captioning made possible by johnson & johnson, committed to improving health for everyone, everywhere. [trumpet] ♪♪ >> pauley: good morning, i'm jane pauley, and this is "sunda" christmas has come and gone. the clock is ticking. before you know it, we'll ring and the new year. but before we leave 2021 behind, it is that time when we remember the unforgettable. when we say hail and farewell to those who left us in the year

gone by. lee cowan has our annual look back. ♪♪ >> reporter: from broadway l luminery to statesmen, to actors we'll never forget. >> i'm ready. >> reporter: this "sunday morning," we say good-bye to them, those who enriched our lives. ♪♪ >> reporter: leaving us a bit better in a year we hoped would be better, too. ♪♪ >> pauley: as we gear up to wish you a joyous new year, mo rocca comes bearing a gift. the inspiring story behind b beethoven's odde to joy. >> reporter: it was a call for universal fellowship, but the composer was at his most isolated while writing it. >> i think it is the greatest

accomplishment in musical history. >> reporter: the writing of the ninth by a man who was essentially deaf. beethoven's gift to human kind, ahead on "sunday morning." >> pauley: actor peter dinklage will be telling lesley stahl the story behind his latest movie. why acting? >> i ask myself every morning, but what else can i do? i like gardening. >> reporter: the amazing story of cryano de bergerac with peter dinklage, how it dumped from the big screen, later on "sunday mo" >> pauley: conor knighton will take us down some country roads,

and seth doane takess to the reconstruction of paris's beloved notre dame. faith salie has the latest on the year 2021. plus the best in movies, books, and music and more on this last sunday of 2021, sunday, december 26th. we'll be right back. about covi9

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or live chat at calhope.org today. ♪♪ ♪ almost heaven, west virginia ♪ >> pauley: it was a song that was a huge hit for john denver in 1971. today it has become something of an anthem for the home sick everywhere. conor knighton takes us down the road. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ almost heaven, west virginia ♪ >> reporter: the first line of john denver's song of "take me home, country roads," calls west virginia almost heaven. and when you're up in the mountains, that description can feel pretty accurate. but these winding country roads

were mortalized by someone who had never driven them. ♪ country roads, take me home ♪ >> reporter: had you ever been to west virginia before you wrote the song? >> no -- well, in my dreams. >> the melody is... >> reporter: songwriter bill indiana, along with his then girlfriend taffy nivert, played it for john denver after a gig in washington, d.c.. >> john's biggest contribution at that point was just his enthusiasm. well, let's finish it. at 1:00 in the morning, 1:30. let's get it. >> reporter: the three stayed up late collaborating on the version that hit the airwaves 50 years ago. ♪♪ >> when it came out in '71, you know, the vietnam war was really rocking. we had hundreds of thousands of troops over there. so coming home way a big, big deal. ♪ i hear a voice in the morning hour, she calls me ♪

♪ the radio reminds me of my home far away ♪ >> reporter: it was a song about home, just not danoff home. you're from massachusetts, could it have easily have been almost heaven, massachusetts? >> yeah, except i didn't like the word. >> reporter: west virginia sounded good, and as it turned out, a lot of other people thought so, too. the song was john denver's first hit. and the blue ridge mountains and shendandoah rivers are barely in the virginia borders, but west virginians embraced it. >> john denver, the mountain state's adopted son, paid a special visit to t the campus. >> reporter: students at west

virginia sang the song after every home victoria. ♪ west virginia, take me home to the tate me home, to the state i belong ♪ ♪ west virginia, mountain harmony, take me home ♪ >> reporter: it is a staple at wedding receptions. you can find the lyrics on posters and t-shirts, everywhere from small-town store fronts to the back of senator joe manchin's boat. but the enduring appeal outside of the state is more surprising. from television's "the office" -- ♪♪ >> sorry. >> reporter: and germany's oktoberfest. ♪ west virginia, mount harmony ♪ >> reporter: the song is known throughout the world. >> we can think about the song as being about any place. it names west virginia, but it

didn't have to. >> reporter: sarah morris has been studying the global impact of "country roads." >> people take the song and reappropriate prate it so it is about the place that is home to them. >> reporter: so they swap in their own geographic references. >> change the geographic references, cla change the lyrics, change the location, but it doesn't change the meaning of the song. >> reporter: this toots and the maytals version was a hit in jamaica. ♪ west jamaica ♪ >> reporter: in hawaii, it's west makaha. from france... ♪♪ >> reporter: ...to brazil... ♪♪ >> reporter: ...there are countless r reinterpretations. the song is hugely popular in

japan. "whisper of the heart's" plot translate around a girl two translates country roads. the feeling of longing, of homesickness, is universal. >> it is a rare song that isn't just singing about something, it is causing it. >> reporter: brad paisley grew up in glendale, west virginia. and he has been playing "country roads" ever since he began playing guitar. but it gained new meaning once he moved to nashville. >> once you move away, the song takes on way more character and depth. you hear on that radio and you're not in west virginia. you hear that in your car, and it comes on, and you hear that iconic acoustic guitar part. diving down the road, i get a feeling... >> leaving and homecoming has always been something that west virginians have experienced, but we've been at a loss in our

population since 1950. so i think it is a perennial mood for west virginians. >> reporter: including this one. i grew up in the capitol city of charleston. i learned to ride my bike on country roads. i left the state after high school, but i'm still nostalgic for it. all my memories gather around her. >> one of the things i've been thinking about is a welsh concept call hiraea. it is a deep longing for some place you can't quite name, that is home, but maybe more. it is maybe a place you've never been or the home you've only dreamed of. this deep pull-toward place. ♪♪ >> reporter: whatever home means to you, there is no place like it. ♪ to the place i belong ♪ >> the place, really, is

inmaterial. it is the place i belong. >> reporter: like so many people, i didn't head home for the holidays in 2020, which has made returning this year feel especially meaningful. at the end of the year, the place i belong is at the end of a country road. ♪ take me home, country roads ♪ what makes febreze air effects different? while cheaper aerosols rely on artificial propellants... febreze uses a 100% natural propellant.

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>> pauley: as we mentioned, throughout the morning we'll be remembering 2021. to begin, we look back month by month. >> i joe biden -- >> pauley: joe biden was inaugurated as our 46th president in january, just two weeks after supporters of former president trump stormed the u.s. capital. in february, the united states formally rejoined the paris climate change agreement, aimed at limiting global warming. a containership ran aground in the suez canal, holding up billions in trade. the ship was freed six days later. in april, a minneapolis jury found former police officer derek chauvin guilty of murdering george floyd. >> pretty amazing. >> pauley: may saw the successful splashdown of the

first operational space flight by a private company, elon musk's spacex. june saw the partial collapse of a condominium in surfside, florida, killing 98 residents. july brought the 32nd summer olympic games to tokyo, a year after being postponed. the u.s. topped the medal count with 113. august saw the withdrawal of american troops from afghanistan after a two decade war that took the lives of over 2400 u.s. service personnel. in september, the texas heartbeat act took affect, banning abortion after about six weeks. the supreme court has declined to block the law, saying it is a question for the lower courts. october brought the welcome news that the world health organzation had endorsed the world's first vaccine against

malaria. in november, the atlanta braves won their fourth world series. defeating the houston astros four games to two. and this month, tornadoes ripped through the south and midwest, killing at least 91 people. and the f.d.a. authorized two pills to treat covid, a potential game-changer in our new n new year's long fight against the disease. -they're -- when group two is gonna get boarded? 2 hours and 58 minutes. progressive can't protect you from becoming your parents, but we can protect your home and auto when you bundle with us. someone should've left home earlier.

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>> pauley: it was april 15, 2019, when fire tore through paris's beloved notre dame. plans to restore and reconstruct the great cathedral were launched almost immediately. two plus years later, our seth doane has a progress report. ♪♪ >> reporter: it's at the heart of paris in every sense of the word, but this landmark, which has endured since the 12th century, is now almost unrecognizable inside. as we saw when "sunday morning" was granted rare access. ♪♪ >> reporter: today notre dame is a cathedral of scaffolding. that's after that april 2019 fire, likely sparked by an electrical short which engulfed

the church. the magnificent 160-year-old gothic spire toppled and much of the roof collapsed. remarkably, though, most of the main stone structure remained. and french president emmanuel macron vowed to rebuild in five years. [speaking french] >> reporter: lead contamination from the destroyed roof and spire is just one of the many challenges slo out. >> so they've given us completely new clothes, which we will wear and dispose of. >> reporter: we suited up this past summer to go high on the scaffolding over the cathedral, to meet from this commanding perch the man in charge of the renewal effort, jean-louis georgelin, who doesn't exactly have much time to enjoy the vistas of paris. what a view. >> it is one of the most magnificent views you can have from paris, only for a small

time because this will be here only for five years. >> reporter: he is referring to the scaffolding and that ambitious renovation deadline. >> and i'm here, me, to win this battle. it is a battle. it is a daily battle. >> reporter: in fact, he is a former military general. and georgelin says that is part of the reason macron chose him. he is charged with managing this rebuilding effort. they have already raised $1 billion. he showed us the gaping hole at the church's transept. >> this is the heart of the drummer. >> reporter: and pointed out where there once was the roof. >> here you will have a roof and the framework. and below the framework, the roof. >> reporter: this is where lattice of century's-old wooden beams, known as the forest, made up a sort of attic for the chrch. it doesn't look like it will be

ready by 2024. >> why do you say that? because you have a lot of scaffold? >> reporter: yes. >> we have a plan, where is very precise. now you are at the helm of what we call the studization. so in some way the most difficult has been done. >> reporter: we we're going up to the very top? to see the work, the chief architect took us into that web of scaffolding which initially obscured the ceiling. he says this renovation is for him a duty and a mission, adding -- [speaking french] >> reporter: -- my job is that every morning i wake up to save the cathedral. they were putting in place temporary, custom-built wooden braces designed to support the flying buttresses. there has been debate over every

detail. chairs versus pews, lighting and art. but villeneuve told us the structure will be as close to the original as possible. [speaking french] >> reporter: they'll be using the exact same materials as they did during the middle ages and during the 19th century, he told us. we looked to see if the stones were the same density. it was oak; it will be oak. the techniques are absolutely identical. cbs news visited some of the french forests, where they were selecting some of the 1,000 oak trees for the spire and transept. earlier this month they began sawing the first few trees. notre dame did not have modern fire safety equipment, like sprinklers, to slow the blaze, but french firefighters had trained to fight a fire at the cathedral. >> beautiful. >> reporter: they used water at lower pressure and tried to

avoid directly spraying the hot-stained glass. these stained glass windows are absolutely irreplaceable. philippe villeneuve told us these treasures were spared. there are carpenters, stone masons, artisans from about 20 different specialties at work here. some in this medieval place, using the most modern of implements. including a drone fitted with special imaging technology. >> it is a high resolution photograph. so i really have (indiscernable). >> reporter: philippe dillman is at the scientific research, the cnrs, and he told us what he called notre dame's digital twin. >> we use that to understand the way it was built. and the way they built these cathedrals, and also to restore them. >> reporter: they compare

these images with high-resolution ones taken before the fire, that examined how the monument moved, where it was stressed by the fire, and the temperatures at which it burned. they are trying to understand where specific pieces were placed. some materials, like stone, can be reused. but this piece of wood, for instance, has been burned. that is not going to be able to be put back in place. >> exactly. no. of course. >> reporter: so why does it matter where exactly that came from if you can't puttyg to understand those processes, there have been some unexpected revelations from materials, like that century's-old wood. >> we can have indication on the medieval climate, the evolution of the medieval climate, just by looking at those inside the roof. >> reporter: so you're not only learning about putting the cathedral back together, you're

learning about pieces of history? >> exactly. science for the rebuilding. >> reporter: they are tantalizing details. this precious time capsule is inspiring and challenging artisans of our modern era, charged with preserving the majesty of the past. ♪♪ and the largest corporate donor to the aspca and national park foundation. get a new subaru during the share the love event and subaru will donate two hundred and fifty dollars to charity. need long-lasting freshness? try febreze unstopables touch fabric spray.

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>> i killed my mother on the day

i was born. >> i killed my father, tyrion lannister, with a bow to the heart. i'm the greatest of our time. >> pauley: actor peter dinklage has won fore four emmys for his role in game of throne. now he is tackling another literary hero. lesley stahl has our sunday profile. >> reporter: full disclosure, i have wanted to interview peter dinklage for years, but he is a hard man to get in the chair. you're famously private. >> uh-huh. >> reporter: i'm told you really don't like to talk like this. >> if it was truly private, i wouldn't be here. i'm salinger. i'm selling cars here. i think privacy is something that is really getting chipped away at these days, especially with actors. the more you know about an

actor's personal life, you see it on screen when they're playing a character. it kind of chips away at the fabric of what your watching. >> reporter: i want to say to you, get over it because this is the way it is. >> i know, but i'm a cranky old man. a pleasure to meet you. >> reporter: the vehicle, this charmingly cranky 52-year-old is selling is cyrano, a new movie based on an old play. cryano de bergerac was written by edmond rustand in 1897. he is ashamed of his appearance. >> to love you for who you are, not how you look. >> reporter: who helps another man. >> my whole life i've been useless. what's the word? >> inarticulate. >> that's it. >> reporter: so he writes love

letters to woo roxane. the character, who has a large and repellent nose, has been played by everyone, from jose ferrer, who won an oscar for his portrayal, to steve martin, who didn't. >> i am not a rumor. i'm living proof that god has a sick sense of humor. >> reporter: peter dinklage cyrano is certainly a contender. it was filmed in a small town in sicily last fall, at the heart of the pandemic. the movie set was safe most of the time. what made you decide to shoot a sequence on a volcano? >> it seemed to be a good idea at the time. >> reporter: director joe wright almost had a disaster movie on his hands when mt. etna -- it exploded while you were there? >> yes.

that was bad luck. on the last days, the volcano erupted, and we ran down the hill. >> reporter: literally ran for your life? >> pretty much, yeah. >> reporter: that was the cliff-hanger finale of the film shoot in sicily. but our story began calmly in connecticut at the good speed theater three years ago. was peter still working on game of throne at the time? >> he wrapped game of thrones -- two days later he started this. >> reporter: she is peter dinklage's wife. >> i'm a poet. >> reporter: she wrote and directed the stage adaptation of cyrano. >> i love the character of cyrano. i love how uncomprising he is, he is unwilling to be bought. i don't think he would post much on instagram or twitter. he really is his own person. >> reporter: and yet he is insecure. >> yes.

>> reporter: erica, your wife, told us you begged her for the part? >> essentially, that is true. >> reporter: why? what was it? >> well, for an actor, you want to do something that -- for me, at least -- that scares you. i had never sung since i was a kid. >> reporter: joe wright came to see the play. his girlfriend, haley bennet, starred as roxanne on the sage, as well as in the movie. so there are scenes in the movie that are almost directly from the play? >> yeah. and other things he needed to change. >> the last act is almost word for word. >> reporter: what did you ask her to add? >> she had cut all reference to the nose and made no reference to pete's height. and i felt that it was important to make some reference to how others might perceive cyrano. >> reporter: so at the very

beginning -- >> someone calls him a freak. >> you're a freak. >> the ins sult is antique, but i accept it. >> reporter: your wife, she said she didn't write the play with you in mind. >> no. >> reporter: but i wonder if she did subliminally because it fits you so perfectly. it is the glove. >> perhaps she did subliminally. i think with the stage version -- i'd like to think it allows it to speak more universally, and not specifically to someone my size or someone who is differently abled. we all have that sort of insecurity when it comes to the person you are. >> reporter: in the movie, you forget it. >> well, that's my gig. let's get beyond it. that's not all who i am. i have read scripts when i say no to these characters they're trying to get me to play because it is just my height.

it never scratches anything deeper. >> reporter: you had a rule, it is said, you won't play santa's elf and you wouldn't play a leprechaun? >> no. they're not real people. if it was a really well-written leprechaun who had complexity, maybe. but, no. >> reporter: game of thrones, because of that, you are totally famous. can you walk down the street without being swarmed? >> it depends. it depends on the day. >> reporter: do you hate it? >> yes. that i do because i'm not working. i'm just walking down the street. >> we lived in chelsea for a while, and we had a dog, a very big dog, that had to be walked a lot. and this is probably season three of thrones. and he started walking down the street, and all of these people came. i don't know where they were coming from. there were like 30 people coming towards him.

and i see walking towards me, lonardo dicaprio with a baseball cap and sunglasses, and no one even blinked. but peter can't put on sunglasses and a hat and disappear. >> reporter: what is intriguing is you have spoken about how you don't want to be stared at and looked at, and then you choose a profession with everybody looking at you? ut i own growg up?id you had hpy childhoo >> reporter: i thought i the ab. no. i ew uw sey and we didn't move. i imagine if someone like me comes into a new school, there is a bit of getting used to it, a social dance there. but i grew up in the same town, so it was just what it was. >> reporter: are you as

balanced as you come off? >> no. >> there may be a bit of acting thing. >> you think i'm acting now? >> a little bit. >> no, really? turn off the cameras and then i wouldn't act anymore. no, this is me. is struggling to manage your type 2 diabetes knocking you out of your zone? lowering your a1c with once-weekly ozempic® can help you get back in it. oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! my zone... lowering my a1c, cv risk,

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♪♪ >> pauley: 2020 was supposed to be the year music-lovers marked beethoven's 250th birthday. the pandemic made that impossible. mo rocca has a belated tribute. ♪♪ >> reporter: how important, in the history of music, is b beethoven's ninth? >> it is metaphorically and literally biggest than any other symphony. that's what it is intended to be. >> reporter: and says beethoven photographer jan crawford, it is no coincidence

that the symphony's final movement has long been a worldwide anthem of freedom and peace. ♪♪ >> b beethoven wanted to write a tune for humanity with this little tune that anybody could sing. probably half of the population of the earth knows that tune, whether they know it is by beethoven or not. >> reporter: the ninth was beethoven's final work, the coda to an epic life in music. >> it is impossible to think about the history of music, the history of humanity, without beethoven. >> reporter: last year the pandemic complicated plans to celebrate beethoven's 250th birthday, but says the conductor, there may be no better time to reflect on the man and his philosophy.

>> it is about coming to terms with tremendous challenge, strife, struggle, and deciding that it is worth it. >> reporter: strife and struggle were constants in the composer's life. born in 1770 in the german city of bahn, he was considered the next mozart, but throughout his life he was plagued with physical problems. >> he may have had lead poisoning, he had colitis. >> reporter: and in his late 20s, the composer began to lose his hearing. >> he wrote this letter, which is in part a suicide letter. and he said in the letter, i'm going to be the most visible person in the world, but i'm going to live for my art because i can't imagine killing myself,

basically, before i've done what i know i can do. >> reporter: and so as the world around him gradually fell silent, beethoven wrote at a furious pace. string quartets, piano compositions -- ♪♪ >> reporter: -- and, of course, symphonies. ♪♪ >> reporter: but by the 1820s, beethoven, his health worse than ever, his personal life in shambles, was no longer writing as easily. was it an open question whether or not beethoven would be back before the ninth premiered? >> the general opinion about beethoven is that he was so sick and crazy, he was finished. >> reporter: but beethoven wasn't through just yet.

passionately political all his life, he adapted ode to joy, a radical call for freedom, a radical act. >> by the time he wrote the ninth symphony, it was a police state. and everybody knew what it was about. and it was not the revolutionary period. he was trying to keep the dream of freedom alive at a bad time. >> you can rightly say, it is the greatest accomplishment in musical history. >> reporter: the writing of the ninth by a man who was essentially death. san francisco-based hearing specialist dr. charles limb was inspired to show how beethoven may have heard his own compositions. >> here is an example of what severe hearing loss sounds like. >> reporter: it is barely audible.

>> there is a loss of clarity. you are just hearing rumblings. you can't even tell really that it was based once on a piece of music. you can fairly state that he composed the ninth symphony using his mind's ear. >> reporter: using his mind's ear, what does that mean? >> if you stop right now and try to hear the ninth symphony in your head, you can hear it. and you're hearing it because your auditory memory allows you to have that recollection. >> reporter: he thinks beethoven's loss of hearing may have very well liberated him creatively. >> i think because he didn't hear the pieces, he didn't se censor them in the same way. he kept moving forward in terms of experimentation, in terms of taking risks. >> reporter: at the premier of the ninth symphony, the crowd

went wild, but beethoven couldn't hear it. >> somebody had to turn him around to see it. >> reporter: 22 years after he contemplated taking his own life, a determined, defiant beethoven, gave the world a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there is the potential for joy. ♪♪

>> pauley: we've had word of a sad passing. >> i am free! [yelling] >> you are free!

[yelling] >> we are all free! >> the tiny clergy man with a twi twinkle in his eye, a massive loss. born in south africa, desmond tutu went on to become a nobel peace price winner, and a man who always spoke truth to power, whether it was a white racist regime or a corrupt african dictatorship. as south africa's first black archbishop, he used his office to challenge -- >> the primary terrorism in this country comes from the government. >> reporter: equally, he could turn that righteous fury on his own supporters. in 1985, he fearlessly broke up

an angry south african mob. when the dark days of racial hatred finally ended, and tutu's long time friend nelson mandela was released from 27 years behind bars, tutu could not hold back his joy. >> freedom is coming. freedom is coming. >> reporter: and it was mandela who appointed tutu to lead south africa's truth and reconciliation. at times, it moved tutu to tears. the business of dismantling apartheid was not all doom and gloom. >> one lady said to me, if they do this when you come here, can you imagine what is going to happen when nelson comes? >> reporter: whether it is to crack a joke or to break us into

song and dance, he leaves behind a foundation committed to human rights. but his real legacy is the wonderful tale of how adsmall pastor with a laugh became a role model for the world.

♪♪ >> growing up in a little red house on the edge of a forest in norway, there were three things my family encouraged: kindness, honesty, and hard work. over time i have come to add the fourth: be curious. be curious about the world around us and then go. go with an open heart and you'll find inspiration anew. >> vikings, exploring the world in comfort.

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>> pauley: they touched us in theiia. time for our look back at those who left us in the year gone by. with lee cowan, we say hail and farewell. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ move on ♪ >> reporter: move on, that's something we've been trying to do all year, to move a little closer to normalcy. but we still ended the year with more covid deaths than last year. and a whole new variant that is

threatening our holidays once again. there were more school shootings, be, of course, a deadly line of tornadoes that cut a scar across the nation's mid-section in december, not exactly summon. -- not exactly common. so much for normal. broadway, though, reopened, cautiously, and with it, a new revival of the groundbreaking musical "company," although still reeling from the loss of its creator, stephen sondheim. ♪ there is no one here to guide you ♪ ♪ now you're on your own ♪ >> reporter: from "into the woods" -- to follies -- ♪♪ >> reporter: -- to sweeney todd, sondheim was one of the

most influential lyricists broadway has ever known. a standing ovation to him. cicely tyson left us after decades of powerful performances. >> you have a very strong son. >> reporter: that elevated the lives of black americans and their stories. >> i wanted to address certain issues, and i chose to use my career as my platform. >> reporter: and how did you go about doing that? >> simply doing what i wouldn't do. >> reporter: of all her roles, the oug auto biographer of jane pittman, lucille time staged a boycott six months before rose park. and they lived long enough to

see colin powell be the national security adviser, and later george w. bush's secretary of state. >> they look at you because your serving selflessly for the leader. >> reporter: to all of those who served our country abroad and at home, we salute you. >> it is a high fly to the deep left center field, but it goes back and it is gone. >> reporter: hammering hank aaron served america in uniform, too, surpassing babe ruth at baseball's homerun king. >> what a marvelous moment for baseball, the country, and the world, a black man is getting a standing ovation in the deep south for breaking the record of an all-time baseball idol. >> i thank god it is all over with. thank you very much. >> reporter: and we can't forget tommy lasorda. as manager, he took his beloved

l.a. dodgers to championships and four pendants. >> i love every day of my life, larry. >> reporter: larry king loved every day of his life, too. with his signature suspenders, he reigned as king of the tv interview. but he wasn't really royalty, not like this, anyway. britain's prince philip. he cut a dashing figure beside his wife, queen elizabeth, defending the monarchy for nearly three-quarters of a century. ♪♪ >> a chance to dream. >> reporter: christopher plummer was royalty in his own way. but he'll always be remembered at captain von trapp. ♪♪ >> reporter: even if he wished

he was remembered for something else. have you ever sing e edelweiss in public after that? >> you were hoping i might sing it for you here now? >> reporter: i don't know. >> it's a wrap. >> reporter: he won his first oscar at age 82. >> you're only two years older than me, darling. where have you been all my life? ♪♪ >> reporter: to auf wiedersehen. another captain left us this year, the love boat's cap captain stubbing. >> murray, come into my office. >> reporter: being bossed around by lou grant. >> sit down, murray. >> i'm already sitting down. >> sit down, i said. >> reporter: of all of the roles ed asner played, the gruff, hard-working newsman on

the mary tyler moore show was really his favorite. >> you know what? you've got spunk. >> well, yes. >> i hate spunk! [laughter] >> reporter: because he said everyone on that cast was family. >> lou, i really admire you for having the nerve to stay here after that humiliating exchange. >> reporter: that included cloris leachman. >> stay close to the candle. the staircase can be treacherous. >> reporter: also a memorable part of the frankenstein household. >> i am frau-kenstein. >> do you love him, loretta? >> no. >> reporter: olympia dukakis won an oscar playing cher's

mother in "moon stroke." she was 89. ♪ >> reporter: ms. haws was truly scrumptious. we lost her. and we lost jessica walter, too. >> i love all of my children equally. >> reporter: she played one of the world's funniest mothers. >> i'll be at the hospital bar. >> there isn't a bar in the hospital, mother. >> this is why people hate hospitals. >> that is moving. >> reporter: george segal was a powerful dramatic actor. >> oy-gevalt. >> reporter: but he came to prefer lighter fare, and he was good right to the end.

jane withers found humor in being a brat. but later she was known as josephine the plumber. >> new comet gets out stains when other cleansers can't. >> reporter: it is the fishing invention of the century. ron papeil could sell almost anything. he invented gadgets to solve problems we didn't even know we had, and sold them. >> it is just four easy payments -- >> reporter: by the millions. his inventions will be cluttering our closets for years to come. spencer silver invented that slightly sticky glue that ended up on the back of post-it notes. so remember to thank him. and we lost the creator of the game of life, r reuben klamer. >> there is only one way you can

always look younger: hang around with very old people. >> reporter: comedian jackie mason had us laughing until he was 93. >> what does it have to do with the show? when you go to a furniture store, do they show you a comedian? [laughter] >> that's my best joked. you missed it. >> reporter: comedian mort sahl was one of the first to make us laugh at politics. >> it is an official portrait of the president next to a globe with the troubled spots marked in black. he is standing next to the black globe. >> reporter: we lost him at 94. >> man is really the most interesting jackass there is. >> reporter: hal holbrook became the living embodiment of mark twain over the years. >> he is the only one who has the true religion: he loves his

neighbor as himself and cuts his throat if his theology isn't straight. >> reporter: he died this year at 95. >> when i look back at what is a long life, i think how lucky i was. it was just luck. >> reporter: whent ce, though, to staying power, norman lloyd had them all beat. he started out with alfred hitchcock back in 1942. 70 years later, he took a turn with amy schumer. >> i was the first person on my block to own a television set. >> reporter: at the age of 100, and he was ready for more. >> what are aerobics? >> reporter: he died at 106. a farewell to him. ♪♪ >> reporter: so many, however, weren't as lucky to live that long. sir van douglas died of cancer at just 64. >> we, if it isn't just carrie bradshaw.

>> reporter: we lost actor willie garson at only 57 to cancer. michael k. williams, who first stroked into the limelight as omar little in "the wire," and he died at only 54. >> henry, i don't know how to dance. >> what? >> reporter: and peter scolari, bosom buddies with everyone, it seems. he wasfallhi andll ohoer on scrr all. ♪ ♪♪

>> reporter: melvin van peebles' gritty and funny and shocking films revolutionized black cinema. corky lee gave us pictures of asian-american life, often left out of history book. italian film director lena broke new ground for women, the first to be nominated for a best director oscar. she died this year at 93. and hal hut halyna hutchins was killed by a prop gun on a movie set. she was only 42. ♪♪ dream, dream, dream ♪♪ >> reporter: music can help heal from loss. don everly died this year at 74. their sweet harmonies made them teen idols back in the '60s. ♪ hey, hey, we're the monkees ♪

>> reporter: the monkees, the group was made for tv. mike nesmith, the quiet monkee died at 74. and charlie charlie watts was the quiet one, keeping the beat right there in the back. ♪ baby don't go ♪ >> reporter: as co-founder of the supremes, mary wilson was rarely front and center, because she was always there. a true dream girl. farewell to her. and chick corea, who fused jazz and rock and even classical music into his own unique sound. he died this year at 79. ♪♪ >> reporter: e earl simmons transmuted his trouble soul into

rap music. he died this year at only 50. the troubled souls of empires were anne rice's specialty. she died this year at 80. and joan didion wrote about the world and the culture of the time she lived in. and she died this week at 87. >> i was a children's librarians, and a little boy said to me, where are the books about kids like me. >> reporter: beverly created a host of lovable characters, including a motorcycling mouse named ralph. author eric carl left us, too, this year. he was 91. not all of those who entertained us, however, left us with a smile. famed conductor james levine's

career ended when sexual misconduct claims arose. ♪♪ >> reporter: legendary music producer phil spector died in prison doing time for murder. g. gordon liddy, who masterminded the watergate break-in died at 90. and good-bye to bernie madoff, architect of one of the most audacious ponzi schemes. >> you are taking a position against the very security that you are selling and you're not troubled? >> senator -- >> and you want people to trust you. >> reporter: michigan senator carl levin was one of them. while we're up on capitol hill, remember "school house rock"? we can thank songwriter dave

frishberg following a lonely bill all the way up the chain to the white house. >> it is about the civil rights acts that opened doors. >> reporter: walter mondale lost his bid for the white house to ronald reagan, but he had been there in 1976 as jimmy carter's v.p.. he died at 93. >> there are things we know we know. >> reporter: donald rumsfeld served four presidents during his long career in washington, twice serving as america's secretary of defense. >> i'm extremely proud to introduce to you senator bob dole. >> reporter: but it was bob dole who ended up one of the longest serving republican senators in washington. he sought his party's nomination for president several times before finally getting it in 1996. >> we are bound by our heritage set of common values. >> reporter: only to lose to

bill clinton. he left us at 98. weekend update's norm mcdonald honored dole on "saturday night live", in the way that comedians do. >> how are you, senator? >> normally -- bob dole knows how much it meant to play me on the show for the next four years, and bob dole feels your pain. >> reporter: he died at just 61. roger mud was a very real newsman. >> this is something... >> reporter: reporting the news with integrity and insight for over 40 years. >> freedom is not just limited to 60 minutes or the "new york times." >> reporter: larry flynt and his hustler magazine became unlikely vehicles to test the first amendment.

>> mary, hi and welcome to the rush limbaugh program. >> reporter: rush limbaugh s exercised his first amendment rights on the radio. >> i just happen to be saying what a whole lot of people think but don't have the chance to say themselves. that's why they call me the most dangerous man in america. >> reporter: it might feel like there is a big divide in this country, but there are those whose actions have bridged that kasam, making us feel a little closer. >> they'll have the tenth anniversary of guess what? the chimney sweeps. >> reporter: for nearly 50 years and nbc, weatherman willard scott almost found something to celebrate, rain or shine. ♪ raindrops are falling on my head ♪ >> reporter: when the skies get cloudy, we have this song to cheer us up. sunday morning producer judy hall embodied everything this

show is known for. it won't be the same without her. >> there is no indication at all... >> reporter: we lost ray brady, who reported the financial news here at cbs news for nearly three decades. camera izzy brought the beauty of the world to us here on "sunday morning." good-bye to friends, one and all. ♪♪ >> reporter: there are many, many more we failed to mention. those who delighted us with their dances -- ♪♪ >> reporter: -- inspired us with their music. ♪♪ >> reporter: -- left us with wisdom, love, and the satisfaction of lives well-lived. to all of them, we bid a fond hail and farewell. ♪♪ ♪♪

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word from our faith salie. >> reporter: the merriam-webster's word of the year is vaccine. for the oxford directionnary, it is vax. there is not a lot to dig into with vaccine. the wo word i can really use a hot of a great. i have heard people using the word grace more than ever this past year. when i was growing up, grace to me either meant the christian definition, a favor from god that is spontaneous and undeserved, or it referred to my great aunt grace, who cols and . today folks are using it to mean so many things, not just elegance of movement or a blessing before a meal, but when someone says i need grace, or let's show some grace, it means let's be patient, let's be forgiving, let's be understanding that we all fail to be impeccable.

grace is the sup spiritual high-five we give and get for even trying to show up. this challenging time has taught us that we're all in this together. our ability to grant grace rather than judge is what heals us. you give grace to someone not because they're worthy of it but because you can, because you're human and you hope someone will give you the same gift. try nervivenerve relief.

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>> announcer: nature is sponsored by subaru. love, it's what makes subaru, subaru. >> pauley: we leave you on this first sunday morning of winter in minnesota, on the north shore of lake superior. [sounds of water flowing and birds chirping] >> pauley: i'm jane pauley. we wish you a very happy new year. please join us when our trumpet sounds again next sunday morning. ♪♪ [trumpet] captioning made possible by johnson & johnson, committed to improving health for everyone, everywhere. captioned by media access group at wgbh

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america, with the covid pandemic that suddenly intensified despite the life-saving distribution of vaccines. and an economy that has created millions of jobs but sent prices soaring. the latest setback for the biden administration, senator joe