Bill Robertson, the retired L.A. County Federation of Labor chief, was 89 and suffered from Alzheimer's: "...onetime bartender and bouncer who rose to become a major labor leader and power broker in Los Angeles and played a key role in bringing the Raiders football team and the 1984 Olympics to the city..."

Richard Pryor, the trail-blazing performer ravaged by multiple sclerosis, was 65 when he died at home in the Valley: "...caustic yet perceptive actor-comedian who lived dangerously close to the edge both on stage and off..."

Jean Parker, the actress, was 90 and lived at the Motion Picture and Television Country House and Hospital: "...appeared in at least 70 movies in her career and had supporting roles in such popular films as Little Women, starring Katharine Hepburn, and The Gunfighter, starring Gregory Peck..."

And across the country: Former Senator and presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy, who was 89.