Liz Claiborne, 78
Designer Liz Claiborne died in New York on June 26 after a protracted battle with cancer. She was 78. With her husband, Art Ortenberg, and business partner Leonard Boxer, Claiborne founded her eponymous clothing label in 1976 and watched it grow to become the manufacturing giant it is today with a large stable of brands, including Juicy Couture, Ellen Tracy, Dana Buchman and Lucky Brand. The designer retired from daily operations in 1989. Last year, Liz Claiborne sales volume reached nearly $5 billion.
