The celebrity world is a little less bright in 2024, thanks to the losses of stage and screen legends, fitness pioneers, groundbreaking musicians, and icons who adjusted our perception of reality.
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00:00The celebrity world is a little less bright in 2024 thanks to the losses of stage and
00:05screen legends, fitness pioneers, groundbreaking musicians, and icons who adjusted our perception
00:12of reality.
00:13On July 13th, Shannon Doherty died at the age of 53 while surrounded by loved ones after
00:19years of battling breast cancer.
00:21The Beverly Hills 90210 and Charmed alum was initially diagnosed in 2015 and then announced
00:27in 2017 that she'd gone into remission.
00:30Alas, she was then re-diagnosed in 2019, with the disease reaching its fourth and final
00:36stage by 2020.
00:37Doherty's fighting spirit remained stronger than ever through it all, as she told People
00:41Magazine in 2023,
00:43"'I'm not done with living.
00:45I'm not done with loving.
00:46I'm not done with creating.
00:48I'm not done with hopefully changing things for the better.'"
00:50You gotta always find the positive, right?
00:53The silver lining.
00:54Doherty burst onto the scene as a 10-year-old with her debut on the Western TV show Father
00:58Murphy.
00:59As she grew older, she developed a bit of a prickly reputation and played several roles
01:04that fit the bill.
01:05Despite her many high-profile conflicts, the tributes that poured in after death made it
01:10clear just how beloved she was.
01:13Dame Maggie Smith died on September 27th at the age of 89.
01:17Her two most iconic roles came later in her career, as she earned plenty of love as Professor
01:23Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter series and as the regal dowager Countess of Grantham
01:28on Downton Abbey.
01:30Born in Essex, England, Smith began acting on the stage, first performing at the Oxford
01:34Playhouse and then making her way to Broadway.
01:37She got her start on the silver screen as an uncredited party guest in the 1956 film
01:42Child in the House, and then she won her first Oscar for 1969's The Prime of Miss Jean Brody.
01:48Smith's other unforgettable movie performances include A Room with a View and Sister Act.
01:53Her warm nature and quick wit will be remembered by so many, including King Charles, who said
01:59in a statement upon her passing,
02:00"...as the curtain comes down on a national treasure, we join all those around the world
02:05in remembering with the fondest admiration and affection her many great performances."
02:11Former One Direction member Liam Payne died tragically young on October 16th after falling
02:16from the third story of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
02:20He was only 31.
02:22Earlier that day, emergency services were called after a guest was reported to be under
02:26the influence of alcohol and drugs.
02:29Payne rose to fame after auditioning for The X Factor for a second time in 2010, where
02:33he met the four other members of One Direction.
02:36The group became a global success, but by the late 2010s, Payne had branched off for
02:41a solo career.
02:42He scored a number of hits, including Strip That Down and For You.
02:46Shortly before his death, he was seen supporting his former bandmate, Niall Horan, at the latter's
02:51Argentina concert on October 2nd.
02:54He leaves behind his beloved son, Bear.
02:57Critically acclaimed Canadian actor Donald Sutherland died at the age of 88 on June 20th
03:02following a prolonged illness.
03:04His son, fellow actor Kiefer Sutherland, memorialized him by writing,
03:09With a heavy heart, I tell you that my father has passed away.
03:12I personally think one of the most important actors in the history of film.
03:16Never daunted by a role, good, bad, or ugly, he loved what he did and did what he loved.
03:21And one can never ask for more than that.
03:24A life well lived.
03:25With a decade-spanning career that began in the 1960s, some of Sutherland's early memorable
03:30roles include Hawkeye in the 1970 film M.A.S.H. and the titular detective in 1971's Clute.
03:37For younger audiences, he's perhaps best known as President Snow in the Hunger Games
03:42movies.
03:43I wanted to end my life being part of something that I thought would maybe catalyze and revolutionize
03:49young people."
03:50Upon Sutherland's passing, Helen Mirren, his co-star in The Leisure Seeker, shared a statement
03:55that read,
03:56Donald Sutherland was one of the smartest actors I ever worked with.
03:59He combined his great intelligence with a deep sensitivity and with a seriousness about
04:04his profession as an actor.
04:06This all made him into the legend of film that he became.
04:09James Earl Jones passed away on September 9th at the age of 93, but his unmistakable,
04:15velvety-speaking voice will live on forever.
04:18He's surely best known for voicing Darth Vader in the Star Wars franchise, as well as Mufasa
04:23in The Lion King.
04:24The distinguished performer accumulated countless accolades in his career.
04:28He's one of a select few in the industry who have achieved EGOT status, meaning that he
04:33won at least one Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.
04:36After overcoming a childhood stutter, Jones got his start in theater, where he starred
04:41in productions of The Merchant of Venice and Othello before making his film debut in the
04:451964 satire Dr. Strangelove.
04:48His other notable big-screen performances include Field of Dreams, Conan the Barbarian,
04:53and Coming to America.
04:54While his face was certainly familiar to legions, it's that signature voice that made him immortal,
05:00particularly as one of the most memorable villains in movie history.
05:04I'm special effects.
05:06Comic actor Martin Moll died at his home on June 27th at the age of 80 after a long illness.
05:12His long and varied career included the talk show satire Fernwood Tonight, the cult classic
05:17film Clue, and his last role on the ABC sitcom Not Dead Yet in 2023.
05:22The famously mustachioed Moll was perhaps most famous to 90s kids as Principal Willard
05:28Craft on Sabrina the Teenage Witch or as Leon Karp on Roseanne.
05:32In addition to acting, Moll was also an accomplished musician.
05:35He played both the acoustic and electric guitars and served as the opening act for the likes
05:40of Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, and Frank Zappa.
05:43His daughter Maggie remembered him on Instagram by writing,
05:46"...he was known for excelling in every creative discipline imaginable and also for doing Red
05:51Roofin commercials.
05:52He would find that joke funny.
05:53He was never not funny."
05:56"...it's just some idiot with balloons."
05:57"...oh is it?"
05:59"...AHHH!
06:00I KNEW IT!"
06:02A few years after being diagnosed with stomach cancer, country superstar Toby Keith died
06:07at the age of 62 on February 5th while surrounded by his family.
06:12He was survived by his wife Trisha, two daughters, one son, and four grandchildren.
06:17Before Keith became a multi-millionaire musical icon, he worked in Oklahoma oil fields and
06:22played on a semi-professional football team to make ends meet.
06:25After landing a record deal with Mercury Records, his first smash hit, Should Have Been a Cowboy,
06:30propelled him to stardom in 1993.
06:32He went on to release a string of other successful tracks like Beer for My Horses, Courtesy of
06:37the Red, White, and Blue, and I Love This Bar.
06:39Keith remained a devoted performer until the very end, as he performed a weekend of sold-out
06:44shows at Park MGM in Las Vegas weeks before he died.
06:48His final Instagram post featured him raising his guitar over his head toward the crowd
06:52with the caption,
06:53"'And that's a wrap on the weekend, y'all.
06:55Back to it.'"
06:56"'You're busy, Toby.
06:57You don't stop, do you?'
06:59The Shining star Shelley Duvall passed away on July 11th at the age of 75.
07:04Her partner, Dan Gilroy, told The Hollywood Reporter,
07:06"'My dear, sweet, wonderful life partner and friend left us.
07:10Too much suffering lately.
07:12Now she's free.
07:13Fly away, beautiful Shelley.'"
07:15Duvall's diabetes had worsened in the months leading up to her death, and she'd been placed
07:19under hospice care.
07:20In addition to The Shining, her memorable big-screen roles included Popeye, Nashville,
07:25and Thieves Like Us, all three of which were directed by her frequent collaborator, Robert
07:29Altman.
07:30She also made her mark on TV, with Emmy nominations for Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories and Shelley
07:35Duvall's Tall Tales and Legends.
07:38Duvall retreated from the spotlight in 2002, as her brother's spinal cancer diagnosis prompted
07:43her to take a long break from Hollywood to focus on her family instead.
07:48Comedian Bob Newhart died on July 18th at the age of 94 of natural causes.
07:53He initially worked as an accountant before he dedicated his career to making people laugh.
07:57His 1960 live comedy album The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart stayed at the top of the
08:02Billboard 200 chart for 14 weeks, and even won Album of the Year at the Grammys.
08:08Newhart's comedic talent translated to movies and TV, particularly on The Bob Newhart Show,
08:13which ran on CBS from 1972 to 1978.
08:17Beginning in 1982, he starred on another CBS sitcom simply titled Newhart, which ran for
08:23eight seasons through 1990.
08:25His most beloved big-screen role is surely Papa Elf in the modern Christmas classic Elf.
08:30Newhart didn't slow down as he got older, as he gained a legion of new fans thanks to
08:34his guest appearances on The Big Bang Theory as Professor Proton, a role that earned him
08:39his first and only Primetime Emmy win.
08:42Will Wheaton will rue the day he ever met me.
08:46I think that's true of most people.
08:48O.J. Simpson died on April 10th at the age of 76 following a bout with cancer.
08:54The California native first rose to fame as a record-setting running back in the NFL,
08:58where he spent most of his career with the Buffalo Bills.
09:01His popularity easily transitioned into Hollywood, as he appeared in the TV miniseries Roots
09:07and in movies like The Naked Gun and The Towering Inferno.
09:10But then Simpson's life took a dramatic turn when his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and
09:15her friend Ron Goldman were killed.
09:17Simpson was arrested and put on trial for their murders, though he was ultimately acquitted.
09:21However, he was later found liable in a civil trial brought by the families of the victims.
09:26Born in 2008, Simpson was found guilty of armed robbery and incarcerated in a Las Vegas
09:31jail until 2017.
09:33He was required to remain in the city until the end of his probation in 2021.
09:38He remained there until his death.
09:40An acclaimed actor and country music legend, Kris Kristofferson passed away on September
09:4528th at the age of 88 while surrounded by family at his home in Maui, Hawaii.
09:50The singer-songwriter pioneered the outlaw country music movement alongside the likes
09:55of Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson.
09:58Before fame, Kristofferson was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford's Merton College.
10:02After a stint in the United States Army, he retired his uniform in 1965 and moved to Nashville
10:08to pursue a music career.
10:09It was a good call, as he went on to write songs like Help Me Make It Through the Night
10:13and Me and Bobby McGee, the latter of which Janis Joplin took to the top of the charts
10:18in 1971.
10:20As for Kristofferson's acting career, his varied movie credits included the likes of
10:24Heaven's Gate, Blade, and the 1976 version of A Star is Born, the latter of which won
10:29him a Golden Globe.
10:31After a decades-long career, Kristofferson announced his retirement in January 2021.
10:36He'd reportedly been suffering from the side effects of Lyme disease since 2016, as well
10:41as debilitating memory loss.
10:43After his passing, his family wrote on his Instagram,
10:46"'We're all so blessed for our time with him.
10:48Thank you for loving him all these many years.
10:51And when you see a rainbow, know he's smiling down at us all.'"
10:55The iconic fitness instructor Richard Simmons died at the age of 76 on July 13.
10:59A few months before his passing, he took to Facebook to announce that he'd been diagnosed
11:04with skin cancer.
11:05While he'd been plagued with health issues throughout his life, he still managed to make
11:09the world a brighter place with his lively personality.
11:12The workout icon will be remembered as the man who made fitness fun and more approachable
11:16to millions, with his instructional videos like Sweatin' to the Oldies.
11:20"'Look, I'm happy, I'm perky, I'm here to see you and I love you.'"
11:24During his adolescent years, Simmons struggled with his own weight due to a lack of stress
11:28on his physical education.
11:30As he explained on NPR's Tell Me More in 2008,
11:33"'I was a very unhappy, bewildered teenager who couldn't figure out what I wanted in life
11:38and why I had such a strong relationship with food.'"
11:41After losing some weight, Simmons moved to Los Angeles, but he was disappointed to find
11:45that there weren't any fitness centers that acted as a safe space for people who didn't
11:49fit society's ideal body type.
11:51So he then crafted an exercise plan that was well-suited to a diverse group of people and
11:56started his own studio.
11:58Veteran actor Jenna Rollins died at the age of 94 on August 14.
12:03The Wisconsin-born star was a two-time Best Actress Oscar nominee for 1974's A Woman Under
12:08the Influence and 1980's Gloria.
12:11In 2015, the Academy presented her with an honorary Oscar for her body of work.
12:17Rollins was also famous for almost always having a pair of sunglasses propped on top
12:21of her head.
12:22In addition to her big-screen work, she also made her mark on TV, with three Primetime
12:26Emmy Awards for the TV movies The Betty Ford Story, Face of a Stranger, and Hysterical
12:31Blindness.
12:32One of Rollins' most well-known roles came later in her career as she played the older
12:37version of Allie in 2004's The Notebook, which was directed by her son, Nick Cassavetes.
12:42Her character suffered from dementia, which Rollins would eventually live with herself.
12:47Months before her death, Cassavetes shared his mother's Alzheimer's diagnosis with Entertainment
12:52Weekly, while also noting,
12:53"'It's so crazy.
12:54We lived it, she acted it, and now it's on us.'"
12:58After a groundbreaking, decades-long career on stage and screen, Chita Rivera died at
13:03the age of 91 on January 30.
13:05Born in 1933, Rivera began studying dance, voice, and piano while growing up in Washington,
13:12After receiving a scholarship to the School of American Ballet in New York City, she continued
13:16her training and began landing bigger and bigger roles in Broadway productions.
13:21By 1957, she'd cemented her place as a star thanks to her fiery portrayal of Anita in
13:26West Side Story.
13:28Her other notable stage roles include Velma Kelly in Chicago and Rosie in Bye Bye Birdie.
13:33In 2009, Rivera received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.
13:39Her other career accolades include several Tony, Drama Desk, Drama League, and Theatre
13:44World Awards.
13:45She continued performing well into her 80s, telling Broadway Direct in 2015 that she has
13:50no plans to retire.
13:52As she put it,
13:53"'Gosh, no, that's up to God.
13:54But in the meantime, life is fabulous, and I'm lucky enough to have lived a long time
13:58while surrounded by the greatest creative people.
14:01I have too much to dance and sing about yet, and too many people to entertain.'"
14:05If you got what I gave, then you know it."
14:10Celebrated actor Dabney Coleman died on May 16th of cardiac arrest and heart failure at
14:15the age of 92.
14:17His daughter, Quincy, told The Hollywood Reporter,
14:19"'My father crafted his time here on Earth with a curious mind, a generous heart, and
14:23a soul on fire with passion, desire, and humor that tickled the funny bone of humanity.
14:29As he lived, he moved through his final act of life with elegance, excellence, and mastery.
14:34His spirit will shine through his work, his loved ones, and his legacy.'"
14:37Coleman was best known for playing arrogant and ill-tempered characters in films like
14:419 to 5, War Games, and Cloak & Dagger.
14:44He also starred on several TV shows, including the part of John Dutton Jr. on the Western
14:49TV show Yellowstone, which was his final role.
14:52Before his showbiz career began, he was drafted into the Army in 1953 and served in the Special
14:58Services Division in West Germany for two years.
15:01He was also an avid tennis player, competing in tournaments worldwide.
15:05Dr. Ruth Westheimer passed away on July 12th at the age of 96.
15:10She became a beloved public figure in the 1980s while hosting a sexual wellness segment
15:15on WYNY radio.
15:17Her honest answers to listeners' questions and willingness to talk about sex openly resonated
15:22with millions.
15:23Her 15-minute segment quickly expanded into a two-hour syndicated radio show, and then
15:28in 1984, she expanded her reach even further with her own TV talk show.
15:33While Westheimer appeared happy-go-lucky at the height of her fame, her early years were
15:37full of struggles.
15:39She was born in Germany to Orthodox Jewish parents who were killed in the Holocaust while
15:43she was sent away to an orphanage in Switzerland at the age of 10.
15:47That early trauma helped shape her perspective on life, as she told The Guardian in 2012,
15:51"...I was left with the feeling that because I was not killed by the Nazis, because I survived,
15:56I had an obligation to make a dent in the world.
15:59What I didn't know was that that dent would end up being me talking about sex from morning
16:03to night."
16:04"...I have an obligation to live large and make a dent in this world."
16:11Tony Award-winning actor Glenis Johns died on January 4th at the age of 100 from natural
16:16causes.
16:17Her film and TV career stretched across more than 50 years, although she's probably most
16:22famous as the suffragist Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins.
16:25On the stage, she performed in her first role when she was just 12.
16:29In 1973, she won a Tony for A Little Night Music.
16:33While Johns' ancestors were also actors for generations, she actually had ambitions to
16:38become a scientist.
16:39Alas, those plans were upended by World War II, so she decided to put all her energy into
16:44acting.
16:45Even if it wasn't her first career choice, it clearly worked out for her.
16:49As she explained to The New York Times in 1973,
16:52"...Acting is my highest form of intelligence, the time when I use the best part of my brain."
16:57Actor Barbara Rush died on March 31st at the age of 97.
17:01Her daughter, TV journalist Claudia Cowan, wrote on Instagram,
17:05"...There's another star shining on us tonight.
17:07My beautiful mother was called to heaven on Easter of all days.
17:10A nod to the transition and resilience and joy we celebrate on this happy holiday, and
17:16I know she will stay alive in our hearts through cherished memories and movie reruns."
17:20Rush's long career in Hollywood started off swimmingly with a Golden Globe for Most Promising
17:24Newcomer for the 1954 sci-fi horror film It Came From Outer Space.
17:29She went on to share the silver screen with an impressive list of leading men, including
17:33Paul Newman, Tony Curtis, and Rock Hudson.
17:36Rush transitioned to TV in the 1960s as one of the stars of the primetime soap opera Peyton
17:42Place.
17:43In the 1980s, her main gig was another primetime soap, Flamingo Road, and then in the 90s,
17:48she starred on the daytime soap All My Children.
17:51Her last TV role was the recurring part of Ruth Camden on 7th Heaven.
17:55A fashion icon who didn't fully blossom until she was in her 90s, Iris Apfel passed away
18:01on March 1st at the age of 102 from natural causes at her home in Palm Beach, Florida.
18:07Known for her oversized, round glasses with thick frames, she was signed by IMG as a model
18:12and spokesperson when she was 97.
18:14A native New Yorker, Apfel studied art in college and was always interested in fashion.
18:19She was also devoted to interior design and co-founded a textile company with her late
18:24husband Carl.
18:25Her affinity for fabrics earned her the nickname First Lady of Fabric at the White House, where
18:30she worked on commissions for nine presidents.
18:33Apfel was a noted fan of maximalism, a movement that advocated for more color, more texture,
18:38and more jewelry.
18:40That was clearly evidenced by her Instagram account, which was filled with a riot of patterns
18:44and fabric.
18:45I figured I might as well flaunt it."
18:47On January 4th, 51-year-old German actor Christian Oliver and his daughters tragically lost their
18:53lives after a plane crash near a Caribbean island.
18:57Oliver's final Instagram photo appears to have been taken during their vacation of a
19:00sunset on a seashore.
19:02Oliver's acting career lasted about 30 years and began with the role of Brian Keller on
19:07Saved by the Bell, The New Class in 1994.
19:10He's perhaps best known to American audiences as Snake Oiler in the 2008 movie Speed Racer.
19:16His other notable movie appearances include The Good German and Valkyrie.
19:21After a successful entertainment career that spanned nearly 80 years, longtime Days of
19:26Our Lives star Bill Hayes died on January 12th at the age of 98.
19:30His performance as Doug Williams was one of the longest-running on a daytime serial in
19:34TV history, as he played the character off and on from 1970 to 2024.
19:40Prior to his TV career, Hayes fought in World War II as a fighter pilot in the U.S. Navy
19:45Air Corps.
19:46After the war ended, he returned to his native Illinois and pursued a degree in music and
19:50English.
19:51He would later become a commercially successful singer, performing on variety shows and releasing
19:56pop singles before an unexpected role as a chorus member in Carousel piqued his interest
20:01in acting.
20:02Hayes would go on to appear in multiple TV shows, feature films, and Broadway productions.
20:07Hayes had five children with his first wife, Mary Hobbs, to whom he was married from 1947
20:12to 1969.
20:13His second wife was his Days co-star, Susan Seaforth, whom he would later marry on the
20:18show as well.
20:19Hayes told Soap Opera Digest in 2018 that two years after their intimate living room
20:24wedding,
20:25"...our characters used exactly the same words that we used in our living room."
20:28It's time.
20:29Time to say goodbye."
20:30Model-turned-soap opera star Alec Musser died by suicide at his Del Mar, California home
20:36on January 12th at the age of 50.
20:38In several since-deleted Instagram posts, his fiancée Paige Press wrote,
20:43"...I will never stop loving you.
20:45My heart is broken.
20:46You were the best fiancé I could have ever asked for."
20:48Musser was recruited by an agent to model for a 2002 Abercrombie & Fitch campaign while
20:54working odd jobs in Southern California.
20:56Three years later, he landed a role on All My Children after winning the reality TV contest
21:01I Wanna Be a Soap Star.
21:03After appearing on 43 episodes over the course of two years, Musser had minor roles in the
21:08Adam Sandler comedy Grown Ups and the primetime soap opera Desperate Housewives.
21:13Sandler wrote a touching tribute to Musser on Instagram that read,
21:16"...I loved this guy.
21:17Cannot believe he is gone.
21:19Such a wonderful, funny good man."
21:22Soap Opera star David Gale died at the age of 58 on January 16th from complications related
21:28to heart failure after being on life support for several days.
21:32His family released a statement that read,
21:33"...he possessed a unique quality that made everyone feel special in his presence."
21:38Gale appeared in several movies and TV shows in the 1990s before getting his big break
21:43as Dr. Joe Scanlon on Poor Charles.
21:46He also played a minor role on Beverly Hills' 90210 as Brenda Walsh's fiancé.
21:51Gale's sister Katie shared the news of his passing on Instagram as she wrote,
21:55"...there's barely been even a day in my life when you were not with me by my side.
21:59Always my wingman, always my best friend, ready to face anything and anyone with me."
22:04The youngest son of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, Dexter Scott King
22:09died in his Malibu, California home at the age of 62 on January 22nd from prostate cancer.
22:16In a statement released by the King Center, his wife Leah Weber King wrote,
22:20"...Dexter transitioned peacefully in his sleep at home with me in Malibu.
22:23He gave it everything and battled this terrible disease until the end.
22:27As with all the challenges in his life, he faced this hurdle with bravery and might."
22:31"...I am so thankful to have loved and to have been loved by Dexter Scott King."
22:40Dexter continued his father's legacy of nonviolent civil activism as the chairman, president,
22:45and chief executive officer of the King Center.
22:47He was dedicated to learning intellectual property law in order to best manage the licensing
22:52and distribution of his father's life work.
22:55He also dabbled in acting, including playing his own father in the 2002 TV movie The Rosa
23:00Park Story.
23:02In memoriam
23:03Amalia Knobbs
23:05Thomas Kingston
23:06Garrison Brown