Here are some that were missed over the past week:
Austrian skiing great Toni Sailer, who became the first skier to win all three Alpine gold medals at a Winter Olympics, died last Monday. He was 73. Sailer was awarded the Olympic Order by the International Olympic Committee in 1985. In 1999, Sailer was honored as Austria's sportsman of the century.
Author Dominick Dunne, who told stories of shocking crimes among the rich and famous through his magazine articles and best-selling books, died last Wednesday. He was 83.
Ellie Greenwich, who wrote such classic pop songs as "Chapel of Love," "River Deep, Mountain High" and "Be My Baby" with Phil Spector, also died last Wednesday. She was 68. Besides her work with Spector, Greenwich also worked as an arranger and singer with artists including Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald.
Sergei Mikhalkov, an author favored by Stalin who wrote the lyrics for the Soviet and Russian national anthems, persecuted dissident writers as part of the Soviet propaganda machine and fathered two noted film directors, died last Thursday. He was 96. His son Nikita won an Academy Award for the 1994 film "Burnt by the Sun," and his other son, Andrei Konchalovsky, made the Oscar-nominated film "Runaway Train."
Chris Connor, a smoky-voiced jazz vocalist who had numerous hits during a career that spanned more than 50 years, died Friday. She was 81.
Jamaican reggae producer Wycliffe "Steely" Johnson, keyboardist for Bob Marley, died Sunday in New York at age 47. As part of "Steely & Clevie," the two dominated music production in Jamaica for decades. Johnson was known for his innovative work on some of the biggest dancehall hits of the 1980s and 1990s and helped launch the career of Sean Paul. He also worked with global acts like No Doubt.
Jesse Fortune, the veteran Chicago blues singer who worked with Otis Rush, Buddy Guy and Willie Dixon, died Monday. He was 79.
Erich Kunzel, the award-winning conductor who headed the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra since it was founded three decades ago and who won international fame through sales of more than 10 million recordings, died Tuesday. He was 74. Kunzel recorded more than 125 albums and was named Billboard Magazine's Classical Crossover Artist of the Year for four consecutive years.