Celebrity Deaths in 2021: The Legends We Lost

HOLLYWOOD, CA — New Year's Day is almost here, but how can we move on without a final farewell to those who shared the turbulent journey that 2021 turned out to be?

We lost icons and iconoclasts, musicians, jesters and larger-than-life legends as well as dubious celebrities.

In a kind of cosmic balancing act, we lost self-described “smut peddler” Larry Flynt and conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh in 2021. We lost the captain of the “Love Boat,” the musicians we loved to rock out to and the comedians who made us laugh.

Some died young and unexpectedly. Some spent long lives in the spotlight. In this year of heartache, we lost baseball great Hank Aaron, Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, actress Cloris Leachman, Prince Philip and our friend Biz Markie.

To all the greats who entertained and inspired us, rest in peace.

Larry Flynt

Boundary-pushing Larry Flynt founded the magazine Hustler and became an unlikely First Amendment warrior who successfully took his free speech battles to the U.S. Supreme Court. The self-described smut peddler was paralyzed in a 1978 attempted homicide outside a Georgia courthouse while he fought a misdemeanor obscenity charge. He died of heart failure on Feb. 10 He was 78.

Christopher Plummer, 91

Christopher Plummer spent most of his life in front of the camera, most notably starring in "The Sound of Music,” “Beginners” and “All the Money in the World.” The Oscar-winning actor died on Feb. 5 at age 91.

Tanya Roberts, 65

Tanya Roberts famously played hot mom Midge on “That ’70s Show” after rising to fame as a model and Bond Girl in “A View to a Kill.” She died Jan. 4 at age 65 after collapsing at her Los Angeles home.

Siegfried Fischbacher, 81

Magician Siegfried Fischbacher died of pancreatic cancer Jan. 13 at 81. The famed Las Vegas showman died not long after his longtime performing partner, Roy Horn, who died from complications of the coronavirus.

Larry King, 87

CNN broadcasting legend Larry King, famous for interviewing the biggest newsmakers of the day, including every president from Richard Nixon to Donald Trump, died from an infection Jan. 23 at 87.

Rush Limbaugh, 70

Conservative firebrand Rush Limbaugh died from lung cancer Feb. 17 at age 70. The polarizing talk radio host had received the presidential Medal of Freedom from Trump a year earlier.

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Cloris Leachman, 94

Actress Cloris Leachman, famed for her roles in “Young Frankenstein” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” died Jan. 27 of natural causes. She was 94.

Prince Philip, 99

Prince Philip, England's longest-serving royal consort, died April 9 at Windsor Castle. He was 99. Philip was married to Queen Elizabeth II for 73 years.

Cicely Tyson, 96

Cicely Tyson, a Tony Award-winning legend of the stage, died Jan. 28 at 96. Famed for her work on the stage, she was also lauded for her work on television and in film. Tyson won an Emmy and was nominated for an Oscar for her role in 1972's “Sounder."

Sylvain Sylvain, 69

Sylvain Sylvain, punk guitarist for the New York Dolls, died from cancer at the age of 69 on Jan. 13.

DMX, 50

The rapper known for his songs "Ruff Ryder's Anthem" and "Party Up (Up in Here)," died of cardiac arrest April 9 at the age of 50. DMX, whose real name was Earl Simmons, suffered a drug overdose shortly before his death.

Jessica Walter, 80

Emmy-winning actress Jessica Walter, the matriarch of the shows “Arrested Development” and “Archer,” died in her sleep on March 24. She was 80. She spent most of her life on the stage and screen, appearing in nearly 200 productions and earning an Emmy Award.

Charles Grodin, 86

Actor Charles Grodin, famed for his comedic straight man roles in movies such as "Beethoven" and “The Heartbreak Kid," died of cancer May 18 at age 86.

Samuel E. Wright, 74

Samuel E. Wright, famous for his voice as the crab Sebastian in “The Little Mermaid” and as Mufasa in “The Lion King” on Broadway, died May 24 at the age of 74.

Johnny Solinger, 55

Former Skid Row frontman Johnny Solinger died June 26 at the age of 55 after telling fans he suffered from liver failure. The famous hair metal band was known for hits such as "18 and Life" and "I Remember You."

Charlie Watts, 80

Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts was scheduled to perform a U.S. tour with the iconic rock band, but he had to back out because of declining health. He died on Aug. 24 at age 80.

Hank Aaron, 86

Legendary baseball slugger and trailblazer Hank Aaron died Jan. 22 at age 86. An all-time baseball great who broke Babe Ruth's home run record, Aaron was an icon off the field as well. He was a devoted civil rights advocate driven by the racist threats he endured as one of the earliest Black men to play Major League Baseball.

Peter Scolari, 66

Emmy-winning actor Peter Scolari, who starred in “Bosom Buddies” and “Newhart,” died from cancer Oct. 22 at 66.

Willie Garson, 57

Willie Garson, who played Carrie's pal Stanford Blatch in "Sex and the City" and a master thief in "White Collar," died of pancreatic cancer Sept. 21 at age 57.

Sarah Harding, 39

Singer Sarah Harding of Girls Aloud was just 39 when she died of breast cancer on Sept. 5. Best known for singing, she also acted and modeled.

This article originally appeared on the Hollywood Patch