Final Chapters for Dec. 10, 2017: John Anderson, Christine Keeler, Ron Meyer

John Anderson was a longtime Illinois congressman who ran for president as an independent in 1980. He died Dec. 3 in Washington, his daughter told The Associated Press. He was 95. Anderson originally sought the Republican presidential nomination in 1980, but he later waged an independent campaign against Democratic President Jimmy Carter and Republican challenger Ronald Reagan, receiving 7 percent of the national vote in an election that Reagan won. He served 10 terms in the House of Representatives and was chair of the House Republican Conference for 10 years before stepping away from the leadership post and his House seat to run for president.

Christine Keeler was the central figure in the sex-and-espionage Profumo scandal that rocked Cold War Britain. She died Dec. 4 at a hospital near Farnborough in southern England, according to her son. She was 75. Keeler was a model and nightclub dancer in 1963 when she had an affair with British War Secretary John Profumo. When it emerged that Keeler had also slept with a Soviet naval attache with ties to Russian intelligence, the collision of sex, wealth and national security issues caused a sensation and helped topple the Conservative government. Keeler was imprisoned for nine months after admitting perjury and conspiring to obstruct justice. She spent the rest of her life trying to escape her unwanted notoriety.

Ron Meyer was the football coach behind SMU’s powerhouse “Pony Express” teams and later coached the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts in the NFL. He died Dec. 5 after collapsing with an aortic aneurism while playing golf in the Austin, Texas, suburb of Lakeway, his family said in a statement. He was 76. Meyer’s last SMU team went 10-1 and won the Southwest Conference in 1981, but the school received the NCAA’s “death penalty” in 1987 for violations that occurred partly under his watch. He was AFC Coach of the Year in 1982, a season in which he called for a snowplow to clear a spot so the Patriots could kick a winning field goal against Miami in one of the NFL’s most memorable moments.

Michael I was the former king of Romania who was forced to abdicate by the communists in the aftermath of World War II. He died Dec. 5 at his residence in Switzerland. He was 96. Michael, a great-great grandson of Britain’s Queen Victoria, ruled Romania twice, from 1927 to 1930 and 1940 to 1947, before the communist government ended the monarchy. He was one of the last surviving World War II leaders, but lived much of his life in exile. He was also related to the Danish, Spanish, Norwegian and Swedish royal families.

Steve Reevis was an actor who had a supporting role as Shep Proudfoot in the movie “Fargo.” He died Dec. 7 at a hospital in Missoula, Mont. The cause of death was not released. He was 55. Reevis, who was a member of the Blackfeet Tribe in northwestern Montana, also appeared in the movies “Dances With Wolves,” “Last of the Dogmen” and the 2005 version of “The Longest Yard,” and acted in several television episodes, including “Walker, Texas Ranger,” “Jag” and “Bones.”

Johnny Hallyday was France’s biggest rock star for more than half a century as the French answer to Elvis Presley. He died Dec. 6 at his home outside Paris. He had announced in March that he had lung cancer. He was 74. Hallyday was little known outside the French-speaking world, but he sold more than 100 million records, packed sports stadiums, acted in more than 30 films and had a postage stamp in his honor.

Ali Abdullah Saleh was Yemen’s president for 33 years until he stepped down in 2012 amid an Arab Spring uprising. He was killed Dec. 4 by the Shiite rebels whom he’d once allied with in hopes of a return to power but then turned against in recent months. He was 75, according to most accounts. Saleh survived for decades as Yemen’s strongman, the master of shifting alliances and playing both sides — or flipping sides freely — in the multiple guerrilla conflicts and civil wars that tore apart his impoverished nation throughout his life.

Tracy Stallard was a major-league pitcher best known for throwing the pitch that the New York Yankees’ Roger Maris hit for his 61st home run on the last day of the 1961 season. He died Dec. 6 in Kingsport, Tenn. He was 80. Stallard was in his first full major-league season with the Boston Red Sox when he gave up the homer that broke Babe Ruth’s record. He also pitched for the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals in a seven-year big-league career.

Bill Steinkraus was one of America’s most celebrated horse-show riders and the country’s first to win an Olympic individual gold medal in any equestrian discipline. He died Nov. 29 at his home in Darien, Conn. He was 92. Steinkraus won a gold medal in show jumping at Mexico City in 1968. He also won team silver medals at Rome in 1960 and Munich in 1972, and a team bronze in 1952 at Helsinki.

This story was originally published December 9, 2017 at 6:44 PM with the headline "Final Chapters for Dec. 10, 2017: John Anderson, Christine Keeler, Ron Meyer."