Deaths So Far (and it's just July)

[IceWizard]

APR





Jay North, the titular star of the classic CBS sitcom Dennis the Menace, died April 6 at 73.
North's passing at home in Lake Butler, Fla., after a years-long battle with cancer was
confirmed by his longtime friend Laurie Jacobson, who wrote in a Facebook post, "He had
a heart as big as a mountain, loved his friends deeply. He called us frequently and ended
every conversation with 'I love you with all my heart.' And we loved him with all of ours."
North was cast on the Hank Ketcham comic strip adaptation at only 6 years old. He
played the series star Dennis Mitchell, a good-hearted yet mischievous prankster, for
four seasons, and had a prolific TV acting career through the mid-1970s. He appeared
on series like Wagon Train, The Lucy Show, and Arabian Knights, but largely stepped
away from the industry after the 1974 film The Teacher. He is survived by wife Cindy
and her daughters from a previous marriage.








Clem Burke, drummer for legendary rock band Blondie, died April 6 after a private battle with cancer.
He was 70. Burke joined Blondie in 1975, a year after frontwoman Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein
formed the group in New York City, and has appeared across all of Blondie’s albums — from the landmark
Parallel Lines to comeback No Exit. He has also performed with the likes of Bob Dylan, The Ramones,
Eurythmics, Iggy Pop, Joan Jett, and the Go-Go's, among others. Blondie remembered Burke as
"the heartbeat" of the band, adding that his "talent, energy, and passion for music were unmatched,
and his contributions to our sound and success are immeasurable."









Pope Francis, who oversaw a groundbreaking pontificate as the first Latin American leader of the
Roman Catholic Church, died on April 21 at age 88. He made his final public appearance a day prior,
on Easter Sunday, to bless thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in
Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Dec. 17, 1936, Francis made history upon his 2013 appointment to the
papacy as the first pope from the Americas, the first Jesuit pope, and the first pope since the eighth
century not to be from Europe. As the leader of the Catholic Church for 12 years, Francis was known
to frequently clash with traditionalists due to progressive stances that included speaking out against
climate change and expanding the Church's acceptance of same-sex couples and transgender people.
He forged relationships with several Hollywood stars over his tenure as pope, including Martin Scorsese,
Whoopi Goldberg, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Leonardo DiCaprio, George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and
Angelina Jolie. In 2016, Francis made headlines as the first pope to appear in a feature film, due to a
brief cameo in the Ambi Pictures indie, Beyond the Sun, a faith-based film in which he appeared as
himself. Francis was also the subject of  Pope Francis: A Man of His Word, a 2018 Wim Wenders
documentary based on his life, in addition to 2020's Francesco and 2022's In
Viaggio: The Travels of Pope Francis.






MAY





Charles “Charley” Scalies Jr., the talented actor best known for his roles as Thomas “Horseface” Pakusa
on The Wire and as Tony Soprano’s high school football coach in The Sopranos, died May 1 at 84
following a long battle with Alzheimer's. Scalies was born in 1940 and grew up telling jokes at his
father's pool hall, above which the family lived. After taking a hiatus from acting to raise his own
family, Scalies returned to the stage in the early 1990s and landed his first film role as a driver in
the Al Pacino-headlined 1995 drama, Two Bits. He would go on to star in films such as 12 Monkeys
and Jersey Girl, as well as television series like Homicide: Life on the Street, Law & Order,
Law & Order: SVU, and Cold Case over the next decade.









Brazilian actress Millena Brandão, a child star known for her work on Netflix's Sintonia, died May 2.
She was 11. Her parents, Thays and Luiz Brandão, explained that she had been sick since April 24,
when she came down with a severe headache, pain in her legs, and other symptoms. She was diagnosed
with dengue fever, Thays said, but her condition worsened and she returned to the hospital twice more,
once after fainting at home. She began to have "two to three cardiac arrests per day." Her mom said
it was "13 arrests in total." From there, doctors said her brain was no longer functioning. Brandão's
parents remembered her as "the light in our lives" who had "joy that infected everyone around you."








Morris, an alligator actor with a prolific filmography who wrestled Adam Sandler in a memorable scene
in Happy Gilmore, died on May 11 of natural causes. He was 80-100 years old. Embarking on his big
Hollywood career in 1975, Morris appeared in films like Interview with the Vampire, Dr. Doolittle 2,
and Blues Brothers 2000 before retiring to the Colorado Gator Farm in 2006. The Farm noted in its
announcement of Morris' death, "While we knew this was inevitable, we are very saddened by his
passing to old age." Sandler shared a tribute of his own to social media days later, quipping,
"Goodbye, Morris. We are all gonna miss you. You could be hard on directors, make-up artists,
costumers — really anyone with arms or legs — but I know you did it for the ultimate good of the film."











Terrance Brunk, an American professional wrestler better known by his wrestling moniker Sabu,
died May 11 at 60. Sabu started his wrestling career learning from his uncle, Ed "The Sheik" Farhat.
But he broke out with success of his own in the 1990s, during his time with ECW, where, according
to ESPN, he "combined high-flying antics with ultraviolent matches that featured barbed wire, chairs,
tables and more." Accolades include being named a two-time ECW champion, ECW tag team champion,
and ECW world television champion. Sabu also had stints in New Japan Pro Wrestling, WCW, and TNA,
as well as a brief stint in WWE in the aughts. He also memorably performed at WrestleMania 23 in 2007.
Just weeks before his death, Sabu competed in a WrestleMania retirement match against Joey Janela.
Memorable wrestling feuds included those with Rob Van Dam and Taz.








James Lowe, the musician and record producer best known as the frontman of psychedelic rock band
the Electric Prunes, died peacefully of natural causes on May 22. He was 82. Formed in Los Angeles in
1965, the band released such hits as "I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)" and "Get Me to the
World on Time." Lowe would go on to work as an engineer and producer after the group first disbanded
in the '70s, collaborating with the likes of Todd Rundgren and pop duo Sparks. He reunited with his
Electric Prunes bandmates Mark Tulin, Ken Williams, and Michael Weakley in the late ‘90s after the band
went through several lineup changes, and continued to perform with the group until the end of his life,
including at a 2023 Los Angeles tribute show in honor of the legendary Nuggets compilation album
featuring psychedelic and garage rock singles of the '60s. Lowe is survived by his wife of six decades
and their three children.








Rick Derringer, the influential guitarist, McCoys frontman, and Grammy-winning producer for Weird Al Yankovic,
died May 26 at 77. The son of an Ohio railroad foreman, Derringer grew to become one of the most
pioneering guitarists and successful musicians of his generation, spawning the chart-topping hit
"Hang On Sloopy" with his band the McCoys before he'd even turned 18. "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo,"
the lead single from his 1973 debut, All American Boy, has endured generation after generation,
showing up on the soundtracks for 1993's Dazed and Confused soundtrack and the fourth season of
Stranger Things in 2022. He later collaborated with musicians and musical acts like Cyndi Lauper,
Steely Dan, Barbra Streisand, and Weird Al Yankovic, the latter earning him two Grammys
across their six-album collaboration.










Michael Sumler, Kool & the Gang's resident hype man known as "Chicago Mike," died May 25 in
a car accident in Mableton, Ga. He was 71. Sumler spent more than three decades with the
legendary R&B and funk group, whipping up audiences and acting as a stylist and choreographer.
He was immortalized in 2024 when the band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Sumler was mourned on social media by Mableton Mayor Michael Owens and Con Funk Shun,
the funk group he played with the night of his death. "We had no idea that Sunday night's
Love's Train would be your last ride," the group said. "Rest in heavenly peace."









Peter Kwong, the actor best known for his role as Rain, one of the Three Storms in the 1986 cult
classic Big Trouble in Little China, died in his sleep overnight May 27, his agent confirmed to
Entertainment Weekly. He was 73. The martial artist earned his first professional acting credits
in the ’70s, with TV series such as Wonder Woman and Little House on the Prairie, then went
on to appear in Dynasty, 227, Miami Vice, and Full House. His ‘80s work also included
The Golden Child, alongside Eddie Murphy, and 1989 action-drama Gleaming the Cube.
Over the following decades, Kwong was on shows such as General Hospital, My Wife and Kids,
and JAG. He made one of his final appearances on a 2020 episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Along the way, he served in leadership roles for organizations such as SAG and the Television Academy.









Valerie Mahaffey, the Emmy-winning star of Northern Exposure and Young Sheldon, died at the age of 71
on May 31 after a battle with cancer. Born in Indonesia in 1953 to a Canadian mother and an American
father, Mahaffey's six-decade career in Hollywood earned her enduring acclaim for roles like Eve, the
wealthy hypochondriac on Northern Exposure (which won Mahaffey an Emmy in 1992), Alma Hodge,
Orson's (Kyle MacLachlan) unhinged first wife on Desperate Housewives, and Victoria MacElroy, the titular
character's English teacher on Young Sheldon. Mahaffey also turned in memorable appearances in series
like The West Wing, Grey’s Anatomy, and Cheers, and films like Sully, Seabiscuit, and two Perry Mason
made-for-TV movies. Mahaffey earned acclaim and an Independent Spirit Award nomination for one of
her final big-screen performances, as Madame Reynard in the Michelle Pfeiffer indie drama French Exit.