Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Sharman -- who won four NBA titles as a player, one as a head coach and five in his club's front office -- died October 25 in southern California, his former teams said. Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams died of natural causes on October 21. Adams, whose team started in Houston as the Houston Oilers, co-founded the American Football League, which eventually merged with the National Football League.Lou Scheimer, a pioneer in Saturday morning television cartoons with hit shows such as "Superman," "Fat Albert" and "He-Man," died October 17 at 84, according to his biographer.Richard Matheson, an American science-fiction writer best known for his novel "I Am Legend," died June 23 at age 87.
He lived abroad after being indicted in 1983 for tax evasion, false statements, racketeering and illegal trading with Iran, becoming one of the world's most famous white-collar criminals.Actress Karen Black, who was nominated for an Oscar for her role in the 1970 film "Five Easy Pieces," died on Thursday, August 8, her agent said, after a long and public battle with cancer. Jackie Gingrich, first wife of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and mother of his two daughters, died Wednesday, August 7, in Atlanta, according to the funeral home organizing her arrangements. Margaret Pellegrini, who played the flowerpot Munchkin and one of the sleepyhead kids in the classic film "The Wizard of Oz," died at her home in Phoenix on Wednesday, August 7 after suffering a stroke, according to Ted Bulthaup, spokesman for the Munchkins. Pellegrini was one of the last surviving Munchkins from the 1939 film.George Duke, seen here at the 2013 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in May, died in August at the age of 67.The legend was known for his phenomenal skills as a keyboardist, and his ability to bridge together jazz, rock, funk and R&B.Ossie Schectman, the former New York Knicks guard who scored the league's first basket, died Tuesday, July 30. NBA Commissioner David Stern called Schectman a pioneer, "Playing for the New York Knickerbockers in the 1946-47 season, Ossie scored the league's first basket, which placed him permanently in the annals of NBA history.