Raymond V. ‘Skip’ Merkle, former president of cemetery memorials company, dies

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Rapper Mac Miller, seen here at Coachella in 2017, died of a suspected drug overdose on Sept. 7, 2018. He was 26. Read more.

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Dolores O'Riordan, whose urgent, powerful voice helped make Irish rock band The Cranberries a global success in the 1990s, died suddenly on Jan. 15, 2018, at a London hotel. She was 46. Read more.

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Adrian Cronauer, the DJ who inspired "Good Morning, Vietnam," died July 18, 2018. He was 79. Read more.

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Actor John Mahoney, a longtime ensemble member of Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre and a performer known to millions for his work on the NBC sitcom "Frasier," died on Feb. 4 at the age of 77. Read more.

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Avicii, a Grammy-nominated electronic dance DJ from Sweden, died on April 20, 2018. He was 28. Read more.

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Veteran broadcaster Ed Schultz, whose starred as a quarterback at a Minnesota college and went on to a career in national radio and television, including hosting a show on MSNBC, died on July 5, 2018. He was 64. Read more.

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Edwin Hawkins, the gospel star best known for the crossover hit "Oh Happy Day" and as a major force for contemporary inspirational music, died on Jan. 15 at 74. Read more.

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Donald Hall, a prolific, award-winning poet and man of letters widely admired for his sharp humor and painful candor about nature, mortality, baseball and the distant past, died June 23, 2018. He was 89. Read more.

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John Coleman, right, co-founder of the Weather Channel and a TV meteorologist for six decades, died Jan. 20, 2018, in Las Vegas. He was 83. Read more.

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Juan Romero holds a Los Angeles Times photograph that shows Romero with Sen. Robert F. Kennedy at the Ambassador hotel in Los Angeles moments after Kennedy was shot. Romero, who was an 18-year-old busboy at the time and carried the emotional burden of that encounter for most of his life, died Oct. 1, 2018, in Modesto, Calif., at age 68. Read more.

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Philip Roth, a prize-winning novelist who wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning of "American Pastoral" and a fearless narrator of sex, religion and mortality, died at age 85, his literary agent said May 22, 2018. Read more

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Television personality, author and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain was been found dead at age 61, his network CNN has reported in a statement read on-air June 8, 2018. Read obituary

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Former President George H.W. Bush died on Nov. 30, 2018, after a long career in public service. Bush led the Central Intelligence Agency during the Cold War, served as Reagan's vice president and won one term in the Oval Office. He was 94. Read more.

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Playwright Neil Simon, whose Broadway hits include "The Odd Couple," ''Barefoot in the Park" and his "Brighton Beach" trilogy, died on Aug. 26 of complications from pneumonia. He was 91. Read more.

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Author and journalist Tom Wolfe, who chronicled American culture from the Merry Pranksters through the space race before turning his satiric wit to such novels as "The Bonfire of the Vanities" and "A Man in Full," died on May 15, 2018. He was 88. Read more.

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Marty Balin, founder and lead singer of the Jefferson Airplane, died on Sept. 29, 2018. He was 76. Read more.

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Stan Lee attends the world premiere of "Avengers: Infinity War" on April 23, 2018, in Los Angeles. Lee, a Marvel Comics executive and creator of popular characters such as Spider-Man, died Nov. 12 at 95. Read more.

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Vic Damone, whose hit singles included "Again," ''You're Breaking My Heart," ''My Heart Cries for You," ''On the Street Where You Live", died on Feb. 11, 2018 in Miami, according to his daughter. He was 89. Read more.

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The Rev. Billy Graham, who transformed American religious life through his preaching and activism, becoming a counselor to presidents and the most widely heard Christian evangelist in history, has died at age 99. Read more

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Ricky Jay, a master magician who also acted in films and TV shows such as "Boogie Nights," "House of Games" and "Deadwood," died Nov. 24 of natural causes in Los Angeles. He was 72. Read more.

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Penny Marshall, shown at the SNL 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Feb. 15, 2015, has died at age 75. Read more here.

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Edgar Ray Killen, a 1960s Ku Klux Klan leader who was convicted decades later in the "Mississippi Burning" slayings of three civil rights workers, died in prison at the age of 92, the state's corrections department announced on Jan. 12. Read more.

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Actress and soprano Marin Mazzie, a three-time Tony Award nominee, died on Sept. 13, 2018, following a battle with ovarian cancer. She was 57. Read more.

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In this Oct. 3, 2014, photo, Jon Huntsman Sr. speaks to reporters during a press conference, in Salt Lake City. Huntsman's assistant Pam Bailey confirmed the Utah billionaire and philanthropist died Feb. 2, 2018, in Salt Lake City. He was 80 and also the father of Jon Huntsman Jr., the U.S. ambassador to Russia and former Utah governor. Read more.

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Kevin Towers, left, whose 14-year tenure as general manager of the San Diego Padres included an appearance in the 1998 World Series, died from complications of cancer on Jan. 30. He was 56. Read more.

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In this 2000 photo, actor Jerry Van Dyke welcomes guests to his ice cream parlor, restaurant and  theater in Benton, Ark. Van Dyke, a Danville, Ill., native and younger brother of Dick Van Dyke, who struggled for decades to achieve his own stardom before clicking as the dim-witted sidekick in television's "Coach," died Jan. 5, 2018, in Arkansas. He was 86. Read more.

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Actor Burt Reynolds, photographed here in 2000, died Sept. 6, 2018, in Jupiter, Fla. He was 82.   Reynolds was one of Hollywood's most popular leading men during the '70s and early '80s via such films as "Deliverance," "Smokey and the Bandit, "The Longest Yard" and "Semi-Tough." Read more.

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Olivia Cole, who won an Emmy Award for her portrayal of Matilda, wife to Chicken George in the landmark 1977 miniseries "Roots," died on Jan. 19 at her home in Mexico. She was 75. Read more.

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Talk show host Art Bell was best known for his paranormal-themed nightly radio show "Coast to Coast," which was syndicated across the nation. The Nye County Sheriff's Office says Bell died April 13, 2018, at his Pahrump, Nev., home. Read more.

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Scott Hutchison of Frightened Rabbit, seen here performing at Lollapalooza in Chicago's Grant Park in 2016, was found dead in Scotland on May 11, 2018. He was 36. Read more.

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Hall of Fame slugger Willie McCovey, who hit 521 home runs in 22 major league seasons, 19 of them with the San Francisco Giants, died on Oct. 31. He was 80. Read more.

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Legendary astronaut John Young, who walked on the moon and later commanded the first space shuttle flight, died on Jan. 5, 2018, at home in Houston following complications from pneumonia. He was 87. Read more.

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Dorothy Malone, who played the long-suffering mother in the nighttime soap "Peyton Place" in the 1960s died on Jan. 20. She was 93. Above, she poses with her best supporting Oscar trophy for her role in "Written on the Wind," with fellow winner Anthony Quinn in 1957.

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Democratic Rep. Louise Slaughter, who was dean of New York's House delegation and the first woman to chair the powerful House Rules Committee, died of injuries from a fall at her home on March 16, 2018. She was 88. Read more.

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David Ogden Stiers as Maj. Charles Emerson Winchester in the CBS sitcom "M*A*S*H" which ran from 1972 to 1983. The actor's agent Mitchell Stubbs confirmed March 3, 2018, that Stiers, a prolific actor who also voiced characters for Disney films, died after battling bladder cancer. Read more.

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In this May 19, 1988, file photo, Harry Anderson poses after a press conference in New York. Anderson, an actor best knokwn for playing a judge on the TV comedy series "Night Court," was found dead in his home on April 16, 2018. Read more

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British author V.S. Naipaul poses at his home near Salisbury, England, Thursday Oct. 11, 2001, after it was announced that he has been awarded the 2001 Nobel Prize for Literature. Naipaul's family said on Aug. 11, 2018, that he died at his London home. Read more.

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Scott Wilson, an acting veteran of 50 years who was most known recently for his role as Hershel Greene on "The Walking Dead," died on Oct. 6 after a battle with cancer. He was 76. Read more.

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NPR newscaster Carl Kasell, best known for his work on "Morning Edition" and "Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me" in a career spanning decades, died on April 17, 2018, at 84. Read more.

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Roger Bannister, the first runner to break the 4-minute barrier in the mile, died March 3, 2018, in  Oxford, the English city where he cracked the feat many had thought humanly impossible on a windy afternoon in 1954. He was 88. Read more.

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Ursula K. Le Guin, the award-winning science fiction and fantasy writer who explored feminist themes and was best known for her Earthsea books, died on Jan. 22 at 88. Read more.

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Kofi Annan, the first black African to become United Nations secretary-general and who led the world body through one of its most turbulent periods, died on Aug. 18. He was 80. Read more.

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Fashion designer Kate Spade died of apparent suicide in her Park Avenue apartment in New York. Spade's husband and business partner said the 55-year-old business mogul had suffered from depression and anxiety for many years. She was 55. Read more.

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Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, seen here with her former husband Nelson Mandela on Feb. 11, 1990, died April 2, 2018, in Johannesburg. She was 81. Read more.

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Charles Krauthammer, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post conservative columnist, died June 21 at 68. Read more.

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Former first lady Barbara Bush, who was known for her plainspoken manner and dedication to improving family literacy, died April 17, 2018, at age 92. Read more

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In this Nov. 16, 2006, photo, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., speaks to the GOPAC Fall Charter Meeting in Washington, D.C. McCain died Aug. 25, 2018, following a battle with brain cancer. He was 81. Read more.

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In this Aug. 23, 2008 photo, President Thomas S. Monson attends the Cultural Celebration performed by the youth of the Twin falls Temple district in Twin Falls, Idaho. Monson, the 16th president of the Mormon church, died Jan. 2, 2018, after overseeing the religion for nearly a decade. He was 90. Read more.

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Sportscaster Keith Jackson, whose signature phrases like "Whoa, Nelly!" made him the down-home voice of college football during more than five decades as a sportscaster, died Friday, Jan. 12, 2018. He was 89. Read more.

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Margot Kidder, the actress best known for playing Lois Lane opposite Christopher Reeve in the original "Superman" films, died on May 13, 2018. She was 69. Read more.

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Nancy Wilson, an award-winning jazz singer who was a crossover recording star for five decades and also an actress, died Dec. 13 at her California home. She was 81. Read more.

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Former San Francisco police detective Dave Toschi, who worked on the Zodiac killer case, died on Jan. 6, 2018. He was 86. Read more.

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Doug Harvey, one of only 10 umpires in Baseball's Hall of Fame, who was so well-regarded by players and managers that they called him "God," died on Jan. 14. He was 87. Read more.

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Rick Hall attends The 56th Annual Grammy Awards - Special Merit Awards Ceremony in Los Angeles on Jan. 25, 2014. Hall, who recorded some of the biggest musical acts of the 1960s and '70s and helped develop the fabled "Muscle Shoals sound," died Jan. 2, 2018, following a fight with cancer. He was 85. Read more.

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Verne Troyer, an actor known for his role in the "Austin Powers" films, died on April 21, 2018. He was 49. Read more.

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Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul who won 18 Grammy Awards and had dozens of hits, most notably, "Respect," died on Aug. 16 from pancreatic cancer. She was 76. Read more.

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Dennis Edwards, second from left, a former lead singer of the Motown group The Temptations, died on Feb. 2, 2018, of complications from meningitis at Chicago hospital. He was 74. Pictured, the Temptations perform on the BBC TV show Top of the Pops in 1972. Read more.

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In this Aug. 16, 2010, photo, Mort Walker, the artist and author of the "Beetle Bailey" comic strip, stands in his studio in Stamford, Conn. Debuting in 1950, "Beetle Bailey" was distributed by King Features Syndicate and eventually reached 200 million readers in 1,800 newspapers in more than 50 countries. Walker died Jan. 27, 2018, at his home in Stamford. He was 94. Read more.

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Robin Leach, best known for hosting the hit TV series "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," died Aug. 24, 2018. He was 76. Read more.

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Singer and flautist Ray Thomas performing with British rock group The Moody Blues, 1981. Thomas, a founding member of The Moody Blues, which was due to be inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, died Jan. 4, 2018, at his home in Surrey, south of London, at age 76. Read more.

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Sondra Locke, a director and actress who was nominated for an Academy Award for her first film role in 1968's "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" and went on to co-star in six films with Clint Eastwood, died Nov. 3 of cardiac arrest at her home in Los Angeles. She was 74. Read more.

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French master chef Paul Bocuse, who turned his cooking skills into a globe-spanning empire, died on Jan. 20 at 91. Read more.

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In this Feb. 12, 2015 photo, Japanese animated film director Isao Takahata speaks during an interview at his office in suburban Tokyo. Takahata, co-founder of the prestigious Japanese animator Studio Ghibli, died April 5, 2018, of lung cancer. He was 82. Read more.

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Oscar Gamble, an outfielder who hit 200 home runs over 17 major league seasons, including two with the White Sox and one with the Cubs, and was famous for an Afro that spilled out of his cap, died Jan. 31 of a rare tumor of the jaw. He was 68. Read more.

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Crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger, who used murder, terror and corruption to build a sprawling criminal network, was beaten to death on Oct. 30 in a federal prison in West Virginia. He was 89. Read more.

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Chicago-born screenwriter William Goldman, who won Academy Awards for the convention-flouting Western "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1969) and the Watergate thriller "All the President's Men" (1976) and adapting his fantasy sendup novel "The Princess Bride" into a generational touchstone in 1987, died Nov. 16 at 87 at his home in Manhattan of complications from colon cancer and pneumonia. Read more

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Stephen Hawking, whose brilliant mind ranged across time and space though his body was paralyzed by disease, died on March 14. He was 76 years old. Hawking died peacefully at his home in Cambridge, England. Read his obituary

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Linda Brown, the Kansas girl at the center of the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down racial segregation in schools, died on March 25 at 76. Read more.

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Country star and host of cornpone TV show "Hee Haw," Roy Clark died Nov. 15, 2018 due to complications from pneumonia at home in Tulsa, Okla. He was 85. Read more

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Actor Douglas Rain, best known as the creepily calm voice of the computer HAL in Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey," died on Nov. 12 of natural causes. He was 90. Read more.

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Rusty Staub, the orange-haired outfielder who became a huge hit with baseball fans in two countries during an All-Star career that spanned 23 major league seasons with the Mets, Expos and other teams, died on March 29, 2018, at 73. Read more.