Celebrities who died in 2024

John Amos delivered legendary performances on TV and in movies for over five decades.

After starting his acting career playing weatherman Gordon “Gordy” Howard on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” his career took off with memorable roles like James Evans Sr. on “Good Times” and Kunta Kinte in the landmark miniseries “Roots,” the latter of which earned him an Emmy nomination.

He also appeared in films like “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song,” “The Beastmaster,” and “Die Hard 2,” and even made a surprise cameo opposite Adam Sandler in “Uncut Gems.”

But his most memorable performance was as Cleo McDowell in Eddie Murphy’s beloved comedy “Coming to America.”

Amos ” and “The Great White Hope,” for which he was Oscar-nominated.

The actor overcame a childhood stutter to become a star of the stage and screen, working for more than 60 years in Hollywood and on Broadway.

Jones is also a rare EGOT winner. He won an Emmy, Grammy, honorary Oscar, and Tony.

Keith became prominent in the 1990s thanks to his hit single “Should’ve Been a Cowboy.”

It would make him one of the decade’s top draws in country music.

Keith released 19 studio albums, two Christmas albums, and dozens of songs that topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in his career.

Keith died on February 5 following a bout with stomach cancer.

A multitalented performer, Kristofferson was a country music superstar known for hits like “Me and Bobby McGee” and “For the Good Times” before he became an A-list Hollywood actor with roles in “A Star is Born” and “Blade.”

The former US Army pilot had a larger-than-life personality and credited fellow songwriter Johnny Cash with encouraging him to pursue a musical career, the Associated Press reported.

On September 28, the singer-songwriter, age 88, died peacefully in his home on Maui, Hawaii, surrounded by family, his spokesperson confirmed to AP. No cause was given.

Thanks to his unique voice and lyrical prowess, Rich Homie Quan gained fame in the early 2000s in the Atlanta rap scene.

A member of Cash Money Records’ spin-off Rich Gang, Quan, whose real name is Dequantes Devontay Lamar, found success with hit tracks like “Type of Way” and “Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh).”

Lamar died on September 5. No cause was given.

As one of the founding members of The Grateful Dead, Lesh was instrumental in defining rock music for a generation.

As the group’s bassist, Lesh brought a steady rhythm to the band’s iconic songs. He also sang a few of their classics, including “Pride of Cucamonga,” “Unbroken Chain,” and “Box of Rain.”

When The Dead disbanded in 1995, he went on to jam with bands Phil Lesh and Friends and Furthur alongside Dead bandmate Bob Weir.

Lesh died on October 25. No cause was given.

Alongside James Cameron, producer Jon Landau was behind some of the most successful movies ever made.

Landau won the Best Picture Oscar with Cameron for 1997’s “Titanic,” which at the time was the highest-grossing movie ever.

He then broke the box office record again with Cameron’s “Avatar” in 2009.

Landau also produced Steven Soderbergh’s 2002 remake of “Solaris,” Robert Rodriguez’s 2019 “Alita: Battle Angel,” and Cameron’s upcoming “Avatar” sequels.

He died on July 5 of cancer.

In an era in the 1970s where stand-up comedy could be a path to superstardom, Richard Lewis was one of the biggest acts.

Often dressed in black and holding his hand up to his temple, his self-deprecating and neurotic style made him a constant visitor to Johnny Carson’s “The Tonight Show.”

By the 1980s, he hit it big on TV, starring opposite Jamie Lee Curtis on the series “Anything but Love,” which ran for four seasons.

His movie credits include the Mel Brooks comedy “Robin Hood: Men in Tights,” “Leaving Las Vegas,” and John Candy’s final role before his death, 1994’s “Wagons East.” Lewis has said Candy’s death was one of the things that finally got him sober.

Lewis introduced himself to a new generation when Larry David’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” premiered on HBO in 2000. For 11 seasons, Lewis played a fictional version of himself as one of David’s friends. Though he didn’t return as a series regular for the series’ final season, season 12, he popped up in a cameo in an episode that aired on February 18.

Back in April, Lewis revealed via a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and would be retiring from stand-up comedy after undergoing four surgeries.

Lewis died on February 27 of a heart attack in his Los Angeles home.

Regarded as one of the greatest baseball players who ever lived, Willie Mays was astounding to watch.

He could hit and catch, had speed, and pulled off amazing feats that are still remarkable to this day.

One of his most memorable plays happened in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series, which is simply known as “The Catch.”

Mays’ New York Giants were facing the Cleveland Indians at the Polo Grounds in New York. With the score tied 2-2 in the eighth inning and runners on base, Indians player Vic Wertz hit a towering 420-foot blast to dead center that in today’s baseball would be deep in the seats for a homerun. But due to the Polo Grounds’ massive outfield, it was in play, and Mays used practically all of it to track down the ball on the run with an incredible over-the-shoulder catch and then threw it into the infield quickly so no runner could score. The Giants went on to win the game in extra innings 5-2, and would go on to win the World Series. Many still regard Mays’ catch as one of the greatest moments in baseball history.

Mays would go on to play 21 seasons with the Giants before being traded to the New York Mets for the 1972-73 season, which would be his last. He finished his career with 3,293 hits and 660 home runs.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979.

Mays died on June 18, no cause was given.

A 1980s icon, Morgan found instant stardom in her film debut playing the stunning Lacey opposite Chevy Chase in the classic 1980 comedy “Caddyshack.”

Two years later, she found herself in another iconic work, Disney’s “Tron.” As Dr. Lora Baines in the real world and Yori, who helps Jeff Bridges after he’s sucked into the game world, Morgan once again showed she can shine opposite Hollywood’s biggest leading men.

Though Morgan worked steadily the rest of her career, including a multi-episode run on the soap opera “Falcon Crest,” she’ll be forever known for her performances in two of the biggest movies of the ’80s.

Morgan’s death was first reported on January 6, though she died on December 30, 2023. No cause of death was given.

Mull could expertly play self-deprecating or the know-it-all jerk in everything from hit TV shows and movies to commercials. He was known for his roles in movies like “Clue” and “Mr. Mom,” and in TV shows like “Rosanne,” as boss Leon Carp, and “Arrested Development,” as private detective Gene Parmesan. He was also the voice of Red Roof Inn commercials for many years.

Mull died on June 27. No cause was given.

Over his 18 seasons in the NBA, Dikembe Mutombo was known by many as one of the greatest defensive big men to ever play the sport.

Nicknamed “Mount Mutombo,” the 7-foot-2-inch center entered the NBA as the fourth pick in the 1991 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets after an impressive college career at Georgetown. He would go on to lead the NBA in blocked shots three times over his career and was named to eight All-Star teams. By the time he retired in 2009, after playing for six teams and making two NBA Finals appearances, he was second on the list of all-time career leaders in blocked shots.

Outside basketball, Mutombo was also known for his humanitarian work. His work with his foundation improving the living conditions in his native Democratic Republic of Congo made him one of the first global ambassadors of the NBA.

Mutombo died on September 30 following a bout with brain cancer.

Bob Newhart is regarded as one of the funniest men of the 20th century.

With his comedy albums and iconic TV shows like “The Bob Newhart Show” and “Newhart,” the comic entertained audiences for generations.

The finale of the eight-season run of “Newhart” is regarded as one of the best in TV history. The last scene revealed that the entire series was a dream and that the show existed within the world of Newhart’s other show, “The Bob Newhart Show.”

Later in life, he played the heartwarming Papa Elf in the 2003 movie “Elf.” Newhart scored his only Emmy win in 2013 for his recurring role on CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory.”

Newhart died on July 18 following a series of short illnesses.

The face of “CBS Sunday Morning” for over two decades, Osgood became a fixture in Americans’ homes at the end of every weekend thanks to his wit, calming demeanor, and that bow tie.

Osgood had been at CBS since the early 1970s, first as a reporter, then the anchor of the “CBS Sunday Night News” from 1981 to 1987. From 1987 to 1992, he was often on “CBS This Morning.”

In 1994, he became the face of “Sunday Morning,” replacing Charles Kuralt. He would go on to earn two Daytime Emmys and a Peabody for his work on the show. He ended his run 2016, passing the reins to Jane Pauley.

Osgood died on January 23 after suffering from dementia.

Sporting a baritone voice and a flair for the dramatic, Ken Page forged a legendary Broadway career as he crafted some of the most memorable performances featured on The Great White Way.

After making his Broadway debut playing the Lion in 1975’s “The Wiz,” he went on to play two landmark roles: Ken in the original production of “Ain’t Misbehavin'” (1978) and Old Deuteronomy in the original production of “Cats” (1982).

He also made an indelible mark on the big screen by voicing the villain Oogie Boogie in Tim Burton’s beloved 1993 stop-motion animated movie “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

Page died on September 30. No cause was given.

As one of the members of the boy band One Direction, Payne brought joy and excitement to the band’s millions of fans around the world.

The band, which was formed after singers Payne, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and Niall Horan were made into a group during the 2010 British talent show “The X Factor,” quickly became a sensation.

In 2011, One Direction released their first album, “Up All Night,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts. They released another four albums before going on hiatus in 2016.

In 2019, Payne released his solo album, “LP1.” He released the song “Teardrops” in March.

Payne died on October 16 after falling from a third-floor hotel balcony in Argentina.

Perdomo was a rising star in Hollywood, having starred in Netflix’s reboot “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” and “The Boys” spinoff “Gen V.”

The British-American actor died on March 30 as a result of a motorcycle accident, his publicist confirmed.

Perry, a professional surfer, appeared on screen in 2002’s “Blue Crush” and 2011’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.”

Perry died on June 23 after being attacked by a shark while surfing off the island of Oahu in Hawaii, according to the Associated Press. He was brought to shore by paramedics and pronounced dead at the scene.

Rivera was a Broadway legend who originated some of the stage’s most memorable characters, including Anita in “West Side Story,” Velma Kelly in “Chicago,” and Rose in “Bye Bye Birdie.” She would go on to be nominated for 10 Tony Awards and win twice.

With Broadway credits spanning seven decades, Rivera’s singing and dancing shaped generations of performers.

Rivera died on January 30 following a brief illness.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama’s mother, Marian Robinson, was often described as the matriarch of the White House during the Obama administration, but the Chicago-born daughter of seven never felt quite at home on Pennsylvania Avenue, according to her family.

“The trappings and glamour of the White House were never a great fit for Marian Robinson,” a statement from former President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and other family members said. “‘Just show me how to work the washing machine and I’m good,’ she’d say.”

Robinson’s death was announced on May 31.

A cause and place of death was not revealed.

Pete Rose was one of the most polarizing figures in all of baseball history.

First known as “Charlie Hustle” because he never let up — he even famously crashed into catcher Ray Fosse during an All-Star Game — he also gained the nickname “The Hit King” when he passed Ty Cobb for the most hits in a career with 4,256.

But after he hung up his cleats, he was called other names, like “cheat” and “disgrace,” when he was given a lifetime ban for betting on games while manager of the Cincinnati Reds (Rose finally admitted to the charge in a 2004 autobiography).

Death may finally give Rose something he was never allowed in life: induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He has the credentials: along with hits, he also holds the record for most games played. He made 17 All-Star Game appearances and won an MVP, three batting titles, two Gold Gloves, and three World Series championships with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Rose died on September 30. No cause was given.

For the current generation, Gena Rowlands is known as the older version of Rachel McAdams’ character in the 2004 adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ “The Notebook.”

But her career stretches back decades. From the late 1960s through the 1980s, Rowlands was one of the most respected and acclaimed actresses working in Hollywood. Thanks to the efforts of her husband John Cassavetes, she also became the muse of the burgeoning American independent film scene.

After conquering Broadway, Rowlands quickly found work in Hollywood in the late 1950s. As her star grew, her husband, a renowned actor himself, began making movies financed outside the Hollywood system, which was unheard of at the time. With Rowlands as his star, the two collaborated on 10 movies, two of which led to Oscar nominations for Rowlands (1974’s “A Woman Under the Influence” and 1980’s “Gloria”).

Rowlands’ other standout titles include Woody Allen’s “Another Woman” (1988), Jim Jarmusch’s “Night on Earth” (1991), and her son Nick Cassavetes’ “The Notebook” (2004).

Rowlands died on August 14 following a battle with Alzheimer’s.

Richard Simmons would use his drive for weight loss to become one of the most recognizable fitness gurus in the world.

Overweight in his youth, Simmons began opening gyms around Los Angeles in the 1970s after losing 123 pounds. Simmons found fame in the 1980s for his energetic aerobic videos like “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” and his Emmy-winning daytime show, “The Richard Simmons Show,” which captured the nation’s obsession with weight-loss programs.

For the rest of his life, Simmons’ celebrity would only grow thanks to his flamboyant personality, which made him a fixture on game shows and late-night talk shows.

Simmons died on July 13. No cause was given.

O.J. Simpson had a life of high highs and low lows.

Finding fame initially on the football field, he became one of the greatest running backs ever to play in the NFL in the 1970s. He had an MVP season in 1973 when he set a single-season rushing record and was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1985 after his retirement.

He was set to live out his days as a hero and grow even more famous thanks to endorsements, movie roles, and broadcasting.

But all of that changed in June of 1994 after his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman were found stabbed to death outside her condo. Days later, Simpson, who was a person of interest in the murders, led Los Angeles police on a slow-speed chase in his Ford Bronco, finally giving up when he got back to his home.

Simpson’s televised trial for the deaths of Nicole and Goldman a year later became one of the biggest spectacles in modern-day American history.

Simpson was acquitted of the murders, was found guilty in civil court in 1997.

The story of Simpson’s incredible rise and fall still fascinates people to this day. The 2016 ESPN docuseries “O.J.: Made in America” won an Oscar and Emmy, and Ryan Murphy’s 2016 scripted series “The People vs. O.J.: American Crime Story” won eight Emmy Awards and two Golden Globes.

Simpson died on April 10. He had been diagnosed with cancer, his family said.

Dame Maggie Smith was a two-time Oscar winner and one of Britain’s most acclaimed actors. Over her seven-decade career, she played every type of role on the stage and screen.

She’ll perhaps be best known for her work later in life, especially her roles as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the “Harry Potter” franchise and Violet Crawley on “Downton Abbey.”

Smith won an Oscar for best actress for 1969’s “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” and a best supporting actress Oscar for 1978’s “California Suite.”

She also won five BAFTAs, four Emmys, three Golden Globes, and a Tony over her career.

Smith died on September 27. No cause was given.

Soul found instant fame in the mid-1970s playing Detective Kenneth “Hutch” Hutchinson, one half of the hip crime solvers in “Starsky & Hutch.”

Before hitting it big on the show, Soul was a folk singer through the 1960s, opening for the likes of Frank Zappa and The Byrds. At one time he even sang while his face was covered with a mask, calling himself “The Covered Man.”

After “Starsky & Hutch,” Soul went back to music and scored the No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Don’t Give Up on Us.”

Soul also made appearances on shows like “Star Trek,” “Gunsmoke,” the Clint Eastwood movie “Magnum Force,” and a miniseries adaptation of the Stephen King novel, “Salem’s Lot.”

Soul died on January 4. No cause of death was given.

In 2004, an unknown documentary filmmaker arrived in Park City, Utah, for the Sundance Film Festival. Overnight, his life was changed — because he made a movie about eating McDonald’s.

If there’s one thing Morgan Spurlock knew how to do, it was get people’s attention. With a big personality and an unusual idea, Spurlock changed the way we look at fast food when he made “Super Size Me,” a documentary in which he ate nothing but McDonald’s for a full month, to stomach-churning effect.

The documentary earned an Oscar nomination and became a box-office sensation. Weeks after its release in theaters, McDonald’s discontinued its supersize portions.

Spurlock used that success to become one of the stars in the documentary medium, which was growing in popularity in the early 2000s. He would go on to direct and produce dozens of documentaries for the big screen and TV, focused on everything from Osama bin Laden to One Direction.

His legacy would be tarnished in late 2017, at the height of the #MeToo movement, when Spurlock confessed to multiple acts of sexual misconduct in his past.

Spurlock died on May 23 due to complications related to cancer.

Donald Sutherland had the incredible talent to be the life of the party in one performance or a wallflower in the next. Need a dark and disturbing presence for a role? He’s your guy. Or he could do a wise-cracking know-it-all character.

What we’re trying to say is whatever the role, Sutherland could pull it off. And he did it so well that he delivered some of the most memorable roles ever put on screen over the last six decades.

Playing a Nazi-killing grunt in “The Dirty Dozen” (1967), creating one of the greatest screen duos ever opposite Elliott Gould in “M*A*S*H” (1970), acting as a laid-back professor in “Animal House” (1978), delivering one of the best surprise endings ever in a remake of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1978) — he could do it all. He was both the man who knew the truth behind the Kennedy assassination in “JFK” (1991) and the villain in the “Hunger Games” franchise (2013-2015).

He was a fixture in our lives over generations.

Sutherland died on June 20 in Miami following a “long illness.”

Towne is regarded as one of the greatest screenwriters who ever lived thanks to his contributions during the New Hollywood era of the 1970s.

Known best for penning the acclaimed script for Roman Polanski’s 1974 classic noir “Chinatown,” which earned Towne his only Oscar win, he was also Oscar-nominated for “The Last Detail” (1973), “Shampoo” (1975), and “Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes” (1984). For the latter, Towne famously removed his name from the credits and replaced it with the nom de plume P.H. Vazak, which was later revealed to be the name of his sheepdog.

Towne’s other credits include Tom Cruise movies like “Days of Thunder” (1990), “The Firm” (1993), and the first two “Mission: Impossible” movies from 1996 and 2000.

He also was a prolific script doctor, an uncredited but paid position in which the screenwriter helps punch up a movie. Classics like “Bonnie and Clyde,” “The Godfather,” and “Marathon Man” all received tweaks from Towne.

Towne died on July 1. No cause of death was given.

Wactor was best known for his role as Brando Corbin on the soap “General Hospital.” He appeared in more than 160 episodes during his two seasons on the series before leaving in 2022.

His résumé included guest roles on “Westworld,” “The OA,” “Station 19,” “Siberia,” “Agent X,” “Vantastic,” “Animal Kingdom,” “Hollywood Girl,” “Training Day,” “Criminal Minds,” “Struggling Servers,” “Age Appropriate,” “NCIS,” “The Passenger” and “Barbee Rehab.”

He also starred in the 2016 Mario Van Peebles-directed movie “USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage” alongside Nicolas Cage, Tom Sizemore, and Thomas Jane.

His family confirmed that Wactor was shot and killed on May 25 in Los Angeles during a robbery.

You may not know the name, but you definitely know this face.

Character actor M. Emmet Walsh showed up in more than 150 movies over his career, many of which have gone on to become classics: “Blade Runner,” “Blood Simple,” “Slap Shot,” “Fletch,” “The Jerk,” “Back to School,” “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” and “Knives Out.”

He also has appeared in many popular TV shows over the decades, including “Home Improvement,” “The X-Files,” and “Frasier.”

Walsh died on March 19. No cause was given.

Thanks to his bravado and astounding physique, Weathers found fame when he was cast as heavyweight champion Apollo Creed in 1976’s “Rocky.”

The following years and decades brought more memorable roles, whether he was sizing up biceps with Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1987’s “Predator,” or trying to teach Adam Sandler how to play golf in 1996’s “Happy Gilmore.”

Most recently, he played Greef Karga in the “Star Wars” series “The Mandalorian.” Along with appearing in front of the camera, he also showcased his talents behind it, directing multiple episodes.

You can give several examples to show just how great a basketball player Jerry West was. He won an NBA title, an Olympic gold medal, and is the only player on the losing team of an NBA Finals to be named MVP.

But there’s one that overshadows all of these accomplishments: he was the logo.

That’s right. The actual NBA logo is a silhouette of Jerry West dribbling a basketball.

Known for his tenacious play and ability to score in the clutch, West was one of the stars in the NBA before its enormous popularity in the 1970s, when players like Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and later, Michael Jordan, became household names.

After his retirement, West became an executive of the Los Angeles Lakers and was instrumental in the “Showtime” Lakers’ championship dynasty through the 1980s. He made the key signings to get Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant to the Lakers, creating another dynasty in the early 2000s.

West died on June 12. No cause was given.