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Gone but Never Forgotten - In the following pages, BET.com takes a look back at notable people we lost in 2011.

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Derrick Bell - The first tenured African-American professor of  law at Harvard University and largely credited as the originator of Critical Race Theory, Derrick Bell, 80, died October 5.(Photo: Courtesy David Shankbone)

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Esther Gordy Edwards - Esther Gordy Edwards, 91, founder of the Motown Museum, sister to Motown founder Berry Gordy and champion of preserving the label’s Detroit studio, died on August 24. (Photo: Detroit Free Press/MCT /Landov)

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Dr. James E. Bowman - Dr. James E. Bowman, 88, father of White House adviser Valerie Jarrett and a renowned pathologist known for asserting that mandatory sickle cell screening laws were “more harmful than beneficial,” died September 28.(Photo: ABC7Chicago.com)

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Charles L. Gittens - Charles L. Gittens, 82, who in 1956 became the first black Secret Service agent and was the former head of the Washington field office, died July 27. (Photo: AP Photo)

Photo By AP Photo

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Nate Dogg - One of rap’s most-lauded male hook singers, a member of the rap trio 213 and collaborator of Dr. Dre, Warren G, Tupac and others, Nate Dogg, 41, whose real name was Nathaniel D. Hale, died March 15 of complications from multiple strokes.(Photo: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)

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Nick Ashford - Nick Ashford, 70, one-half of the legendary Motown songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson -- who wrote some of Motown’s biggest hits, including "Ain’t No Mountain High Enough" and "Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing," -- died August 22. (Photo: Shawn Ehlers/WireImage)

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Heavy D - Heavy D, 44, also known as Dwight Arrington Myers — singer and former leader of Heavy D & the Boyz, the first act signed to Uptown Records,  the label that was integral in building the bridge between hip hop and R&B — died on November 8.(Photo: Getty Images)

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Jean-Claude Bajeux - Jean-Claude Bajeux, 79, a longtime Haitian human rights activist, scholar and former culture minister, died on August 5.(Photo: Creative Commons via Flickr.com/lilianepierrepaul)

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Gil Scott-Heron - Poet and musician Gil Scott-Heron, 62, died May 27. Considered one of the godfathers of rap, Scott-Heron was renowned for his spoken-word poetry on such songs as "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised."(Photo: Gilles Petard/Redferns/Getty Images)

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Patrice O'Neal - Comedian Patrice O'Neal, 41, known for boisterously taking on controversial topics like race, AIDS and his own struggle with diabetes, passed away on Nov. 28. (Photo: Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images)

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Bubba Smith - Former NFL defensive star and top NFL draft pick in 1967, Bubba Smith, 66, later found a second successful career as an actor. He died on August 3.(Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Photo By Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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M-Bone - Rapper M-Bone, 22, (real name: Montae Talbert) was killed in a drive-by shooting in Inglewood, Calif., on May 15. He was a member of the  Cali Swag District, best known for the hit song, "Teach Me How to Dougie."(Photo: Paul Abell/PictureGroup)

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Vesta Williams - R&B star Vesta Williams, 53, who had '80s hits such as "I’ll Be Good to You" and "Congratulations," died on Sept. 22. She was found dead in her California hotel room, reportedly with bottles of prescription pills. (Photo: Leon Bennett/Getty Images)

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Steven Paul Jobs - Co-founder and former chairman and CEO of Apple Inc., Steve Jobs, died on October 5. Jobs is credited with changing the technology industry through overseeing the development of the iMac, iTunes, iPod, iPhone and iPad, and the company's Apple Retail Stores. He was 56.(Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

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Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth - The Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, 89, who led the fight against segregation as a minister in Birmingham, Alabama, and was hailed by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. for his courage and energy, died October 5.(Photo: REUTERS/Tami Chappell/Files)

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Mia Amber Davis - The voluptuous model and actress Mia Amber Davis, best known for her role in the film Road Trip died on May 10, 2011, one day after undergoing routine knee surgery in Los Angeles. She was 36.(Photo: Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images)

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David "Honeyboy" Edwards - Grammy-winning Delta blues guitarist and singer, David "Honeyboy" Edwards died August 29. He was 96.

Photo By � Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

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Wangari Maathai - Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize winner and environmentalist Wangari Maathai, 71, died on September 25. Maathai founded The Green Belt Movement, a grassroots non-governmental organization based in Kenya that focused on environmental conservation; she was known as a civil rights and women's rights activist and also served as a Member of Parliament.(Photo: Charley Gallay/Getty Images)

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John Mackey - NFL Hall-of-Fame tight end John Mackey, 69, known for his speed and receiving ability over a 10-year pro football career that included a Super Bowl win with the Baltimore Colts in 1971, died on July 6. (Photo: Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

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Chester McGlockton - Chester McGlockton, 42, a four-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman and former assistant coach and mentor at Stanford University, died November 30. (Photo: George Rose/Getty Images)

Photo By George Rose/Getty Images

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Joe Frazier - Olympic and heavyweight boxing legend Joe Frazier, 67, died on November 7. (Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images

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Sylvia Robinson - Sylvia Robinson, 75, a singer, record producer and songwriter famed for forming the pioneering hip hop group Sugarhill Gang, died on September 29.(Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

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Clarence Clemons - American musician and actor "Big Man" Clarence Clemons, 69, known as being a prominent member of Bruce Springsteen’s band and performing with Aretha Franklin, Twisted Sister and others, died on June 18.(PhotoL Al Pereira/WireImage)

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Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt - Former Black Panther Party leader Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt, 63, imprisoned for 27 years on murder charges, only to have the conviction later overturned, died on June 2. (Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

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Clarice Taylor - Clarice Taylor, 93, the actress and comedian best known for playing grandmothers on The Cosby Show and Sesame Street, died on May 30.(Photo: G. Paul Burnett/AP)

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Ron Springs - Former Dallas Cowboys running back Ron Springs, 54, died May 12. Drafted by the Cowboys in 1979 out of Ohio State, he spent his last two seasons in Tampa Bay. (Photo: AP Photo/File)