Stars we lost in 2018

[IceWizard]

David Ogden Stiers

The actor best known for his role as Maj. Charles Winchester III on M.A.S.H. died March 3 at the age of 75. Stiers earned two Emmy nominations for his role on M.A.S.H. and also had a prolific voice acting career, bringing to life the likes of Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast, Governor Ratcliffe and Wiggins in Pocahontas, Jumba in Lilo & Stitch, and the narrator in M. Night Shyamalan’s Lady in the Water.




Billy Graham

The world-famous evangelist died at the age of 99 on Feb. 28. Known as “America’s pastor,” Graham harnessed the momentum of mass media and modern travel in the 20th century to reach millions with his Southern Baptist message. Radio and television appearances were commonplace for the charismatic preacher, and he embarked on preaching tours across the world throughout his long career.




Emma Chambers

The Notting Hill star died at age 53 on Feb. 24. Chambers was best known for portraying Honey, the younger sister of Hugh Grant’s William Thacker, in Notting Hill. She also had a memorable role on the British comedy The Vicar of Dibley, portraying Alice Tinker from 1994 to 2007.




Ensa Cosby

The daughter of comedian Bill Cosby died at the age of 43 on Feb. 23. She had a brief acting career, appearing in a 1989 episode of her father’s sitcom The Cosby Show as a girl at a party. In recent years, she stood by her father amid mounting allegations of sexual assault.




Nanette Fabray

Star of stage and screen Nanette Fabray died Feb. 22 at age 97. Fabray won a Tony for best leading actress in a musical for 1949’s Love Life. In the 1950s, she won multiple Emmy awards for her work opposite Sid Caesar on Caesar’s Hour. Fabray was perhaps best known to audiences as Grandma Katherine Romano on the original version of Norman Lear’s One Day at a Time.




Barbara Alston

The singer for the ’60s girl group The Crystals died at age 74 on Feb. 16. Alston sang on many Crystals hits, including “Da Doo Ron Ron” and “Then He Kissed Me.” Alston was one of the founding members of the girl group and served as the lead singer




Vic Damone

The legendary crooner died Feb. 11 at age 89. Damone released more than 2,500 records during his seven decades in music, and Frank Sinatra said he had “the best pipes in the business.” Damone topped the charts with hits like “You’re Breaking My Heart,” “My Heart Cries for You,” and “Tzena Tzena Tzena,” as well as Broadway musical numbers like “On the Street Where You Live.”




John Gavin

A midcentury star of films including Psycho and Imitation of Life, John Gavin died Feb. 9 at the age of 86. He was best known for portraying Janet Leigh’s boyfriend in Psycho and starring opposite Lana Turner in Douglas Sirk’s lush remake of melodrama Imitation of Life. Gavin also had memorable roles in films including Spartacus, Midnight Lace, and more. He also served as the President of SAG in the 1970s and as the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico under Ronald Reagan.

More to Come ...

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John Mahoney

The beloved actor, best known for his role as Frasier Crane’s father on sitcom Frasier, died on Feb. 4 at the age of 77 following a brief illness. Mahoney began his acting career in his late thirties, becoming a member of the renowned Chicago Steppenwolf Theatre company. He won a Tony in 1986 for his role in John Guare’s House of Blue Leaves. In addition to his most indelible role on Frasier as curmudgeonly Martin Crane, he made memorable appearances in films including Say Anything, Reality Bites, and The American President.




Mort Walker

Prolific cartoonist Mort Walker as best known for creating lazy private character Beetle Bailey, which he wrote for over four decades. Walker died of natural causes at his home in Connecticut on Jan. 27 at the age of 94. He began publishing comics at the age of 11, and though Beetle Bailey was his most famous creation, he worked on many others including Hi and Lois, Boner’s Ark, and Sam & Silo.




Jack Ketchum

Author Dallas Myer, better known by his pen name Jack Ketchum, died from cancer Jan. 24 at the age of 71. Ketchum was beloved for his horror novels, including 1980’s Off Season, 1989’s The Girl Next Door, and 1995’s Red, the latter two of which were both adapted for the big screen.




Mark E. Smith

Founder and lead singer of The Fall Mark E. Smith died Jan. 23 at the age of 60. Smith formed The Fall in 1976 with fellow original members Martin Bramah, Una Baines, and Tony Friel. But throughout the British post-punk band’s prolific run, which included 32 studio albums, Smith was the only constant.




Dorothy Malone

The Oscar winner for Douglas Sirk melodrama Written on the Wind died on January 19 at the age of 92. Malone was best remembered for her Oscar-winning turn as a man-eating heiress opposite Rock Hudson in Written on the Wind and her more than 400 episodes as Constance Mackenzie on long-running primetime soap Peyton Place. One of the last remaining stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age, Malone also had memorable roles in projects like The Big Sleep, The Tarnished Angels, and Basic Instinct.




Dolores O'Riordan

The Cranberries frontwoman died suddenly at the age of 46 on Jan. 15. The Irish singer-songwriter released five albums with the band after joining as their lead singer in 1990. The band reunited following a break in the mid-2000s. O’Riordan also released two solo albums, most recently 2009’s No Baggage.




Doreen Tracey

One of the original Mousekeeters on the 1950s iteration of Disney’s Mickey Mouse Club, Doreen Tracey died from pneumonia at the age of 74 on Jan. 10. She continued her career as a child star in an Annette Funicello-led spin-off and a Disney Western film with Fess Parker before becoming a publicist in later life. Tracey represented legendary musician/artist Frank Zappa. Despite straining relations with Disney by posing naked in her mouse ears for Gallery magazine in 1976, Tracey maintained a bond with the studio and her fellow Mouseketeers, attending reunions and appearing on television specials.




Eddie Clarke

The Motörhead guitarist died from pneumonia at the age of 67 on Jan. 11. Known to fans as “Fast” Eddie because of his blisteringly fast playing, he was an essential part of the British heavy metal band’s early success. The guitarist co-wrote many of the band’s best-known tracks, including “Ace of Spades.” Clarke left Motörhead following the release of 1982’s Iron Fist and formed the band Fastway. He was the last surviving member of what many deemed the band’s definitive line-up.




Jerry Van Dyke

Beloved for his four-time Emmy-nominated role as Luther Van Dam on the ABC sitcom Coach, Jerry Van Dyke died at the age of 86 on Jan. 5. Brother to song-and-dance-man Dick Van Dyke, Jerry made a career as a comic actor, appearing alongside his brother as Stacey Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show. Most recently, he earned new fans portraying the father of Patricia Heaton’s Frankie on ABC’s The Middle.

**Note:
I am quite sure that I missed some... These are the ones I knew ...