Died 2023

Fritz Peterson (1942–2023), Yankees all-star who traded families

Fritz Peterson was an all-star pitcher for the New York Yankees known both for his control on the mound and for a headline-grabbing “family swap” with his teammate, Mike Kekich.

Lynn Loring (1943–2023), Search for Tomorrow actress

Lynn Loring was an actress in such TV shows as “Search for Tomorrow” and “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis,” as well as a notable television executive.

Elmore Nickleberry (1931–2023), 1968 Memphis sanitation strike worker 

Elmore Nickleberry was a sanitation worker and activist who took part in the 1968 strikes in Memphis, Tennessee, and marched alongside to fight for better working conditions and pay.

Herbert Kohl (1935–2023), former Senator and co-founder of Kohl’s 

Herbert Kohl was a businessman, politician, and philanthropist who was a former U.S. Senator, previous owner of the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team, and co-founder of Kohl’s department stores with his brother and father.0

Klee Benally (1975–2023), Navajo activist and musician 

Klee Benally was a Navajo activist, artist, writer, and musician who fought to protect sacred sites, battled for Native American rights, and co-founded the political punk band Blackfire.

Cindy Morgan (1954–2023), Caddyshack, Tron star 

Cindy Morgan was an actress best known for her roles in the movies “Caddyshack” and “Tron.”

Vinie Burrows (1924–2023), actress in one-woman shows 

Vinie Burrows was an actress who got her start on Broadway before making her mark in one-women shows.

Mbongeni Ngema (1955–2023), playwright who spotlighted apartheid

Mbongeni Ngema was a South African playwright, composer, and activist whose 1988 musical, “Sarafina!” took aim at apartheid.0

Francoise Bornet (1930–2023), woman from the Paris kiss photo

Francoise Bornet became an enduring symbol of romance when she and her then boyfriend, Jacques Carteaud, were featured in “The Kiss by the Hí´tel de Ville,” a 1950 photograph by Robert Doisneau that has become a staple of posters, postcards, and home décor.  

Sandra Reaves-Phillips (1944–2023), Lean on Me actress and singer

Sandra Reaves-Phillips was an actress and singer for both stage and screen, and who appeared in such films as “Lean on Me” and “Round Midnight.” 

Gil de Ferran (1967–2023), French-born Brazilian championship racer

Gil de Ferran was a French-born Brazilian racer who achieved recognition as a British Formula Three champion, two-time CART World Series champion, and an Indianapolis 500 winner. 

Maurice Hines (1943–2023), dancer in The Cotton Club 

Maurice Hines was a tap dancer who performed alongside his brother, in the 1984 movie “The Cotton Club.”

Masashi Ozawa (1947–2023), pro wrestler known as Killer Khan

Masashi Ozawa was a WWE star of the 1980s who went by the ring name Killer Khan. 

Richard Romanus (1943–2023), Mean Streets actor

Richard Romanus was an actor best known for his prominent role in Martin Scorsese’s critical breakthrough, “Mean Streets,” and for playing Dr. Jennifer Melfi’s husband in “The Sopranos.” 

Eddie Bernice Johnson (1935–2023), longtime U.S. Rep. from Texas

Eddie Bernice Johnson represented the Dallas area in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 until her retirement in 2023.

Les McCann (1935–2023), jazz great known for “Compared to What”

Les McCann was a soul-jazz pioneer who helped turn jazz into protest music through “Compared to What,” and was later sampled by hip-hop artists like Notorious B.I.G., Dr. Dre, and A Tribe Called Quest.

Ana Ofelia Murguía (1933–2023), Disney’s voice of Mamá Coco

Ana Ofelia Murguía was a Mexican actress who provided the voice of Mamá Coco in the 2017 Disney-Pixar feature “Coco.” 

Cale Yarborough (1939–2023), three-time NASCAR champion 

Cale Yarborough was a consecutive three-time NASCAR champion and one of the winningest racers in series history with 83 career victories.

Shecky Greene (1926–2023), old school Vegas headliner 

Shecky Greene was a legendary comedian known for his headlining shows in Las Vegas.

Tom Wilkinson (1948–2023), The Full Monty star

Tom Wilkinson was an English actor whose performances in “Michael Clayton” and “In the Bedroom” earned him two Academy Award nominations and who is arguably best known for his work in “The Full Monty” and “Shakespeare in Love.”

Paula Murphy (1928–2023), record-breaking race car driver

Paula Murphy was a record-setting race car driver in the 1960s and ‘70s, the first woman to speed across the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah in a jet-engine car. 

Laura Lynch (1958–2023), Dixie Chicks founding member

Laura Lynch was a founding member of the Dixie Chicks, playing bass and providing vocals as part of the original line up. 

Lee Sun-kyun (1975–2023), star of Oscar-winning Parasite

Lee Sun-kyun was a South Korean actor best known for starring as Park Dong-ik, patriarch of the wealthy Park family, in the acclaimed film “Parasite.”

Tom Smothers (1937–2023), half of the Smothers Brothers

Tom Smothers was one-half of the innovative comedy-folk duo the Smothers Brothers along with his brother Dick.

Kamar de los Reyes (1967–2023), One Life to Live star

Kamar de los Reyes was an actor who starred as Antonio Vega on “One Life to Live” and had a prominent video game role in several installments of “Call of Duty.”

Richard Hunt (1935–2023), sculptor who reshaped public spaces

Richard Hunt was a Chicago-based sculptor whose work has reshaped public spaces with over 160 pieces displayed in 24 states, and who was called “one of the greatest artists [the city] has ever produced” by President Barack Obama.

Lt. Col. Bob Pardo (1934–2023), daring aviator known for Pardo's Push

Bob Pardo was an aviator and military fighter pilot whose efforts to get his wingman’s heavily damaged Phantom fighter jet out of enemy airspace over Vietnam became known as Pardo’s Push.0

Cari Beauchamp (1949–2023), feminist Hollywood historian

Cari Beauchamp was an author and Hollywood historian whose works, such as “Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Powerful Women of Early Hollywood,” often spotlighted the overlooked influence of women on the film industry.

Ed Budde (1940–2023), Kansas City Chiefs icon

Ed Budde was a longtime guard for the Kansas City Chiefs who played in the first ever Super Bowl, was a multiple time All-Star and Pro Bowl pick, and whose son, Brad, was also a first round draftee with the Chiefs.

Eric Montross (1971–2023), Tar Heels legend and NBA player

Eric Montross was an NBA basketball veteran and a member of the 1993 NCAA Championship-winning University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill Tar Heels team who came to be known as Bloody Montross after playing with a bleeding injury during a game against Duke University.

James McCaffrey (1958–2023), Rescue Me, Max Payne actor 

James McCaffrey was an actor who was a regular on the firefighter dramedy “Rescue Me” and the voice of Max in the popular “Max Payne” video game series.

Amp Fiddler (1958–2023), musician who worked with George Clinton

Joseph “Amp” Fiddler was a keyboardist, producer, singer, and songwriter known for his collaborations with George Clinton’s Parliament and Funkadelic bands, as well as the R&B and soul band Enchantment.

Jack Axelrod (1930–2023), General Hospital mob boss Victor Jerome

Jack Axelrod was an actor who was best known for playing mob boss Victor Jerome in the daytime soap General Hospital in the 1980s.

Gene Carr (1951–2023), former NHL player with the Kings, Rangers 

Gene Carr was an ice hockey forward in the NHL who played with the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings, and he was known for his friendship with Eagles frontman .

Edmundo Desnoes (1930–2023), author of Memorias del subdesarrollo 

Edmundo Desnoes was the author of the novel “Memorias del subdesarrollo,” which was adapted into an acclaimed film.

Kenny DeForest (1986–2023), stand-up comedian 

Kenny DeForest was a stand-up comedian known for appearances on “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” Comedy Central, and the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal.

Dick Nunis (1932–2023), Disney exec who expanded theme park empire

Dick Nunis was a longtime Disney executive who oversaw the company’s efforts to expand its theme parks outside of California.

Guy Stern (1922–2023), Holocaust refugee and WWII intel operative

Guy Stern was a German refugee who fled the Nazis in the 1930s and became a military intelligence operative for the U.S. during World War II as part of the elite group known as the Ritchie Boys.

George McGinnis (1950–2023), Hall of Fame basketball great

George McGinnis was an ABA and NBA basketball player who led the Pacers to two ABA titles and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Camden Toy (1955–2023), Buffy the Vampire Slayer character actor

Camden Toy was a character actor who specialized in villains and creatures for independent movies and horror shows like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," often performing under layers of grotesque prosthetics and makeup.

Richard Kerr (1944–2023), co-writer of Mandy, Looks Like We Made It

Richard Kerr was a singer and songwriter who collaborated with Barry Manilow on such hit songs as “Mandy,” “Somewhere in the Night,” and “Looks Like We Made It,” as well as Dionne Warwick on “I’ll Never Love This Way Again.”   

Andre Braugher (1962–2023), Brooklyn Nine-Nine star 

Andre Braugher was an actor known for his performances as police officers on TV’s “Homicide: Life on the Street” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” 

Shirley Anne Field (1936–2023), actress in Alfie, Santa Barbara 

Shirley Anne Field was a British actress known for roles in such films as “Saturday Night and Sunday Morning” and “Alfie,” as well as in the TV soap opera “Santa Barbara.” 

Essra Mohawk (1948–2023), Schoolhouse Rock! singer-songwriter

Essra Mohawk was a singer-songwriter who penned hits for Cyndi Lauper and Tina Turner, worked with Frank Zappa, and sang for “Schoolhouse Rock!” and “Sesame Street.” 

Jeffrey Foskett (1956–2023), longtime Beach Boys touring guitarist 

Jeffrey Foskett was a guitarist who toured and recorded with the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson for decades.

Zahara (1987–2023), South African music star

Zahara was a singer and songwriter who became a massive music star in South Africa with such chart-topping singles as “Phendula,” “Impilo,” and “Stay.” 

Nidra Beard (1952–2023), Dynasty lead singer 

Nidra Beard was the co-lead singer for the R&B group Dynasty, known for hits like “I’ve Just Begun to Love You.”

Jack Hogan (1929–2023), star of TV’s Combat! 

Jack Hogan was an actor best known for playing PFC William G. Kirby for five seasons and 112 episodes on television’s “Combat!” a World War II drama that ran from 1962 to 1967.

Frank Wycheck (1971–2023), Music City Miracle tight end 

Frank Wycheck was an 11-year veteran of the National Football League (NFL) who threw the pass that led to the Music City Miracle, one of the most iconic moments in modern football history.