England

Simon Fisher-Becker (1961–2025), Doctor Who actor

Simon Fisher-Becker was an English character actor known for his roles in “Doctor Who” and “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” 

Joey Molland (1947–2025), last surviving member of Badfinger

Joey Molland was an English guitarist and songwriter with Badfinger, who carried on the band for years after its other core members died.

Sal Maida (1948–2025), Roxy Music bassist

Sal Maida was a bassist who lent his talents to a wide array of cutting-edge bands, including Roxy Music, Cracker, Milk ’N’ Cookies, The Runaways, Sparks, and other acts.

Marianne Faithfull (1946–2025), As Tears Go By singer

Marianne Faithfull was a singer and actress who became a pop icon in the 1960s thanks to a string of successful singles and movies, as well as a romance with Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger.

A Look at Notable & Celebrity Deaths from January 2025 Week 3

Here are the most recent deaths in the national news, as reviewed and fact-checked by the Legacy.com news team in the third week of January 2025.

John Sykes (1959–2025), guitarist for Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake

John Sykes was a guitarist, singer, and songwriter known for his time in the hard rock bands Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake.

Joan Plowright (1929–2025), Enchanted April actress

Dame Joan Plowright was an English actress who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in 1992’s “Enchanted April.”

UK Celebrity Deaths 2025

Though these famous figures have died, their legacies live on and continue to inspire and delight us. Join us as we remember celebrities who died in 2025.

The Vivienne (1992–2025), RuPaul's Drag Race UK star

The Vivienne was a British drag performer best known as the 2019 winner of “RuPaul's Drag Race UK” and competitor on the 2022 season of "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars." 

Barbara Taylor Bradford (1933–2024), A Woman of Substance author

Barbara Taylor Bradford was a British-American author whose 35 best-selling novels have sold millions of copies worldwide.

Peter Sinfield (1943–2024), co-founder of King Crimson

Peter Sinfield was a poet and songwriter best known as co-founder and lyricist for influential progressive rock band King Crimson, penning the lyrics on their acclaimed debut LP, “In the Court of the Crimson King.” 

Paul Di’Anno (1958–2024), former Iron Maiden vocalist

Paul Di’Anno was a rock singer-songwriter best known as an early frontman for the legendary band Iron Maiden, performing on their debut and “Killers” albums, as well as co-writing the latter’s title track.

Nell Smith (2007–2024), young singer with the Flaming Lips

Nell Smith was a singer known for her 2021 collaboration with the Flaming Lips, released when she was just 14 years old. 

Lily Ebert (1923–2024), Holocaust survivor and author

Lily Ebert was a Holocaust survivor and author who became a social media sensation when she took her quest to find the soldier who rescued her from a concentration camp to TikTok.

Robert Coover (1932–2024), experimental novelist 

Robert Coover was an experimental author and educator who co-founded the nonprofit Electronic Literature Organization.

Maggie Smith (1934–2024), star of Downton Abbey and Harry Potter

Maggie Smith was an Oscar, Emmy, and Tony-winning actress known for roles in “Downton Abbey” and the “Harry Potter” series, along with dozens of other notable movies, television shows, and stage performances.

Cleo Sylvestre (1945–2024), trailblazing British actress and singer

Cleo Sylvestre was a British actress and singer who achieved several firsts, including being the first female vocalist to record with the Rolling Stones. 

David Graham (1925–2024), voice of the Daleks in Doctor Who

David Graham was a British voice actor best known for his work on “Doctor Who,” where he voiced the Daleks; for voicing Grandpa Pig on “Peppa Pig;” and for playing several characters on the “Thunderbirds” shows and films.

Zoot Money (1942–2024), famed ‘60s keyboardist

Zoot Money was a keyboardist and actor whose shift from R&B to psychedelia in the 1960s saw him playing with acts like The Animals, Humble Pie, and others, as well as his own group, Big Roll Band.

Herbie Flowers (1938–2024), Walk on the Wild Side bassist

Herbie Flowers was an English bassist who played on legendary tracks like “Walk on the Wild Side” and “Space Oddity.”

Simon Verity (1945–2024), master stone carver known for cathedrals

Simon Verity was a British master stone carver whose detailed work graces such buildings as New York City’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine and England’s Canterbury Cathedral.

Mike Lynch (1965–2024), tech giant dubbed “Britain’s Bill Gates”

Mike Lynch was a businessman and entrepreneur who founded the tech company Autonomy, which he later sold for nearly $12 billion.

Edna O’Brien (1930–2024), Irish author of The Country Girls

Edna O’Brien was an Irish author whose acclaimed books included her groundbreaking 1960 debut novel, “The Country Girls.” 

John Mayall (1933–2024), godfather of British blues

John Mayall was a British blues guitarist and bandleader who helped launch the careers of legends like Eric Clapton, , and Mick Taylor.

Mary Wells Lawrence (1928–2024), legendary advertising exec

Mary Wells Lawrence was a groundbreaking advertising executive who founded Wells Rich Greene and was known for quotable ad slogans like “I ♥ NY” and “Plop, plop, fizz, fizz.” 

Ian Gelder (1949–2024), Game of Thrones actor 

Ian Gelder was a British actor best known for his performances in “Game of Thrones,” “Torchwood: Children of Earth,” and “Doctor Who.” 

Kris Hallenga (1985–2024), CoppaFeel! breast cancer awareness founder

Kris Hallenga was a writer who promoted early breast cancer detection for young women after her own diagnosis at the age of 23.

Bernard Hill (1944–2024), King Theoden in The Lord of the Rings

Bernard Hill was an English actor known for roles in two films, both of which won 11 Oscars: He played King Theoden in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and Captain Edward Smith in “Titanic.” 

Peter Oosterhuis (1948–2024), PGA golfer and broadcaster 

Peter Oosterhuis was a PGA golfer who won the 1981 Canadian Open and went on to greater fame as a golf analyst for CBS Sports.

Richard Tandy (1948–2024), longtime ELO keyboardist

Richard Tandy was the longtime Electric Light Orchestra keyboardist who voiced “Mr. Blue Sky” in their song of the same name.

Mike Pinder (1941–2024), the Moody Blues' last original member

Mike Pinder was the original keyboardist and the last surviving founding member of the superstar English rock band the Moody Blues, and an inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Lynne Reid Banks (1929–2024), The Indian in the Cupboard author 

Lynne Reid Banks was an author known for such books as “The L-Shaped Room” and the bestselling children’s novel “The Indian in the Cupboard.”

Chance Perdomo (1996–2024), Ambrose on Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

Chance Perdomo was an American-British actor who starred as Ambrose in “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" and was featured in the “The Boys” spinoff show “Gen V.” 

Edward Bond (1934–2024), socially-conscious playwright and director

Edward Bond was a playwright and theater director whose often socially conscious work included “Saved,” “Narrow Road to the Deep North,” “Lear,” and “The Sea.” 

Pamela Salem (1944–2024), Miss Moneypenny in Never Say Never Again

Pamela Salem was a British actress best known for her work alongside in “The First Great Train Robbery” and the unofficial James Bond film “Never Say Never Again,” and for her appearances on the TV science fiction show “Doctor Who.”

Ewen MacIntosh (1973–2024), actor in U.K. version of The Office

Ewen MacIntosh was a British actor and comedian best known for playing Keith Bishop in the original British sitcom, “The Office.” 

Roy Calne (1930–2024), pioneering organ transplant surgeon

Roy Calne was a British surgeon who specialized in organ transplants, working with the teams who conducted the first liver transplant, intestinal transplant, and several pioneering combined transplants.

Del Palmer (1952–2024), longtime Kate Bush collaborator 

Del Palmer was a musician and sound engineer best known for his long collaboration and romantic relationship with songwriter Kate Bush. 

David Soul (1943–2024), Starsky & Hutch star

David Soul was an actor and singer known for his starring role in “Starsky & Hutch” and his hit single “Don’t Give Up on Us.”

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.”

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.”   

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.” 

Benjamin Zephaniah (1958–2023), poet, author, and Peaky Blinders actor

Benjamin Zephaniah was a celebrated British poet, author and playwright who regularly appeared on the period crime drama “Peaky Blinders.” 

Denny Laine (1944–2023), cofounder of Wings and the Moody Blues

Denny Laine was an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist who cofounded Wings and the Moody Blues.

Shane MacGowan (1957–2023), frontman of the Pogues

Shane MacGowan was a singer and songwriter who fronted the Celtic band the Pogues, a politically charged, Celtic music-inspired folk-rock band best known for their Christmas ballad, “Fairytale of New York.” 

Joss Ackland (1928–2023), actor in The Mighty Ducks, Lethal Weapon 2 

Joss Ackland was a British character actor known for his performances in such films as “The Mighty Ducks,” “Lethal Weapon 2,” and “White Mischief.” 

A.S. Byatt (1936–2023), bestselling author of Possession

A.S. Byatt was a British author who won the prestigious Booker Prize for her bestselling 1990 novel “Possession: A Romance.”

Dr. David Shaffer (1936–2023), expert in child and teen suicide 

Dr. David Shaffer was a psychiatrist who did pioneering studies on child and teen suicide that led to more effective prevention methods. 

Sir Bobby Charlton (1937–2023), English soccer legend 

Sir Bobby Charlton was an English soccer legend who played for the 1966 FIFA World Cup-winning team and is considered among the best players of all time.