2019 celebrity deaths: Luke Perry, Diahann Carroll, Valerie Harper, John Singleton, Cameron Boyce and more
From Luke Perry to Doris Day, the entertainment industry mourned the death of many pop culture icons this year. As we look ahead to 2020, let’s remember some of the musicians, actors and entertainers we lost along the way. — Suzy Byrne, Erin Donnelly, Taryn Ryder and Raechal Shewfelt
Daryl Dragon
Date: Jan. 2
Cause of death: Kidney failure
Age: 76
As one-half of Captain & Tennille, Dragon — whose nautical nickname was short for “Captain Keyboard,” a moniker given to him while playing for the Beach Boys — accompanied then-wife Toni Tennille on ‘70s pop tracks like “Love Will Keep Us Together,” “Muskrat Love” and “Do That to Me One More Time.” The pair also had a variety show during their heyday, but ultimately divorced in 2014. Despite the split, Tennille was by Dragon’s side when he died.
Bob "Super Dave" Einstein
Date: Jan. 2
Cause of death: Cancer
Age: 76
The two-time Emmy winning actor appeared on Curb Your Enthusiasm since its launch as the wacky Super Dave Osborne character. Before appearing in front of the camera, he was a writer working on shows like Sonny and Cher and Van Dyke and Company. He won his first Emmy as part of the writing team for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour with Steve Martin.
“Mean” Gene Okerlund
Date: Jan. 2
Cause of death: Complications from a fall
Age: 76
Wrestling fans know “Mean” Gene as the mustachioed, tux-clad ring announcer and host who’d get the backstage scoop from WWF (and later, WCW and WWE) stars like Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant and “Macho Man” Randy Savage. Okerlund received tributes from the likes of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin after his death, and is due to be commemorated with a Funko Pop! figurine early next year.
Carol Channing
Date: Jan. 15
Cause of death: Natural causes
Age: 97
Channing starred in 5,000 performances on Broadway, and she reportedly missed just one show because of illness in the ‘90s. The roles she played on stage were often given to bigger name actresses, such as Marilyn Monroe and Barbra Streisand, when the shows were adapted into movies, but Channing eventually made her way to Hollywood, too. Her turn in the 1967 film Thoroughly Modern Millie, alongside Julie Andrews, netted her a best supporting actress win at the Golden Globes and an Oscar nomination.
Fatima Ali
Date: Jan. 25
Cause of death: Cancer
Age: 29
Ali appeared on Season 15 of Top Chef. She was born in Pakistan and grew up watching cooking reality shows, moving to the United States at the age of 18 to pursue her culinary dream. Although she came in seventh place on the Bravo show she won the Fan Favorite title.
Kristoff St. John
Date: Feb. 3
Cause of death: Heart disease
Age: 52
The actor spent nearly three decades on daytime TV, most notably playing Neil Winters on The Young and the Restless. He won two Daytime Emmys for the role, depicting part of one of the most prominent black families on TV, and was beloved by fans. The death of his son, Julian, who suffered from mental illness, in 2014 devastated him. St. John’s death was accidental as a result of hypertrophic heart disease, according to the L.A. County Coroner with signs of alcohol abuse detected, though it was not a cause of death.
Albert Finney
Date: Feb. 7
Cause of death: Chest infection
Age: 82
The British actor played a wide range of roles dating back to the 1950s, and he was Oscar-nominated for five of them, including the title character in 1963’s Tom Jones and Julia Roberts’s lawyer, Ed Masry, in Erin Brockovich (2000). He was also widely recognized for his portrayal of Daddy Warbucks in 1982’s Annie and as Ed Bloom in Big Fish in 2003. When he died, celebrities including Bernadette Peters (his Annie co-star), Ava DuVernay and Luke Evans lauded his versatility and overall greatness.
Jan-Michael Vincent
Date: Feb. 10
Cause of death: Cardiac arrest
Age: 74
As a young working actor in the ‘60s and ‘70s, Vincent’s TV credits included Lassie, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Dragnet, Marcus Welby, M.D. and Police Story. Later, he became the highest-paid TV actor, raking in a reported $200,000 per episode on military action series Airwolf (1984-87). His personal battles — substance abuse, various arrests, a series of severe car accidents and health complications including the amputation of his right leg — overshadowed his subsequent work, and he made his final film appearance in 2003.
Lee Radziwill
Date: Feb. 15
Cause of death: Natural causes
Age: 85
She was known for being in the vicinity of important people — her older sister was First Lady Jackie Kennedy, her marriage to Prince Stanislaw Radziwill temporarily made her a princess, and she had friendships with the likes of Truman Capote and Andy Warhol — but Radziwill was a fashion and style icon in her own right. She was a regular entry on lists of best-dressed women in the world, and her death was mourned by designers including Valentino, Tory Burch and Giorgio Armani.
Karl Lagerfeld
Date: Feb. 19
Cause of death: Unclear
Age: 85
When Lagerfeld died, a post on his official Instagram account called him, “one of the most influential and celebrated designers of the 21st century and an iconic, universal symbol of style,” and it wasn’t exaggerating. As the artistic director for Chanel, Fendi and his own eponymous label, who dressed Victoria Beckham, Claudia Schiffer and other influential celebrities, Lagerfeld immeasurably affected the world of fashion.
Peter Tork
Date: Feb. 21
Cause of death: Adenoid cystic carcinoma
Age: 77
Tork was a folk musician in New York City’s Greenwich Village when Stephen Stills (of Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young fame) tipped him off to a TV and pop star deal, and the rest is Monkees history. Despite his likable doofus persona on the band’s sitcom — which resurfaced as an MTV and “Nick at Nite” favorite in the ‘80s — Tork was a gifted multi-instrumentalist who played the earwormy piano intro on their hit “Daydream Believer.” Post-Monkees, he pursued a solo career (collaborating with friend George Harrison), made acting cameos and even dabbled in being a high school teacher. He was preceded in death by fellow Monkee Davy Jones, who died in 2012.
Katherine Helmond
Date: Feb. 23
Cause of death: Complications of Alzheimer's disease
Age: 89
The actress starred on one of TV’s most popular ‘80s sitcoms — Who's the Boss? — playing Mona Robinson, the feisty and sexually-liberated mother of Angela (Judith Light). The role, for which she won a supporting actress Golden Globe, went against the way that typical middle-aged women were portrayed on TV at that time. In her five decades in showbiz, Helmond did it all — TV, film, theater, directing. She was also well-known for playing matriarch Jessica Tate on the sitcom Soap, for which she also won a Golden Globe, as well as roles on Coach and Everybody Loves Raymond.
Lisa Sheridan
Date: Feb. 25
Cause of death: Chronic alcoholism
Age: 44
The Georgia native spent nearly 20 years appearing on TV and in films. She was in the casts of Invasion and FreakyLinks and had roles in Halt and Catch Fire and Still the King in addition to many episodic credits. Her friends said she faced struggles in her final years and she was found deceased in her New Orleans apartment with the coroner’s office determining she died of “complications of chronic alcoholism.”
Luke Perry
Date: March 4
Cause of death: Stroke
Age: 52
Perry rose to fame in the '90s playing rebel Dylan McKay on Beverly Hills, 90210. The actor dabbled in movies like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Fifth Element, but found much of his success on television. He was starring as Fred Andrews on The CW's Riverdale at the time of his unexpected death.
Jed Allan
Date: March 9
Cause of death: Unknown
Age: 84
A soap opera veteran, Allen was best known for playing Don Craig on Days of Our Lives and C.C. Capwell on Santa Barbara, as well as Edward Quartermaine on General Hospital. He found primetime fame in the ‘90s as Steve Sanders’s dad, Rush, on Beverly Hills, 90210. Allan also appeared on Lassie and hosted the Celebrity Bowling game show. The actor shared stories of his years in showbiz in the 2004 book Please, Spell the Name Right, the title being a reference to people misspelling his surname.
Nipsey Hussle
Date: March 31
Cause of death: Gunshot wounds to the head and torso
Age: 33
Hussle, real name Ermias Joseph Asghedom, only released one studio album, Victory Lap, which was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 61st Grammy Awards. However, he was a hip-hop legend having released 12 popular mixtapes over the past 13 years, including the Bullets Ain’t Got No Name series, The Marathon and The Marathon Continues. He was equally as well known for his activism and was a beloved community leader in his Crenshaw neighborhood of South L.A.
Dennis Day
Date: July 2018
Cause of death: Alleged manslaughter
Age: 76
Day started acting at age 6 and was one of the original cast members of The Mickey Mouse Club. After child stardom, he became a theater director and then relocated to Oregon in the 1980s. It was there that Day disappeared in July 2018 — and his body was discovered in April 2019 on the property that he shared with his husband. The remains were confirmed as his in June. A handyman, Daniel James Burda, with a criminal record who worked at their home and then moved in was arrested and charged with second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, criminal mistreatment and abuse of a corpse in connection with Day’s death.
Ken Kercheval
Date: April 28
Cause of death: Pneumonia
Age: 83
Best known as the villainous J.R. Ewing’s foe on Dallas, Kercheval played Cliff Barnes on all 14 seasons of the primetime soap, from 1978 to 1991. He reprised his role on the 2012 revival of the show. In between, Kercheval appeared on TV series including Murder, She Wrote; Kojak; In the Heat of the Night and Golden Girls spinoff The Golden Palace.
John Singleton
Date: April 28
Cause of death: Stroke
Age: 51
Singleton burst on the scene as the prolific director and writer of Boyz n the Hood, which he penned as a University of Southern California student. He earned two Oscar nominations for the film, director and screenplay, making him the first African American and the youngest-ever Academy Award nominee for Best Director. He went on to direct Poetic Justice, Rosewood, Higher Learning, Four Brothers and 2 Fast 2 Furious. His films largely focused on racial justice and the everyday lives of the African Americans. His death was sudden as he suffered a stroke upon returning home from a trip to Costa Rica and was taken off life support soon after.
Peter Mayhew
Date: April 30
Cause of death: Heart attack
Age: 74
Though his face may not have been instantly recognizable, Peter Mayhew’s lanky 7’3” frame most certainly was — particularly when decked out in a furry brown Wookiee costume. The native Brit was working as a hospital orderly when his height — the result of Marfan syndrome — got him cast as Chewbacca, Han Solo’s faithful co-pilot, in Star Wars. He’d reprise the role in four more films before being sidelined by health issues, making his final on-screen appearance in The Force Awakens. Even then, he was never far from the franchise, with 2017’s The Last Jedi crediting the later-in-life Texan as a “Chewbacca consultant.”
Peggy Lipton
Date: May 11
Cause of death: Colon cancer
Age: 72
The actress shot to stardom at age 22 in the TV police drama The Mod Squad, which ran from 1968-73. She won a Golden Globe for the role of flower child Julie Barnes, part of an undercover crime fighting team formed after the members had their own trouble with the law. After largely dropping out of the spotlight (save for The Return of Mod Squad film in 1979), Lipton returned to TV in Twin Peaks in the early ‘90s playing Norma Jennings. She reprised the role in Twin Peaks: The Return in 2017 and spinoffs. Lipton, who wrote about her life in the 2005 memoir Breathing Out (which came out a year after her colon cancer diagnosis), had daughters Rashida and Kidada Jones with ex-husband Quincy Jones. She played Rashida’s mom in two episodes of Angie Tribeca in 2016 and ‘17.
Doris Day
Date: May 13
Cause of death: Pneumonia
Age: 97
The legendary actress and singer first found fame as pop singer ("Sentimental Journey” went straight to No. 1 in 1945) but exploded to stardom on the big screen in films including Pillow Talk, Calamity Jane and The Man Who Knew Too Much. The one-time Academy Award nominee was paired with all of Hollywood hottest leading men, including Clark Gable (Teacher's Pet), Cary Grant (That Touch of Mink) and — most notably — Rock Hudson (Pillow Talk, Lover Come Back and Send Me No Flowers). Her freckle-faced, wholesome look led to her being crowned the top box office star of the early 1960s. Day’s attempts at marriage were less unsuccessful with one of her four husbands embezzling her fortune and leaving her broke. She climbed out with her successful The Doris Day Show, which she appeared on for five years until 1973. At the end of its run, she largely retired to focus on her animal activism, establishing the Doris Day Animal Foundation, briefly returning to host the talk show Doris Day's Best Friends in the ‘80s.
Tim Conway
Date: May 14
Cause of death: Water on the brain
Age: 85
The comedic actor brought the laughs on The Carol Burnett Show, for which he won four Primetime Emmys. His LOL characters on the sketch show included the Oldest Man, who was painfully slow — and hysterically funny. He went on to headline his own short-lived variety series, and made several movies with fellow comedian Don Knotts. Conway later won Emmys for guest appearances on the sitcom Coach and 30 Rock. He also voiced the character Barnacle Boy on SpongeBob SquarePants. Conway was diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus in 2018 and had brain surgery, but died from complications of that condition.
Dr. John
Date: June 6
Cause of death: Heart attack
Age: 77
New Orleans’s own Malcolm John Rebennack took on the persona of Dr. John, a 19th century medicine man who wore feathers, furs and native American headdresses, after the prosecutor in his hometown warned him to stay away from the city, after he left in the ‘60s to go to jail on drug charges. Beginning in 1968, Dr. John brought the sound of the Big Easy to the masses, recording 35 albums of jazz and blues, featuring songs such as “Right Place, Wrong Time” and “Iko Iko,” and nabbing six Grammys. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.
Sylvia Miles
Date: June 12
Cause of death: Unspecified
Age: 94
Onscreen and off, Sylvia Miles was all about making a big impact, whether that meant turning a few minutes of screen time (in 1969’s Midnight Cowboy and again in 1975’s Farewell, My Lovely) into Oscar-nominated performances, or dumping a plate of spaghetti on the head of a theater critic who’d given her a bad review. In addition to turns in Wall Street, Sex and the City and She-Devil, the fiesty actress was known as a die-hard regular on the NYC party scene, prompting this memorable quote from comedian Wayland Flowers and his puppet Madam: “Sylvia Miles and Andy Warhol would attend the opening of an envelope.”
Gloria Vanderbilt
Date: June 17
Cause of death: Stomach cancer
Age: 95
Vanderbilt, who was born into the Vanderbilt railroad empire, became famous at just 10 years old, as she was the subject of a custody dispute between her widowed mother and her aunt. She grew up to be a trailblazing fashion designer, who’s often credited with making designer jeans a wardrobe staple in the ‘80s, and she went on to become a familiar name at the perfume counter. She was also the mother of CNN journalist Anderson Cooper.
Beth Chapman
Date: June 26
Cause of death: Lung cancer
Age: 51
A bounty hunter alongside her husband Duane “Dog” Chapman, the pair’s fugitive-apprehending ways played out on a series of reality shows from Dog the Bounty Hunter to their final project, Dog's Most Wanted. Beth died while shooting the first season of the latter, which gave an intimate look at her fight with cancer in addition to life at their bail bond company. While Dog had been married many times, the pair, who tied the knot in 2006 and had two children, were two of a kind and having him announce her death, by sharing on social media that she “hiked the stairway to heaven,” was a true tearjerker.
Max Wright
Date: June 26
Cause of death: Lymphoma
Age: 75
Friends fans will recognize Wright as Terry, Rachel and Gunther’s boss at Central Perk. Before that, he played Willie Tanner, the dad whose family takes in a furry, cat-devouring alien life form in the ‘80s sitcom ALF. Though the show, which ran on NBC from 1986 to 1990, was a hit, Wright made no secret of his disdain for his work opposite the wise-cracking puppet. He found meatier work on Broadway, earning a Tony nomination for his performance in 1998’s Ivanov.
Arte Johnson
Date: July 3
Cause of death: Cancer
Age: 90
The comedian appeared in sitcoms like The Danny Thomas Show and I Dream of Jeannie, along with variety shows The Red Skelton Show and Bob Hope Presents Chrysler Theater, but it was Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In that earned him an Emmy in 1969. He starred on the show from 1967 to 1971 and memorably played a German soldier who hissed "verrrrrrrryyy interesting" and a dirty old man who tried to pick up Ruth Buzzi's feisty old lady, Gladys.
Cameron Boyce
Date: July 6
Cause of death: Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy
Age: 20
The young actor was best known for his Disney Channel roles, playing Luke Ross in the series Jesse from 2011 to 2015, and as Carlos de Vil, the son of Cruella de Vil, in the three Descendants movies. He also played Adam Sandler’s son in Grown-Ups and Grown-Ups 2.
Rip Torn
Date: July 9
Cause of death: Alzheimer’s disease
Age: 88
Over six decades, Torn worked steadily in movies and TV shows, winning acclaim for his role on The Larry Sanders Show (for which he won an Emmy) and the 1983 drama Cross Creek, for which he won an Oscar nomination. Torn found a following of younger fans on 30 Rock and in the 2004 big-screen comedy Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. He infamously had offscreen drama, too, having physically fought with writer Norman Mailer on the set of one of his movies and, 20 years later, sued Dennis Hopper after Hopper publicly accused him of having threatened him with a knife. Torn won the lawsuit.
Denise Nickerson
Date: July 10
Cause of death: Pneumonia
Age: 62
With roles in Dark Shadows and Flipper already on her resumé, Nickerson was cast at age 13 as Violet Beauregarde in 1971’s iconic Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. In the role, her bubblegum-loving character snatched one of Wonka’s gummy treats and ballooned into a giant blueberry. The actress went on to appear in 130 episodes of the ‘70s children’s show The Electric Company and had a guest role on The Brady Bunch. She left showbiz in 1978, but participated in Wonka reunions. Serious health issues began for Nickerson in 2018 when she had a stroke. This year, a medical emergency left her hospitalized, and while there had seizures and developed pneumonia, leading to her death
Rutger Hauer
Date: July 19
Cause of death: Unspecified illness
Age: 75
A Dutch TV star before achieving international fame, Hauer’s credits include Batman Begins, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the 1987 TV film Escape From Sobibor, for which he won a Golden Globe. But to countless sci-fi fans, he’ll always be Roy Batty, the blond replicant who faces off against Harrison Ford’s Rick Deckard in 1982’s Blade Runner. Hauer — who cited the Ridley Scott film as his favorite project — is credited with rewriting the famous “tears in rain” speech his character gives. His death also comes with an interesting footnote; Hauer died in 2019, the year in which Blade Runner is set.
Toni Morrison
Date: Aug. 5
Cause of death: Brief illness
Age: 88
The prolific author, whose books include Beloved and Song of Solomon, received international recognition and earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the title of Nobel Laureate, and countless other prestigious awards. Known for her works about African American history and culture, Morrison won countless famous fans, including former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey and Kerry Washington.
Peter Fonda
Date: Aug. 16
Cause of death: Respiratory failure caused by lung cancer
Age: 79
Son of Henry Fonda, brother of Jane Fonda and father of actress Bridget Fonda, Peter was part of a Hollywood dynasty. He was best known for his starring role as Wyatt in 1969's Easy Rider, which he also co-wrote and produced, earning him his first Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. He was also nominated for Best Actor for starring in 1997's Ulee's Gold.
Jessi Combs
Date: Aug. 27
Cause of death: Blunt force trauma
Age: 39
A well-known racer and television star, Combs passed away attempting to break her own land-speed record in Oregon. Dubbed the "fastest woman on four wheels," Combs was a competitive driver and hosted shows including All Girls Garage, Overhaulin’ and a season of Discovery's MythBusters.
Valerie Harper
Date: Aug. 30
Cause of death: Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis
Age: 80
The Broadway dancer turned TV star was best known for playing Rhoda, sidekick extraordinaire, on The Mary Tyler Moore Show before getting her own spinoff, cementing her as a ‘70s icon. She went on to starred in ‘80s sitcom Valerie, before a salary dispute led to her firing (which she later sued over and won). Harper, who beat lung cancer in 2009, went public with her fatal cancer diagnosis, leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, a condition in which cancer cells spread into the fluid-filled membrane surrounding the brain, in 2013 after being told she had three months to live. The walking miracle went on to live six more years — and kept working, from a Dancing With the Stars run to a sweet Mary Tyler Moore Show reunion on Hot in Cleveland.
Kylie Rae Harris
Date: Sept. 4
Cause of death: Car crash
Age: 30
The rising country singer released her latest self-titled EP in March. Police said Harris was at fault for the three-car accident that also claimed the life of a 16-year-old girl.
Eddie Money
Date: Sept. 13
Cause of death: Complications from esophageal cancer
Age: 70
Singles like “Take Me Home Tonight,” “Two Tickets to Paradise” and “Shakin’” helped secure this Grammy-nominated, gravelly voiced rocker’s status as a jukebox favorite and Top 40 mainstay of the ‘70s and ‘80s. The Long Island native remained a pop culture figure into his later years, appearing in GEICO commercials, The Kominsky Method and a reality show centered on his family life, Real Money.
Ric Ocasek
Date: Sept. 15
Cause of death: Hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, or atherosclerosis
Age: 75
The rocker and music producer was recovering from a recent surgery at the time of his death, first discovered by estranged wife Paulina Porizkova. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Cars in 2018, Ocasek lent his vocals to hits like “Magic,” “Since You’re Gone” and “Shake it Up” in addition to writing Benjamin Orr-sung tracks including “Let’s Go,” “Just What I Needed” and “Drive.” Also known for making cameos in films like Hairspray and Made in Heaven, Ocasek famously met future wife Porizkova when the supermodel played his heartbroken lover in the 1984 video for “Drive.”
Cokie Roberts
Date: Sept. 17
Cause of death: Complications from breast cancer
Age: 75
Roberts was a veteran journalist who was known as one of the “founding mothers of NPR,” because she helped determine early coverage on National Public Radio, back in the days when not many women worked there or other news organizations. She went on to work for ABC News, beginning in 1988, and authored six books, including, in 2009, Ladies of Liberty: The Women That Shaped Our Nation.
Rob Garrison
Date: Sept. 27
Cause of death: Liver disease
Age: 59
The actor was best known for his role as Tommy in The Karate Kid and its sequel, The Karate Kid Part II. Garrison acted since the late ‘70s, appearing in films like Prom Night and Brubaker, alongside Robert Redford.
Diahann Carroll
Date: Oct. 4
Cause of death: Cancer
Age: 84
The singer and actress was nominated for both a Tony and an Oscar during her barrier-breaking career, in which she was the first African American woman to star in her own TV series, 1968’s Julia, which merited her an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe. Carroll earned her nod at the Academy Awards — only the fourth black woman to receive a nomination for Best Actress — for the 1974 movie Claudine.
Ginger Baker
Date: Oct. 6
Cause of death: Unspecified illness
Age: 80
Born Peter Baker — and nicknamed Ginger on account of his red hair — this Brit will go down in the history books as one of the most influential drummers to ever clutch a pair of sticks. As a member of Cream alongside Eric Clapton and the late Jack Bruce, the notoriously cantankerous Baker enjoyed an intense, albeit short-lived, stretch of success in the mid-‘60s; the band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. Following the split of his second band with Clapton, Blind Faith, Baker traveled to Africa to pursue his passion for African music, collaborating with Fela Kuti and setting up his own studio in Lagos, Nigeria. Baker is also credited with popularizing the drum solo and experimenting with an eclectic jazz sound. The subject of the 2012 documentary Beware of Mr. Baker, he also battled an addiction to heroin and was known to have a volatile temper — a reputation referenced by the title of his 2009 autobiography, Hellraiser.
Robert Forster
Date: Oct. 11
Cause of death: Brian cancer
Age: 78
Forster appeared in more than 100 films, like Reflections in a Golden Eye, Medium Cool and this year's El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie on Netflix. He was nominated for an Oscar for his work as Max Cherry in Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown.
John Clarke
Date: Oct. 16
Cause of death: Pneumonia
Age: 88
For nearly 40 years, Clarke played Mickey Horton on Days of Our Lives. He was an original cast member and stayed on the show until he retired in 2004 — the same year he was given a lifetime achievement award at the Daytime Emmys. He had previously appeared in early 1960s crime series The New Breed. His daughter, The O.C. actress Melinda Clarke, announced his death, saying he passed “as I sang to him... He is at peace.”
Robert Evans
Date: Oct. 26
Cause of death: Unclear
Age: 89
Evans was an actor-turned-legendary producer, who worked on movies such as Urban Cowboy, Chinatown and The Godfather, and memorably managed a comeback in Hollywood after his 1980 arrest for drug possession. Offscreen, he married seven times, including to actress Ali McGraw. He memorably detailed his life in his 1994 autobiography, The Kid Stays in the Picture, which he narrated himself in his signature booming voice when it was adapted into a documentary film.
John Witherspoon
Date: Oct. 29
Cause of death: Heart attack
Age: 77
The legendary actor had a prolific career, but was perhaps most recognizable for playing "Pops," Ice Cube's father, in three Friday films. Witherspoon appeared in movies like Hollywood Shuffle, Vampire in Brooklyn, Boomerang and The Ladies Man and voiced Gramps on the animated series The Boondocks. He was also a comedian appearing on The Tracy Morgan Show and was a frequent guest on Late Show with David Letterman.
Rudy Boesch
Date: Nov. 1
Cause of death: Alzheimer’s disease
Age: 91
The veteran and former Navy SEAL was a fan favorite on Season 1 of Survivor in 2000 where he finished in third place. He returned to the CBS show in 2004 for Survivor: All-Stars, but was voted off early.
Jack Burns
Date: Dec. 1
Cause of death: Unknown
Age: 14
The child actor appeared on shows In Plain Sight and Retribution and was an exceptional ballet dancer, earning a spot at the prestigious Glasgow Ballet School when he was just 9 years old.
Shelley Morrison
Date: Dec. 1
Cause of death: Heart failure
Age: 83
Despite being best known as Rosario, the acid-tongued maid and sidekick to Megan Mullally’s boozy Karen Walker on Will & Grace, Morrison was in fact a Hollywood veteran who’d first found fame as Puerto Rican nun Sister Sixto on the late-’60s Sally Field sitcom The Flying Nun. Born Rachel Mitrani, the Bronx native bowed out of reprising her role for the 2017 Will & Grace reboot. Upon her death, tributes to the “beautiful soul” poured in from former co-stars Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Sean Hayes and Mullally.
Juice WRLD
Date: Dec. 8
Cause of death: Unknown
Age: 21
The rapper, real name Jarad A. Higgins, was a rising star with his latest single "Bandit" cracking the Billboard Hot 100. The Chicago native was known for hits "All Girls Are the Same" and "Lucid Dreams," the latter song peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard singles charts last year.
Marie Fredriksson
Date: Dec. 9
Cause of death: Cancer
Age: 61
Fredriksson and Per Gessle, who had successful solo careers, formed Roxette in the ‘80s. The Swedish pop duo cranked out hits like "The Look," "It Must Have Been Love," "Listen To Your Heart," "Joyride," "Dressed For Success" and "Sleeping In My Car." Roxette sold over 80 million albums and had several successful world tours.
Danny Aiello
Date: Dec. 12
Cause of death: A brief illness
Age: 86
The NYC native, who made his film debut at age 40, will be remembered for playing the owner of Sal’s pizzeria in Do the Right Thing, for which he received a Academy Award nomination, and Cher’s mama’s boy fiancé in Moonstruck. However, Aiello, who went on to rack up more than 100 film and TV credits, made his mark throughout pop culture, whether it was ad-libbing "Michael Corleone says hello,” while taking out a rival gangster in The Godfather Part II or playing Madonna’s dad in her video for “Papa Don’t Preach.” He said his early years as a hardscrabble kid in the South Bronx (detailed in his 2014 memoir, I Only Know Who I Am When I Am Somebody Else: My Life on the Street, On the Stage, and in the Movies) helped him slide into his memorable roles as blue-collar toughies.
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