Celebrity deaths in 2024: List of 100+ famous people who died this past year

As the calendar nears the end of 2024, we’re looking back at famous people who died this past year.
Stars we said goodbye to include One Direction singer Liam Payne; Buffalo Bills legend O.J. Simpson; actors Shannen Doherty, Shelley Duvall, Teri Garr, James Earl Jones, Maggie Smith, Donald Sutherland and Carl Weathers; music greats like Dickey Betts, Quincy Jones, Toby Keith, Kris Kristofferson, and Sergio Mendes; TV icons Phil Donahue, Bob Newhart, Richard Simmons and Chuck Woolery; and notable athletes like Willie Mays, Pete Rose, Bill Walton and Jerry West.
See our full list of 100-plus celebrity deaths and other notable people who died in 2024:
Steve Albini — Alternative rock pioneer and producer who worked with Nirvana and the Pixies died May 7 at 61.
Dave Allison — The original guitarist for influential heavy metal band Anvil died Sept. 30 at 68.
John Amos — Emmy-winning “Good Times,” “Roots” actor died Aug. 21 at 84.
Wallace “Wally” Amos — Famous Amos cookie creator and children’s literacy advocate died Aug. 13 at 88.
John Aprea — “The Godfather Part II,” “Full House” actor died Aug. 7 at age 83.
John Ashton — “Beverly Hills Cop” actor, best known for playing police detective John Taggart, died Sept. 26 at 76.
Susan Backlinie — The actress who played the iconic first victim in the opening scene of “Jaws” died in May at 77.
Robyn Bernard — “General Hospital” actress died March 22 at 64.
Dickey Betts — Allman Brothers Band co-founder, guitarist and “Ramblin’ Man” songwriter died April 18 at 80.
Frankie Beverly — Funk-soul singer best known for the Maze hit “Before I Let Go” died Sept. 10 at 77.
Alice Brock — The Massachusetts woman who helped inspire Arlo Guthrie’s Thanksgiving standard, “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree,” died Nov. 21 at 83.
Bob Bryar — The former My Chemical Romance drummer, who performed on the alternative rock band’s “The Black Parade” album, died Nov. 26 at 44.
Eric Carmen — The singer known for his work with The Raspberries and ‘80s hits like “All By Myself” and “Hungry Eyes” died March 11 at 74.
Bill Cobbs — The character actor whose credits included “Air Bud,” “The Bodyguard” and “A Night at the Museum” died June 25 at 90.
Dabney Coleman — The mustachioed actor known for roles in “9 to 5″ and “Tootsie” died May 16 at 92.
Charlie Colin — The bassist and founding member of the pop-rock band Train, who performed on hits “Meet Virginia” and “Drops of Jupiter,” died in May at 58.
Ruth Johnson Colvin — The Syracuse-based Literacy Volunteers of America founder, who was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, died Aug. 18 at 107
Roger Corman — The B-movie filmmaker died May 9 at 98.
Herbert Coward — The “Deliverance” actor, best known for playing the Toothless Man, died Jan. 24 at 85.
Peter Crombie — The actor, best known for playing “Crazy” Joe Davola on “Seinfeld,” died Jan. 10 at 71.
Kathryn Crosby — The actress, known for “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad”, “Anatomy of a Murder,” and “Operation Mad Ball” before marrying famed singer and Oscar-winning actor Bing Crosby, died Sept. 20 at 90.
Michael Culver — The actor, best known for playing Capt. Lorth Needa in “Star Wars Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back,” died Feb. 27 at 85.
Paul D’Amato — The actor who played the captain of the fictional Syracuse Bulldogs hockey team from the movie “Slap Shot” died in February at 75. 
James Darren — The teen idol known for “Gidget,” “Star Trek,” “T.J. Hooker” and his singing career died Sept. 2 at 88.
Paul Di’Anno — The former Iron Maiden singer died Oct. 21 at 66.
Lou Dobbs — The conservative TV host who was a founding anchor on CNN and longtime presence on the Fox Business Network died July 18 at 78.
Shannen Doherty — The “Beverly Hills, 90210″ and “Charmed” actress died July 13 at 53.
Phil Donahue — The daytime talk show host died Aug. 18 at 88.
Shelley Duvall — “The Shining” actress, also known for her work in Robert Altman films and “Fairy Tale Theater,” died July 11 at 75.
Duane Eddy — The twangy guitarist known for “Peter Gunn” and more died April 30 at 86.
Bob Edwards — NPR’s longtime “Morning Edition” anchor died Feb. 10 at 76.
Elwood Edwards — The voice of AOL’s iconic “You’ve got mail” greeting died Nov. 5 at 74.
Ron Ely — The “Tarzan” actor who starred in the 1960s TV series died Oct. 22 at 86.
Abdul “Duke” Fakir — The Four Tops’ last surviving member, known for Motown hits like “Reach Out, I’ll Be There,” died July 22 at 88.
Henry Fambrough — The Spinners’ last surviving original member, known for R&B hits like “The Rubberband Man,” died Feb. 7 at 85.
Joe Flaherty — The comedian and “SCTV” founding member, also known for roles on “Freaks & Geeks” and “Happy Gilmore,” died in April at 82.
Herbie Flowers — The bassist who made Syracuse University alumnus Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side” an iconic hit died Sept. 5 at 86.
Arthur Frommer — Travel guide whose “Europe on 5 Dollars a Day” books revolutionized leisure travel died Nov. 18 at 95.
Gary W. Gallup — Known on the air as “Bob Paris,” the longtime Central New York radio personality who helped launch TK99 in the 1990s died May 4 at 78.
Teri Garr — Comedy actress known for roles in “Young Frankenstein” and “Tootsie” died Oct. 29 at 79.
Chris Gauthier — “Once Upon a Time,” “Smallville” actor died Feb. 23 at 48.
Mitzi Gaynor — “South Pacific” actress who also appeared in musicals with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly died Oct. 17 at 93.
Louis Gossett Jr. — Emmy-winning “Roots,” “Iron Eagle” actor who was the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar died March 28 at 87.
Gary Graham — “Star Trek: Enterprise” actor died Jan. 22 at 73.
Clarence “Frogman” Henry — The jazz and R&B singer, best known for songs “Ain’t Got No Home” and “(I Don’t Know Why) But I Do,” died in April at 87.
Bernard Hill — “The Lord of the Rings” and “Titanic” actor died May 5 at 79.
Drake Hogestyn — “Days of Our Lives” actor who appeared on the TV soap opera for 38 years died Sept. 28 at 70.
Cissy Houston — Grammy-winning soul/gospel singer and mother of Whitney Houston died Oct. 7 at 91.
Larry Hoyt — The Syracuse musician, radio DJ and SAMMYS Hall of Famer died March 14 at 75.
Steve Hyder — The former voice of Syracuse University sports and Syracuse Chiefs baseball died in July at 62.
Doug Ingle — The original singer and organist for Iron Butterfly, best known as the voice of the psychedelic rock hit “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida,” died in May at 78.
Tito Jackson — Singer and the Jackson 5 member died Sept. 15 at 70.
Glynis Johns — Tony-winning actor best known for playing the mother opposite Julie Andrews in “Mary Poppins” died Jan. 4 at 100.
Jacoby Jones — The NFL wide receiver whose 108-yard kickoff return in 2013 remains the longest touchdown in Super Bowl history died July 14 at 40.
Jack Jones — The Grammy-winning singer of “The Love Boat” theme song and “Lollipops and Roses” died Oct. 23 at 86.
James Earl Jones — The deep-voiced actor known for “Field of Dreams,” “The Lion King,” “The Sandlot” and as Darth Vader in “Star Wars” died Sept. 9 at 93.
Quincy Jones — Legendary musician and producer who worked with Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra and hundreds of others died Nov. 3 at 91.
Hiram Kasten — The actor and comedian, an Upstate New York native best known for playing a co-worker of Elaine on “Seinfeld,” died in June at 71.
Toby Keith — Country music legend known for patriotic anthems and Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill restaurants died Feb. 5 at 62 after a battle with stomach cancer.
Greg Kihn — The lead singer of the Greg Kihn Band, best known for the 1980s power-pop hits “Jeopardy” and “The Breakup Song (They Don’t Write ‘Em),” died Aug. 13 at 75.
Ed Kranepool — The New York Mets legend who began his MLB career in Syracuse and won a World Series with the Miracle Mets in 1969 died Sept. 8 at 79.
Kris Kristofferson — Country music legend and actor died Sept. 28 at 88.
Phil Lesh — Grateful Dead founding member died Oct. 25 at 84.
Richard Lewis — Comedian and actor whose credits included “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Robin Hood: Men in Tights” died Feb. 27 at 76.
Joe Lieberman — Former U.S. senator from Connecticut who was Al Gore’s vice presidential candidate in the 2000 election died March 27 at 82.
Dave Loggins – The Grammy-nominated country singer-songwriter, known for songs like “Please Come to Boston” and the golf theme “Augusta,” died July 10 at 76.
Robert MacNeil — PBS’ “The MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour” co-anchor died April 12 at 93.
Mandisa — The “American Idol” standout and Christian music singer died April 18 at 47.
Phil Markert — The Syracuse radio and TV legend, who memorably sang the school lunch menu every morning and appeared in the Oscar-nominated film “Blue Velvet,” died in May at 92.
Peter Marshall — The actor-singer-turned-game show host who was on “The Hollywood Squares” for 16 years died Aug. 15 at 98.
John Mayall — Blues music legend who performed with John McVie, Eric Clapton, Mick Fleetwood and others died July 22 at 90.
Willie Mays — Baseball legend known as “The Say Hey Kid” died June 18 at 93.
Chad McQueen — “The Karate Kid” actor and son of Hollywood legend Steve McQueen died Sept. 11 at 63.
Sergio Mendes — Grammy-winning Brazilian music legend known for the global hit “Mas Que Nada” died Sept. 5 at 83.
Jerry Miller — The guitar great who co-founded the psychedelic rock band Moby Grape died July 20 at 81.
Sandra Milo — Italian cinema icon best known for ederico Fellini’s “8½” died Jan. 29 at 90.
Kenneth Mitchell — “Star Trek: Discovery” actor died Feb. 24 at 49.
Cindy Morgan — “Caddyshack,” “Tron” actress died Jan. 6 at 69.
Chris Mortensen — NFL broadcaster died March 3 at 72.
Martin Mull — Actor known for “Roseanne,” “Arrested Development” and “Clue” died June 27 at 80.
Alice Munro — Nobel laureate and beloved author died May 13 at 92.
Dikembe Mutombo — NBA legend who known for wagging his finger after blocking shots died Sept. 30 at 58.
Obi Ndefo — “Dawson’s Creek” actor died Aug. 28 at 51.
Johnny Neel — Musician who performed with the Allman Brothers Band and the Dickey Betts Band died Oct. 6 at 70.
The Nelons — Kelly Nelon Clark, Jason Nelon Clark, and Amber Nelon Kistler, who were three of the four members of Grammy-nominated gospel group The Nelons, died July 26 in a plane crash
Bob Newhart — Comedian and actor known for “The Bob Newhart Short,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Elf” and more, died July 18 at 94.
Michael Newman — “Baywatch” actor died Oct. 20 at 67.
Wayne Northrop — “Dynasty,” “Days of Our Lives” actor died Nov. 29 at 77.
Charles Osgood — “CBs Sunday Morning” anchor and host of “The Osgood File” died Jan. 23 at 91.
Ken Page — Actor known for “Dreamgirls,” “Cats” and as the voice of Oogie Boogie in “The Nightmare Before Christmas” died Sept. 30 at 70.
Andy Paley — Tom Kenny & The Hi-Seas musician best known for his work on “SpongeBob SquarePants” and with the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, died Nov. 20 at 72.
Francine Pascal — “Sweet Valley High” writer died July 28 at 92.
Liam Payne — One Direction singer and solo pop star died Oct. 16 at 31 after falling from a hotel balcony.
Chance Perdomo — “Gen V,” “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” actor died in March at age 27 after a motorcycle accident.
Colin ‘Smiley’ Petersen — The Bee Gees’ original drummer died Nov. 18 at 78, days after the group’s disco-era drummer Dennis Byron died.
Joyce Randolph — “The Honeymooners” actress, best known for playing Trixie Norton on the classic sitcom, died Jan. 13 at 99.
Chita Rivera — Tony-winning dancer, singer and Broadway actress, died Jan. 30 at 91.
Juan “Chi Chi” Rodriguez — Hall of Fame golfer known for his antics on the course died Aug. 8 at 88.
Pete Rose — Baseball’s career hits leader and fallen idol after gambling on the game he loved, died Sept. 30 at 83.
Gena Rowlands — “The Notebook” actress, wife of director John Cassavetes, died Aug. 14 at 94.
Barbara Rush — “Peyton Place,” “It Came From Outer Space” actress died March 31 at 97.
Jack Russell — Great White lead singer behind hits “Once Bitten Twice Shy” and “Rock Me,” who performed with the ‘80s metal band at a 2003 Rhode Island concert that left 100 people dead in a fire, died Aug. 7 at 63.
Melanie Safka — Melanie, the folk singer-songwriter who performed at Woodstock, died Jan. 23 at 76.
Ángel Salazar — “Carlito’s Way” and “Scarface” actor, best known for playing Tony Montana’s right-hand man Chi Chi, died Aug. 11 at 68.
Freddie Salem — Outlaws guitarist died Sept. 23 at 70.
Pamela Salem — The actress who played James Bond secretary Miss Moneypenny in “Never Say Never Again,” died in February at 80.
David Sanborn — The Grammy-winning saxophonist who played the Syracuse Jazz Festival and Woodstock, died in May at 78.
Fatman Scoop — “Be Faithful” rapper who dominated club hits in the 2000s with his distinctive voice died Aug. 30 at 56.
Marlena Shaw — “California Soul” R&B legend died Jan. 19 at 81.
Shifty Shellshock — Crazy Town singer, whose real name was Seth Binzer and best known for the hit song “Butterfly,” died June 24 at 49.
James Sikking — “Hill Street Blues” and “Doogie Howser, M.D.” actor died July 13 at 90.
Richard Simmons — The fitness guru known for his hyperactive personality and trademark tank tops and short shorts died July 13 at 76.
O.J. Simpson — Buffalo Bills football legend and actor, who was acquitted of charges he killed his former wife and her friend but later found liable in a separate civil trial, died April 10 at 76.
Maggie Smith — Oscar-winning actress known for “Harry Potter” and “Downton Abbey” died Sept. 27 at 89.
C.J. Snare — FireHouse singer, known for hits like “Love of a Lifetime,” died April 5 at 64.
David Soul — “Starsky & Hutch” actor and singer died Jan. 4 at 80.
John David “JD” Souther — ‘70s singer-songwriter best known for his collaborations with the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt died Sept. 17 at 78.
Morgan Spurlock — The Oscar-nominated “Super Size Me” documentary filmmaker died May 23 at 53.
Donald Sutherland — The actor known for “M*A*S*H,” “The Hunger Games,” “JFK” and more died June 20 at 88.
Arthur “Pooch” Tavares — The lead singer for the Grammy-winning music group Tavares, best known for the 1976 hit “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel,” died in April at 81.
Paul Teal — The “One Tree Hill” actor, who also appeared in “Deep Water” and “Fear Street,” died of cancer at 35.
Tony Todd — Horror movie legend best known for “Candyman” and “Final Destination” died Nov. 6 at 69.
Akira Toriyama — “Dragon Ball Z” creator died March 1 at 68.
Johnny Wactor — “General Hospital” actor died May 25 at 37 after being shot during a robbery attempt.
Anthony “Baby Gap” Walker — The former member of the legendary funk and R&B group The Gap Band died in March at 60.
Chet Walker — Basketball Hall of Famer who won an NBA championship with the Philadelphia 76ers after beginning his career in Syracuse died in June at 74.
Karl Wallinger — The World Party singer, who contributed to the iconic ‘90s soundtracks for “Armageddon,” “Reality Bites” and “Clueless,” died in March at 66.
M. Emmet Walsh — The “Blade Runner” and “Blood Simple” character actor died March 19 at 88.
Bill Walton — The NBA legend and longtime basketball broadcaster died May 27 at 71.
Carl Weathers — The former NFL linebacker and actor, best known for roles in “Rocky” (as boxer Apollo Creed), “Predator” and “Happy Gilmore,” died Feb. 1 at 76.
Mary Weiss — The Shangri-Las lead singer, best known for “Leader of the Pack,” died Jan. 19 at 75.
Jerry West — Basketball Hall of Famer who inspired the NBA logo died June 12 at 86.
Dr. Ruth Westheimer — Sex therapist, media star and best-selling author died July 12 at 96.
Ed Wheeler — “Law & Order,” “Blue Blood” and “Broadcast News” actor died at 88.
Chuck Woolery — “Wheel of Fortune,” “Love Connection” and “Scrabble” game show host died Nov. 23 at 83.