Sports
Prince Ahmed bin Salman - Nephew of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia and owner of Kentucky Derby winner War Emblem (purchased 3 weeks before the race), as well as 2001 horse of the year Point Given, died of a heart attack at age 43.
Prince Sultan Bin Faisal Bin Turkey - (Not a sports death, but related to previous obit) Another nephew of King Fhad who was the owner of a multi-million dollar healthcare business was killed in a car accident on the way to his cousin's funeral at age 41.
Cliff Lewis - New York Yankee VP who was the first quarterback ever for the Cleveland Browns in their inaugural season in 1946 died at age 79.
Millie Deegan - Big star in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1943 to 1952 for the famed Rockford Peaches team died of cancer at age 82.
Jana Elway-Sever - Twin sister of former Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway died of cancer at 42.
Ned Martin - Broadcaster of Boston Red Sox games for 32 years before being fired in 1992, known for his signature call "Mercy!" died on the way home from attending a Ted Williams tribute at Fenway, apparently of a heart attack, at age 78.
Wally Pontiff - Third baseman for college baseball powerhouse LSU who was drafted by the Oakland A's but elected to return to LSU for his senior year was found dead of unknown causes at age 21.
Raymond Taft - Swimming Hall of Famer who held several world and national swimming records but was prevented from competing in the Olympics due to World War II died of a stroke at age 83.

Art and Literature
Jeanne Carens - Children's book author and illustrator best known for "A Day In The Life of Snoozle Who Likes Most of All To Sleep" died of emphesema at age 80.
James Doolin - Painter who was the master of the "artificial landscape" known for such works at "Los Angeles After 2000" and "Shopping Mall" (most of his paintings look like photos) died of lung disease at age 70.
Hamlin Hill - Mark Twain scholar who wrote numerous books and articles on Twain and who recently appeared in Ken Burns PBS special and Biography's program on Twain (Hill's quote - "All modern literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn") died at age 70.
Olof Lagercrantz - One of Sweden's best known authors who wrote 30 books and was chief editor at one of Sweden's largest newspapers died of pneumonia at age 91.
Chaim Potok - Author of novels about Jewish culture like "The Chosen" and "The Promise" died of cancer at age 73.
Barry Reed - Trial attorney who wrote books based on his experience including "The Verdict", which was made into the Oscar-nominated film starring Paul Newman, died at age 75.
George Rickey - Sculpter who, along with Alexander Calder, were among the first to make kinetic sculpture, which actually moves (wavering stacks or grids of flat squares, shifting open rectangles, zigzagging beams, spinning shell-like forms, etc.) died at age 95.

Politics and Military
Captain John "Cats Eyes" Cunningham - One of Britain’s most renowned aviators who was among the highest scoring night fighter pilots of World War II earning the nickname "Cat’s Eyes" for his apparently uncanny ability to locate enemy aircraft at night died at age 84.
Edward Lee Howard - Former CIA agent who was fired from the CIA for drug and alcohol abuse, became a spy for the Soviets and defected to the USSR in 1985 (completely embarrassing the CIA) died of a broken neck after a fall down some stairs (hmmm?!?) at age 50.
Mustafa Saad - Lebanese military leader who survived several assassination attempts (one that killed his father, another killed his 13-yr old daughter and blinded him in one eye) died of lung cancer at age 51 (a little ironic).
Salah Shehade - Former Palestanian social worker who became military commander for Hamas and mastermind behind numerous attacks that have killed dozens of Israelis was killed in an Isreali military strike (that also killed 13 civilians) at age 50.
Bob Wernet - Press secretary for former Hawaiian Governor George Ariyoshi and former broadcast journalist at KITV and KGMB in Honolulu died of cancer at age 60.

Social and Religion
Maria Adele Gard de Antokoletz - One of the founders of the human rights group Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo who have been protesting the politically-motivated abductions and murders of nearly 30,000 people in Argentina by marching every Thursday since the 1970's outside the president's offices died at age 91.
Randall E. Cannon - Oklahoma man convicted of the brutal rape and murder of 85-year old Addie Hawley was executed (finally!) at age 42.
Msgr. Richard Curtain - New York choir director who led the choirs on 2 papal visits to the U.S. and recorded several liturgical albums died at age 86.
Cardinal Johannes Joachim Degenhardt - German cardinal appointed by Pope John Paul last year died of heart failure at age 76.
Dr. Lizette Peterson-Homer - Leading clinical child psychologist and editor of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology died of an unspecified infection at age 51.
William Pierce - Leader of the National Alliance, a white racist group described as the most powerful hate group in America, who wrote "The Turner Diaries" that Timothy McVeigh used as a blueprint in the Oklahoma City bombings died of cancer at age 68.
Harry Purdy Jr. - The third oldest living WW1 veteran who received the French National Order of the Legion of Honor award in 2000 died at age 108.
The sheep of Mercantour - 406 sheep that committed suicide by jumping into a ravine in southeastern France to escape wolves (the carcasses were later burned).
Dwight Steele - Lawyer and environmental activist best known for his efforts to save Lake Tahoe died after a fall at age 88.
Jeannie VanVelkinburgh - Denver woman who was shot in the spine and paralyzed in 1997 while trying to intervene in the racially-motivated attack and murder of African immigrant Oumar Dia by two skinheads, received numerous awards for her actions, but lived in constant pain and depression, committed suicide by a drug overdose at age 41.

Business and Science
Chuck Hayes - Chairman/CEO for the last 41 years of textile giant Guilford Mills that filed for bankruptcy earlier this year and who was also president of the lobbying group American Textile Manufacturers Institute died suddenly at age 68.
Dr. Chaz Holder - Multiple amputee who invented lighter, cheaper prosthetic limbs that could be fitted in less than half an hour with only a screwdriver died of a heart attack (July 4) at age 55.
Thomas H. Jacobsen - Former CEO of Mercantile Bank, known for his own big annual bonuses while leading Mercantile through employee layoffs and then a merger with Firstar Bank died of leukemia at age 62.
George Lindsay - Noted botanist who as director of the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco turned its Natural History Museum into one of the 10 largest in the world, died of heart failure at age 85.
Guido Meyer - One of the original developers of Aspen Colorado and long-time owner of Guido's Swiss Inn in Aspen died of cancer at age 85.
Dr. Ted Mortimer - Pediatrician who helped discover the link between the use of aspirin and the fatal Reye's syndrome in children (as well as the more important discovery that tight jeans can cause back pain in teenagers) died of Lou Gehrig's disease at age 80.
Bill Roozen - Founder of the Washington Bulb Company, the nation's largest tulip, daffodil and iris production company died at age 81.
Dr. David Tapper - Noted pediatric surgeon, researcher and former president of the American Pediatric Surgical Association died of kidney cancer at age 57.
Lord Arnold Weinstock - Longtime director of England's electronics giant General Electric (now Marconi), which under his direction grew into Britain's largest industrial conglomerate, only to see the company collapse to near bankruptcy after his departure (including the loss of his personal fortune) died of cancer at age 77.