Jimmy Dean, a country music legend for his smash hit about a workingman hero, "Big Bad John," and an entrepreneur known for his sausage brand, died on Sunday. He was 81.

His wife, Donna Meade Dean, said her husband died at their Henrico County, Va., home.

She told The Associated Press that he had some health problems but was still functioning well, so his death came as a shock. She said he was eating in front of the television. She left the room for a time and came back and he was unresponsive. She said he was pronounced dead at 7:54 p.m.(More.)

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE STAR Peter Graves, Veteran Actor, Dead At 83 Starred In More Than 70 Television Series And Feature Films SAL Obits

Peter Graves, the rugged actor who starred in the hit TV series "Mission: Impossible" and whose career took a comic turn in the disaster spoof "Airplane!" has died. He was 83.

Graves was found dead Sunday afternoon in front of his Pacific Palisades home from apparent natural causes, said Officer Karen Rayner of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Graves had just returned from brunch with his family to celebrate his upcoming 84th birthday. He collapsed on the driveway before he could reach his house, said Sandy Brokaw, his publicist. One of Graves' daughters administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation but was unable to revive him, Brokaw said. (More.)

RANDY GOSS DIES
County Line Co-Owner Found In Car

The man known as the “Rib King,” County Line restaurants co-owner Randy Goss, 55, was found dead Thursday morning in a partly submerged car in rain-swollen Cibolo Creek.

His body was inside a black car that a county public works crew spotted around 10:50 a.m. near Blanco and Specht roads in North Bexar County, near the Comal County line.

Sheriff’s Office spokesman Deputy Ino Badillo said a swift-water rescue team pulled a man’s body out of the car, which had drifted about 100 feet away from a bridge.

Officials only could see the top of the windshield, as rain had caused the creek to swell, he said. (More.)

GOODBYE HOLDEN CAUFIELD
'Catcher In The Rye' Author JD Salinger

J.D. Salinger, the legendary author, youth hero and fugitive from fame whose "The Catcher in the Rye" shocked and inspired a world he increasingly shunned, has died. He was 91.

Salinger died of natural causes at his home on Wednesday, the author's son said in a statement from Salinger's literary representative. He had lived for decades in self-imposed isolation in the small, remote house in Cornish, N.H. (More.)

A JUDGE AMONGST JUDGES Judge Mireles Dies With Family At His Side But Who Will Turn On The Lights At The Courthouse?

Someone else will have to turn on the lights at the Bexar County Courthouse.

At least that’s what many friends and colleagues of District Court Judge Andy Mireles said Tuesday upon hearing of the hard-working jurist’s death from a heart attack suffered Sunday night.

He was 59. (More.)

CANCER CLAIMS MOVIE STAR Popular American Actor Patrick Swayze Has Died In LA Passes At 57

Patrick Swayze, the hunky actor who danced his way into viewers' hearts with "Dirty Dancing" and then broke them with "Ghost," died Monday after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 57.

"Patrick Swayze passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months," said a statement released Monday evening by his publicist, Annett Wolf. No other details were given.

Fans of the actor were saddened to learn in March 2008 that Swayze was suffering from a particularly deadly form of cancer. (More.)

TED KENNEDY DEAD AT 77 Liberalism Has Lost Another 'Hero' Brain Cancer Claims Massachusetts Democrat Senator Chappaquiddick: No Profile in Kennedy Courage ABC News

THAT'S THE WAY IT IS
Anchorman Walter Cronkite Dies

Walter Cronkite, the premier TV anchorman of the networks' golden age who reported a tumultuous time with reassuring authority and came to be called "the most trusted man in America," died Friday. He was 92.

Cronkite's longtime chief of staff, Marlene Adler, said Cronkite died at 7:42 p.m. at his Manhattan home surrounded by family. She said the cause of death was cerebral vascular disease.

Adler said, "I have to go now" before breaking down into what sounded like a sob. She said she had no further comment.

A GREAT ACTOR GONE
Oscar-Winner Karl Malden Dead At 97
SAL Obits

Veteran actor Karl Malden, who won an Academy Award for his role in “A Streetcar Named Desire,” has died at age 97, his manager said Wednesday.

Malden died in his sleep about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday (5:30 a.m. ET), his manager, Bud Ross, told CNN.

Malden appeared alongside Marlon Brando in two of director Elia Kazan’s classic films of the 1950s — “A Streetcar Named Desire” and “On the Waterfront.” He won 1952’s best supporting actor Oscar as the lonely Mitch in “Streetcar” and was nominated for his role as a crusading priest battling crooked union bosses in “On the Waterfront.”

Ross said he did not know the cause of death. “It could be a combination of things,” Ross told CNN. “He was 97 years old.”

Born Mladen George Sekulovich in Gary, Indiana, the bulb-nosed actor made his New York stage debut in 1938 and first appeared in films in the 1940 melodrama “They Knew What They Wanted.” After serving in the Army Air Corps in World War II, he made his mark in the New York production of “Streetcar,” by Tennessee Williams. (More)

THE END OF THE STORY
Paul Harvey, Legendary Radio Host
Dead At 90
EW.Com

Legendary radio commentator Paul Harvey died today at a hospital in Phoenix. He was 90. Known for his distinct staccato delivery, dramatic pauses, and folksy intonations, Harvey's broadcasts were heard on over 1,200 radio stations and 400 Armed Forces networks and his commentary appeared in 300 newspapers, according to his website. He had been hosting his radio shows on a part-time basis for most of the past year, during which he suffered various illnesses as well as the death of his wife Lynne "Angel" Harvey. Paul Harvey's seven-decade broadcasting career includes more than 50 years working for ABC Radio.

"Even after the passing of his loving wife Angel in May 2008, Paul would not slip quietly into retirement as he continued to take the microphone and reach out to his audience," ABC Radio Networks president Jim Robinson said via a statement.  "We will miss our dear friend tremendously and are grateful for the many years we were so fortunate to have known him."

SA ICON GONE Dan Cook, Beloved SA Sports Journalist Dies At The Age Of 81 The Fat Lady Sings AP

HERITAGE OF ROCK & ROll
Bo Diddley, Rock Innovator Dies At 79
Bo Diddley, the rock 'n' roll originator with the rectangular guitar whose signature beat influenced musicians from Buddy Holly to the Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead and Bruce Springsteen, has died. He was 79.

Diddley died at his home in Archer, Florida, early today, according to his publicist, Susan Clary. The cause was heart failure. In May 2007, he suffered a stroke during a performance in Council Bluffs, Iowa. (More.)

VOICE OF MOSES SILENCED
Charlton Heston Dies: Alzheimers Claims Actor

Charlton Heston, the 84-year-old actor who made memorable contributions to cinema by starring in such films as BEN-HUR, PLANET OF THE APES, THE OMEGA MAN and THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, died at his home with his wife Lydia at his side this weekend

In 2002, Heston revealed in a videotaped statement that he had symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, saying, "I must reconcile courage and surrender in equal measure."

His tall, commanding presence and handsome good looks commanded the screen throughout his prolific career, but his contributions off screen were also notable. Heston was known for his work with the American Film Institute, SAG as well as his personal passions civil rights and gun ownership. (More.)

GOODNIGHT DAVE'
Arthur C Clarke, Author Of `2001:
A Space Odyssey,' Is Dead At 90
Author, Scientist, Space Expert And Underwater Diver

Arthur C. Clarke, the U.K. science- fiction writer and futurist visionary best known for the novel adapted for the film ``2001: A Space Odyssey,'' has died. He was 90.

Clarke died in his adopted home country of Sri Lanka early today from respiratory complications, according to a statement from his office there. He had suffered from post-polio syndrome for the last two decades of his life and was confined to a wheelchair. Clarke had lived in Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital, since 1956 and held citizenship there. (More.)

SIX-PACK TO GO
Country Hall of Fame Member Hank Thompson Dies

Country Music Hall of Fame member Hank Thompson died late Tuesday (Nov. 7) at his home near Fort Worth, Texas, following a battle with lung cancer. The 82-year-old singer, songwriter and bandleader last week canceled all of his tour dates after being hospitalized. He played his last concert on Oct. 8 in his native Waco, Texas, when Hank Thompson Day was declared by Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Waco Mayor Virginia DuPuy. (More.)

Retired General David Lee "Tex" Hill, who's daring, courage, and confidence made him one of the leading fighter pilots in the Pacific Theatre in World War Two, as a member of the "Fighting Tigers" and later with the U.S. Army Air Corps, died Thursday night at his home in the San Antonio suburb of Alamo Heights. He was 92. (More)

LEGENDARY ASTONAUT Space Pioneer Walter 'Wally' Schirra, 84 One Of The Original Mercury Seven Astronauts

Walter M. Schirra Jr., one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts and the only man to fly on NASA's Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs, died today.

Walter M. Schirra Jr., one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts and the only man to fly on NASA's Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs, has died. He was 84. (More.)

Schirra died of a heart attack at Scripps Green Hospital in La Jolla, said Ruth Chandler Varonfakis, a family friend and spokeswoman for the San Diego Aerospace Museum. NASA had said he died late Wednesday but the family and the medical examiner's office both said it was today.