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They each turned a moment of violence into a call to action. For James Brady, that moment was when he was shot and wounded by a would-be presidential assassin. For Chung Eun-yong, it was the killings of his two children during a Korean War massacre.

Brady took up a personal campaign for increased gun control after surviving a head wound when a man tried unsuccessfully to kill President Ronald Reagan, for whom Brady was press secretary. Chung began a years-long quest for justice, which eventually prompted the U.S. Army to acknowledge having killed civilian refugees at No Gun Ri.

Brady and Chung, who died within days of each other in August, are among the notables who left the world in 2014.

Others include political figures who catalyzed war and peace and scientists who changed our lives -- the inventor of Corningware, for instance. And we lost beloved entertainers, some remembered for bringing audiences decades of smiles and tears and others who left the stage long before their time.

Among the political figures who died in 2014 was Ariel Sharon a hard-charging Israeli general and prime minister whose efforts to reshape the Middle East caused some to call him a war hero and others a war criminal. Another was Marion Barry, the former Washington, D.C., mayor whose accomplishments were often overshadowed by his arrest for drug use.

British politician Tony Benn, former Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, Polish leader Wojciech Jaruzelski and former Georgia president Eduard Shevardnadze also died this year.

Among scientists and innovators was Rostislav Belyakov, the chief designer of the Russian MiG fighter jets, Nobel Prize winner Martin Perl who discovered a subatomic particle and S. Donald Stookey, the Corningware inventor.

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.)

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.

Saul Zaentz, 92. Music producer whose second career as a filmmaker brought him best-picture Academy Awards for "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," ''Amadeus" and "The English Patient." Jan. 3.

Eusebio da Silva Ferreira, 71. Soccer player who was born into poverty in Africa and became one of the world's top scorers during the 1960s. Jan. 5.

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.

Thomas V. Jones, 93. He was CEO of Northrop Corp. -- now known as Northrop Grumman Corp. -- for 30 years and took it to the top ranks of aerospace companies while weathering a series of scandals. Jan. 7. Pulmonary fibrosis.

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.

Franklin McCain, 73. He helped spark a movement of nonviolent sit-in protests across the South by occupying a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter in 1960. Jan. 9.

Ariel Sharon, 85. Israeli general and prime minister who was admired and hated for his battlefield exploits and ambitions to reshape the Middle East. Jan. 11.

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.

Hiroo Onoda, 91. Last Japanese imperial soldier to emerge from hiding in a jungle in the Philippines and surrender, 29 years after the end of World War II. Jan. 16.

Suchitra Sen, 82. Legendary Indian actress known for her memorable roles in both Bengali-language and Hindi Bollywood films. Jan. 17.

Jose Emilio Pacheco, 74. He was widely regarded as one of Mexico's foremost poets and short story writers. Jan. 26.

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.

Maximilian Schell, 83. Austrian-born actor and a fugitive from Adolf Hitler who became a Hollywood favorite and won an Oscar for his role as a defense attorney 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, many of them slovenly and slightly dissipated comic figures. Feb. 2. Apparent heroin overdose.

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

Joan Mondale, 83. She burnished a reputation as "Joan of Art" for her passionate advocacy for the arts while her husband, Walter, was vice president and a U.S. ambassador. Feb. 3.

Ralph Kiner, 91. He slugged his way to the baseball Hall of Fame and then enjoyed a half-century career as a popular broadcaster. Feb. 6.

Els Borst, 81. Former Dutch health minister who drafted the nation's landmark 2002 law permitting euthanasia. Feb. 10.

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.

Arvella Schuller, 84. She helped her pastor husband found the Crystal Cathedral megachurch in Southern California and "Hour of Power" televangelism program seen by millions around the globe. Feb. 11.

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.

Mavis Gallant, 91. Montreal-born writer who carved out an international reputation as a master short-story author while living in Paris for decades. Feb. 18.

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.

Walter D. Ehlers, 92. During the D-Day invasion, he accomplished awe-inspiring acts of bravery, earning a Medal of Honor for knocking out two German machine-gun nests and saving countless Allied soldiers' lives. Feb. 20.

Alice Herz-Sommer, 110. Believed to be the oldest Holocaust survivor. Feb. 23.

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

Henry Casso, 82. Longtime civil rights leader in New Mexico who worked his way out of an orphanage to become a noted educational scholar and a founder of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Feb. 25.

Huber Matos Benitez, 95. He helped lead the Cuban Revolution as one of Fidel Castro's key lieutenants before his efforts to resign from the burgeoning communist government landed him in prison for 20 years. Feb. 27.

Rostislav Belyakov, 94. Chief designer of the Russian MiG fighter jets. Feb. 28.

Justin Kaplan, 88. Cultural historian with a taste for troublemaking who wrote a Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Mark Twain and spiced the popular canon as general editor of Bartlett's Familiar Quotations. March 2.

Sherwin Nuland, 83. Medical ethicist who opposed assisted suicide and wrote an award-winning book about death called "How We Die." March 3.

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.

William Clay Ford, 88. Owner of the Detroit Lions and last surviving grandchild of automotive pioneer Henry Ford. March 9.

Mohammad Qasim Fahim, 57. Afghanistan's vice president and a leading commander in the alliance that fought the Taliban who was later accused with other warlords of targeting civilian areas during the country's civil war. March 9.

Melba Hernandez, 92. She helped Fidel Castro launch his revolutionary battle with a failed 1953 attack on a military barracks and was later named a "heroine of the Cuban Revolution." March 9.

Joe McGinniss, 71. Adventurous, news-making author and reporter who skewered the marketing of Richard Nixon in "The Selling of the President 1968" and tracked his personal journey from sympathizer to scourge of convicted killer Jeffrey MacDonald in "Fatal Vision." March 10.

Tony Benn, 88. Committed British socialist who irritated and fascinated Britons through a political career spanning more than five decades and who renounced his aristocratic title rather than leave the House of Commons. March 14.

Mitch Leigh, 86. Advertising jingle writer with an entrepreneurial side whose debut attempt at writing music for a Broadway show became the instant hit "Man of La Mancha" and earned him a Tony Award. March 16.

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 best known as the longtime girlfriend of Mick Jagger. March 17. Apparent suicide.

Rachel "Bunny" Mellon, 103. Arts and fashion patron and political benefactor who funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars to former presidential candidate John Edwards that was used to hide his mistress. March 17.

Robert S. Strauss, 95. Dealmaker, political powerbroker and former Democratic Party chairman whose counsel also was prized by Republicans. March 19.

Fred Phelps Sr., 84. Fiery founder of a small Kansas church who led hate-filled protests that blamed almost everything, including the deaths of U.S. soldiers, on America's tolerance for gay people. March 19.

Ignatius Zakka Iwas, 80. Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church, he was the leader of one of world's oldest Christian sects. March 21.

Adolfo Suarez, 81. Spain's first democratically elected prime minister after decades of right-wing rule under Gen. Francisco Franco. March 23.

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.

Jeremiah Denton, 89. Former Alabama senator who survived 7½ years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam and alerted the U.S. military to conditions there when he blinked the word "torture" in Morse code during a television interview. March 28.

Anja Niedringhaus, 48. Courageous, Pulitzer prize-winning Associated Press photographer who covered everything from sports to war. April 4. Shot to death in Afghanistan.

Otis McDonald, 80. Lead plaintiff in a lawsuit that prompted the U.S. Supreme Court decision that forced Chicago to abandon its 28-year ban on handguns. April 4.

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 and all-around talent 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 and member of a talented, troubled family who grew up in the glare of Britain's tabloid press. April 7. Heroin overdose.

Arthur Napoleon Raymond Robinson, 87. Former Trinidad and Tobago prime minister who was held hostage for days and shot during a bloody 1990 coup attempt. April 9.

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

Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 87. The Nobel laureate whose novels and short stories exposed tens of millions of readers to Latin America's passion, superstition, violence and inequality. 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.

Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, 76. Boxer whose wrongful murder conviction became an international symbol of racial injustice. April 20.

Win Tin, 85. Journalist who became Myanmar's longest-serving political prisoner after challenging military rule by co-founding the National League for Democracy. April 21.

Conrado Marrero, 102. Diminutive Cuban right-hander who pitched for the Washington Senators in the 1950s and in 2011 became the oldest living former Major League Baseball player. April 23.

Herbert Hyman, 82. He founded The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in the 1960s and saw the coffee chain grow to hundreds of stores around the world. April 28.

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.

Walter R. Walsh, 106. He captured gangsters as an FBI agent in the 1930s and went on to train Marine Corps snipers and become the longest-lived Olympian. April 29.

Billy Frank Jr., 83. Tribal fisherman who led the "fish wars" that restored fishing rights and helped preserve a way of life for American Indians in the Northwest. May 5.

Cornelius Gurlitt, 81. Reclusive German collector whose long-secret hoard of well over 1,000 artworks triggered an international uproar over the fate of art looted by the Nazis. May 6.

Jeb Stuart Magruder, 79. Watergate conspirator-turned-minister who claimed in later years to have heard President Richard Nixon order the infamous break-in. May 11.

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.

Don Meyer, 69. One of the winningest coaches in college basketball who came back from a near-fatal car accident and liver cancer before closing out his career. May 18.

Gordon Willis, 82. One of Hollywood's most celebrated and influential cinematographers, nicknamed "The Prince of Darkness" for his subtle but indelible touch on such releases as "The Godfather," ''Annie Hall" and "All the President's Men." May 18.

Jack Brabham, 88. Three-time Formula One champion who famously pushed his car to the finish line to claim his first season title. May 19.

Sante Kimes, 79. She and her son made up a notorious grifter team convicted of the murders of a wealthy widow in New York and a businessman in Los Angeles. May 19.

Ruth Ziolkowski, 87. She carried on her late husband's dream of honoring Native Americans by carving the massive likeness of warrior Crazy Horse into the Black Hills in South Dakota. May 21.

The Associated Press

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Political figures who catalyzed war and peace, scientists who changed our lives, and beloved entertainers are among those who died in 2014.

Final goodbye: Roll call of some who died in 2014

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