1988: Harris Milstead, aka “Divine”
1989: Lucille Ball
1990: Ryan White, 18-year-old AIDS activist
1991: Frank Capra
1992: Chuck Connors
1993: Thurgood Marshall
1994: Morty the Moose (Northern Exposure)
1995: Yitzhak Rabin
1996: Timothy Leary
1997: Millie, dog of George HW & Barbara Bush
1998: Karla Faye Tucker, pickaxe murderess, executed (in Texas) despite prison conversion to Christianity.
1999: Joe DiMaggio
2000: Julie London, singer and actress on TV show Emergency!
2001: Chuck Schuldiner, founder & lead singer of Death.
One of the first rock stars from my generation to die from natural causes (brain cancer).
2002: Kim Hunter, veteran of such diverse movies as A Streetcar Named Desire and* Planet of the Apes*.
2003: Johnny Cash
2004: Ronald Reagan (and yes, I danced a little).
And I drove to Simi Valley CA to pay my respects. Many, many people did.
2005: Gilligan, little buddy (Bob Denver)
2006: Steve Irwin
Killed doing what he loved best; annoying wild animals.
2007: Momofuku Ando, inventor of instant noodles and cup noodles