Here are some of the most notable names we lost this year.
Matthew Perry
The “Friends” star, who spent years speaking candidly about his battle with drug abuse and alcoholism, died at home on Oct. 28 at the age of 54. Tributes promptly poured in to honor the spirit and humor of the five-time Emmy nominee, who loved ones say was happy and sober in his final weeks.
Henry Kissinger
The former secretary of state who directed Richard Nixon’s foreign policy with deadly consequences for people worldwide died on Nov. 29 at age 100. While America’s ruling class applauded Kissinger’s Cold War pragmatism, he was reviled worldwide for his decision-making, which upended democratic regimes worldwide and brought suffering on millions.
Rosalynn Carter
Known for her enduring kindness and true partnership with Jimmy Carter, the former first lady died Nov. 19 at age 96. She was remembered in several ceremonies, with her husband making rare public appearances despite his own illness. In life, Carter worked tirelessly as an advocate for those less fortunate than her.
Tina Turner
The iconic diva was “Simply the Best” and, after a long illness, died at her Swiss home on May 23 at age 83. The Grammy winner, who first came to fame as one half of the Ike and Tina Turner Revue, revived her career after shedding the weight of her abusive ex-husband. Her solo legacy includes hits like “What’s Love Got to Do With It” and a solo induction in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Sandra Day O’Connor
As the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court, O’Connor became a role model to millions nationwide. During her 25 years on the court, O’Connor cast deciding votes in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which upheld Roe v. Wade, and Bush v. Gore, which functionally decided the 2000 presidential election in favor of George W. Bush. She died Dec. 1, 17 years after her retirement, at age 93.
Jeff Beck
Legendary guitarist Jeff Beck — ranked by Rolling Stone as the fifth-best ever — died at age 78 on Jan. 10 after he unexpectedly contracted bacterial meningitis. Beck was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame both for his time with Yardbirds, when he replaced Eric Clapton, and again for his solo artistry.
Bob Knight
The irascible Indiana basketball coach defined a generation of hoopers and their coaches with his no-nonsense style and explosive temper. Despite his undeniable success, his outbursts cost him jobs at Indiana and Texas Tech after he was accused of assaulting players at both schools. In 1994, he requested to be buried upside down, so “my critics can kiss my ass.”
Dianne Feinstein
California’s longest-serving senator, Feinstein used her powerful position to campaign against guns and in defense of the environment all the way until her death on Sept. 29 at age 90. Her crowning achievement was the 1994 assault weapons ban, which was inspired in part by the event that catapulted Feinstein onto the national stage: the assassinations of Harvey Milk and George Moscone.
Harry Belafonte
A multi-talented performer and constant fighter for human rights, Belafonte died April 25 at age 96. Belafonte first gained fame for his beautiful voice, becoming the first person to ever sell 1 million copies of a full length album. But he parlayed that fame into rights for others. Friend of both Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy, Belafonte became a crucial force in the civil rights movement.
Jimmy Buffett
The “Margaritaville” singer-songwriter died Sept. 1 at 76, spurring heartfelt tributes from loved ones and “Parrotheads” alike. Buffett’s beachy breezy aesthetic spawned the mega-successful “Margaritaville”-themed restaurants, hotels and shops, for which tropical tranquility has remained the name of the game.
Norman Lear
The pioneering television creator, behind household favorites like “All in the Family,” and “The Jeffersons,” never shied away from spotlighting faces and issues that rarely got their due. Lear’s life and legacy, which included a fair share of political activism in the name of free speech and voting rights, spanned generations and mediums before he died Dec. 5 at the age of 101.
Tony Bennett
The Astoria-bred crooner was 96 when he died July 21 at his home near Central Park, following a battle with Alzheimer’s disease. A favorite of Frank Sinatra, Bennett earned 20 Grammys over six decades, and a Recording Academy lifetime achievement award in the early aughts.
Bob Barker
The game show host, known as the face of “The Price is Right” for 35 years and “Truth or Consequences” for 20, died of natural causes at his home on Aug. 26 at age 99. A noted animal activist, Barker took a stand against fur coats dispensed by the Miss Universe pageant and donated a significant amount to animal organization PETA, which remembered him for “using his voice and prominent position to protect animals.”
Raquel Welch
The multi-hyphenate actress and sex symbol died at age 82 on Feb. 15 “after a brief illness.” In addition to breaking out in 1966’s “Fantastic Voyage” and “One Million Years B.C.,” Welch in the 1990s was one of the posters hung in Andy’s cell in “The Shawshank Redemption.” She also had a cameo in an episode of “Seinfeld.”
Burt Bacharach
The Grammy-winning composer behind the likes of “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head,” died on Feb. 8 at age 94.
Alan Arkin
The native New Yorker’s Oscar-winning role in “Little Miss Sunshine” introduced him to a new generation of filmgoers, cemented only by his Academy Award-nominated turn in “Argo.” The Emmy-nominated star of “The Kominsky Method” died June 29 at age 89.
Lisa Marie Presley
The singer-songwriter, who was the only daughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, died Jan. 12 at age 55, due to complications from a small bowel obstruction. Presley and her mother were together at the Golden Globes just two days prior, successfully rooting for Austin Butler to take home the award for his portrayal of the King of Rock and Roll in the biopic, “Elvis.”
PHOTO GALLERY: Notable celebrity and newsmaker deaths of 2023
David Crosby
The music legend, who co-founded the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash, died Jan. 18 at age 81. Bandmate Graham Nash subsequently said the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s death was related to COVID.
Cormac McCarthy
The Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist — known for “All the Pretty Horses,” “The Road,” “Blood Meridian,” and “No Country for Old Men” — died of natural causes on June 13 at age 89.
Dick Butkus
A defining figure of toughness in the early days of the NFL, Butkus anchored the Chicago Bears’ defense at the time and was known for punishing opponents. Before his death on Oct. 5 at age 80, he also became known as a lovable figure online.
Robbie Robertson
The Canadian-born frontman of the Band — which inspired the Beatles, Elton John and Eric Clapton — died on Aug. 9 at age 80, following a long illness. Robertson, who also served as Bob Dylan’s guitarist, composed the score for longtime friend and collaborator Martin Scorsese’s latest Oscar contender, “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which hit theaters in October.
Robbie Bachman
The drummer and co-founder of rock band Bachman-Turner Overdrive, known for ’70s staples like “Takin’ Care Of Business,” “Let It Ride” and “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet” — died Jan. 12 at 69 years old.
Angus Cloud
The “Euphoria” breakout, who played soft-spoken drug dealer Fezco, was just 25 when he died July 31 at his Oakland, California, home, due to an accidental overdose.
Andre Braugher
The two-time Emmy winner, best known for starring on “Homicide: Life on the Street” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” died at age 61 on Dec. 11, following a brief illness. Braugher most recently appeared in 10 episodes of “The Good Fight” and, at the time of his death, had two upcoming projects.
Julian Sands
The “A Room With a View” and “The Killing Fields” actor’s remains were found on California’s Mount Baldy, after he disappeared in January while hiking in the San Gabriel Mountains.
Michael Lerner
The Brooklyn born, Academy Award-nominated “Barton Fink” star — whose nearly 200 credits also included “Elf” and “The Goldbergs” — died April 8 at age 81.
Richard Belzer
The stand-up comic-turned “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” star died Feb. 15 at age 78, following multiple health issues.
Chaim Topol
The Oscar-nominated Israeli star, best known for playing the titular Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof” on both the stage and screen, died on March 8 at age 87.
Jerry Springer
The controversial talk show host, whose titular program may just have birthed America’s obsession with reality TV, died on April 27 at age 79.
Gordon Lightfoot
The four-time Grammy nominee, known for songs like “Early Morning Rain” and “Rainy Day People,” died May 1 at age 84.
Paul Reubens
Best known for his role as Pee Wee Herman, the actor died July 30 at age 70, following a private cancer battle.
Treat Williams
The “Everwood” actor, who first broke out in “Hair” and Steven Spielberg’s “1941,” died on June 12 at age 71, following a motorcycle accident in Vermont.
William Friedkin
Friedkin won an Oscar for directing “The French Connection,” but he changed cinema when “The Exorcist” hit theaters 50 years ago. The Academy Award winner died Aug. 7, at age 87, shortly before the release of his final picture, which premiered in September at the Venice Film Festival.
Len Goodman
A professional ballroom dancer, Goodman found the path to maximize his fame in that field: as a judge on “Dancing with the Stars.” He stepped away from the show prior to his death on April 22 at age 78.
Judy Heumann
When she attempted to become a New York City teacher, Heumann was rejected because she used a wheelchair. Her ensuing legal fight led to the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act, and she continued fighting for all people until her death at age 75 on March 4.
Jane Birkin
The César-nominated actress and fashion icon, who inspired the highly sought after Birkin bag, died in Paris on July 16 at age 76. Birkin, the mother of actress Charlotte Gainsbourg, was also known for film roles in “Blow-Up” and “Death on the Nile.”
Sinead O’Connor
The acclaimed “Nothing Compares 2 U” singer, who infamously tore up a picture of the pope when she hosted “Saturday Night Live,” died on July 26 at age 56. Nearly a year and a half earlier, her son Shane died by suicide, after which, the singer was briefly hospitalized.
Michael Gambon
The “Harry Potter” star, who took over the role of Albus Dumbledore after the death of Richard Harris, died on Sept. 27 at age 82. The “Gosford Park” star got his start on the stage and eventually won all of the four BAFTAs for which he was nominated.
Burt Young
The Queens-born boxer-turned-actor, remembered for playing Paulie Pennino in the “Rocky” films, died Oct. 8 at age 83.
Wayne Shorter
The Newark, New Jersey, native was a genius composer and a virtuoso saxophonist, earning 12 Grammys for his vast catalog of jazz. He died March 2 at age 89.
Joe Pepitone
The Brooklyn-born Pepitone became a star with his hometown Yankees in the 1960s, making three all-star teams and earning three Gold Gloves for his work in the field. He died March 13 at age 82.
Ron Cephas Jones
The Emmy-winning “This Is Us” actor — who was also known for work on “Law & Order” — died Aug. 19 at age 66, following a “long-standing pulmonary issue.”
Rudolph Isley
The Rock & Rol Hall of Famer and founding member of the Isley Brothers — the iconic Motown group behind “Shout” and the Billboard-topping cover of “Twist and Shout” — died on Oct. 11 at age 84.
Suzanne Somers
The “Three’s Company” and “Step by Step” star died Oct. 15 at age 76, after battling breast cancer for more than two decades.
Richard Roundtree
The “Shaft” star — whose professional legacy “served as a turning point for African American leading men in film” — died on Oct. 24 at age 81, following a brief battle with pancreatic cancer.
Brooks Robinson
Recognized by many as the finest third baseman they’d ever seen, the Baseball Hall of Famer won two World Series with the Baltimore Orioles. He died Sept. 26 at age 86.
Tom Sizemore
The “Saving Private Ryan” star — who was also known for his work in “Natural Born Killers,” “Heat” and “Black Hawk Down” — died at 61 on March 3. The actor spent his final days in a coma, after a stroke resulted in a brain aneurysm.
Shane MacGowan
The Pogues frontman, best known for “Fairytale of New York,” died on Nov. 30 at age 65, due to complications from pneumonia. He was also battling viral encephalitis.
Bobby Hull
On the NHL ice, Hull was a Hall of Famer, a Stanley Cup champion and an MVP who was honored by the league after his death at age 84 on Jan. 30. Off the ice, he was accused of abusing two of his three wives and once allegedly told a Russian newspaper that Adolf Hitler “had some good ideas.”
Tom Verlaine
Guitarist and co-founder of the band Television, Verlaine and his group helped create the punk sound. While Television didn’t soar to the commercial success of its successors, Verlaine and his bandmates were well respected in the industry. Verlaine died Jan. 28 at age 73.
Lance Reddick
Known for his austere, sincere demeanor on TV in “The Wire” and “Fringe” and his loyalty in the “John Wick” series, Reddick died March 17 at age 60.
Barry Humphries
Best known for creating the Dame Edna Everage persona, Australian comedian Humphries died on April 22 at age 89. The Tony winner had suffered complications following a procedure the month prior.
Al Jaffee
The Mad magazine cartoonist who drew creatively hilarious “fold-ins” for more than 50 years died April 10 at age 102.
Willis Reed
A Basketball Hall of Famer and two-time NBA champ (who brought the Knicks their most recent title in 1973), Reed will always be remembered for his heroic battle through injury in Game 7 of the 1970 Finals. He died March 21 at age 80.
David McCallum
The musician and Emmy-nominated “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” star, also known for starring in “The Great Escape” and “NCIS,” died Sept. 25 at age 90.
Bill Richardson
Though he was once governor of New Mexico and U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Richardson became most well-known for his post-government career: ace hostage negotiator for Americans held abroad, including Brittney Griner. He died on Sept. 1 at age 75.
Piper Laurie
The three-time Oscar nominee — who was nominated for her work in “The Hustler,” “Carrie” and “Children of a Lesser God” — died Oct. 14 at age 91, after she had been ill for some time.
Jim Brown
Often called the greatest running back in NFL history, Brown still holds the career record for rushing yards per game. His Hall of Fame skills were recognized throughout the football world following his death on May 18 at age 87.
©2023 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Source: Orange County Register
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