CHADWICK BOSEMAN, 43Chadwick Boseman, who died in August from colon cancer at just 43, played real-life American heroes Jackie Robinson, James Brown and Thurgood Marshall, but it was his portrayal of King T’Challa in the 2018 blockbuster Black Panther, which sent him into the stratosphere. Black Panther became the first comic book movie to score an Oscar nomination and Boseman became a superhero to children everywhere. Quirky fact: Cosby Show star Phylicia Rashad, who was a mentor of Boseman’s while he was at university, enlisted the help of double Oscar winner Denzel Washington to help pay for the aspiring actor to attend a drama course at Oxford University in the UK.
KOBE BRYANT, 41High school phenomenon, Kobe Bryant walked straight out of class and straight into the NBA, one of the youngest draftees in the league’s history, ultimately becoming a superstar for the Los Angeles Lakers. A generational talent, he went on to become a five-time NBA champion during his 20 years in the league. Bryant died in a helicopter crash on January 26 alongside his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, six family friends and the pilot after the chopper crashed into hills in heavy fog just outside of Los Angeles. Bryant was just 41.Fun fact: Bryant won an Oscar in 2018 for the animated short film, Dear Basketball, which was based off of a poem he had written upon his retirement from the sport.
ZOE CALDWELL, 86The Melbourne-born Caldwell became a beloved stage actor the world over, winning four Tony Awards throughout her career including, most famously, for her performance in Slapstick Tragedy, which ran for just seven performances. Caldwell worked sparingly in film (by choice – she preferred the theatre), but she did appear in Woody Allen’s The Purple Rose of Cairo in 1985 and 2011’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, opposite Tom Hanks.Caldwell died in February at her New York home at age 86 from complications related to Parkinson’s disease.Fun fact: Caldwell was in a touring production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night with a young Barry Humphries who began improvising a character named “Edna” based on the women they would meet in country towns. Humphries’ idea was that Caldwell would play the role. “I read it and I said, ‘No, I wouldn’t be interested in doing that; I wouldn’t know how to make that funny,’” Caldwell said during a 2006 interview. “‘You should do it.’ And he did.”
JOHN LE CARRE, 89Forget the gaudy flashiness of Ian Fleming’s James Bond, John Le Carre elevated the spy novel to high art.The British author pointed his pen at the Cold War and his novels The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Honourable Schoolboy have become classics, with many adapted for the screen. He died at 86 from pneumonia.Quirky fact: Le Carre knew what he was writing about. He once worked for Britain’s secret service, MI6, serving in Germany, on the Cold War front line, under the cover of second secretary at the British Embassy.
SEAN CONNERY, 90The Scottish actor defined the role of James Bond, playing 007 in seven films, including Dr No, Diamonds are Forever and Goldfinger. He went on to star in a slew of films such as The Hunt for Red October, Highlander, Robin and Marion while he was simply brilliant as a wily street cop in the 1987 classic, The Untouchables, for which he won an Oscar. Connery died in October from pneumonia and heart failure at the age of 90.Quirky fact: In 1999, at the age of 69, he was voted People magazine’s Sexiest Man of the Century.
ARTHUR DIGNAM, 80The Australian actor had a long and acclaimed career but more recently became known to younger audiences for his performances on film in Baz Luhrmann’s Australia (as Father Benedict, opposite Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman) and in Moulin Rouge (where he played the father of Ewan McGregor’s Christian). He also starred in Fred Schepisi’s 1976 classic, Devil’s Playground, The Duellists, and We of the Never, Never. Dignam switched seamlessly between theatre and film, and his on stage roles as Pontius Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar and as the Narrator in The Rocky Horror Show were particularly memorable for Australian audiences.Dignam, who grew up on Lord Howe Island, died in May from a heart attack. He was 80.Quirky fact: Dignam owned a flat in Sydney’s Glebe, which was later taken from him by the ATO due to unpaid taxes. He always claimed complete ignorance over financial issues.
KIRK DOUGLAS, 103The Hollywood legend – and father of Oscar-winner, Michael – died of unspecified causes in February at his Los Angeles home at the grand old age of 103. With more than 92 acting credits to his name, Douglas starred in Hollywood classics, Spartacus, The Bad and the Beautiful, Out of the Past and Paths of Glory. Quirky fact: The son of Belarusian immigrants, Douglas was born Issur Danielovitch Demsky. He changed his name to Kirk Douglas when he enlisted in the US Navy during World War II.
MICHAEL FALZON, 48The Queenslander, who died in June of cancer, became a household name after starring in the Australian production of We Will Rock You.The 48-year-old appeared in a number of Australian and international musical theatre productions, including The Pirates of Penzance and HMS Pinafore with Opera Queensland in his early career, as well as War of the Worlds, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar and Rock of Ages.Quirky fact: Ben Elton and Queen personally picked Falzon to star in the Australian production of We Will Rock You.
MAGGIE FITZGIBBON, 91The Australian actress, who died at the age of 91 of unspecified causes in June, began performing in pantomimes but won acclaim after her performance in the 1952 Melbourne production of Cole Porter’s Kiss Me Kate. The success of that show took her to London where she carved out an impressive stage career. Later, she turned to television, most notably in the British series, Manhunt, a thriller set in occupied France during World War II. The Melbourne-born star returned to Australia permanently in 1978.Quirky fact: Fitzgibbon was awarded an Order of Australia medal in 2002 for her community work, which included setting up a refuge for boys from broken families on her farm in Wahgunyah, Victoria.
ERIC FREEMAN, 76Eric Freeman, who died at 76 of a heart attack, played 11 Tests for Australia. The talented all-rounder made his international debut in 1968, and during his 11 Tests would go on to score 345 runs and take 34 wickets.During a time when sportsmen and women were more able to juggle different codes, Freeman played AFL during the winter months, and represented Port Adelaide in 116 matches in the SANFL.Quirky fact: Freeman was the first cricketer in history to bring up his maiden Test runs with a six.
RUTH BADER GINSBURG, 87US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died at the age of 87 from complications of pancreatic cancer. Appointed by Bill Clinton – on the advice of Hillary – in 1993, Ginsburg was the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court and a champion of equal rights and gender equality. In her later years, she became a pop culture icon, referred to as “The Notorious RBG.” Quirky fact: Ginsburg became an unlikely fitness guru, working out well into her 80s. Her longtime trainer, Bryant Johnson, penned an illustrated book detailing her fitness regimen.
PETER GREEN, 73Green, who died in his sleep in July, was considered one of the great blues and rock guitarists. Along with Mick Fleetwood, he co-founded Fleetwood Mac in 1967, penning many of the band’s early hits including Albatross, Black Magic Woman and Oh Well.Green left the band in 1970 after struggling with mental health issues. He was later diagnosed with schizophrenia.Quirky fact: Despite their staggering success, Fleetwood Mac have only had two number one singles; Dreams and the instrumental Albatross, written by Green.
GEORGE BLAKE, 98British spy George Blake died of old age 98. Blake had been living in Russia since he defected to the former Soviet Union more than a half-century ago after escaping from a British prison, where he had been serving a 42-year prison sentence — a record — for espionage. His work led to the deaths of dozens of Western agents. He once claimed he had exposed 600 of his colleagues during the early days of the Cold War.Quirky fact: He deserted his wife, MI6 secretary Gillian Blake, and their three sons — Anthony, James and Patrick — when he fled to Russia. He also had a son named Mikhail, by an unidentified Russian woman.
HARRY HAINS, 27The Melbourne-born actor had roles on American Horror Story, Sneaky Pete and The OA. He also starred in the 2015 film, The Surface.Hains died in January from accidental fentanyl intoxication (the same pain reliever that killed Michael Jackson). Hains’ mother, actress Jane Badler, announced her son’s death saying the 27-year-old “had the world at his feet, but sadly he struggled with mental illness and addiction”.Quirky fact: Hains identified as gender fluid, telling the magazine Boys By Girls that he didn’t think he represented “what it means to be a man.”“I believe we should be whatever we want,” he said. “It gets kind of confusing when we start labelling ourselves so I try to stay away from labels.”
TONY BILSON, 76The celebrated chef was often referred to as the “godfather of Australian cuisine”. Obsessed with French cooking as a child, he brought international flavours to the nation but also made them resolutely Australian. Indeed, Bilson’s food is considered the harbinger of modern Australian cuisine.Bilson’s career began on Melbourne’s Lygon Street before moving to Sydney where he would establish the wildly popular Bon Gout restaurant, followed by the famed Sydney restaurant-bar Kinselas and, later, the harbourside Bilsons eatery.Bilson died in January at the age of 76 after a long illness.Quirky fact: Bilson was known as a supremely generous man. He once handed all of the recipes he’d cultivated throughout his life over to a food charity.
OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND, 104De Havilland was the last link to Hollywood’s Golden Age. Best known for playing Melanie Wilkes in Gone with the Wind, she also shared a formidable on screen partnership with Errol Flynn, appearing in eight films – including the classic Robin Hood – with the Australian star. She was nominated for an Oscar five times, winning for The Heiress and To Each His Own. De Havilland left the US for Paris in 1955 and died there in July from natural causes at the age of 104.Quirky fact: In 2018, de Havilland sued the production company of American TV mogul Ryan Murphy over Catherine Zeta Jones’ portrayal of her in the TV series, Feud, which detailed the bitter rivalry between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford.
DEAN JONES, 59The former Australian cricketer died of a stroke in India aged 59. He was there to commentate on the Indian Premier League.He was regarded as one of the finest batsmen of his generation, playing 52 Tests and 164 one-day internationals for Australia.He scored 3,631 runs in Tests at an average of 46.55 with 11 hundreds and 14 half-centuries and over 6,000 runs in ODIs with seven centuries and 46 fifties.After his retirement, he worked as a coach and commentator, and was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2019.Jones was farewelled at a private funeral in October, which included a lap of the MCG.He is survived by wife Jane and daughters Isabella and Phoebe and son Koby.Quirky fact: In a column for News Corp, Shane Warne recalled how he was like Allan Border in the nets. “I bowled to him a lot in the nets, and it was always on. He was like Allan Border in the nets. With AB it was like a Test match. Some blokes go in, have a hit, have a slog, if they get out, didn’t matter. For Deano it was a battle. He was one of the hardest blokes to bowl to. It was full on, and great practice. It was a proper “you’re not getting me out”. It was such good practice bowling to them in the lead up to a match.”
TERRY JONES, 77The British comedian, who died in January at the age of 77 from complications related to dementia, co-founded the legendary Monty Python comedy group, alongside John Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle, Graham Chapman and Terry Gilliam. Their television sketch show, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, became a phenomenon, while the films, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life and Monty Python’s Life of Brian are comedy classics. Quirky fact: Jones wrote Python’s classic song The Meaning of Life.
JAMES LIPTON, 93The longtime Inside the Actor’s Studio host died in March of bladder cancer at the age of 93. His acclaimed interview series ran for 22 seasons, where he had candid, often humorous, occasionally emotional, conversations with Hollywood’s biggest stars. Lipton was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award in 2007.Quirky fact: He got his start in show business in the 1940s by playing the Lone Ranger’s nephew in a radio series. He took the part to pay for law school but never went back.
JEANNE LITTLE, 82The entertainer, comedienne and TV personality was a bona fide icon of Australian television. Known for her flamboyant outfits and trademark catchphrase “Oh, daaahling”, she became a hugely popular figure after appearing on The Mike Walsh Show, ultimately winning a Gold Logie in 1976. She later became a regular on Midday with Ray Martin and appeared on GMA with Bert Newton. She was also a popular panellist on Beauty and the Beast, alongside Stan Zemanek. Little, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2009, died in November at the age of 82.Quirky fact: She became known internationally after appearing on Michael Parkinson’s chat show in the UK after which the London Evening News said: “What a woman! With her in the house you wouldn’t want a TV.”
JEREMY BULLOCH, 75The Star Wars actor, who played the character of Boba Fett died following health complications, including Parkinson’s. He first appeared as Mandalorian bounty hunter in Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back. He spent his final days in hospital where he and his wife Maureen had lived together for more than 50 years. Star Wars co-star Mark Hamill said he was “the quintessential English gentleman”.Quirky fact: Bulloch had appeared in more than 100 projects at the time of his death, with roles in James Bond films The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only and Octopussy.
LADY SHIRLEY LOWY, 86The wife of billionaire Westfield tycoon Sir Frank never took an official role in the family business but “provided a secure base on which it was built”, her family said in a statement upon her death in December. .She was a tireless charity worker, setting up the Chai Foundation, which helped Jewish families who were struggling. In Israel, she set up houses for children from troubled families, taking an interest in them and remembering their birthdays, according to family sources.Lady Shirley died in Israel, where she and her husband had moved in 2017 at the age of 86 after a long illnessQuirky fact: She personally funded full 13-year scholarships for students at Moriah College, a private school in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, where she sought to help “ordinary” students rather than “gifted” kids.
VERA LYNN, 103The singer became a national treasure in the UK during World War II when she united war-torn Britain with the songs The White Cliffs of Dover and We’ll Meet Again. She died in June of natural causes at the age of 103.Quirky fact: In an address to Britain in April, the Queen referred to We’ll Meet Again in reference to the COVID-19 pandemic, urging the country to stick together.
DIEGO MARADONA, 60Considered one of the greatest soccer players of all time, the Argentinian led his country to World Cup glory in 1986. He also struggled with substance abuse issues throughout his life. Just days after undergoing brain surgery, the soccer legend died in November at the age of 60 after suffering a heart attack.Quirky fact: English soccer fans will never get over the “Hand of God” incident in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinals when Maradona scored a goal that looked to come off his hand, not his head. The star later called it “divine intervention”.
ALAN PARKER, 76The 76-year-old British director, who died in July after a lengthy unspecified illness, was nominated for Oscars for Mississippi Burning and Midnight Express while his diverse screen credits included Bugsy Malone, Fame, The Commitments, Evita, and Pink Floyd: The Wall.Quirky fact: Madonna sent Parker a four-page letter describing why she should play Eva Peron in Evita. He cast her but only if she understood the film was not a “glorified Madonna video”. Madonna won a Golden Globe for her performance.
KELLY PRESTON, 57The actress, who was married to John Travolta, starred in films such as Jerry Maguire, For the Love of the Game and Twins. Preston met Travolta on the set of The Experts and the two would go on to star in several films together including Battlefield Earth, Old Dogs and Gotti. They had three children (son Jett died in 2009 after a seizure). Preston died of breast cancer in July at the age of 57.Quirky Fact: Travolta didn’t know Preston had filmed a sex scene with Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire, until he watched a screening of the hit movie. “That was awkward,” he told TV host, James Corden.
CHARLEY PRIDE, 86 Charley Pride was country music’s first Black superstar in a genre where most of the biggest names are white. He sold millions of records, and had a slew of hits including Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’ and Is Anybody Going to San Antone and was also the first Black country music artist to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Pride, who died at 86 of complications from COVID-19, had 30 number one hits on the country music charts in the US and won numerous awards including three Grammys. At his peak in the mid-1970s, he was RCA Records’ highest-selling artist since Elvis Presley.Quirky fact: Before his music career took off, he played minor league baseball in the US, getting a game for the New York Yankees’ second-string team. He always loved the sport, becoming an owner of the Texas Rangers in 2010.
DAVID PROWSE, 85A champion bodybuilder and weightlifter, the British actor made his name as one of cinema’s most towering villains, Darth Vader (James Earl Jones provided the voice) in Star Wars and the Empire Strikes Back. The actor died in November of an unspecified illness at 85. Quirky fact: George Lucas offered Prowse the choice of two roles – Chewbacca or Vader. He chose Vader because people “always remember the bad guys”.
ALEX “CHUMPY” PULLIN, 32 Pullin, nicknamed “Chumpy”, was a two-time world champion snowboarder who also representing Australia at three Winter Olympics (he was the nation’s flag-bearer at Sochi in 2014).Pullin, who grew up in Mansfield in Victoria, first learned to snowboard at the age of eight. The 32-year-old, who has said his nickname came from his parents and stuck, died in July after drowning while spearfishing – another of his passions – on the Gold Coast.Quirky fact: When his schedule permitted, Pullin played in a reggae band.
HELEN REDDY, 78The Australian singer’s feminist anthem I Am Woman turned her into a global superstar, winning her a Grammy for Best female Pop Vocal Performance in 1973. It was the first number one hit on the Billboard chart by an Australian-born artist and the first Australian-penned song to win a Grammy Award (in her acceptance speech for Best Female Performance, Reddy thanked “God, because She makes everything possible”).Reddy’s other hits included Delta Dawn, Angie Baby, Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress) and Ain’t No Way to Treat a Lady. Reddy died at the age of 78 in September. No cause was given, although she had reportedly suffered from dementia in her later years.Quirky fact: Reddy withdrew from public life in the 90s, in part, because I Am Woman was being taught in American high school history classes. “I thought, ‘I’m a part of history now. And how can I top that?’ It was an easy withdrawal.”
LITTLE RICHARD, 87The rock’n’roll pioneer, whose flamboyant style influenced everyone from the Beatles to Prince and Michael Jackson, died in May from a cancer-related illness at the age of 87. Hits included Long Tall Sally, Tutti Frutti, Slippin & Slidin, and Jenny, Jenny.Quirky fact: His parents named him Ricardo but Richard was written on his birth certificate by mistake.
NAYA RIVERA, 33The Glee star died in a drowning accident after taking a boat out on a California lake with her young son who was later found alone on the drifting vessel. She was just 33. Rivera was best known for playing quick-witted cheerleader Santana Lopez on all six seasons of Glee, where she played a teen struggling with her sexuality. After Glee ended in 2015, Rivera released the single Sorry. She also penned a memoir in 2016.Quirky fact: Rivera’s brother Mychal played professional football in America’s NFL. Her sister, Nickayla is a model.
KENNY ROGERS, 81The country music icon, who died in March of natural causes at the age of 81, is known for massive global hits such as Lady (written by Lionel Richie), Island in the Stream (with Dolly Parton) and The Gambler. He sold more than 100 million albums in his lifetime, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time.Quirky fact: Kenny once let a struggling musician named Don Henley live at his house. Henley left when he formed the Eagles.
JERRY STILLER, 92The actor rose to prominence in the 1960s as part of a comedy duo with wife, Anne Meara. He had a late career resurgence in the 1990s, starring in Seinfeld and The King of Queens. Stiller, who was the father of actor-director, Ben, died of natural causes in June at the age of 92.Quirky fact: Julia Louis Dreyfus, who starred with Stiller on Seinfeld, has said she could rarely get through her scenes with him, he made her laugh so much.
STELLA TENNANT, 50At the height of supermodel mania in the 1990s, we all knew Naomi, Kate and Cindy on a first-name basis. But British model Stella Tennant was always infinitely cooler than the lot of them. From the moment she stepped onto the catwalk with a ring through her septum, her punk rock style and androgynous look quickly became a favourite of designers Karl Lagerfeld, Gianni Versace, Helmut Lang, Marc Jacobs and her close friend, Stella McCartney. Tennant died suddenly in December, just five days after her 50th birthday. She leaves behind her husband of 21 years, photographer David Lasnet (from whom she had recently separated), and four children.Quirky fact: The aristocratic Tennant was the granddaughter of Andrew Cavendish, the 11th Duke of Devonshire and Deborah Mitford, one of the infamous Mitford sisters. Her uncle was the eccentric Colin Tennant, a close friend of Princess Margaret’s, who bought the Caribbean island of Mustique and transformed it into a celebrity playground in the 1960s and 70s, attracting the likes of Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney and Britain’s social elite to its shores.
ALEX TREBEK, 80The longtime host of Jeopardy was a national treasure in the US. He fronted the enduring quiz show for a record 37 years and was an authoritative and warming presence for the millions of Americans who – in an age of streaming – still made the show nightly appointment viewing. Trebek died of pancreatic cancer in November. He was 80.Quirky fact: After his death, Google paid its own special homage to the hostIf you Google Trebek’s name, the search engine responds with “Did you mean: WHO IS Alex Trebek?”
SHANE TUCK, 38The son of Hawthorn legend and seven-time premiership player, Michael, Shane Tuck forged his own path in the AFL, becoming much-loved among his Richmond teammates and supporters alike.The gritty midfielder played 178 games for the Tigers and never shirked a contest. Tuck lost a lifelong battle with depression in July when he took his own life.Quirky fact: Tuck’s mum, Fay, is the sister of Geelong legend, Gary Ablett Sr.
EDDIE VAN HALEN, 65Considered one of the most influential guitarists in rock music, the Dutch-born star founded iconic rock band Van Halen with brother, Alex, singer, David Lee Roth, and bassist, Mark Stone in Los Angeles in 1972. The band were massive in the 1980s with hits such as Jump, Panama and Why Can’t This Be Love? (with Sammy Hagar, who replaced Roth for a time as singer). Van Halen died in October after a battle with throat and lung cancer. He was 65.Quirky fact: When Michael Jackson asked Van Halen to play guitar on the song, Beat It, he didn’t tell his Van Halen bandmates (they had a rule not to work outside the band) but he thought it would be OK because “no one would hear it”.
DAME BARBARA WINDSOR, 83The legendary British actress was best known for her roles in the enduring soap staple Eastenders (where she played gruff pub maven Peggy Mitchell), and the raunchy Carry On films alongside Sid James. Windsor, who was made a Dame in 2016 for her services to charity and entertainment, was considered a national treasure in the UK and the royal family, Elton John and Prime Minister Boris Johnson were among those who paid tribute to her after her death from Alzheimer’s disease in December at the age of 83.Quirky fact: The actress stood a diminutive 4ft 10 inches (146cm).
Powered by WPeMatico
