Deaths So Far (and it's just July)

[IceWizard]

DECEMBER 2025




American guitarist Steve Cropper


Steve Cropper, two-time Grammy winner and Booker T. & the M.G.'s and Stax Records
guitarist, died at 84 on Dec. 3. As the legendary guitarist for the Stax Records house band,
Cropper is considered an architect of their sound. The record company famously backed
artists including the likes of Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, Carla Thomas,
Rufus Thomas, Johnnie Taylor and Neil Young, many of which he served as a producer
for. He was instrumental in crafting some of the most enduring songs in music history,
including “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay,” “Soul Man,” “Knock on Wood,” and
“In the Midnight Hour.” In total, Cropper was nominated for seven Grammys throughout
his career, but his first win came in 1968 for Best Rhythm and Blues Song for
"(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay." It wasn't until 1994 that he'd win his second and
final Grammy: Best Pop Instrumental Performance for "Cruisin'." Other honors for Cropper
include being a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and a Songwriters Hall of Fame honoree,
among others.






Mike Holmes and Frank Cozzolino

Frank Cozzolino, an electrician who appeared on HGTV shows like Holmes on Homes,
died at 56 in Toronto on Dec. 4. Born in the Junction neighborhood of Toronto, Cozzolino
relocated to the nearby community of Malton in Mississauga, Ontario, and worked several
jobs before founding his electrical contracting business, Solutions Electrical. Cozzolino
worked with Mike Holmes in 29 episodes of Holmes on Homes between 2003 and 2009.
He went on to appear alongside Holmes in subsequent shows like Holmes Inspection,
Holmes Makes It Right, and Holmes Family Rescue. Holmes remembered Cozzolino in an
Instagram post. "Frank made us better," he wrote. "His impact will live on in every home
he helped. Frank could walk into the toughest electrical disaster, crack a joke in his style,
and suddenly the whole room felt lighter. That’s just who he was."






Camryn Magness


Camryn Magness, a rising star musician known as the opening act on tours by bands like
One Direction and Fifth Harmony, died on Dec. 5 at the age of 26. Magness began her
music career at only 8 years old, breaking out in 2011 at just 12 by providing the title
track for Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer and going on tour with Cody Simpson
and Greyson Chance. By 18, Magness added dates with One Direction and Fifth Harmony
to her resume, and continued to release new music through 2021. She was remembered
in her official obituary as a "vibrant, fearless, and deeply loved young woman whose
compassion, humor, and bright spirit touched every person blessed to know her."





Rory MacLeod
performing in Charlestown, R.I. in 2012

Rory Macleod, the Grammy-nominated blues musician and past member of the
swing revival group Roomful of Blues, died on Dec. 6 at the age of 70. Macleod
was a highly regarded bass player with a prolific output, beginning his tenure
with Roomful of Blues in the 1980s, and going on to release solo albums and
collaborate with acts like Duke Robillard and Jack Smith & the Rockabilly Planet.
He was inducted into the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame in 2012. Macleod was
mourned by the remaining members of Roomful of Blues in a solemn Facebook
post that paid tribute to "his diverse musical contributions as well as being a
wonderful and gentle soul. There are no words for such an immense loss."







Rachael Carpani

Australian actress Rachael Carpani, best known for playing Jodi Fountain on the
Australian series McLeod's Daughters and appearing on NCIS: Los Angeles,
died on Dec. 7 after a long battle with a chronic illness. She was 45. Carpani
was best known for her role on McLeod's Daughters from 2001 to 2009, but she
also appeared in several U.S. shows and films, including The Rachels, If There
Be Thorns, The Glades, Lifetime's Against the Wall, and The Way Back,
Ben Affleck’s 2020 basketball movie. She also starred in the 2009 movie Triangle
alongside Liam Hemsworth. Most recently, she had a recurring role on Home and Away,
the long-running Channel 7 soap opera.








Raul Malo
performs at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
on April 30, 2017

Raul Malo, the lead singer of the Latin-country band the Mavericks,
died Dec. 8 at 60. Born in Aug. 7, 1965 in Miami to Cuban immigrant parents,
Malo co-founded the Mavericks alongside drummer Paul Deakin and
bassist Robert Reynolds, mixing rock, country, and the Latin rhythms
of South Florida. They released their self-titled debut album a year later,
bringing Latin flavor and lively rock vibe to country music in the 1990s.
Malo co-wrote many of the band's most popular songs, including their hit
"Here Comes the Rain," which earned the group their sole Grammy win,
for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal. The group
released their 13th and final studio album in 2024 with Moon & Stars,
an album filled with previously unrecorded songs. Malo was diagnosed
with colon cancer in 2024 and, a year later, he announced that he had
developed leptomeningeal disease, a cancer that affects the brain and
spinal cord. He was hospitalized the week before his death, forcing him
to miss tribute shows staged in his honor at the Ryman Auditorium,
where he was honored with the American Eagle Award from the
National Music Council of the United States.






Jubilant Sykes
arrives at the 2006
Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame

Jubilant Sykes, a Grammy-nominated baritone opera singer, was fatally stabbed
in his Santa Monica home on Dec. 8. He was 71. As a singer, Sykes performed
at some of the world’s most well-known opera venues, including Carnegie Hall,
the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, and the
Barbican Center in London. He also tackled the role of Jake in Porgy and Bess
at the famed Metropolitan Opera in 1990. Throughout his career, he collaborated
with artists including Julie Andrews, Terence Blanchard, John Beasley, Renée Fleming,
Josh Groban, Christopher Parkening, Patrice Rushen, Carlos Santana, Jennifer Warren,
and Brian Wilson. He was also named “Editor’s Choice” by Gramophone Magazine
for his recording of Leonard Bernstein‘s Mass, for which he was also nominated for
best classical album at the 52nd Grammy Awards in 2009. In addition to opera,
Sykes also employed his vocal talents in the gospel and jazz genres. Sykes' credits
beyond opera also include acting for film and stage: He made his film debut in
2014 Cuba Gooding Jr.-starring Freedom, playing the African slave Ozias. He also
played Markus in the 2023 thriller film The Descent and performed onstage as
Pompey in the musical Bloomer Girl and Henry Richard Lee in the musical 1776.






English author Sophie Kinsella
attends a photo call at Edinburgh International Book Festival
at Charlotte Square Gardens on Aug. 14, 2016
in Edinburgh, Scotland

Madeleine Sophie Wickham, the British author behind the beloved Confessions
of a Shopaholic book series, died Dec. 9 at 55. Born in London in 1969,
Madeleine Sophie Townley began her career as a financial journalist before
making the pivot to writing fiction. Under the pen name Sophie Kinsella,
she became a literary sensation with the release of her 2000 novel The
Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic, which was renamed Confessions of a
Shopaholic in the United States. Wickham would go on to pen over 30 novels,
including 10 installments of the Shopaholic series, under both her pen name
and real name. Her first two Shopaholic novels were adapted into a 2009 film
starring Isla Fisher and Hugh Dancy. Her 2003 standalone novel,
Can You Keep a Secret?, also received the big-screen treatment in 2019.
In 2024, Wickham announced that she'd been privately battling brain cancer
since 2022. She released her final novel, the semi-autobiographical
What Does It Feel Like?, that same year.








Jeff Garcia;
Sheen from 'Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius'

Jeff Garcia, the stand-up comedian who voiced Sheen Estévez on
The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, died at 50 on Dec. 10.
Born in 1975, Garcia began his career as a stand-up comedian in the
early 1990s. After briefly appearing on episodes of Caroline in the City
and Dangerous Minds and playing a small role in the 2000 comedy film
3 Strikes, Garcia found his breakout role in Sheen Estévez, the
empty-headed, UltraLord-obsessed buddy of whiz kid Jimmy Neutron
in the 2001 animated film Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. He reprised the
role on the movie's spinoff series The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron,
Boy Genius and a subsequent spinoff show, Planet Sheen. Other credits
include Barnyard, Back at the Barnyard, Happy Feet, Rio, and Mr. Box Office.






Actor Jim Ward
arrives for the Premiere Of 'I Know That Voice'
held at American Cinematheque's Egyptian Theatre
on November 6, 2013 in Hollywood, California

Jim Ward, a prolific voice actor whose credits include beloved children’s shows
like Fairly Oddparents and video games like the Ratchet & Clank series,
died Dec. 10 at 66 following complications from advanced Alzheimer's disease.
Born in New York City in 1959, Ward landed his first voice actor credit on
the 1988 cartoon Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures and made his video
game debut five years later as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the 1993
Sega CD version of Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin. He is perhaps best known
for his voicing newscaster Chet Ubetcha and Doug Dimmadome, owner
of the Dimmsdale Dimmadome, on the Nickelodeon series The Fairly OddParents
and Captain Qwark in the Ratchet & Clank franchise. In addition to his
voice acting career, Ward was also a cohost on the syndicated talk radio program
The Stephanie Miller Show from 2004 until 2017.






Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner

Filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, were found dead at their
Brentwood home on Dec. 14 in an apparent double homicide. TMZ reported
that their deaths are attributed to lacerations consistent with a knife.
Reiner’s career in Hollywood spans more than five decades, both in front
of and behind the camera. He first rose to fame in the 1970s as
Michael “Meathead” Stivic on the groundbreaking sitcom All in the Family,
becoming a familiar face during one of television’s most influential eras.
He made his directorial debut with 1984’s seminal mockumentary
This Is Spinal Tap, following it up with a string of classics: Stand by Me,
The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally…, Misery, and A Few Good Men.






Carl Carlton

The son of Carl Carlton, funk and R&B singing legend best known for the hits
"She's a Bad Mama Jama" and "Everlasting Love," announced the death of his
father on Dec. 14. He was 72. Carlton was born May 21, 1953, in Detroit, Mich.,
where he began his career in the mid-1960s as "Little Carl" Carlton. It was in 1974
that Carlton dropped his first major hit, a disco remake of Robert Knight's
"Everlasting Love." The song peaked at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100
and number 11 on the Billboard R&B chart, and has proven to be a long-lasting
success, reaching over 25 million streams on Spotify. His second major hit came
in 1981, with the Leon Haywood-written single "She's a Bad Mama Jama
(She's Built, She's Stacked)." The song became an instant club favorite, peaking
at number 2 on the soul chart and earning Carlton a Grammy Award nomination
for Best R&B Vocal Performance at the 24th Annual Grammy Awards. The
accompanying album, Carl Carlton, went gold in the same year. Carlton released
several more albums in the 1980s with moderate success, and briefly went into
hiatus after the release of Private Property in 1985. He subsequently released
two more albums: Main Event in 1994 and God Is Good in 2010. The latter
earned Carlton a Detroit Music Award nomination for
Outstanding Gospel/Christian Vocalist.