Final Chapters for Nov. 26, 2017: Charles Manson, David Cassidy, Mel Tillis

Charles Manson was a wild-eyed 1960s cult leader whose followers, known as The Manson Family, committed heinous murders that shocked the nation. He died Nov. 19 of natural causes at a hospital north of Los Angeles while serving a life sentence. He was 83. Manson, who was convicted of nine murders in all, was best known for masterminding the gruesome murders of actress Sharon Tate and six others in Los Angeles during the summer of 1969. He was sentenced to death but was given a life sentence after the California Supreme Court struck down the death penalty in 1972.

David Cassidy was an actor, singer and teen heartthrob best known for his role as Keith Partridge on the 1970s television show “The Partridge Family.” He died Nov. 21 at a hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. His publicist said the cause was liver failure. He was 67. Cassidy starred on “The Partridge Family” during 1970-74 and sold millions of records as the musical group’s lead singer. The Partridges’ best known song, “I Think I Love You,” spent three weeks on top of the Billboard chart. His appeal faded after the show went off the air, although he continued to tour, record and act over the next 40 years. He announced earlier this year that he had been diagnosed with dementia.

Mel Tillis was an affable longtime country music singer who overcame a stutter on his way to the Country Music Hall of Fame. He died Nov. 19 at a hospital in Ocala, Fla. He was 85. Tillis recorded more than 60 albums and had more than 30 top-10 country singles, including “Good Woman Blues,” “Coca-Cola Cowboy” and “Southern Rain.” He also wrote hits for many other performers, including “Detroit City” for Bobby Bare; “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town” for Kenny Rogers and the First Edition; and “Thoughts of a Fool” for George Strait.

Della Reese was an actress and singer who was probably best known for her role as an angel in the long-running television drama “Touched by an Angel.” She died Nov. 19 at her home in the Los Angeles area. She was 86. Reese was mainly known as a singer before “Touched by an Angel” debuted in 1994, although she had costarred on “Chico and the Man,” “Charlie and Company” and “The Royal Family” and hosted her own talk show. “Touched by an Angel,” which lasted until 2003, became one of television’s highest rated dramas.

Ann Wedgeworth was an actress who starred on film and Broadway before taking on the role of a flirty divorcee on the TV sitcom “Three’s Company.” She died Nov. 16 in the New York area after a long illness, her daughter said. She was 83. Wedgeworth is perhaps best known for playing Lana Shields, an older woman with her eyes set on her young neighbor Jack, played by John Ritter, on “Three’s Company.” She won the 1978 Tony award for best featured actress in a play for her performance in Neil Simon’s “Chapter Two.”

Earle Hyman was a veteran actor of stage and screen who played Russell Huxtable on “The Cosby Show.” He died Nov. 17 at the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, N.J. He was 91. Hyman is best known for playing the father of Bill Cosby’s Cliff Huxtable on “The Cosby Show” and received a guest performer Emmy nomination for the role in 1986. He made his Broadway debut as a teenager in 1943 and went on to become a charter member of the American Shakespeare Theater. He received a Tony nomination for “The Lady From Dubuque in 1980.

Terry Glenn was a former NFL receiver who caught Tom Brady’s first touchdown pass with the New England Patriots in 2001. He died Nov. 20 following a one-vehicle rollover traffic accident near Dallas, officials said. He was 43. Glenn won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top college receiver in 1995 at Ohio State. He played 12 seasons in the NFL, from 1996 to 2007, including six with the Patriots, five with the Dallas Cowboys and another year in Green Bay. He finished his career with 8,823 yards receiving and 44 touchdowns.

Jana Novotna was the Wimbledon women’s singles champion in 1998. She died Nov. 19 in her native Czech Republic after a long battle with cancer, the WTA said. She was 49. Novotna won just one Grand Slam singles title, but she collected 16 slam titles in doubles and mixed doubles. She reached a career-high No. 2 in the singles rankings in 1997. She was a three-time Olympic medalist and was inducted into tennis’ Hall of Fame in 2005.

Dmitri Hvorostovsky was a Russian baritone known for his velvety voice, dashing looks and shock of flowing white hair. He died Nov. 22 at a hospice near his home in London, a few years after he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He was 55. Hvorostovsky, called “the Elvis of opera” by some, was lauded around the world for definitive performances in the title roles of Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” and Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” Valentin in Gounod’s “Faust” and Belcore in Donizetti’s “L'Elisir d'Amore (The Elixir of Love).”

Pancho Segura was a tennis player who rose from poverty to become one of the world’s top amateur players in the 1940s and professionals in the 1950s. He died Nov. 18 from complications of Parkinson’s disease at his home in Carlsbad, Calif., his son said. He was 96. Segura, who was born in Ecuador, was a singles semifinalist four times at the U.S. Championships, the precursor to what is known today as the U.S. Open. He also won the U.S. Clay Court Championship in 1944 and the U.S. Indoor title in 1946. He was later coach of star player Jimmy Connors in Grand Slam events of the 1970s.

Jon Hendricks was a pioneering jazz singer and lyricist who with the trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross popularized the “vocalese” singing style in which words were added to instrumental songs. He died Nov. 22 at a New York City hospital, his daughter said. He was 96. Hendricks found fame in the 1950s and ’60s teaming with Dave Lambert and Annie Ross. The interracial trio became one of the most celebrated jazz vocal groups ever. In the 1980s, he collaborated with Manhattan Transfer on an album called “Vocalese” that won three Grammys, including one for Hendricks.