Me too, though I never saw MASH(movie or show) until I was about 23. Loved it and he was my fav. actor/character on the show.
Still, his age softened the blow for me.
Christopher Hitchens and Amy Winehouse, even though neither was a big surprise.
The one I miss the most is Wangari Mathai. A significant loss for the planet and for the human race.
Elizabeth Taylor-there will never be another like her.
Harry Morgan - came across as so sensible and down to earth!
Bil Keane, cartoonist for Family Circus - now we’ll never see the melonheads grow up in the strip…- oh, wait…
Elisabeth Sladen 
Completely unexpected (I had no idea she had cancer) and it was right in the middle of production of a season of The Sarah Jane Adventures, so it was only half completed. She looked so healthy and energetic, too.
Yea, I think these two, not because they were the most important or talented celebrities to die in 2011, but they were both young enough to still be active and producing things had they not died.
Whether or not you agreed with him, Christopher Hitchens could write. I wish I had a nth of his talent in the ability to pick apart something like he did.
I was shocked to hear that Gerard Smith had died. TV On The Radio is one of my favourite bands. And how the hell do you die of lung cancer at 36?!?
Andy Whitfield, of Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Very sad, his illness came back almost immediately after it went into remission.
All of them were in my “I thought they were already dead” category.
Saddest loss: Elisabeth Sladen. Not Sarah Jane!
Happiest loss: Osama bin Laden.
Angriest loss: Jeff Conaway. Runner-up: Amy Winehouse.
Christopher Hitchens was kind of obnoxious and I think he kind of fed his own arrogance, but by golly he could write and he stuck to his guns about his atheism, about politics, and everything else in his life. He wrote stuff about Mother Teresa, the Princess of Wales, and George W. Bush that was sure to get people riled up, but he didn’t care. I was sure the alcohol was going to get him, but maybe he got that under control before the cancer…?
Elizabeth Taylor was one of the last of that generation of Hollywood. Definitely a Major Star. However, she kinda threw it away with her marriages, her weight gain, her drinking. She became a bit of a joke, and she really was a one-of-a-kind beauty, an excellent actress, and a compassionate person.
I always feel bad for anyone younger than I am (46) dying. Especially that Spartacus actor, Andy Whitfield, and I never even saw the show. Except for Amy Winehouse. Just try to stay alive, would you? Jeez.
Also I second Eve on Yvette Vickers. Eurghh, how sad.
Harry Morgan started on radio, got involved in tv early and became a major character in two shows that are a part of USA tv highlights.
Elisabeth Sladen’s death actually made me a little teary, and I’m only a Millenial Dr. Who fan. I can’t imagine how old school Whovians felt.
Henry Morgan’s death moved me as well, although as said, his age blunted the blow a bit. He’s the first celebrity death my daughter felt, too, as she’s an avid MAS*H fan at 6 years old.