Robbins dazzled readers with the whimsy and imagination in his books, including Jitterbug Perfume, Skinny Legs and All and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues.
His sinister, surreal vision of America made him a leading counterculture auteur — with movies such as Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart and Mulholland Drive, and the groundbreaking TV series Twin Peaks.
Singh was known as the father of economic reforms in India. He served as finance minister in the early 1990s, and his policies then set India on the path of economic liberalization and globalization.
Amos, who played James Evans Sr. in the 1970s sitcom Good Times, showed TV critic Eric Deggans what it was like to have a concerned, ethical father at home. Behind the scenes, Amos pushed for more authentic Black characters — sometimes leading to conflict.
After a stroke left Howard Blatt unable to speak, he helped create a support group for other people with aphasia, a brain condition that impairs communication. He recently died at age 88.
Willie Mays is widely considered to be the greatest baseball player of all time. The 'Say Hey Kid' had incomparable skills and an infectious smile. He dazzled on the field and off.
Mandy Messinger is one of hundreds who lose loved ones to climate-linked extreme weather each year in the U.S. Her father Craig Messinger was killed in a 2021 flash flood in the Philadelphia suburbs.
Keith announced on social media in 2022 that he had been having chemotherapy and radiation treatments for stomach cancer. He is behind such hits as "Red Solo Cup" and "Beer For My Horses."
Osgood, who anchored CBS Sunday Morning for more than two decades and hosted the long-running radio program The Osgood File, died Tuesday home in New Jersey. The cause was dementia, his family said.
Giants of the arts world left us this year: We look back on the legacies of Harry Belafonte, Tina Turner, Sinéad O'Connor, Paul Reubens (aka Pee-wee Herman), Richard Roundtree, Norman Lear and more.