Jan. 9, 1961: A testimonial by the Friars Club was one of the many tributes Gary Cooper received in the months before his death. His deteriorating condition from cancer was not widely known until April, when he was unable to appear at the Academy Awards and actor James Stewart, accepting an honorary Oscar on Cooper’s behalf, was overcome with emotion and scarcely able to talk. Cooper marked his birthday on May 7, gravely ill and unable to see friends, and died May 13. He was 60.