Milestones

DIED Jheryl Busby, 59, wisely said in 1989, "Motown can't be what it was in the 1960s." As president and CEO of Motown, Busby shepherded the careers of acts such as Boyz II Men and Queen Latifah and revitalized the flagging record label.

G. Larry James, 61, was known as "the Mighty Burner" for his gold-medal win in the 4 × 400-m relay at the racially charged 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, where he demonstrated for civil rights.

John Leonard, 69, the former editor of the New York Times Book Review, was "the smartest man who ever lived," according to Kurt Vonnegut. A prolific literary critic, Leonard often praised authors like Toni Morrison before they hit it big.

Rosella Hightower, 88, a former ballerina, founded one of the world's most famous ballet schools and one of the art form's most notable prizes.

OUSTED After three terms as Prime Minister of New Zealand, Labour Party leader Helen Clark, 58, lost the nation's Nov. 8 elections to National Party leader John Key. Majority power in parliament shifted to Key's party, resulting in Clark's resignation from her post as Labour Party head three days later. Saddened colleagues praised Clark's years in office, during which she boosted New Zealand's economy by cutting debt and building huge surpluses.

EXPELLED What's in a name? Ask Omar Osama bin Laden, 27, and he would have quite a story to tell. On Nov. 9, after several appeals, Omar--one of Osama bin Laden's 19 children--was denied asylum in Spain despite his claim that repeated death threats have put his life in grave danger.