John S. Carroll(01 of21)
Open Image ModalJohn S. Carroll, former editor of the Baltimore Sun and the Los Angeles Times, which won 13 Pulitzer Prizes during his five-year tenure, died on June 14, 2015. He was 73. (credit:Vince Bucci via Getty Images)
Vincent Bugliosi(02 of21)
Open Image ModalVincent Bugliosi, the former Los Angeles attorney who prosecuted cult leader Charles Manson before becoming a bestselling true crime author, died on June 6. He was 80. (credit:Jason LaVeris via Getty Images)
Franz Wright(03 of21)
Open Image ModalPulitzer Prize-winning poet Franz Wright died on May 14, 2015. He was 62. (credit:Boston Globe via Getty Images)
William Zinsser(04 of21)
Open Image ModalWilliam Zinsser, the much-consulted teacher, author, journalist and essayist whose bestselling book "On Writing Well" championed the craft of nonfiction, died on May 12, 2015 at 92. (credit:Facebook)
Michael Blake(05 of21)
Open Image ModalMichael Blake, whose novel "Dances With Wolves" became a major hit movie and earned him an Academy Award for the screenplay, died on May 2, 2015. He was 69. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Ruth Rendell(06 of21)
Open Image ModalProlific crime and mystery writer Ruth Rendell, perhaps best known for her Chief Inspector Wexford novels, died on May 2, 2015. She was 85. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
M.H. Abrams(07 of21)
Open Image ModalM.H. Abrams, an esteemed critic, teacher and tastemaker who helped shape the modern literary canon as founding editor of the Norton Anthology of English Literature, died on April 21, 2015. He was 102. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Guenter Grass(08 of21)
Open Image ModalGuenter Grass, Nobel Prize-winning German writer, died on April 13, 2015. He was 87. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Eduardo Galeano(09 of21)
Open Image ModalAward-winning Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano and leading leftwing intellectual died on April 13, 2015. He was 74. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Lisa Colagrossi(10 of21)
Open Image ModalLisa Colagrossi, a veteran reporter for WABC-TV’s Eyewitness News, died on March 20, 2015. She was 49. (credit:ABC7)
Terry Pratchett(11 of21)
Open Image ModalTerry Pratchett, author of the beloved Discworld fantasy series, died on March 12, 2015 at the age of 66, after battling Alzheimer's disease for many years. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Richard Glatzer(12 of21)
Open Image ModalRichard Glatzer, who wrote and directed the film "Still Alice" while battling ALS, died on March 10, 2015. He was 63. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Sam Simon(13 of21)
Open Image ModalNine-time Emmy winner Sam Simon, who wrote episodes of “Taxi,” “Cheers” and “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show” before co-creating "The Simpsons," died on March 9. He was 59. (credit:Tonya Wise/Invision/AP)
Avijit Roy(14 of21)
Open Image ModalAvijit Roy, a prominent U.S. blogger known for his writing against religious fundamentalism, was hacked to death by unidentified attackers in Bangladesh's capital on Feb. 26, 2015. He was 42. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Philip Levine(15 of21)
Open Image ModalPhilip Levine, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet whose intimate portraits of blue-collar life were grounded in personal experience and political conscience, died on Feb. 14, 2015. Levine was 87. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
David Carr(16 of21)
Open Image ModalNew York Times columnist David Carr, one of the most incisive and influential writers on the media, died on Feb. 12 after collapsing in the newsroom. He was 58. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Bob Simon(17 of21)
Open Image ModalCBS News' "60 Minutes" correspondent and foreign reporter Bob Simon died on Feb. 11 at the age of 73 from injuries sustained in a car accident. (credit:Andy Kropa /Invision/AP)
Colleen McCullough(18 of21)
Open Image ModalColleen McCullough, 77, neuroscientist and author of the bestselling book "The Thorn Birds," died on Jan. 29, 2015. (credit:Peter Carrette Archive via Getty Images)
Brian Clemens(19 of21)
Open Image ModalScriptwriter and producer Brian Clemens, who was responsible for TV hits such as "The Avengers," "New Avengers" and "The Professionals," died on Jan.. 10, 2015 at the age of 83. (credit:Pascal Le Segretain via Getty Images)
Julio Scherer Garcia(20 of21)
Open Image ModalCrusading Mexican journalist Julio Scherer Garcia died on Jan. 7, 2015. He was 88. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Stuart Scott(21 of21)
Open Image ModalStuart Scott, one of the most recognizable anchors in ESPN "Sportscenter" history, died on Jan. 4, 2015 of cancer at the age of 49. (credit:Ethan Miller via Getty Images)