Click through to see people who passed away in 2014.
Comedian David Brenner is seen in April 2002 in New York City. A regular on Johnny Carson's "The Tonight Show," he died after a battle with cancer, a family spokesman said Saturday, March 15. He was 78.
Actress Sheila MacRae, who portrayed Alice Kramden in a 1960s revival of "The Honeymooners" on "The Jackie Gleason Show," died on Thursday, March 6, according to her family. She was 92.
Spanish guitarist Paco de Lucia, seen here in 2006, died February 25 of an apparent heart attack. He was 66. De Lucia transformed the folk art of flamenco music into a more vibrant modern sound.
Actor, writer and director Harold Ramis, seen here on the far left with fellow "Ghostbusters" Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray, died at his Chicago-area home on February 24. He was 69. Other popular Ramis films include "Stripes," "Groundhog Day" and "Analyze This."
Maria von Trapp, seen here posing with a photo of her family, was the last of the singing siblings immortalized in the movie "The Sound of Music." She died February 18 of natural causes at her Vermont home, according to her family. She was 99.
Journalist Garrick Utley has died at age 74 following a long battle with cancer, according to NBC. Utley worked for CNN after his 30-year career at NBC News.
Devo guitarist Bob Casale, known by fans as "Bob 2," died Monday, February 17, his brother and band mate announced. Casale was 61.
John Henson, son of Jim Henson, perhaps most notable for his portrayal of Sweetums, a large, gruff-looking, lovable character on "The Muppets," died after a "sudden, massive heart attack," his family's company said on February 15.
Veteran actor Ralph Waite died at 85 on Thursday, February 13, according to an accountant for the Waite family and a church where the actor was a regular member. Waite was best known for his role as John Walton Sr. on 'The Waltons."
Sid Caesar, whose clever, anarchic comedy on such programs as "Your Show of Shows" and "Caesar's Hour" helped define the 1950s "Golden Age of Television," died on February 12. He was 91.
Hollywood child star Shirley Temple, who became diplomat Shirley Temple Black, died February 10 at her Woodside, California, home. She was 85.
Joan Mondale, the wife of former Vice President Walter Mondale, died on February 3, according to a statement from the family's church.
Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead in his Manhattan apartment of an apparent drug overdose, law enforcement sources said February 2.
Maximilian Schell died on February 1 in a Austrian hospital with his wife by his side, his agent Patricia Baumbauer said. He was 83. Schell was nominated for an Oscar three times. He won in 1962 for "Judgment at Nuremberg."
Legendary folk singer Pete Seeger, known for classics such as "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" and "If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)," died of natural causes in New York on January 27, his grandson told CNN. He was 94.
Ruth Robinson Duccini, who played one of the Munchkins in the 1939 classic "The Wizard of Oz," died on January 16. She was 95.
Former Playboy centerfold Cassandra Lynn Hensley was found dead at a friend's home in Los Angeles, the coroner there said on January 17. Hensley was 34. Her cause of death was not immediately known.
Hiroo Onoda, center, salutes after handing over his military sword on Lubang Island in the Philippines in March 1974. Onoda, a former intelligence officer in the Japanese army, had remained on the island for nearly 30 years, refusing to believe his country had surrendered in World War II. He died at a Tokyo hospital on January 16. He was 91.
Russell Johnson, center, stands with Alan Hale Jr., left, and Bob Denver in an episode of "Gilligan's Island" in 1966. Johnson, who played "the professor" Roy Hinkley in the hit television show, passed away January 16 at his home in Washington state, according to his agent, Mike Eisenstadt. Johnson was 89.
Ariel Sharon, whose half century as a military and political leader in Israel was marked with victories and controversies, died on January 11 after eight years in a coma, Israeli Army Radio reported. Sharon was 85.
Franklin McCain, seen center wearing glasses, one of the "Greensboro Four," who made history for their 1960 sit-in at a Greensboro Woolworth's lunch counter, died on January 10 after a brief illness, according to his alma mater, North Carolina A&T State University.
Larry Speakes, who served as President Ronald Reagan's press secretary, died January 10 at his home in Cleveland, Mississippi, following a lengthy illness, according to Bolivar County Coroner Nate Brown. He was 74.
Poet Amiri Baraka, who lost his post as New Jersey's poet laureate because of a controversial poem about the 9/11 terror attacks, died on January 9, his agent said. Baraka was 79.
Sir Run Run Shaw, the media tycoon who helped bring Chinese martial arts films to an international audience, died at his home in Hong Kong on January 7 at age 106, the television station he founded said.
Stage, TV and film actress Carmen Zapata, who founded the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts as a means of of introducing "the rich and eloquent history of the diverse Hispanic culture to English-speaking audiences," died on January 5 at her Los Angeles home. She was 86.
Portugal football legend Eusebio, who was top scorer at the 1966 World Cup, died from a heart attack on January 5 at age 71, said his former club, Benfica.
Alicia Rhett, who had been one of the oldest surviving cast members of the classic film "Gone With the Wind," died on January 3 in her longtime hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, a retirement community spokeswoman said. She was 98.
Singer Phil Everly, left -- one half of the groundbreaking, smooth-sounding, record-setting duo the Everly Brothers -- died on January 3, a hospital spokeswoman said. He was 74.
- David Brenner appeared 158 times on Johnny Carson's late-night show
- Brenner started out in television documentaries
- "Knowing David, he's now making the devil laugh," Joan Rivers tweets
(CNN) -- Comedian David Brenner, a regular on Johnny Carson's "The Tonight Show," has died after a battle with cancer, a family spokesman said Saturday. He was 78.
Brenner was a staple on Carson's late-night show, appearing more times than any other guest -- 158, according to a bio on his official website.
Before getting into comedy, Brenner helped write, produce and direct 115 TV documentaries, earning him nearly 30 awards.
2005: David Brenner recalls comedy gig
Brenner also was the author of five books -- his latest published in 2003, "I Think There's a Terrorist in My Soup."
Even in death, he kept the jokes coming. Brenner's final request, according to family spokesman Jeff Abraham, was to have $100 in small bills tucked in his sock -- "just in case tipping is recommended where I'm going."
His gravesite will read: "If this is supposed to be a joke -- then I don't get it!," according to Abraham.
Comedian Joan Rivers, a longtime friend of Brenner's, tweeted about the news of his passing Saturday.
"RIP David Brenner. I adored him, and laughed more with him than anybody. Sad, sad, sad. Knowing David, he's now making the devil laugh," read Rivers' tweet.
Brenner is survived by his wife, three sons and a grandson.
CNN's Mara Raphael contributed to this report.
