Luther Vandross
(April 20, 1951-July 1, 2005) Luther Vandross (born Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. ) was an American R&B singer. During his career, Vandross sold 25 million albums and won eight Grammy awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times. Born on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City, Vandross grew up in a musical family that moved to the Bronx when he was 13.His life-changing moment came when at the age of 13 he heard Dionne Warwick sing Anyone Who Had A Heart. He knew then that he wanted to be a singer. Vandross also sang backing vocals for artisits like Roberta Flack, Carly Simon, Chaka Khan, Bette Midler, Chic, Barbra Streisand, and David Bowie brfore he made it big. He eventually made his breakthrough in 1981, with his solo recording debut with the LP "Never Too Much." The album went double platinum, with the song "Never Too Much" reaching #1 on the R&B charts.Vandross released a series of million-selling albums during the 1980s. In 2003, Vandross released the album Dance With My Father in memory of his father.On April 16, 2003, Vandross suffered a stroke in his home in Manhattan. (Although the cause of Vandross' stroke was not specifically attributed to diabetes, diabetics have been identified as being much more susceptible to strokes.) Although he appeared briefly on videotape at the 2004 Grammys to accept his Song of the Year award, he was never seen in public again. Vandross died on July 1, 2005 at John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Edison, New Jersey. He was 54.

Constance Motley Baker
(September 14, 1921–September 28, 2005) Constance Baker Motley was an African American civil rights activist, lawyer, judge, and state senator. Her legal career began as a law clerk in the fledgling NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF), where she worked with Thurgood Marshall, Jack Greenberg, and others. She became Associate Counsel to the LDF, making her the NAACP's lead trial attorney. She argued Meredith v. Fair before the U.S. Supreme Court, successfully winning James Meredith's effort to be the first black student to attend the University of Mississippi. Motley was successful in nine of the ten cases she argued before the Supreme Court, and was otherwise a key legal strategist in the civil rights movement, helping to desegregate Southern schools, buses, and lunch counters. In 1964, Motley became the first African American woman elected to the New York State Senate. In 1965, she was chosen Manhattan Borough President—the first woman and first African American in that position. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson named her a federal court judge—the first African American woman so named—where she continued (including a term as chief judge) until her death. In 1993, she was inducted into National Women's Hall of Fame. In 2001, President Bill Clinton awarded her the Presidential Citizens Medal. The NAACP awarded her the Springarn Medal, the organization's highest honor, in 2003. At the time of her death, she was a district judge for the United States District Court Southern District of New York. Motley died of congestive heart failure on September 28, 2005 at NYU Downtown Hospital in New York City.

Shirley Horn
(May 1, 1934 – October 20, 2005) Shirley Horn was an original. Not a scat vocalist but rather a sensitive vocalist: she presented her lyrics with improvisational bending and changing of notes in an artistic style that is the essence of true jazz. She was nominated for multiple Grammys and won the award in 1991 for best jazz vocal performance. As a child prodigy, Shirley Horn began playing piano at age 4 and the next year started formal musical training. At just 12 years of age Horn studied composition at Howard University and at 18 was awarded a scholarship to study at Julliard in New York. In 2004, Horn was honored by the National Endowment for the Arts as a jazz master.