Deaths from cancer in California

Doris Gwendolyn Tate (née Willett; January 16, 1924 – July 10, 1992) was an American activist for the rights of crime victims, who was best known as the mother of actress Sharon Tate. After Sharon Tate and several others were murdered by members of the Manson Family in 1969, Doris Tate began working to raise public awareness about the U.S. corrections system. She was influential in a court decision that amended California criminal laws relating to the rights of victims of violent crime.

David Compton Tallichet Jr. (December 20, 1922 – October 31, 2007) was an American businessman who started, but did not originate, themed restaurants. He also owned scores of classic military aircraft.

William Moritz (May 6, 1941 – March 12, 2004), film historian, specialized in visual music and experimental animation. His principal published works concerned abstract filmmaker and painter Oskar Fischinger. He also wrote extensively on other visual music artists who worked with motion pictures, including James and John Whitney and Jordan Belson; Moritz also published on German cinema, Visual Music, color organs, experimental animation, avant-garde film and the California School of Color Music.

Joel King Goldsmith (November 19, 1957 – April 29, 2012) was an American composer of film, television, and video game music.

Margaret Field (née Morlan; May 10, 1922 – November 6, 2011) was an American film actress usually billed as Maggie Mahoney after her marriage to actor Jock Mahoney. The mother of actress Sally Field, she was best known for her work in two science-fiction films, The Man from Planet X (1951) and Captive Women (1952) and played dozens of roles in various television series.

Walter Henry Breen Jr. (September 5, 1928 – April 27, 1993) was an American numismatist, writer, and convicted child sex offender as well as the husband of author Marion Zimmer Bradley. He was known among coin collectors for writing Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins. "Breen numbers", from his encyclopedia, are widely used to attribute varieties of coins. He was also known for activity in the science fiction fan community and for his writings in defense of pederasty as a NAMbLA activist.

Lyn Osborn (January 21, 1926 – August 30, 1958) was an American actor, born Clois Lyn Osborn in Wichita Falls, Texas. He is best remembered as "Cadet Happy" on Space Patrol, and from his role in Invasion of the Saucer Men. He died following brain surgery at age 32.

Michel Colombier (23 May 1939 – 14 November 2004) was a French composer, arranger, and conductor.

Joseph Richey (March 30, 1931 – April 4, 1995) was an American basketball player. He was an All-American at Brigham Young University (BYU) and later played in the Amateur Athletic Union.
Joe Richey, a 6'1 (1.85 m) forward from St. Johns, Arizona, played at BYU from 1950 to 1953. Richey was a three-year starter and led the Cougars to berths in both the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and NCAA tournament as a sophomore in 1951. While the Cougars bowed out in the second round in the NCAAs, they won the NIT – defeating Dayton 62–43 in the final. This team is regarded one of the best in BYU history.As a junior and senior, Richey led the Cougars in scoring at averages of 14.6 and 17.6 points per game respectively. He was known for his quickness and was a strong rebounder for his size, averaging 6.5 rebounds per game for his career. As a senior in the 1952–53 season, Richey again led the Cougars to the NIT, though this time the Cougars stay was a short one, ending with a first round loss to Niagara. Richey was named a second team consensus All-American at the conclusion of the season. Richey finished with 1,178 points for his BYU career.Joe Richey was drafted by the Minneapolis Lakers in 1953. He instead played for several years in the AAU for Kirby's Shoes entry in the league.
After his playing days were over, Richey became a paving contractor. He also remained active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, becoming an Elder. In 1992, Richey was diagnosed with leukemia. He lived for three more years, during which time he performed a Mormon mission in Birmingham, England. Joe Richey ultimately died of leukemia on April 4, 1995.

Henry Falcon Cuesta, Sr. (December 23, 1931 – December 17, 2003), was an American woodwind musician who was a cast member of The Lawrence Welk Show. His primary instrument was the clarinet, but he also played saxophone.
At an early age, Cuesta began studying classical violin and then switched to woodwinds. He proved himself gifted and was selected to play while he was still in high school with the Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Before being drafted into the United States Army in 1952, he graduated from Del Mar College, a community college in Corpus Christi, at which he majored in music. In the Army Special Services, he was involved in entertaining troops in Europe and England, which included a "Tribute to Gershwin" concert with the Stuttgart Symphony Orchestra in Germany.
After his Army duty, Cuesta toured the United States and Canada and developed his own highly personal style. While living in Toronto, Cuesta and his group became popular for visiting musicians, including Benny Goodman on one occasion. He later toured in the working band of the legendary trombonist, Jack Teagarden. Bobby Hackett advised him to get in touch with Lawrence Welk, and after listening to his recordings, Welk hired him immediately.
Cuesta made countless personal appearances performing and conducting in jazz festivals, state and county fairs, conventions, supper clubs, and symphony pops concerts. He appeared as a soloist with Jack Teagarden, Bob Crosby, Mel Tormé, in a Bobby Vinton television special, on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and ten years on The Lawrence Welk Show. He also made several appearances to the Colorado Springs Invitational Jazz Party in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and performed with numerous international jazz musicians.
Cuesta died the age of seventy-one at his home in Sherman Oaks, California, after a bout with cancer.
His only son, Henry, Jr., was shot and killed in a robbery at the age of seventeen while he was working in 1987 at a movie theater on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica, California.