In the last week, many notable Americans have passed away. This article will cover a few of these amazing people from various walks of life that helped to shape American culture and life in some way.

Politics

Al McCandless (1927-2017) was a Republican politician from the state of California. From 1945-46 and later from 1950-52 he served in the U.S. Marine Corps, reaching the rank of Captain.

From 1972-82 he was a member of the Riverside County board of supervisors, while also serving as a member of the housing authority starting in 1974.

In 1983, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives to serve California's 37th district. He served in Congress from 1983-95, and was reelected for five consecutive terms. In 1994, he announced his retirement, saying that he would not be running for reelection at the end of his term. McCandless died on August 9 at age 90.

Entertainers

Glen Campbell (1936-2017) was a singer, musician, TV host and actor. During his long career, he released over 70 albums and sold more than 45 million records.

His biggest hits and best-known work came in the 1960s and 1970s, including songs like “Wichita Lineman” and “Rhinestone Cowboy.” Campbell would win 10 Grammy awards, including winning four in 1967 in the country and pop categories. He would also win 10 ACM awards.

From 1969-72, he hosted the “Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour”, which led to a Golden Globe nomination in 1970. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe that year for his supporting role in the movie “True Grit.” In 2014, he shared a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Campbell died on August 8 at age 81 due to complications from Alzheimer's.

Sports

Darren Daulton (1962-2017) was a professional baseball player who played 14 seasons (1983, 85-97) in the major leagues, mostly for the Phillies.

During his career, Daulton was a key member and leader of his Phillies teams, notably the 1993 team that reached the World Series. In the middle of the 1997 season, he was traded to the Marlins and helped them win the World Series that season.

Daulton was a three-time All-Star and also won a silver slugger award. He batted .245 with 137 home runs, 588 RBIs and had 891 hits. He was also the only catcher to have over 100 RBIs in back-to-back seasons. Daulton died on August 6 at age 55 after battling glioblastoma for four years.

Don Baylor (1949-2017) was a professional baseball player. He played in the major leagues for 19 seasons (1970-88) with the Orioles, Athletics, Angels, Yankees, Red Sox, and Twins.

His best season came in 1979 when he made his only All-Star appearances and was named AL MVP. He was also a 3-time silver slugger, 2-time winner of the Edgar Martinez Award and also won the Roberto Clemente Award. Baylor batted .260 with 338 home runs, 1,276 RBIs, and 285 steals during his career. In 1987, he became a World Series champion with the Twins.

Following his playing career, Baylor became a manager for the Rockies for six seasons (1993-98). He went 440-469 (.484%) in that time with the team. He won the NL Manager of the Year award in 1995, leading the team to their first playoff appearance. He then managed the Cubs for three seasons (2000-2002), going 187-220 (.459%). Baylor died on August 7 at age 68 after battling multiple myeloma for 14 years.

Dick MacPherson (1930-2017) was a football coach in the college and NFL ranks. From 1958-66 he worked at several different schools as an assistant or position coach. From 1967-70 he was the linebackers/defensive backs coach for the Broncos. From 1971-77, he was the head coach of Divison II UMass, going 45-27-1 in his time with the program. He then went back to the NFL from 1978-80 to be the linebackers coach for the Browns.

From 1981-90, he coached Syracuse University, going 66-46-4 and being 3-1-1 in bowl games. His best season was 1987, when the team went 11-0-1, tying Auburn 16-16 in the 1988 Sugar Bowl and finishing the season ranked 4th in the AP poll. MacPherson won several different Coach of the Year awards for his work that year. He then went to coach the Patriots in the NFL from 1991-92, going 8-24. In 2009, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. MacPherson died on August 8 at age 86.