Here's my own brief look at some of the more notable celebrity deaths of 2009. As always, they fall into two categories: "The Good Riddance List" and "The Folks We'll Miss List."

I'm one of the lucky ones who got to work with Ron. The West Wing was the perfect place for us to join forces professionally--a political operative got to write a political show and a political activist got to play a political operative.

NEW YORK — Broadway theaters will dim their lights Wednesday in honor of actor Ron Silver who died Sunday after a two-year battle with esophagea...

In the wake of 9/11, Silver transformed himself from a liberal darling to a libertarian antagonist. Ron's was a mind that was always seeking, no matter what the cost to his career or social status.

When I was 12, Ron got my sister and me drunk. He knew we were bored and asked if we wanted a little vodka in our Coke. I've always loved Ron for that. He treated us like people, even though we weren't yet.

Actor Ron Silver, who won a Tony Award as a take-no-prisoners Hollywood producer in David Mamet's "Speed-the-Plow" and did a political about-face from...

When people talk about that rare individual who practices what they preach, who lives the courage of their convictions, they are talking about Ron Silver.

As a fan of his movies and television roles, I will miss his acting. But as a political hyperbolist who sometimes goes too far, I will miss his civility even more.

He was always engaging and good-natured about our political differences. No matter how intense the political disagreement he was never a name-caller or shouter. He was a gentleman, and he will be missed.