2011 Notable Deaths

The past year has seen the deaths of some beloved public figures: Andy Rooney, Elizabeth Taylor, Betty Ford and Steve Jobs. It's also seen the historic passing of terror leaders and dictators such as Osama bin Laden, Kim Jong Il and Muammar Gaddafi.

In 2011, the inventor of the teleprompter, the inventor of the ebook, the last World War I veteran and the first female vice presidential candidate passed away.

Here is a list of many of the notable deaths from 2011:

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article stated that Walter Breuning was the last American born before 1900. He was in fact that last American man born before 1900.

Comments

[izmeister]

10:54 PM on 01/27/2012

Suze Rotolo, Bob Dylan's girlfriend on the cover of Freewheelin, died on Feb. 27, 2011. I didn't know her, but, for much of my life, that photo of her inexplicably represented to me all that was good about women. My heart hurt when I read of her death.

[MediaMarkus]

02:22 PM on 01/20/2012

Gil Scott Heron is missing from the Slide Show.

[FEsrigoHL]

12:29 PM on 01/02/2012

I had lung surgery 10 years ago. Then biopsies were NOT 100% accurate. Pros I knew in medicine said have the half removed. Then you are SURE it is or is not cancerous. It was not. BUT I have never been the same. The VERY LONG scar leaves raw nerve endings that NEVER heal & send out pain signals almost constantly. Lifting or walking fast or on hard surfaces is OUT OF THE QUESTION. I was recently told by my respiratory Dr that this does not happen anymore, as techniques have improved SO much since then. Better to be alive with discomfort than dead. My son died of PC at 55, two years ago. It only took 1 year from diagnosis to passing.

[asiclilpup]

10:17 PM on 01/01/2012

Lost my only son a year and a half ago, 27 yrs old but left us some grandkids that we cherish dearly. For his funeral I looked at my two daughters and let them know that if my hugs were tighter or lasted a little longer, they would know why. Never a day passes without some memory of him popping up and it's sad and it also brings a smile. Death is final to us living only. Take care all and think fondly of those who have left us.

[asiclilpup]

09:51 PM on 01/01/2012

A couple three people that I didn't know had passed and all in all, I'm very glad I'm not on the list !

[LostDemocracy]

08:14 PM on 01/01/2012

"I want Equality in Opportunity, NOT an Equality in Outcome" - Steve Jobs.

He was the greatest loss in 2011. He was a true visionary of our times. RIP.

[ROLLANDO]

10:42 AM on 01/01/2012

Terrorists and dictators do not deserve to been on this list. They should be on a separate list, "Infamous deaths list.'

[DSherline]

10:21 AM on 01/01/2012

Being a retired military veteran I would like them to get their facts straight. In picture 30 they say "last surviving WWI Veteran", died Feb. 27. Then in picture 62 they say "last surviving WWI combat veteran", died May 5.
Well, according to the info provided, the guy in picture 62 was alive 5 months longer than the guy in picture 30, so the guy in picture 30 was not the last surviving WWI veteran.
The last surviving veteran of WWI is the last surviving veteran, in combat or not. If they're going to make a distinction between combat veteran and non combat veteran they need to be consistant about it, not just in one of the captions.

[HonkyTonkMan]

08:56 AM on 01/01/2012

The afterlife has one hell of a jazz band:

Amy on vocals
George Shearing on piano
Joe Morello on drums
Gary Moore and Pinetop Perkins on guitar
Marshall Grant on bass
Gerry Rafferty and Clarence Clemens on sax

(Nate Dogg on vocals, not listed here)
(Heavy D rapping)

[rcapitalsim]

09:03 AM on 01/01/2012

The band in heaven is a fantasic one for sure honk...no doubt.

[sissy1226]

08:30 AM on 01/01/2012

Nickolas Ashford (May 4, 1941 – August 22, 2011) one-half of the legendary Motown songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson

[cincinnati]

01:00 AM on 01/02/2012

guess I'll have to give you a fan for that....Motown was wonderful, a big part of the legendary 60's music.....sorry kids, you missed out, but you can still enjoy it...

[hman570]

08:06 AM on 01/01/2012

Our ageing world is started to take back some of the worlds most hated people. We have lost icons and villians this years. We shall move on and most of them will be sadly missed.

[ShakeYourComplacency]

07:32 AM on 01/01/2012

It almost seems like Amy Winehouse is here, because her music lives on, and I hear her voice every day. Lioness was a worthy collection of tunes.

Also RIP my pet, who passed from my life, personally.

[anitafeeney]

09:46 AM on 01/01/2012

i am sorry about your pet

[DizzyDancing12]

06:43 AM on 01/01/2012

What is sad about seeing Steve Jobs photo accentuated in the string of deaths, is he refused to have surgery in the beginning and chose other treatment routes that did not work. A simple operation may have saved him early on.

[MoneyMan2000]

11:05 AM on 01/01/2012

He wanted to try alternatives before having his body cut open. Can't say I blame him, but I agree that it was silly not to take the operation when it might have saved him.

[Rcalligirl12]

05:05 AM on 01/01/2012

I think Ryan Dunn should have been on here.

[Avenger280]

04:21 AM on 01/01/2012

Where's Andy Whitfield (Spartacus)?

[anitafeeney]

09:47 AM on 01/01/2012

that is what i was wondering