evolved with the times to incorporate contemporary trends and influences without straying from his Delta blues roots. Whether he was sharing the stage with U2 on “When Loves Comes to Town” – a scene memorialized in the 1988 concert film “Rattle and Hum” – or playing in the East Room of the White House with Buddy Guy, Mick Jagger, Jeff Beck and others, King’s single-string guitar notes trilled with an unmistakable vibrato from his hollow-bodied Gibson affectionately known as Lucille.

Slowing down

King finally started showing signs of his age last year after decades of living with Type II diabetes.

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Related video Yardbirds guitarist on death of guitar legend B.B. King

A shaky show in St. Louis prompted his reps to issue an apology for “a performance that did not match Mr. King’s usual standard of excellence.” He fell ill in October after a show at Chicago’s House of Blues due to dehydration and exhaustion, prompting a rare cancellation of the remainder of his tour.

He was hospitalized for dehydration in April in Las Vegas, a long way from his modest roots as the son of a sharecropper.

King was born on September 16, 1925, on a cotton plantation between Indianola and what is now Itta Bena, Mississippi. He sang with church choirs as a child and learned basic guitar chords from his uncle, a preacher. In his youth, he played on street corners for dimes, saying he earned more in one night singing on the corner than he did in one week working in the cotton field.

Beale Street Blues Boy

He enlisted in the Army during World War II but was released because he drove a tractor, an essential homefront occupation.

In 1947, he hitchhiked to Memphis, Tennessee, home to a thriving music scene that supported aspiring black performers. He stayed with his cousin Bukka White, one of the most celebrated blues performers of his time, who schooled King further in the art of the blues.

King took the Beale Street Blues Boy, or BB for short, as a disc jockey for radio station WDIA-AM Memphis.

He got his first big break in 1948 by performing on Sonny Boy Williamson’s radio program out of West Memphis, leading to steady engagements at the Sixteenth Avenue Grill in West Memphis and a 10-minute spot on WDIA.

As “King’s Spot” grew in popularity on WDIA, King shortened “Beale Street Blues Boy” to “Blues Boy King” and eventually B.B. King.

His ascent continued in 1949 with his first recordings, “Miss Martha King/Take a Swing with Me” and “How Do You Feel When Your Baby Packs Up and Goes/I’ve Got the Blues.” His first hit record “Three O’Clock Blues” was released in 1951 and stayed on the top of the charts for four months.

Beloved Lucille

It was during this era that King first named his beloved guitar Lucille. In the mid-1950s, King was performing at a dance in Twist, Arkansas, when a few fans became unruly and started a fire. King ran out, forgetting his guitar, and risked his life to go back and get it.

He later found out that two men fighting over a woman named Lucille knocked over a kerosene heater that started the fire. He named the guitar Lucille, “to remind myself never to do anything that foolish.”

King used various models of Gibson guitars over the years and named them each Lucille. In the 1980s, Gibson officially dropped the model number ES-355 on the guitar King used, and it became a custom-made signature model named Lucille, manufactured exclusively for the “King of the Blues.”

30 Grammy nominations

In the ’50s and ‘60s, King was a peripatetic figure, idolized by musicians and R&B fans, known for putting on some of the best live shows around. By the late ‘50s, he was traveling in a chauffeur-driven Cadillac accompanied by a custom Greyhound bus, called Big Red, which housed his band.

Even after his bluesier R&B became less commercial – he observed that “they (once) called guys like me rhythm and blues, so somewhere along the line, I guess I lost my rhythm” – he still maintained a following, this time among white musicians.

Eric Clapton was a fan. Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac modeled his sound on King’s. John Lennon said he “wanted to play guitar like B.B. King.”

In 1967, his changing fan base was enough to get him booked in San Francisco’s Fillmore Auditorium.

“We used to play the Fillmore all the time, but it was then about 90% black,” he told PBS. “But this time … it was long-haired white people, men and women, sitting body to body going up to the door. I told my road manager, ‘I think they booked us in the wrong place.’ “

He received a standing ovation. He returned to the Fillmore several more times.

In 1970, he won his first Grammy for his trademark song, “The Thrill is Gone.” That same year, he debuted an all-blues show at Carnegie Hall and appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

Over the years, he racked up 30 Grammy nominations and 15 wins, including two in 2000: one along with Eric Clapton for Best Traditional Blues Album for “Riding with the King” and another with Dr. John for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for “Is You Is, or Is You Ain’t (My Baby).”

His last was in February 2009 for Best Traditional Blues Album for “One Kind Favor” (2008).

People we’ve lost in 2015

Look back at people who died in 2015.

Natalie Cole, daughter of Nat King Cole and winner of six Grammys for her 1991 album "Unforgettable: With Love," died Thursday, December 31, her publicist said. She was 65.

Wayne Rogers, who portrayed wise-cracking Army surgeon "Trapper John" McIntyre in the first three seasons of TV's "M*A*S*H," died Thursday, December 31, his publicist said. He was 82.

Legendary Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister died Monday, December 28 after a short battle with cancer, his bandmates announced. He was 70.

Haskell Wexler, the influential cinematographer who won Oscars for his work on 1966's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and 1976's "Bound for Glory," died Sunday, December 27, his son said. He was 93.

George "Meadowlark" Lemon -- known to many as the "Clown Prince of Basketball" with the Harlem Globetrotters -- died Sunday, December 27. He was 83.

Former Major League Baseball outfielder Dave Henderson died Sunday, December 27, not long after having a kidney transplant. He was 57.

Kurt Masur, the legendary German music conductor credited with transforming the New York Philharmonic into an orchestra of international renown, died December 19. He was 88.

Dolph Schayes, who was one of the NBA's first superstars and is considered by many to be the best Jewish player in league history, died December 10 after a long battle with cancer, according to NBA.com. He was 87.

Actor Robert Loggia was known for film roles in "Scarface," "Jagged Edge," "Big" and "Prizzi's Honor." He died December 4 at age 85.

Scott Weiland, lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver, died December 3 at age 48. Weiland died of an accidental overdose of alcohol and drugs, the Hennepin County (Minnesota) Medical Examiner's Office said.

Film star and TV actress Marjorie Lord, who rose to fame in the Golden Age of Hollywood and on the TV show "Make Room for Daddy," died on November 28, according to daughter Anne Archer. She was 97.

Cynthia Robinson, shown here in a San Francisco recording studio, was the pioneering trumpeter for the psychedelic soul group Sly and the Family Stone. She died November 23 at the age of 71.

Jonah Lomu, a former rugby player from New Zealand widely regarded as one of the game's finest players, died in Auckland, New Zealand, on November 18. He was 40. Lomu's career was cut short when he was diagnosed with Nephrotic syndrome, a kidney condition, and he underwent a kidney transplant in 2004.

David Canary, who for nearly three decades played twin brothers Adam and Stuart Chandler on the ABC soap opera "All My Children," died November 16, his family said. He was 77.

The family of actor Nathaniel Marston announced November 11 that he had died after being seriously injured in an October 30 car crash in Reno, Nevada. The 40-year-old's resume included "One Life to Live" and "As the World Turns."

Former baseball pitcher Tommy Hanson, one of the sport's top draft prospects in 2006, died November 9, the team said. He was 29. An incident report from the Coweta County Sheriff's Office stated that Hanson had suffered an overdose, but added that "the cause and manner of death is still being looked at" and that "there is no indication or suspicion of foul play."

New Orleans R&B legend Allen Toussaint died November 9 at the age of 77, his son said. Artists in nearly every major genre recorded Toussaint's songs or collaborated with him, including the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds, Herb Alpert, Glen Campbell, Robert Palmer and Elvis Costello.

Gunnar Hansen, who played the iconic villain Leatherface in the original "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" movie, died November 7 at his home in Maine. He was 68.

George Barris, the Batmobile creator whose talent for turning Detroit iron into decked-out automotive fantasies earned him the nickname "King of the Kustomizers," died on November 5. He was 89.

Melissa Mathison, screenwriter of "E.T. The Extra Terrestrial" and "The Black Stallion," died November 4 at the age of 65. She was married to Harrison Ford from 1983 to 2004.

Fred Thompson, a former actor and U.S. senator for Tennessee, died on November 1. He was 73. Thompson, a Republican, campaigned briefly for president in the 2008 election.

Actor Al Molinaro, best known for his role as Big Al Delvecchio in the sitcom "Happy Days," died October 30 in Glendale, California, his son Michael Molinaro said. He was 96.

Samuel Sarpong Jr., a model and former co-host of MTV's "Yo Momma," died October 26 after jumping off a bridge in Pasadena, California, authorities said. He was 40.

Phil "Flip" Saunders, head coach of the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves, died October 25, the team announced. Saunders also served as the team's president of basketball operations and part owner. He was 60. The veteran coach was being treated for Hodgkin lymphoma.

Maureen O'Hara, the legendary Irish-born actress who starred in Golden Era classics such as "Miracle on 34th Street," "The Quiet Man" and "How Green Was My Valley," died October 24, longtime manager Johnny Nicoletti said. O'Hara died in her sleep of natural causes, according to the family statement provided by Nicoletti. She was 95.

Cory Wells, center, was one of the three lead singers of Three Dog Night along with Danny Hutton, left, and Chuck Negron. Wells died October 20 at his home in Dunkirk, New York. He was 74.

Bruce Hyde, who played Enterprise crew member Lt. Kevin Riley on two episodes of the original "Star Trek" TV series, died October 13 after battling throat cancer, his widow said. He was 74.

Ken Taylor, the former Canadian ambassador known for his role in the Iran hostage crisis, died October 15, CBC News reported. He was 81.

Famed chef Paul Prudhomme died October 8 at age 75, according to the New Orleans restaurant he owned, K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen.

Billy Joe Royal, a pop and country star best known for the 1965 hit "Down in the Boondocks, died October 6 at the age of 73.

Grace Lee Boggs, a writer, activist and feminist, "died peacefully in her sleep" at her home in Detroit, the Boggs Center website said October 6. She was 100.

Erik Roner, an extreme athlete who had been featured on MTV and Outside Television, died in a parachuting accident on September 28. He was 39.

Catherine Coulson was best known to "Twin Peaks" fans as the "Log Lady" from the surreal cult TV series. She died September 28 at the age of 71.

New York Yankees legend Yogi Berra, who helped the team win 10 World Series titles, died September 22, the Yogi Berra Museum said. He was 90.

Jack Larson, best known for his role as reporter Jimmy Olsen on the first "Superman" TV show, died September 20 at his home in Brentwood, California. He was 87.

Best-selling author Jackie Collins died of breast cancer on September 19, according to her publicist Melody Korenbrot. She was 77.

Gary Richrath, the longtime guitarist for REO Speedwagon, died September 13, according to band member Kevin Cronin. He was 65.

Three-time NBA MVP Moses Malone died on September 13 at the age of 60. Malone was the first player in NBA history to be drafted out of high school. He played for 21 seasons and led the Philadelphia 76ers to the 1983 NBA title.

"Iron Chef" alum and restaurateur Kerry Simon, the quintessential celebrity chef who opened restaurants around the world, died September 11 at age 60, multiple sources confirmed.

Dickie Moore, a child star who appeared in the "Our Gang" shorts and who later gave Shirley Temple one of her first on-screen kisses, died September 7. He was 89.

Martin Milner, who starred in the hit '60s and '70s TV shows "Adam 12" and "Route 66," died September 6, according to Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck. He was 83.

Dean Jones, the star of such Disney films as "That Darn Cat!" and "The Love Bug," died on September 1. He was 84.

Brad Anderson, who created the popular comic strip "Marmaduke," died August 30, according to his syndicate, Universal Uclick. He was 91.

Wes Craven, who directed classic horror films such as "A Nightmare on Elm Street" and "Scream," died August 30. Craven had been battling brain cancer, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He was 76.

Acclaimed author and neurologist Oliver Sacks, who wrote about his battle with cancer, died August 30, his longtime collaborator, Kate Edgar, confirmed. He was 82.

Actor Kyle Jean-Baptiste, who made history as the first African-American to play the lead role in a Broadway production of "Les Miserables," died August 28 in New York. He was 21. Marc Thibodeau, a spokesman for the production, said Jean-Baptiste fell from a fire escape.

Longtime NBA center Darryl Dawkins, perhaps best known for his emphatic slam dunks, died August 27 at the age of 58.

Civil rights matriarch Amelia Boynton Robinson, second from right, died on August 26. She suffered a stroke and had been hospitalized in Montgomery, Alabama. She was in her 100s.

Dr. James "Red" Duke Jr., the Texas surgeon who educated television viewers about health care, helped pioneer Life Flight and was on duty at Parkland Hospital after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, died August 25, at the age of 86.

IndyCar racer Justin Wilson died August 24 after being injured in a crash during a race in Pennsylvania. He was 37.

Actress Yvonne Craig, who played Batgirl in the "Batman" TV series, died August 17 at age 78.

The country's oldest known living veteran, Emma Didlake, died August 16, just one month after being honored by President Barack Obama in Washington. Didlake was 110 years old.

Lifelong civil rights leader and former NAACP chairman Julian Bond died on August 15, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. He was 75.

Bob Johnston, a staff producer at Columbia Records who worked on legendary LPs like Bob Dylan's "Blonde on Blonde," Johnny Cash's "At Folsom Prison" and Simon & Garfunkel's "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme," passed away August 14 at a Nashville hospice. He was 83.

Former NFL star and longtime sportscaster Frank Gifford died August 9 at his Connecticut home, his family said. He was 84.

Rapper Sean Price, half of the group Heltah Skeltah and a member of Boot Camp Clik, died August 8, record label Duck Down Music confirmed. He was 43. The cause of his death is not currently known, a statement said.

Louise Suggs, one of the 13 founders of the Ladies Professional Golf Association, died at the age of 91, the LPGA announced on August 7.

British actor George Cole, who was best known in the United Kingdom for his role in the TV show "Minder," died August 5 at age 90.

Fashion designer Arnold Scaasi, whose flamboyant creations adorned first ladies, movie stars and socialites, died August 4 of cardiac arrest. He was 85.

Former professional wrestler and actor Roddy Piper died on July 31, his agent Jay Schachter told CNN. Piper was 61.

Lynn Anderson, whose version of the song "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden" was one of the biggest country hits of the 1970s, died on July 30. She was 67.

Ann Rule, the author of such true-crime books as "The Stranger Beside Me" and "Every Breath You Take," died on July 26. She was 83.

Bobbi Kristina Brown, the daughter of late superstar Whitney Houston and singer Bobby Brown, died July 26, a representative of the Houston family said in a statement. She was 22. Brown had been treated in a hospital and then a hospice facility after she was found unresponsive and not breathing in the bathtub at her Roswell, Georgia, home on January 31 -- nearly three years to the day after her mother accidentally drowned in a bathtub.

Daron Norwood, who scored top-30 country singles in the mid-'90s with "If It Wasn't for Her, I Wouldn't Have You" and "Cowboys Don't Cry," was found dead in his Texas apartment on July 22. He was 49. Police said there were no signs of foul play.

Novelist E.L. Doctorow, whose books were almost always about the past but often stirred comparisons to the present, died on July 21. He was 84.

Theodore Bikel, a prolific performer and political activist who was in the original Broadway "Sound of Music," died on July 21. He was 91.

Actor George Coe, an original member of "Saturday Night Live's" Not Ready for Prime Time Players who also appeared in such films as "Kramer vs. Kramer" and "The Stepford Wives," died on July 18. He was 86.

Alex Rocco, the veteran tough-guy character actor with the gravelly voice best known for playing mobster and Las Vegas casino owner Moe Greene in "The Godfather," died on July 18. He was 79.

Mexican singer Joan Sebastian, a beloved performer on the airwaves and in Mexican rodeos, died July 13 at the age of 64, son Jose Manuel Figueroa told CNN en Español.

Roger Rees, a Tony-winning theater star also widely known for his TV roles on "Cheers" and "The West Wing," died July 10 at the age of 71.

Egyptian actor Omar Sharif, who co-starred with Peter O'Toole in "Lawrence of Arabia," died Friday, July 10, after suffering a heart attack in Cairo, according to his agent, Steve Kenis. Sharif, who also starred in "Doctor Zhivago" and "Funny Girl," was 83.

Irwin Keyes, a character actor from films such as "Intolerable Cruelty" and "Night of 1,000 Corpses," died July 8. He was 63.

Jerry Weintraub, the high-powered Hollywood mogul whose career included promoting Elvis Presley concerts, producing the "Ocean's Eleven" movies and spinning golden tales, died July 6 of cardiac arrest, his publicist said. He was 77.

Amanda Peterson, best known for her role opposite Patrick Dempsey in the 1987 movie "Can't Buy Me Love," died July 3, her mother said. Peterson, seen here in 1988, was 43. The family was awaiting autopsy results to determine the official cause of death.

Actress Diana Douglas Webster, the first wife of Kirk Douglas and mother of Michael Douglas, died July 3 at age 92.

Hall of Fame football player Charlie Sanders died on July 2, eight months after being diagnosed with cancer. He was 68. Sanders spent all 10 of his NFL seasons with the Detroit Lions, emerging as one of the best tight ends of his era.

Bassist Chris Squire, founding member of British rock band Yes, died June 27 in Phoenix, his bandmates confirmed. Squire, 67, announced in May that he was sitting out the band's upcoming tour dates to undergo treatment for leukemia.

Patrick Macnee, the British actor who played bowler-hatted secret agent John Steed on the 1960s spy series "The Avengers," died on June 25. He was 93.

Dick Van Patten, the seemingly ubiquitous actor perhaps best known for his starring role as the father on the 1970s series "Eight Is Enough," died on June 23. He was 86.

Academy Award-winning composer James Horner, perhaps best known for scoring "Titanic," died June 22 after the small plane he was piloting crashed in central California. He was 61.

Dusty Rhodes -- the rotund, easy-bleeding, easy-talking professional wrestler who billed himself as "The American Dream" -- died June 11, the WWE said on its website. He was 69.

Ornette Coleman, the adventurous and influential saxophonist whose experimental sounds helped create what he called "free jazz," died on June 11. He was 85.

Indie rapper Pumpkinhead died June 9, according to friends. He was 39. The cause of death was not made public.

Christopher Lee, the British actor who mastered horror and Dracula roles before his turns as a Bond villain and the wizard Saruman in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, died June 7, a London borough spokesman said. He was 93.

Vincent Bugliosi, the Los Angeles prosecutor who became a best-selling author with "Helter Skelter" -- his true-crime account of the Manson family killings -- died June 6, his wife said. He was 80.

Singer Ronnie Gilbert, a member of the influential 1950s folk group the Weavers, died June 6. She was 88.

Joseph "Beau" Biden III, an Iraq War veteran who served as the attorney general of Delaware and was a son of Vice President Joe Biden, died May 30 after battling brain cancer. He was 46.

Actress Betsy Palmer died May 29 of natural causes at a hospice care center near her home in Danbury, Connecticut, according to her manager Brad Lemack. She was 88.

Comedian and actor Reynaldo Rey died on May 28 of complications from a stroke, according to his manager. He was 75.

Mary Ellen Mark, one of the premier documentary photographers of her generation, died May 25. She was 75. Mark's photography spanned decades, and her subjects included celebrities, world leaders and people on the fringe of society.

Comedy great Anne Meara, wife of Jerry Stiller and mother of Ben Stiller, died on May 23, according to a statement from her family. She was 85.

John Forbes Nash Jr., the mathematician whose life inspired the film "A Beautiful Mind," died in a car crash with his wife, Alicia, on May 23. He was 86.

Louis Johnson, who played with the Brothers Johnson and was an in-demand bassist who played on such hits as Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," died on May 21. He was 60.

Mary Ellen Trainor, whose films included "The Goonies," "Forrest Gump," "Scrooged" and the various "Lethal Weapon" films, died on May 20. She was 62.

The body of extreme-sports legend Dean Potter was found in Yosemite National Park during a helicopter search May 17, park spokesman Scott Gediman said. Friends had reported Potter and another athlete, Graham Hunt, missing, and it is believed that the pair BASE jumped from Taft Point, a scenic overhang in the park. Potter was 43, and Hunt was 29.

Hip-hop artist Lionel Pickens, known by the stage name of Chinx, died May 17 after being shot, according to the New York Police Department. He was 31.

Blues legend B.B. King, who helped bring blues from the margins to the mainstream, died May 14 in Las Vegas, according to his daughter Patty King. Two weeks earlier, it was announced that King was in home hospice care after suffering from dehydration. He was 89.

Elizabeth Wilson, a longtime character actress who played Dustin Hoffman's mother, Mrs. Braddock, in "The Graduate," died May 9. She was 94.

Errol Brown, the Hot Chocolate lead singer whose energetic, powerful vocals topped the hits "You Sexy Thing" and "Every 1's a Winner," died May 6, his manager said. Brown was 71.

Former House Speaker Jim Wright died May 6 at a nursing home in Fort Worth, Texas. The Texas Democrat's congressional career spanned more than three decades. He was 92.

Ellen Albertini Dow, perhaps best known as the rapping granny in the 1998 movie "The Wedding Singer," died May 5 at the age of 101. She also appeared in "Wedding Crashers" and dozens of TV shows.

Russian ballerina Maya Plisetskaya, who was considered one of the greatest ballerinas of the 20th century, died on May 2. She was 89.

Grace Lee Whitney, who played Yeoman Janice Rand in the original "Star Trek" series and a handful of movies based on the series, died May 1 at her home in Coarsegold, California. She was 85.

Singer Ben E. King, whose classic hit "Stand by Me" became an enduring testament of love and devotion for generations of listeners, died on April 30. He was 76.

Jack Ely, co-founder of the early '60s band The Kingsmen and best known for his 1963 rendition of the party classic "Louie, Louie," died April 28 after a long battle with an illness. He was 71.

Suzanne Crough, who played Tracy, the youngest daughter on ABC's "The Partridge Family," died unexpectedly in her Nevada home on April 27. She was 52.

Andrew Lesnie, the Oscar-winning cinematographer who spent more than a decade collaborating with Peter Jackson on the "Lord of the Rings" and "Hobbit" films, died April 27. He was 59.

Sawyer Sweeten, left, grew up before millions as a child star on the family sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond." Early on April 23, he committed suicide, his sister Madylin Sweeten said in a statement. He was 19. Sawyer was a year and a half old when he started on "Raymond," playing alongside his real-life twin brother, Sullivan, at right.

Lois Lilienstein, one of the stars of CBC and Nickelodeon's "The Elephant Show," died on April 22. She was 78.

Mary Doyle Keefe, the model for Norman Rockwell's "Rosie the Riveter," died at her home in Simsbury, Connecticut, on April 21. She was 92.

R&B singer Johnny Kemp, best known for the 1988 party anthem "Just Got Paid," died April 16 in Jamaica. He is believed to have drowned at a beach in Montego Bay, the Jamaica Constabulatory Force said in a press release.

Actor Jonathan Crombie, who co-starred in the "Anne of Green Gables" TV movies, died April 15 at age 48. Crombie died from complications of a brain hemorrhage, "Anne of Green Gables" producer Kevin Sullivan said.

Percy Sledge, known for the single "When a Man Loves a Woman," died April 14 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, according to the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner's Office. He was 73.

Nobel literature laureate Gunter Grass, best known for his novel "The Tin Drum," has died, his publisher said April 13. He was 87.

Richard Dysart, the Emmy-winning actor who portrayed the cranky senior partner Leland McKenzie in the NBC drama "L.A. Law," has died at the age of 86, it was reported on April 9.

Stan Freberg, acclaimed satirist, died of natural causes at a Santa Monica, California, hospital, his son and daughter confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter on April 7. He was 88.

Ben Powers, who played Thelma's husband Keith Anderson on the final season of the classic CBS sitcom "Good Times," died on April 6. He was 64.

James Best, the actor best known for his portrayal of bumbling Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane on TV's "The Dukes of Hazzard," died April 6 after a brief illness. He was 88.

Robert Lewis Burns Jr., Lynyrd Skynyrd's original drummer, died in a car crash on April 3, according to the Georgia State Patrol. He was 64.

The Rev. Robert H. Schuller, televangelist and founder of the Crystal Cathedral church in California, died on April 2, according to his family. He was 88 years old.

Cynthia Lennon, the first wife of John Lennon, died April 1, according to a post on the website of her son, Julian. She was 75.

Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew died on March 23, according to a statement released by the Prime Minister's office. He was 91. Lee, credited for transforming the colonial trading post into a prosperous financial center, was admitted to a hospital in February with severe pneumonia.

A.J. Pero, a longtime drummer for the metal band Twisted Sister, died on March 20, according to the band's Facebook page and Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider. Pero was 55.

For more than two decades, bassist Mike Porcaro was a rock star with the band Toto, playing venues around the world. Porcaro died after a battle with Lou Gehrig's disease, or ALS, on March 15. He was 59.

Best-selling British fantasy author Terry Pratchett died at the age of 66, his website said March 12. Pratchett wrote more than 70 books, including those in his "Discworld" series. He had been diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer's disease in 2007.

Richard Glatzer, director of the movie "Still Alice," died March 10 after battling ALS for four years, his publicist said. Glatzer was 63.

Windell D. Middlebrooks, the actor best known as the straight-talking Miller High Life delivery man, died March 9, his agent told CNN. His family also posted a statement on his Facebook page confirming the 36-year-old's death. No cause of death was provided. Middlebrooks also had recurring roles on "Body of Proof," "Scrubs" and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."

Sam Simon, the nine-time Emmy Award-winning writer and producer who helped develop "The Simpsons," made millions after leaving the show in 1993 and then donated his riches to charity, has died, his foundation announced on Facebook on March 9. He was 59.

Albert Maysles, who collaborated with his late brother David in a documentary film career that included the troubling 1970 concert documentary "Gimme Shelter," died March 5. He was 88.

Character actor Daniel von Bargen, seen here in the 1995 film "Lord of Illusions," was better-known for playing George Costanza's inept boss Mr. Kruger on "Seinfeld" and a hard-nosed military commander on "Malcolm in the Middle." Von Bargen died March 1 at the age of 64.

Leonard Nimoy, whose portrayal of "Star Trek's" logic-driven, half-human science officer Spock made him an iconic figure to generations, died on February 27. He was 83.

Actor Ben Woolf died February 23 at the age of 34. The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that he had been hit by a car's side mirror several days earlier in Hollywood.

"Parks and Recreation" executive producer Harris Wittels died of a possible overdose, police said February 19. He was 30.

Mexican telenovela actress Lorena Rojas died February 17 at her Miami home. The 44-year-old had been battling cancer since 2008.

Lesley Gore, whose No. 1 hit "It's My Party" kicked off a successful singing career while she was still in high school, died February 16 at the age of 68. According to People magazine, the cause of death was cancer.

Former U.S. poet laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner Philip Levine, whose work reflected the voice and soul of 20th-century blue-collar America, died Saturday, February 14, at his home in Fresno, California. He was 87.

Voice-over performer Gary Owens died Friday, February 13, at the age of 80. Owens, a former radio disc jockey, was known as the voice of Space Ghost, Batman and many other characters. He gained nationwide fame in the late 1960s as the straight-laced announcer on TV's frenetic "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In."

New York Times media columnist David Carr died suddenly after collapsing in the newspaper's newsroom on Thursday, February 12. He was 58.

"60 Minutes" correspondent Bob Simon died Wednesday, February 11, in a car accident in New York, CBS News reported. He was 73.

Jerry Tarkanian, a legendary basketball coach who won the 1990 national championship at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, died Wednesday, February 11. He was 84.

Basketball coach Dean Smith, who led the University of North Carolina from 1961 to 1997 and won two national championships over his illustrious career, died February 7 at the age of 83, according to the university's official athletics website.

Billy Casper, a pioneer of professional golf whose career spanned more than four decades, died at the age of 83, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported on February 7. His resume included three major titles and 51 PGA Tour wins.

Charles Sifford, the first black player on the PGA Tour, died on February 3, according to Derek Sprague, president of the PGA of America. Sifford was 92.

Australian writer Colleen McCullough, who wrote the best-selling novel "The Thorn Birds," died on January 29. She was 77.

Longtime New York City radio and television personality Joe Franklin died January 24 at the age of 88.

Ernie Banks, a Hall of Fame baseball player nicknamed "Mr. Cub," died January 23 in Chicago, family attorney Mark Bogen said. Banks was 83.

Anne Kirkbride, who starred in the UK soap opera "Coronation Street" for more than 40 years, died on January 19. She was 60.

Hip-hop artist A$AP Yams, one of the founding members of A$AP Mob, died at the age of 26, the group's Facebook page said on January 18. It wasn't immediately clear how he had died.

The death of punk music producer Kim Fowley was announced on January 15. He was 75. Fowley worked with a wide range of artists, including Paul Revere and the Raiders, the Modern Lovers, Blue Cheer, Kiss and Helen Reddy. But he will be likely be remembered most for helping form the Runaways.

Anita Ekberg, the actress and international sex symbol best known for her role in "La Dolce Vita," died in Italy on January 11. She was 83.

Actor and comedian Taylor Negron died after a long battle with cancer, according to his family on January 10. He was 57.

Andrae Crouch, a seven-time Grammy winner and gospel music legend, died January 8 at a Los Angeles-area hospital, his publicist said. He was 72.

Australian-born actor Rod Taylor, who starred in Alfred Hitchcock's thriller "The Birds," died on January 7 in Los Angeles. He was 84.

Edward Brooke, the first African-American to be popularly elected to the U.S. Senate, died January 3, according to family spokesman Ralph Neas and the Massachusetts Republican Party. Brooke was 95.

Stuart Scott, a veteran anchor on ESPN, died January 4 after a seven-year battle with cancer. He was 49.

Country music star Little Jimmy Dickens, a fixture at the Grand Ole Opry for decades, died January 2 after having a stroke on Christmas, according to the Opry's website. He was 94.

Donna Douglas, who played voluptuous tomboy daughter Elly May Clampett on the 1960s TV series "The Beverly Hillbillies," died January 2. She was 81.

Former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo, whose passionate keynote address at the 1984 Democratic political convention vaulted him onto the national political scene, died on January 1. He was 82.

People we lost in 2015

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CNN’s Tina Burnside contributed to this report.