A feeling of untimeliness defined several of the deaths in the entertainment arena in 2014.

The suicide of actor and comedian Robin Williams touched off a national conversation about depression. The overdose deaths of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, model Peaches Geldof and heavy metal frontman Dave Brockie were grim reminders of the scourge of drug use.

Other artists and entertainers included: actors Shirley Temple, Mickey Rooney, Suchitra Sen, Harold Ramis, Lauren Bacall, Ken Takakura and Eli Wallach; musicians Pete Seeger, Sabah, Tommy Ramone, Lorin Maazel, Gustavo Cerati and Big Bank Hank; filmmakers Mike Nichols and Run Run Shaw; radio host Casey Kasem; comedian Joan Rivers; and writers Maya Angelou and Amiri Baraka.

Here is a roll call of some of the people who died in 2014. (Cause of death cited for younger people, if available.)

JANUARY

Juanita Moore, 99. Groundbreaking actress and an Academy Award nominee for her role as Lana Turner's black friend in the classic weeper "Imitation of Life." Jan. 1.

Run Run Shaw, 107. Pioneering Hong Kong movie producer whose studio popularized the kung fu genre that influenced Quentin Tarantino and other Hollywood directors. Jan. 7.

Amiri Baraka, 79. Militant man of letters and tireless agitator whose blues-based, fist-shaking poems, plays and criticism made him a groundbreaking force in American culture. Jan. 9.

Russell Johnson, 89. Actor who played "The Professor," the fix-it man who kept his fellow castaways on TV's "Gilligan's Island" supplied with gadgets. Jan. 16.

Pete Seeger, 94. Banjo-picking troubadour who sang for migrant workers, college students and star-struck presidents in a career that introduced generations of Americans to their folk music heritage. Jan. 27.

FEBRUARY

Maximilian Schell, 83. Austrian-born actor and a fugitive from Adolf Hitler who became a Hollywood favorite and won an Oscar for his role in "Judgment at Nuremberg." Feb. 1.

Philip Seymour Hoffman, 46. He won a best actor Oscar in 2006 for his portrayal of writer Truman Capote in "Capote" and created a gallery of other vivid characters. Feb. 2. Apparent heroin overdose.

William "Bunny Rugs" Clarke, 65. Husky-voiced lead singer of internationally popular reggae band Third World. Feb. 2. Leukemia.

Shirley Temple, 85. Dimpled, curly-haired child star who sang, danced, sobbed and grinned her way into the hearts of Depression-era moviegoers. Feb. 10.

Sid Caesar, 91. Prodigiously talented pioneer of TV comedy who paired with Imogene Coca in sketches that became classics and who inspired a generation of famous writers. Feb. 12.

Ralph Waite, 85. He played the kind-and-steady patriarch of a tight-knit rural Southern family on the TV series "The Waltons." Feb. 13.

Maria von Trapp, 99. Last surviving member and second-eldest daughter of the musical family whose escape from Nazi-occupied Austria was the basis for "The Sound of Music." Feb. 18.

Harold Ramis, 69. Comedy actor, director and writer best known for his roles in movies such as "Ghostbusters" and "Stripes." Feb. 24.

MARCH

Sheila MacRae, 92. Veteran stage, film and TV performer best known for playing Alice Kramden in the 1960s re-creation of "The Honeymooners." March 6.

L'Wren Scott, believed to be 49. She left her small-town Utah home as a teenager to become a model in Paris, then a top Hollywood stylist and finally a high-end fashion designer. Longtime girlfriend of Mick Jagger. March 17. Apparent suicide.

Dave Brockie, 50. Better known as "Oderus Urungus," he fronted the alien-costumed heavy metal band GWAR during graphic and fake-blood-soaked stage shows. March 23. Accidental heroin overdose.

APRIL

Peter Matthiessen, 86. Rich man's son who spurned a life of leisure and embarked on extraordinary quests while producing such acclaimed books as "The Snow Leopard" and "At Play in the Fields of the Lord." April 5.

Mickey Rooney, 93. Pint-size actor whose more than 80-year career spanned silent comedies, Shakespeare, Judy Garland musicals, Andy Hardy stardom, television and the Broadway theater. April 6.

Peaches Geldof, 25. Model and media personality who was a daughter of Irish singer Bob Geldof who grew up in the glare of Britain's tabloid press. April 7. Heroin overdose.

Phyllis Frelich, 70. Tony Award-winning deaf actress who starred in the Broadway version of "Children of a Lesser God." April 10.

Gabriel García Márquez, 87. Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist, who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982. April 17.

Kevin Sharp, 43. Country music singer who recorded multiple chart-topping songs and survived cancer. April 19. Complications from stomach surgeries and digestive issues.

Bob Hoskins, 71. British actor whose varied career ranged from noir drama "Mona Lisa" to animated fantasy "Who Framed Roger Rabbit." April 29.

Al Feldstein, 88. His 28 years at the helm of Mad magazine transformed the satirical publication into a pop culture institution. April 29.

MAY

H.R. Giger, 74. Swiss artist who designed the creature in Ridley Scott's sci-fi horror classic "Alien." May 12.

Jerry Vale, 83. Beloved crooner known for his high-tenor voice and romantic songs in the 1950s and early '60s. May 18.

Gordon Willis, 82. One of Hollywood's most celebrated and influential cinematographers, known for his work on "The Godfather," "Annie Hall" and "All the President's Men." May 18.

Bunny Yeager, 85. Model turned pin-up photographer who helped jump-start the career of then-unknown Bettie Page. May 25.

Maya Angelou, 86. Author and poet who rose from poverty, segregation and violence to become a force on stage, screen and the printed page. May 28.

Martha Hyer, 89. Oscar-nominated actress who starred alongside the likes of Frank Sinatra and Humphrey Bogart. May 31.

JUNE

Ann B. Davis, 88. Emmy-winning actress who became America's best-known housekeeper as the devoted Alice Nelson of TV's "Brady Bunch." June 1.

Eric Hill, 86. His effort to entertain his son with a simple drawing of a mischievous dog named Spot blossomed into a popular series of children's books. June 6.

Ruby Dee, 91. Acclaimed actress and civil rights activist whose versatile career spanned stage, radio television and film. June 11.

Casey Kasem, 82. Radio broadcaster with a cheerful manner and gentle voice who became the king of the top 40 countdown with a syndicated show that ran for decades. June 15.

Steve Rossi, 82. Half of the comedy duo Allen & Rossi, which became a favorite on TV variety shows. June 22.

Eli Wallach, 98. Raspy-voiced character actor who starred in dozens of movies and Broadway plays and earned film immortality as a quick-on-the-draw bandit in "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly." June 24.

Meshach Taylor, 67. He played a lovable ex-convict surrounded by Southern belles on the sitcom "Designing Women" and appeared in numerous other TV and film roles. June 28.

JULY

Tommy Ramone, 65. Co-founder of the seminal punk band the Ramones and last surviving member of the original group. July 11.

Lorin Maazel, 84. World-renowned conductor whose career included seven years at the helm of the New York Philharmonic. July 12.

Elaine Stritch, 89. Brash theater performer whose gravelly, gin-laced voice and impeccable comic timing made her a Broadway legend. July 17.

James Garner, 86. Actor whose style in the 1950s TV Western "Maverick" led to a career in TV and films. July 19.

Dick Smith, 92. Oscar-winning "Godfather of Makeup" who amused, fascinated and terrified moviegoers by devising transformations for Marlon Brando in "The Godfather" and Linda Blair in "The Exorcist," among many others. July 30.

AUGUST

Marilyn Burns, 65. Actress perhaps best known as the heroine in the 1974 horror classic "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." Aug. 5.

Menahem Golan, 85. Israeli filmmaker who built an empire on the back of brawny men beating others senseless across a host of 1980s action films. Aug. 8.

Robin Williams, 63. Academy Award winner and comic supernova whose explosions of pop culture riffs and impressions dazzled audiences for decades. Aug. 11. Apparent suicide.

Lauren Bacall, 89. Sultry-voiced actress who created on-screen magic with Humphrey Bogart in "To Have and Have Not" and "The Big Sleep." Aug. 12.

Don Pardo, 96. TV and radio announcer whose booming baritone became as much a part of the cultural landscape as the shows he touted, including "Saturday Night Live." Aug. 18.

Richard Attenborough, 90. Actor and Oscar-winning director whose film career on both sides of the camera spanned 60 years. Aug. 24.

William Greaves, 87. Emmy-winning co-host and executive producer of a groundbreaking television news program and a prolific filmmaker. Aug. 25.

SEPTEMBER

Joan Rivers, 81. Comedian who crashed the male-dominated realm of late-night talk shows and turned Hollywood red carpets into danger zones. Sept. 4. Fatal complication during a medical procedure.

Richard Kiel, 74. Towering actor best known for portraying steel-toothed villain Jaws in a pair of James Bond films. Sept. 10.

Polly Bergen, 84. Emmy-winning actress and singer who in a long career played the terrorized wife in the original "Cape Fear" and the first woman president in "Kisses for My President." Sept. 20.

Deborah Mitford, 94. Dowager duchess of Devonshire and the last of the witty, unconventional Mitford sisters. Sept. 24.

OCTOBER

Marian Seldes, 86. Tony Award-winning star of "A Delicate Balance" who was a teacher of Kevin Kline and Robin Williams, and a Guinness Book of World Records holder for most consecutive performances. Oct. 6.

Jan Hooks, 57. Former "Saturday Night Live" cast member. Oct. 9.

Tim Hauser, 72. Founder and singer of the Grammy-winning vocal troupe The Manhattan Transfer. Oct. 16.

Oscar de la Renta, 82. Worldly gentleman designer who shaped the wardrobe of socialites, first ladies and Hollywood stars for more than four decades. Oct. 20.

Marcia Strassman, 66. She played Gabe Kaplan's wife, Julie, on the 1970s sitcom "Welcome Back, Kotter." Oct. 24.

Jack Bruce, 71. British musician best known as the bass player and vocalist of the power blues trio Cream. Oct. 25.

NOVEMBER

Tom Magliozzi, 77. One half of the brother duo who hosted National Public Radio's "Car Talk." Nov. 3.

Raymond Almiran Montgomery, 78. Author of the popular children's book series "Choose Your Own Adventure." Nov. 9.

Ken Takakura, 83. Craggy-faced star known for playing outlaws and stoic heroes in scores of Japanese films. Nov. 10.

Big Bank Hank, 57. Member of the pioneering hip-hop group the Sugarhill Gang responsible for one of the most popular rap songs of all time, "Rapper's Delight." Nov. 11.

Mike Nichols, 83. Director who brought fierce wit, caustic social commentary and wicked absurdity to film, TV and stage hits such as "The Graduate," "Angels in America" and "Monty Python's Spamalot." Nov. 19.

DECEMBER

Ralph Baer, 92. Video game pioneer who created both the precursor to "Pong" and the electronic memory game Simon and led the team that developed the first home video game console. Dec. 6.

Norman Bridwell, 86. Illustrator whose story about a girl and her puppy marked the birth of the supersized franchise Clifford the Big Red Dog. Dec. 12.

Billie Whitelaw, 82. British actress who collaborated closely with Irish playwright Samuel Beckett and appeared on stage and screen for decades.

Joe Cocker, 70. British singer known for a memorable Woodstock performance, a cover of the Beatles' "With a Little Help From My Friends," and hits, "You Are So Beautiful" and "Up Where We Belong."