Long Illness

Roy Ayers (1940–2025), influential musician and composer

Roy Ayers was a musician and composer whose work on the vibraphone helped push the boundaries of jazz, soul, and funk through works like his 1976 classic, “Everybody Loves the Sunshine.” 

Jill Jacobson (1954–2024), actress in Falcon Crest, Star Trek

Jill Jacobson was an actress known for roles in such TV shows as “Falcon Crest,” “The New Gidget,” and two versions of “Star Trek.” 

Tony Todd (1954–2024), star of Candyman films

Tony Todd was an actor best known for his starring roles in the “Candyman” and “Final Destination” film franchises.

Roger Cook (1954–2024), This Old House landscaper

Roger Cook was a garden and landscape contractor featured on “This Old House” for decades.

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.” 

Martin Mull (1943–2024), comedic actor in Clue, Arrested Development

Martin Mull was a comedic actor known for roles such as Colonel Mustard in “Clue,” Gene Parmesan on “Arrested Development,” Principal Willard Kraft on “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” and Leon Carp on “Roseanne.” 

Chet Walker (1940–2024), Hall of Fame NBA forward

Chet Walker was a 13-year veteran of the NBA, a Hall of Fame forward, and a seven-time All-Star who played with the Philadelphia 76ers and Chicago Bulls.

Aaron Thomas (1937–2024), all-time great NY Giants tight end

Aaron Thomas was a tight end for the New York Giants and one of the team’s elite players in the 1960s, tied for sixth in all-time TD receptions for the team. 

Michael Culver (1938–2024), Captain Needa in The Empire Strikes Back

Michael Culver was a British actor best known for playing the ill-fated Captain Needa in “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” and as a racist police inspector in 1984’s “A Passage to India.” 

Malachy McCourt (1931–2024), Irish writer, actor, and talk show host

Malachy McCourt was an Irish writer, actor, and talk show host who once ran for Governor of New York and followed-up his brother’s Pulitzer Prize-winning work, “Angela’s Ashes,” with a memoir of his own, “A Monk Swimming.”

Brian Stableford (1948–2024), prolific science fiction author

Brian Stableford was a prolific, award-winning science fiction author and translator whose work, such as “The Empire of Fear” and “Cradle of the Sun,” also ventured into horror and fantasy.

Rita McKenzie (2024), Ethel Merman’s Broadway star 

Rita McKenzie was an actress, singer, and stage performer best known for her long-running one-woman show, “Ethel Merman’s Broadway,” which she performed for over three decades.

Rod Holcomb (1943–2024), TV director on ER, Lost 

Rod Holcomb was a TV director and producer who helmed the pilot and series finale of “ER,” along with dozens of other TV episodes.

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.

László Sólyom (1942–2023), former Hungarian president 

László Sólyom was a legal scholar who became Hungary’s third post-communism president, helping to guide the country towards a free-market democracy during a time of difficult transition.

Clifton Oliver (1975–2023), starred in The Lion King onstage

Clifton Oliver was a popular Broadway actor who appeared in such hits as “The Lion King” and the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical “In the Heights.”

Pamela Blair (1949–2023), actress in A Chorus Line, Loving 

Pamela Blair was an actress, singer, and dancer who originated the role of Val in “A Chorus Line” on Broadway and appeared on such soap operas as “Loving.” 

Mary Ann Hoberman (1930–2023), award-winning children’s author

Mary Ann Hoberman was a poet and National Book Award winner for her 1978 children’s book “A House Is a House for Me.” 

Milan Kundera (1929–2023), The Unbearable Lightness of Being author

Milan Kundera was a Czech-French writer best known for writing the 1984 novel “The Unbearable Lightness of Being.”

Johnie Cooks (1958–2023), Super Bowl champ with the Giants 

Johnie Cooks was a Mississippi State University football legend and won Super Bowl XXV as a linebacker with the New York Giants.

Frederic Forrest (1936–2023), The Rose, Apocalypse Now star

Frederic Forrest was an actor who received an Oscar nomination for his supporting role in “The Rose” and had memorable roles in “Apocalypse Now” and “Lonesome Dove.”

Tina Turner (1939–2023), legendary Queen of Rock and Roll

Tina Turner was one of the bestselling recording artists of all time, known for her hits including “What’s Love Got to Do with It.”

Marion Berry (1942–2023), former U.S. representative from Arkansas 

Marion Berry was a Democrat who represented Arkansas’ 1st District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1997 to 2011.

Ginnie Newhart (1940–2023), longtime wife of Bob Newhart

Ginnie Newhart was comedian and actor Bob Newhart’s wife for 60 years, and she is credited with the idea for the iconic series finale to “Newhart.”

Julie Anne Peters (1952–2023), groundbreaking YA author of Luna 

Julie Anne Peters was an author of young adult books including “Luna,” one of the first to feature a transgender character.

David Crosby (1941–2023), legendary rock and roll singer-songwriter 

David Crosby was one of the most important figures in rock and roll. He was an original member of folk rock visionaries the Byrds and the super group, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.