Celebrity Deaths

Arts, Entertainment, Culture • Celebrities & Public Figures
Actress Helen McCrory dies aged 52
Helen McCrory and Damian Lewis in 2013
Helen McCrory and Damian Lewis in 2013 Credit: Sean Reynolds from Liverpool, United Kingdom, via Wikimedia Commons (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0)

The British actress Helen McCrory, best known for her roles in Harry Potter, Peaky Blinders and Penny Dreadful, has died at the age of 52 after a battle with cancer.

Her husband Damian Lewis announced her death on Twitter, writing: "I'm heartbroken to announce that after an heroic battle with cancer, the beautiful and might woman that is Helen McCrory has died peacefully at home, surrounded by a wave of love from friends and family. She died as she lived. Fearlessly. God we love her and know how lucky we are to have had her in our lives. She blazed so brightly. Go now, Little One, into the air, and thank you."

Arts, Entertainment, Culture • Celebrities & Public Figures
Actor George Segal dies aged 87
Actor George Segal dies aged 87
Credit: IMDb (Twitter Reproduction)

American actor and musician George Segal has died of complications from bypass surgery in Santa Rosa, California at the age of 87.

"The family is devastated to announce that this morning George Segal passed away due to complications from bypass surgery," his wife Sonia Segal said in a statement provided by Sony Television.

Arts, Entertainment, Culture • Celebrities & Public Figures
Chick Corea, jazz-fusion pioneer, dead at 79
Chick Corea
Chick Corea Credit: Alberto Cabello (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0)

Chick Corea, a towering jazz pianist with a staggering 23 Grammy Awards who pushed the genre's boundaries and worked alongside Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock, has died Tuesday from a rare form of cancer. Corea was 79.

A prolific record-maker with nearly 90 albums as a leader or co-leader to his credit, Corea racked up a staggering 22 Grammy Awards (and a total of 63 nominations) and three Latin Grammys. He was named a National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Master in 2006.

Arts, Entertainment, Culture • Celebrities & Public Figures
Oscar Winner Christopher Plummer dies at 91
Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews on location in Salzburg during the filming of The Sound of Music, 1964
Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews on location in Salzburg during the filming of The Sound of Music, 1964 Credit: 20th Century Fox

Christopher Plummer, The Sound of Music star, has died at his home in Connecticut, his manager Lou Pitt said in a statement. Elaine Taylor, his wife for 53 years, was by his side.

The actor won an Oscar for Beginners and was nominated for All the Money in the World and The Last Station. He also won two Tonys and two Emmys awards.

Plummer's other memorable roles included portraying newsman Mike Wallace in "The Insider," "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" and providing the voice of the villain in the Pixar animated movie "Up."

Arts, Entertainment, Culture • Celebrities & Public Figures
Actor of "Boba Fett" Jeremy Bulloch dies aged 75
Actor of "Boba Fett" Jeremy Bulloch dies aged 75
Credit: Luigi Novi, via Wikimedia Commons (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0)

British actor Jeremy Bulloch has died "peacefully, in hospital, surrounded by his family, from health complications following his many years living with Parkinson's disease" at the age of 75 on Thursday. Bulloch is known for portraying the character Boba Fett in the original Star Wars trilogy.

"He had a long and happy career spanning more than 45 years. He was devoted to his wife, three sons, and ten grandchildren and they will miss him terribly. We ask that their privacy be respected at this very difficult time," his agent said.

Arts, Entertainment, Culture • Music
Fans mourn death of legendary Indian singer SP Balasubrahmanyam
Singer SPB performing in Singapore
Singer SPB performing in Singapore Credit: Sundar / Wikimedia Commons (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 4.0)

Famous Indian singer SP Balasubrahmanyam died on Friday after being in intensive care following a Coronavirus infection. He was 74.

Balasubrahmanyam recorded over 40,000 songs in his 50-year-long career, for which he held a Guinness world record. He later become the singing voice for Bollywood superstars.

Arts, Entertainment, Culture • Literature
Author Winston Groom dies at age 77
Forrest Gump author Winston Groom speaking at the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant event (cropped)
Forrest Gump author Winston Groom speaking at the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant event (cropped) Credit: Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant / Wikimedia Commons (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0)

Author Winston Groom has died at the age of 77. He is best known for his novel Forrest Gump, which was eventually turned into a global box office hit and award-winning movie.

"Saddened to learn that Alabama has lost one of our most gifted writers," Alabama governor Kay Ivey said when confirming Groom's death. "While he will be remembered for creating Forrest Gump, Winston Groom was a talented journalist & noted author of American history. Our hearts & prayers are extended to his family."

Arts, Entertainment, Culture • Celebrities & Public Figures
Toots Hibbert dies at 77
Toots Hibbert
Toots Hibbert Credit: Karl Simpson (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0)

Jamaican singer and songwriter and pioneering reggae star Toots Hibbert died at the age of 77. He was the frontman of Toots and the Maytals, a band that helped make reggae globally famous. He died surrounded by his family at the University Hospital of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica.

Arts, Entertainment, Culture • TV & Movies
Actress Dame Diana Rigg dies at the age of 82
Dame Diana Rigg as Olenna Tyrell
Dame Diana Rigg as Olenna Tyrell

The British Actress Dame Diana Rigg, famous for TV roles as Emma Peel in The Avengers and as Olenna Tyrell in Game of Thrones, has died at the age of 82 of cancer, after being diagnosed in March.

Rigg also appeared as Tracy Bond, James Bond’s only wife, in the 1969 Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

Arts, Entertainment, Culture • Celebrities & Public Figures
"A tribute fit for a King" – Tweet honoring Chadwick Boseman now most-liked Tweet
"A tribute fit for a King" – Tweet honoring Chadwick Boseman now most-liked Tweet
Credit: @Twitter via Twitter

On Saturday, Twitter confirmed that the tweet announcing Chadwick Boseman's passing has become the most-liked tweet on the platform.

The Tweet from Chadwick Boseman's account has reached 6.3m likes and 3m retweets so far.

"Most liked Tweet ever. A tribute fit for a King. #WakandaForever," so Twitter on Saturday.

Arts, Entertainment, Culture • TV & Movies
Actor Chadwick Boseman dies at 43 after a 4-year fight with colon cancer
Chadwick Boseman at ComicCon
Chadwick Boseman at ComicCon Credit: Gage Skidmore (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0)

Actor Chadwick Boseman, the star of "Black Panther", died in his home after a 4-year fight with colon cancer. Boseman learned in 2016 that he had Stage 3 colon cancer, which had progressed to Stage 4.

A statement posted on Boseman's social networks said: "It is with immeasurable grief that we confirm the passing of Chadwick Boseman ... A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much."

The statement also said it was "the honour of his career to bring King T’Challa to life in 'Black Panther.'"

Arts, Entertainment, Culture • Music
Jack Sherman, former guitarist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, dies aged 64
Jack Sherman, former guitarist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, dies aged 64
Credit: ToshiroKitty.WereWolf at en.wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)

Jack Sherman has died on August 20 at the age of 64. His cause of death has not been disclosed as of yet.

"We of the RHCP family would like to wish Jack Sherman smooth sailing into the worlds beyond, for he has passed. Jack played on our debut album as well as our first tour of the USA. He was a unique dude and we thank him for all times good, bad and in between. Peace on the boogie platform," the band said in a post to Instagram.

Sherman was the guitarist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers from 1983 to 1984 and co-wrote much of the band's second album "Freaky Styley".

Arts, Entertainment, Culture • Celebrities & Public Figures
Younger brother of Donald Trump, Robert Trump has died age 71

According to a statement from the United States president Donald Trump his younger brother Robert Trump has died in a New York hospital.

Robert Trump was 71 and had been sick for several months. It is not known to the public from what illness.

Donald Trump has stated that "it is with heavy heart I share that my wonderful brother, Robert, peacefully passed away tonight. He was not just my brother, he was my best friend. He will be greatly missed, but we will meet again. His memory will live on in my heart forever. Robert, I love you. Rest in peace".

Arts, Entertainment, Culture • Celebrities & Public Figures
Actress Franca Valeri dies aged 100
Franca Valeri in 2011
Franca Valeri in 2011 Credit: Associazione Amici di Piero Chiara / Wikimedia Commons (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0)

Italian actress Franca Valeri has died at the age of 100 in her sleep at her Roman home on August 9. Valeri, the pioneer of female comic roles in Italy's post-war, was described by Italy's President Sergio Mattarella as a "versatile and popular actress who will remain in the hearts of Italians for her great talent and her extraordinary likability."

Valeri started working in film in the early 1950s and worked alongside Italian actor Totò and directors Federico Fellini and Mario Monicelli. She died just nine days after her 100th birthday.

Arts, Entertainment, Culture • Celebrities & Public Figures
Daisy Coleman has died by suicide at age 23
Daisy Coleman has died by suicide at age 23
Credit: YouTube (Reproduction)

Daisy Coleman, an advocate for sexual abuse victim and subject of a Netflix documentary, has taken her own life at the age of 23. After her mother called the police for a wellness check, Coleman was found dead.

Coleman was allegedly sexually assaulted when she was 14 while being unconscious at a high school party. In 2016, she was featured in the Netflix documentary "Audrie & Daisy" which followed the aftermath of both girls' harassment after the assault.

"She was my best friend and amazing daughter. I think she had to make it seem like I could live without her. I can't. I wish I could have taken the pain from her! She never recovered from what those boys did to her and it's just not fair. My baby girl is gone," so her mother, Melinda Coleman, in a post to Facebook.

Arts, Entertainment, Culture • Celebrities & Public Figures
Actor Wilford Brimley dies aged 85
Wilford Brimley on October 22, 2012
Wilford Brimley on October 22, 2012 Credit: Marc Majcher / Wikimedia Commons (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0)

Actor Wilford Brimley has died at age 85 in St. George, Utah on Saturday after suffering from a kidney ailment. Brimley, who spotted a walrus moustache, is known for his roles in the 1985 fantasy movie "Cocoon", the television series "The Waltons" and sports film "The Natural". He was also a spokesperson for Quaker Oats and Liberty Medical, a diabetes-testing supply company.

Arts, Entertainment, Culture • Celebrities & Public Figures
Alan Parker, director of Fame and Evita, dies aged 76
Alan Parker
Alan Parker Credit: Lisa Moran Parker (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 1.0)

Sir Alan Parker, the acclaimed British director of such films as Fame, Evita and Bugsy Malone, has died aged 76.

Parker, a double Oscar nominee, had many other credits including Midnight Express, Mississippi Burning, The Commitments, Angela's Ashes, Birdy and The Life of David Gale.

Arts, Entertainment, Culture • Celebrities & Public Figures
Actor John Saxon dies aged 83
John Saxon in 1975
John Saxon in 1975 Credit: NBC / Public domain

John Saxon has died of pneumonia at age 83 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The actor played a martial artist in Enter the Dragon alongside Bruce Lee and starred in three Nightmare on Elm Street movies, among others.

Arts, Entertainment, Culture • Celebrities & Public Figures
Actress Olivia de Havilland has died aged 104
Screenshot of Olivia de Havilland from the trailer for the film Gone with the Wind
Screenshot of Olivia de Havilland from the trailer for the film Gone with the Wind Credit: Public domain

Actress and two-time Academy Award winner Olivia de Havilland has died peacefully from natural causes in her Paris Home on July 26. She was 104 years old. De Havilland made her debut in "A Midsummer Night's Dream", but was best known for her role as Melanie Hamilton in the 1939 movie classic "Gone With The Wind" and was considered as one of the movie stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood.

In the 1950s, she moved to Paris and received the National Medal of the Arts and France's Légion d'Honneur. She was also appointed to Dome Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

Arts, Entertainment, Culture • Celebrities & Public Figures
Regis Philbin dies at age 88
The late Regis Philbin with Kelly Ripa and Capt. Mark Genung, May 2010
The late Regis Philbin with Kelly Ripa and Capt. Mark Genung, May 2010 Credit: U.S. Navy photo / Public domain

Regis Philbin, the American media personality, actor, television host and singer, has died of at age 88. Philbin is known for hosting the Miss America pageants and ABC's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." He also co-hosted "Live with Regis...", first with Kathie Lee and later with Kelly Ripa. Philbin was nominated for 37 Daytime Emmy Awards, of which he won six, and holds the world record for most hours on US television with over 16,700 hours.

"We are deeply saddened to share that our beloved Regis Philbin passed away last night of natural causes, one month shy of his 89th birthday. His family and friends are forever grateful for the time we got to spend with him -- for his warmth, his legendary sense of humor, and his singular ability to make every day into something worth talking about," so the statement shared by his family with CNN.