Howard Zinn, a maverick historian whose landmark leftist manifesto "A People's History of the United States" became a cultural touchstone for a generation, died on Wednesday in Santa Monica, California, at the age of 87. He had suffered a heart attack, according to the Boston Globe.

Country singer Carl Smith has passed away at the age of 82, it has been announced.
Smith, who was the former husband of June Carter Cash, passed away at his home south of Nashville, Tennessee on January 16

Robert B. Parker, who is largely responsible for the rejuvenation in the 1970s of the hard-boiled genre of crime fiction, died today at his desk at his Cambridge, Mass., home, it was reported. He was 77 years old. I’m honored to say he was a mentor and an advisor when we shared an editor at G.P. Putnam.

A representative of Jean Simmons confirms that the "Guys and Dolls" and "Spartacus" actress has died of lung cancer.

Agent Judy Page told The Associated Press on Sunday that Simmons died at her home in Santa Monica on Friday, surrounded by her family. Simmons was 88.

A classically trained actress who started appearing in films at 14, Simmons used her beauty and charm in virtually every genre and played leading lady to virtually every major leading man of the mid-century.

UPDATE: February 9, 2010: It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our dad - Captain Phil Harris. Dad has always been a fighter and continued to be until the end. For us and the crew, he was someone who never backed down. We will remember and celebrate that strength. Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers. - Jake and Josh Harris

Statement from Discovery - Discovery mourns the loss of dear friend and colleague Captain Phil Harris. He was more than someone on our television screen. Phil was a devoted father and loyal friend to all who knew him. We will miss his straightforward honesty, wicked sense of humor and enormous heart. We share our tremendous sadness over this loss with the millions of viewers who followed Phil's every move. We send our thoughts and prayers to Phil's sons Josh and Jake and the Cornelia Marie crew.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Walter Fredrick Morrison, the man credited with inventing the Frisbee, has died. He was 90.

Utah House Rep. Kay McIff, an attorney who represented Morrison in a royalties case, says Morrison died at his home in Monroe, Utah, on Tuesday. McIff is from Richfield, Morrison's original hometown.

"That simple little toy has permeated every continent in every country, as many homes have Frisbees as any other device ever invented," McIff said. "How would you get through your youth without learning to throw a Frisbee?"

Morrison's son, Walt, told The Associated Press Thursday that "old age caught up" with his father and that he also had cancer.

"He was a nice guy. He helped a lot of people," Walt Morrison said. "He was an entrepreneur. He was always looking for something to do."

Morrison sold the production and manufacturing rights to his "Pluto Platter" in 1957. The plastic flying disc was later renamed the "Frisbee," with sales surpassing 200 million discs. It is now a staple at beaches and college campuses across the country and spawned sports like Frisbee golf and the team sport Ultimate.

An official disc golf course at Creekside Park in the Salt Lake City suburb of Holladay is named for Morrison.

Morrison co-wrote a book with Frisbee enthusiast and historian Phil Kennedy in 2001. Kennedy released a brief biography about Morrison on Thursday, wishing his late friend "smoooooth flights."

According to Kennedy, Morrison and his future wife, Lu, used to toss a tin cake pan on the beach in California. The idea grew as Morrison considered ways to make the cake pans fly better and after serving as a pilot in World War II, Morrison began manufacturing his flying discs in 1948.

He would hawk the discs at local fairs and eventually attracted Wham-O Manufacturing, the company that bought the rights to Morrison's plastic discs.

Kennedy says Wham-O adopted the name "Frisbee" because that's what college students in New England were calling the Pluto Platters. The name came from the Frisbie Pie Co., a local bakery whose empty tins were tossed like the soon-to-be Frisbee.

Walt Morrison said his father is survived by three children. The family is planning a service for Morrison's friends and relatives Saturday at the Cowboy Corral in Elsinore.

Doug Fieger, who pursued his childhood dreams from suburban Detroit to a brief stint at the top of the pop music world with his band The Knack, died Sunday, Feb. 14, 2010, after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Francis rode more than 350 winners, and was champion jockey before injury forced him to take up the pen, first writing for a national newspaper as a racing correspondent and then producing more than 40 novels, many of them international bestsellers.

Racing pundits said Francis would be remembered for riding the Queen Mother's horse Devon Loch when it inexplicably belly-flopped when close to winning Britain's most prestigious race, the Grand National, in 1956.

"He was the kind of man everybody in racing liked, and they all knew he was a gentleman, but I think he will forever be remembered for that moment of defeat in the Grand National, and the dignity that he showed," racing commentator John McCririck told Sky news.

"Can you imagine losing that great prize, such a traumatic event, the horse spread-eagled 50 yards ... from the winning post."

Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, a keen horseracing fan, was among the most avid readers of his novels, always receiving the first edition.

Francis, the son of a stable manager and born in Wales, left school at the age of 15. He served with the Royal Air Force during World War Two as a pilot.

He was one of Britain's most successful postwar national hunt jockeys, although he never won the Grand National.

His career was brought to an end in 1957 when he retired after a serious fall.

His award-winning books, packed with mystery and intrigue, with the racing world invariably used as a background, included "Dead Cert", "In the Frame" and "To the Hilt".