PHOTOS: 2026 celebrity deaths
1/52Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler poses with her MBE after being made a Member of the Order of the British Empire by the Prince of Wales during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, England Wednesday Feb. 1, 2023. Bonnie Tyler, the gravelly voiced, Grammy-nominated Welsh pop star whose 1983 chart-topping power ballad “Total Eclipse of the Heart” enchanted succeeding generations with its bombastic charms during solar and lunar eclipses, has died. She was 75.
(Andrew Matthews/Pool via AP)
2/52Victor Willis, lead singer of the disco group Village People whose hit “Y.M.C.A.” became a fixture at rallies for President Trump, has died, his wife and the band said July 1, 2026.
(Photo by Andrew Chin/Getty Images)
Victor Willis, lead singer of the disco group Village People whose hit “Y.M.C.A.” became a fixture at rallies for President Trump, has died, his wife and the band said July 1, 2026. (Photo by Andrew Chin/Getty Images)
3/52Aretha Franklin, left, and Clive Davis attend Keep a Child Alive’s 2014 Black Ball in New York on Oct. 30, 2014. Davis, a record company lawyer, became one of the music industry’s most powerful figures, launching or resurrecting the careers of such superstars as Janis Joplin, Whitney Houston, Carlos Santana and Alicia Keys. His family announced his death June 22, 2026. Davis was 94.
(Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP, File)
4/52Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan appears before a House banking subcommittee, March 5, 1997, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Alan Greenspan, the jazz-playing U.S. Federal Reserve chair who was celebrated for engineering a decade of prosperity but later shared the blame for a devastating financial crisis, died Monday. He was 100.
(AP Photo/Doug Mills, file)
5/52FILE – In this May 31, 2006 file photo, film critic Gene Shalit is seen during a toast with “Today” show cast and crew at the end of Katie Couric’s final show, in New York.
(AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
FILE – In this May 31, 2006 file photo, film critic Gene Shalit is seen during a toast with “Today” show cast and crew at the end of Katie Couric’s final show, in New York. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
6/52FILE – Artist David Hockney after unveiling the bottle design for the 2014 vintage wine of Château Mouton Rothschild in London, Friday, Feb. 3, 2017.
(AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)
7/52FILE – Anthony Head poses during the “Merlin” photocall at the 51st Monaco Television Festival in Monte Carlo, Monaco, Friday, June 10, 2010.
(AP Photo/Christian Alminana, File)
8/52Rick Adelman speaks during the 2021 Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement ceremony, Sept. 11, 2021, in Springfield, Mass. Rick Adelman, a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee who played for seven NBA seasons before becoming one of the game’s all-time winningest coaches, has died, the National Basketball Coaches Association announced Monday.
(AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)
9/52Former NFL football player Raymond Berry is introduced during the induction ceremony at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013, in Canton, Ohio. Raymond Berry, the Hall of Fame wide receiver who teamed with Baltimore quarterback Johnny Unitas for one of the NFL’s greatest passing combinations and helped lead the Colts to victory over the New York Giants in the storied 1958 championship game, has died. He was 93.
(AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
10/52Kennedy Center Honoree Sonny Rollins arrives at the Kennedy Center for the Preforming Arts for the gala performance for the Kennedy Center Honorees on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011 in Washington. Rollins, the tenor saxophonist and restless genius whose bold, distinctive tone and constant experimentation kept him on the cutting edge of jazz for more than 50 years, died Monday at age 95.
(AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
11/52Grizz Chapman attends B.B. King Blues Club & Grill on May 14, 2013 in New York City. Chapman, the actor best known for his work on the classic sitcom “30 Rock,” died at 52.
(Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
12/52Rob Base performance at Mega Beer and 90s Music Festival at Magic City Casino on November 9th, 2019 in Miami, FL. The song “Get On the Dance Floor,” issued in 1988, hit #1 on the Billboard Dance Club song chart. The family of 59-year-old rapper Rob Base says he has died after a battle with cancer.
(Photo by Manny Hernandez/Getty Images)
13/52FILE – Kyle Busch smiles prior to a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025, in Concord, N.C.
(AP Photo/Matt Kelley, File)
14/52FILE – House Financial Services Committee Chairman Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass. speaks during a markup of legislation on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 20, 2009.
(AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
15/52Los Angeles Police Detective Mark Fuhrman sits on the witness stand in the O.J. Simpson double murder case. Former Los Angeles police detective Mark Fuhrman, who was convicted of lying during testimony at the O.J. Simpson murder trial, has died. He was 74.
(Photo by Kim Kuish/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
16/52Jason Collins, the NBA’s first openly gay player, has died after an eight-month battle with an aggressive form of a brain tumor.
(AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
17/52FILE – Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke (15) shoots a free throw during an NBA Cup basketball game against the Denver Nuggets, Nov. 19, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. He died, the team, his agency and the NBA said Tuesday. He was 29.
(AP Photo/Brandon Dill, File)
18/52Ted Turner smiles during an interview with the Associated Press, Feb. 7, 2008, in Omaha, Neb. Ted Turner, a brash and outspoken television pioneer who raced yachts, owned huge chunks of the American West and transformed the news business by launching CNN in 1980, has died at age 87.
(AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)
19/52FILE – David Allan Coe, sporting Willie Nelson braids, performs at the Willie Nelson July 4th Picnic, on July 4, 1983 at Atlanta International Raceway in Hampton, Ga.
(AP Photo/Rudolph Faircloth, File)
20/52Nedra Talley Ross, the last surviving member of the 1960s bee-hived pop band the Ronettes, who sang the enduring hits “Be My Baby,” “Baby I Love You” and “Walking in the Rain” alongside her cousins, has died. She was 80.
(Photo by Peter Kramer/Getty Images)
21/52Dave Mason performs at City Winery in Chicago on Feb. 21, 2023. Dave Mason — the co-founder of the psychedelic British band Traffic, songwriter behind classic rock hits “Feelin’ Alright” and “Hole in My Shoe,” and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer — died at his home in Gardnerville, Nevada. He was 79.
(Photo by Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP)
22/52FILE – Alan Osmond performs during a taping of the Osmonds 50th anniversary show in Las Vegas on Aug. 14, 2007. Alan Osmond, the eldest member of the chart-topping family act The Osmonds, died Monday after decades with multiple sclerosis. He was 76.
(AP Photo/Isaac Brekken, File)
23/52Patrick Muldoon attends the “Starship Troopers” cast panel during 2025 Los Angeles Comic Con at Los Angeles Convention Center on Sept. 28, 2025, in Los Angeles, California. Patrick Muldoon, known for his roles on shows including “Days of Our Lives” and films including “Starship Troopers,” has died at age 57, his representative confirmed to ABC News Monday.
(Photo by Chelsea Guglielmino/Getty Images)
24/52Sid Krofft (left), the Canadian-born entertainment wizard who teamed with his brother and fellow puppeteer Marty Krofft to create such cult favorites as children’s 1960s TV show “H.R. Pufnstuf,” has died at age 96.
(AP/John Hayes)
25/52Afrika Bambaataa, a man widely considered one of the main pioneers of hip-hop, died in Pennsylvania of prostate cancer on Thursday, according to his lawyer. He was 68.
(AP/Henny Ray Abrams)
26/52The celebrated mountaineer Jim Whittaker, the first American to summit Mount Everest, has died. He was 97.
(AP/Jeff Chiu)
27/52Actor Nicholas Brendon attends the 2012 Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo at McCormick Place on April 15, 2012 in Chicago, Illinois.
(Photo by Barry Brecheisen/WireImage)
28/52Chuck Norris appears at a ceremony in Garland, Texas on Dec. 2, 2010.
(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)
29/52This Jan. 9, 1973 file photo shows British author Len Deighton who has died at the age of 97.
(PA via AP)
30/52Alexander Butterfield, testifies, July 16, 1973 before the Senate Watergate Committee. Butterfield, the White House aide who inadvertently hastened Richard Nixon’s resignation over the Watergate scandal when he revealed that the president had bugged the Oval Office and Cabinet Room and routinely recorded his conversations, has died. He was 99.
(AP Photo/File)
31/52Country singer Joe McDonald plays during the Heros of Woodstock concert at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Bethel, N.Y., Saturday, Aug. 15, 2009. McDonald, a hippie rock star, died Sunday. He was 84.
(AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, File)
32/52FILE – Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz carries away the National College Champion Trophy following a news conference in Tempe, Ariz. in this Jan. 3, 1989 photo. Holtz died Wednesday, March 4, 2026.
(AP Photo/Rob Schmacher, File)
33/52Neil Sedaka poses for a portrait in New York, April 30, 2012. He died February 27, 2026.
(AP Photo/Charles Sykes, File)
34/52Robert Carradine appears at the 24th Annual “A Night at Sardi’s” in Beverly Hills, Calif., on March 9, 2016. Carradine, known for his roles in “The Long Riders,” “Revenge of the Nerds” and the television series “Lizzie McGuire,” has died at 71. (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP/Richard Shotwell)
(Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
35/52FILE – Legendary salsa musician Willie Colon poses for a portrait in Mexico City, March 5, 2009. Colón, considered by many to be the “architect of urban salsa,” died Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. He was 75.
(AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)
36/52FILE – Eric Dane arrives at a promotional event for the series “Euphoria,” in Los Angeles, April 20, 2022.
(Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
37/52Rev. Jesse Jackson waves as he steps to the podium during the third day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, July 27, 2016. Jackson, a protege of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and two-time presidential candidate who led the Civil Rights Movement for decades after the revered leader’s assassination, died Tuesday. He was 84.
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
38/52Robert Duvall arrives at the BAFTA Los Angeles Britannia Awards in Beverly Hills in 2014. Duvall, the Oscar-winning actor best known for “The Godfather,“ “Apocalypse Now” and many other tough-guy roles over an acclaimed screen career that spanned six decades, died on Feb. 15, 2026. He was 95.
(Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
39/52FILE – James Van Der Beek attends the premiere of “The Words” in Los Angeles on Sept. 4, 2012. Van Der Beek died Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. He was 48.
(Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
40/52Brad Arnold of the band 3 Doors Down performs during Patriots Fest on Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Aurora, Ill. Arnold, the lead singer of the Grammy-nominated rock band 3 Doors Down, died Saturday, months after he announced that he had been diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney cancer.
(Photo by Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP)
41/52Singer LaMonte McLemore (second from right), a founding member of vocal group The 5th Dimension, whose smooth pop and soul sounds with a touch of psychedelia brought them big hits in the 1960s and ’70s, has died. He was 90.
(WireImage/Mark Sullivan)
42/52Chuck Negron, former lead singer of Three Dog Night, sings to a crowd during a Christmas Eve party, Dec. 24, 1997, at the Union Rescue Mission in Los Angeles.
(AP Photo/John Hayes)
43/52PARSIPPANY, NJ – APRIL 22: Demond Wilson attends the 2016 Chiller Theater Expo at Parsippany Hilton on April 22, 2016 in Parsippany, New Jersey.
(Photo by Bobby Bank/WireImage)
44/52FILE – Catherine O’Hara, a cast member in the Apple+ series “The Studio,” poses for a portrait on Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Los Angeles.
(AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
45/52FILE – Fashion designer Valentino Garavani during a photo-call to present the documentary film “Valentino: The Last Emperor” in Rome, Monday, Nov. 16, 2009.
(AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)
46/52John Forte appears at the Fall 2013 Nanette Lepore Runway Show in New York on Feb. 13, 2013. Forté, the Grammy-nominated musician known for his work with the Fugees and the Refugee Camp All-Stars among others, has died at age 50.
(Photo by Dario Cantatore/Invision/AP, File)
47/52Claudette Colvin sits for a portrait, Feb. 5, 2009 in New York. Colvin, whose 1955 arrest for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated Montgomery bus helped spark the modern civil rights movement, has died. She was 86.
(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File)
48/52FLE – Scott Adams, creator of the comic strip Dilbert, poses for a portrait with the Dilbert character in his studio in Dublin, Calif., Oct. 26, 2006. Adams’ death was announced Tuesday, Jan. 13., 2026.
(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
49/52Former CIA agent Aldrich Ames leaves federal court after pleading guilty to espionage and tax evasion conspiracy charges April 28, 1994, in Alexandria, Va.
(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
50/52Michael Reagan, the son of former President Ronald Reagan, introduces Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich during a campaign stop, Jan. 30, 2012, in Pensacola, Fla.
(AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
51/52Rep. Doug LaMalfa of California speaks during a press conference at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles on Feb. 20, 2025. LaMalfa, a seven-term U.S. representative and a reliable vote on President Donald Trump’s agenda, has died, reducing the GOP’s narrow control of the House. He was 65.
(Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)
52/52FILE – James Burrows, the director and executive producer of, “Mid-Century Modern,” poses at the premiere of the Hulu series on March 25, 2025, at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles.
(AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
FILE – James Burrows, the director and executive producer of, “Mid-Century Modern,” poses at the premiere of the Hulu series on March 25, 2025, at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here
© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
Related News
Who is Telemachus, again? Circe? A guide to the characters of Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’
US-Best-Sellers-Books-PW
How a girl’s TikTok idea led her dad to ‘Shark Tank’
Recommended
Tropical air mass brings thunderstorms, high winds, flooding to DC region
Trump’s plan for a triumphal arch in DC wins early approval from a key federal agency
