Notable deaths of 2012 (39 images)

Jerry Clinton, shown in this November 23, 2011 file photo at the Guns 'N Hoses Boxing Tournament has died of cancer at the age of 74 in St. Louis on January 18, 2012. Clinton, former owner of Grey Eagle Distributors, the largest Anheuser Busch beer distributor in the Midwest, is responsible for bringing the Los Angeles Rams to St. Louis in 1995. Clinton helped raise millions of dollars for families of fallen police officers and firefighters through the annual Guns 'N Hoses fundraiser for Backstoppers. UPI/Bill Greenblatt/FILES

Singer Whitney Houston died at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles on February 11, 2012 it was announced. She was 48 and the cause of her death was unknown. She is shown with her husband Bobby Brown at Disneyland in Anaheim, California on August 7, 2004 file photo. UPI/Jim Ruymen/Files

Professional bowling legend and bowling-alley entrepreneur Don Carter, who brought the sport to television and was the first athlete ever to sign a $1 million endorsement deal, shown in this November 16, 2010 file photo, died at his Kendall, Florida home on January 6, 2011. Carter, 85, died from emphysema. UPI/Bill Greenblatt/FILES

Don Cornelius, the host of long-running soul music showcase "Soul Train," was found dead at his Mullholland Drive home in California on Feb. 1. "Soul Train" debuted in 1970 and immediately struck a chord with those looking for a different sort of music from that typically featured on television at the time. Last September, "Soul Train" celebrated its 40th anniversary. (UPI Photo/John Hayes)