Celebrity Deaths in 2012

Alex Karras

The football star-turned-actor died on Oct. 10 at 77 from kidney failure. Nicknamed "The Mad Duck," Karras spent 12 seasons with the Detroit Lions as a defensive tackle before seguing into acting. Some of his more memorable roles included Mongo in Blazing Saddles, who punches a horse; the sheriff in Porky's and a closeted bodyguard in Victor/Victoria. In the 1980s, Karras starred as George Papadapolis, the adoptive father of the titular boy in Webster (Emmanuel Lewis). Karras and his wife in real life, Susan Clark, played a couple on the series, which they also produced. In recent years, Karras had battled heart disease, kidney disease, stomach cancer and dementia.