Notable deaths, January 2010

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Notable deaths, January 2010

Photos of notable people who died in January 2010 for the Atlanta Holiday Guide.

CASEY JOHNSON: Sept. 24, 1979-Jan. 4, 2010: An heiress to the Johnson & Johnson fortune and socialite, Johnson created waves when she announced her engagement to reality star Tila Tequila. She was diagnosed with diabetes as a child and co-wrote 'Managing Your Child's Diabetes' with her dad and New York Jets owner Robert Wood Johnson IV.

ART CLOKEY, Oct. 12, 1921-Jan. 8, 2010: Clokey created the flexible Gumby, which debuted in 1956 and became a pop culture staple for the decades following it.

MIEP GIES, Feb. 15, 1909-Jan. 12, 2010: Gies was the last surviving protector of Anne Frank. She was part of a group of Dutch citizens that hid the Frank family in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam for about two years and later found Frank's diary.

TEDDY PENDERGRASS, March 26, 1950-Jan. 13, 2010: As a Philadelphia R&B singer, he helped define seductive singing in the 1970s and 80s. He was known for hits like 'Love TKO' and 'Turn off the Lights' and some of his concerts were for females only. A car accident in 1982 left him paralyzed but he continued record and perform through 2008.

GLEN W. BELL JR., Sept. 3, 1923-Jan. 16, 2010: Bell is responsible for turning the taco into a fast food empire. In the late 1940, he opened his first taco stand. He charged 19 cents for a taco and relied on a custom made contraption made out of wire to fry the shells in advance. He started Taco Bell in 1962 with $4,000 and sold it for $125 million to Pepsi in 1978.

ROBERT PARKER, Sept. 17, 1932-Jan. 18, 2010: Parker was a best-selling writer, whose mysteries often featured the private detective Spenser. The series was later turned into the 1980s television show 'Spenser: For Hire.'

JEAN SIMMONS, Jan. 31, 1929-Jan. 22, 2010: Simmons was a two-time nominee for an Academy Award. By the time she was 20, she had been featured on the covers of Time and Life magazines. The actress born in England was pursued by studio owner Howard Hughes, and he threatened to ruin her career when his advances were rebuffed.

PERNELL ROBERTS, May 18, 1928-Jan. 24, 2010: Roberts, who was born in Waycross, Ga and briefly attended Georgia Tech, starred in Bonanza and Trapper John, M.D. He marched in several civil rights demonstrations in the 1960s and urged television executives to hire more minority actors.

ZELDA RUBINSTEIN, May 28, 1933-Jan. 27, 2010: Measuring just 4-feet-3-inches tall, Rubinstein made a big impression as the psychic in 'Poltergeist.' She went into acting in her 40s and also appeared in 'Sixteen Candles' and 'Teen Witch.' Rubinstein also advocated for rights of little people and AIDS education.

J.D. SALINGER, Jan. 1, 1919-Jan, 27, 2010: Considered to be one of the best American authors, Salinger published 'The Catcher in the Rye' in 1951. The writer, who has pursued attention earlier days became a recluse. He ordered his agent to burn fan mail and fled the Manhattan literary scene for rural New Hampshire. After 'Catcher' he published four more works with the last one coming in 1965.

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CASEY JOHNSON: Sept. 24, 1979-Jan. 4, 2010: An heiress to the Johnson & Johnson fortune and socialite, Johnson created waves when she announced her engagement to reality star Tila Tequila. She was diagnosed with diabetes as a child and co-wrote 'Managing Your Child's Diabetes' with her dad and New York Jets owner Robert Wood Johnson IV.

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