August 5, 2002

2002Josh Ryan Evans, American actor (born 1982)^[†]

Joshua Ryan Evans was an American actor who became known for his role of Timmy Lenox in the soap opera Passions. Evans was aged 17 to 20 during his tenure on Passions, but had the appearance and voice of a small child due to achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism. He was 3 feet 2 inches (97 cm) tall.

2002Chick Hearn, American sportscaster (born 1916)^[†]

Francis Dayle "Chick" Hearn was an American sportscaster who was the play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association for 41 years, as well as the team's assistant general manager for seven years beginning in 1972. Hearn was the first broadcaster named to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Hearn is remembered for his rapid fire, staccato broadcasting style, associated with colorful phrases such as slam dunk, air ball, and no harm, no foul that have become common basketball vernacular. Hearn broadcast 3,338 consecutive Lakers games starting on November 21, 1965. Most of Hearn's games in the television era were simulcast on both radio and television, even after most teams chose to use different announcers for the different media.

2002Franco Lucentini, Italian journalist and author (born 1920)^[†]

Franco Lucentini was an Italian writer, journalist, translator and editor of anthologies.

2002Darrell Porter, American baseball player (born 1952)^[†]

Darrell Ray Porter was an American professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1971 to 1987 for the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals, and Texas Rangers. The four-time All-Star was known for his excellent defensive skills and power hitting ability. He struggled but was never able to overcome a substance abuse problem, yet went on to become the most valuable player of the 1982 World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals. Porter died from accidental drug toxicity in 2002 at the age of 50.