Stars we lost in 2018

[IceWizard]

Michael Pickwoad

The Doctor Who production designer died in late August. He had signed on to the British time travel show in 2010 and oversaw the look of the series for 71 episodes in all, while the titular character was portrayed first by Matt Smith and then Peter Capaldi. He was 74.




Neil Simon

Neil Simon, the prolific playwright whose Broadway hits included the newlyweds-in-Manhattan romp Barefoot in the Park, the prototypical bromance The Odd Couple, and the autobiographical Brighton Beach Memoirs, died on Aug. 25 in New York City of complications from pneumonia. He was 91.




John McCain

John McCain, the Republican senator from Arizona who was the GOP presidential nominee in 2008, died Aug. 25 after a battle with brain cancer. He was 81. While he will be remembered as a GOP maverick and war hero who spent more than five years as a prisoner in Vietnam, McCain spoke to EW in 2008 about his love of pop culture and made several appearances on Saturday Night Live.




Robin Leach

Robin Leach, who showcased the “champagne wishes and caviar dreams” of the rich and famous in his decades of journalism for magazines and TV, died Aug. 24 at age 76. Leach was best known as the host of TV’s Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, and also wrote for publications like the New York Daily News, Ladies’ Home Journal, The Star, and PEOPLE.




Ed King

The former guitarist for Lynyrd Skynyrd who co-wrote the band’s iconic hit “Sweet Home Alabama” died Aug. 23. King’s musical career started in the ’60s as the guitarist for Strawberry Alarm Clock, a psychedelic rock band he co-founded. He was 68.




Aretha Franklin

The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, died Aug. 16 at her home in Detroit. She was 76. One of the most successful musicians of all time, the “Respect” singer won 18 Grammys and placed 73 titles on Billboard’s Hot 100 during her seven decades in the music industry.




Charlotte Rae

The actress Charlotte Rae, best known for playing the wise and lovable house mother Mrs. Garrett on The Facts of Life, died Aug. 5 at her home in Los Angeles, her representatives confirmed. She was 92. Rae revealed she’d been diagnosed with bone cancer in April 2017.

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Nancy Sinatra Sr.

Nancy Sinatra Sr., the first wife of legendary Rat Pack crooner Frank Sinatra and mother of his three children, died Friday, July 13 at 101. Born Nancy Barbato, she met Frank when they were both teenagers. The pair married in 1939 in Jersey City, New Jersey — Nancy Sr.’s hometown. The couple divorced in 1951, but she chose never to remarry, often speaking publicly of her wish to reconcile with Sinatra.




Harlan Ellison

Harlan Ellison, a prolific and contentious writer most lauded for his ventures into science-fiction and horror, died June 27, at 84. Across an eclectic 60-year career, Ellison delivered quirky and engrossing sci-fi stories such as A Boy and His Dog, set in post-apocalyptic America, and “Repent Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman, about a futuristic world in which time is strictly controlled by the sinister Ticktockman. Ellison’s television work included such iconic series as Star Trek and The Outer Limits.




Joe Jackson

Legendary manager Joe Jackson died after a battle with pancreatic cancer on June 27, at age 89. The Jackson family patriarch and father of 11 groomed his children for musical success in the Jackson 5 before managing the solo careers of his daughters La Toya, Rebbie, and Janet. Jackson first broke into the music business as a singer and guitarist in the 1950s Chicago-based band the Falcons. In recent years, he faced allegations of abuse by his children but claimed in a 2013 interview on CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight he had no regrets as far as how he raised his children.




Richard Harrison

Richard Harrison, known as the “Old Man” of History Channel’s Pawn Stars, died June 25 at age 77. He was featured with son Rick Harrison on the show, which follows the only family-owned pawn shop in Las Vegas. “He lived a very full life and through the History television show ‘Pawn Stars’ touched the lives of people all over, teaching them the value of loving your family, hard work and humor,” Rick wrote on Instagram. A Navy veteran, Harrison lost $1 million in the real estate market and looked to start fresh in Sin City, where he transplanted his family and opened the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in 1988.




Vinnie Paul

Vinnie Paul, the drummer for Pantera, Damageplan, and Hellyeah, died June 23 at the age of 54. Paul started Pantera in 1981 with his younger brother, Dimebag Darrell. The beloved groove-metal band rose to greater fame in the 1990s with four consecutive platinum-selling albums. Paul and Dimebag proceeded to form the group Damageplan, and following the tragic death of his brother, Paul re-emerged with supergroup Hellyeah, which released five albums, most recently 2016’s Undeniable. “Today, the world not only lost a legend, but also a genuine human being who lived to put a smile on the faces of everyone he met. May he be reunited with his brother as we all strive to continue his legacy,” Hellyeah’s record label, Eleven Seven Label Group, said in a statement.




Danny Kirwan

Fleetwood Mac guitarist Danny Kirwan died June 8 in London at age 68. Kirwan joined Fleetwood Mac when he was still a teenager, and was one of the eight band members inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.




Eunice Gayson

The first ever “Bond girl” in the beloved James Bond franchise died June 8 at age 90. Gayson portrayed the sultry Sylvia Trench in both 1962’s Dr. No and 1963’s From Russia With Love. In Dr. No, she helped set up the famous exchange in which 007 introduces himself as “Bond, James Bond.” Gayson also appeared in Revenge of Frankenstein and Melody in the Dark, as well as television shows such as The Avengers, The Saint, and Secret Agent.

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