In Memoriam — The Celebrities We Sadly Lost In 2019

Every year, it seems we lose several iconic stars. Some of these deaths may come as a shock, while others are older celebrities who pass peacefully. Either way, it is still very difficult to take the news that your favorite celebrity has passed away. We lost some greats this year and now we honor their memories. Luckily for fans, their work will live on long after they are gone. Let's take a look at the celebrities we lost in 2019. May they all rest in peace. WWE Legend "Mean" Gene Okerlund Gene Okerlund / IMDb "Mean" Gene Okerlund died at the age of 76 on January 2nd. He was a famous WWE legend and most well-known announcer in pro-wrestling history. It was revealed that he suffered a fall that led to health complications and ultimately his death. Bob Einstein Bob Einstein (L) / Netflix The actor best known for playing Super Dave Osborne died on January 2 at the age of 76. Before his death, he was diagnosed with cancer. RELATED: In Memoriam: People We’ve Lost In 2018 Daryl Dragon Captain and Tennille / Wikimedia Commons Daryl Dragon, best known for his spot as the “Captain” in the singing group Captain and Tennille died in January at the age of 76. He died of renal failure and Tennille was by his side when he passed away. Carol Channing Carol Channing / Wikimedia Commons Broadway legend and actress Carol Channing died on January 15 at the age of 97. She did of natural causes after having two strokes last year. Kaye Ballard Kaye Ballard / Wikimedia Commons She is best known for starring in the '60s show The Mothers-in-Law. She died on January 21st at the age of 93. It was reported that Kaye was fighting kidney cancer. James Ingram James Ingram / Flickr Soul singer and Grammy-award winning artist James Ingram died at the age of 66 in January. He was fighting brain cancer. Read onto the NEXT page to remember more celebrities we lost this year. Kristoff St. John Kristoff St. John / Wikimedia Commons The 52-year-old was known for his role on the soap opera The Young and the Restless. He passed away in February. His official cause of death was hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Peter Tork Peter Tork / Wikimedia Commons The bassist and singer of the band The Monkees died at the age of 77. He was battling a rare tongue cancer for about 10 years. His death was confirmed in February by his sister. Beverley Owen 'The Munsters' / Wikimedia Commons She played Marilyn on The Munsters in the '60s. She died in February at the age of 81. Reportedly, the cause of death was ovarian cancer. Butch Patrick (Eddie Munster) broke the news on social media. Katherine Helmond Katherine Helmond / Wikimedia Commons She was best known for her role as Mona Robinson on Who's the Boss? and Jessica Tate on Soap. She died on February 23, 2019, at the age of 89 due to complications from Alzheimer's disease. Nathaniel Taylor Nathaniel Taylor / Tandem Productions/NBC He played "Rollo" on Sanford and Son. Nathaniel died at the age of 80 on February 27 after suffering from a heart attack. Luke Perry Luke Perry / Flickr Star of Beverly Hills, 90210 and Riverdale, Luke Perry died after suffering from a massive stroke. He died at the age of 52 on March 4, 2019. Read onto the NEXT page to remember more stars that passed away in 2019. Jed Allan Jed Allan / Facebook Another star from Beverly Hills, 90210 passed away in March. Jed was also known for his role in Days of Our Lives. He died at the age of 84, likely due to natural causes. Justin Carter Justin Carter / Facebook Country music singer Justin Carter died at the age of 35 after a gun accidentally fired while filming a music video. Tim Conway Tim Conway / Wikipedia Actor and comedian Tim Conway died at the age of 85. He died on March 14 after being previously diagnosed with dementia. Earl Thomas Conley Earl Thomas Conley / Facebook Country singer Earl Thomas Conley died at 77 on April 10, 2019. It was confirmed that he was battling dementia at his time of death. Bill Isles The O'Jays / Wikimedia Commons Co-founder of the group The O'Jays, Bill Isles, died at the age of 78. Brenda Jackson Brenda Jackson / Instagram NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s mother, Brenda died the day after Easter Sunday at the age of 65. She had been battling cancer. Read onto the NEXT page for more memories. Ken Kercheval Ken Kercheval / CBS Another death around Easter this year was Ken Kercheval from the television series Dallas. He died at the age of 83 from pneumonia. Phil McCormack Phil McCormack / Facebook Singer in the band Molly Hatchet passed away this year at the age of 58. His cause of death is still unknown. Peter Mayhew Peter Mayhew / Twitter Actor Peter Mayhew played Chewbacca in the Star Wars franchise. He died on April 30, 2019, at the age of 74. It was reported that he died of a heart attack. Barbara Perry Barbara Perry / CBS Best known for her role on The Dick Van Dyke Show, Barbara died from natural causes at the age of 97. Jim Fowler Jim Fowler / NBC The host of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom and wildlife expert died at the age of 89. He died from complications of heart disease. Bart Starr Bart Starr / Wikimedia Commons Hall of Fame Green Bay Packers Quarterback died at the age of 85. He was in failing health after a stroke in 2014. Read onto the NEXT page to find out what other stars we lost in 2019. Doris Day Doris Day / Instagram Truly an icon, Doris passed away at the age of 97 in May. She died from a serious case of pneumonia. Leon Redbone Leon Redbone / Wikipedia The singer-songwriter who specialized in vaudeville music died on May 30, 2019, at the age of 69. It has been reported that he was battling dementia when he died. Dr. John Dr. John / Invision/AP/Shutterstock New Orleans music icon Dr. John passed away on June 6, 2019, from a heart attack. He was 77 years old. Mary Duggar Mary Duggar / Instagram The matriarch of the famous Duggar family passed away this year. She died of accidental drowning at the age of 78. Gloria Vanderbilt Anderson Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt / Instagram CNN's Anderson Cooper's mom and famous fashion designer, Gloria Vanderbilt died at age 95. She had stomach cancer. Beth Chapman Dog and Beth Chapman / Instagram Wife of Duane 'Dog' the Bounty Hunter, Beth Chapman, died at the age of 51 after a long battle with cancer. Max Wright Max Wright / NBC Best known for playing the father on ALF, Max died at the age of 75 on June 26th. He had a long battle with lymphoma since the '90s. Read onto the NEXT page to learn about the famous people that passed away in 2019. Lee Iacocca Lee Iacocca / Fox News The "father" of the Ford Mustang and former President of Ford died at the age of 94. He had been battling Parkinson's disease. Arte Johnson Arte Johnson / NBC Best known for creating those funny characters you know and love from Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Arte passed away at 90 years old. He died on July 3rd due to heart failure. He had also been battling bladder and prostate cancer. Ross Perot Ross Perot / Celebs Net Worth Today The self-made billionaire and philanthropist died at the age of 89 after battling leukemia. In addition, he was a two-time independent candidate for U.S. president. Rip Torn Rip Torn / Bobby Bank/WireImage/Getty Images Actor Rip Torn died at the age of 88 years old. He was best known for playing Artie on The Larry Sanders Show. Denise Nickerson Denise Nickerson / Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images Violet in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory died at the age of 62 after suffering from pneumonia and having a seizure. Art Neville Art Neville / Wikimedia Commons One of the members of Neville Brothers, Art Neville died at 81 years old. He died peacefully at home. Read onto the NEXT page for more iconic stars we lost this year. Rutger Hauer Rutger Hauer / UNIMEDIA/REX/Shutterstock Star of Blade Runner and True Blood, Rutger Hauer has died at the age of 75. He passed away after a short illness. Russi Taylor Russi Taylor / COURTESY OF THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY The voice of Minnie Mouse for many years and the voice of Simpsons characters died at the age of 75. Peter Fonda Peter Fonda, Patty McCormack in 1962 / Wikipedia Brother of Jane Fonda, Peter Fonda died at the age of 79 after battling lung cancer. He experienced respiratory failure. Valerie Harper Valerie Harper / Wikimedia Commons Actress Valerie Harper, best known for her role as Rhoda on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda in the '70s. She passed away at 80 after a long battle with cancer. Carol Lynley Carol Lynley / Twitter Star of The Poseidon Adventure, died at the age of 77 after suffering from a heart attack in her home. Eddie Money Eddie Money / Jessica Reilly / Telegraph Herald via AP Singer Eddie Money died at the age of 70 after a battle with stage 4 esophageal cancer. Ric Ocasek Ric Ocasek of The Cars / Michael Tran/FilmMagic Lead singer of The Cars, Ric Ocasek died at the age of 75 after found unconscious in his home. Read onto the NEXT page for other celebrities that passed away this year. Cokie Roberts Cokie Roberts / Wikimedia Commons Journalist Cokie Roberts died at the age of 75 after complications from breast cancer. She was a legend in broadcasting. Suzanne Whang Suzanne Whang on House Hunters / HGTV HGTV House Hunters host Suzanne Whang died at the age of 54 after a long battle with breast cancer. Barron Hilton Barron Hilton in 1987 / AP Photo The founder of the American Football League and president/chief executive officer of Hilton Hotels Corporation, Barron Hilton died at the age of 91. He reportedly died of natural causes. Robert Garrison Robert Garrison / Columbia Pictures Best known for his role as Tommy in The Karate Kid, Robert Garrison died at the age of 59. He had a battle with kidney and liver issues. Diahann Carroll ‘Julia’ / NBC Best known for starring in Julia, Diahann Carroll died at the age of 84 after battling breast cancer. Ginger Baker Ginger Baker / Flickr Drummer and co-founder of the band Cream died on October 6 after being critically ill for months. He was 80 years old. Rip Taylor Rip Taylor / UNIMEDIA/SHUTTERSTOCK The comedian Rip Taylor died at the age of 84. He died from an epileptic seizure. Karen Pendleton Karen Pendleton / Wikimedia Commons One of the original members of The Mickey Mouse Club died at the age of 73 after a heart attack. Francis Currey Francis Currey / The American Legion War hero Francis Currey died on October 8th. He was 94 years old and died of congestive heart failure. He was only one of three living WWII veterans who received the Medal of Honor. Robert Forster Robert Forster / Wikimedia Commons Best known for Jackie Brown, actor Robert Forster died at the age of 78 years after battling brain cancer. Read onto the LAST page for the stars we lost at the end of this year. Bill Macy Bill Macy / Facebook Best known for his role as Walter on Maude, Bill Macy died at the age of 79. John Clarke John Clarke / NBC Star of Days of Our Lives, John Clarke, died at the age of 88. He died due to complications of pneumonia. John Witherspoon John Witherspoon / Twitter Actor John Witherspoon, best known for the comedy Friday, died at the age of 77. Maria Perego Maria and Topo Gigio / Facebook She created the puppet Topo Gigio in the late '50s and appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. She died at the age of 95 years old. Laurel Griggs Laurel Griggs / Instagram Broadway star Laurel Griggs passed away at the tragic age of 13 after an asthma attack. Branko Lustig Producers Branko Lustig, center, David Franzoni, left, and Douglas Wick / Reuters Two-time Oscar-winning producer and Holocaust survivor, Branko Lustig died at the age of 87. Michael J. Pollard Michael J. Pollard / MeTV Star Trek and Andy Griffith Show actor Michael J. Pollard died at the age of 80. He died of cardiac arrest. Shelley Morrison Shelley Morrison / Wikimedia Commons The actress best known for playing Rosario Salazar on Will & Grace died at the age of 83 from heart failure. Caroll Spinney Caroll Spinney / Wikimedia Commons Puppeteer Caroll Spinney was responsible for Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street. He died at the age of 85 after a long battle with dystonia. René Auberjonois René Auberjonois / Wikimedia Commons Actor René Auberjonois has passed away at the age of 79 from metastatic lung cancer. Marie Fredriksson Marie Fredriksson / AP Roxette singer Marie Fredriksson died at the age of 61 after a long battle with cancer. Philip McKeon Philip McKeon / Bobby Bank/Getty Images Child actor, best known for playing Tommy on Alice, died at the age of 55. His sister is actress Nancy McKeon. RIP to all of the stars we lost in 2019.

In Memoriam — The People We Lost In 2019

by Lauren Novak
1 year ago

Ken Kercheval

Phil McCormack

Peter Mayhew

Barbara Perry

Jim Fowler

Bart Starr