25 goodbyes of 2012

Whitney Houston:The pop singer's descent from the top of the charts to a vortex of drugs and drink ended in her shocking death, at the age of 48, on February 11. She was found dead in her Beverly Hills hotel room. Whitney was later found to have had a number of drugs including cocaine in her system.

Joy Mukherjee: The star of black and white films like Love In Simla (1960), Joy Mukherjee died of respiratory problems in Mumbai at the age of 73 on March 9. Best remembered for his chocolate hero looks, Joy Mukherjee acted in other popular films like Shagird, Love In Tokyo, Bahu Beti, Ziddi, Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon and Ek Musafir Ek Hasina.

Achala Sachdev: The veteran actress, who featured in the famous song Ae Meri Zohra Jabeen from Yash Chopra's movie Waqt, died following a prolonged illness on April 30.

She appeared in over 150 movies amongst which her most memorable role was as Balraj Sahni's wife in the 1965 blockbuster Waqt. She was also a part of hit films like Prem Pujari, Mera Naam Joker, Hare Rama Hare Krishna and Andaz. She memorably played Kajol's grandmother in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.

Robin Gibb: The Bee Gees' member died on May 20 after a long and painful battle with cancer. Robin, with his brothers Maurice and Barry, defined the disco era as dance band The Bee Gees. They scored the soundtrack of John Travolta's movie Saturday Night Fever, ushering in a new era of dance.

Mehdi Hassan: The legendary Pakistani ghazal singer died on June 13 in Karachi. Widely considered the best ghazal singer of all time, Mehdisaab's greatest hits include Aaye Kuchh Abr Kuchh Sharaab Aaye, Patta Patta, Boota Boota, Dil-E-Nadan Tujhe Hua Kya Hai and Dil Ki Baat Labon Par Laakar to name a few. He also sang the cross-borde duet Tera Milna with Lata Mangeshkar in 2010.

Dara Singh: The ‘He-Man' of the ‘60s, wrestler and veteran actor Dara Singh died on July 12 in Mumbai at the age of 83. An action star, he acted in many Hollywood inspired Hindi films such as Tarzan and King Kong, often opposite actress Mumtaz. But his most memorable role was in TV serial Ramayana, in which he played the role of Hanuman. He was also a member of the Rajya Sabha from 2003-2009.

Rajesh Khanna: Bollywood's first superstar died of cancer at his home in Mumbai at the age of 69 on July 19. The actor, who was propelled to superstardom with Aradhana (1969), became the nation's heartthrob with films like Haathi Mere Saathi, Khamoshi, Kati Patang, Anand and Amar Prem.

He won three Filmfare awards in his long career. Mr Khanna also held a Lok Sabha seat as a Congressman from 1992-1996. His last words before dying were, "time ho gaya hai, pack up".

Neil Armstrong: The first man on moon died on August 26. He commanded the Apollo 11 spacecraft that landed on the moon on July 20, 1969. Neil Armstrong's famous first words after setting foot on the surface were: "That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind."

Capt Lakshmi Sehgal: A freedom fighter and a close aide of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Capt Lakshmi Sehgal died in Kanpur on July 23. She was 97. In 1971, Sahgal joined the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and represented the party in the Rajya Sabha. In 2002, four leftist parties - the Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Revolutionary Socialist Party, and the All India Forward Bloc - made her their candidate for President of India. She was defeated by APJ Abdul Kalam.

Sally Ride: The first American woman in space, Sally Ride died on July 23 of pancreatic cancer. She was 61. Sally Ride blazed a trail into space on the space shuttle Challenger on June 18, 1983, when she was 32.

Vilasrao Deshmukh: Two-time Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, the man who had once famously said, "I dream of turning Mumbai into a Shanghai," died of liver cancer on August 14 in a Chennai hospital.

In his long career as a politician, he held portfolios like Science and Technology, Home, General Administration, Cooperation, Public Works, Transport, Legislative Affairs, Tourism, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development Fisheries, Industry, Rural Development, Education, Technical Education, Sports and Youth Welfare.

Ashok Mehta: One of India's best known cinematographers, Ashok Mehta died on August 15 in Mumbai. He had been suffering from cancer.

He was known for shooting some evocative films including Shekhar Kapur's Bandit Queen, Shyam Benegal's Mandi and Trikaal, Aparna Sen's 36 Chowringhee Lane and Paroma, Shashi Kapoor's Utsav, Subhash Ghai's Ram Lakhan, Khalnayak and Kisna, and MF Husain's Gaja Gamini. He had also launched Arjun Rampal in Bollywood with his only directorial project Moksha.

Tony Scott: The director of Hollywood hits such as Top Gun and Days of Thunder jumped to his death from a Los Angeles bridge on August 20. He left behind a series of suicide notes and was later found to have been on drugs at the time of his death.

A K Hangal: Bollywood's favourite character actor, A K Hangal died on August 26. He was 95. He typically played the grandfather or village elder in films like Shaukeen, Namak Haram and most famously Sholay

Best known for his one-liner from blockbuster Sholay, “Itna sannaata kyun hai bhai,” Mr Hangal became an actor when he was in his 40s and went on to appear in over 200 films.

Michael Clarke Duncan: The actor, who was famous for his performance as a death row inmate in The Green Mile, died at the age of 54 on September 3. The Oscar nominated actor had appeared in many box office hits like Armageddon, Planet of the Apes and Kung Fu Panda.

Verghese Kurien: The father of White Revolution in India and the founder of Amul died after a brief illness on September 9 in Gujarat. He was 90.

Mr Kurien, the man behind Operation Flood, was the chief architect who made India the largest milk producer in the world. He helped modernise the Anand model of cooperative dairy development and engineered the White Revolution in India. Today over 10 million farmers at 200 dairies across the country produce over 20 million litres of milk every day.

Yash Chopra: Director and producer Yash Chopra, famous for his emotion-laden romance dramas, died of multiple-organ failure in Mumbai at the age of 80 on October 21. Mr Chopra entertained many generations with blockbuster films such as Waqt, Deewar, Kabhi Kabhie, Silsila, Chandni and Veer Zaara to name a few.

Mr Chopra won six National Awards and 11 Filmfare Awards, among a slew of honours. He received the Padma Bhushan in 2005 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2001.

Sunil Gangopadhyay: Legendary Bengali writer and Sahitya Akademi President Sunil Gangopadhyay died in Kolkata on October 23 following a cardiac arrest.

A prolific writer and winner of several awards, Sunil Gangopadhyay was the founder editor of Krittibas, a seminal poetry magazine that became a platform for a new generation of poets experimenting with many new forms.

Author of over 200 books, Sunil Gangopadhyay excelled in different genres but declared poetry to be his "first love."

Jaspal Bhatti: He was India's favourite funny man from the golden age of Doordarshan. Jaspal Bhatti, beloved star of TV sitcoms like Ulta Pulta and Flop Show, died tragically in a road accident on October 24. He was 57.

Yerran Naidu: The senior Telugu Desam Party leader died in a road accident in Hyderabad on November 2.

A four time MP and four time MLA, Yerran Naidu was union rural development minister between 1996 and 98. He was TDP leader for several years and the face of the Telugu Desam in Delhi.

Bal Thackeray: The Shiv Sena supremo, one of Indian politics' best known figures, died in Mumbai on November 17.

Mr Thackeray was a part of the movement that helped form the state of Maharashtra in the 1950s. He was also the founder of the powerful political party, the Shiv Sena. Though he courted many controversies and was famous for his outspoken speeches, Bal Thackeray will always be remembered as the champion by the Marathi manoos or the Marathi man.

IK Gujral: Former Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral died at the age of 93 on November 30. He was suffering from lung infection and had been on dialysis for over a year.

A diplomat, philosopher and a gentleman politician - Mr Gujral was Prime Minister in 1996 for a year, at a time India was still getting used to the chaos of coalition politics and governments.

Mr Gujral was best known for his Gujral Doctrine, which proposed closer ties for India with its immediate neighbours. This was seen to be a serious effort at reaching out to Pakistan.

Mr Gujral belonged to one of Delhi's most accomplished families and he spoke fluent Urdu as well.

Pandit Ravi Shankar: The sitar maestro died on December 11 in Southern California. He was 92. Pt Shankar's greatest achievement was to place Indian classical music on the world stage. He did this by collaborating with a number of international musicians, most famously with The Beatles' lead guitarist George Harrison.

Leslie Claudius: Indian hockey legend and triple Olympic gold medallist Leslie Claudius died on December 20 in Kolkata. Leslie Claudius was a member of the Indian hockey team that won the Olympic gold in 1948, 1952 and 1956. He was also the first hockey player to have played over one hundred games for India. Mr Claudius was awarded the Padma Shri in 1971.

Tony Greig: Former captain of England's test cricket team turned commentator, Tony Greig died at the age of 66 on December 29, after being diagnosed with lung cancer. Mr Greig was captain of England from 1975 to 1977.