Those we left behind

By POLLY ANDERSON

It was only a rehearsal, and he was twice the age of the dancers accompanying him. But the video doesn’t lie: Michael Jackson was looking ahead to a smash opening in London — and giving it his all.

And then he was gone.

With his thrilling music and dance, enigmatic personality and worldwide reach, Jackson led the list of notables in the worlds of art, entertainment and popular culture who died in 2009.

Some, like Jackson, departed without warning. Some, like actor Patrick Swayze, waged a very public struggle with illness.

But others were still active in their 80s and 90s, including choreographer Merce Cunningham, painter Andrew Wyeth, broadcaster Paul Harvey and those two giants of broadcast journalism, Walter Cronkite and Don Hewitt.

We also said goodbye to writers John Updike, Horton Foote, John Hope Franklin, Marilyn French, Budd Schulberg, Larry Gelbart and Hortense Calisher.

TV fans mourned sidekick Ed McMahon, delightfully sharp-tongued Bea Arthur, “Kung Fu” star David Carradine; and the decorative Farrah Fawcett.

We also lost the scholar who helped make sense of all this when he coined the term “popular culture.”

Here, a roll call of some of the notable people in art, entertainment and popular culture who died in 2009.

JANUARY

X‚âJohannes Mario Simmel, 84. Austrian-born author; topped German-language best-seller lists. Jan. 1.

X‚âJett Travolta, 16. John Travolta’s son. Jan. 2. Seizure.

X‚âPat Hingle, 84. Tony-nominated stage actor; Commissioner Gordon in “Batman” movies. Jan. 3.

X‚âNed Tanen, 77. As Paramount and Universal chairman, he greenlighted a string of hits (“Top Gun,” “E.T”). Jan. 5.

X‚âRon Asheton, 60. Guitarist for the Stooges, whose raw sound helped inspire punk rock. Jan. 6.

X‚âCheryl Holdridge, 64. Mouseketeer on “The Mickey Mouse Club.” Jan. 6.

X‚âCoosje van Bruggen, 66. Artist; collaborated with husband Claes Oldenburg on his giant sculptures. Jan. 10.

X‚âPatrick McGoohan, 80. Emmy-winning actor; star of TV classic “The Prisoner.” Jan. 13.

X‚âHortense Calisher, 97. Fiction writer known for dense prose (“False Entry”). Jan. 13.

k‚âRicardo Montalban, 88. Actor in splashy MGM musicals; Mr. Roarke on “Fantasy Island.” Jan. 14.

X‚âAndrew Wyeth, 91. Acclaimed artist whose portraits and landscapes combined traditional realism, modern melancholy. Jan. 16.

X‚âDavid “Fathead” Newman, 75. Jazz saxophonist; played with wide range of luminaries. Jan. 20.

X‚âJames Brady, 80. Author, Parade magazine celebrity columnist. Jan. 26.

X‚âJohn Updike, 76. Pulitzer-winning novelist, essayist. Jan. 27.

X‚âHans Beck, 79. Created colorful Playmobil toy figures. Jan. 30.

FEBRUARY

X‚âLux Interior, 62. Lead singer of horror-punk band the Cramps. Feb. 4.

X‚âJames Whitmore, 87. Many-faceted actor; did one-man shows on Harry Truman, Will Rogers. Feb. 6.

X‚âMolly Bee, 69. Country singer (“Don’t Go Courtin’ in a Hot Rod Ford”). Feb. 7.

X‚âBlossom Dearie, 84. Jazz singer with unique baby-doll voice. Feb. 7.

X‚âRobert Anderson, 91. Broadway playwright (“Tea and Sympathy”). Feb. 9.

X‚âEstelle Bennett, 67. One of Ronnettes, ’60s girl group (“Be My Baby”). Feb. 11.

X‚âHugh Leonard, 82. Irish playwright; won Tony for father-son drama “Da.” Feb. 12.

X‚âLouie Bellson, 84. Jazz drummer; performed with Duke Ellington, wife was Pearl Bailey. Feb. 14.

X‚âAl-Tayeb Saleh, 80. One of Arab world’s top novelists. Feb. 18.

X‚âHoward Zieff, 81. Directed films (“Private Benjamin”), TV ads (Alka-Seltzer’s “Spicy Meatballs”) Feb. 22.

X‚âSverre Fehn, 84. Norwegian architect; won prestigious Pritzker award. Feb. 23.

X‚âPaul Harvey, 90. Radio news and talk pioneer; one of nation’s most familiar voices. Feb. 28.

MARCH

X‚âErnie Ashworth, 80. Grand Ole Opry singer (“Talk Back Trembling Lips”). March 2.

X‚âSydney Chaplin, 82. Tony-winning actor; son of Charlie Chaplin (“Bells Are Ringing”). March 3.

X‚âHorton Foote, 92. Playwright (“The Trip to Bountiful”) and screenwriter (“To Kill a Mockingbird”). March 4.

X‚âHank Locklin, 91. Smooth-voiced country singer (“Send Me the Pillow You Dream On”). March 8.

X‚âJames Purdy, 94. Author of underground classics (“Cabot Wright Begins”). March 13.

X‚âAnne Wiggins Brown, 96. Soprano; the original Bess in Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess.” March 13.

X‚âBetsy Blair, 85. Actress, Oscar-nominated for role as shy woman courted by homely Ernest Borgnine in “Marty.” March 13.

X‚âRon Silver, 62. Won Tony as tough Hollywood producer in David Mamet’s “Speed-the-Plow.” March 15.

X‚âNatasha Richardson, 45. Gifted heiress to British acting royalty (“Patty Hearst”). March 18. Skiing accident.

X‚âJade Goody, 27. British reality TV star, hailed in final months for her courage. March 22. Cancer.

X‚âUriel Jones, 74. Drummer whose passionate beat fueled Motown hits. March 24.

X‚âJohn Hope Franklin, 94. Towering scholar of African-American studies. March 25.

X‚âSteven Bach, 70. Movie executive who oversaw the debacle “Heaven’s Gate”; later wrote memoir about it. March 25.

X‚âIrving R. Levine, 86. Bow-tied NBC newsman who explained the fine points of economics. March 27.

X‚âHelen Levitt, 95. Photographer famed for scenes of New York street life. March 29.

X‚âMaurice Jarre, 84. Oscar-winning film composer (“Lawrence of Arabia,” “Doctor Zhivago”). March 28.

APRIL

X‚âTom Braden, 92. Helped launch CNN’s “Crossfire”; wrote memoir “Eight is Enough” that inspired a TV show. April 3.

X‚âDave Arneson, 61. Co-creator of groundbreaking Dungeons & Dragons fantasy game. April 7.

X‚âDavid “Pop” Winans Sr., 76. Grammy-nominated patriarch of gospel music family. April 8.

X‚âMarilyn Chambers, 56. She helped bring adult films into mainstream with “Behind the Green Door.” April 12. Heart disease.

X‚âPeter Rogers, 95. Produced British “Carry On” films, hallmarks of lowbrow comedy. April 14.

X‚âJ.G. Ballard, 78. British author known for dark vision (“Empire of the Sun”). April 19.

X‚âJack Cardiff, 94. Oscar-winning cinematographer famed for innovative use of Technicolor (“The Red Shoes”). April 22.

X‚âKen Annakin, 94. Directed World War II epics “Battle of the Bulge,” “The Longest Day.” April 22.

X‚âThe Rev. Timothy Wright, 61. Grammy-nominated gospel singer and composer (“Jesus, Jesus, Jesus”). April 23.

h‚âBea Arthur, 86. Her sharp delivery propelled “Maude,” “The Golden Girls”; won Tony for “Mame.” April 25.

X‚âVern Gosdin, 74. Country singer (“Chiseled in Stone”). April 28.

MAY

X‚âMarilyn French, 79. Feminist writer; her 1977 novel “The Women’s Room” sold millions. May 2.

X‚âDom DeLuise, 75. Portly actor with offbeat style (“The Cannonball Run”). May 4.

X‚âMickey Carroll, 89. One of last surviving Munchkins from “The Wizard of Oz.” May 7.

X‚âWayman Tisdale, 44. Accomplished jazzman; earlier, a college, NBA basketball star. May 15. Cancer.

X‚âDavid Herbert Donald, 88. Pulitzer-winning Civil War historian; expert on Lincoln. May 17.

X‚âMario Benedetti, 88. Renowned Uruguayan author (“The Truce”). May 17.

X‚âAmos Elon, 82. Israeli author (“The Israelis: Founders and Sons”). May 25.

JUNE

X‚âKoko Taylor, 80. Regal, powerful singer known as “Queen of the Blues.” June 3.

X‚âShih Kien, 96. Veteran Hong Kong actor; Bruce Lee’s archrival in 1973’s “Enter the Dragon.” June 3.

X‚âDavid Carradine, 72. Actor (“Kung Fu,” “Kill Bill”). June 4.

X‚âBob Bogle, 75. Guitarist, co-founded instrumental band The Ventures (“Walk, Don’t Run”). June 14.

X‚âEd McMahon, 86. Ebullient “Tonight” show sidekick who bolstered Johnny Carson. June 23.

X‚âFarrah Fawcett, 62. 1970s sex symbol, star of “Charlie’s Angels.” June 25.

X‚âMichael Jackson, 50. The “King of Pop.” June 25.

X‚âGale Storm, 87. Perky actress; one of early television’s biggest stars (“My Little Margie”). June 27.

X‚âBilly Mays, 50. Burly, bearded television pitchman. June 28. Heart disease.

X‚âHarve Presnell, 75. His booming baritone graced Broadway musicals (“The Unsinkable Molly Brown”). June 30.

JULY

X‚âKarl Malden, 97. Oscar-winning actor; a star despite his plain looks (“A Streetcar Named Desire”). July 1.

X‚âAllen Klein, 77. No-holds-barred music manager; worked with The Beatles, Rolling Stones. July 4.

X‚âSir Edward Downes, 85. One of Britain’s most renowned conductors; longtime head of the BBC Philharmonic. July 10.

X‚âWalter Cronkite, 92. Premier TV anchorman of the networks’ golden age. July 17.

X‚âGordon Waller, 64. Half of the British Invasion pop duo Peter and Gordon (“A World Without Love”). July 17.

X‚âFrank McCourt, 78. Former schoolteacher who enjoyed post-retirement fame, and a Pulitzer, for memoir “Angela’s Ashes.” July 19.

X‚âE. Lynn Harris, 54. Best-selling author who pioneered gay black fiction (“Love of My Own”). July 23. Heart disease.

X‚âMerce Cunningham, 90. The avant-garde dancer and choreographer who revolutionized modern dance. July 26.

AUGUST

X‚âNaomi Sims, 61. Pioneering black model of the 1960s. Aug. 1.

X‚âBudd Schulberg, 95. Novelist (“What Makes Sammy Run?”) and Oscar-winning screenwriter (“On the Waterfront”). Aug. 5.

X‚âJohn Hughes, 59. Writer-director of smash youth-oriented comedies (“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “Home Alone”). Aug. 6. Heart attack.

X‚âWilly DeVille, 58. Singer, songwriter; founded punk group Mink DeVille. Aug. 6. Pancreatic cancer.

X‚âJohn Quade, 71. Character actor; the heavy in several Clint Eastwood movies. Aug. 9.

X‚âAndy Kessler, 48. Trailblazer of NYC’s skateboarding scene; designed skate parks. Aug. 10. Heart attack after wasp sting.

k‚âLes Paul, 94. Guitar virtuoso; invented solid-body electric guitar, multitrack recording. Aug. 13.

X‚âVirginia Davis, 90. As child actress, appeared in Walt Disney’s “Alice” films in 1920s. Aug. 15.

X‚âHildegard Behrens, 72. German-born soprano hailed as one of the finest Wagnerian performers of her generation. Aug. 18.

X‚âDon Hewitt, 86. TV news pioneer who created “60 Minutes,” produced it for 36 years. Aug. 19.

X‚âElmer Kelton, 83. Acclaimed Western novelist (“The Good Old Boys”). Aug. 22.

X‚âEllie Greenwich, 68. Co-wrote some of 1960s’ most enduring songs (“Be My Baby”). Aug. 26.

X‚âDominick Dunne, 83. Best-selling author who told stories of shocking crimes among the rich and famous. Aug. 26.

X‚âAdam “DJ AM” Goldstein, 36. Celebrity disc jockey; also a reality TV figure who attempted to help fellow drug addicts. Aug. 28. Overdose.

X‚âMarie Knight, 84. Gospel music legend (“Beams of Heaven”). Aug. 30.

SEPTEMBER

X‚âErich Kunzel, 74. Conductor, longtime head of Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. Sept. 1.

X‚âKeith Waterhouse, 80. British playwright, novelist (“Billy Liar”). Sept. 4.

X‚âArmy Archerd, 87. His breezy Daily Variety column kept tabs on Hollywood doings for more than a half-century. Sept. 8.

X‚âFrank Batten Sr., 82. He built media giant Landmark Communications, created The Weather Channel. Sept. 10.

X‚âJim Carroll, 60. Poet, punk rocker; wrote “The Basketball Diaries.” Sept. 11. Heart attack.

X‚âLarry Gelbart, 81. Slyly witty writer for stage and screen (“Tootsie,” “M*A*S*H”). Sept. 11.

X‚âPierre Cossette, 85. Record label founder; turned Grammy Awards into a popular televised ceremony. Sept. 11.

X‚âZakes Mokae, 75. Tony-winning South African actor (Athol Fugard’s “Master Harold ... and the Boys”). Sept. 11.

X‚âPaul Burke, 83. Two-time Emmy nominee for his role as Detective Adam Flint in the gritty crime drama “Naked City.” Sept. 13.

X‚âPatrick Swayze, 57. Dancer turned movie superstar for “Dirty Dancing,” “Ghost.” Sept. 14. Pancreatic cancer.

X‚âHenry Gibson, 73. Comic character actor; recited offbeat poetry on “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.” Sept. 14.

X‚âTrevor Rhone, 69. Jamaican playwright; co-wrote the reggae film “The Harder They Come.” Sept. 15.

X‚âMary Travers, 72. One-third of the hugely popular 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary (“If I Had a Hammer”). Sept. 16.

X‚âArt Ferrante, 88. Half of the piano duo Ferrante and Teicher (“Exodus”). Sept. 19.

X‚âAlicia de Larrocha, 86. Spanish pianist who thrilled music listeners for decades. Sept. 25.

X‚âWilliam Safire, 79. Pulitzer-winning New York Times columnist and word warrior. Sept. 27.

OCTOBER:

X‚âMercedes Sosa, 74. Argentine folksinger; the “Voice of Latin America” who inspired pro-democracy activists. Oct. 4.

X‚âBen Ali, 82. Founded Ben’s Chili Bowl diner, a Washington landmark. Oct. 7.

X‚âIrving Penn, 92. Photographer famed for stark simplicity in portraits, fashion shots. Oct. 7.

X‚âAl Martino, 82. Singer (“Spanish Eyes”); played the Frank Sinatra-type role in “The Godfather.” Oct. 13.

X‚âDaniel Melnick, 77. Producer of acclaimed films “Straw Dogs,” “Network.” Oct. 13.

X‚âVic Mizzy, 93. Songwriter; did catchy sitcom themes (“The Addams Family”). Oct. 17.

X‚âSoupy Sales, 83. Rubber-faced comedian whose anything-for-a-chuckle career was built on thousands of pies to the face. Oct. 22.

X‚âRay Browne, 87. Bowling Green State professor credited with coining the phrase “popular culture.” Oct. 22.

X‚âMichelle Triola Marvin, 76. She fought a landmark “palimony” case in the 1970s against former lover Lee Marvin. Oct. 30.

NOVEMBER

X‚âFrancisco Ayala, 103. Spanish novelist, sociologist; went into exile during the country’s Franco dictatorship. Nov. 3.

X‚âSheldon Dorf, 76. Founded Comic-Con International comic book convention that draws more than 100,000. Nov. 3.

X‚âJeanne-Claude, 74. With her husband, Christo, she created large-scale, highly publicized art projects. Nov. 18.

X‚âElisabeth Soderstrom, 82. Swedish soprano who performed on world stages. Nov. 20.

X‚âAl Alberts, 87. Member of singing Four Aces (“Love is a Many Splendored Thing”). Nov. 27.

DECEMBER

X‚âAaron Schroeder, 84. Songwriter (Elvis Presley’s “It’s Now or Never”). Dec. 1.

X‚âRichard Todd, 90. Acclaimed British actor (“The Longest Day”). Dec. 3.

X‚âVyacheslav Tikhonov, 81. Popular Russian actor; starred in Oscar-winning Soviet production of “War and Peace.” Dec. 4.

X‚âLiam Clancy, 74. Last of Clancy Brothers Irish folksong troupe whose songs struck sentimental chord worldwide. Dec. 4.

X‚âGene Barry, 90. He was TV’s well-dressed man of action in “Bat Masterson,” “Burke’s Law” and “The Name of the Game.” Dec. 9.

X‚âThomas Hoving, 78. Former director of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art who championed the “blockbuster” exhibit. Dec. 10.

X‚âRoy E. Disney, 79. Nephew of Walt Disney; exerted strong behind-the-scenes influence on The Walt Disney Co. Dec. 16.

X‚âJennifer Jones, 90. Oscar-winning actress (“The Song of Bernadette”). Dec. 17.

X‚âConnie Hines, 79. Played Wilbur’s wife on the popular 1960s television show “Mister Ed.” Dec. 18.

X‚âBrittany Murphy, 32. Actress (“Clueless”), voice of Luanne Platter on “King of the Hill.” Dec. 20. Apparently natural causes.

X‚âArnold Stang, 91. Actor known for nerdy looks and distinctive nasal voice who worked with Milton Berle and Frank Sinatra. Dec. 20.

X‚âJames Gurley, 69. Lead guitarist for Big Brother and the Holding Company (Janis Joplin’s band). Dec. 20.

X‚âTim Hart, 61. Founding member of the British folk-rock group Steeleye Span. Dec. 24.

X‚âVic Chesnutt, 45. Folk rocker who had been paralyzed since a 1983 car accident. Dec. 25.

X‚âPercy Sutton, 89. Civil rights pioneer who represented Malcom X, political power broker and media mogul. Dec. 26.

X‚âJames Owen Sullivan, 28. Drummer for rock band Avenged Sevenfold. Dec. 28.

X‚âDavid Levine, 83. Artist whose witty caricatures illustrated The New York Review of Books for more than 40 years. Dec. 29.