obituary

Theodore J. "Ted" Forstmann died on Sunday from complications related to brain cancer. The private equity pioneer's firm, Forstmann Little & Co., was one of the first to engage in leveraged buyouts -- using borrowed money to buy companies.

Ken Olsen, the MIT-educated inventor who founded DEC in the 1950s and built it into multibillion dollar company, died on Sunday. In addition to inventing the minicomputer, Olsen was a pioneer as a manager. But perhaps the most valuable lesson his life can teach regards his one business blind spot.

Bob Guccione, the founder of Penthouse magazine, died Wednesday at the age of 79.

Stephen J. Cannell, who produced TV shows such as The A-Team, The Rockford Files and The Commish died Thursday.

The creator of one of the great American snacks, the Cheez Doodle, died on July 27 at his home in King's Point, New York. For millions of consumers, the puffed-corn treats, coated in aerosolized cheese, are a childhood classic, and an adult temptation. Mr. Yohai leaves behind a legion of contented, orange-dusted smiles.

Daniel Schorr, a commentator on National Public Radio and former reporter for both CBS and CNN, died Friday at the age of 93.

Nicolas Hayek, the father of the Swatch and the man widely credited with saving the Swiss watch industry, died Monday at the company's headquarters.

Without Sen. Robert Byrd's vote, Democrats may struggle to obtain the 60 votes needed to prevent a Republican filibuster of the bill in the Senate. The longest-serving U.S. senator died Monday at the age of 92.

Jimmy Dean, country music singer, actor and sausage pitchman died on Sunday at his home in Varina, Virginia. He was 81.

Gary Coleman, the one-time child star best known for his role in the 1980s sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes," died Friday in a Utah hospital of a brain hemorrhage. He was 42.