In the last week, many notable Americans have passed away. This week saw the loss of three notable singers and an actor, as well as a star baseball player and a former NASA astronaut. These amazing people came from various walks of life, helping to shape American culture in some way. May they be put in memoriam forever.

Entertainment

Robert Knight (1945-2017) was a soul and pop singer. In 1959, he formed a group with his high school friends called the Paramounts and had a minor hit with the 1961 R&B single “Free Me.” However, the group soon dissolved due to subsequent flopped releases and a contract dispute with their former record label.

Knight went to study chemistry at Tennessee State and in 1967 was offered a solo record label from Rising Sons Music.

That year Knight performed the song he is best known for, the country-soul hit “Everlasting Love,” which peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. The following year would see two more pop hits in “Blessed Are The Lonely” and “Isn't It Lonely Together.” Later in life, Knight moved away from music to focus on his job at Vanderbilt University as a chemistry teacher, lab technician, and grounds crew member. Knight died on November 5 at age 72, with “The Tennessean” reporting he passed following a short, undisclosed illness.

John Hillerman (1932-2017) was an actor best known for his role as Jonathan Quayle Higgins III on the 1980s TV series “Magnum P.I.

” He would win a Primetime Emmy and a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for the role. Hillerman was also known for his roles on “The Betty White Show,” “One Day at a Time,” and “Valerie.” He also appeared in films like “Paper Moon,” “Chinatown,” and “Blazing Saddles.” His nephew Chris Tritico said that Hillerman died on November 9 at age 84 from natural causes.

Chuck Mosley (1959-2017) was a singer-songwriter best known for his best known for his time as frontman of the band Faith No More from 1984-88. During this time they released their first two albums, “We Care a Lot” and “Introduce Yourself.” He was then kicked out of the band and later sued them for violating a partnership deal, with the issue being settled out of court.

Mosley would join the hardcore band Bad Brains and later form his own band Cement. He went on to do a number of solo albums and even had occasional reunions with Faith No More. Mosley died on November 9 at age 57, with a statement from his family being posted on EMP Label Group's Facebook.

Fred Cole (1948-2017) was a singer and guitarist who became a garage-rock legend in the northwest. He started his career in 1964 with his band the Lords, releasing a single titled “Ain't Got No Self-Respect.” His next band The Weeds, later renamed The Lollipop Shoppe, would have a minor 1968 hit with “You Must Be A Witch.” Over the next two decades, he would form or be a member of Zipper, King Bee, The Rats, Western Front, and The Range Rats.

Cole would find long-term success in 1987 when he formed the band, Dead Moon. The following year they released their first album, “In The Graveyard,” and would be together until disbanding in 2006 following their last album “Dead Ahead” and subsequent tour of Europe. In 2007, he founded the band Pierced Arrows but Cole had to retire from music last year due to health problems. According to his wife and bandmate Toody Cole, he died of cancer on November 9. Cole was 69 years old.

Sports

Roy Halladay (1977-2017) was a professional baseball pitcher who played 16 seasons (1998-2013) for the Torotono Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies.

Considered one of the best pitchers of his era, Halladay was an eight-time All-Star and won two CY Young Awards, becoming one of only six pitchers to win the award in both leagues.

In 2010, Halladay threw his first perfect game. That same year he threw only the second ever no-hitter in MLB postseason history. He also became only the fifth pitcher ever to throw multiple no-hitters in the same season. For his career, he had a record of 203-105 with an ERA of 3.38 and 2,117 strikeouts. Halladay died on November 7 at age 40 after his ICON A5 amphibious plane crashed into the Gulf of Mexico.

Others

Richard Gordon (1929-2017) joined the United States Navy after college and earned his wings as a Naval Aviator in 1953.

He then became a test pilot for the Navy from 1957-60. In 1963, he was chosen to be part of NASA's third group of astronauts. He flew on Gemini 11 in 1966 and walked in space twice during the mission. In 1969, he was the command module pilot for Apollo 12 becoming one of the few men to fly around the moon without landing on it.

Gordon then went on to work in the astronaut office becoming chief of advanced programs before retiring from NASA and the Navy in 1972. He then served as the Executive Vice President of the New Orleans Saints until 1976 before going on to hold various high-level roles for a number of energy and science companies. The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation announced that Gordon died on November 6 at age 88.
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