Celebrity Deaths

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Peter Green has died "peacefully in his sleep" at age 73. Green, who was an English blues rock singer-songwriter and guitarist, co-founded Fleetwood Mac with drummer Mick Fleetwood in 1967. He left the band four years later, though Mick Fleetwood told the Associated Press in 2017, that Green deserved the "lion’s share of the credit for the band’s success."

Andrew Mlangeni passed away on June 6th in Pretoria, the office of President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed on Wednesday. Mlangeni was the last surviving Rivonia trialists, a trial which brought to light the segregationist policies of apartheid in South Africa. He died in a military hospital after being committed with abdominal complaints.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said: "The passing of Andrew Mekete Mlangeni signifies the end of a generational history and places our future squarely in our hands. Until recently, we were able to sit at Bab’ Mlangeni’s feet and draw on his wealth of wisdom and his unfailing commitment – even at his very advanced age – to a better life for all South Africans. With his passing as the last remaining Rivonia Trialist, Bab’ Mlangeni has indeed passed the baton to his compatriots to build the South Africa he fought to liberate and to reconstruct during our democratic dispensation."

John Lewis, the US civil rights hero and US Democratic congressman has died at the age of 80 after a six-month battle with cancer.

Lewis, a son of sharecroppers, was the last survivor of the “Big Six” civil rights activists, a group led by Martin Luther King. He was best known for leading some 600 protesters in the Bloody Sunday march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma in 1965.

Lewis was elected as the congressman for Georgia’s 5th district in 1987 and held the office until his death.

Her family disclosed that Zindzi Mandela was diagnosed with the Coronavirus before her death. The daughter of Nelson Mandela was laid to rest next to her mother Winnie Madikizela-Mandela in Johannesburg on July 17th.

C.T. Vivian has died of natural causes in his Atlanta home at age 95. Vivian was a civil rights veteran and a close associate of Dr Martin Luther King Jr., who he met in 1955. He helped organise the Freedom Rides and was an advocate for non-violent protest, racial justice and equality.

In 2013, President Barack Obama awarded Vivan with the presidential medal of freedom.

Grant Imahara, the former co-host of Discovery Channel's "MythBusters" and Netflix's "White Rabbit Project", has died suddenly at the age of 49 of a brain aneurysm.

Born in Los Angeles, Imahara joined Lucasfilm’s THX and later moved to its VFX unit ILM. During his tenure, he worked on films in such blockbuster movies as Jurassic Park, The Matrix, The Terminator, xXx, Galaxy Quest, Van Helsing and Steven Spielberg’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence.

Adam Savage, co-host of MythBusters, tweeted: "I’m at a loss. No words. I’ve been part of two big families with Grant Imahara over the last 22 years. Grant was a truly brilliant engineer, artist and performer, but also just such a generous, easygoing, and gentle PERSON. Working with Grant was so much fun. I’ll miss my friend."

The Ventura County Sheriff's Office confirmed that the body found earlier today in Lake Piru, California, belongs to actress Naya Rivera, who has been missing since last Wednesday.

Sheriff Bill Ayub said: "We are confident the body we found is that of Naya Rivera, there is no indication of foul play or that this was a suicide.".

Zindzi Mandela, the youngest daughter of Nelson Mandela, has died at the age of 59 in a hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa. The cause of her death has not been revealed yet.

Zindzi Mandela had been serving as South Africa's ambassador to Denmark since 2014. She was married twice and had four children.

Kelly Preston, actress and wife of John Travolta, has died of breast cancer at the age of 57. She appeared in movies such as "Jerry Maguire", "Space Camp" and "Twins". After meeting John Travolta in 1987 on the set of "The Experts", the two got married in 1991 and had three children together.

"It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you that my beautiful wife Kelly has lost her two-year battle with breast cancer. She fought a courageous fight with the love and support of so many," Travolta wrote in a post to Instagram on Monday.

Jack Charlton, a 1966 World Cup winner with England and former Republic of Ireland's national team, has died aged 85. The former defender had been diagnosed with lymphoma in the last year and also had dementia.

Gary Lineker said on Twitter: "Saddened to hear that Jack Charlton has passed away. World Cup winner with England, manager of probably the best ever Ireland side and a wonderfully infectious personality to boot. RIP Jack,".

Nick Cordero has died at age 41 after a month-long battle with Covid-19. The Broadway actor had tested positive for the novel Coronavirus in March and was hospitalised shortly after. He spent over 90 days in the intensive care unit at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles where he received a temporary pacemaker, had one of his legs amputated and was put into a medically induced coma.

His wife, Amanda Kloots, confirmed his passing on Instagram, writing: "God has another angel in heaven now. My heart is broken as I cannot imagine our lives without him. Nick was such a bright light. He was everyone’s friend, loved to listen, help and especially talk. He was an incredible actor and musician. I will love you forever and always my sweet man."

Ennio Morricone has died at age 91. The Italian composer composed over 400 scores for television and cinema, including a score for the 1966 movie The Good, The Bad and The Ugly which is considered one of the most influential soundtracks in movie history. Morricone was nominated for 6 Academy Awards and received an Oscar for his score to Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight. His work influenced many artists, including Hans Zimmer, Dire Straits and Metallica.

Earl Cameron has died at the age of 102 on Friday. His death was confirmed by his agent who said that Cameron "passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his wife and family."

Cameron was one of the first Black actors who achieved a prominent role in British film. After working in theatre, he made his film debut in Pool of London, a 1951 crime drama. He later appeared in movies such as Safari and Thunderball. Cameron also played the first black astronaut on screen in an episode of Doctor Who.

"When I arrived in London, I had no qualifications for anything. It was a period when it was almost impossible for a black person to get any kind of job," so Cameron in a 2018 interview.