“Mean” Gene Okerlund (1942–2019), iconic wrestling announcer

The face of professional wrestling interviewed the biggest stars.

Daryl Dragon (1942–2019), Captain and Tennille musician

Daryl Dragon (1942–2019) was one half of the 1970s soft rock superstar duo Captain and Tennille. They had a No. 1 hit in 1975 with “Love Will Keep Us Together.” The song won a Grammy for Record of the Year.

Pegi Young (1952–2019), musician, philanthropist, Neil Young's former wife

Philanthropist and singer Pegi Young co-founded the Bridge School.

Herb Kelleher (1931–2019), colorful co-founder of Southwest Airlines

Started the successful airline with a business plan on a cocktail napkin.

John “Jack” Lyle (2019), World War II Tuskegee Airman

John “Jack” Lyle (2019) was one of the legendary Tuskegee Airmen, the country’s first African-American fighter group. The Airmen were among the most skilled pilots during World War II. Lyle, who named his plane “Natalie” in honor of his first wife, was credited with shooting down a German Messerschmitt. After the war, he became a Chicago police officer with the park district and operated a tree trimming company. His favorite hobby was sailing on Lake Michigan.

Bernice Sandler (1928–2019), “Godmother of Title IX”

Bernice Sandler (1928–2019) played an integral part in the creation of the landmark Title IX law that prohibits sex discrimination by educational institutions that receive federal funding. The federal civil rights law was passed in 1972 and assures women have equal access to financial assistance, admissions, and other benefits. The law has had a major impact on equality in sports at high schools and colleges.

Mel Stottlemyre (1941 – 2019), Yankees legend

Mel Stottlemyre (1941 – 2019) was a five time All-Star pitcher for the New York Yankees who became a top pitching coach. He was a Yankee his entire playing career, winning 20 games 3 times when the Yankees were not at the top of the league. He became a highly sought after pitching coach who tutored Dwight Gooden and Roger Clemons, winning 4 World Series rings as a coach with the Yankees and one with the Mets.

Carol Channing (1921–2019), Broadway legend

Carol Channing, the actress and singer known best for her Tony Award-winning performance in "Hello, Dolly!", died Tuesday, Jan. 15. She was 97.

Mary Oliver (1935–2019), Pulitzer Prize-winning poet

Beloved poet wrote about nature.

Mason Lowe (1993–2019), professional bull rider

Mason Lowe (1993–2019), one of the top bull fighters on the PBR professional circuit, died from injuries sustained in competition Tuesday night in Denver when he was thrown from a bull who then accidentally stomped on his chest. He was one of the most popular riders on the tour, known for his wry wit and warmth. Though a risky sport, Lowe is only the third rider to die in a bull riding competition since PBR was founded in 1992.

Glen Wood (1925–2019), NASCAR legend

Glen Wood (1925e280932019) was aNASCAR Hall of Fame driver who co-founded the legendary Wood Brothers Racing Team with hisbrother Leonard. The Wood Brothers Racing Team is the longest running team in NASCAR, picking up 99 victories, the last one by driver Ryan Blaney at Pocono in 2017. Wood had 4 wins as a driver.

George Brady (1928–2019), Holocaust survivor immortalized in “Hana’s Suitcase”

He was the only one of his family who lived—and he lived to the age of 90.

John Bogle (1929–2019), founder of the Vanguard Group

John Bogle (1929 - 2019) was the revolutionary financial professional who founded the Vanguard Group and invented the first index mutual fund. His company thrives today as the leader in the mutual-funds industry, employing over 16,000 people and serving over 20 million investors.

Tony Mendez (1940–2019), Ex-CIA spy inspired the movie “Argo”

Tony Mendez (1940–2019) was the ex-CIA agent who led the daring rescue of six U.S. diplomats from Iran in 1980. His story was immortalized in the 2012 movie “Argo,” in which he was portrayed by Ben Affleck. Iran took over the U.S. embassy after their revolution in 1979. Mendez masterminded the escape of the U.S. citizens from the homes of two Canadian diplomats by passing them off as members of a film crew.

Maxine Brown Russell (1931–2019), country music hall of famer

Member of chart topping trio The Browns.

Kaye Ballard (1925–2019), “The Mothers-in-Law” star

Popular nightclub and Broadway performer

Kevin Barnett (2019), comedian, writer

Kevin Barnett was a standup comedian and co-creator of “Rel,” a sitcom starring Lil Rel Howery that debuted on Fox in September 2018. Barnett had also been a writer for Comedy Central's sitcom “Broad City” as well as cohost of the weekly podcast “The Roundtable of Gentlemen,” head writer for the sketch comedy show “Friends of the People,” and a cast member and writer on MTV2's “Guy Code.”

Bishop Joseph Howze (1923–2019), pioneering African-American bishop

The first black bishop in the 20th century to head a U.S. diocese.

Masazo Nonaka (1905–2019), world’s oldest man

Masazo Nonaka (1905–2019) was recognized by Guiness World Records as the world’s oldest man in April, 2018, when he was 112 years old. He died from natural causes at his family’s hot springs inn located on the island of Hokkaido. Nonaka ran the inn for many years and now his granddaughter Yuko operates the business. In his retirement, he enjoyed reading newspapers, watching sumo wrestling on TV, and eating sweets.

Fatima Ali (1989–2019), star of Bravo's “Top Chef”

Fatima Ali was a star of Bravo's “Top Chef,” voted fan favorite in the 2017 season. Before her “Top Chef” fame, Ali had the distinction of becoming the first Pakistani woman to win on “Chopped,” in 2012. A native of Lahore, Pakistan, Ali moved to the U.S. at 18 to attend culinary school. She excelled as a chef in New York restaurants as well as on television.

Julius Campbell (2019), key player on “Remember the Titans” team

Led the integrated Titans football team to a Virginia State Championship.

James Ingram (1952–2019), R&B singing legend

James Ingram (1952–2019) was a chart-topping singer known for the hit R&B song “Baby, Come to Me,” a duet with singer Patti Austin which reached number one in 1983. He first came to fame in 1981 when he sang vocals on the songs “Just Once” and “One Hundred Ways” on the Quincy Jones album “The Dude.”

Edwin Birdsong (1941–2019), influential funk keyboardist

Edwin Birdsong  (1941–2019) was an influential keyboardist whose funk and jazz grooves were sampled by many hip-hop artists including De La Soul and Gang Starr. De La Soul sampled Birdsong’s “Rapper Dapper Snapper” on their iconic song “Me Myself and I” and French electronic duo Daft Punk sampled “Cola Bottle Baby” on their 2001 hit “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.” Birdsong was a session player who worked with Stevie Wonder and released two solo albums.  

Rosemary Mariner (1953–2019), first female navy fighter pilot

First woman to command an operational air squadron.

Dick Miller (1928 – 2019), veteran character actor

Dick Miller was a popular character actor who starred in “Gremlins” and “The Howling.” He appeared in more than 175 films and made more than 2,000 television appearances. He was a favorite of director Joe Dante, appearing inall ofhis movies.

Harold Bradley (1926–2019), Hall of Fame country music guitarist

Country Music Hall of Fame guitarist who was instrumental in creating “the Nashville sound.”

Stewart Adams (1923–2019), inventor of ibuprofen, used himself as test subject

“I always felt it was important to take the first dose.”

Ron Joyce (1930–2019), cofounder of Tim Hortons donut chain

Helped the hockey legend create a donut empire.