Steve Kordek was an American businessman who was best known for the design of pinball machines. Kordek is credited with designing over 100 pinball machines. Among the companies that Kordek designed for are Genco, Williams and Bally. Kordek was credited with many innovations to pinball machines. These include putting two inward-facing flippers at the bottom of the playing field, drop targets and multi-ball mode, all of which are still used today.

Kordek died on February 19, 2012, at age 100.

Still a Kid at Heart: My Life in Baseball and Beyond

Born on April 8, 1954 in Culver City, California.

Gary Carter was an American professional baseball catcher whose 21-year career was spent primarily with the Montreal Expos and New York Mets. Nicknamed “Kid” for his youthful exuberance, Carter was named an All-Star 11 times, and was a member of one World Series championship team.

Carter died on February 16, 2012, having lost his battle with brain cancer. He was 57 years old.

The Mack

Born on August 9, 1934  in Chicago, Illinois.

Dick Anthony Williams was an American actor. Williams is known for his starring performances on Broadway in The Poison Tree, What the Wine-Sellers Buy and Black Picture Show. He is also remembered for playing the character of Pretty Tony in The Mack, which starred Max Julien and Richard Pryor. Williams won the 1974 Drama Desk Award for his performance in What the Wine-Sellers Buy, for which he was also nominated for a Tony Award, and was nominated in 1975 for both a Tony and a Drama Desk Award for his performance in Black Picture Show.

Williams died on 16 February, 2012 in Los Angeles. He was 77.

Knox, Elyse Autographed/Hand Signed 8×10 Photo B&W

Born on December 14, 1917 in Hartford, Connecticut.

Elyse Knox was an American actress, model and fashion designer. She was the mother of actor Mark Harmon.

Knox died February 16, 2012, at her home in Los Angeles. She was 94.

Live at Carnegie Hall

Born on October 22, 1925 in Rahway, New Jersey.

Dory Previn was an American lyricist, singer-songwriter and poet. During the late 1950s and 1960s she was a lyricist on songs intended for motion pictures and, with her first husband, André Previn, received several Academy Award nominations. In the 1970s, after their divorce, she released six albums of original songs and an acclaimed live album. Previn’s lyrics from this period are characterized by their originality, irony and honesty in dealing with her troubled personal life as well as more generally about relationships, sexuality, religion and psychology. She continued to work until her death as a writer of song lyrics and prose.

Previn died, aged 86, on 14 February 2012.

Russell Arms was an American actor and singer. Arms began his career on radio, moving up to minor screen roles during World War II as a contract player with Warner Brothers and later as a freelance performer, mostly in Westerns. Subsequently he appeared in supporting roles in both feature films and television.

Russell Arms died on February 13, 2012 (aged 92).

Marvel Masterworks: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos, Vol. 1

Born on December 26, 1921 in Jersey City, New Jersey.

John Severin was an American comic book artist noted for his distinctive work with EC Comics, primarily on the war comics Two-Fisted Tales and Frontline Combat; for Marvel Comics, especially its war and Western comics; and for his 45-year stint with the satiric magazine Cracked. He was one of the founding cartoonists of Mad in 1952. Severin was inducted into the Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 2003.

Severin died at his home in Denver, Colorado on February 12, 2012 at the age of 90.

Who’s That Knocking at My Door?

Born on February 17, 1945 in New York City.

Zina Bethune was an American actress, dancer, and choreographer. She starred as “The Girl” alongside Harvey Keitel in Martin Scorsese’s first feature film, Who’s That Knocking at My Door. That movie was commercially released in 1967, although much of it (including Bethune’s acting parts) was filmed in 1965 for Scorsese’s film project at New York University. She was also featured on the CBS TV series The Nurses (1962–65), and other series, including Kraft Television Theatre (with Martin Huston in the series finale), Route 66, The Judy Garland Show, Pantomime Quiz, Hollywood Squares, Young Dr. Malone, and Dr. Kildare.

On February 12, 2012, Bethune was killed in an apparent hit-and-run accident while she was trying to help an injured opossum in Griffith Park, Los Angeles. She was five days shy of her 67th birthday.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Widescreen Edition)

Born on 11 July 1929 in Dublin, Ireland.

David Kelly was an Irish actor, who had regular roles in several film and television works from the 1950s onwards. One of the most recognisable voices and faces of Irish stage and screen, Kelly was known to Irish audiences for his role as Rashers Tierney in Strumpet City, to British audiences for his role as Mr. O’Reilly in Fawlty Towers, and to American audiences for his role as Grandpa Joe in the film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Another notable role was as Michael O’Sullivan in Waking Ned.

David Kelly died after a short illness on 12 or 1³ February 2012, aged 82.

Whitney The Greatest Hits

Born on August 9, 1963 in Newark, New Jersey.

Whitney Houston was an American recording artist, actress, producer, and model. In 2009, the Guinness World Records cited her as the most-awarded female act of all time. Her awards include two Emmy Awards, six Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, and 22 American Music Awards, among a total of 415 career awards in her lifetime. Houston was also one of the world’s best-selling music artists, having sold over 170 million albums, singles and videos worldwide.

Whitney Houston died on February 11, 2012 (aged 48) in Beverly Hills, California.