The following industry personalities from theatre, TV, music, the big screen and so much more as well as athletes, authors, politicians and many other walks of life passed away in 2025, and heartfelt condolences are extended to their families, friends and fans.
The celebrities we have lost this year are (in alphabetical order):
Alon Aboutboul (Character Actor, The Dark Knight Rises) [He was only 60]
Jerry Adler (Actor, The Sopranos and Behind-the-Scenes Broadway Vet) [He was 96]
Denise Alexander (Actress, General Hospital) [She was 85]
Dave Allen (Founding Bassist, British Post-Punk Band Gang of Four) [He was only 69]
Sian Barbara Allen (TV Actress, The Waltons and L.A. Law) [She was 78]
Wenne Alton Davis (Character Actress, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Blindspot, New Amsterdam and Rescue Me) [She was only 60]
Lourdes Ambriz (Mexican Soprano and Voice of Belle in 1991 Spanish Version of Beauty and the Beast) [She was only 64]
Loni Anderson (Actress, WKRP Cincinnati) [She was 79]
Wallis Annenberg (Arts and Wildlife Philanthropist) [She was 86]
Betsy Arakawa (Classical Pianist and Wife of Gene Hackman) [She was only 65]
Kevin Arkadie (Co-Creator, New York Undercover) [He was only 68]
Giorgio Armani (Italy’s Undisputed Fashion King) [He was 91]
Denis Arndt (Actor, LA Law and Picket Fences and Tony-winner, Heisenberg) [He was 86]
Peter Arnett (CNN Gulf War Correspondent and Pulitzer Prize Winning Vietnam Reporter) [He was 91]
Jim Avila (ABC News Correspondent) [He was 69]
Roy Ayers (Musician and Composer) [He was 84]
Jeff Baena (Film Director and Husband of Actress Aubrey Plaza) [He was only 47]
Joe Don Baker (Actor, Walking Tall and GoldenEye) [He was 89]
Ray Thomas Baker (Music Producer with Queen, The Cars and Foreigner) [He was 78]
Mohammad Bakri (Palestinian Actor and Director, Homeland and Beyond the Walls) [He was 72]
Dave Ball (Instrumentalist for Pop Due Soft Cell, “Tainted Love”) [He was only 66]
Perry Bamonte (Guitarist And Keyboardist for The Cure) [He was only 65]
Lynn Ban (Reality Star, Bling Empire and Jewelry Designer) [She was 51]
Brigitte Bardot (1950’s Sex Symbol and Actress) [She was 91]
Jiri Bartoska (Czech Actor and President of the Karlovy Vary Film Festival) [He was 78]
Felix Baumgartner (Austrian Extreme Skydiver) [He was only 56]
John Beam (Football Coach) [He was only 66]
David Hekili Kenui Bell (Actor, Lilo & Stitch) [He was only 46]
Robert Benton (Oscar-winning Director and Screenwriter, Kramer vs. Kramer) [He was 92]
Alan Bergman (Oscar-Winning Composer, “The Way We Were”) [He was 99]
Greg Biffle (NASCAR Driver) [his wife Cristina and their two children, Emma and Ryder, were also in the same plane crash that took his life) [He was only 55]
Brandon Blackstock (Former Stepson Reba McEntire, Ex-Husband of Kelly Clarkson and Talent Manager) [He was only 48]
Joan Branson (Wife of Richard Branson) [She was 80]
May Britt (Swedish Actress, The Blue Angel and Murder, Inc and second wife of legend Sammy Davis Jr.) [She was 91]
Skip Brittenham (Powerhouse Lawyer, Representative to Harrison Ford, Eddie Murphy and many others) [He was 83]
Bob Broder (Senior Member of TV Literary Agency and Worked with Chuck Lorre) [He was 85]
Amanda Brotchie (Australian Director, Riot Women, Doctor Who, Renegade Nell and Gentleman Jack) [She was 57]
Terry “Sabu” Brunk (WWE and ECW Professional Wrestling Legend and Nephew of Former Wrestling Star The Sheik) [He was 60]
Anita Bryant (Former Beauty Queen and Singer) [She was 84] (Her views on homosexuality virtually destroyed her career)
Jackie Burch (Emmy-nominated Casting Director, Die Hard and The Breakfast Club) [He was 74]
Clem Burke (Drummer, Blondie) [He was 70]
Anne Burrell (Chef and Food Network Star) [She was only 55]
Jerry Butler (Impressions Singer and Chicago Politician) [He was 85]
Dick Button (Olympic Figure Skating Champion and Emmy-winning TV Sports Analyst and Commentator) [He was 95]
Ruth Buzzi (Legendary Comedian and Actress) [She was 88]
Jiggly Caliente (RuPaul’s Drag Race Star) [She was only 44]
John Capodice (Actor, General Hospital and Ace Ventura) [He was 83]
Frank Capril (Rhode Island TV Judge) [He was 88]
Claudia Cardinale (Italian Actress, 8½, Rocco and His Brothers, The Pink Panther and Once Upon a Time in the West) [She was 87]
Carl Carlton (Singer, “Everlasting Love” and “Bad Mama Jama”) [He was 72]
Joe Caroff (James Bond 007 Logo Designer and Designer of Iconic Film Posters) [He was 103]
Rachael Carpani (Australian Actress, Home and Away and McLeod’s Daughters) [She was only 45]
Budd Carr (Music Supervisor for Oliver Stone Movies) [He was 79]
Richard Chamberlain (Veteran Actor, Shogun and The Thorn Birds) [He was 90]
Leslie Charleson (Actress, General Hospital) [She was 79]
Dick Cheney (Vice President to George W. Bush) [He was 84]
Sharon Chuter (Found of Uoma Beauty and Philanthropist) [She was only 38]
Presley Chweneyagae (South African Actor, Tsotsi) [He was only 40]
Alf Clausen (Composer, The Simpsons) [He was 84]
Barbara Clegg (Actress and Scriptwriter, Doctor Who) [She was 98]
Jimmy Cliff (Reggae Legend and Jamaican Icon) [He was 81]
D.L. Coburn (Pulitzer Prize Winning Playwright, “The Gin Game”) [He was 87]
Arthur Cohn (Swiss producer of six Oscar-winning films including The Garden of the Finzi-Continis) [He was 98]
Mike Collier (Former Pittsburgh Steelers Running Back) [He was 71]
Pauline Collins (British Actress, Shirley Valentine) [She was 85]
Gerry Connolly (Democrat, Virginia Representative) [He was 75]
Jason Constantine (Co-President of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group) [He was only 55]
Jilly Cooper (Prolific British Author, “Rivals”) [She was 88]
Ted Cordes (Longtime Head of NBC’s Broadcast Standards) [He was 87]
Steve Cropper (Legendary Guitarist for Booker T. & the MG’s, Otis Redding and the Blue Brothers) [He was 84]
Patricia Crowley (Actress, Please Don’t Eat the Daisies) [She was 91]
Martin Cruz Smith (Best-Selling Author, Gorky Park) [He was 82]
Iris Cummings Critchell (1936 Summer Olympics Swimmer and Influential WWII Aviator) [She was 104] (She flew bombers with the Women’s Air Force)
Dalyce Curry (Actress, Blues Brothers) [She was 95] (She lost her life in the LA Wildfires)
Sonny Curtis (Singer-Songwriter, “I Fought the Law,” “Walk Right Back” and the theme for the Mary Tyler Moore Show and Performed with his band The Crickets and the late Buddy Holly) [He was 88]
Mary Cybulski (Script Supervisor and Set Photographer, Life Of Pi) [She was 70]
D’Angelo (Legendary R&B Singer) [He was only 51]
Rick Davies (One of the Two Co-Founders, Frontmen and Chief Songwriters of British band Supertramp) [He was 81]
Belva Davis (Pioneering Broadcaster and Civil Right Champion) [She was 92]
Carl Dean (Husband of Country Legend Dolly Parton) [He was 82]
Rebekah Del Rio (Singer, David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive) [She was only 57]
Michael DeLano (Actor, Rhoda and Ocean’s Eleven) [He was 84]
Rick Derringer (Singer, “Hang on Sloopy”) [He was 77]
Dickson Despommier (Microbiologist and Visionary Behind Vertical Farming) [He was 84]
Lincoln Diaz-Balart (Former Congressman) [He was 70]
Les Dilley (Art Director, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Star Wars) [He was 84]
Millicent Dillion (Novelist and Prizewinning Short Story Writer) [She was 99]
Rev. James Dobson (Evangelical Christian whose toxic teachings left generations scarred) [He was 89]
Carol Downer (Leader in Feminist Women’s Health Movement) [She was 91]
Chris Doyle (Artist) [He was only 66]
Chris Dreja (Musician, Co-Founder of British rock band Yardbirds and Photographer) [He was 79]
Patti Drew-Reed (R&B Legend, “Tell Him” and “Workin’ on a Groovy Thing”) [She was 80]
Ken Dryden (Hall of Fame Canadiens Hockey Goaltender) [He was 78]
Kitty Dukakis (Wife of Former Massachusetts Governor and Presidential Hopeful Michael Dukakis) [She was 88]
Veronica Echegui (Netflix Actress, Book of Love movie with Sam Claflin) [She was only 42]
Samantha Eggar (English Actress, Doctor Dolittle and The Collector) [She was 86]
Gary England (Long-Time TV Meteorologist in Oklahoma) [He was 85]
John Erwin (Voice Actor, He-Man and Archie Cartoons) [He was 88]
Cleto Escobedo III (Bandleader for Jimmy Kimmel) [He was only 59]
Marianne Faithfull (Legendary Singer, “As Tears Go By”) [She was 78]
Fatma Hassona (Palestinian Photojournalist) [She was only 25]
Jules Feiffer (Pulitzer Prize-winning Cartoonist, Stage and Screen Writer, Carnal Knowledge and Popeye) [He was 95]
Amanda Feilding (Visionary Researcher) [She was 82]
James E. Ferguson II (North Carolina Civil Rights Attorney) [He was 82]
Renee Ferguson (First Black woman to work as investigation reporter for WMAQ-Channel 5 in Chicago) [She was 75]
Conchata Ferrell (Veteran Actress, Two and a Half Men, Edward Scissorhands and Mystic Pizza) [She was 77]
Susie Figgis (Casting Director, Gandhi, The Full Monty, Harry Potter, Bohemian Rhapsody and More) [She was 77]
Pat Finn (Prolific TV Character Actor and Comedian, The Middle) [He was only 60]
Simon Fisher-Becker (Actor, Harry Potter) [He was only 63]
Roberta Flack (Legendary Singer-Pianist, “Killing Me Softly” and “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”) [She was 88]
Dave Flebotte (Emmy-Nominated Writer, Tusla King and Desperate Housewives [He was in his 60’s]
Viola Ford Fletcher (Oldest living survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre) [She was 111]
James Foley (Director, Glengarry Glen Ross, At Close Range and Fear) [He was 71]
George Foreman (Boxing Champion and Grilling Magnate) [He was 76]
Connie Francis (Singer, “Who’s Sorry Now?” and “Don’t Break the Heart that Loves You”) [She was 87]
Elizabeth Franz (Tony-winning Actress, appeared in Gilmore Girls) [She was 84]
Ian Freebairn-Smith (Grammy-winning Composer, Arranger and Vocalist, arranged “Evergreen” from A Star Is Born) [He was 93]
Ace Frehley (Founding Member and Guitarist, KISS) [He was 74]
Jill Freud (Actress, Love Actually and Inspiration for Lucy in the Narnia Books) [She was 98]
Athol Fugard (Playwright) [He was 92]
Eileen Fulton (Actress, As the World Turns) [She was 91]
Ed Gale (Actor, Chucky and Howard the Duck) [He was 61]
Jeffrey Garcia (Beloved voice actor and Comedian, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius) [He was only 48]
Marc Garneau (Former Federal Cabinet Minister and Astronaut) [He was 76]
Betsy Gay (Actress, Little Rascals) [She was 96]
McGavock “Mac” Gayden (Slide Guitarist and Songwriter) [He was 83]
Anthony Geary (Actor, General Hospital) [He was 78]
Frank Gehry (Titan of Architecture) [He was 96]
Gil Gerard (Actor, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century) [He was 82]
Gai Gherardi (Los Angeles Optician) [She was 78] (She pioneered eyeglass frames as fashion statements)
Oliver Gibson (Former Pittsburgh Steeler) [He was only 53]
Barbara Gips (Creator of Memorable Movie Catchphrases [such as] “In space no one can hear you scream” from Alien) [She was 89]
Virginia Roberts Giuffre (Posthumous Author and Brave Survivor of Jeffrey Epstein sexual abuse) [She was only 41]
Bruce Glover (Character Actor, Diamond Are Forever and Father of Actor Crispin Glover) [He was 92]
Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay (Vocalist, The Grateful Dead) [He was 78]
Jane Goodall (Eminent Primatologist) [She was 91]
Irv Gotti (Co-Founder of Murder, Inc. and Music Executive behind Ja Rule and Ashanti) [He was only 54]
Meyer Gottlieb (Samuel Goldwyn Films Chief, Producer & Holocaust Survivor) [He was 86]
Jed “The Fish” Gould (Pioneering LA Disc Jockey on KROQ-FM) [He was only 69]
Kimberly Hebert Gregory (Actress, Vice Principals and Private Practice) [She was only 52]
Adam Greenberg (Oscar-nominated Cinematographer, Terminator) [He was 88]
Herb Greene (1960’s Rock Scene Portraitist) [He was 82]
Peter Greene (Character Actor, Pulp Fiction and The Mask) [He was only 60]
Bobby Grier (Longtime NFL Executive) [He was 82]
Raul M. Grijalva (Arizona Representative) [He was 77]
Joan Dye Gussow (Nutritionist and Educator) [She was 96] (She was the Matriarch of the “Eat Locally, Think Globally” food movement)
Gene Hackman (Veteran Actor, The French Connection, Superman and Unforgiven) [He was 95]
Lynn Hamilton (Actress, Sanford and Son and The Waltons) [She was 95]
George Hardy (Tuskegee Airman who fought in three wars) [He was 100]
Devin Harjes (Actor, Boardwalk Empire) [He was only 41]
Bobby Hart (Singer-Songwriter, Part of Writing Team Boyce & Hart; they wrote The Monkees Theme Song, “I Wanna Be Free” and “Last Train to Clarksville”) [He was 86]
Betty Hartford (Actress, Dynasty) [She was 98]
Pamela Bach Hasselhoff (Actress, Baywatch and Former Wife of Actor David Hasselhoff) [She was only 62]
Wings Hauser (Veteran Actor, Vice Squad and The Young and the Restless and Father of Yellowstone Actor Cole Hauser) [He was 78]
Richard Hays (Methodist Minister and New Testament Theologian) [He was 76] (He asserted that a deeper reading of the Bible revealed that same-sex relationships are not sinful)
Terry Martin Hekker (Author and First Female Mayor of Nyak, New York) [She was 92]
Muhsin Hendricks (First Openly Gay Imam in Cape Town, South Africa) [He was only 57]
Patrick Hemingway (Second Son of Novelist Ernest Hemingway, Safari Guide and Big-Game Hunter) [He was 97]
Alexis Herman (Trailblazing U.S. Secretary of Labor) [She was 77]
Brent Hinds (Former Lead Guitarist, Mastodon) [He was only 51]
Alice Hirson (Actress, Dallas and Ellen) [She was 95]
Anne Marie Hochhalter (Survivor of 1999 Columbine High School Shooting) [She was only 43]
Hulk Hogan, aka Terry Bollea (Wrestling Legend and Reality TV Star) [He was 71]
Polly Holliday (Veteran Actress, Alice) [She made “Kiss My Grits” into National Catchphrase] [She was 88]
Melissa and Mark Hortman (Minnesota State Representative and Her Husband) [They were only 55 and 58 respectively] (They were murdered, along with the family dog, at their front door)
Kevyn Major Howard (Actor, Full Metal Jacket and Sudden Impact) [He was 69]
Garth Hudson (Multi-Instrumentalist, Canadian American Rock Band, the Ban) [He was 87]
Robert Charles Hunter (Husband of Diane Ladd) [He was 77] (Robert and Diane passed away within three months of each other)
Andrew Huse (Historian and Foodie) [He was only 52]
Rick Hurst (Actor, The Dukes of Hazzard) [He was 79]
Mike Hynson (Surf God in hit 1966 documentary, The Endless Summer) [He was 82]
Ken Jacobs (Pioneering Experimental Filmmaker) [He was 92]
Stanley R. Jaffe (Producer, Kramer vs. Kramer) [He was 84]
Henry Jaglom (Independent Filmmaker) [He was 87]
Brett James (Grammy-Award Winning Songwriter and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Inductee, “Jesus, Take the Wheel”) [He was only 57]
Flaco Jimenez (Tejano and Conjunto Music Legend and Accordionist) [He was 86]
Jose Jimenez (Activist and Former Gang Member) [He was 76] (He transformed a Chicago gang into a militant voice for Social Services, Fair Housing and Education)
David Johansen (Frontman for New York Dolls) [He was 75]
Robert John (Singer and Songwriter, “Sad Eyes”) [He was 79]
Stephanie “Tanqueray” Johnson (Burlesque Dancer in the 1960s and 1970s) [She was 81]
Jonathan Joss (Voice Actor, King of the Hill) [He was only 59]
Diogo Jota (Liverpool Soccer Player) [He had only been married to his childhood sweetheart for two weeks] [He was only 28]
Richard Kahn (Former AMPAS President and Studio Marketing Executive) [He was 95]
Jonathan Kaplan (Director for TV and Films, The Accused and ER) (He was 77]
Andrew Karpen (Film Executive and Founder of Bleecker Street Media) [He was only 59]
Tcheky Karyo (Turkish French Actor, Bad Boys, La Femme Nikita and The Patriot) [He was 72]
Nicky Katt (Actor, Boston Public, Dazed and Confused and Boiler Room) [He was only 54]
Diane Keaton (Veteran Actress, Annie Hall and First Wives Club) [She was 79]
David Keighley (Imax’s First Chief Quality Officer) [He was 77]
Susan Kendall (Actress, Producer and Daughter of Paul Newman) [She was 72]
Joan Kennedy (Wife of Senator Ted Kennedy) [She was 89]
David Ketchum (Actor, Get Smart and Camp Runamuck) [He was 97]
Udo Kier (German Actor, My Own Private Idaho and Cult Icon) [He was 81]
Val Kilmer (Actor, Top Gun, The Doors, Tombstone and Batman Forever) [He was only 65]
Sophie Kinsella (Author, “Confessions of a Shopaholic”) [She was only 55]
Charlie Kirk (Radical and Controversial Co-Founder of Turning Point USA, Influential Activist of the Conservative Political Right) [He was only 31]
Sally Kirkland (Oscar-Nominated Actress, Anna, JFK and Bruce Almighty) [She was 84]
Fumi Kitahara (Respected Publicity Executive) [She was only 56]
Kelley Klebeow (aka Kelley Mack) (Actress, The Walking Dead and Chicago Med) [She was only 33]
Howie Klein (Top Executive at Sire and Reprise Records, DJ and Political Activist) [He was 77]
Michael Klick (Emmy-winning Producer, Homeland and 24) [He was 77]
Ivan Klima (Acclaimed Writer who took on Totalitarianism) [He was 94]
Marshawn Kneeland (Dallas Cowboys Defensive End) [He was only 24]
Ted Kotcheff (Canadian Filmmaker, First Blood, Weekend at Bernie’s and Fun with Dick and Jane) [He was 94]
Max Kozloff (Art Critic in the 1960s and 1970s) [He was 91]
Diane Ladd (Oscar-nominated Actress, Chesapeake Shores, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore and Wild at Heart) [She was 89]
Robin Lakoff (Expert on Language and Gender) [She was 82]
Bob Laemmle (President, Laemmle Theatres) [He was 89]
Cleo Laine (Jazz Singer and Actress) [She was 97]
Henry Langrehr (Decorated World War II Veteran and Author) [He was 100]
John Lawlor (Actor, The Facts of Life and Phyllis) [He was 83]
Mickey Lee (Reality “Star,” Big Brother Contestant) [She was only 35]
Tom Lehrer (Sardonic Singer-Songwriter-Pianist, “That Was the Week That Was”) [He was 97]
James Leprino (The Willy Wonka of Cheese, Primary Supplier to Domino’s and Pizza Hut) [He was 87]
Martin Levy (Longtime Advisor and Publicist to Steven Spielberg) [He was 96]
Ananda Lewis (MTV Video Jockey and TV Personality) [She was only 52]
Paul Libin (Major Broadway Producer and Long-Time Circle in the Square President) [He was 94]
Jack Lilley (Actor, Little House on the Prairie) [He was 91]
Lar Park Lincoln (Actress, Knots Landing, Beverly Hills 90210, Murder She Wrote and Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood) [She was only 61]
Dawn Little Sky (Actress, Gypsy, The Apple Dumpling Gang and Rawhide/Artist, Walt Disney Studios) [She was 95]
June Lockhart (Veteran Actress, Lassie, Lost in Space and Meet Me in St. Louis) [She was 100]
John Lodge (Singer, Songwriter and Bass Player for British Rock Band The Moody Blues) [He was 82]
Jim Lovell (Apollo 13 Astronaut) [He was 97]
Joseph Lovett (Openly Gay Producer who aimed to Destigmatize Gay Life and Bring Attention to the AIDS Crisis) [He was 80]
Philip Lowrie (Actor, Coronation Street) [He was 88]
Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas (Soccer-Loving Nun in Brazil and Oldest Person in the World) [She was 116]
Brad Luff (Former Executive at Original Film, Morgan Creek, Sony, Warner Bros. and more) [He was only 60]
David Lynch (Acclaimed Film Director and TV Series Creator, Twin Peaks) [He was 78]
Michael Madsen (Actor, Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill and Brother to Actress Virginia Madsen) [He was only 67]
Camryn Magness (Singer-Songwriter who performed with One Direction and Fifth Harmony) [She was only 26]
Valerie Mahaffey (Emmy Winning Actress, Northern Exposure, Young Sheldon and Desperate Housewives) [She was 72]
Raul Malo (the Frontman for the Mavericks) [He was only 60]
Patty Maloney (Actress, Far Out Space Nuts and Chewbacca’s son Lumpy in Star Wars Holiday Special) [She was 89]
Ryan Whyte Maloney (Singer and Musician, Top 5 Finalist on The Voice in 2014) [He was only 44]
Chuck Mangione (Jazz Musician, “Feels So Good”) [He was 84]
Ted Mann (Emmy-winning Writer and Producer, NYPD Blue, Homeland and Deadwood) [He was 72]
Eduardo Manzano (Mexican Actor and Comedian) [He was 87]
Jeff Margolis (TV Producer and Director) [He was 78]
Lucy Markovic (Model, appeared in Australia’s Next Top Model) [He was only 27]
Diane Martel (Acclaimed Video Director, Worked with Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Alicia Keys, John Legend and more) [She was only 63]
Mary Martin (Country, Folk and Rock Music Manager, Grammy winning Producer and Executive) [She was 85]
Wink Martindale (TV Game Show Host, Tic-Tac-Dough) [He was 91]
Dada Masilo (South African Dancer and Choreographer) [She was only 39]
John Masius (TV Show Creator, Touched By An Angel, Providence and Hawthorne and Writer, St. Elsewhere) [He was 75]
Tommy McLain (King of Swap Pop) [He was 85]
Julian McMahon (Actor, Charmed, Nip/Tuck, FBI: Most Wanted) [He was only 56]
Steve McMichael (Pro Football Hall of Fame Member and Chicago Bears Legend) [He was only 67]
Hayley McNeff (Fitness Influencer and Champion Bodybuilder) [She was only 37]
Ariela Mejia-Polanco (Social Media Influencer) [She was only 33]
Jeffrey Meldrum (Leading Academic Authority on Sasquatch) [He was 67]
Fern Michaels (Prolific Author of Romance Novels) [She was 92]
Penelope Milford (Broadway and Film Actress, Coming Home, Heathers and Endless Love) [He was 77]
Don Mischer (Prolific Live Event Director and 15-time Emmy winner) [He was 85]
Jon Miyahara (Actor and Silent Scene-Stealer, Superstore) [He was 83]
Sam Moore (Member of Sam & Dave Duo, “Soul Man” and “Hold On, I’m Comin’”) [He was 89]
Gary “Mani” Mounfield (Bassist, The Stone Roses and Primal Scream) [He was only 63]
Bill Moyers (Acclaimed TV Journalist and one-time White House Press Secretary) [He was 91]
Nancylee Myatt (Writer, Night Court and Living Single) [She was only 68]
Tatsuya Nakadai (Japanese Film Legend) [He was 92]
Daniel Naroditsky (Chess Grandmaster) [He was only 29]
Andrea Blaugrund Nevins (Documentary Filmmaker) [She was only 63]
Anh-Thu Nguyen (Renowned Miami Pilot, 10th Women to Fly Solo Around the World) [She was only 44, and died in a small plane crash]
Elizabeth Nissen (Veteran ABC News Correspondent and Nightline Reporter) [She was 71]
John Noble Wilford (Times Reporter who covered the Moon Landing) [He was 92]
Linda Nolan (Member of Irish Pop Group The Nolans, TV Personality, Bestselling Author and Daily Mirror Columnist) [She was 65]
Jay North (Former Child Actor, Dennis the Meance) [He was 73]
Rosanna Norton (Oscar-Nominated Costume Designer, Tron and Carrie) [She was 80]
Sam Nujoma (Founding President of Namibia, South Africa) [He was 95]
Sophie Nyweide (Child Actor, Mammoth and Noah) [She was only 24]
Uche Ojeh (Husband of Today Co-Host Sheinelle Jones) [He was only 45]
Roberto Orci (Screenwriter and TV Series Creator, Fringe, Sleepy Hollow and Hawaii Five-0) [He was only 51]
Ozzy Osbourne (Legendary Singer and Reality TV Star, Frontman of Black Sabbath) [He was 76]
Wayne Osmond (Part of Famous Osmond Family) [He was 73]
Allyce Ozarski (TV Producer, The L Word: Generation Q and I Love You, America with Sarah Silverman) [She was only 41]
Mario Paglino and Gianni Grossi (Designers who made Barbies into Art) [The married couple were only 52 and 54 respectively)
Eddie Palmieri (Latin Music Innovator, Pianist, Composer and Bandleader) [He was 88]
Dave Parker (Baseball Legend of Hall of Fame Electee) [He was 74]
Jim Parkinson (Lettering Artist Whose Hand-Drawn Logos Branded Covers of Rolling Stone, Esquire, Newsweek and More During Heyday of Print Journalism) [He was 83]
John Peck aka Mad Peck (Underground Cartoonist, Artist, Critic and Disc Jockey) [He was 82]
Charles Person (Youngest of the Freedom Riders in 1961) [He was 82]
Thomas Perry (Prizewinning Writer, The Butcher’s Boy and the Jane Whitefield Series) [He was 78]
Mike Peters (Frontman of Welsh Rock Band The Alarm) [He was only 66]
Robert Pietranton (SVP Publicity and Communications, Warner Bros. TV Group) [He was only 56]
Jane Etta Pitt (Brad Pitt’s Mom) [She was 84]
Joan Plowright (Legendary Stage and Box Office Actress and Widow of Laurence Olivier) [She was 95]
Priscilla Pointer (Actress, Carrie and Dallas and Mother of Actress Amy Irving) [She was 100]
Pope Francis (the First Latin American Pope) [He was 88]
Frank Price (Former Universal and Columbia Studio Head) [He was 95]
Thommy Price (Drummer, Worked with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Billy Idol and Scandal) [He was only 68]
Abraham Quintanilla Jr. (Father of Tejano Icon/Singer Selena) [He was 84]
Mick Ralphs (Guitarist and Co-Founder of Bad Company and Mott the Hoople) [He was 81]
Charles Rangel (Former New York Congressman) [He was 94]
James Ransone (Actor, IT Chapter Two, The Wire and The Black Phone) [He was only 46]
Lorna Raver (Actress, Drag Me to Hell) [She was 81]
Chris Rea (Rock and Blues Singer-Songwriter, “Fool If You Think Its Over”) [He was 74]
Robert Redford (Veteran Screen Idol, Director and Activist) [He was 89]
Terry “Superlungs” Reid (Iconic Rocker who famously rejected the chance to be in both Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple) [He was 75]
Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner (Legendary Actor, All in the Family and Director, The Princess Bride and When Harry Met Sally) [He was 78 while she was 68] (They were murdered in their own home)
Clive Revill (Voice Actor of Emperor Palpatine in Empire Strikes Back) [He was 94]
Cecile Richards (Former Planned Parenthood President and Daughter of Politician Ann Richards) [She was 67]
Alice Tan Ridley (Gospel and R&B Singer, Semi-Finalist on America’s Got Talent and Mother to Actress Gabourey Sidibe) [She was 72]
Sam Rivers (Bassist and Co-Founder, Limp Bizkit) [He was only 48]
Tony Roberts (Actor, Annie Hall, Hannah and Her Sisters and Stardust Memories) [He was 85]
Phil Robertson (Patriarch of reality TV series Duck Dynasty) [He was 79]
Chris Robinson (Veteran Actor, General Hospital and The Bold and the Beautiful) [He was 86]
Johnny Rodriguez (Country Music Star) [He was 73]
Tristan Rogers (Actor, General Hospital) [He was 79]
Alison Rose (Writer for The New Yorker, Idiosyncratic Essays and Profiles) [She was 81]
Tammie Rosen (Communications at Tribeca Enterprises and the Sundance Institute) [She was only 49]
Patricia Routledge (Tony Award Winning Actress, Keeping Up Appearances) [She was 96]
Camilla Row (Wife of Hallmark Actor Brennan Elliott) [She was only 46]
William Rush (British Actor, Waterloo Road) [He was only 31]
Francisco San Martin (Actor, Days of Our Lives) [He was only 39]
Gailard Sartain (Character Actor and Comedian, Hee Haw and The Buddy Holly Story) [He was 78]
Salli Sasche (Former Model, Miss American Contestant, 1960’s beach party movies like Beach Blanket Bingo and Bikini Beach) [She was 82]
Prunella Scales (British Actress, Fawlty Towers) [She was 93]
Charley Scalies (Character Actor, The Wire and The Sopranos) [He was 84]
Otto Schenk (Opera Director) [He was 94]
Lalo Schifrin (Six-Time Oscar Nominated Composer, Pianist and Conductor, Mannix, Starsky & Hutch and Mission: Impossible) [He was 93]
Tatiana Schlossberg (Environmental Journalist and Granddauther of John F. Kennedy) [She was only 35]
Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt (Loyola University Chaplain) [She was 106]
Michael Peter Schmidt (Sipur President and Red Arrow Studios Co-Founder) [He was only 52]
Peter-Henry Schroeder (Character Actor, Argo and Star Trek) [He was 90]
Pippa Scott (Producer and Actress, The Searchers, Petula and Auntie Mame) [She was 90]
Troy Seals (Legendary Songwriter, “Seven Spanish Angels” and “If You Ever Have Forever in Mind”) [He was 86]
Jeannie Seely (Legendary Country Music Icon) [She was 85]
David Sellers (Architect who became the Father of the Design-Build Movement) [He was 86]
Ralph Senensky (TV Director, The Waltons, Dynasty, Star Trek) [He was 102]
Eduardo Serra (Cinematographer, Harry Potter film franchise and Girl with a Pearl Earring) [He was 81]
Dave Shapiro (Pilot and Owner, Sound Talent Group) [He was only 42]
Paula Shaw (Veteran Actress, Freddy vs. Jason, Cedar Cove and countless Hallmark Channel movies) [She was 84]
Bobby Sherman (Legendary Singer, Actor and 1960’s and 1970’s Teen Idol) [He was 81]
Jim Shooter (Iconic Comic Book Writer and Former Marvel Editor-in-Chief) [He was 73]
Peter Sichel (Refugee, Prisoner, Spy and Wine Merchant) [He was 102) [He made Blue Nun, one of the most popular wines in the world]
Helen Siff (Character Actress, Married With Children and Will & Grace) [She was 88]
Joel Sill (Veteran Music Supervisor, Easy Rider, Flashdance and Forrest Gump) [He was 78]
Jubilant Skyes (Celebrated Opera Singer) [He was 71]
Gary Smith (8-Time Emmy-Winning Producer, TV Specials and Awards Shows) [He was 90]
Imani Smith (Broadway’s Young Nala in The Lion King) [She was only 26]
L.J. Smith (Author, The Vampire Diaries book franchise) [She was only 66]
Todd Snider (Singer-Songwriter, “Alright Guy”) [He was only 59]
Mark Snow (Composer, Ghost Whisperer, Blue Bloods and The X-Files) [He was 78]
David Souter (Republican Justice, Supreme Court) [He was 85]
Dr. Danielle Spencer (Former Child Actress, What’s Happening) [She was only 60]
Friedrich St. Florian (Designer, World War II Memorial) [He was 91]
Terence Stamp (Veteran Actor, 1970’s Superman franchise and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) [He was 87]
David Steinberg (Longtime Manager to Billy Crystal and Robin Williams) [He was 81]
Harry Stewart, Jr. (Retired Lt. Col. and Decorated WWII Pilot, One of Last Surviving Tuskeegee Airmen) [He was 100]
Robert Stirm (Vietnam War POW seen in iconic “Burst of Joy” Photo with family) [He was 92]
Angie Stone (Grammy-Nominated Soul Singer, “Wish I Didn’t Miss You) [She was only 63]
Sly Stone (Multi-Talented Musician and Legendary Singer) [He was 82]
Tom Stoppard (Playwright, Screenwriter and 4-time Tony Winner, Shakespeare in Love and Rosencrantz and Guildentern Are Dead) [He was 88]
Charles Strouse (Tony Award-winning Composer and Lyricist, “Annie” and “Bye Bye Birdie”) [He was 96]
Drew Struzan (Artist and Illustrator, Created Movie Posters for Back to the Future, The Empire Strikes Back and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) [He was 78]
Olive Sturgess (Actress, TV westerns and the 1963 cult horror spoof The Raven) [She was 91]
Jimmy Swaggart (Scandal-Riddled Televangelist) [He was 90]
Loretta Swit (Emmy-Winning and Legendary Actress, M*A*S*H) [She was 87]
John Sykes (Legendary Guitarist, Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy and Tygers of Pan Tan) [He was 65]
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Veteran Actor, Mortal Kombat and The Man in the High Castle) [He was 75]
Lee Tamahori (Director, Once Were Warriors and Die Another Day) [He was 75]
Dan Tana (Opened Iconic West Hollywood Celebrity Hangout) [He was 90]
Jim Tauber (Former Sidney Kimmel Entertainment President) [He was 74]
Malik Taylor (TikTok Star) [He was only 28]
Lynne Taylor-Corbett (Tony Award-nominated Choreographer and Director) [She was 78]
David Thomas (Fronted Rock Band Pere Ubu) [He was 71]
Danny Thompson (Founding Member, British Folk Rock Band Pentangle, Worked with Kate Bush and Roy Orbison) [He was 86]
Oliviero Toscani (Photographer, Art Director and Creative Mastermind of Benetton’s Advertising Campaign) [He was 82]
Michelle Trachtenberg (Actress, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harriet the Spy and Gossip Girl) [She was only 39]
Sylvester Turner (Texas Representative) [He was 70]
Marian Turski (Auschwitz Survivor) (He wrote and spoke about dangers of indifference to racial and ethnic injustice) [He was 98]
Bob Uecker (Sports Announcer, The Milwaukee Brewers and TV Star, Mr. Belvedere) [He was 90]
Ben Vaughn (President and CEO, Warner Chappell Nashville Publishing) [He was only 49]
Renee Victor (Actress, Weeds and Voice Actor, Coco) [He was 86]
Joseph Vieira (Former Child Actor, Lassie) [He was 81]
Danny Virtue (Producer, Stunt Coordinator and Horse Whisperer on over 1,000 films and TV shows, The Last of Us, the Twilight film franchise and multiple Hallmark movies) [He was 76]
Mark Volman (Founding Member of 60’s Band The Turtles Known for “Happy Together”) [He was 78]
Lesley Walker (Film Editor, Mona Lisa and Mamma Mia!) [She was 80]
Joseph Wambaugh (Former LAPD Officer and Novelist) [He was 88]
Derrick Ward (Longtime NBC Washington Journalist) [He was 62]
Jim Ward (Prolific Voice Actor, The Fairly OddParents) [He was 66]
Malcolm-Jamal Warner (Actor, The Cosby Show and The Resident) [He was only 54]
Kenneth Washington (Actor, Hogan’s Heroes) [He was 88]
Melanie Watson (Former Diff’rent Strokes Child Star) [She was only 57]
Slick Watts (Point Guard for Seattle SuperSonics) [He was 73]
Lee Weaver (Veteran Actor, Donnie Darko, O Brother, Where Art Thou and The Cosby Show) [He was 95]
Jane Morgan Weintraub (Singer, Nightclub Entertainer, Broadway Performer and Wife of the late show business mogul Jerry Weintraub) [She was 101]
David Weitzner (Hollywood Marketing Executive, Steered Campaigns for Star Wars and E.T.) [He was 86]
Josh Welsh (Film Independent President and Champion of Filmmakers) [He was 62]
George Wendt (Veteran Actor, Cheers) [He was 76]
Timothy West (Actor, EastEnders and Coronation Street) [He was 60]
Lally Weymouth (Journalist and Socialite from family that once owned The Washington Post) [She was 82]
Edmund White (Novelist and Pioneer of Gay Literature) [He was 85]
Randy White (Husband of Country Music Star Lorrie Morgan) [He was 72]
Bobby Whitlock (Keyboardist, Derek and the Dominos, Songwriter “Bell Bottom Blues”) [He was 77]
Isiah Whitlock Jr. (Actor, The Wire and Frequent Spike Lee Collaborator) [He was 71]
D’Wayne Wiggins (Founding Member of Tony! Toni! Tone!) [He was only 64]
Carole Wilbourn (Self-Described Cat Therapist) [She was 84]
Daniel Williams (Former Drummer, Metal Band The Devil Wears Prada) [He was only 39]
Brian Wilson (Legendary Leader of The Beach Boys and Pop Auteur) [He was 82]
Celeste Wilson (Jackson, Mississippi WAPT Weekend New Anchor) [She was only 42]
Robert Wilson (Visionary Theater Creator/1970’s Avant-Garde Artist) [He was 83]
Daniel Woodrell (Country Noir Novelist, “Winter’s Bone) [He was 72]
Peter Yarrow (Legendary Folk Singer from Peter, Paul & Mary and Co-Writer of “Puff the Magic Dragon”) [He was 86]
Brad Everett Young (Actor, Grey’s Anatomy and Celebrity Photographer) [He was only 46]
Harris Yulin (Actor, Clear and Present Danger, Scarface and Ozark) [He was 87]
Vince Zampella (Call of Duty Video Game Creator) [He was only 55]
Shelly Zegart (Queen of Quilts, Elevating the Craft into the Canon of Art and Material Culture) [She was 84]
Don Zimmerman (Oscar Nominated Editor, Being There and Rock7 [He was 81]
NOTE: This list, in no way, covers all the industry talent who passed away this year. Again, condolences are extended to one and all.
Out of respect, please take at least a few moments of silence for those we have lost this year.
TOMORROW: 2025 TV Ratings
Rueben's Ramblings 
PITCH: Shifting the Narrative
Posted in Commentary, News, Sports, Television on December 30, 2016| Leave a Comment »
As a young girl in August, there was Little League Baseball Championship to watch as the end of the summer dawned and school was about to start.
Depending on the summer, I would watch with family friends and we’d marvel at the twelve to thirteen year old boys who played baseball with heart.
Mo’ne Davis (Photo Credit: Brian Garfinkel/Getty Images)
In 2014, I watched again. That summer, the world met Mo’ne Davis, who was one of two girls in the final tournament.
Mo’ne Davis wowed the world, pitching a shut-out and getting a hit as a batter.
She turned heads and raised the bar about women in male-dominated sports.
Soon after that summer watching Mo’ne play with the boys, FOX had Pitch hit the small screen. What I feel in love with with Mo’ne Davis was given a few face: Ginny Baker [as portrayed by actress Kylie Bunbury.]
While Mo’ne played with pre-teen boys, Ginny Baker plays with the men. Men of Major League Baseball. It’s no easy task to be the lone girl in the room, testosterone all through the clubhouse.
What happens?
Ginny succeeds. It’s not easy, to be sure, but for a woman watching another woman play with the guys, getting there is the success.
Kylie Bunbury as Ginny Baker in Pitch
As in most of my life, there are guys who don’t trust Ginny for her skill or her finesse, but as the end of the season closed, Ginny was so close to a no-hitter.
She was just like every other pitcher who had gone through a game without a hit.
In a world where life wants to throw lemons at everyone from left and right, Ginny Baker’s success showed the world that half the population isn’t lesser than these men who hit balls over three hundred feet and throw a ball over one hundred miles an hour.
Pitch is a show that allows women to finally see that in sports, we don’t just have to play with the other girls. Mo’ne Davis and Ginny Baker are two women (one real and one fictitious) who defy odds and make it clear that just maybe the glass ceiling’s ready to be smashed in every part of society.
The message of Pitch didn’t reach as many people as I’d like, but I still hope that the ratings are good enough for another season. Ginny’s recovery from her injury is too important (and too real for sports fans) to not root for her and hope for a longer narrative.
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