Ansel Adams, 82, photographer known for his sharply detailed landscapes, which helped to establish photography as an art form, 22 April 1984.

Kurt Adler, 82, conductor and opera director, 9 February 1988.

Alvin Ailey, 58, modern-dance choreographer, founder, and director of an integrated dance company, 1 December 1989.

Jack Albertson, 71, stage, movie, and television actor, who won a Tony and an Oscar for his roles in the stage

(1964) and movie (1968) versions of The Subject Was Roses, 25 November 1981.

Ivan Albright, 86, painter, 18 November 1983.

Robert Aldrich, 65, director of movie melodramas such as Kiss Me Deadly (1955), Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), and The Dirty Dozen (1967), 5 December 1983.

Nelson Algren, 72, author of novels of the urban underground — including The Man With the Golden Arm (1949) and Walk on the Wild Side (1956), 9 May 1981.

Harold Arlen, 81, composer of music for popular songs such as "Get Happy," "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," "It's Only a Paper Moon," and "Stormy Weather," 23 April 1986.

Hal Ashby, 59, director whose movies include Harold...