Top Three Most Notable Deaths of 2006

It is cliché to say that the bigger they are, the harder it is for the fall or loss. So it comes to pass that whenever a public figure passes to the other side, the rest of us often lose a well-admired person who we can only dream of being anywhere close to matching up with. And there is no type of person from this category who this can ever be more true of than the biggest names in any given category of service, from the most well-meaning people to the most notorious hardliners. Sure, there are plenty of news stories from 2006 about public figures passing onward - from Don Knotts and Coretta Scott King to Ed Bradley and Joe Barbera - but here are the three most notable cases of famous people meeting their end during the past year, in three distinct categories:

3 - Saddam Hussein (Politics)

Remember that cliché I mentioned? Well, my third place pick fits the bill just nicely - in fact, he was certainly asking for it, in a manner of speaking. Indeed, Saddam Hussein's execution for genocide, war crimes, population extortion or whatever-you-will speaks of the kind of loss that becomes publicly necessary for the rest of us. Yes, Saddam was a political hardliner, but that does not justify his actions against those whom he suspected of plotting against him after an attempt on his life. Nor does it mean that partners-in-crime such as "Chemical Ali" should have the praise of the world for gassing an entire community built around a certain religious sect (and by that, I do not mean flatulence). People like this do not deserve to exist any more than Hitler did - and like Hitler, Saddam certainly was far worse than Nixon was in his misdeeds. Still, Saddam's execution brings the promise of a new existence for Iraq, but it still does not excuse anything that came before any more than it does for the possible civil war that could come with it. The bottom line: you do the crime and you pay the price, period. That is it. End of story. That is true no matter what kind of public figure we talk about concerning such matters. Besides, neither Hitler nor even Nixon would have got off easy anyway if they had not punished their own selves (with Hitler killing himself and Nixon submitting his resignation rather than facing impeachment - so of course we expected Saddam to face similar circumstances. Now guess which one faced his fate like a man. Would you choose the right person? I thought so. Anyway, we now move on to...

2 - James Brown (Music and Entertainment)

Who can forget that Christmas morning shocker that surprised the entire music industry - especially where it involves the "hardest-working man in showbiz?" Well, it also sent shockwaves through his loyal fans, many of which were looking forward to his New Year's concert. Instead, James Brown - who influenced many other singers from Michael Jackson to the Stones' Mick Jagger with his electrifying choreography - passed on in the middle of Christmas morning from complications of heart failure. Instead of showing up live on the stage where he expected to perform, the Godfather of Soul lay in state at a public viewing at the Harlem area's historic Apollo Theater, the site of his first professional concert performance of his career. We shall always remember James Brown for putting funk music on the map with hits from "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" to the infectious "(I Got You) I Feel Good" - as well as his frantic performances. However, there is one celebrity death story that beats all others - if not for the cause, but for the mark he made on his career - and that is...

1 - Steve Irwin (Educational Television)

Now who would have thought that I would choose a conservation education-related figure - especially one who showed many of us inside the world of wild creatures while also going toe-to-toe with some of the most ferocious of them? Yet this one still made me want to say "Crikey" myself! Indeed, Steve Irwin showed many of us what it is like to work with wildlife - and still made it look easier than it probably is. Yet the "Crocodile Hunter" was still a mere mortal like so many all of us - and the fact that he was literally doing his job al the way to the end says a lot about him. Still, the manner of his sudden death - which involved an unexpected stingray attack combined with some unfortunately bad luck - still proved heart wrenching, yet it seemed so fitting. Crikey, indeed.

Now it is your turn. Are any of you not so sure about my picks? Additionally, do any of you have want to add to my list? Drop me a line in the comments below!