Reel Reporting: Stars who passed away in 2023: Part 8

Anna Shay

Anna Shay, the heiress who rose to fame on the Netflix reality series Bling Empire, died June 5 at the age of 62. The daughter of late billionaire Edward Shay, founder of the American defense and government services contractor Pacific Architects and Engineers, Shay appeared on all three seasons of Bling Empire, which followed a group of wildly wealthy Asian and Asian Americans as they navigated life, love, and glamor in Los Angeles.

Mike Batayeh

Mike Batayeh, the actor and comedian best known for his role on Breaking Bad, died June 1 of a heart attack at the age of 52. Born in Detroit, Batayeh moved to L.A. to pursue his acting career, though his family said he always kept in touch with his Michigan roots. His comedy career took him as far as the Middle East, where he performed at the Amman Stand-up Comedy Festival in Jordan two years in a row. Batayeh showed up on shows like It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The Shield over the course of his career, but his most prominent performance was as Dennis Markowski, the manager of Gus Fring's industrial laundromat on Breaking Bad.

Cynthia Weil

Award-winning songwriter Cynthia Weil died June 1 at the age of 82. Weil, who built a career co-writing hits with husband Barry Mann, was responsible for songs such as "On Broadway," "Uptown," and "Here It Comes Again." She and Mann co-wrote The Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Loving Feeling," which has been credited as one of the 20th century's most-played songs on radio and television. Weil also co-wrote "Somewhere Out There," the Oscar-nominated track from An American Tail. Her songwriting partnership and relationship with Mann was chronicled in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, recounting her early days as a songwriter working in the legendary Brill Building in New York City.

Sergio Calderón

Sergio Calderón, a veteran character actor best known for his appearances in the Pirates of the Caribbean and Men In Black franchises, died on May 31 at 77. The Mexican-born actor starred as Captain Eduardo Villanueva in the 2007 film Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and as Jose — who was secretly just a head on a stick operated by an undercover alien — in 1997's Men in Black. Before becoming Captain Villaneuva, Calderón also played river pirate El Cajon, as well as bandit Malavida Valdez, in several episodes of The A-Team from 1983 to 1984. His other credits include roles in 2003's The Missing, the 2008 horror film The Ruins, and 2010's Little Fockers alongside Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Barbra Streisand, and more.

George Maharis

George Maharis, the actor best known for his role as Buz Murdock on the 1960 drama series Route 66, died May 24 at the age of 94, his longtime friend and caregiver Marc Bahan told The Hollywood Reporter. His part in the crime drama, a spin-off of Naked City, in which he also starred, earned him an Emmy nomination and led to roles in other TV series including Search for Tomorrow, Love Story, Journey to the Unknown, The Most Deadly Game, The Bionic Woman, Police Story, and Fantasy Island. His movie credits include Quick Before It Melts, Sylvia, A Covenant With Death, The Happening, The Sword and the Sorcerer, and Doppelganger. Maharis also recorded a few albums early in his career, with his 1962 single "Teach Me Tonight" charting on the Billboard Hot 100.

Tina Turner

Tina Turner, the legendary singer often dubbed the Queen of Rock & Roll, died May 24, at 83. She first achieved musical success in the '60s and '70s as part of a duo with then-husband Ike Turner, but divorced him in 1976 after years of verbal and physical abuse. In the '80s, Turner reinvented herself as a global rock superstar with songs like "What's Love Got to Do With It," "Let's Stay Together," and "The Best." Turner performed in films like 1975's Tommy and 1985's Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, while her 1986 memoir I, Tina inspired the 1993 biopic What's Love Got to Do with It — which earned Angela Bassett an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of the musician. Turner's life and legacy also inspired the jukebox musical Tina, which premiered in London in 2018.

Ray Stevenson

Ray Stevenson, the Irish actor who played the Asgardian warrior Volstagg in the Thor movies and the antihero Frank Castle in Punisher: War Zone, died May 21 at 58. Stevenson began his acting career in the 1990s, appearing in a string of TV shows before making his big-screen debut in Paul Greengrass' romantic drama The Theory of Flight. A role in the HBO drama Rome introduced him to a wider U.S. audience, and he went on to star in King Arthur, Punisher: War Zone, Kill the Irishman, Thor, Thor: Ragnarok, RRR, the Divergent films, and G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Stevenson also voiced Gar Saxon on Star Wars: Rebels and The Clone Wars. His posthumous credits include the Disney+ series Ahsoka and the movies Cassino in Ischia and Gateway to the West.

Leon Ichaso

Leon Ichaso, the Cuban American writer and director behind El Super, Piñero, and Bitter Sugar, died May 20 at 74. His other notable film credits included El Cantante, the 2006 Héctor Lavoe biographical drama starring Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez, and the 2009 family thriller Paraiso, starring Miguel Gutierrez and Adrián Mas. Ichaso also directed dozens of high-profile TV projects, including episodes of Saturday Night Live, the original Equalizer, Miami Vice, Medium, Criminal Minds, Prodigal Son, and Queen of the South.

Martin Amis

Martin Amis, the British author best known for his trilogy of novels Money: A Suicide Note, London Fields, and The Information, died May 19 at 73 following a battle with esophageal cancer. Over the course of his career, Amis published more than 30 works of fiction and nonfiction alongside several essay collections, short stories, screenplays, and a 2000 memoir titled Experience. Amis' novels also served as inspiration for several films, including 1989's The Rachel Papers, 2000's Dead Babies, 2018's Out of the Blue, and The Zone of Interest, which debuted at the 2023 Cannes International Film Festival on the day of his death.

Andy Rourke

Andy Rourke, the commanding bassist of the Smiths, died May 19 at 59 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Rourke joined the Smiths shortly after the band was formed in 1982 and is featured on all of their beloved hits, including "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out," "This Charming Man," and "How Soon Is Now?" Following the dissolution of the group, he went on to play and record with a host of other acts, including the Pretenders, Badly Drawn Boy, and Ian Brown. He was remembered by his Smiths bandmate Morrissey, who called him a musician who "didn't ever know his own power," adding, "He will never die as long as his music is heard."

Jim Brown

Jim Brown, the legendary fullback for the Cleveland Browns who also became known beyond his NFL stardom as a civil rights advocate and Hollywood action hero, died May 18 at 87. Hailed as one of the greatest pro football players in history, Brown won three MVP awards, led the Browns to a championship, and set numerous records in his nine seasons with the team. He retired from football in 1966 while making his second film, The Dirty Dozen, and pivoted to a career in acting. His screen credits included 100 Rifles, Ice Station Zebra, The Running Man, Any Given Sunday, The Split, Draft Day, and Mars Attacks. Brown was also a dedicated social activist, most famously standing alongside Muhammad Ali in 1967 when the boxer announced that he would not fight in Vietnam.

Sharon Farrell

Sharon Farrell, best known for her roles in It's Alive, Marlowe, and The Young and the Restless, died May 15 at age 82. The prolific actress had a career spanning several decades that included her debut feature film, Kiss Her Goodbye, and turns in The Reivers, Out of the Blue, and Can't Buy Me Love. She also had a long list of TV credits, including a recurring part in the final season of the original Hawaii Five-O, several years spent on The Young and the Restless, and appearances on shows like My Favorite Martian, Gunsmoke, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Matlock, and JAG.

Joe Gayton

Joe Gayton, co-creator of AMC's Western drama Hell on Wheels, died May 14 at the age of 66 following a protracted battle with prostate cancer. Gayton also wrote action films Uncommon Valor starring Gene Hackman and Bulletproof starring Damon Wayans and Adam Sandler. Gayton often worked with his brother, Tony. Together, the pair created Hell on Wheels, which ran for five seasons. The two also collaborated on Southern Comfort for Fox, The Novice for USA, and the 2010 film Faster, starring Dwayne Johnson.

Samantha Weinstein

Samantha Weinstein, the Canadian actress best known for starring in the 2013 Carrie remake and voicing many beloved animated characters, died at 28 from cancer on May 14. Weinstein appeared in several films throughout her childhood and teenage years like 2008's The Rocker, 2011's Jesus Henry Christ, and the 2013 Carrie remake alongside Chloë Grace Moretz. A talented voice actress, Weinstein also portrayed several characters on many popular cartoons, including Sloan Plunderman in D.N. Ace, Jalopi in Kingdom Force, and Clara Tinhorn in Dino Ranch.

Barry Newman

Veteran actor Barry Newman, known for playing a maverick lawyer on the NBC drama Petrocelli and a daring speedster in the 1971 thriller Vanishing Point, died May 11 at 92. A Boston native, Newman studied under Method acting innovator Lee Strasberg in New York and made his Broadway debut as a jazz musician in Nature's Way. He first portrayed defense attorney Anthony Petrocelli in the 1970 film The Lawyer, which was loosely based on the Sam Sheppard murder case. Four years later Newman's character made the leap to the small screen for the TV movie Night Games and the subsequent series Petrocelli, which ran for two seasons and earned him Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. In Vanishing Point, Newman memorably played Kowalski, a car transport driver white-knuckling through an existential cross-country trip. His other screen credits included the films Fear Is the Key, Daylight, and The Limey, and the TV series Murder She Wrote, The O.C., and NYPD Blue.

Kenneth Anger

Kenneth Anger, one of America's first openly gay filmmakers, died May 11 of natural causes. He was 96. Anger began making films as a teenager, and his surreal, homoerotic 1947 short film Fireworks is considered by many to be the first gay narrative film made in the United States. His other works include Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome (1954), Invocation of My Demon Brother (1969), and Lucifer Rising (1972). He's also remembered for authoring Hollywood Babylon, a collection of sordid tales about the early years of Hollywood that, despite being widely disputed, remain infamous and influential.

Jack Rebney

Jack Rebney, the foul-mouthed RV pitchman who became one of the internet's first viral personalities and was profiled in the 2009 documentary Winnebago Man, died May 10 at 93. In 1988, Rebney, a former broadcast journalist, couldn't contain his anger while filming a commercial for Winnebago recreational vehicles. His profanity-laced eruptions frustrated the crew to such a degree that they compiled the commercial's most vitriolic outtakes and started circulating them via VHS tapes. The footage eventually migrated online, amassing millions of views and a rabid fan base. Director Ben Steinbauer's earnest and affecting Winnebago Man finds a reclusive Rebney reckoning with his viral fame.

Jacklyn Zeman

Jacklyn Zeman, the veteran actress who starred as Bobbie Spencer on General Hospital for more than 40 years, died May 9 at the age of 70 after a short battle with cancer. Born and raised in New Jersey, Zeman studied dance at New York University before rising to fame as Lana McClain on the hit sudser One Life to Live in 1976. She landed her career-defining role as the fiery nurse Bobbie on General Hospital the following year, starring as the character on more than 800 episodes and earning four Daytime Emmy nominations along the way. Zeman's other credits include spotlight appearances on Chicago Hope and Misguided and her Daytime Emmy–nominated role as Sofia Madison on The Bay.

Lisa Montell

Lisa Montell, a Hollywood starlet of the 1950s and '60s, died on March 7 of heart problems and sepsis, per The Hollywood Reporter. She was 89. Montell is known for starring opposite Rod Taylor in the 1956 sci-fi feature World Without End and with Dean Martin in the musical comedy Ten Thousand Bedrooms. Born in Warsaw, Montell grew up in New York City and studied drama at the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art. She landed her first onscreen role in 1953, but the movie, The Daughter of the Sun God, was not released until 1962. She spent years bulking up her TV resume with shows like The Public Defender and The Magical World of Disney, but is best known for her work in the Western genre, including roles in Tomahawk Trail, The Firebrand, The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold, among others. After less than a decade in Hollywood, Montell left acting in the mid-'60s and went on to serve in the administration of L.A. mayor Tom Bradley.

Gerald Castillo

Gerald Castillo, the veteran actor known for playing A.C. Slater's dad on Saved by the Bell and Judge Davis Wagner on General Hospital, died May 4, at 90. Castillo began his career on the stage, performing opposite the likes of Rita Moreno and Sherman Hemsley. On the screen, he appeared on dozens of TV shows, including The Jeffersons, M*A*S*H, CSI, Hill Street Blues, Simon and Simon, and All in the Family. Castillo's film credits included Delta Force 2, Through Naked Eyes, Above Suspicion, State of Emergency, The Crackdown, and Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects. Castillo retired from acting in 2012 but regularly directed productions at the Santa Paula Theatre Center in Southern California.

Sonia Pizarro

Sonia Pizarro, star of truTV reality series Operation Repo, died May 3 at the age of 60. Pizarro was best known for her appearance on Operation Repo, which depicted the world of car repossessions with a team of professionals from California's San Fernando Valley, and the Operation Repo TV movies Operation Sonia: Love Thy Bleeping Neighbor and Operation Repo: Lou's Revenge. She also starred in the 2009 comedy Repo Chick and had a cameo in the 2018 horror thriller Followed.

Barbara Bryne

Barbara Bryne, a veteran theater actress known for originating roles in multiple Stephen Sondheim musicals, died May 2. She was 94. Her death was announced by Minneapolis' Guthrie Theater, where she was a frequent stage performer for decades, starting in 1970. Born April 1, 1929, in England, Bryne came to North America in the 1960s, where she earned a Drama Desk Award nomination for her role in the first American production of Joe Orton's play Entertaining Mr. Sloane and played multiple matriarchs for Sondheim. She originated the parts of Jack's mother in Into the Woods and George's mother in Sunday in the Park With George, and played Madame Armfeldt in a Washington, D.C. production of A Little Night Music in 2002. She also portrayed Mozart's mother-in-law in the Oscar-winning 1984 film Amadeus. "Her legacy will live on at the Guthrie and in our hearts forever," a representative for the theater wrote on Twitter.

Eileen Saki

Eileen Saki, the actress known for playing the spirited owner and proprietor of Rosie's Bar on the classic TV series M*A*S*H, died May 1 from pancreatic cancer. She was 79. Saki was the third and longest-tenured performer to play Rosie, appearing in eight episodes. (She also played a madam in an earlier M*A*S*H episode.) Saki's other screen credits included Good Times, CHiPs, The Greatest American Hero, Without a Trace, History of the World: Part I, and Splash.

Gordon Lightfoot

Canadian folk singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot — best known in the United States for his songs "Sundown," "If You Could Read My Mind," and "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" — died at a Toronto hospital on May 1. He was 84. His career included over 1,500 concerts and 500 songs, several of which were covered by the likes of Elvis Presley, Barbra Streisand, and the late Harry Belafonte. Lightfoot also scored four Grammy nominations throughout his career, and was remembered by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as "one of our greatest singer-songwriters" who "helped shape Canada's soundscape" across his rise to prominence in the '60s and '70s.

Jock Zonfrillo

Jock Zonfrillo, a celebrated Scottish chef, author, and MasterChef Australia judge, died April 30 in Melbourne. He was 46. A Glasgow native, Zonfrillo started his culinary journey as a dishwasher at 13, began working for British chef Marco Pierre White at 17, and by 22 was head chef at Cornwall's Hotel Tresanton. He became the head chef at Sydney's Forty One in 2000 and moved on to open several renowned restaurants in Adelaide, like Restaurant Orana and Nonna Mallozzi. His TV career flourished in 2019 when he joined MasterChef Australia as a judge alongside Melissa Leong and Andy Allen, replacing the show's original hosts. Zonfrillo also wrote a memoir, Last Shot, published in 2021.

Tim Bachman

Bachman Turner Overdrive — MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVES/GETTY

Veteran guitarist and vocalist Tim Bachman died at the age of 71 on April 28 after a battle with cancer. Bachman co-founded the Canadian rock band Bachman-Turner Overdrive in Winnipeg with C.F. Turner and his brothers, Randy and Robbie. The rowdy rock outfit were known for hits like "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet," "Takin' Care of Business," and "Roll On Down the Highway." Bachman was a member of the band from 1973 until 1974 and reunited with the group a decade later for their reunion tour. He remained with the group until the late 1980s.

Jerry Springer

Jerry Springer, the iconic talk-show host, broadcast journalist, and former mayor of Cincinnati, died in his Chicago home at age 79 on April 27. As the host of The Jerry Springer Show, which aired for 27 seasons from 1991 to 2018, Springer helped mediate heated conflicts between couples and family members to stellar ratings. He also made cameos in numerous films, like 1999's Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and on television shows, including Sabrina the Teenage Witch, The Simpsons, and The X-Files. In addition to his work on screen, Springer served as a Cincinnati councilman before becoming the city's mayor from 1977 to 1978.

Harry Belafonte

Harry Belafonte, legendary singer, actor, and civil rights activist who marched alongside Martin Luther King, Jr., died Tuesday, April 25 at age 96 from congestive heart failure. In addition to his humanitarian work, which included being a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and earned him an honorary Oscar in 2014, the entertainer released the hit 1956 single "Banana Boat (Day-O)" and amassed awards from the Grammys, Tonys, and Emmys for his multi-decade career. One of his last projects was a role in Spike Lee's 2018 Oscar-nominated film BlacKkKlansman.

Ginnie Newhart

Bob Newhart and wife Ginnie during "Elf" New York City Premiere at Loews Astor Plaza in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by Theo Wargo/WireImage) — Bob and Ginnie Newhart. THEO WARGO/WIREIMAGE

Ginnie Newhart, wife of comedian Bob Newhart for 60 years, died April 23 at home in Los Angeles following a long illness, according to publicist Jerry Digney. Ginnie first met Newhart through fellow actor and comedian Buddy Hackett. The two wed in Jan. 1963. Ginnie Newhart is credited with inventing the legendary series finale to Newhart, in which Bob Newhart wakes up as his character from The Bob Newhart Show next to Suzanne Pleshette, who played his wife in the previous series. They had four children together.

Len Goodman

Len Goodman, former head judge of ABC's Dancing With the Stars, died April 22 at a hospice in Kent, England, according to BBC News. A former professional ballroom dancer, Goodman began his TV-hosting career on BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing, a reality TV competition that pairs celebrities with ballroom dancing pros. He joined the U.S. version a year later, and served as head judge until 2022. "It has been a huge pleasure to be a part of such a wonderful show," Goodman told the Dancing audience, which gave him a standing ovation. "But I've decided I want to spend more time with the grandchildren and the family back in Britain." In addition to his hosting duties, Goodman also ran his own studio, the Goodman Dance Academy, in the U.K.

Barry Humphries (a.k.a. Dame Edna Everage)

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 11: Dame Edna Everage hosts high tea ahead of her My Gorgeous Life national tour on September 11, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images) — Barry Humphries — a.k.a. Dame Edna. LISA MAREE WILLIAMS/GETTY

Barry Humphries, the actor and creator behind Dame Edna Everage, died April 22 at the age of 89 in Sydney. The Tony-winning Australian comedian was readmitted to the hospital following hip surgery. Humphries had been receiving treatment after a fall in February. The performer, who was born in Melbourne in 1934, rose to fame in the 1950s after originating the drag-character housewife Edna Everage. Sporting lilac hair and funky glasses, the act served as a form of social satire. Humphries' creation hit the London stage in the 1970s and gained a fanbase that landed him appearances in the worlds of theater, film, and TV for several decades.

Moonbin

Moonbin, a member of K-pop band Astro, died April 19 at the age of 25. Moonbin began his career as a model before he made acting appearances in the 2009 Korean drama Boys Over Flowers and 2015's To Be Continued, among other titles. He joined Astro in 2016 alongside MJ, Rocky, Cha Eun-woo, Yoon San-ha, and Jinjin. The band's hits include "Candy Sugar Pop," "Blue Flame," and "Baby." In 2020, Fantagio formed Moonbin & Sanha, Astro's first sub-unit comprised of the late singer and Yoon San-ha. The duo released their third EP, Incense, in January.

Keith Nale

Keith Nale, a firefighter and two-time Survivor contestant, died April 18 after a months-long battle with cancer. He was 62. Nale competed alongside his son Wes on 2014's Survivor: San Juan del Sur, where his affable nature and survival skills made him a fan favorite and propelled him to the final four. Two seasons later, he returned for Survivor: Cambodia and made it to day 37 before being sent home.

Mark Sheehan

Mark Sheehan, the lead guitarist and co-founder of the Irish rock band the Script, died on April 14 following a "brief illness." He was 46. Sheehan founded the band with Danny O'Donoghue in 2001. The group, which also included drummer Glen Power, is best known for songs "Hall of Fame," "The Man Who Can't Be Moved," and "Breakeven (Falling to Pieces)." Sheehan is survived by his wife, Rina, and three children.

Carol Locatell

BEST FRIENDS — Carol Locatell in 1982's 'Best Friends'. EVERETT COLLECTION

Carol Locatell, the actress best known for her fiery performance as the foul-mouthed Ethel Hubbard in Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning, died April 11 following a battle with cancer. She was 82. Locatell made her acting debut in a 1967 episode of the sitcom The Flying Nun before jumping to the big screen as Priscilla in the 1973's Coffy. She delighted horror fans as the shotgun-wielding and stew-making mother in the 1985 sequel film. Over the course of her more than 45-year career, she starred in multiple movies including Paternity, Sharky's Machine, Best Friends, and The Family Stone. Her TV credits include appearances on Bonanza, M*A*S*H, ER, Ally McBeal, NYPD Blue, Mad Men, Scandal, NCIS, Station 19, Shameless, and more.

Al Jaffee

Al Jaffee, an award-winning and record-breaking cartoonist for Mad magazine, died April 10 from multiple organ failure. He was 102. Jaffee worked for Mad for 65 years, easily the magazine's longest contributor, and with a career running from 1942 to until 2020, he holds the Guinness World Record for longest career as a comics artist. Jaffee famously created the Mad Fold-In as well as "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions." He retired from being a cartoonist in 2020 at age 99.

Chuck Morris

Lotus percussionist Chuck Morris' body was recovered April 9, weeks after he and his son Charley went missing during a kayaking trip in Arkansas. Morris was 47; his son was 20. Formed in the late '90s in Indiana, Lotus are an instrumental electronic jam band with a current lineup of Mike Greenfield, Tim Palmieri, Luke Miller, and Jesse Miller. Previous members have included Michael Rempel, Steve Clemens, Joel Jimenez, and Andy Parada. They have released more than a dozen studio and live albums.

Elizabeth Hubbard

Elizabeth Hubbard, the Daytime Emmy-winning soap opera star known for her roles on As the World Turns and The Doctors, died April 8 the age of 89. The daytime star was beloved for her turn as Lucinda Walsh in CBS' As the World Turns, a role she played from 1984 until the show's final season in 2010. She earned eight Daytime Emmy nominations for her work on the series. Hubbard also starred as Dr. Althea Davis on NBC's The Doctors, which earned her her first Daytime Emmy. Her other TV credits included One Life to Live, Law & Order, Hope & Faith, Life on Mars, and Anacostia. Hubbard also appeared in films The Bell Jar, Ordinary People, Cold River, and Center Stage.

Michael Lerner

Michel Lerner, a prolific character actor who was nominated for an Oscar for Barton Fink, died on April 8. He was 81. Lerner made his TV debut in 1963 on an episode of Dr. Kildare, then in 1968, while sharing a flat with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, he appeared in Ono's experimental film Smile. Lerner appeared in numerous films and TV shows over his 60-year career, including, on television, The Brady Bunch, Glee, Entourage, M.A.S.H., and The Bob Newhart Show. Some of his most prominent films include The Candidate, the remake of The Postman Always Rings Twice, Eddie Murphy's Harlem Nights, and the Coens' A Serious Man, which was his second re-teaming with the brothers after being nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 1992 Oscars for his performance as studio head Jack Lipnick in Barton Fink.

Lasse Wellander

Lasse Wellander, the longtime guitarist for ABBA, died on April 7. He was 70 years old. Born in 1952 in the Swedish village of Skrekarhyttan, Wellander took up the guitar after seeing The Beatles perform on Swedish TV in the early '60s. Once he went professional, Wellander performed with a number of Swedish bands in the late '60s and early '70s, including Blues Quality and Nature, before linking up with ABBA in 1974. He became an important contributor both to their recorded albums and live shows, and worked with them up through recent projects like the Mamma Mia! movies and their 2021 comeback album Voyage. In a joint statement, ABBA founders Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad celebrated Wellander as "a dear friend, a fun guy, and a superb guitarist" who "played such an integral role in the ABBA story."

Paul Cattermole

Paul Cattermole, a founding member of British pop group S Club 7, died April 6. He was 46. No cause of death has yet been revealed. The tragic news comes little more than a month after the band announced they would be embarking on a tour later this year to mark their 25th anniversary. Formed in 1998, S Club 7 gained fame through chart-topping hits like "Bring It All Back" and their own TV series, Miami 7, before Cattermole's departure in 2002 precipitated the group's full breakup a year later.

Vivian Trimble

Vivian Trimble, a multi-instrumentalist and singer best known as a member of the band Luscious Jackson, died April 4 due to complications from cancer. She was 59. The band announced the news on social media, writing, "We were not expecting this. She was a great friend and a gifted musician and choreographer, but it was being a partner to David and a mother to Nate and Rebecca that gave her the greatest joy." Luscious Jackson was formed in 1991, their name a reference to the American basketball player of the same name, and released three albums over the course of the '90s. They scored their biggest hit with the song "Naked Eye," and reunited in 2013 for two new albums, including the children's music compilation Baby DJ. Trimble also formed the side project Kostars with fellow band member Jill Cunniff; they released one album in 1996.

Heklina

San Francisco drag legend Heklina died at age 54 on April 3. The performer was discovered by close friend and collaborator Peaches Christ in London where the drag queen duo was performing a two-week stint of "Mommie Queerest," a Mommie Dearest parody. A cause of death was not announced. Heklina can be seen posthumously on Hulu's Drag Me to Dinner competition series.

Judy Farrell

Judy Farrell, the actress and writer best known for her role as Nurse Able on CBS' long-running wartime dramedy M*A*S*H, died April 2 after suffering a stroke nine days earlier. She was 84. Farrell first appeared on M*A*S*H in 1976, during the celebrated series' fifth season, joining her then-husband, Mike Farrell, and an ensemble case. She would appear on seven more episodes before the show's conclusion in 1983. Her other TV credits included roles on Get Smart, The Partridge Family, and Fame, and as a writer on the soap opera Port Charles.

Brian Gillis

Musician and co-founder of '90s boy band LFO Brian Gillis died March 29 at the age of 47. LFO, short for Lyte Funkie Ones, was formed by Gillis, Brad Fischetti, and the late Rich Cronin in 1995 in Massachusetts. To date, the group has sold over 4 million records and is known for hit songs "Summer Girls" and "Girl On TV." Though Gillis would leave the group in 1999 to pursue a solo career, his former bandmate Fischetti paid tribute to his legacy and what he meant to LFO in a lengthy and emotional Instagram post announcing his death. "Today I honor my former bandmate and friend, Brizz. If you watched the LFO Story livestream or have seen the band and me play it live, you know what Brian meant to LFO. If it wasn't for his hard work and dedication in the early days of LFO, the first two chapters, the LFO you came to know and (hopefully) love would not exist," he wrote.

Ryuichi Sakamoto

Ryuichi Sakamoto, the Oscar-winning composer famous for his scores for The Last Emperor and Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, died of cancer March 28 at the age of 71. Sakamoto gained prominence as a member of the Japanese electronic band Yellow Magic Orchestra, which he co-founded in 1978 with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi. Their self-titled debut album helped set the stage for the synth-pop sounds of today, also influencing early hip-hop and techno. The artist made his movie debut in 1983's Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, starring opposite David Bowie and providing the war drama with its BAFTA-winning score. He'd later star in and score 1987's The Last Emperor, which earned him an Oscar and a Golden Globe. Sakamoto was also nominated for a Golden Globe for his score for 2015's The Revenant, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Keith Reid

Keith Reid, a lyricist for Procol Harum who wrote the English rock band's 1967 hit "A Whiter Shade of Pale," died March 23 at 76. Though he did not sing or play with the group, Reid was a founding member who penned all of their original songs except for those on their 12th and final album, Novum. Following Procol Harum's first disbandment (they'd reunite several times), Reid started a management company in the late 1980s, where he composed songs for other artists, including John Farnham (his chart-topping "You're the Voice"), Annie Lennox, and Willie Nelson, among others. Reid also released two albums under the Keith Reid Project: 2008's The Common Thread and 2018's In My Head.

Tom Leadon

Singer and guitarist Tom Leadon died on March 22, according to his former Mudcrutch bandmate Mike Campbell. Leadon co-founded the rock band alongside the late Tom Petty in the 1970s, continuing to perform with the collective after its revival in 2007. "Tom Leadon was my deepest guitar soul brother, we spent countless hours playing acoustic guitars and teaching each other things," Campbell tweeted. "A kinder soul never walked the earth. I will always miss his spirit and generosity. Sleep peacefully my old friend."

Darcelle XV

Darcelle XV, the Guinness World Record-holding drag icon — known as the oldest working drag queen — died in March at the age of 92. Scores of RuPaul's Drag Race contestants, from Kerri Colby and Bosco to Mayhem Miller and Shangela, paid tribute to the industry icon on social media following her death. "I'll never forget seeing her front row, tappin that foot while I twirled and death dropped for her enjoyment," Shangela wrote on Instagram. "This loss makes me think of so many amazing drag entertainers who in their own way helped influence the world of drag, but are no longer with us."

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Stars who passed away in 2023: Part 8