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One of the most influential rock singers of the 1960s and 1970s, American singer-songwriter David Crosby<\/strong> co-founded both The Byrds and Crosby, Stills And Nash – later Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.<\/p>\nHe was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of both groups, and also released several records as a solo performer.<\/p>\n
Crosby died at the age of 81, following a long illness, with his wife, Jan, saying in tribute: “Although he is no longer here with us, his humanity and kind soul will continue to guide and inspire us. His legacy will continue to live on through his legendary music.”<\/p>\n
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British rock legend Jeff Beck <\/strong>rose to fame with The Yardbirds and went on to become a solo star who incorporated hard rock, jazz, blues and even opera into his music.<\/p>\nKnown for his love of improvising, he won eight Grammy awards and like Crosby was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice. In 2022, he released a collaborative album with his friend Johnny Depp, who was one of the many varied performers – including Luciano Pavarotti, Rod Stewart, Macy Gray, Chrissie Hynde, Joss Stone, Imelda May and Cyndi Lauper – he worked with over the years.<\/p>\n
“I don’t care about the rules,” Beck once said when describing his music style. “In fact, if I don’t break the rules at least 10 times in every song then I’m not doing my job properly.”<\/p>\n
He died aged 78 after “suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis”, his family said in a statement, with stars including Kiss’s Gene Simmons, Queen’s Brian May and Rolling Stones stars Mick Jagger and Ronnie Wood paying tribute.<\/p>\n
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Italian football hero Gianluca Vialli<\/strong> was the son of a self-made millionaire, who grew up in a mansion in Lombardy – but money could not buy his natural skill as a footballer.<\/p>\nHe was best known in the UK for his time with Chelsea, the club for which he scored 40 goals in 88 games between 1996 and 1999. He then became manager – winning the FA Cup with the club in both roles. Before his move to London he had played for Juventus, who signed him in what was a record deal back in 1992.<\/p>\n
Following his death, aged 58, tributes described a hugely skiled footballer – but also a beloved man. His former teammate Graeme Souness, who played alongside him at Sampdoria, told Sky Sports: “I can’t tell you how good a guy he was. Forget football, he was just a gorgeous soul. He was just a truly nice human being.”<\/p>\n
Obituary: Italy says goodbye to a footballing genius<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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As the only child of the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll”, Lisa Marie Presley<\/strong> was the sole heir to her father’s Graceland estate and seemed destined to a life of music royalty.<\/p>\nShe went on to have her own career in the spotlight, scoring two US Top 10 albums, and was famously married to both Michael Jackson and Nicholas Cage. But her life was beset by tragedy, including the loss of her son in 2020.<\/p>\n
Presley died aged 54 after suffering a cardiac arrest at her home in Calabasas, California, with her mother Priscilla describing her as “the most passionate, strong and loving woman I have ever known”.<\/p>\n
Read more: The tragic life of Lisa Marie Presley<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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Yorkshire-born actor Julian Sands<\/strong> was best known for his roles in films including A Room With A View, Arachnophobia, Leaving Las Vegas, and Warlock, as well as TV appearances in 24, Smallville and Banshee.<\/p>\nIn the years before his death, he had appeared in one-man stage shows reciting the poetry of Harold Pinter, John Keats and Percy Shelley.<\/p>\n
A keen hiker and mountaineer, the 65-year-old was reported missing in January 2023 after he failed to return from a trek in the Mount Baldy region of the San Gabriel mountains in California. His death was not confirmed until June, when his remains were discovered.<\/p>\n
Giving a newspaper interview in 2020, Sands said he was happiest when he was “close to a mountain summit on a glorious cold morning”.<\/p>\n
Obituary:<\/strong> ‘Endearing, eccentric and fearless’ actor died ‘doing what he loved’<\/strong><\/p>\nOther stars and notable figures who died in January 2023 include:<\/p>\n
Supermodel Tatjana Patitz<\/strong>, one of the five stars of George Michael’s Freedom video Rapper Gangsta Boo<\/strong> Founding Motown artist Barrett Strong<\/strong> Earth, Wind & Fire drummer Fred White<\/strong> Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida<\/strong> ‘Grande Dame’ of British cinema Sylvia Sims<\/strong> Rally driver and YouTube star Ken Block<\/strong> Wednesday Addams actress Lisa Loring<\/strong> 24 star Annie Wersching<\/strong> Author Fay Weldon<\/strong> Bachman-Turner Overdrive drummer Robbie Bachman<\/strong><\/p>\nFEBRUARY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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One of the greatest songwriters of the 20th century, Burt Bacharach<\/strong> penned more than 500 tracks – which went on to be performed by more than 1,200 different artists – across his seven-decade career. They include Magic Moments, I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself, Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head, I Say A Little Prayer, Walk On By, Close To You, to name just a handful of his accomplishments.<\/p>\nA skilled pianist as well as a composer, he was a six-time Grammy winner and three-time Oscar winner whose talent earned him comparisons with music greats including George Gershwin, Cole Porter and Richard Rodgers. Over the years he collaborated or wrote for everyone, from Dionne Warwick and Aretha Franklin to Tom Jones and even Dr Dre.<\/p>\n
Remixes and samples of his work kept him in the public consciousness long after he stopped turning out the hits, as did Hollywood’s use of many of his tunes in film soundtracks.<\/p>\n
Chuck Jackson<\/strong>, an American R&B singer who was one of the first artists to record material by Bacharach and lyricist Hal David successfully, died just days after the composer, aged 85. Bacharach died at the age of 94, with tributes paid by artists of all ages. “RIP Maestro,” wrote Noel Gallagher in his. “It was a pleasure to have known you.”<\/p>\nObituary: The composer who soundtracked generations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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Raquel Welch<\/strong> was a Hollywood bombshell whose career spanned more than 50 years, including 30 films and dozens of TV series and appearances.<\/p>\nShe won a Golden Globe for best actress in 1975 for her role in The Three Musketeers, and appeared in hit films including Legally Blonde later in her career.<\/p>\n
However, thanks to its iconic publicity still featuring Welch in a deer-skin bikini, it is her role in the 1966 prehistoric adventure fantasy One Million Years BC she will be most remembered for, despite having just a few lines of dialogue in the film.<\/p>\n
The star died aged 82 after a short illness, her management company said, and had been suffering with Alzheimer’s disease.<\/p>\n
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De La Soul are regarded as one of the most innovative groups in rap history, and David Jude Jolicoeur – known as Trugoy the Dove<\/strong> and pictured centre above – was one of the founding members, alongside Kelvin “Posdnuos” Mercer and Vincent “Maseo” Mason.<\/p>\nTheir debut studio album 3 Feet High And Rising was praised as a light-hearted and positive counterpart to harder rap offerings at the time of its release in 1989; sampling everyone from Johnny Cash and Steely Dan to Hall & Oates, De La Soul signalled the beginning of alternative hip-hop.<\/p>\n
Jolicoeur, who died at the age of 54, five years after revealing he was suffering from congenitive heart failure, also co-wrote songs including Gorillaz’s Feel Good Inc. His death came just a month after it was announced that De La Soul’s classic back catalogue would be made available for digital streaming for the first time.<\/p>\n
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Baroness Betty Boothroyd<\/strong> was the first female female Speaker of the House of Commons, modernising the role by refusing to wear the traditional wig.<\/p>\nBorn into a working-class family in Dewsbury in 1929, she was introduced to politics at an early age through her mother’s membership of the women’s section of the Labour Party. She became the Labour MP for West Bromwich in 1973 and for West Bromwich West – when the seat was split the following year – until her retirement in 2000.<\/p>\n
Before her time as an MP in the UK, she worked on John F Kennedy’s campaign after he was elected as the Democratic candidate for president in the US, and also travelled across America with Democratic senator Estes Kefauver before moving on to work for left-wing Republican congressman Silvio Conte.<\/p>\n
Following her death at the age of 93, Current Speaker of the House Sir Lindsay Hoyle described her as an “inspiring woman… an inspirational politician, and someone I was proud to call my friend”.<\/p>\n
Other stars and notable figures who died in February 2023 include:<\/p>\n
Legendary sports commentator John Motson<\/strong> Fashion designer Paco Rabanne<\/strong> Chariots Of Fire director Hugh Hudson<\/strong> World Of Sport presenter Dickie Davies<\/strong> Walking Dead actor Jansen Panettiere<\/strong> US financier Thomas H Lee<\/strong><\/p>\nMARCH<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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Beloved TV star and comedian Paul O’Grady <\/strong>rose to fame thanks to his drag queen persona Lily Savage, but later became a national treasure under his own name, too.<\/p>\nDuring his career, he hosted a number of shows including The Paul O’Grady Show, Blind Date and For The Love Of Dogs, as well as Blankety Blank in the late ’90s under the guise of Savage. He also featured on TV shows such as Dr Who and Holby City.<\/p>\n
The presenter was honoured with an MBE for services to entertainment in 2008, adding to a list of achievements including a TV BAFTA, a British Comedy Award, and a National Television Award. He was also well known for his love of animals, particularly dogs, having been an ambassador of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home since 2012.<\/p>\n
He died aged 67 after suffering a sudden cardiac arrhythmia, with everyone from Sir Elton John to the Royal Family paying tribute.<\/p>\n
Read more: From a rubber gloves raid to work as a mortician<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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Jarvis Cocker’s Pulp released their first album in 1983, but rose to prominence with their fourth and fifth albums His ‘N’ Hers and Different Class in the 1990s. Steve Mackey<\/strong>, who joined in 1988, played bass.<\/p>\nHis ‘N’ Hers, featuring songs including Babies, Lipgloss and Do You Remember The First Time? was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 1994, while Different Class – famous for hits including Common People, Disco 2000, Something Changed and Sorted For Es and Whizz – went on to win the award in 1996.<\/p>\n
In 1995, the group became a late replacement for The Stone Roses to headline that year’s Glastonbury Festival and went on to play one of the most memorable sets in the event’s history. In 2011, following a break, their comeback “secret” set drew one of the biggest crowds ever to the festival’s Park Stage.<\/p>\n
“Steve made things happen,” the band said in tribute as they announced his death at the age of 56. “In his life & in the band… Safe travels, Steve. We hope to catch up with you one day.”<\/p>\n
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Mystic Meg<\/strong>, whose real name was Margaret Lake, was the UK’s most famous astrologist, a regular feature on Saturday night TV with the National Lottery show in the 1990s, when she would appear with her crystal ball to predict who would win the weekly jackpot.<\/p>\nShe also wrote daily horoscopes for The Sun newspaper for almost 23 years.<\/p>\n
Her horoscopes and clairvoyant messages captured the imagination of the public and she received huge amounts of correspondence – including from angry Manchester United fans after she correctly predicted their team would lose to Everton in the FA Cup final in 1995.<\/p>\n
She died aged 80 after being admitted to hospital while suffering with flu.<\/p>\n
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Actor Lance Reddick<\/strong> was best known for his role in the crime drama The Wire, which ran for five seasons between 2002 and 2008 and was set in his hometown of Baltimore.<\/p>\nHe also starred in the John Wick movie franchise alongside star Keanu Reeves, and voiced Commander Zavala in the Destiny game series.<\/p>\n
He died suddenly at the age of 60, with his family and The Wire co-stars leading the tributes to “a man of great strength and grace”.<\/p>\n
Other stars and notable figures who died in March 2023 include:<\/p>\n
Saving Private Ryan and Black Hawk Down star Tom Sizemore<\/strong> Ann Summers entrepreneur Jacqueline Gold<\/strong> South African rapper Costa Titch<\/strong> Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist and sole constant member Gary Rossington Fiddler On The Roof actor Chaim Topol<\/strong> Star Wars and Harry Potter actor Paul Grant<\/strong> Intel co-founder and microchip pioneer Gordon Moore<\/strong> Composer Nicholas Lloyd Webber<\/strong>, son of Andrew Lloyd Webber Drag queen Darcelle XV<\/strong> Procol Harum lyricist Keith Reid<\/strong> Oscar-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto<\/strong>Brian Gillis<\/strong>, founding member of US boyband LFO<\/p>\nAPRIL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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Comedian, satirist, author, producer, West End star, writer, painter, born entertainer: Barry Humphries<\/strong> did it all. His characters included Sir Les Patterson – the lecherous “phallus-brandishing” diplomat who once chased Kylie Minogue off stage at the Royal Festival Hall – and the “boring man of the suburbs” Sandy Stone.<\/p>\nBut he was of course best known for Dame Edna Everage, a self-described giga-star known for her extravagant spectacles, rapier wit, double entendres and fondness for gladioli flowers, who was arguably Australia’s biggest comedy export.<\/p>\n
He had been readmitted to hospital in Sydney after suffering complications following hip surgery, and died aged 89. “He was completely himself until the very end, never losing his brilliant mind, his unique wit and generosity of spirit,” his family said in tribute.<\/p>\n
Farewell, Possum: Barry Humphries obituary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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Harry Belafonte<\/strong> was a Grammy, Emmy and Tony winning singer and actor who became a civil rights activist.<\/p>\nReluctantly nicknamed “The King of Calypso”, he was largely responsible for bringing Caribbean music to an international audience in the 1950s, and the first singer – in any genre – to sell a million records in a year.<\/p>\n
His song Jump In The Line (Shake, Senora) had a recent resurgence before his death, going viral on TikTok in 2020. He was also one of the first black performers to gain a wide following on film, starring in movies including Carmen Jones, Island In The Sun, and Odds Against Tomorrow.<\/p>\n
In 2022, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, becoming the oldest person ever to receive the honour. And alongside his career in entertainment, he was a committed activist who worked closely with Martin Luther King Jr during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.<\/p>\n
He died at the age of 96 with his wife by his side, according to a spokesperson.<\/p>\n
Obituary: The singer who used helped break down racial barriers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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Famous for The Jerry Springer<\/strong> Show – a ratings hit known for its strippers, food-fights and punch-ups – the politician-turned-presenter saw his work as a TV rebellion against the elite. “Take care of yourselves, and each other,” was his line to end every episode.<\/p>\nThe show aired for 27 seasons, with nearly 5,000 episodes from 1991 to 2018, and even inspired Jerry Springer: The Opera. A UK version was made in 1999, and Too Hot For TV videos and DVDs were also released.<\/p>\n
Speaking to Sky News in 2019, Springer defended the show’s contributors, who he said were frequently dismissed as “trash” – saying he saw them as “regular people involved in crazy situations”.<\/p>\n
The presenter died aged 79 after being diagnosed with cancer. Fellow talk-show host Ricki Lake was among those paying tribute to a one-time “rival and friend”, who she described as “a lovely man”.<\/p>\n
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Paul Cattermole<\/strong> (left) found fame in the late 1990s and early 2000s as part of S Club 7, the pop group with hits including Reach, Don’t Stop Movin’ and Bring It All Back.<\/p>\nThe band was also known for the BBC children TV shows Miami 7 and LA 7, which saw the seven bandmates play fictionalised versions of themselves.<\/p>\n
Cattermole died suddenly of natural caused at the age of 46, just weeks after a big S Club 7 reunion tour had been announced. Members Rachel Stevens, Bradley McIntosh, Jo O’Meara, Jon Lee and Tina Barrett continued with the tour in October, while Hannah Spearritt, who was previously in a relationship with Cattermole, pulled out.<\/p>\n
“We were so lucky to have had him in our lives and are thankful for the amazing memories we have,” S Club said in tribute following his death.<\/p>\n
Read more: Steps, Blue and other pop peers remember S Club 7 star<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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Known for his sparkling wit and Strictly Come Dancing catchphrase of “sev-en!”, \u200b\u200b\u200b\u200bLen Goodman<\/strong> turned to dance as a teenager after his football career was cut short by a foot injury. He went on to become a dancing national treasure.<\/p>\nWith a warm humour and passion for Latin and Ballroom, Goodman was head judge on the BBCshow from its launch in 2004 to 2016. His final appearace came on the 2016 Christmas Day special, after which he was replaced by Shirley Ballas.<\/p>\n
He also appeared on the American version of the show, Dancing With The Stars, from 2005 until his departure in 2022.<\/p>\n
Strictly stars including presenter Claudia Winkleman and judge Craig Revel Horwood were among the many paying tribute to a man “full of twinkle, warmth and wit” following his death at the age of 78.<\/p>\n
Other stars and notable figures who died in April 2023 include:<\/p>\n
Nigel Lawson<\/strong>, chancellor to Margaret Thatcher Fashion designer Mary Quant<\/strong>Nora Forster<\/strong>, wife of Sex Pistols and PiL star John Lydon Abba guitarist Lasse Wellander<\/strong> Oscar-nominated actor Michael Lerner<\/strong> The Script guitarist Mark Sheehan<\/strong> Veteran banker Sir Win Bischoff<\/strong> K-pop star Moonbin<\/strong> Bachman-Turner Overdrive guitarist Tim Bachman<\/strong> British Masterchef Australia judge <\/strong>Jock Zonfrillo<\/strong><\/p>\nMAY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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Tina Turner<\/strong> was the Queen of Rock’n’Roll, the star with the electric stage presence and one of the greatest voices of the last few decades.<\/p>\nShe rose to fame in the 1960s alongside ex-husband Ike Turner, with the classics River Deep, Mountain High, Proud Mary, and Nutbush City Limits among their hits. After their split she later spoke out about the domestic abuse he subjected her to, with an openness that was groundbreaking at the time.<\/p>\n
Her comeback as a solo star in the 1980s, pushing back against those who told her that as a woman in her 40s she could not make it as a solo star, gave the world hits including Private Dancer, We Don’t Need Another Hero, What’s Love Got To Do With It, and of course, a biggest track, The Best.<\/p>\n
Turner’s story was documented in a 1993 film starring Angela Bassett, which won three Oscars, and also immortalised in a popular West End show that continues in her memory.<\/p>\n
She died aged 83 at her home in Switzerland, with stars including Sir Mick Jagger, Sir Elton John and Diana Ross paying tribute to a “total legend on record and on stage”.<\/p>\n
Obituary: The trauma and triumph of a music legend<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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Andy Rourke<\/strong> (pictured right above with Johnny Marr) was the bassist for alternative indie legends The Smiths, known for hits including This Charming Man, Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now, and There Is A Light That Never Goes Out.<\/p>\nThe original line-up of the Manchester band comprised of Rourke, frontman Morrissey, guitarist Marr and drummer Mike Joyce.<\/p>\n
Rourke also played with artists including The Pretenders, Sinead O’Connor and Badly Drawn Boy.<\/p>\n
His death at the age of 59 was announced by Marr, who said he had been suffering with pancreatic cancer, describing Rourke as “one of those rare people that absolutely no one doesn’t like”.<\/p>\n
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Renowned British author Martin Amis <\/strong>published 15 novels, as well as several short fiction collections and non-fiction works, and was best known for his books Money: A Suicide Note, and London Fields.<\/p>\nHe was twice listed for the Booker Prize for his novels Time’s Arrow and Yellow Dog, and his memoir Experience was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize.<\/p>\n
He died of oesophageal cancer at his home Florida, aged 73, his wife Isabel Fonseca, also a writer, announced.<\/p>\n
Obituary: A legend who was willing to examine the sordid side of his era<\/strong><\/p>\nOther stars and notable figures who died in May 2023 include:<\/p>\n
Singer Linda Lewis<\/strong>, who provided backing vocals for David Bowie and Rod Stewart Convicted paedophile, former TV star Rolf Harris<\/strong> Head of Britain’s richest family SP Hinduja<\/strong> Thor and RRR actor Ray Stevenson<\/strong> ITV journalist Emily Morgan<\/strong> Demon Headmaster actor Terrence Hardiman<\/strong> Three-time Olympic medallist sprinter Tori Bowie<\/strong> Pirates Of The Caribbean and Men In Black actor Sergio Calderon<\/strong><\/p>\nJUNE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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Glenda Jackson<\/strong>, who died at the age of 87, was both an Oscar-winning actress and a former Labour MP, an entertainer who turned to politics after more than three decades on stage and screen.<\/p>\nShe won the Oscar for best actress in 1970 for her performance as a headstrong artist in director Ken Russell’s adaptation of DH Lawrence’s novel Women In Love, and again three years later for romantic comedy A Touch Of Class.<\/p>\n
Despite her successful career in entertainment – she also won two Emmy Awards and a Tony – she never had any interest in the social and glamorous aspects of the industry, and devoted herself to politics in the 1990s, angered by the damage she believed was being inflicted on the working classes by former Conservative prime minister Margaret Thatcher.<\/p>\n
But a return to entertainment saw her win a BAFTA in 2020 for her portrayal of a woman suffering from dementia in Elizabeth Is Missing, and before her death had recently completed filming The Great Escaper alongside Michael Caine.<\/p>\n
Obituary: An Oscar winner with comedy flair – but deadly serious about politics<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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The death of controversial former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi<\/strong> <\/strong>brought an end to one of the most colourful and controversial political careers of recent times.<\/p>\nFamous for his notorious “bunga bunga” parties, the 86-year-old senator and leader of the Forza Italia party had faced a string of financial and sex scandals which made him the most polarising figure in modern Italy. The sex parties, which involved prostitutes, caused a major scandal in the country.<\/p>\n
Well known for his brash and ebullient personality, he led Italy three times from 1994-1995, 2001-2006 and 2008-2011, stepping down as prime minister for the last time in 2011 as Italy came close to a Greece-style debt crisis.<\/p>\n
He died after receiving treatment for a lung infection linked to chronic leukaemia.<\/p>\n
Obituary: When Berlusconi invited reporters to the ‘bunga bunga’<\/strong><\/p>\nOther stars and notable figures who died in June 2023 include:<\/p>\n
Oscar-winning Argo and Little Miss Sunshine actor Alan Arkin<\/strong> No Country For Old Men and The Road author Cormac McCarthy<\/strong> Former Man Utd and Scotland defender Gordon McQueen<\/strong> Long-time boss of FTSE 100 firm Diageo Sir Ivan Menezes<\/strong> Hair and Everwood actor Treat Williams<\/strong> US rapper Big Pokey<\/strong>The Iron Sheik<\/strong>, WWE star and Hulk Hogan rival Breaking Bad actor and comedian Mike Batayeh<\/strong> To The Manor Born and Midsomer Murders actress Angela Thorne<\/strong> You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling songwriter Cynthia Weil<\/strong> Marvel comics artist John Romita Sr<\/strong> Britain’s Got Talent star Kerri-Anne Donaldson<\/strong> British actor Paxton Whitehead<\/strong>, who appeared in Friends and Frasier Fiddler On The Roof creator Sheldon Harnick<\/strong><\/p>\nJULY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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Irish singer Sinead O’Connor<\/strong> was best known for her 1990 song Nothing Compares 2 U, the track which made her a global star, partly due to its famous video.<\/p>\nShe was known as much for her outspoken views, on subjects such as religion, war and feminism, as she was for her music – in 1992, she infamously tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II on Saturday Night Live to protest against abuse in the Catholic Church.<\/p>\n
O’Connor converted to Islam in 2018 and changed her name to Shuhada Sadaqat, but still performed under her old name. Throughout her career she recorded 10 studio albums and was nominated for eight Grammys – winning in 1991 for best alternative musical performance for I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got.<\/p>\n
She died at the age of 56, her family confirmed, with musicians from Bryan Adams to Ian Brown, as well as Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, paying tribute.<\/p>\n
Obituary: Unapologetic and impossible to ignore<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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Known for his performances with a range of stars from Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga, legendary pop and jazz singer Tony Bennett<\/strong> sold millions of records around the world and won 20 Grammys, including a lifetime achievement award.<\/p>\nOne of the last of America’s great crooners, he released his first album in his mid-20s in 1952 and went on to chart in the US in every subsequent decade of his life.<\/p>\n
Described by Sinatra as “the best singer in the business”, Bennett kept on performing well into his 90s, even after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. His 2011 duet with Amy Winehouse, Body And Soul, was the last song she recorded before her death.<\/p>\n
With more than 70 albums to his name, he is perhaps the only artist ever to have had new albums charting in the US in the 1950s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s – and in 2014, he broke his own record as the oldest living artist to hit the top of the weekly Billboard 200 album chart.<\/p>\n
He died at the age of 96, with Lada Gaga among the many paying tribute. “I will miss my friend forever,” she wrote. “I will miss singing with him, recording with him, talking with him, being on stage together.<\/p>\n
Obituary: How words from idol Sinatra changed his career<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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British-French actress and singer Jane Birkin <\/strong>was the woman who inspired the Hermes Birkin designer handbag, who was best known for her hit single Je t’aime… moi non plus”, with her former partner Serge Gainsbourg.<\/p>\nHer acting credits included the 1966 film Blow Up, in which she controversially appeared naked in a threesome sex scene, and crime comedy Kaleidoscope that same year. She also starred in a 1978 adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile and mystery film Evil Under the Sun in 1982.<\/p>\n
French President Emmanuel Macron led the tributes following her death at 76, writing on social media: “Because she embodied freedom, because she sang the most beautiful words of our language, Jane Birkin was a French icon.<\/p>\n
“A complete artist, her voice was as sweet as her engagements were fiery. She bequeaths us tunes and images that will never leave us.”<\/p>\n
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