Terry Gross

Comedian and actor Bernie Mac died on August 9 due to complications from pneumonia. Mac was one of the original Kings of Comedy, and he starred in his own sitcom. In tribute, Mac's friend and co-star Don Cheadle says, "He will be missed but heaven just got funnier."

Award-winning soul singer Isaac Hayes died August 10. Hayes' "Theme From Shaft" won both Academy and Grammy awards, and his album Hot Buttered Soul helped pave the way for disco.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind says that the war in Iraq was based not simply on blunders but on lies. His book, The Way of the World, accuses the Bush administration of burying critical information and forging a letter that linked Iraq to the Sept. 11 attacks.