He was known as "The Storyteller" for his unadorned yet incisive lyrics. Hall composed hundreds of songs and sang about life's simple joys as country music's consummate blue-collar bard.
Children's book author and illustrator Jill Murphy created The Worst Witch and The Large Family series, among many others. She was known for capturing a range of human emotions in her whimsical tales.
Known affectionately as El Judio Maravilloso, "the marvelous Jew," the Brooklyn-born pianist, arranger, producer and activist helped to popularize the music that would become known as salsa.
Chuck Close, who was known for his giant photorealist portraits of friends and colleagues in the art world, has died at the age of 81. Late in life, Close faced accusations of sexual harassment.
The producer, who died this month at 53, crafted career-defining records by Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans and The Notorious B.I.G., armed with a desire to understand his artists as people first.
Neal Conan, who died Aug. 10, hosted NPR's Talk of the Nation with "immaculate knowledge of all subjects, arcane and obvious, and exquisite courtesy with callers and guests," NPR's Scott Simon says.
Conan's voice graced this network for many years in many ways, always in the name of wonderful radio. Former NPR host Robert Siegel, a longtime colleague of Conan, remembers his friend.
Recording as Pita and under his own name, Peter Rehberg made groundbreaking albums and pursued diverse collaborations, and he documented a flourishing experimental scene on his Editions Mego label.
Ron Popeil, who died July 28, was an infomercial pioneer whose products included the Chop-O-Matic, the Veg-O-Matic, the smokeless ashtray and other household gadgets. Originally broadcast in 1996.
Post was a longtime television regular who appeared in shows from "Cheers" to "Scrubs." But she was best known for her seven-season run as the public defender on NBC's "Night Court."
Thomas, a founding member of the long-running band known for soul-funk hits like "Celebration," played a trio of instruments and served as the Gang's emcee.
Grant, who was hereditary chief of the Sac & Fox Nation of Oklahoma, played roles in dozens of movies and TV shows, including "The Lone Ranger," "The World's Fastest Indian" and "Breaking Bad."