As 2006 comes to a close, I wanted to make mention of some of the notables we lost during the past twelve months. Each entertained us, informed us, or somehow made us think about things in new ways. This is not a complete list, but I think it gives a good sample of the legendary talents that took a final bow. They shouldn’t be forgotten.

Lou Rawls: 72, Singer with a velvet voice who donated a great deal of his time and money to the United Negro College Fund.

Shelley Winters: 85, Movie actress.

Wilson Pickett: 64, Fiery soul music pioneer.

Arthur Bloom: 63, TV news director whose stopwatch became the cover image for CBS’s 60 Minutes.

Al Lewis: 82, the wacky Grandpa on The Munsters.

Peter Benchley: 65, author of Jaws.

Curt Gowdy: 86, Sportscaster who called World Series and All-Star games and the first Super Bowl.

Bruce Hart: 68, Lyracist whose work included the theme of Sesame Street.

Dennis Weaver: 81, the sidekick on Gunsmoke and the western cop riding horseback in Manhattan on McCloud.

Don Knotts: 81, played Deputy Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show and Ralph Furley on Three’s Company.

Darren McGavin: 83, the leg-lamp-loving dad in A Christmas Story and the investigative reporter in Kolchak: The Night Stalker.

Dana Reeve: 44, Actress-singer, devoted wife of the late Christopher Reeve.

Gordon Parks: 93, Life photographer and Hollywood’s first major black director.

Maureen Stapleton: 80, Oscar-winning actress.

Oleg Cassini: 92, World-renowned fashion designer.

Buck Owens: 76, Rhinestone cowboy and co-host of Hee Haw.

June Pointer: 52, Youngest of the Pointer Sisters.

Dame Muriel Spark: 88, British novelist whose works included The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.

“Pem” Farnsworth: 98, Helped her husband, Philo, invent television.

Louis Rukeyser: 73, PBS host known for his no-nonsense business commentary.

Lew Anderson: 84, the final Clarabell the Clown on TV’s Howdy Doody whose only spoken lines came in the finale: “Goodbye, Kids.”

Stanley Kunitz: 100, Former U.S. Poet Laureate and Pulitzer winner.

Billy Preston: 59, Keyboardist and Singer.

Aaron Spelling: 83, Television producer.

Irving Green: 90, Co-founder of Mercury Records.

Benjamin Hendrickson: 55, Daytime Emmy winner for his longtime role on As the World Turns.

June Allyson: 88, Hollywood actress known for playing the “perfect wife.”

Red Buttons: 87, Actor-comedian. Did he ever get a dinner?

Mickey Spillane: 88, Mystery writer.

Mike Douglas: 81, One of the fathers of the daytime talk show, but his show never went for sleaze.

Joe Rosenthal: 94, AP Photographer who captured the image of soldiers raising a flag on Iwo Jima.

Joseph Stefano: 84, Writer of the screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho.

Ed Benedict: 84, Fred Flintstone and Yogi Bear animator.

Glenn Ford: 90, Tough-guy actor.

Steve Irwin: 44, Television’s Crocodile Hunter and wildlife proponent.

Robert Earl Jones: 96, Actor and father of James Earl Jones.

Tamara Dobson: 59, Film actress known for Cleopatra Jones role.

Freddy Fender: 69, Country balladeer.

Christopher Glenn: 68, CBS News correspondent and host of the Saturday morning kids’ news capsule, In the News.

Jane Wyatt: 96, Actress who played two famous but very different moms, on Father Knows Best and Star Trek.

Ed Bradley: 65, Veteran CBS journalist and co-host of 60 Minutes.

Robert Altman: 81, Movie Director.

Robert McFerrin: 85, First black singer to perform solo at the Metropolitan Opera, father of Bobby McFerrin.

Jay “Hootie” McShann: 90, Jazz pianist and bandleader.

Peter Boyle: 71, Actor known for his role as the grumpy father on Everybody Loves Raymond and as the dancing monster from Young Frankenstein.

Ahmet Ertegun: 83, Founder of Atlantic Records.

Mike Evans: 57, Actor who played the first Lionel on The Jeffersons and co-created Good Times.

Joe Barbera: 95, Created some of television’s most beloved cartoons with partner William Hanna.

Ruth Bernhard: 101, Photographer.

Wilma Dykeman: 86, Novelist and non-fiction writer who chronicled the people of Appalachia.

Frank Stanton: 98, Longtime CBS president who made his organization the “Tiffany Network.”

Gerald Ford: 93, 38th President of the United States, the only man to become Vice President and then President without being elected to either position.

James Brown: 73, Legendary singer known as the “Godfather of Soul,” the “Hardest-Working Man in Show Business,” and other self-named titles.