Miguel Ferrer, actor, dies
Veteran character actor Miguel Ferrer, a steady presence on TV and the big screen for over 30 years, dies of cancer at the age of 61. Fondly remembered for his villain role in the original Robocop, a recurring role on Twin Peaks, and a brief cameo as the first officer of the hapless U.S.S. Excelsior in Star Trek III: The Search For Spock, Ferrer was co-starring in the popular series NCIS: Los Angeles at the time of his death.
Gene Cernan, Apollo 17 astronaut, dies
Apollo 17 Commander Eugene Cernan, the last human to leave the surface of the moon in the 20th century, dies at the age of 82. One of the members of NASA’s second astronaut class, recruited in 1963 to take part in the Gemini program, Cernan first flew into space aboard Gemini 9 in 1966, a mission in which he became the second American spacewalker, though his assigned tasks outside the Gemini spacecraft proved to be dangerously exhausting. His second flight, as the lunar module pilot for Apollo 10, saw him flying a lunar lander to within miles of the moon’s surface in May 1969, a dress rehearsal for the upcoming Apollo 11 mission. He commanded the final Apollo moon landing mission, Apollo 17, in December 1972, where he earned the title of “last man on the moon” by being the last astronaut to leave the lunar surface to re-enter the Apollo 17 lander. He later wrote an autobiography about his spaceflight experiences, and was frequently outspoken about his disappointment that no one walked on the moon again in his lifetime.
Carrie Fisher, actress, dies
Actress and author Carrie Fisher, universally known as Princess Leia from the original Star Wars trilogy, dies four days after suffering from a massive heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles. Alongside a storied career that included movies such as The Blues Brothers, When Harry Met Sally, and a revival of Leia in 2015’s The Force Awakens, Fisher embarked on a writing career that included the semi-autobiographical novel Postcards From The Edge (later adapted into a movie in its own right), which fictionalized elements of her Hollywood upbringing, and autobiographies that exposed her lifelong battles with mental illness. She died at the age of 60.
Vera Rubin, astronomer, dies
Pioneering astronomer Vera Rubin, whose research led to the discovery of dark matter, dies at the age of 88. In the 1960s and ’70s, Rubin found that the rate of galaxies’ rotation could not be accounted for unless galaxies contained, on average, ten times more mass than could be distributed among the visible stars in that galaxy. This research led her to propose the theory of dark matter in the 1970s, though she tried for many years to find – or at least rule out – any other possible explanations to the galaxy rotation problem.
Michu Meszaros, actor, dies
33-inch-tall actor Mihaly “Michu” Meszaros, who donned the furry suit of the title character in the late ’80s sci-fi spoof Alf, dies at the age of 76. In any instances where the character was shown from head to toe, Meszaros wore a full-body suit, though in many cases the character was a puppet shown only from the chest up, operated and voiced by show (and character) creator Paul Fusco. To maintain the illusion, Meszaros was credited as a “personal assitant” to Alf for his appearances. A circus performer since the early 1970s, Meszaros also appeared in Big Top Pee-Wee, Waxwork, Warlock: The Armageddon, and the TV series Dear John.
Piers Sellers, astronaut, dies
British-born shuttle astronaut Piers Sellers dies of pancreatic cancer at the age of 61. A veteran of over 559 hours in space as a crew member of shuttle missions STS-112, STS-121 and STS-132, Sellers was trained as a meteorologist and did much of his research on climate change, eventually becoming NASA’s acting director of Earth sciences after retiring from flight duty.
John Glenn, the last Mercury astronaut, dies
The last living member of the original Mercury astronaut group, former Senator John Glenn, dies at the age of 95. Born in 1921, Glenn was a decorated combat pilot who flew during World War II and the Korean War, before turning his piloting skills to testing experimental aircraft. This brought him to NASA’s attention, and he made the first orbital flight by an American astronaut in 1962. Upon returning from that historic flight, he was removed from NASA’s flight rotation by the request of President Kennedy, who didn’t want to risk the life of a national hero. Glenn then turned to the equally high-stakes world of politics, first running for Congress in 1964, but not winning a Senate seat until 1974. Glenn remained in Congress through 1998, at which point he finally returned to orbit aboard the space shuttle Discovery, the oldest space traveler to have done so.
Ron Glass, actor, dies
Actor Ron Glass, known for being a cast member of the 1970s/80s sitcom Barney Miller and for his stint on the short-lived but much-loved science fiction series Firefly, dies at the age of 71. He had reprised the role of Book in the Firefly sequel film Serenity, as well as in the multiplayer computer game Firefly Online, in addition to continuing to make guest appearances on such TV series as CSI, Agents Of SHIELD, and Major Crimes.
Ron Thornton, visual effects artist, dies
Influential British-born visual effects artist Ron Thornton, one of the pioneer proponents of computer generated animation for television whose work stretches from classic BBC sci-fi through Babylon 5 and the Star Trek franchise, dies after a lengthy illness.
Gene Wilder, actor, dies
Actor and writer Gene Wilder, whose uncanny comic timing made him the star of numerous Mel Brooks comedies as well as the unnerving lead in 1971’s movie adaptation Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory, dies at the age of 83 from complications related to Alzheimer’s Disease. He was a regular part of Brooks’ all-star ensemble, starring in such movies as The Producers, Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, and co-starred in numerous comedies with Saddles co-star Richard Pryor, including Stir Crazy, Bustin’ Loose, Silver Streak, and See No Evil, Hear No Evil.
Kenny Baker, actor, dies
British actor Kenny Baker, whose long career as a circus performer and comedian took a sharp right turn when he first stepped into the “costume” of R2-D2 in 1977’s Star Wars, dies at the age of 81 due to complications from a respiratory ailment he had suffered for several years. Even though the continuing march of technology meant that Artoo was increasingly played on screen by real remote-control robots, Baker did at least some work inside the droid costume in all seven Star Wars movies that had been released at the time of his death, one of a very few performers to span all three trilogies. He had also appeared in Time Bandits, Flash Gordon, and The Elephant Man, among other TV and film appearances.
Barry Jenner, actor, dies
Actor Barry Jenner, a fixture on American TV since the 1970s, dies at the age of 75. Among the many series in which he played recurring roles (among them Dallas, Knots Landing and Family Matters), genre fans remember him best for the role of Admiral Ross, to whom Captain Sisko reported in the final two seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He also appeared in such genre series as V and Starman.
Jerry Doyle, Babylon 5 actor, dies
Actor and radio talk show host Jerry Doyle, who played Security Chief Michael Garibaldi for the entire run of the 1990s science fiction series Babylon 5 (the only human character to survive the considerable number of cast changes from 1992 through 1999), is found dead in his Las Vegas home at the age of 60. After his final appearance as Garibaldi in the Babylon 5 TV movie A Call To Arms, Doyle joined B5 co-star Peter Jurasik in a recurring role in the final seasons of the Sci-Fi-Network-revived Sliders before a run for Congress on a Republican ticket, and becoming a conservative radio talk show host.
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Anton Yelchin, actor, dies
Actor Anton Yelchin, perhaps best known to genre fans for taking over the role of Ensign Pavel Chekov in the series of Star Trek reboot movies since 2009, dies in a freak car accident at the age of 27. Yelchin was already considered a rising talent because of his performances in Charlie Bartlett, Like Crazy, Hearts In Atlantis, Terminator: Salvation, and a remake of Fright Night (in which he starred opposite David Tennant of Doctor Who fame). His final movie as Chekov, Star Trek Beyond, is due to be released in July 2016.
Janet Waldo, actress, dies
Actress Janet Waldo, the voice of Judy Jetson in the 1960s cartoon The Jetsons (as well as its 1980s revival) and the voice of Princess in Battle Of The Planets, dies at the age of 96. Her acting career began in the 1930s, and she was the star of the radio series Meet Corliss Archer in the 1940s and ’50s. She was also the voice of Penelope Pitstop, and Josie of Josie And The Pussycats fames, continuing to voice animated characters, appearing in person occasionally (on such shows as I Love Lucy and The Andy Griffith Show), and guest starred in episodes of the late 1970s radio series Alien Worlds. She worked regularly until 2012.
Isao Tomita, synthesizer pioneer, dies
Japanese synthesizer pioneer Isao Tomita dies of heart failure at the age of 84. A classically trained composer, Tomita had composed music for such early anime series as Kimba The White Lion, and such live action series as Mighty Jack, prior to importing (at no small expense) a Moog III synthesizer. He experimented with all-synth interpretations of classical music with albums like Snowflakes Are Dancing and The Planets, which quickly became his primary career track as these albums became successful worldwide. He eventually resumed his film/TV scoring career in the 1990s, contributing music to The Twilight Samurai and Welcome Home, Hayabusa. He was working on a new stage musical at the time of his death.
Gareth Thomas, Blake’s 7 actor, dies
Welsh-born actor Gareth Thomas, who starred as Roj Blake in the BBC’s influential space opera Blake’s 7 in the late 1970s, dies at the age of 71. A classical stage actor who starred in a series of cult genre series in the 1970s and 80s, including Star Maidens, Children Of The Stones, and Knights Of God, Thomas had more recently revived Blake for Big Finish’s audio revival of the series, as well as appearing in an episode of Torchwood.
Tony Dyson, Star Wars droid builder, dies
The designer and builder of the original R2-D2 props/costumes for Star Wars, roboticist and former toy designer Professor Tony Dyson, is found dead in Malta. Using Ralph McQuarrie’s artwork as his guide, Dyson built eight full-size R2 units for the 1977 film, some of them remote-controlled marvels of electronics, and others hollow shells to be operated by actor Kenny Baker. Dyson’s other film credits included Superman II and the James Bond film Moonraker. He provided other specialized droids for the original trilogy, and later formed a droid builders’ club in the UK, though he was legally forbidden by Lucasfilm to use his original 1976 design specifications. Some of his proteges went on to build R2 units for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Mr. Dyson was 68.
Gary Hutzel, Star Trek effects supervisor, dies
Former Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica visual effects supervisor Gary Hutzel dies. His duties as a visual effects coordinator on Star Trek: The Next Generation led to a supervisory role on both that series and its spinoff, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Hutzel’s work continued in the 21st century re-imagining of Battlestar Galactica and its own spinoff series, Caprica. His other credits include the movie Spy Kids and the Syfy series Defiance. Mr. Hutzel was 60.
Ed Mitchell, Apollo 14 astronaut, dies
On the eve of the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 14 moon landing, astronaut Edgar “Ed” Mitchell dies at the age of 85. The sixth human being to set foot on the moon, Mitchell accompanied Alan Shepard to the lunar surface aboard the Apollo 14 lander. Following his visit to the moon, Mitchell had become interested in researching human consciousness and extra-sensory perception, but later surrounded himself with controversy by claiming that he was certain that UFOs had visited Earth.
George Clayton Johnson, writer, dies
Writer George Clayton Johnson, who co-wrote the 1967 novel Logan’s Run with William F. Nolan and wrote episodes of both The Twilight Zone and Star Trek, dies at the age of 86. As part of the legendary “Green Hand” collective of golden-age SF writers, Johnson penned his stories in the company of such fellow southern California writers as Ray Bradbury, Harlan Ellison, Richard Matheson, Jerry Sohl, Robert Bloch, and Rod Serling (who paid Johnson for his first produced television work). For The Twilight Zone, Johnson wrote such memorable stories as The Four Of Us Are Dying, A Penny For Your Thoughts and Kick The Can, and for Star Trek he wrote a monster story called The Man Trap, which became that series’ first aired episode. Logan’s Run was adapted into a glitzy big-screen romp – arguably the last major theatrical SF event before the age of Star Wars – in 1976.
Satoru Iwata, Nintendo CEO, dies
Nintendo of Japan CEO Satoru Iwata dies as a result of complications from gall bladder surgery. As the head of game developer HAL Laboratories, Iwata oversaw games in the Kirby, Super Smash Bros. and Pokemon series, until he replaced outgoing Nintendo CEO Hiroshi Yamauchi in 2002. His tenure saw the introduction of the Nintendo DS handheld, the Wii console, and the wildly popular Amiibo figurines, as well as unprecedented interaction with fans and customers on the internet.
Dr. Claudia Alexander, Galileo project manager, dies
Dr. Claudia Alexander dies at the age of 56, while still serving as the chief scientist of a suite of U.S.-provided instruments aboard ESA’s history-making Rosetta mission. Renowned as one of JPL’s finest research scientists, she was a member of the Galileo plasma instrument science team before becoming, by the mission’s end in 2003, the project manager of that mission to Jupiter.
James Horner, film composer, dies
A renowned film music composer whose early sci-fi works put him on the map, James Horner dies at the age of 61 in the crash of his private plane. After his early genre efforts for sci-fi and horror films produced by Roger Corman, Horner took on the daunting task of succeeding Jerry Goldsmith as the composer of the Star Trek film franchise at the age of 28 with Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan (in which he also had a very brief on-screen cameo). Other major films followed: Krull, Aliens, Cocoon, Star Trek III, The Land Before Time, The Rocketeer, Apollo 13, Braveheart, Titanic, and Avatar, among many others. Mr. Horner was 61 at the time of his death.
Grace Lee Whitney, Star Trek actress, dies
Actress Grace Lee Whitney, a familiar face of ’60s TV who had a recurring role in the first season of Star Trek as Yeoman Janice Rand, dies at the age of 85. Compared to most of her castmates, her brief tenure aboard the Enterprise was tumultuous, ending just eight episodes into her stint as an intended semi-regular character. Her dismissal from the show led to a career downturn and battles with alcohol addiction, from which she recovered, reprising the role of Rand in cameo scenes in several of the Star Trek films, an episode of Voyager, and the Hugo-nominated fan-made episode World Enough And Time in 2007.
Leonard Nimoy, actor and director, dies
Actor Leonard Nimoy, known for nearly half a century as the face and voice of Star Trek‘s Mr. Spock, dies at the age of 83, several days after news reports that he has been rushed to a hospital with severe chest pains. A busy actor and director on stage and screen for most of his career, Nimoy became forever associated with Star Trek, and in turn became the “face” of the unlikely hit show (despite the fact that he wasn’t the show’s nominal star). Nimoy was the only cast member to carry over from the 1964 pilot, The Cage, into the rest of Star Trek in the same role. He directed several movies, including the hit comedy Three Men And A Baby, Star Trek III and Star Trek IV, but turned down an invitation to direct Star Trek: Generations in 1994. At one point, he was attached as director to a 1990s TV movie revival of Doctor Who, though he had to pass on that project as well. Mr. Nimoy had revealed, months before his death, that he was suffering from COPD.
Barrie Ingham, actor, dies
Actor Barrie Ingham, one of the few actors to have played speaking parts in both the Doctor Who and Star Trek franchises, dies at the age of 82. Having appeared alongside William Hartnell in the 1965 Doctor Who story The Myth Makers, Mr. Ingham went on to play a more visible role as Alydon with Peter Cushing in the movie Dr. Who And The Daleks. He also appeared in the 1989 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Up The Long Ladder as the leader of a throwback space colony.
Star Trek director Joseph Sargent dies
Four-time Emmy winning film and TV director Joseph Sargent, who directed the influential Star Trek episode The Corbomite Maneuver (the first to be filmed after NBC picked up the series), dies at the age of 89. Having worked until he was 84, Sargant also directed episodes of Kojak, The Man From UNCLE, and the Fugitive, and movies and TV movies such as The Taking of Pelham One Two Three and the 1991 Leonard Nimoy drama Never Forget.
Glen A. Larson, Battlestar Galactica creator, dies
A television producer with an improbably long list of mega-hit series, including the science fiction shows Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers In The 25th Century, The Six Million Dollar Man, Automan, and Knight Rider, Glen A. Larson dies of cancer at the age of 77. Larson’s long string of non-genre hits includes such series as Magnum P.I., Manimal, Quincy M.E., The Fall Guy, Alias Smith And Jones, and many others.
Maggie Stables, Doctor Who actress, dies
Doctor Who audio actress Maggie Stables, who originated the role of the first TARDIS traveler unique to the audio medium, dies after a lengthy illness. First appearing in a guest role in Big Finish Productions’ inaugural Doctor Who story, The Sirens Of Time, in 1999, Stables was quickly cast as Dr. Evelyn Smythe, a new companion for the sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) who defied the series’ convention of casting young actresses in such roles. Ms. Stables reprised the role intermittently, making her final appearance in a trilogy of stories released by Big Finish early in 2011; the character appeared in animated form in a 2002 webcast, but never appeared on television.