Celebrities who died in 2023

• Here are the famous people who died in 2023.

• Lisa Marley Presley, Jim Brown, Raquel Welch, Harry Belafonte, and Julian Sands all passed away.

• So did music icons Tina Turner, David Crosby, Paul Cattermole, Andy Rourke, and Burt Bacharach.

Burt Bacharach, 94

A six-time Grammy winner and three-time Oscar winner, Bacharach gave us some of the most memorable pop tunes of all time.

The composer and pianist was responsible for "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" from the movie "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," as well as "Best that You Can Do," the theme from the movie "Arthur." Both of which also became chart-topping singles.

Along with lyricist Hal David, the duo are regarded as one of the best songwriting teams of all time. There's the hits they did with Dionne Warwick, like "Walk on By" and "I'll Never Fall in Love Again."

Other hits include "The Story of My Life" from Marty Robbins, and "Magic Moments" sung by Perry Como.

Bacharach died on February 8 of natural causes.

 

 

Jeff Beck, 78

The beloved English guitarist of The Yardbirds spent decades evolving his style as he was influenced by everything from blues to hard rock.

He's regarded as one of the greatest guitarists of all time.

Thanks to his mix of work with The Yardbirds in the 1960s and his later solo work, he was respected around the world by musicians and fans.

Beck won the Grammy for best rock instrumental performance six times and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice — once for being in The Yardbirds and a second time as a solo artist.

He died on January 10 after contracting a bacterial meningitis infection.

Harry Belafonte, 96

A beloved singer, songwriter, actor, and activist, Belafonte was beloved by millions for many reasons.

Along with winning Emmy, Tony, and Grammy awards, he also fought for civil rights alongside his late friends Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Sidney Poitier.

After claiming fame in 1954 as Joe in "Carmen Jones," in which he was Oscar nominated, he then trail blazed a career both as an actor and a musician.

His 1956 album "Calypso sold millions. And as the decades followed he starred in movies like "Buck and the Preacher" (1972) and "Uptown Saturday Night" (1974).

And with his activism he did everything from marching with MLK to speaking about the apartheid in South Africa.

Belafonte died on April 25. The cause of death was congestive heart failure.

 

Richard Belzer, 78

Since the early 1990s Richard Belzer was synonymous with the TV police procedural.

Playing the character detective John Munch, his sarcastic charm made him a fixture on shows like "Homicide: Life on the Street" and "Law & Order" for years. But he was so good at his character that Belzer's Munch also found his way on other shows on other networks, which is unheard of.

Munch appeared on 11 different TV shows, which has never happened to a fictional character in the history of television. They include: "Homicide," "Law & Order," "The X-Files," "The Beat," "Law & Order: Trial By Jury," "Arrested Development," "The Wire," "30 Rock," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," and "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt."

Before playing Munch, Belzer was known for his stand-up comedy. He was the warm-up act in the early days of "Saturday Night Live." And if you look close enough you'll see Belzer playing the MC at the Miami club in "Scarface" before the dramatic shootout happens.

Belzer died on February 19 at his home in the south of France after "an illness."

Robert Blake, 89

Most of Blake's life was in front of the camera. As a child actor he was one of the members of the iconic shorts series the "Little Rascals," starring as Mickey. His character appeared in the shorts toward the end of its run in the 1940s.

He then starred as Little Beaver in the Western movie franchise "Red Ryder," which was based on the popular comic strip.

By the 1950s he made numerous guest spots on TV shows. Then in 1967 he had his breakout (as an adult actor) when he played murderer Perry Smith in the acclaimed adaptation of the Truman Capote true crime book, "In Cold Blood."

Blake is known best for playing the lead in the mid 1970s TV series "Baretta," in which he played a street-smart detective with a cockatoo for a pet named Fred. Blake would earn an Emmy for the role.

The actor is also known for his infamous private life as he was the face of a high profile court case after being charged with the 2001 murder of his wife. Blake was acquitted of the charge as well as one count of soliciting murder in a 2005 trial.

Blake died on March 9 due to heart disease, according to the Associated Press.

 

Jim Brown, 87

Jim Brown lived many lives: football icon, movie star, and social activist.

In all of them, he did it with a focus and drive that made him a legend.

Regarded as one of the greatest football players who ever lived, Brown became a Hall of Famer despite only playing in the NFL for nine seasons. But in that time he shattered records as a running back, won MVP three times, and won the NFL championship in 1964 with the Cleveland Browns.

After his shocking retirement he went onto movies, starring in over 30, with standouts being "The Dirty Dozen," "Three The Hard Way," "He Got Game," and "Any Given Sunday."

Brown was also a voice for equality throughout his life.

Most famously, in 1967, he organized a meeting with top Black athletes in Cleveland to support Muhammad Ali's opposition of the Vietnam war. The meet included the likes of Bill Russell and Lew Alcindor, who later became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Brown died on May 18 of natural causes.

Paul Cattermole, 46

Cattermole was part of the English pop group S Club 7.

The group is known best for the 1999 debut single "Bring It All Back," as well as "Reach" and "Don't Stop Movin'."

It was announced earlier this year that all seven original members would go back on the road again for a reunion tour in the UK. It would have been the first time they would all be on stage since 2015.

The BBC reported that Cattermole was found dead at his home on April 6, according to a statement from Cattermole's family. The cause of death is unknown.

David Crosby, 81

This influential singer-songwriter is behind two of the biggest bands of the 1960s, The Byrds and Crosby, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

The Byrds' first single, a harmony version of Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" went No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart in early 1965. The band would become America's answer to The Beatles with its pop/folk influence.

As a member of CSNY their 1970 album "Déjà Vu" hit No. 1 on the charts and went on to sell 7 million copies. The following year "4-Way Street," a two-LP live set drawn from their subsequent U.S. tour, came out and went quadruple-platinum.

But Crosby was also one of rock's bad boys, his heavy drug use led to a nine-month jail sentence in a Texas state prison in 1985.

Crosby's work on The Byrds and CSNY led to 35 million albums sold over his career.

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.

Crosby died on January 18, no cause was given.

Melinda Dillon, 83

Dillon was the motherly figure in some of the most famous movies of all time.

For Steven Spielberg's 1977 classic "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" she plays the mother who can't stop her son from being abducted by aliens and alongside Richard Dreyfuss searches for answers.

Then in 1983's "A Christmas Story" she plays a mother trying to raise two boys in the beloved comedy.

With her gentle features and soft voice, Dillon made you feel emotions even with the silliest movie, like she did playing the mother of a family that takes in Bigfoot in the 1987 comedy "Harry and the Hendersons."

Dillon was nominated for a Tony in 1963 for her performance of Honey in the play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" She was nominated for best supporting actress twice: "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and the 1981 drama "Absence of Malice."

Dillon died January 9. No cause was given.

Frederic Forrest, 86

An acclaimed character actor, Forrest could play quiet and reserve or full of energy. He showed both sides in two Francis Ford Coppola classics: "The Conversation," in which he played a man having a secret affair; and "Apocalypse Now," who as the soldier "Chef" famously runs from a tiger in the jungle.

In 1980, he was nominated for best supporting actor for the Bette Midler movie "The Rose."

His other credits include the western "The Missouri Breaks" (1976), which starred Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson; the "Chinatown" sequel "The Two Jakes" (1990), which also starred Nicholson; and Coppola's "Tucker: The Man and His Dream."

Forrest died on June 23 at his home in Santa Monica, California. He was in hospice care for congestive heart failure, his sister Ginger Forrest Jackson told the Washington Post.

Len Goodman, 78

For 30 seasons of "Dancing with the Stars" Len Goodman was the show's north star.

As head judge of the popular dance competition, the one-time champion ballroom dancer brought a legitimacy to the judges' table as his critiques of the novice stars trying their best to dance alongside professionals were always tough but fair.

Along with "DWTS," Goodman was a judge on "Strictly Come Dancing," the UK version of the competition from 2004 to 2016.

He served as head judge on "DWTS" for more than 15 years and 30 seasons.

Goodman died on April 22 due to bone cancer.

Michael Lerner, 81

The veteran character actor was known for his booming voice and tough-as-nails roles through the decades.

Highlights include playing a studio executive in the 1991 Coen brothers movie "Barton Fink," which earned him an Oscar nomination, playing legendary gambler Arnold Rothstein in 1988's "Eight Men Out," and a ruthless gangster opposite Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor the following year in "Harlem Nights."

Lerner died on April 8, no cause was given.

 

Lisa Loring, 64

Loring was the first actor to portray Wednesday Addams in "The Addams Family," the youngest member of the fictional Addams family in the sitcom, which ran for two seasons between 1964 and 1966.

She went on to be the blueprint of the character who would be played generations later by the likes of Christina Ricci and most recently Jenna Ortega on the Netflix series "Wednesday."

Following the Wednesday role, Loring starred opposite Phyllis Diller in the sitcom "The Pruitts of Southampton." She also starred in "As the World Turns," playing Cricket Montgomery.

Her other credits include "The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.," "Fantasy Island" and "Barnaby Jones."

Loring died on January 28 following complications from a stroke caused by high blood pressure.

Cormac McCarthy, 89

Though McCarthy published his first novel in 1965, he would languish in obscurity for decades until adaptations of his novels "All the Pretty Horses" (1992) and "No Country for Old Men" (2005) were adapted into movies in 2000 and 2008, respectively, bringing his work to a wider audience and winning Oscars for the Coen brothers along the way.

He's also known for gritty classics like the Pulitzer Prize-winning "The Road," which chronicles a father and son's post-apocalyptic road trip (made into a movie in 2009), and "Blood Meridian," a historical novel set in the American West.

The famously reclusive author died June 13 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, of natural causes at 89, his publisher confirmed.

Lola Chantrelle Mitchell (aka, Gangsta Boo), 43

The Memphis rapper and former member of Three 6 Mafia was a beloved female figure in the "Dirty South" era of rap in the 1990s.

After recording albums with Three 6 Mafia until the early 2000s, she went solo.

Her 1998 album "Enquiring Minds" featured the hit single, "Where Dem Dollas At."

Boo also showed up on songs with Eminem, Gucci Mane, Run the Jewels, OutKast, Lil Wayne, Blood Orange, Latto, and others.

Boo was found dead at her home in Memphis on January 1. No official cause of death was given.

Lisa Marie Presley, 54

The beloved daughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley was in the spotlight her entire life.

She was 9 years old when her father died, but by then the world already knew her as the King's daughter from pictures of her with her dad. His massive plane was also named after her.

As she grew into an adult, her fame grew too. She married Michael Jackson, making them the biggest couple in the world for a brief time. They divorced in 1996.

She followed in her father's footsteps and made music. Presley released three albums, including singles where she performed duets with her late father.

She married musician Danny Keough when she was 20. They had two children together: actor Riley Keough, who was born in 1989, and Benjamin Keough, who was born in 1992. Benjamin died by suicide at the age of 27 in 2020.

Presley made her last public appearance on January 10 at the 80th Golden Globes where a biopic on her father, Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis," was nominated for three awards. Austin Butler's performance as Elvis Presley won best performance by an actor in a drama.

Presley died on January 12 after experiencing cardiac arrest at her Calabasas home.

Lance Reddick, 60

Reddick was a respected character actor thanks to his well known performance as Cedric Daniels, the tough but fair lieutenant in the beloved HBO series "The Wire."

Most recently he played Charon, the concierge of The Continental in the "John Wick" franchise.

Reddick's ice-cold looks and super serious performances made him perfect for dramatic TV shows like "Fringe" and "Bosch" as well as action movies like "Angel Has Fallen" and "Godzilla vs. Kong."

Reddick died of natural causes in his Los Angeles home on March 17.

Andy Rourke, 59

As the bassist for the groundbreaking British rock band The Smiths, Andy Rourke is a legend.

His work can be heard in The Smiths hit songs like "This Charming Man" and "There is a Light That Never Goes Out."

After the band broke up in 1987, Rourke worked on former bandmate Morrissey's solo tracks like "Piccadilly Palare," "Interesting Drug," and "November Spawned a Monster."

Rourke died on May 19 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer, according to Variety.

Julian Sands, 65

An acclaimed actor, Sands' work spanned the stage and screen over a 40 year career.

After finding attention on the stage in England in the early 1980s, he got his big break when he landed the lead male role opposite Helena Bonham Carter in the 1985 Oscar-winning James Ivory movie "A Room with a View."

That launched him into Hollywood where he landed roles in the 1989 horror fantasy "Warlock" and its sequel. He also starred in the 1990 horror comedy "Arachnophobia," David Cronenberg's adaptation of the William Burroughs novel "Naked Lunch" in 1991, and the 1995 movie "Leaving Las Vegas," which earned Nicolas Cage an Oscar.

Over his career Sands had recurring roles on TV series including "24," "Medici," "Smallville," "Dexter," "Gotham" and "Elementary."

Sands, who was an avid hiker, was reported missing on January 13 after setting out to hike in southern California's San Gabriel Mountains. His remains were found on June 25 in wilderness near Mount Baldy. An investigation confirmed on June 27 that it was Sands.

No cause of death was given.

 

The Iron Sheik, 81

If there were no Iron Sheik there would be no Hulk Hogan.

Professional wrestling became a global sensation thanks to not just the popularity of Hulk Hogan but because his nemesis was so despised. That was The Iron Sheik.

With his "down with America" talk Sheik (whose real name is Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri) became one of the World Wrestling Federation's biggest bad guys, or heels, in the 1980s. He even had the world title.

That all set the stage for the showdown between Sheik and Hogan in Madison Square Garden in 1984. Hogan won the belt and pro wrestling was never the same again.

Sheik would later team with fellow heel Nikolai Volkoff to make a formidable tag team.

Long after his wrestling days were done, Sheik found fame once more thanks to Twitter. With his foul-mouthed tweets about everything from politics to pop culture, he became a sensation and was introduced by a generation that never saw him wrestle.

Sheik died on June 7. No cause was given.

Tom Sizemore, 61

In the 1990s Tom Sizemore graced us with gritty and often twisted performances that made him unforgettable.

From his bit parts early in his career like "Born on the Fourth of July," "Point Break," "Passenger 57" and "True Romance," to the peak of his career giving memorable roles in "Natural Born Killers," "Heat," 'Saving Private Ryan," and "Black Hawk Down," Sizemore could be charming in one scene then unleash his madness in the next, and that talent made him a major fixture in the biggest movies of the decade.

Sadly, there was a dark troubling side to the actor that crippled his career. Due to drug addiction, by the 2000s he was no longer getting the kind of roles deserving of his talents. Tabloids and reality TV shows chronicled his struggles that ranged from jail time for domestic violence on his former girlfriend "Hollywood Madam" Heidi Fleiss to multiple arrests for drug possession.

Sizemore died on March 3 following a brain aneurysm on February 18.

 

Jerry Springer, 79

Jerry Springer will go down as one of the most controversial talk show hosts of all time.

Thanks to his show, "Jerry Springer," he was a fixture on daytime TV in the late 1990s as his show featured people who didn't like each other — sometimes it was domestic reasons, sometimes it was friends at odds — leading to physical altercations right on stage.

Starting out his career in politics, he was the mayor of Cincinnati from 1977 to 1978, by the 1990s he moved to entertainment as the show "Jerry Springer" launched in 1991 (it ran for 27 seasons). By the time the decade was over the show was a sensation and was even beating "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in the ratings thanks to it taboo topics, outlandish guests, and the audience's love for Springer, as they would often chant during the show: "Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!"

Springer died on April 27 peacefully in his home in suburban Chicago.

Ray Stevenson, 58

The Irish actor was known best for playing larger-than-life characters.

Stevenson played one of the Knights of the Round Table in Antoine Fuqua's 2004 movie "King Arthur." A few years after that he landed the lead role playing Frank Castle in the Marvel movie "Punisher: War Zone."

He also showed up in the "Thor" and "Divergent" franchises.

Most recently, he played the villain Governor Scott Buxton in the global box office sensation "RRR," and will next be seen playing a Jedi who turns bad in the upcoming "Star Wars" series on Disney+, "Ahsoka."

Stevenson died on May 21, no cause was given.

 

Tina Turner, 83

Regarded as the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll, for decades Tina Turner was a force in the music world thanks to her powerful singing and endless energy when she performed.

From her start with ex-husband Ike Turner in the 1950s, to her historic comeback in the 1980s that made her one of the biggest performers in the world, to her starring in movies ("Tommy," "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome") and a hit movie made about her ("What's Love Got to So with it"), Turner was truly a legend in the entertainment world.

Turner is one of the best-selling artists of all time with 12 Grammys, she is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and is the first black artist and first female to be on the cover of Rolling Stone.

Her hits will be beloved forever: "Private Dancer," "Better Be Good to Me," "Proud Mary," "What's Love Got to Do with it," and, yes, she even did a James Bond song with "GoldenEye."

Turner died on May 24, no cause was given.

Raquel Welch, 82

With her striking looks and playing strong-willed characters on the big screen, Raquel Welch was more than just a sex symbol, she was a force to be reckoned with.

It all started with a role in which she said only a few lines. Starring in the 1966 sci-fi movie "One Million Years B.C.," she instantly became a star as the poster of her in a furry bikini from the movie became a huge best-seller.

That led to other roles through the decades like "Bedazzled," "Bandolero!" and "100 Rifles."

She won the 1973 Best Actress Golden Globe for her role in "The Three Musketeers."

Her career would span over 50 years on the big screen and small, as well as becoming a fashion trend-setter through the decades.

Welch died on February 15 following a "brief illness," according to her manager.

 

 

Annie Wersching, 45

Wersching recently played the Borg Queen in the second season of "Picard" and serial killer Rosalind Dyer on "The Rookie."

She's also known for he roles in "Bosh," "Timeless" and opposite Kiefer Sutherland in "24" playing F.B.I. agent Renee Walker.

Wersching died on January 29. The cause was cancer, which she was diagnosed with in 2020, according to The New York Times.

Cindy Williams, 75

Williams is one half of TV comedy royalty as she played Shirley opposite Penny Marshall's Laverne on the popular late 1970s sitcom "Laverne & Shirley."

Williams also starred in some memorable movies. She was Ron Howard's love interest in George Lucas' classic 1973 movie "American Graffiti." And she played Gene Hackman's obsession in Francis Ford Coppola's acclaimed 1974 drama "The Conversation."

But Williams will always be known best for her comedic chops, which opposite Marshall, who died in 2018, became an iconic duo in television history.

Williams died on January 25, no cause was given.

Treat Williams, 71

With his good looks and those unmistakable bushy eyebrows, Williams (no relation to Cindy Williams) was a fixture in movies and TV since his breakout role in 1979 as George Berger in the big screen adaptation of the hit musical "Hair."

That followed with roles in the Sergio Leone classic "Once Upon a Time in America," Sidney Lumet's "Prince of the City," and a blink-and-you-missed-it role in "Empire Strikes Back."

Since then he's known best for playing Dr. Andrew Brown in the early 2000s The WB series "Everwood."

Regardless if it was on the big or small screen, Williams always brought the highest skill to a role, which is what made him dependable for years and years.

Williams died on June 12 following a motorcycle crash in Vermont.