The world said goodbye last month to someone who made history as the first Black Republican woman elected to Congress.
Former Utah congresswoman Mia Love, who died after battling brain cancer, didn’t emphasize her race during her campaigns, but acknowledged the significance of her election after her 2014 victory. She said her win defied naysayers who had suggested a Black, Republican, Mormon woman couldn’t win a congressional seat in overwhelmingly white Utah.
March also saw the death of boxing great George Foreman, who lost the “Rumble in the Jungle†to Muhammad Ali but had an inspiring second act as a surprising champion and successful businessman.
Other notable deaths in March include former U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson, basketball standout Junior Bridgeman, R&B singer Angie Stone, Cold War spy Oleg Gordievsky and actors Richard Chamberlain and Émilie Dequenne.
Here is a roll call of some influential figures who have died in the first two months of this year (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):
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JANUARY
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, 73. A singer, guitarist and founding member of the million-album-selling family act The Osmonds, who were known for such 1970s teen hits as “One Bad Apple,†“Yo-Yo†and “Down By the Lazy River.†Jan. 1.
, 89. A witty and prolific British novelist and critic who gently satirized academia, religion and even his own loss of hearing in such highly praised narratives as the Booker Prize finalists “Small World†and “Nice Work.†Jan. 1.
, 93. The matriarch of the iconic Italian fashion house that made colorful zigzag-patterned knitwear high fashion and helped launch Italian ready-to-wear. Jan. 1.
, 67. A self-help guru whose multimillion-dollar business toppled after he led a sweat lodge ceremony in Arizona that left three people dead. Jan. 3.
, 88. A former prime minister of Greece and the architect of the country’s joining the common European currency, the euro. Jan. 5.
, 96. The founder of France’s far-right National Front was known for fiery rhetoric against immigration and multiculturalism that earned him staunch supporters and widespread condemnation. Jan. 7.
, 86. The singer-songwriter best known as one-third of Peter, Paul and Mary, the folk music trio whose impassioned harmonies transfixed millions as they lifted their voices in favor of civil rights and against war. Jan. 7.
, 104. The first Black woman to join the U.S. Army Nurse Corps after the military was desegregated in the 1940s. Jan. 8.
, 89. The surviving half and higher voice of the 1960s duo Sam & Dave, which was known for such definitive hits of the era as “Soul Man†and “Hold On, I’m Comin.’†Jan. 10.
, 76. A prominent Civil Rights figure in Chicago who advocated for Puerto Rican rights, founded the Young Lords and co-founded the Rainbow Coalition. Jan. 10.
, 78. The filmmaker celebrated for his uniquely dark and dreamlike vision in such movies as “Blue Velvet†and “Mulholland Drive,†and the TV series “Twin Peaks.†Jan. 16.
, 90. He parlayed a forgettable playing career into a punch line for movie and TV appearances as “Mr. Baseball†and a Hall of Fame broadcasting tenure. Jan. 16.
, 95. An award-winning British actor who, with her late husband Laurence Olivier, did much to revitalize the U.K.’s theatrical scene in the decades after World War II. Jan. 16.
, 67. A national leader for abortion access and women’s rights who led Planned Parenthood for 12 tumultuous years. Jan. 20.
, 65. A president of El Salvador who spent the final years of his life in Nicaragua to avoid various criminal sentences. Jan. 21.
, 102. A French aviator and parachutist who became the first woman to become a general officer in France. Jan. 21.
, 87. The Band’s virtuoso keyboardist and all-around musician who drew from a unique palette of sounds and styles to add a conversational touch to such rock standards as “Up on Cripple Creek,†“The Weight†and “Rag Mama Rag.†Jan. 21.
, 84. An ultra-traditionalist Catholic bishop whose denial of the Holocaust created a scandal in 2009 when Pope Benedict XVI rehabilitated him and other members of his breakaway society. Jan. 29.
, 95. He was one of the most accomplished men’s figure skaters in history, and one of his sport’s great innovators and promoters. Jan. 30.
, 78. The British pop star, muse, libertine and old soul who inspired and helped write some of the Rolling Stones’ greatest songs. and endured as a torch singer and survivor of the lifestyle she once embodied. Jan. 30.
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FEBRUARY
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, 81. A onetime head of the International Monetary Fund who became a popular German president before stunning the country by resigning abruptly in a flap over comments about the country’s military. Feb. 1.
, 48. A Taiwanese actress who starred in the popular TV drama “Meteor Garden†that once swept Asia. Feb. 2. Pneumonia triggered by the flu.
, 88. He became the spiritual leader of the world’s millions of Ismaili Muslims at age 20 as a Harvard undergraduate, and poured a material empire built on billions of dollars in tithes into building homes, hospitals and schools in developing countries. Feb. 4.
, 80. The Thai-born mother of Tiger Woods, whom he credits with instilling in him a dominant spirit and encouraging him to wear a red shirt on Sunday as his power color. Feb. 4.
, 54. A music mogul who founded Murder Inc. Records and was behind major hip-hop and R&B artists such as Ashanti and Ja Rule. Feb. 5.
, 102. She inherited the Chicago Bears from her father, George Halas, but avoided the spotlight during more than four decades as the team's principal owner. Feb. 6.
, 85. A versatile, Tony Award-nominated theater performer at home in plays and musicals and who appeared in several Woody Allen movies — often as Allen’s best friend. Feb. 7.
, 95. The fiery, white-bearded freedom fighter who led Namibia to independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990 and served as its first president for 15 years, coming to be known as the father of his nation. Feb. 8.
, 92. The novelist and prankster-philosopher who charmed and addled millions of readers with such screwball adventures as “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues†and “Jitterbug Perfume.†Feb. 9.
, 43. She was partially paralyzed in the Columbine High School shooting but found strength to forgive and to heal her soul after bonding with another family devastated by the tragedy. Feb. 16.
, 95. The Oscar-winning actor whose studied portraits ranged from reluctant heroes to conniving villains and made him one of the industry’s most respected and honored performers. . Found dead with his wife, who had died a week earlier, in their home.
, 77. A Mexican musical legend known for her powerful voice and fierce defense of women. Feb. 17.
, 88. An Australian man credited with saving 2.4 million babies through his record-breaking blood plasma donations over six decades. Feb. 17.
, 84. The Malian filmmaker was a pioneer of African cinema with a career spanning 50 years. Feb. 19.
, 92. The Black track and field standout who broke through racial barriers and became the only woman to compete for the United States in the long jump at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. Feb. 20.
, 93. The Secret Service agent who leaped onto the back of President John F. Kennedy’s limousine after the president was shot, then was forced to retire early because he remained haunted by memories of the assassination. Feb. 21.
, 87. A College Football Hall of Fame coach who won four NAIA Division II national championships in 19 years at Westminster College. Feb. 22.
, 88. The Grammy-winning singer and pianist whose intimate vocal and musical style made her one of the top recording artists of the 1970s and an influential performer long after that. Feb. 24.
, 39. A former child star who appeared in the 1996 “Harriet the Spy†hit movie and went on to co-star in two buzzy millennial-era TV shows — “Buffy the Vampire Slayer†and “Gossip Girl.†Feb. 26.
, 88. A Soviet-era world chess champion who lost his title to American Bobby Fischer in a legendary 1972 match that became a proxy for Cold War rivalries. Feb. 27.
, 75. The wiry, gravelly-voiced singer and last surviving member of the glam and protopunk band the New York Dolls who later performed as his campy, pompadoured alter ego, Buster Poindexter. Feb. 28.
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MARCH
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, 63. The Grammy-nominated R&B singer was a member of the all-female hip-hop trio The Sequence and known for the hit song “Wish I Didn’t Miss You.†March 1. Car crash.
, 77. A guitarist with the Welsh pop-rock band Badfinger that was known for such 1970s hits as “No Matter What†and “Day After Day.†March 1.
, 67. The voice behind the irreverent animated superhero on Adult Swim’s “Space Ghost Coast to Coast.†March 2.
, 70. A Cuban American who fought tirelessly for a free Cuba and who spent 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives as a member of a politically powerful South Florida family. March 3.
, 82. Dolly Parton’s devoted husband of nearly 60 years who avoided the spotlight and inspired her timeless hit “Jolene.†March 3.
, 86. A Soviet KGB officer who helped change the course of the Cold War by covertly passing secrets to Britain. March 4.
, 84. A legendary jazz vibraphonist, keyboardist, composer and vocalist known for his spacy, funky 1976 hit “Everybody Loves the Sunshine†that has been sampled by such R&B and rap heavyweights as Mary J. Blige, N.W.A., Dr. Dre, 2Pac, Mos Def and Ice Cube. March 4.
, 95. He was elected in 1967 as Mississippi’s first Black lawmaker of the 20th century and rose to the second-highest leadership role in the state House of Representatives. March 4.
, 64. A founding member of the Grammy-nominated group Tony! Toni! Tone! behind the classic songs “Anniversary,†“It Never Rains (In Southern California)†and (Lay Your Head on My) Pillow.†March 7.
, 71. A basketball standout who led Louisville to a Final Four, starred for the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and then launched an even more successful career as a businessman with stakes in restaurants, publishing and the Bucks franchise. March 11.
, 90. A veteran broadcast journalist who was press secretary for President Gerald Ford and sought to restore the integrity that the position had lost during the Nixon administration. March 12.
, 77. The Democratic congressman was a champion of environmental protections and progressive ideals who took on principled but often futile causes during a two-decade career in Congress. March 13.
, 93. The former U.S. senator was a political legend whose quick wit bridged partisan gaps in the years before today’s political acrimony. March 14.
, 87. The former congresswoman was a long-serving New York Democrat who was the first woman to chair the powerful House Appropriations Committee. March 15.
, 43. The Belgian actor who won a top Cannes Film Festival prize for her breakout role in “Rosetta.†March 16. Cancer.
, 76. An ex-Formula 1 team owner and media personality whose humor, strong opinions and often extravagant dress sense made him a popular pundit on TV after selling the team in 2005. March 20.
, 76. The fearsome heavyweight boxer who lost the “Rumble in the Jungle†to Muhammad Ali before his inspiring second act as a 45-year-old world champion and a successful businessman. March 21.
, 88. The wife of former Massachusetts governor and Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis, who spoke openly about her struggles with depression and addiction. March 21.
, 63. He spent two decades on Tennessee’s death row before he was finally freed, and later campaigned against the death penalty. March 22.
, 49. A daughter of Haitian immigrants who became the first Black Republican woman elected to Congress. March 23. Brain cancer.
, 83. The lead architect of the One World Trade Center skyscraper that rose from the site where the Twin Towers collapsed in New York City during the 9/11 attacks. March 26.
, 90. The handsome hero of the 1960s television series “Dr. Kildare†who found a second career as an award-winning “king of the miniseries.†March 29.
