The following deaths of notable individuals related to American television occurred in 2015.
January Date Name Age Notability SourceJanuary 1Donna Douglas82Actress, singer, and children's book author, best known as Elly May Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies (other credits include playing the key character in The Twilight Zone episode "Eye of the Beholder", Love, American Style, Hee Haw and The Nanny)Donna Douglas, aka Elly May Clampett, passes away at age 81 WSMV, January 2, 2015January 2Robert MagruderAmerican actor and television/radio voiceover personality, known for his narration of the filmed investigations on Cheaters"Robert Olin Magruder" from Dallas Morning News (January 2, 2015)January 4Stuart Scott49ESPN personality (anchor of SportsCenter, studio host for NFL and NBA coverage on both ESPN and ABC)January 8Patsy Garrett93American actressRod Taylor84Australian-born American actor (Credits include Hong Kong, Bearcats!, and The Oregon Trail)January 9Bud Paxson80American radio and television owner and executive (founder of WNYP-TV/Jamestown, New York, Home Shopping Network, Paxson Communications and PAX TV)"Lowell 'Bud' Paxson, HSN Co-Founder, Dies at 80" from The Hollywood Reporter (January 11, 2015)January 10George Dickerson81 American actor Taylor Negron57American actor, comedian, playwright, poet, and painter (Credits includes regular roles in So Little Time and Smart Guy; guest roles in Seinfeld, Friends, and Curb Your Enthusiasm)"Taylor Negron, Comic and 'Ridgemont High' Actor, Dies at 57" from The Hollywood Reporter (January 11, 2015) January 12Darrell Winfield85Model and rancher known as the Marlboro Man in the 1960–1980s.Darrell Winfield, long-serving Marlboro Man, dies in Wyoming at 85. Associated Press. January 14, 2015.January 13 H. Wesley Kenney89American producer and director, was executive producer for Days of Our Lives (1977–1979, also directed from 1968 to 1979); The Young and the Restless (1982–1987); General Hospital (1987–1989, was also head writer briefly during the 1988 WGA strike); and directed episodes of All in the Family. H. Wesley Kenney, Director on 'All in the Family' When Carroll O’Connor Went on Strike, Dies at 89 The Hollywood Reporter, December 14, 2015January 15 Sid Smith93American director and producer (All Star Revue, The Colgate Comedy Hour, The Jimmy Durante Show, The Ray Anthony Show and The Bell Telephone Hour) and several Bob Hope specialsJanuary 17Don Harron90Canadian actor, writer, and radio personality (best known for appearances as Charlie Farquharson on Hee Haw)Obituary for Don Harron from the Globe and Mail, January 17, 2015Greg Plitt37American fitness model and actor (starred in the Bravo series Work Out)Reality TV Star Struck, Killed By Metrolink Train In Burbank KCBS-TV, January 17, 2015January 18Tony Verna81Producer/director (notably with CBS Sports and live events including Live Aid) and inventor of instant replayObituary for Tony Verna from AP/TVNewsCheck, January 19, 2015January 19Walter Peregoy89American animator January 20Bette Rogge92Talk show hostJanuary 22Peggy Charren86Children's television advocate and co-founder of Action for Children's TelevisionObituary for Peggy Charren from The Boston Globe, January 22, 2015January 23Barrie Ingham82English actor January 24Joe Franklin88Host of The Joe Franklin Show, the longest continuously running talk show in television history, from 1950 to 1993January 26Stephen R. Johnson62American director, animator and writer, directed episodes of Pee-Wee's PlayhouseJanuary 28 Tommie Manderson102English make-up artist January 30Than Wyenn95American actor (Zorro, The Twilight Zone, Wanted: Dead or Alive, It Takes a Thief, Barnaby Jones, The Six Million Dollar Man and Quincy M.E.)January 31Robert Blees96American writer and producer (Bus Stop, Combat!, Kraft Suspense Theatre, Bonanza and Project U.F.O.)
February Date Name Age Notability SourceFebruary 1 Edward De Blasio 88 American producer and writer known for Police Woman, Dynasty and In the Heat of the Night.Monty Oum33American animator and writer (RWBY)February 3Mary Healy96 American actress, known for Peter Loves MaryFebruary 7 Joe Voci51American producer (High Society, Cupid, Mercy Point, Young Americans, Rude Awakening and Good Girls Don't)February 11Lou Shaw89American writer and producer (The Rebel, Have Gun – Will Travel, McCloud, Beyond Westworld, Quincy M.E., The Fall Guy and Half Nelson)Bob Simon73Correspondent for CBS News (most notably for 60 Minutes)February 12Gary Owens80American disc jockey and voice actor, was the announcer for Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, other credits include Roger Ramjet, Space Ghost, Dynomutt, Dog Wonder, Garfield and Friends, Square One TV, and SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron, also wrote for Jay Ward Productions and served as vice president of Gannett CompanyFebruary 13Stan Chambers91 American reporter, worked at KTLA from 1947 to 2010.Stan Chambers dies at 91; newsman had six-decade career at KTLA Los Angeles Times, February 13, 2015February 16Lesley Gore68American singer/songwriter, actress, and LGBT activist (TV credits including Batman, In the Life, Murphy Brown, Hollywood Squares, All My Children (sister show to One Life to Live) and Days of Our Lives)February 19Harris Wittels30American comedian, actor, writer, producer and musician. Writer for The Sarah Silverman Program, writer and executive producer for Parks and Recreation."Harris Wittels of 'Parks and Recreation' dead at 30" The Washington Post, February 20, 2015February 20Patricia Norris83American costume designer (Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, Helter Skelter, Sybil and The Waltons)February 21Paul Napier84American actor (Felony Squad, The Mothers-In-Law, Knots Landing)February 23Ben Woolf34American actor, best known for playing Meep in American Horror Story: Freak Show"American Horror Story's Ben Woolf Dies From Injuries Sustained After Getting Struck by Car Mirror" TV Guide, February 23, 2015February 24Maurice Hurley 75American producer and writer (The Equalizer, Miami Vice, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, Pointman and Baywatch)Mirjana Puhar19American model and reality television participant (America's Next Top Model)"America's Next Top Model Contestant Killed in Triple Homicide" TV Guide, February 25, 2015February 25Harve Bennett84American producer and writer (The Mod Squad, The Invisible Man, Rich Man, Poor Man, Gemini Man, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, Salvage 1, Time Trax and Invasion America)‘Star Trek’ Producer Harve Bennett Dies Veriety, March 5, 2015February 27Richard Bakalyan84American actor (The Untouchables, Batman, Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color, Vega$ and Charlie's Angels)Leonard Nimoy83Television, film and stage actor, best known as Spock on the original Star Trek TV series and its film adaptations; other roles include the lead in the TV movie Baffled!, Morris Meyerson in A Woman Called Golda, Paris in Mission: Impossible, host of In Search of... and Standby...Lights! Camera! Action!, among numerous other rolesLeonard Nimoy, Actor, Director, and 'Star Trek' Icon, Dies at 83 Yahoo! News, February 27, 2015
March Date Name Age Notability SourceMarch 1Daniel von Bargen64Actor, best known for recurring roles in Seinfeld, Malcolm in the Middle, Guiding Light and All My ChildrenDaniel von Bargen Dead: Seinfeld Actor Dies at 64 Us Magazine, March 4, 2015March 2Jenna McMahon89Actress (The Funny Side, Love, American Style) and writer (The Carol Burnett Show, The Facts of Life, Mama's Family)Obituary for Jenna McMahon from The Hollywood Reporter, October 3, 2015March 3 Lynn Borden77American actress (Hazel)March 5Gordon KentAmerican writer, producer and animator (Alvin and the Chipmunks, CBS Storybreak, Teen Wolf, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, Garbage Pail Kids, Timeless Tales from Hallmark, Taz-Mania and Bonkers)Gordon Kent, RIP The Animation Guild, March 5, 2015March 6 John Siceloff61American journalist, was a longtime producer for PBSMarch 8Sam Simon59American producer, director, and writer (Taxi, Cheers, It's Garry Shandling's Show, The Tracey Ullman Show, The Simpsons, The George Carlin Show and The Drew Carey Show)"Sam Simon, Co-Creator of 'The Simpsons,' Dies at 59" Variety, March 9, 2015March 9Eugene Patton82Stagehand at NBC Studios, Burbank and personality on The Gong Show ("Gene Gene the Dancing Machine"). First African American member of the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees, Local 33."Gene Patton, Gene Gene the Dancing Machine From 'The Gong Show', Dies at 82" The Hollywood Reporter, March 13, 2015March 10Windell Middlebrooks36American actor, seen in Miller High Life beer ads and on several TV series (The Suite Life on Deck, Hannah Montana, My Name Is Earl, Chocolate News, Entourage, Scrubs, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Body of Proof)March 11Ralph Taeger78American actor, starred in the short-lived series Klondike, Acapulco and Hondo.William Beckley85 American actor (Barnaby Jones and Dynasty)March 15 Sally Forrest86American actressMarch 17Christie Schoen Codd38Husband-and-wife film/TV workers (Christie was an actress, stuntwoman, caterer and reality TV contestant; Joseph was a stage grip on TV and film projects)"Leicester murder suspect admits destroying bodies" from The Citizen-Times (Asheville, North Carolina, March 20, 2015)Joseph Codd45March 20Lisa Colagrossi49News reporter on WABC-TV/New York City. Also worked at WKMG-TV/Orlando (where she won two local Emmy Awards); and WKYC-TV/ClevelandLisa Colagrossi, reporter for WABC-TV, dead at 49 after suffering brain aneurysm while on assignment New York Daily News, March 21, 2015March 21John Litvack69Director (soap operas including The Edge of Night and Guiding Light), producer (Hill Street Blues, Smallville), and executive with CBS, NBC, Walt Disney Television, and The WBObituary for John Litvack from Variety, March 23, 2015Alberta Watson60Canadian actress (notable roles including La Femme Nikita, 24, and Nikita)Obituary for Alberta Watson from Variety, March 23, 2015March 25George Fischbeck92TV meteorologist, most notably at KABC-TV from 1972 to 1990March 27Rod Hundley80Former NBA player and broadcaster for the New Orleans/Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, and TVS Television Network‘Hot Rod’ Hundley dies at 80 KSTU, March 27, 2015March 28Richard L. Bare101Director/writer (work on several series, most notably The Twilight Zone and Green Acres)Obituary for Richard L. Bare from Variety, October 4, 2015
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