Public Figures & Cultural Luminaries

Arts & Music

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Sergey Kolosov

Сергей Николаевич Колосов

Russia

1921 – 2012 (90 years old)

Pioneering Soviet and Russian film director and screenwriter who created the very first Soviet television miniseries, 'Calling Fire upon Ourselves', and directed acclaimed films including 'The Taming of the Shrew' and 'Remember Your Name'.

Moscow, Russia

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Arts & Music

7

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Whitney Houston

Whitney Elizabeth Houston

United States

1963 – 2012 (48 years old)

Peerless American vocal superstar hailed simply as 'The Voice', whose soaring gospel-infused range, record seven consecutive Billboard Hot 100 number-ones, and I Will Always Love You redefined pop music.

Westfield, United States

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Arts & Music

7

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Don Cornelius

Donald Cortez Cornelius

United States

1936 – 2012 (75 years old)

Visionary American television producer and host who created and presided over 'Soul Train', the longest-running first-run syndicated show in American television history, showcasing Black music, fashion, and dance to the world.

Los Angeles, United States

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Arts & Music

30

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Dorothea Tanning

Dorothea Margaret Tanning

United States

1910 – 2012 (101 years old)

American Surrealist painter, sculptor, and author whose uncanny canvases explored subconscious female desires, claustrophobic domesticity, and pioneering soft sculptures.

New York City, United States

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Arts & Music

11

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Cherif Kheddam

شريف خدام

Algeria

1927 – 2012 (85 years old)

Visionary Algerian composer, poet, and teacher who elevated Kabyle music to classical symphonic grandeur and mentored multiple generations of iconic Algerian singers, including Idir.

Bouzeguène (Kabylie), Algeria

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Arts & Music

8

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Etta James

Jamesetta Hawkins

United States

1938 – 2012 (73 years old)

Powerhouse American blues, R&B, rock and soul vocalist whose magnificent, emotionally raw delivery on At Last, Tell Mama, and I'd Rather Go Blind cemented her as one of America's greatest singers.

Inglewood, United States

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Arts & Music

1

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Mohamed Sousdi

محمد السوسدي

Morocco

1952 – 2012 (60 years old)

Legendary lead singer and charismatic soul of the group Lemchaheb from Hay Mohammadi, whose piercing high tenor voice and evocative lyrics on 'Daouini' and 'Baghi N'etoub' made him an idol of Moroccan youth.

Casablanca, Morocco

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Arts & Music

8

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Johnny Otis

Ioannis Alexandres Veliotes

United States

1921 – 2012 (90 years old)

Pioneering musician, bandleader, talent scout, and civil rights advocate dubbed the 'Godfather of Rhythm and Blues', who discovered Etta James, Little Richard, and Big Mama Thornton and scored the 1958 hit 'Willie and the Hand Jive'.

Altadena, United States

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Arts & Music

12

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Mohamed Rouicha

محمد رويشة

Morocco

1950 – 2012 (62 years old)

Legendary Amazigh musician and singer from the Middle Atlas whose four-stringed 'loutar' virtuosity and haunting bilingual poetry in Tamazight and Arabic created masterpieces like 'Inas Inas'.

Khenifra, Morocco

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Arts & Music

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Helen Frankenthaler

Helen Frankenthaler

United States

1928 – 2011 (83 years old)

American painter who invented the revolutionary 'soak-stain' technique, bridging Abstract Expressionism and Color Field painting, and transforming 20th-century American art.

Darien, United States

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Arts & Music

6

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John Chamberlain

John Angus Chamberlain

United States

1927 – 2011 (84 years old)

Pioneering American sculptor who translated Abstract Expressionism into three dimensions by crushing, welding, and assembling discarded, painted automobile steel into dynamic monumental art.

New York City, United States

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Arts & Music

4,265

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Cesária Évora

Cesária Évora

Cape Verde

1941 – 2011 (70 years old)

The 'Barefoot Diva' of Cape Verde whose soulful morna ballads brought the spirit of sodade to the global stage.

Mindelo, São Vicente, Cape Verde

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Arts & Music

8

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Harry Morgan

Harry Bratsberg

United States

1915 – 2011 (96 years old)

Beloved American character actor whose six-decade career was crowned by his Emmy-winning role as the wise, paternal Colonel Sherman T. Potter on television's M*A*S*H.

Los Angeles, United States

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Arts & Music

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Ken Russell

Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell

Great Britain

1927 – 2011 (84 years old)

Flamboyant and controversial British film director renowned for flamboyant, visually extravagant biographies of composers and bold films like Women in Love, The Devils, and The Who's Tommy.

Lymington, United Kingdom

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Arts & Music

9

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Paul Motian

Stephen Paul Motian

United States

1931 – 2011 (80 years old)

Revolutionary American jazz drummer and composer of Armenian descent who redefined jazz percussion as an equal melodic voice with the Bill Evans Trio and Keith Jarrett.

New York City, United States

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Arts & Music

10

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Lev Borisov

Лев Иванович Борисов

Russia

1933 – 2011 (77 years old)

Eminent Russian stage and film actor, younger brother of Oleg Borisov, who starred in over ninety films and achieved cult television status as crime boss 'Antibiotic' in Bandit Petersburg.

Moscow, Russia

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Arts & Music

1

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Habiba El Medkouri

حبيبة المذكوري

Morocco

1927 – 2011 (84 years old)

Historic pioneer of Moroccan dramatic performance, known as the 'First Lady of Radio Drama' whose expressive voice on Radio Maroc in 1952 broke social taboos to launch female acting in Morocco.

Rabat, Morocco

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Arts & Music

9

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Barbara Kent

Barbara Cloutman

Canada

1907 – 2011 (103 years old)

One of the last surviving adult stars of the Hollywood silent film era, who starred opposite Greta Garbo in Flesh and the Devil and played Harold Lloyd's leading lady in Welcome Danger and Feet First.

Palm Desert, United States

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