Final Chapters for Sept. 17: Harry Dean Stanton, Don Ohlmeyer, Pete V. Domenici

Harry Dean Stanton was a shambling, craggy-faced character actor with a deadpan voice who became a cult favorite through his memorable turns in “Paris, Texas,” “Repo Man” and many other films and TV shows. He died Sept. 15 at a hospital in Los Angeles of natural causes, his agent said. He was 91. Stanton appeared in more than 200 movies and TV shows in a career dating to the mid-1950s. His more famous credits ranged from the Oscar-winning epic “The Godfather Part II” to the sci-fi classic “Alien” to the teen flick “Pretty in Pink,” in which he played Molly Ringwald’s father. He also sang and played guitar and harmonica in impromptu sessions with friends, performed a song in “Paris, Texas” and once recorded a duet with Bob Dylan.

Don Ohlmeyer was a former “Monday Night Football” producer and came up with the phrase “Must See TV” in leading NBC to the No. 1 prime-time spot in the 1990s. He died Sept. 10 at his home in Indian Wells, Calif., of cancer, his family said in a statement. He was 72. Ohlmeyer became producer of “Monday Night Football” in 1972, teaming with director Chet Forte and the on-air crew of Howard Cosell, Don Meredith and Frank Gifford. He also directed ABC’s Olympic coverage and created “The Superstars.” He joined NBC as executive producer of sports from 1977 through 1982, and returned in 1993 as president of its entertainment division. He came up with “Must See TV” in the 1990s, when NBC’s ratings soared with such hits as “Seinfeld,” “Friends,” “ER” and “Frasier.”

Pete V. Domenici was a Republican from New Mexico who became a power broker in the Senate for his work on the federal budget and energy policy over more than 30 years. He died Sept. 13 at a hospital in Albuquerque, N.M., his son said. He was 85. Domenici carried a consistent message of fiscal restraint from his first term in 1972 until leaving office in 2009. He was chairman of the Senate Budget Committee for 12 years and a member of the committee between 1975 and 2002. He was chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee beginning in 2003.

Frank Vincent was a veteran character actor who often played tough guys, including mob boss Phil Leotardo on “The Sopranos.” He died Sept. 13, his family said in a statement. No cause of death was given. He was 80. Vincent also portrayed gangsters for director Martin Scorsese in “Raging Bull,” “Goodfellas” and “Casino.” He had small roles in two Spike Lee films, “Do the Right Thing” and “Jungle Fever,” and also appeared in “The Pope of Greenwich Village,” “Last Exit to Brooklyn” and “Night Falls on Manhattan,” among his more than 50 movies. Earlier in his career, Vincent was a musician and session drummer for such singers as Paul Anka, Del Shannon, Trini Lopez and The Belmonts.

Edith Windsor was a gay rights pioneer whose landmark Supreme Court case struck down parts of a federal anti-gay-marriage law and paved a path toward legalizing same-sex nuptials nationwide. She died Sept. 12 in New York, her lawyer said. She was 88. Windsor sued the federal government in 2010 over the Defense of Marriage Act following the death of her first spouse, Thea Spyer. They were legally married in Canada in 2007. Windsor said the marriage law meant she faced a huge estate tax bill she wouldn’t have to pay if the law didn’t discriminate against same-gender couples. The 2013 Supreme Court opinion became the basis for the wave of federal court rulings that struck down state marriage bans and led to a 2015 Supreme Court ruling giving same-sex couples the right to marry.

Pierre Pilote was a Hall of Fame defenseman who helped the Chicago Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup in 1961. He died Sept. 9. He was 85. Pilote played 13 of his 14 NHL seasons for Chicago and was captain of the Blackhawks during 1961-68. He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs in his final season in 1968-69. He won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman three times. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1975 and the Blackhawks retired his No. 3 jersey, along with Keith Magnuson’s, in 2008.

Grant Hart was a drummer and vocalist for pioneering indie rock band Husker Du. He died Sept. 13 of cancer, the band’s publicist said. He was 56. Hart formed Husker Du with bassist Greg Norton and guitarist Bob Mould, with whom he shared singing duties, in St. Paul, Minn., in 1978. While Husker Du was never a huge commercial success, it was seen as a major influence on bands such as Nirvana, Green Day, the Pixies, the Foo Fighters and more. The trio broke up in 1987, and Hart launched his solo career.

Peter Hall was a visionary theater director and impresario who founded the Royal Shakespeare Company and helped build Britain’s National Theatre into a producing powerhouse. He died Sept. 11 at a London hospital, the National Theatre said. He had been suffering from dementia. He was 86. Hall founded the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1960, when he was just 29, and led it for eight years. He was director of the National Theatre from 1973 to 1988. He won Tony Awards for best director for “Amadeus” and “The Homecoming.”

Xavier “X” Atencio was an animator behind early Disney movies including “Pinocchio” and “Fantasia” and “imagineer” behind beloved Disneyland rides like “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “The Haunted Mansion.” He died Sept. 10. He was 98. Atencio’s drawings on “Pinocchio” helped give Disney its permanent identity in film and culture. His contributions to “Pirates” included the words to the “Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life for Me)” song that is sung throughout the ride. He also helped design stop-motion sequences for the Disney live-action films “The Parent Trap” and “Mary Poppins.”

Nancy Hatch Dupree was an American historian who spent decades in Afghanistan working to preserve the heritage of the war-torn country. She died Sept. 10 at a hospital in Kabul. She was 90. Dupree amassed a vast collection of books, maps, photographs and even rare recordings of folk music, all now housed at a center she founded at Kabul University. She also wrote five guidebooks. She and her late husband, archaeologist and anthropologist Louis Dupree, wrote the definitive book on Afghanistan, an encyclopedic look at the country they had adopted as their own.

This story was originally published September 16, 2017 at 6:35 PM with the headline "Final Chapters for Sept. 17: Harry Dean Stanton, Don Ohlmeyer, Pete V. Domenici."