Hollywood screen legend Tony Curtis who starred in more than 140 films including "Some Like It Hot", "Spartacus" and "The Sweet Smell of Success" died aged 85 due to cardiac arrest at his Nevada home.

2010 marked the passing of an icon from another Hollywood era, Dennis Hopper, best known for directing and starring in the 1969 cult classic "Easy Rider," due to complications of prostate cancer aged 74.

Nielsen was famous for his bumbling cop, Lieutenant Frank Drebin, in the "Naked Gun" franchise and as the deadpan Doctor Rumack in "Airplane!" - he was 84.

Peter Graves, who died from a heart attack at 83 this year was Nielsen's "Airplane!" co-star but will be remembered as spy-team leader Jim Phelps on TV's original "Mission: Impossible" series.

Other staples of television pop culture to pass during the year were John Forsythe who played oil baron Blake Carrington in TV drama "Dynasty", passing away aged 92 after a year-long battle with cancer.

Tom Bosley who played the patriarch of one of television's best known families on the sit-com "Happy Days," also lost his fight with cancer at the age of 83.

In music, controversial British manager and self-proclaimed mastermind behind punk band the Sex Pistols, Malcolm McLaren lost his battle to cancer a hospital in a Switzerland at 64 years old.

And the fashion world was rocked by the shock suicide of British fashion designer Alexander McQueen.

The death of the 40 year old designer dominated the year's major industry events with top fashionistas, design houses and celebrity guests paying tribute to McQueen at fashion weeks in Paris, Milan and London.

One performer whose contribution went beyond mere entertainment was Lena Horne who battled racism to become Hollywood's first black leading lady and later won acclaim as a Grammy winning singer.

Horne, who is credited with breaking the ground for black actresses to get serious Hollywood roles, died at age 92 in Manhattan.

Doug MacLaurin, Reuters.