Celebrity deaths in 2022: Naomi Judd, Sidney Poitier, Bob Saget, Leslie Jordan, Coolio, Anne Heche and more
Bob Saget, Nichelle Nichols, Ray Liotta, Anne Heche, Aaron Carter and Loretta Lynn are just a few of the recognizable celebrities we lost this year. As 2022 concludes, we're taking a look back at what audiences remember most about some of them.
A longer list can be found here.
— by David Artavia, Suzy Byrne, Lyndsey Parker, Taryn Ryder and Raechal Shewfelt
Peter Bogdanovich
Date: Jan. 6
Cause of death: Complications from Parkinson's disease
Age: 82
Bogdanovich directed acclaimed films, such as What's Up Doc?, Paper Moon, Mask and The Last Picture Show — he wrote some of them, too — during a career that began in the '60s. He accumulated acting credits in his own 2006 Truman Capote movie Infamous, as well as TV shows, such as How I Met Your Mother and The Sopranos. He was nominated for two Oscars for Picture Show for both his directing and for his adapted screenplay based on author Larry McMurtry's book. Bogdanovich garnered attention for his personal life when he left his wife and producing partner Polly Platt, for Dorothy Stratten, the Playboy star who'd appeared in his 1981 movie They All Laughed. Stratten was living with Bogdanovich when she was murdered by her estranged husband on Aug. 13, 1980, and the director went on to write a book about her, The Killing of the Unicorn.
Bob Saget
Date: Jan. 9
Cause of death: Blunt head trauma
Age: 65
The comedian was found dead in his room at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando, where he was staying during a comedy tour. In addition to his role as the squeaky-clean Danny Tanner in Full House and its sequel series, Fuller House, Saget was known for having hosted America's Funniest Home Videos, for having provided the voice of the future Ted Mosby on How I Met Your Mother and for telling the kind of dirty jokes that would make Danny blush.
Ronnie Spector
Date: Jan. 12
Cause of death: Cancer
Age: 78
The spunky, cat-eyed ringleader of the 1960s girl group The Ronettes died after a brief battle with cancer. Born in East Harlem to an interracial couple (her mother was Black and Cherokee, and her father was Irish), the singer was a teenager when she, her sister Estelle Bennett and her cousin Nedra Talley founded the Darling Sisters, known later as the Ronettes. Together, the trio gave us such breakout hits as "Be My Baby," "Walking in the Rain" and "Do I Love You?" Later in life, her marriage to producer Phil Spector was subject to scrutiny when she chronicled the years of domestic abuse she experienced in her 1990 memoir Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts, and Madness. Though she had difficulty revitalizing her career after divorcing from Phil, she did have a memorable solo in Eddie Money's 1986 hit "Take Me Home Tonight." The Ronettes were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, and have since become known as one of the most popular girl groups of all time.
Meat Loaf
Date: Jan. 20
Cause of death: Undisclosed
Age: 74
The "Bat out of Hell" rocker, born Marvin Lee Aday, died surrounded by family. They didn't reveal a cause of death, but an unconfirmed report from TMZ stated he died from COVID complications. The larger-than-life singer's 1977 debut, Bat Out of Hell, was one of the best-selling albums of all time and spawned two sequels and a rock opera. His other megahits include "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" and "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)," the latter of which he won a Grammy for in 1994. Meat Loaf, whose stage name came from a childhood nickname, also appeared on Broadway, including in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and starred in the film of the same name that year. Fight Club (1999) was also among the more than 65 films he appeared in. In his family's statement announcing his death, they urged his fans: "Don't ever stop rocking!"
Sidney Poitier
Date: Jan. 20
Cause of death: Heart failure
Age: 94
The leading man, who paved the way for Black actors in film, died at his Beverly Hills, Calif., home of cardiopulmonary failure with Alzheimer's dementia and prostate cancer as underlying factors. Poitier was the first Black performer to win the Academy Award for best actor, for 1963's Lilies of the Field. Poitier, who was born in the Bahamas, was also known for playing heroes in To Sir With Love, In the Heat of the Night and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. In the mid-20th century, he was the only Black movie star and an inspiration to those who followed, including Denzel Washington, who has said the Porgy and Bess star "meant everything to me." Poitier admitted in 1989 it was at times "a terrific burden" as he carried "the hopes and aspirations of an entire people." During his lifetime, his accolades were many, including an honorary Oscar, two Golden Globes plus the Cecil B. DeMille Award, a Kennedy Center Honor and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Louie Anderson
Date: Jan. 21
Cause of death: Complications from cancer
Age: 68
For almost four decades, the comedian brought the funny in movies such as 1988's Coming to America, in which he played Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall's enthusiastic co-worker at McDowell's, and TV shows including Baskets, where he earned an Emmy and two more nominations for portraying mom Christine Baskets, from 2016 to 2019. He also voiced multiple characters on the Emmy-winning series Life With Louie, which was based on his life. He also continued to perform stand-up, wrote books and even hosted game shows. While it was unclear when he was diagnosed with cancer, his publicist said when he died that he'd been hospitalized that week for diffuse large B cell lymphoma, a form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Cheslie Kryst
Date: Jan. 30
Cause of death: Suicide
Age: 30
Miss USA 2019, an attorney who went on to become an Extra TV correspondent, died outside her New York City home amid a private mental health struggle. Her mother said she was "dealing with high-functioning depression." Kryst, who earned her law degree at Wake Forest University, became Miss North Carolina USA in 2017. She went on to win the 2019 Miss USA crown and competed in the Miss Universe pageant that year. As an attorney, she specialized in civil litigation, and did pro bono work with the Buried Alive Project. In 2019, she became a correspondent for Extra and later earned two Daytime Emmy nominations. At her public memorial service, her mom urged attendees to "take care of your mental health," including seeking counseling and keeping the Suicide Prevention Hotline handy in their phone contacts.
Ivan Reitman
Date: Feb. 12
Cause of death: Undisclosed
Age: 75
The director behind Ghostbusters, Kindergarten Cop, Junior and Stripes died in his sleep at home in Montecito, Calif. Reitman was 4 when his parents escaped Czechoslovakia and settled in Canada, where he studied theater and music in college and began making short films. A project with Dan Aykroyd brought him into the Lampoon group with John Belushi, Gilda Radner and Bill Murray, which ultimately led to Animal House, which he produced. He collaborated with Murray, Aykroyd and Harold Ramis many times, most famously for 1984's Ghostbusters, which spawned a successful film franchise with sequels (2021's Ghostbusters: Afterlife was directed by his son Jason), spinoffs and TV shows. Reitman's directing career slowed down after 1998's Six Days, Seven Nights, but he continued to produce. Complicating his legacy, after Reitman's death, Anna Faris claimed he was abusive on the set of 2006's My Super Ex-Girlfriend set.
Sally Kellerman
Date: Feb. 24
Cause of death: Heart failure
Age: 84
Kellerman was best known for her Oscar-nominated performance as Maj. "Hot Lips" Houlihan in Robert Altman's 1970 movie M*A*S*H, but she also had memorable turns in Back to School (1986) and TV's Young and the Restless, where she was nominated for an Emmy. In fact, her TV credits read like a page from TV Guide: Murder, She Wrote; Dinosaurs; My Three Sons; and Star Trek, to name a few. When she wasn't filming, she performed as a cabaret singer and released two albums, plus tunes for several movie soundtracks.
Mark Lanegan
Date: March 3
Cause of death: Unknown
Age: 57
The grunge pioneer was best known as the booming-voiced frontman of Screaming Trees, who, along with Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains and Mudhoney, were stars of the early-'90s Seattle scene. Screaming Trees broke into the mainstream with their fifth album (and major-label debut), 1991's Uncle Anesthesia, which was produced by Soundgarden's Chris Cornell, and their modern rock smash "Nearly Lost You," which was featured on Cameron Crowe's Singles soundtrack in 1992. Throughout his career, before and after the Screaming Trees's split in 2000, Lanegan released 11 solo albums, including his 1990 debut, The Winding Sheet, which featured collaborations with Nirvana's Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic and was declared by Dave Grohl to be "one of the best albums of all time." Lanegan also appeared on Above by Mad Season (a supergroup featuring Alice in Chains's Layne Staley and Pearl Jam's Mike McCready); several albums by Queens of the Stone Age, whom he eventually joined as a full-time member; three duet albums with Belle & Sebastian's Isobel Campbell, one of which was nominated for the U.K.'s prestigious Mercury Prize; a one-off collaborative record with the Afghan Whigs's Greg Dulli billed as the Gutter Twins; and another duo project, Dark Mark vs. Skeleton Joe, with ex-Icarus Line member Joe Cardamone. He also collaborated with Duff McKagan, PJ Harvey, Hole/Smashing Pumpkins bassist Melissa Auf der Maur, Moby, Soulsavers, Tinariwen, Manic Street Preachers, UNKLE, Warpaint, Massive Attack, Martina Topley-Bird, Neko Case and many others. He co-wrote the theme song for Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown with Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme, and penned Bourdain's obituary for The Observer in 2018. Bourdain had reportedly encouraged Lanegan to write his memoirs and in 2020 Lanegan published his first book, Sing Backwards and Weep. This was followed by 2021's Devil in a Coma, which chronicled his harrowing experience with COVID-19. It is unclear if the singer's death was linked to his long COVID.
Emilio DelGado
Date: March 10
Cause of death: Blood cancer
Age: 81
For more than 50 years, generations of children watched the pioneering DelGado play Luis on Sesame Street and in its movies, such as 1985's Follow That Bird. Delgado even held the record for the longest-running role for a Mexican-American in a TV series, according to the show. And it was important to him to offer that representation, often teaching viewers Spanish words and Latino culture. Elsewhere, Delgado appeared in Lou Grant, Falcon Crest and shows in the Law & Order franchise.
Traci Braxton
Date: March 12
Cause of death: Esophageal cancer
Age: 50
The singer turned reality star died after a private battle with cancer. A member of the famous Braxton singing family, she formed a group with sisters Toni, Towanda, Trina and Tamar. Toni was later singled out as a solo artist and the sisters continued as a group, but Traci left to raise her son. She was employed as a social worker when the sisters were brought back together — with brother Michael — for WeTV's hit Braxton Family Values, which ran from 2011 to 2020. Traci, the third child in the family, was the wild card on the show — and also in real life, famously yelling out, "Hey, Michelle!," to then-First Lady Michelle Obama at a White House event, drawing a funny reaction from President Obama. Traci was married to Kevin Surratt for 25 years, and they appeared on Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars. She also released two solo albums: Crash & Burn (2014) and On Earth (2018).
William Hurt
Date: March 13
Cause of death: Natural causes
Age: 71
Known for dozens of critically acclaimed films, Hurt took home an Oscar for Best Actor in 1986 thanks to Kiss of the Spider Woman. After his big win, Hurt was nominated in the same category two consecutive years for his starring roles in Broadcast News and Children of a Lesser God. Hurt earned his fourth Oscar nomination in 2006 for A History of Violence. Other big projects included Body Heat, The Big Chill, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, The Good Shepherd, Into the Wild and Robin Hood. He scored Emmy nominations for Too Big to Fail and Damages, plus a Tony Award nomination for the Broadway production of Hurlyburly. Younger fans know Hurt as General "Thunderbolt" Ross in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where he appeared in The Incredible Hulk, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and Black Widow.
Taylor Hawkins
Date: March 25
Cause of death: Unknown
Age: 50
A skilled and in-demand drummer who got his first big break playing for Canadian rock singer Sass Jordan and joined Alanis Morissette for her Jagged Little Pill tour in 1995, Hawkins became a core member of the Foo Fighters in 1997, not only drumming but also singing and playing guitar and piano on various tracks, and co-writing on every Foo Fighters album starting with their third release, There Is Nothing Left to Lose. Although Hawkins was best known for his work with that band, he had an illustrious 25-year résumé that also included collaborations with Elton John, Miley Cyrus, Stevie Nicks, Brian May and Queen, Slash, Pink, Ozzy Osbourne, Heart's Nancy Wilson, Joe Walsh, Coheed and Cambria, John Fogerty, Glen Campbell, Richard Marx, the Red Hot Chili Peppers's Chad Smith, Perry Farrell and Eric Avery of Jane's Addiction, and many others. Additionally, he fronted two bands, Taylor Hawkins & the Coattail Riders and the Birds of Satan; led the classic rock cover band Chevy Metal; and had recently formed the supergroup NHC with Jane's Addiction's Dave Navarro and Chris Chaney. He also portrayed Iggy Pop in the 2013 film CBGB. Hawkins was found dead in his hotel room in Bogotá, Colombia, just hours before the Foo Fighters were set to perform at the Estéreo Picnic Festival; in lieu of the concert, candles were placed onstage that night to honor him. Two months after his death, Rolling Stone published a bombshell report titled "Inside Taylor Hawkins's Final Days as a Foo Fighter," claiming that the drummer was on the brink of exhaustion from playing physically taxing, nearly three-hour shows, and at the time of his death had been considering scaling back his duties or even quitting the band entirely. The Foos camp never released a statement, but two of Hawkins's friends who were interviewed for the piece, Pearl Jam's Matt Cameron and Smith, blasted Rolling Stone's report. In Sep. 2022, all-star tribute concerts were held in London and Los Angeles, marking the first times that the Foo Fighters had played since Hawkins's death.
Tom Parker
Date: March 30
Cause of death: Brain cancer
Age: 33
The British pop singer, whose boy band the Wanted was a global sensation and scored a triple-platinum-selling, top three Billboard Hot 100 hit in 2012 with "Glad You Came," was diagnosed with inoperable stage four glioblastoma, an aggressive type of brain cancer, in 2020, while his wife was pregnant with their second child. The Wanted had formed in 2009 through a nine-month mass talent search, with Parker having been selected from the more than 1,000 singers who auditioned. Managed by Scooter Braun and signed to Universal Music, the group eventually sold 10 million records, starred in the E! reality series The Wanted Life, and received nominations for 14 World Music Awards, two Brit Awards, an American Music Award and an MTV Video Music Award. In 2014, they went on hiatus, during which Parker released the solo single "Undiscovered," performed as a DJ and collaborated with Richard Rawson on a track called "Fireflies." He also competed on the U.K. reality shows Celebrity Masterchef and The Jump and played Danny Zuko in a U.K. touring production of Grease. In Sep. 2021, following his diagnosis, Parker held a special Stand Up to Cancer/National Brain Appeal charity concert at London's Royal Albert Hall called "Inside My Head," which featured the first Wanted performance since their break. In Nov. 2021, the reunited group released their first new song in seven years, "Rule the World," and, in March 2022, they embarked on a 12-date reunion tour, donating ￡1 from every ticket sale to The Brain Tumour Charity. Parker, unfortunately, had to officially pull out of the tour to undergo cancer treatment, but he joined his bandmates in surprise appearances at some of the shows. His final Instagram photo, posted just two days before his death, showed him onstage with the Wanted with the caption "Dream Team."
Estelle Harris
Date: April 2
Cause of death: Natural causes
Age: 93
Fans will recognize her distinctive voice as that of the sassy and lovable Mrs. Potato Head in the Toy Story franchise, while on camera, she stole scenes as George Costanza's mother, Estelle, on Seinfeld. Harris lent her vocals to a number of animated films throughout her career including Hercules, Tarzan II, Brother Bear and Godzilla: The Series.
Bobby Rydell
Date: April 5
Cause of death: Complications from pneumonia
Age: 79
Bobby Rydell was one of the first big teen idols of the '50s and '60s, racking up a slew of sock-hop hits like "Volare," "Wild One," "Wildwood Days," "Kissin' Time," "The Cha-Cha-Cha," "Swingin' School," "We Got Love" and "Little Bitty Girl." Along with Frankie Avalon and Fabian, he was a member of the Golden Boys trio, which Rolling Stone ranked fifth in its list of teen idols that "shaped generations." Life imitated art when Rydell played heartthrob crooner Conrad Birdie in the 1963 movie musical Bye Bye Birdie, and Rydell High, the school in rock 'n' roll musical Grease was actually named after him. In 2012, he underwent both liver and kidney transplants, the result of him having been an alcoholic earlier in life. Four years later, he released his autobiography, Bobby Rydell, Teen Idol on the Rocks: A Tale of Second Chances.
Gilbert Gottfried
Date: April 12
Cause of death: Recurrent ventricular tachycardia due to type II myotonic dystrophy
Age: 67
In announcing his death, the irreverent stand-up comedian's family asked that people "keep laughing as loud as possible in Gilbert's honor," and there’s no doubt that he would have loved that. The nasal-voiced comedian was known for his irreverence, and it sometimes landed him in trouble. In 2011, he was even fired from his job as the voice of the Aflac duck, after joking about Japan as the country reeled from an earthquake and tsunami. On screen, Gottfried was a prolific voice actor, speaking for the bird Iago in Disney's 1992 animated blockbuster Aladdin and many other iterations of the franchise. He also appeared in live action projects such as Problem Child 2, Beverly Hills Cop 2, Crank Yankers and Saturday Night Live.
Robert Morse
Date: April 20
Cause of death: A brief illness
Age: 90
A Broadway star since the 1960s, with two Tony Awards to his name, one for playing Truman Capote in his one-man show (he also won an Emmy for the televised version of it), Morse is best known to modern audiences for one of his myriad TV roles: Bertram Cooper, the bow-tie clad co-founder of ad agency Sterling Cooper, on AMC's Mad Men. Morse memorably performed a song and dance in his final episode in the show's seventh season. "The opportunity to shine in the spotlight that Matt Weiner gave me — it was an absolute love letter," Morse told the New York Times in May 2014. "Christmas and New Year's, all rolled into one." He also played Dominick Dunne in The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story, appeared in TV staples such as Murder, She Wrote and All My Children and voiced characters in animated shows including Tiny Toon Adventures and The Wild Thornberrys.
Naomi Judd
Date: April 30
Cause of death: Suicide
Age: 76
The country music legend, of the mother-daughter duo The Judds, succumbed to mental illness. The day after she died by suicide at her Leiper's Fork, Tenn., home, the "Love Can Build a Bridge" singer — who battled anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and suicidal ideations — and her daughter Wynonna Judd were to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The accomplishment was one of many by the six-time Grammy winner, who was also mom to actress Ashley Judd. The Judds are one of the most successful acts in country music history, scoring 20 top 10 country hits (including 14 No.1s, eight of which were consecutive) and selling over 20 million albums. They disbanded in 1991 after Naomi was diagnosed with Hepatitis C, but their farewell tour was the top-grossing tour of that year and the most successful musical event in cable pay-per-view history. The Judds reunited a few times over the years, as Wynonna grew her solo career, and gave their first nationally televised performance in more than two decades on April 11, 2022 — two weeks before Naomi died. That day they also announced a 10-date The Final Tour, which Wynonna has carried out in her mom's memory. Naomi, who was also survived by her husband of 32 years, singer Larry Strickland, wrote about her mental health struggles in her 2016 memoir River of Time.
Andy Fletcher
Date: May 26
Cause of death: Aortic dissection
Age: 60
A core member of pioneering British new wave band Depeche Mode for more than 40 years, Fletcher was affectionately known to his bandmates and fans as simply "Fletch." The keyboardist and DJ formed the all-synthesizer trio Composition of Sound, with Vince Clarke and Martin Gore in 1980; upon the recruitment of frontman Dave Gahan, that group evolved into Depeche Mode, who released their seminal debut album Speak & Spell a year later. After Clarke left to form Yazoo, Depeche Mode forged ahead, going on to sell more than 100 million records worldwide, chart 54 singles and 17 top 10 albums in the U.K., influence countless electronic acts and become the only band to ever sell out four consecutive nights at the famed Hollywood Bowl. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Class of 2020, in a ceremony held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fletcher's appearance, with his jocular attitude and clear camaraderie with Gahan and Gore, was a highlight of the HBO broadcast. Five months after his death, Gahan and Gore announced that Depeche would continue as a duo, with a new album, Memento Mori, set for a March 2023 release. Gahan stated that "Fletch would have loved this album," and Gore explained in an interview, "After Fletch's passing, we decided to continue as we're sure this is what he would have wanted, and that has really given the project an extra level of meaning."
Ray Liotta
Date: May 26
Cause of death: Undisclosed
Age: 67
Liotta, the star of Goodfellas, Field of Dreams and dozens more films and TV shows, died in his sleep while filming the thriller Dangerous Waters in the Dominican Republic. While known primarily for his work in movies — people all over the world couldn't help but tell him about their love of Goodfellas — he also worked extensively on TV. In 2005, he won an Emmy Award for playing the guest role of Charlie Metcalf on ER.
Mary Mara
Date: June 26
Cause of death: Drowning
Age: 61
Mara earned dozens of TV credits on shows including ER, Ray Donovan, Nash Bridges and Dexter. She played Billy Crystal's daughter in the 1992 movie Mr. Saturday Night, and the comedian dedicated his Broadway performance of the show to Mara after she died. Mara was part of the casts of the movies The Hard Way, A Civil Action and K-PAX, as well as HBO's critically acclaimed Indictment: The McMartin Trial.
James Caan
Date: July 6
Cause of death: A heart attack and coronary artery disease
Age: 82
Best known for his performances as hotheaded Sonny Corleone in The Godfather, Will Ferrell's Scrooge-like dad in Elf and tortured author Paul Sheldon in Misery, Caan had worked in Hollywood since the '60s. In 1973, he was nominated for an Oscar for his work in the mob movie. At the Emmys, he was up for a trophy for playing Brian Piccolo, the Chicago Bears player diagnosed with terminal cancer, in the 1971 TV movie Brian's Song. Over the years, Caan appeared in dozens of other projects, such as Las Vegas, Dick Tracy, Honeymoon in Vegas and Rollerball. Notably, he also voiced the James Caan character on The Simpsons and Family Guy.
Tony Sirico
Date: July 8
Cause of death: Undisclosed
Age: 79
Sirico will be forever remembered by fans of The Sopranos as the finicky "Paulie Walnuts," one of Tony's captains and close confidants. A reformed criminal who was inspired to act when he saw former convicts-turned-actors perform at Sing Sing, he appeared in the mob movies Goodfellas and Mickey Blue Eyes, as well as on TV's Lilyhammer. He was cast in several of director Woody Allen's movies, too.
Philip Baker Hall
Date: July 12
Cause of death: Complications from emphysema
Age: 90
On TV, Hall delighted Seinfeld audiences with his portrayal of Lt. Joe Bookman, the hard-nosed library detective on the hunt for Jerry's long overdue book. It was one of the more memorable characters on the sitcom that was full of quirky personalities. "It's been over 20 years since we shot that episode, and I still can't go out in public for very long before someone says, 'My god, it's Bookman!' Or: 'Are you Bookman? I returned that library book, I swear!'" Hall told Rolling Stone in 2014, per the Hollywood Reporter. "It's not just in New York or L.A.; it's happened in a mall in the Midwest or even other countries where they air the show. The guy made an impression." In his illustrious film career, Hall had turns in Boogie Nights, Argo, Magnolia, Dogville and Rush Hour.
Ivana Trump
Date: July 14
Cause of death: Blunt impact injuries as the result of a fall
Age: 73
An eccentric New Yorker and prominent pop culture figure in the 1980s and '90s for her marriage to (and high-profile divorce from) Donald Trump, Ivana died in her home after an accidental fall down the stairs. Born in communist Czechoslovakia, Ivana landed in New York City in the 1970s, where she met and married Trump. As Donald's behind-the-scenes business partner, she commanded nearly as much media attention, and is largely credited with shaping the public persona that led him to star in The Apprentice and, ultimately, to win the presidency of the United States. (It was even Ivana who gave him the nickname “The Donald.”) Later in life, she remained in the limelight and capitalized on her fame by appearing in advertisements for national brands and cosmetics company Ivana Haute Couture. She is remembered by her family as the ultimate "survivor."
Paul Sorvino
Date: July 25
Cause of death: Natural causes
Age: 83
Martin Scorsese tapped the Brooklyn native to play gangster Paulie Cicero in the mobster classic Goodfellas. Sorvino put a memorable twist on the character, who was based on real-life mobster Paul Vario. The Tony-nominated star appeared in dozens of films including Romeo and Juliet, The Rocketeer, The Gambler and Nixon. He also starred for a season as Det. Phil Cerretta, the partner of Chris Noth's character, in NBC's Law & Order. The Godfather of Harlem alum is the father of Oscar-winning actress Mira Sorvino.
Tony Dow
Date: July 27
Cause of death: Cancer
Age: 77
Dow was best known as the actor who played Wally Cleaver, the older brother on Leave It to Beaver, from 1957 to 1963, and on the '80s revival, The New Leave It to Beaver. He died one day after it was incorrectly announced that he'd died, and two months after he revealed that the cancer he had previously struggled with had returned. Jerry Mathers, who played Beaver, remembered him as "not only my brother on TV, but in many ways in life as well." Over the years, Dow also had made guest appearances in TV shows such as Mod Squad, Square Pegs and Knight Rider.
Pat Carroll
Date: July 30
Cause of death: Pneumonia
Age: 95
Carroll achieved a whole other generation of fans when she voiced the villainous Ursula in Disney's The Little Mermaid in 1989. She considered the role one of her favorites — and she had plenty to choose from, going as far back as the 1940s: The Danny Thomas Show, Make Room for Daddy, Laverne & Shirley, Designing Women and many more. She continued to play Ariel's nemesis in videos, games, TV shows and more. It was less widely known that Carroll was the voice of another character familiar to TV audiences, that of Garfield's grandmother in A Garfield Christmas Special, which first aired on TV in 1987 and was rebroadcast annually for years. Along the way, she won a Grammy, an Emmy and a Drama Desk Award.
Nichelle Nichols
Date: July 30
Cause of death: Natural causes
Age: 89
The singer and actress paved the way for future generations on TV's original Star Trek, as she was one of the first Black women to have a leading role in a television series. Nichols's groundbreaking portrayal of Lt. Nyota Uhura was the first non-stereotypical role to be played by a Black woman and her kiss with William Shatner's James T. Kirk is thought to be the first interracial kiss on U.S. television. Nichols's résumé off-camera was equally notable, as she worked with NASA to help recruit minorities for the space program.
Roger E. Mosley
Date: Aug. 7
Cause of death: Car crash
Age: 83
For all eight years that the original Magnum, P.I. aired in the '80s, Mosley co-starred as Tom Selleck's helicopter pilot, Theodore "T.C." Calvin. He was so famed for the role, in fact, that he won a TV Land Award in 2009. Mosley was a familiar sight to viewers of other shows as well, having appeared in Love Boat, Sanford and Son, The Rockford Files, Starsky and Hutch, Night Court, Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper and many more shows. On the big screen, he portrayed boxer Sonny Liston in the 1977 Muhammad Ali biopic The Greatest and Smitty in the Martin Lawrence comedy A Thin Line Between Love and Hate.
Olivia Newton-John
Date: Aug. 8
Cause of death: Cancer
Age: 73
The Grease star that audiences became hopelessly devoted to, lost her battle with breast cancer. Newton-John was a singer and actress who won hearts as Sandy, opposite John Travolta in the 1978 musical movie. It was the highest-grossing film of that year and the soundtrack resulted in three of her biggest international singles: "You're the One That I Want," "Summer Nights" and "Hopelessly Devoted to You." She later appeared in 1980's Xanadu and reunited with Travolta in Two of a Kind (1983), among other films. Born in England and raised in Australia, Newton-John initially rose to stardom as a singer, winning Grammy Awards for her country singles "Let Me Be There" (1974) and "I Honestly Love You" (1975) years before her pop megahit "Physical" won for Video of the Year (1983). She went public with her breast cancer diagnosis in 1992 and became a powerful advocate for cancer research, opening the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre in Melbourne. The cancer returned two more times, the final in 2017 when it metastasized to her back. She chose not to focus on how much time she had left as the cancer progressed, she said, and died peacefully at her home in California's Santa Ynez Valley.
Anne Heche
Date: Aug. 11
Cause of death: Inhalation and thermal injuries
Age: 53
The actress was a fixture onscreen in the '90s, known for roles in films like Six Days, Seven Nights; Donnie Brasco; Volcano; and Wag the Dog. Heche won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1991 for the daytime drama Another World in which she played good-and-evil twins Vicky Hudson and Marley Love. Heche's rising star coincided with the rise of tabloid culture as her relationship with Ellen DeGeneres became worldwide news in 1997, which the actress claimed got her "blacklisted" from Hollywood for years. Heche moved over to television and guest-starred on Ally McBeal and Nip/Tuck before starring in the sitcom Men in Trees. Heche had recurring roles in Hung, Everwood and Chicago P.D. On Aug. 5, she drove her Mini Cooper into a home in Los Angeles causing the residence and her car to go up in flames. She suffered burns and a severe anoxic brain injury. Heche was hospitalized and placed in a coma, where she remained on life support while doctors worked to determine organ transplantation.
Wolfgang Petersen
Date: Aug. 12
Cause of death: Pancreatic cancer
Age: 81
The German director was best known for his third film, 1981 war movie Das Boot, for which he was nominated for an Oscar. Later he helmed beloved children's movie The NeverEnding Story and action flicks Outbreak, In the Line of Fire, Air Force One and The Perfect Storm. He also stepped behind the camera for the epics Troy, a 2004 hit starring Brad Pitt and Diane Kruger, and Poseidon, which was infamously less successful.
Joe E. Tata
Date: Aug. 24
Cause of death: Alzheimer's disease
Age: 85
Seminal '90s TV show Beverly Hills, 90210 just wouldn't have been the same without Tata. He played Nat, the owner of the Peach Pit, the gang's hangout and Brandon Walsh's employer, for more than 200 episodes. His other credits, which dated back to the '60s, include shows such as The Rockford Files and Lost in Space. His daughter Kelly said he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2018, and that she'd taken care of him before he "unwittingly signed documents which entered him into a conservatorship."
Bernard Shaw
Date: Sept. 7
Cause of death: Pneumonia
Age: 82
CNN viewers saw Shaw when the network launched on June 1, 1980. He was the Washington anchor that day, and he went on to become the network's lead anchor for the next 20 years, covering presidential elections, the assassination attempt on President Reagan and the Gulf War. Audiences continued to see him pop up as late as 2020.
Jean-Luc Godard
Date: Sept. 13
Cause of death: Assisted suicide
Age: 91
The Franco-Swiss director who revolutionized world cinema died peacefully in his home from an assisted suicide procedure, which is legal in Switzerland. "He was not sick, he was simply exhausted," a Godard family member told press outlets at the time. The French New Wave linchpin never stopped pushing the envelope of his creativity — from his groundbreaking debut, Breathless (1960) to other noteworthy films like Contempt (1963) and Sympathy for the Devil (1968). Though his noir, non-linear style of filmmaking was widely imitated during the height of his popularity, the influence he had on today's filmmakers — Quentin Tarantino, Jonathan Demme, Darren Aronofsky and Martin Scorsese, among others — will never be taken away.
Louise Fletcher
Date: Sept. 23
Cause of death: Natural causes
Age: 88
The veteran actress, who captivated audiences with her Oscar-winning performance as the ruthless and menacing psychiatric Nurse Ratched in 1975's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, died peacefully in her sleep at her home in France. Born in Birmingham, Ala., to deaf parents, Fletcher's decades-long career spanned numerous critically acclaimed projects on film and television — including Robert Altman's 1974 crime drama Thieves Like Us, 1984's Firestarter and the '90s TV series Picket Fences. Having only been married once, to literary agent and producer Jerry Bick, from whom she divorced in 1978 and shared two sons, Fletcher's emotional range as an actor has since become part of the film zeitgeist.
Fred Ward
Date: Sept. 25
Cause of death: Undisclosed
Age: 79
Since the early 1970s, Ward played memorable roles in movies including Escape From Alcatraz, which was his first major role, as well as The Right Stuff, Tremors and Short Cuts. But action wasn't all he could do. Ward tackled comedy, too, appearing in comedies like spoof Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult, teen comedy Road Trip and rom-com Sweet Home Alabama, in which he played Reese Witherspoon's father. He was also Jennifer Lopez's dad in Enough. On TV, he played Jackie Kennedy’s father "Black Jack" in the 2000 movie Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis and also appeared in the series Grey's Anatomy, True Detective and Leverage.
Coolio
Date: Sept. 28
Cause of death: Suspected cardiac arrest
Age: 59
The West Coast rapper, born Artis Leon Ivey Jr., was known for massive '90s hits like "Fantastic Voyage," "C U When U Get There," "1,2,3,4 (Sumpin' New)" and especially the Dangerous Minds movie theme "Gangsta's Paradise." After debuting in 1987 with the single "Whatcha Gonna Do?," he joined the group WC and the Maad Circle, then officially went solo in 1994, signing to Tommy Boy Records and released his platinum-selling debut album, It Takes a Thief. That record spawned the single "Fantastic Voyage," which went to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was one of the biggest rap hits of the year, but it was "Gangsta's Paradise" that made Coolio a superstar. Not only was it the top-selling single of 1995, but it became one of the top-selling singles of all time, with six million copies sold worldwide. It was also nominated for Record of the Year at the 1996 Grammy Awards, won the Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance, and was voted the best single of the year in the prestigious Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics' poll. Coolio later caused a stir when he publicly objected to "Weird Al" Yankovic's parody, "Amish Paradise," but he later expressed regret and the two eventually patched things up, even co-presenting at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards. Coolio never had another hit as big as "Gangsta's Paradise," but over the course of his career he released eight studio albums, three of which went gold or platinum; scored six top 40 singles; and contributed songs to 13 movie or television soundtracks.
Sacheen Littlefeather
Date: Oct. 2
Cause of death: Breast cancer
Age: 75
Littlefeather famously appeared onstage at the 1973 Oscars to reject the best actor statue awarded to Marlon Brando for The Godfather. "He very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award," Littlefeather said at the podium as some in the crowd booed. "And the reasons for this being are the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry… and on television in movie reruns, and also with recent happenings at Wounded Knee." Her speech was cut short that night, but the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences apologized in August for the experience that she had in Hollywood afterward.
Loretta Lynn
Date: Oct. 4
Cause of death: Natural causes
Age: 90
One of the all-time most important singer-songwriters in country music (or any genre), Lynn was a working-class icon and feminist trailblazer for six decades, known for defiant and often topical hits like "Don't Come Home a Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind)," "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man)," "Dear Uncle Sam," "One's on the Way" and "The Pill," the latter of which was banned by many radio stations upon its release in 1975. Lynn's autobiographical song "Coal Miner's Daughter," about her Appalachian childhood, inspired the title of her 1976 memoir, as well as the 1980 biopic of the same name, for which Sissy Spacek won a Best Actress Oscar for playing her. Lynn was prolific and continued to inspire musicians later in life, collaborating with Jack White on 2004's Grammy-winning Van Lear Rose; receiving a Grammy nomination for 2016's Full Circle, which featured duets with Willie Nelson and Elvis Costello; and touring well into her eighties despite multiple health problems. Her final studio album, Still Woman Enough, was released in 2021. Lynn was the most-awarded female country recording artist of all time, and the only woman to receive the Academy of Country Music's Artist of the Decade award. Among her many accolades were three Grammys (and 18 nominations); 14 Academy of Country Music Awards; eight Country Music Association Awards; inductions into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame; and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Judy Tenuta
Date: Oct. 6
Cause of death: Ovarian cancer
Age: 72
A stand-up comic who called herself the "Love Goddess," Tenuta came to fame in the 1980s while touring live comedy clubs with George Carlin. In 1987, she joined comedy greats Ellen DeGeneres, Paula Poundstone and Rita Rudner for the HBO special On Location: Women of the Night. A two-time Grammy nominee for her comedy albums, she also worked with "Weird Al" Yankovic several times, including on the short-lived The Weird Al Show in 1997. "Earth has truly lost a goddess," Yankovic said when she died. He called her a "dear, dear friend."
Angela Lansbury
Date: Oct. 11
Cause of death: Not given
Age: 96
While Lansbury will be forever remembered for the role of Murder, She Wrote sleuth Jessica Fletcher — for which she was nominated for 12 consecutive Emmys — her résumé is stacked with beloved movies, such as Gaslight; The Manchurian Candidate; The Picture of Dorian Gray; Bedknobs and Broomsticks; and the original animated Beauty and the Beast, in which she voiced Mrs. Potts. Lansbury also worked extensively in the theater, and racked up six Tony Awards for five different shows. (She received lifetime achievement awards at the Oscars and the Tonys.) She once explained exactly why she enjoyed playing her most famous role: "Mostly, I've played very spectacular bitches. Jessica has extreme sincerity, compassion, extraordinary intuition. I'm not like her. My imagination runs riot. I'm not a pragmatist. Jessica is."
Robbie Coltrane
Date: Oct. 14
Cause of death: Multiple organ failure
Age: 72
Although the actor is best known for bringing the beloved Harry Potter character Rubeus Hagrid to life in the film franchise, Coltrane was also a popular comedian throughout his decades-long career. The Scottish star had memorable appearances alongside Pierce Brosnan's James Bond in GoldenEye and The World is Not Enough playing the former KGB operative and Bond ally Valentin Dmitrovich Zukovsky. Coltrane found success on TV in the murder drama series Cracker, which earned him three BAFTA best actor awards. Coltrane had been ill for years and, according to his death certificate, suffered from sepsis, lower respiratory tract infection and heart block prior to his passing.
Leslie Jordan
Date: Oct. 24
Cause of death: Car crash
Age: 67
The Emmy-winning actor died after crashing his car while on the way to the Los Angeles set of Call Me Kat, the sitcom on which he co-starred with Mayim Bialik. He'd previously delighted audiences on shows including Will & Grace and Murphy Brown. Jordan was well into his 60s during the pandemic when he became an unlikely internet star, with 5.8 million followers, after he began regularly posting delightful videos in which he shared Hollywood stories with his "fellow hunker-downers," like how he once saw a little too much of Jennifer Lopez.
Julie Powell
Date: Oct. 26
Cause of death: Cardiac arrest
Age: 49
The beloved cookbook author and food writer whose blog posts about cooking Julia Child's recipes inspired the 2009 film Julie & Julia, starring Amy Adams and Meryl Streep, died from cardiac arrest at her home in Olivebridge, N.Y. Powell launched to prominence in 2002 after creating the Julie/Julia Project, a blog hosted on Salon.com that chronicled her attempts at making all 524 recipes from Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Her self-deprecating, honest voice struck a chord with readers, and, ultimately, director Nora Ephron, who turned Powell's blog (later adapted into a book, Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen) into a beloved film classic that grossed $129.5 million at the global box office, from a $40 million budget.
Jerry Lee Lewis
Date: Oct. 28
Cause of death: Natural causes
Age: 87
One of very first inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, "The Killer" established himself as an architect of early rock 'n' roll with a wild-eyed, bad-boy persona and dynamic, boogie-woogie playing style (which often involved him pounding the keys with his fists, elbows, feet and backside) and that influenced countless rockers who followed him. His first big solo success for seminal label Sun Records came in 1957 with the top three Billboard hits "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" (which was selected for permanent preservation in the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress in 2005) and "Great Balls of Fire." However, his career was derailed just a year later, during his first tour of the U.K., when journalist Ray Berry reported that Lewis's third wife, Myra Gale Brown, who was accompanying Lewis on the trip, was 13 years old and his first cousin once removed. Still, Lewis managed to gain a new audience in the '60s and '70s, surprisingly reinventing himself as a country star with 17 top 10 hits (including four No. 1s) on the Billboard country chart. He continued to enjoy acclaim later in life, with his 2006 duets album Last Man Standing — which featured collaborations with admirers and disciples like Jimmy Page, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Robbie Robertson, John Fogerty, Ringo Starr, Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton, Don Henley and the Rolling Stones's Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ron Wood — becoming his most successful full-length release, with more than 1 million copies sold. Lewis died just nine days after he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Longtime friend Kris Kristofferson accepted the honor on his behalf and brought the award to Lewis's bedside.
Takeoff
Date: Nov. 1
Cause of death: Multiple gunshot wounds
Age: 28
Grammy-winning rapper Takeoff, aka Kirsnik Khari Ball, was a member of the Atlanta hip-hop trio Migos, which he formed with his uncle and cousin, Quavo and Offset, in 2008. After the trio changed its name from Polo Club to Migos, they debuted with the mixtape Juug Season in 2011, and later exploded onto the scene with the singles "Versace" and their No.1 signature hit, "Bad and Boujee," featuring Lil Uzi Vert. In 2018, Takeoff released his full-length solo debut, The Last Rocket. In Oct. 2022, just three weeks before Takeoff was shot and killed at a private party at 810 Billiards & Bowling in Houston, he and Quavo released the duo album Only Built for Infinity Links, which debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200. Takeoff's music experienced a major spike following his death, with Only Built for Infinity Links jumping from No. 84 back up to No. 12, and The Last Rocket and multiple Migos albums reentering the chart. As of this writing, the suspect in Takeoff's murder case, Patrick Clark, is in jail on a $1 million bond and awaiting his moment in court.
Aaron Carter
Date: Nov. 5
Cause of death: TBD
Age: 34
The singer, who released his first album at age 9 but struggled with mental illness and addiction as he grew up, was found dead at his Lancaster, Calif., home. TMZ reported that the "Aaron's Party" singer, who was addicted to huffing and painkillers, drowned in his bathtub with compressed air canisters and pill bottles nearby, but the official cause of death is pending toxicology results. The towheaded little brother of Backstreet Boys singer Nick was a heartthrob before he hit double digits (with Hilary Duff and Lindsay Lohan famously vying for him). He appeared on episodes of 7th Heaven, in Broadway's Seussical and on the reality show House of Carters with Nick and their siblings. His woes started early with his finances and escalated with drugs and arrests. He did multiple stints in rehab and struggled with body dysmorphia. In 2017, he revealed he had been diagnosed with multiple personality disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and acute anxiety. He also had big rifts within his family and was estranged from Nick and his twin sister, Angel. Aaron's public drama overshadowed his first album in 16 years, Love, in 2018. In his final months those hard times continued with him losing custody of the 1-year-old son he shared with on, off fiancée Melanie Martin.
John Aniston
Date: Nov. 11
Cause of death: Undisclosed
Age: 89
The actor who played villain Victor Kiriakis on Days of Our Lives for decades, "went soaring into the heavens in peace and without pain," his daughter Jennifer Aniston announced. Born Yannis Anastassakis in Greece, his family emigrated to the U.S., settling in Pennsylvania and shortening the family name. He received a theater arts degree at Pennsylvania State University, then served as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy before starting his acting career. He landed small TV roles (Kojak and Mission: Impossible) before finding steady work on soap operas, first on Love of Life and then Search for Tomorrow. In 1985, he landed the role of bad guy Victor — and it was a part he played for the rest of his life. He received a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2017 and was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award just five months before he died with his Friends star daughter making a video tribute for the occasion.
Irene Cara
Date: Nov. 25
Cause of death: Undisclosed
Age: 63
You can't mention Cara without citing her monster hit song "Flashdance… What a Feeling." Not only did the theme for the 1983 movie Flashdance, which she co-wrote, spend six weeks atop the Billboard charts, but it won the Oscar for best song. Cara also took home a Grammy for her performance of it. Earlier in her career, she broke out with the 1980 movie Fame, in which she starred and earned Grammy nominations for her performance of the theme song and for Best New Artist. Cara’s other credits include TV’s The Electric Company and the 1976 movie Sparkle.
Christine McVie
Date: Nov. 30
Cause of death: Undisclosed illness
Age: 79
The singer-songwriter and keyboardist, born Christine Perfect, was best known for her 50-year tenure in the massively successful classic rock band Fleetwood Mac, and for penning some of that band's most iconic hits, including "You Make Loving Fun," "Say You Love Me," "Songbird," "Hold Me," "Little Lies," "The Chain" and "Don't Stop." The latter was her biggest hit, peaking at No. 3, and it was later adopted as the theme song for Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign; Fleetwood Mac performed it at Clinton's inaugural ball in 1993. Along with her 14 studio and live albums with Fleetwood Mac, McVie released two albums with Chicken Shack (her work with that band earned her U.K. music magazine Melody Makers' Best Female Vocalist honor in 1969), and three solo albums. In 2017, she released her final LP, a joint effort with her bandmate from Fleetwood Mac's classic lineup, Lindsey Buckingham, simply titled Lindsey Buckingham Christine McVie. Along with her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Fleetwood Mac, among McVie's many honors were two Grammy Awards, the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, a Gold Badge of Merit Award from the Ivors Academy, an Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement and the Trailblazer Award at the U.K. Americana Awards.
Bob McGrath
Date: Dec. 4
Cause of death: Complications from a stroke
Age: 90
McGrath was one of the first humans on Sesame Street, playing music teacher Bob Johnson alongside Grover, Elmo and the rest from 1969, when the show debuted, until 2016, when it was reworked. Even after that, McGrath continued to make appearances as Bob. He was one of the people who explained to Big Bird that Mr. Hooper had died in a famous 1983 episode, and he sang songs such as "The People in Your Neighborhood." McGrath released a total of eight children's albums. The Sesame Workshop remembered him as someone who "embodied the melodies of Sesame Street like no one else, and his performances brought joy and wonder to generations of children around the world, whether teaching them the ABCs, the people in their neighborhood or the simple joy of feeling music in their hearts."
Kirstie Alley
Date: Dec. 5
Cause of death: Colon cancer
Age: 71
The Cheers star's death came as a shock to Hollywood, because she had kept her recent colon cancer diagnosis private. Alley co-starred on the sitcom set in a neighborhood bar from 1987 to 1993, and won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her performance in 1991. Some of her other credits include the sitcom Veronica's Closet; the Look Who's Talking movies with John Travolta; TV comedy Fat Actress, in which she played a fictionalized version of herself; horror series Scream Queens; and the 2013 sitcom Kirstie. Not surprisingly, Alley's Cheers co-stars were some of the first to pay tribute.
Stephen "tWitch" Boss
Date: Dec. 13
Cause of death: Suicide
Age: 40
Boss was best known as the in-house DJ on daytime's The Ellen DeGeneres Show, a job that he began in 2014 and held until the show ended in 2021. He had been promoted to a co-executive producer on it in 2020, and he even appeared on a spinoff, Ellen's Game of Games. He notably stood by DeGeneres during the "toxic workplace" scandal. Boss first gained prominence, though, in 2008, when he won runner-up on the fourth season of So You Think You Can Dance. The following year, one of his dances, with contestant Katee Shean and choreographed by Mia Michaels, was nominated for an Emmy for choreography. While Boss often returned to SYTYCD to perform, he also joined the judging panel last spring. His wife, Allison Holker Boss, who he met on the dance competition, broke the sad news.
