They made the stages and screens of the 20th century shine. Their music burned with the heat of love or plumbed the soul of the common man. Their writings took us to faraway worlds, or deep within our hearts.

Bob Hope made us laugh and warmed the hearts of lonely servicemen. Katharine Hepburn showed us elegance and pride in every role she played. Fred Rogers became a fatherly TV friend to generations of youngsters. Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash were country music royalty.

They are some of the figures in the arts and popular culture who died in 2003.

Here, a roll call.

JANUARY

Maurice Gibb, 53. With his brothers, he built the Bee Gees into a disco sensation with hits like Stayin' Alive. Jan. 12. Intestinal blockage.

Nell Carter, 54. She played the sassy housekeeper on Gimme a Break! and won a Tony in 1978 for Ain't Misbehavin'. Jan. 23. Heart disease, diabetes.

FEBRUARY

Johnny PayCheck, 64. Hell-raising country singer known for his 1977 working man's anthem, Take This Job and Shove It. Feb. 18.

Fred Rogers, 74. He invited millions of children to be his neighbor as longtime host of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Feb. 27.

MARCH

Lynne Thigpen, 54. She co-starred in the TV drama The District; won a Tony in 1997 for An American Daughter. March 12.

Michael Jeter, 50. The shrimpy assistant coach on Evening Shade and The Other Mr. Noodle on Sesame Street. March 30.

APRIL

Edwin Starr, 61. Soul singer who topped the charts in 1970 with his song War, proclaiming it good for Absolutely nothing! April 2.

David Bloom, 39. A rising star at NBC News. April 6. Apparent blood clot while covering Iraq war.

Eva Narcissus Boyd, around 58. As Little Eva, she had a No. 1 hit in 1962 with the novelty dance tune The Loco-motion. April 10.

Elaine Steinbeck, 88. John Steinbeck's widow; became an ambassador of his legacy. April 27.

MAY

Robert Stack, 84. Actor whose granite-eyed stare spelled trouble for criminals in The Untouchables and Unsolved Mysteries. May 14.

June Carter Cash, 73. Grammy-winning scion of one of country music's pioneering families and the wife of Johnny Cash. May 15.

JUNE

David Brinkley, 82. Revered broadcaster, first gained fame as one-half of NBC's Huntley-Brinkley anchor team. June 11.

Gregory Peck, 87. He embodied citizenship and fatherly compassion in To Kill a Mockingbird and played real-life figures from Abraham Lincoln to Josef Mengele. June 12.

Katharine Hepburn, 96. She brought feminist strength, chiseled beauty and patrician bearing to such films as The Philadelphia Story and The African Queen. June 29.

Buddy Hackett, 78. Round, rubbery-faced nightclub, Broadway, TV and movie funnyman (The Music Man, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World). June 30.

JULY

Barry White, 58. R&B crooner whose lush baritone oozed sex appeal (Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe). July 4. Kidney failure.

N!xau, about 59. The diminutive Namibian in the surprise 1980 comedy hit The Gods Must Be Crazy. Disclosed July 5.

Buddy Ebsen, 95. Dancer turned actor who achieved stardom in the TV series The Beverly Hillbillies and Barnaby Jones. July 6.

Celia Cruz, 77. Singer whose vigour and trademark shout of "Azucar!" ("Sugar!") made her the Queen of Salsa. July 16.

Bob Hope, 100. Master of the one-liner and favorite comedian of servicemen and presidents alike. July 27.

AUGUST

Gregory Hines, 57. The greatest tap dancer of his generation; acted in White Nights and The Cotton Club. Aug. 9. Cancer.

Charles Bronson, 81. Hard-faced action star of the 1970s, notably in the Death Wish movies. Aug. 30.

SEPTEMBER

Warren Zevon, 56. Singer-songwriter known for twisted sense of humour (Werewolves of London, Life'll Kill Ya). Sept. 7. Cancer.

John Ritter, 54. He ruled TV comedy with Three's Company and

was back on top 25 years later with 8 Simple Rules . . . For Dating My Teenage Daughter. Sept. 11. Torn heart artery.

Johnny Cash, 71. A towering musical figure whose rough, unsteady voice championed the downtrodden and reached across generations. Sept. 12.

Gordon Jump, 71. The befuddled station manager on WKRP in Cincinnati and the lonely Maytag repairman. Sept. 22.

Robert Palmer, 54. Grammy-winning British rocker; noted for his music video with the look-alike models, Addicted to Love. Sept. 26. Heart attack.

OCTOBER

Fred Berry, 52. The beret-wearing Rerun on the 1970s sitcom What's Happening! Oct. 21.

Rod Roddy, 66. Announcer on The Price is Right whose booming voice invited lucky audience members to "Come on down!" Oct. 27.

NOVEMBER

Art Carney, 85. He turned The Honeymooners sidekick Ed Norton into one of the most memorable characters in TV history; won an Oscar for Harry and Tonto. Nov. 9.

DECEMBER

Lewis Allen, 81. Producer of the Broadway hit Annie; winner of three Tonys. Dec. 8.