Pictures: Recent notable pop culture deaths

Former Sen. Fred Thompson, a folksy former Republican U.S. senator from Tennessee who appeared in feature films and television including a role on “Law & Order,” died Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015, his family said. He was 73.

Maureen O’Hara, the flame-haired Irish movie star who appeared in classics ranging from the grim “How Green Was My Valley” to the uplifting “Miracle on 34th Street,” died in her sleep on Oct. 24, 2015, at her home in Boise, Idaho. She was 95.

Jean Darling and Joe Cobb in, “Noisy Noises,” an Our Gang comedy, later to be known as The Little Rascals. Darling died in Rodgau, Germany at the age of 93, according to the New York Times.

Baseball Hall of Famer and former New York Yankees catcher Yogi Berra died at the age of 90 of natural causes on September 22, 2015.

Jack Larson, right, who was better known as the cub reporter Jimmy Olsen in the television series “Adventures of Superman,” died at age 87.

Wes Craven, whose “Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Scream” movies made him one of the most recognizable names in the horror film genre, has died at 76. Craven’s family said in a statement that he died in his Los Angeles home Sunday after battling brain cancer.

In this April 2, 2005 file photo, Wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper gestures to the crowd after being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame at the Induction Ceremony in Universal City, Calif. The WWE said Piper died Friday, July 31, 2015. He was 61.

Alex Rocco, the character actor best known for playing the bespectacled Las Vegas mobster Moe Greene in “The Godfather,” has died, his daughter announced on July 18, 2015. He was 79.

Burt Shavitz, a former beekeeper, is the Burt behind Burt’s Bees. The co-founder behind Burt’s Bees died on July 5, 2015 at the age of 80.

Amanda Peterson, best known for her role in the 1987 romantic comedy “Can’t Buy Me Love,” died on July 5 in Greeley, Colo. She was 43.

Dick Van Patten, the genial comic actor best known as the patriarch of TV’s “Eight is Enough,” died on June 23. He was 86.

British actor Christopher Lee, known for his roles in numerous horror movies, as well as the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, died at 93 on June 8, 2015.

Prior to his surrender to U.S. forces in 2003, Tarik Aziz was known as the diplomatic symbol of the Iraqi government, the man Saddam Hussein deployed to convey his message to the world. He had been in custody since his surrender. He was 79. Full obituary

Actress and philanthropist Mary Ellen Trainor, who appeared in every “Lethal Weapon” film and played the mother in “Goonies,” died at her home in Montecito, Calif., on May 20. She was 62.

Actress and comedian Anne Meara died May 23, 2015 at the age of 85. She was married to Jerry Stiller and mother to actor Ben Stiller.

Ben E. King, singer of such classics as “Stand By Me,” “There Goes My Baby” and “Spanish Harlem,” died on April 30. He was 76.   (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Jack Ely died on April 28, 2015, his son confirmed. He was 71. In this April 16, 2009 photo, Ely, best known for his 1963 rendition of the song “Louie, Louie”, poses for a photo at his home in Terre Bonne, Ore.   (Don Ryan / AP)

Ben Woolf, who played the character Meep on “American Horror Story: Freak Show,” died on Feb. 23, four days after being hit by the side mirror of a passing car in Los Angeles. He was 34.  (Tonya Wise/Invision/AP)

Character actor Taylor Negron has died at 57 years old after a battle with cancer. He appeared in movies like “The Last Boy Scout”and “Stuart Little.” Negron also guest starred on a number of TV shows, including “Friends.”  (Astrid Stawiarz / Getty Images)

English rock and blues singer and musician Joe Cocker, seen here February 2013 in Berlin, died Dec. 22.  (Andreas Rentz / Getty Images)

Keyboardist Ian McLagan, second left, who was the keyboardist in rock bands Small Faces and ‘The Faces died on Dec. 3 at 69.  (Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

Sugarhill Gang recording artists David ‘Davey D’ Gunthorpe (L-R) Michael ‘Wonder Mike’ Wright, Joey ‘Master Gee’ Robinson and Henry ‘Big Bank Hank’ Jackson in 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Jackson died Nov. 11, 2014 at the age of 57 after battling cancer.  (Isaac Brekken / WireImage)

Actress Marcia Strassman, best known for her roles in “M*A*S*H” and “Welcome Back, Kotter” and “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” died at the age of 66  (Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images)

Richard Kiel portrayed Jaws, a murderous giant with a mouthful of deadly steel teeth, in a scene from the James Bond film “The Spy Who Loved Me” (1977). Kiel died on Sept. 10 at age 74.  (United Artists / Getty Images)

The respected British actor and Academy Award-winning director of “Gandhi,” the multiple-Oscar-winning best picture of 1982, was known as a “socially engaged” filmmaker who often focused on major historical figures. He was 90.  (Larry Davis / Los Angeles Times)

Legendary “Saturday Night Live” announcer Don Pardo died Aug. 18 at age 96.  (Frazer Harrison / Getty Images)

Lauren Bacall in 1944. The screen icon died at age 89.  (FPG / Getty Images)

Veteran soap opera actor, Charles Keating, has died at the age of 72. He had been fighting cancer. Here, Keating attends the 23rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards on May 22, 1996 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.   (Ron Galella / WireImage)

Singer Michael Johns, a former ‘American Idol’ finalist, died on August 1, 2014. He was 35 years old.   (Jason Merritt / Getty Images)