Though these famous figures have died, their legacies live on and continue to inspire and delight us. Join us as we remember celebrities who died in 2017.
Jeanne Moreau (1928–2017)
An acclaimed French actress, Moreau starred in director Francois Truffaut’s “Jules and Jim.”
Keely Smith (1928–2017)
The jazz and pop singer had a popular music and comedy act with then husband Louis Prima.
Rose Marie (1923–2017)
The actress starred as Sally Rogers on “The Dick Van Dyke Show.”
Dick Enberg (1935–2017)
The legendary sportscaster was known for his signature call “Oh, my!”
Heather Menzies-Urich (1949–2017)
The actress starred as Louisa von Trapp in “The Sound of Music” and later married actor Robert Urich.
View Heather Menzie-Urich’s obituary
Reggie Ossé aka Combat Jack (1969–2017)
Host of the popular hip-hop podcast “The Combat Jack Show.”
Heather North (1945–2017)
She was the voice of Daphne on the popular cartoon “Scooby-Doo.”
David Cassidy (1950–2017)
Starred on “The Partridge Family” and sang lead vocals on hit songs such as “I Think I Love You.”
Pat DiNizio (1955–2017)
DiNizio was the baritone lead singer and principal songwriter for The Smithereens, a 1960s influenced power pop band from New Jersey.
Kevin Robinson (1971–2017)
The BMX rider won four gold medals at the X Games and set the Guinness World Record for the longest power assisted bicycle backflip.
View Kevin Robinson’s obituary
Simeon Booker (1918–2017)
The first full-time African-American reporter at the Washington Post, his brave reporting shed light on the civil rights movement.
Jim Nabors (1930–2017)
Nabors starred as naive, lovable Gomer Pyle on “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.” and “The Andy Griffith Show.”
Rance Howard (1928–2017)
The longtime actor was the father of director Ron Howard and actor Clint Howard.
Della Reese (1931–2017)
Beloved for her role as wise angel Tess on “Touched by an Angel,” Reese first found fame as a singer and toured with Mahalia Jackson.
Mel Tillis (1932–2017)
The country music singer had many classic hits including “Heart Over Mind” and “Good Woman Blues.”
Ann Wedgeworth (1934–2017)
Wedgeworth starred as flirty divorcee Lana Shields on “Three’s Company.”
View Ann Wedgeworth’s obituary
Malcolm Young (1953–2017)
Young was the rhythm guitarist for and founding member of hard rock band AC/DC.
John Hillerman (1932–2017)
The actor was best known for playing the stuffy Higgins opposite Tom Selleck on “Magnum, P.I.”
View John Hillerman’s obituary
Roy Halladay (1977–2017)
An 8-time All Star, he pitched a perfect game during his career with the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies.
Fats Domino (1928–2017)
One of the architects of rock and roll, Domino had hits with “Blueberry Hill” and “Ain’t That a Shame.” He influenced many musicians including Elvis Presley and the Beatles.
Liz Smith (1923–2017)
The legendary gossip columnist was called “The Grand Dame of Dish.”
Paul Weitz (1932–2017)
The NASA astronaut commanded the first flight of the space shuttle Challenger and also piloted the Skylab in the early 1970s.
Robert Guillaume (1927–2017)
Guillaume won two Emmys during a television career that included starring roles on “Soap,” “Benson,” and “Sports Night.” He also provided the voice of Rafiki in Disney’s original animated “The Lion King.”
View Robert Guillaume’s obituary
George Young (1946–2017)
As a member of the Easybeats, he co-wrote international hit “Friday on My Mind.” He also produced the first five albums for his younger brothers Malcolm and Angus Young and their band AC/DC.
Gord Downie (1964–2017)
Downie was the charismatic lead singer for beloved Canadian rock band the Tragically Hip.
John Dunsworth (1946–2017)
The Canadian actor played Jim Lahey on “Trailer Park Boys.”
View John Dunsworth’s obituary
Roy Dotrice (1923–2017)
The veteran British character actor played Leopold Mozart in the film “Amadeus” and also appeared in “Game of Thrones.”
Elizabeth Baur (1947–2017)
Baur played Officer Fran Belding on the popular TV crime drama series “Ironside.”
View Elizabeth Baur’s obituary
Tom Petty (1950–2017)
The beloved rock and roll star will be remembered for timeless songs such as “American Girl” and “Free Fallin.”
Ralphie May (1972–2017)
The comedian was known for his appearances on “Last Comic Standing.”
Donald Malarkey (1921–2017)
Malarkey was the last surviving member of World War II’s “Easy Company” who were portrayed on the HBO series “Band of Brothers.”
View Donald Malarkey’s obituary
Monty Hall (1921–2017)
The legendary host of the classic TV game show “Let’s Make a Deal.”
Hugh Hefner (1926–2017)
The legendary founder of Playboy Magazine.
Anne Jeffreys (1923–2017)
The glamorous actress and singer starred on classic sitcom “Topper” and soap opera “General Hospital.”
Bernie Casey (1939–2017)
NFL player, artist, and actor known for films such as “Revenge of the Nerds” and “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka.”
Jake LaMotta (1922–2017)
The colorful boxing champion was portrayed by Robert De Niro in the movie “Raging Bull.”
Bobby “The Brain” Heenan (1944–2017)
One of the most popular personalities in professional wrestling.
Harry Dean Stanton (1926–2017)
The character actor was known for the cult classic “Repo Men” and starred on HBO’s “Big Love.”
View Harry Dean Stanton’s obituary
Grant Hart (1961–2017)
The co-founder, co-songwriter, drummer and vocalist for the highly influential indie rock band Husker Du.
Frank Vincent (1939–2017)
The tough guy actor starred in “The Sopranos” and “Goodfellas.”
Edith Windsor (1929–2017)
Windsor brought a landmark Supreme Court case that struck down parts of a federal anti-gay marriage law, leading to the legalization of same-sex marriages nationwide
Don Ohlmeyer (1945–2017)
The legendary “Monday Night Football” producer was also President of NBC in the 1990s, leading the network to first place with shows such as “Friends” and “Frasier.”
Don Williams (1939–2017)
The singer was called the “Gentle Giant” of country music.
Walter Becker (1950–2017)
Steely Dan co-founder and guitarist.
Richard Anderson (1926–2017)
The actor played Oscar Goldman on TV’s “Six Million Dollar Man” and “Bionic Woman.”
View Richard Anderson’s obituary
Troy Gentry (1967–2017)
One half of the popular country music duo Montgomery Gentry.
Rollie Massimino (1934–2017)
The college basketball coach led Villanova to a stunning upset over Georgetown in the 1985 NCAA championship game.
View Rollie Massimino’s obituary
Tobe Hooper (1943–2017)
Directed horror movie classic “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”
Jay Thomas (1948–2017)
The actor had popular recurring roles on “Cheers” and “Murphy Brown.”
Jerry Lewis (1926–2017)
The comedian and entertainer was one half of iconic Martin & Lewis comedy duo and hosted the Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon every Labor Day weekend for decades.
Dick Gregory (1932–2017)
The comedian and civil rights activist made many TV appearances and protested against the Vietnam War.
Joseph Bologna (1934–2017)
The actor was known for playing tough guys with a sly sense of humor in such movies as “Blame it on Rio.”
View Joseph Bologna’s obituary
Glen Campbell (1936–2017)
The country music star was called the “Rhinestone Cowboy” after his hit song of the 1970s. His other popular songs include “Southern Nights” and “Wichita Lineman.”
Haruo Nakajima (1929–2017)
The Japanese suit actor played Godzilla in the original movie and 11 sequels.
View Haruo Nakajima’s obituary
Don Baylor (1949–2017)
The MLB outfielder was a productive power hitter for the Angels, Yankees and other teams. He later managed the Chicago Cubs and Colorado Rockies.
Darren Daulton (1962–2017)
The baseball catcher was a three-time All-Star with the Philadelphia Phillies and won a World Series with the Florida Marlins.
View Darren Daulton’s obituary
Sam Shepard (1943–2017)
The playwright and actor won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1979 for his play “Buried Child.” He was nominated for a best supporting actor Oscar for playing test pilot Chuck Yeager in 1983’s “The Right Stuff.”
June Foray (1917–2017)
She was the voice of Rocky the Flying Squirrel on “The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show” and Cindy Lou Who in the classic “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”
John Heard (1945–2017)
The actor played the father in the first two “Home Alone” movies.
Chester Bennington (1976–2017)
The charismatic lead singer of the popular rock group Linkin Park.
View Chester Bennington’s obituary
Martin Landau (1928–2017)
The versatile actor won an Academy Award for his supporting role as Bela Lugosi in 1994’s “Ed Wood.”
George Romero (1940–2017)
The father of the zombie horror movie, Romero directed the classics “Night of the Living Dead” and “Dawn of the Dead.”
Prodigy (1974–2017)
One half of legendary hip-hop duo Mobb Deep.
Stephen Furst (1955–2017)
The actor was best known for his role as Flounder in “Animal House.”
John G. Avildsen (1935–2017)
The movie director had hits with “Rocky” and “The Karate Kid.”
View John G. Avildsen’s obituary
Adam West (1928–2017)
West starred as Batman on the 1960s television series that became a camp classic.
Glenne Headly (1955–2017)
The actress had memorable roles in the movies “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” and “Dick Tracy.”
View Glenne Headley’s obituary
Roger Smith (1932–2017)
The actor starred as a hip private detective on popular TV series “77 Sunset Strip.”
Peter Sallis (1921–2017)
The British actor was the voice of cheese-obsessed Wallace in the Oscar-winning “Wallace and Gromit” clay animation films.
Jimmy Piersall (1929–2017)
The Boston Red Sox baseball player wrote about his struggle with mental illness in the book “Fear Strikes Out.”
View Jimmy Piersall’s obituary
Elena Verdugo (1925–2017)
The actress was best known for her role as nurse Consuelo Lopez on the TV series “Marcus Welby, M.D.”
Frank Deford (1938–2017)
A noted sports journalist, Deford worked with Sports Illustrated, NPR, and CNN.
Gregg Allman (1947–2017)
With the Allman Brothers Band, he was one of the architects of Southern Rock.
Jim Bunning (1931–2017)
The Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher went on to become a U.S. congressman.
Cortez Kennedy (1968–2017)
The NFL Hall of Fame defensive tackle played his entire career with the Seattle Seahawks.
View Cortez Kennedy’s obituary
Roger Moore (1927–2017)
The actor played super spy James Bond in seven films including “The Spy Who Loved Me.”
Nicky Hayden (1981–2017)
The professional motorcycle racer won the MotoGP championship in 2006.
Chris Cornell (1964–2017)
As the lead singer for Soundgarden and Audioslave, Cornell was one of the architects of the 1990s grunge rock movement.
Powers Boothe (1948–2017)
The actor excelled in playing evil characters, including his role on the hit TV show “Deadwood.”
Michael Parks (1940–2017)
A prolific character actor, Parks had memorable roles in movies by Quentin Tarantino and Kevin Smith, as well as on the TV show “Twin Peaks.”
Jonathan Demme (1944–2017)
The director was best known for his Oscar-winning films “The Silence of the Lambs” and “Philadelphia.”
View Jonathan Demme’s obituary
Erin Moran (1960–2017)
The actress was best known for playing Joanie Cunningham on TV sitcom “Happy Days” and spin-off “Joanie Loves Chachi.”
Charlie Murphy (1959–2017)
Known for his work on “Chappelle’s Show,” the comedian and writer was the older brother of Eddie Murphy.
View Charlie Murphy’s obituary
John Geils Jr. (1946–2017)
The guitarist founded the J. Geils Band, known for hits “Love Stinks,” “Freeze Frame,” and “Centerfold.”
View John Geils Jr.’s obituary
Don Rickles (1926–2017)
The legendary comedian was the king of the insult comics.
Chuck Barris (1929–2017)
The zany creator of “The Gong Show” and “The Dating Game.”
Jimmy Breslin (1928–2017)
The New York City columnist wrote about the criminals and the regular people of the Big Apple.
Chuck Berry (1926–2017)
The pioneer of rock and roll was a major influence on musicians including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen.
Amy Krouse Rosenthal (1965–2017)
The bestselling children’s author wrote a moving essay about her romantic hopes for her husband following her death from ovarian cancer.
View Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s obituary
Joni Sledge (1956–2017)
Her family’s singing group Sister Sledge had a hit with disco anthem “We Are Family.”
Bill Paxton (1955–2017)
The versatile actor appeared in many movies including “Titanic” and “Twister” and starred on the HBO series “Big Love.”
Joseph Wapner (1919–2017)
Judge Wapner presided over the birth of the courtroom-reality TV genre, “The People’s Court.”
Alan Colmes (1950–2017)
The liberal voice on popular Fox News political debate show “Hannity & Colmes.”
Brenda Buttner (1961–2017)
Buttner was the host of the Fox News financial show “Bulls & Bears.”
View Brenda Buttner’s obituary
Larry Coryell (1943–2017)
The jazz guitarist was known as the “Godfather of Fusion.”
George “The Animal” Steele (1937–2017)
The Hall of Fame wrestler was known for his eccentric look and wild antics.
Al Jarreau (1940–2017)
The jazz singer won seven Grammy Awards during his illustrious career.
Richard Hatch (1945–2017)
An actor best known for his role as Captain Apollo on the original “Battlestar Galactica” TV show, Hatch also wrote novels and comic books based on the series.
“Professor” Irwin Corey (1914–2017)
The classic offbeat comedian billed himself as the “World’s Foremost Authority.”
John Hurt (1940–2017)
The British actor was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance as John Merrick in “The Elephant Man.”
Barbara Hale (1922–2017)
The actress played secretary Della Street on classic TV series “Perry Mason.”
Mary Tyler Moore (1936–2017)
The actress starred on two of the greatest TV sitcoms of all time. She played wife and mom Laura Petrie on “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and modern single woman on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”
View Mary Tyler Moore’s obituary
Butch Trucks (1947–2017)
The drummer was one of the original founders of the Allman Brothers Band.
Yordano Ventura (1991–2017)
The young, hard-throwing Kansas City Royals pitcher had 38 career wins for the team.
View Yordano Ventura’s obituary
Miguel Ferrer (1955–2017)
Actor known for starring on “NCIS: Los Angeles” as Owen Granger and for his turn as FBI Agent Albert Rosenfield on “Twin Peaks.” Ferrer was the son of singer Rosemary Clooney and actor Jose Ferrer, and first cousin of actor George Clooney.
Roberta Peters (1930–2017)
The singer was a 35-year veteran of New York City’s Metropolitan Opera and was a popular television guest who appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show” more than 60 times.
Eugene Cernan (1934–2017)
As commander of Apollo 17 in December 1972, the NASA astronaut spent three days on the moon’s surface. No one has walked on the moon since.
Tommy Allsup (1931–2017)
In 1959 the guitarist lost a coin flip to Ritchie Valens for a seat on an airplane. The plane crashed killing Valens, Buddy Holly, and the Big Bopper. Allsup went on to play with Willie Nelson and Roy Orbison.
William Peter Blatty (1928–2017)
The screenwriter terrified moviegoers with 1971 film “The Exorcist.”
View William Peter Blatty’s obituary
Francine York (1938–2017)
During a long Hollywood career, the actress had memorable guest roles on “Batman” and “The King of Queens.”
Karin Dor (1938–2017)
The German actress starred as a sexy would-be assassin in the James Bond film “You Only Live Twice.”
Richard Gordon (1929–2017)
The NASA astronaut flew around the moon during the Apollo 12 mission.
View Richard Gordon’s obituary
