We look back on the stars we lost in 2024, including Kris Kristofferson, Liam Payne, Teri Garr, Shannen Doherty, and Pete Rose.
Below, we look back at those we lost in 2024.John Amos, 84
John Amos delivered legendary performances on TV and in movies for over five decades.
After starting his acting career playing weatherman Gordon “Gordy” Howard on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”, his career took off with memorable roles like James Evans Sr. on “Good Times” and Kunta Kinte in the landmark miniseries “Roots”, the latter of which earned him an Emmy nomination.
He also appeared in films like “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song”, “The Beastmaster”, and “Die Hard 2”, and even made a surprise cameo opposite Adam Sandler in “Uncut Gems.”
But his most memorable performance was as Cleo McDowell in Eddie Murphy’s beloved comedy “Coming to America.”
Amos died on August 21 of natural causes.John Ashton, 76
Ashton made memorable turns as the grumpy LAPD sergeant in the “Beverly Hills Cop” movies, a concerned father in “Some Kind of Wonderful”, and a stubborn bounty hunter in “Midnight Run.”
Along with his work in movies, he also appeared in numerous TV shows over the ’70s and ’80s, including “Dallas”, “The A-Team”, and “M*A*S*H.”
Ashton died on September 26 of cancer.Frankie Beverly, 77
Beverly’s iconic R&B music was a staple for decades.
The lead singer, songwriter, producer, and founder of the band Frankie Beverly and Maze, the group was responsible for such hits as “Before I Let Go”, “Joy and Pain”, and “Happy Feelin’s.”
“Before I Let Go” would be covered by Beyoncé for her 2019 album “Homecoming.”
Beverly died on September 10. No cause was given.Seth Binzer (aka Shifty Shellshock)
With his tattoos, frosted tips, and high energy, Crazy Town lead singer Shifty Shellshock was the epitome of the late 1990s-early 2000s rap-rock front man.
With that also came a hit song: 1999’s “Butterfly”, which hit No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and was a staple on the radio and MTV’s “Total Request Live.”
By 2003, the band had disbanded, and despite an attempt to reunite a few years later, Crazy Town was relegated to one-hit-wonder status.
Shifty Shellshock, whose real name is Seth Binzer, appeared on the first season of VH1’s “Celebrity Rehab” in 2007 and the spin-off “Celebrity Rehab Presents Sober House” a few years later.
Binzer died at his home in Los Angeles on June 24 from an accidental drug overdose, according to his manager.Eric Carmen, 74
Carmen was a rock ballad king whose songs still get constant play to this day.
“All by Myself” was a hit in the mid-1970s. It became an even bigger hit when Celine Dion did her own rendition in 1996.
The Grammy-nominated “Almost Paradise” from the soundtrack to the hit 1984 movie “Footloose” became a staple at school dances and weddings.
Carmen repeated the feat when his song “Hungry Eyes” showed up on the soundtrack for the 1987 classic “Dirty Dancing.”
Carmen’s death was announced on his website on March 12, stating he “passed away in his sleep, over the weekend.” No cause was given.Roberto Cavalli, 83
The Italian fashion designer was known for his flamboyant designs and game-changing innovations.
Cavalli’s use of leopard prints beginning in the 1970s became one of his trademarks. His revolutionary method of printing leather and patchwork denim was beloved by everyone from Madonna to Gwyneth Paltrow.
Cavalli died on April 12. No cause of death was given.
Bill Cobbs, 90
From playing the concerned manager opposite Whitney Houston in “The Bodyguard” to the kind-hearted coach in “Air Bud”, Bill Cobbs’ ability to play the voice of reason in his roles made him a memorable character actor for decades.
Cobbs’ other titles include “The Color of Money”, “New Jack City”, “The Hudsucker Proxy”, “Demolition Man”, and “Night at the Museum.”
He died at his home in California on June 25 following a recent bout of pneumonia.Dabney Coleman, 92
Dabney Coleman became a captivating scene stealer in the 1980s thanks to his gruff demeanor and booming voice. Whether he was playing the mean boss opposite Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin in 1980’s “9 to 5”, or the nasty TV producer in “Tootsie”, or chasing Matthew Broderick in “WarGames”, Coleman had a talent for playing the heel.
The Emmy winner most recently starred in the HBO hit series Boardwalk Empire from 2011 to 2014 and a 2019 episode of Yellowstone.
Coleman died on May 16. No cause was given.
Eleanor Coppola, 87
As the wife of Francis Ford Coppola, Eleanor had to navigate the stress and complexities of living with one of the greatest directors of all time.
She channeled that by filming her husband while he made his landmark 1979 Vietnam movie “Apocalypse Now.”
Her documentary, “Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse”, has gone down as one of the most honest accounts of the making of a movie.
Eleanor died on April 12. No cause of death was given.Roger Corman, 98
To say Roger Corman was the king of B-movies is too simple of a characterization.
For decades, Corman made ultra-low-budget genre movies that featured everything from cheesy monsters to crazed bikers. Corman-produced titles almost always made a profit, and many of them became proving grounds for the directors and actors who would go on to change Hollywood.
After directing the 1967 acid-trip fantasia “The Trip” starring Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda and written by Jack Nicholson, the trio went on to make “Easy Rider”, which would usher in the New Hollywood era of the 1970s.
Corman also produced titles directed by then-unknowns like Francis Ford Coppola, James Cameron, and Martin Scorsese before they went on to mainstream studio success.
Corman died on May 9 at his home in Santa Monica, Calif., surrounded by family members.Gavin Creel, 48
Known for his energetic performances, Creel was a fixture on Broadway. He won a Tony in 2017 for his performance as Cornelius Hackl in the revival of “Hello, Dolly!”, which was headlined by Bette Midler.
His other credits include recent runs of “Thoroughly Modern Millie”, “Hair”, and “Into the Woods.”
Creel died on September 30 after being diagnosed with metastatic melanotic peripheral nerve sheath sarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer, in July.Shannen Doherty, 53
It was hard to separate the characters Shannen Doherty played from who she was in real life, and that genuine quality led to her becoming an icon to a generation growing up in the 1990s.
Teens were glued to their TV sets every week to see the latest drama on “Beverly Hills, 90210” between Doherty’s character Brenda Walsh and heartthrob Dyan McKay (played by Luke Perry, who died in 2019).
The on-screen drama spilled into Doherty’s personal life, with tabloids chasing her to find who she was dating; she ultimately left “90210” after season four.
Though her star would never return to the heights of her “90210” days (she reprised her role for the revival series “BH90210”, which lasted for one season), Doherty worked steadily, starring in the popular series “Charmed”, making an appearance on “Dancing with the Stars”, and appearing in a TV reboot of the 1988 cult classic “Heathers” after starring in the original movie.
Doherty was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015; two years later she announced it was in remission. In 2019, it returned and spread to her brain.
She died on July 13 due to cancer, according to her publicist.Phil Donahue, 88
Before there was Oprah Winfrey, Geraldo Rivera, or Jerry Springer, there was Phil Donahue.
For close to 30 years, he ruled daytime talk with “The Phil Donahue Show”, asking the biggest celebrities probing questions about everything from politics to abortion.
Donahue’s style of mixing his own running commentary with questions from audience members became the blueprint for talk shows going forward. His efforts led to 11 Daytime Emmy wins.
Donahue died on August 18 following a long illness.Shelley Duvall, 75
With her striking features and formidable acting talent, Shelley Duvall was born to be on the big screen.
A muse of Robert Altman, Duvall appeared in seven of his films, including “Nashville”, in which she played teen groupie, “L.A. Joan”, and “Popeye”, as Olive Oyl.
The two-time Emmy nominee also became a horror icon when she starred opposite Jack Nicholson in Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining.”
Duvall died on July 11 due to complications from diabetes.Joe Flaherty, 82
As one of the original cast members of the Canadian sketch comedy show “SCTV” in the late 1970s, Joe Flaherty — alongside the likes of John Candy, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Dave Thomas, Andrea Martin, Martin Short, and Rick Moranis — created a brand of comedy that was edgier and more outlandish than their competition “Saturday Night Live.”
In later decades, Flaherty made scene-stealing appearances as the Western Union worker who gives Marty McFly the 70-year-old letter from Doc Brown in “Back to the Future Part II” and the heckler Donald in “Happy Gilmore.”
He was also a regular on TV through the decades, with roles in “Married… with Children”, “Freaks and Geeks”, and “The King of Queens.”
Flaherty died on April 1 following a brief illness.Teri Garr, 79
Through the 1970s and 1980s, Teri Garr showed her range as a budding star. 1974 marked her breakout year, as she starred in two very different movies. In Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Conversation”, Garr gave a beautifully subtle performance as a woman ending her relationship with the main character, played by Gene Hackman. She then showed her comedic side playing the female lead opposite Gene Wilder in Mel Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein.”
From there, Garr landed roles in “Oh God!” opposite John Denver, Steven Spielberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, “Tootsie” opposite Dustin Hoffman (for which she earned an Oscar nomination), and the female lead opposite Michael Keaton in “Mr. Mom.”
Garr died on October 29 after battling multiple sclerosis since 1999.Louis Gossett Jr.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Louis Gossett Jr. made his stage debut at 17. After building his craft onstage through the 1960s, Gossett Jr. made the jump to screen and in 1977 was cast in the acclaimed miniseries “Roots” opposite the likes of Ben Vereen, LeVar Burton, and John Amos. He went on to win an Emmy for his performance as Fiddler.
He was nominated for seven more Emmys after that, most recently in 2020 for playing William Reeves in the HBO limited series “Watchmen.”
He made history in 1983 when he won an Oscar for best supporting actor for his portrayal of the strict drill instructor Emil Foley in “An Officer and a Gentleman.” It would mark the first time a Black actor won the prize in that category.
Gossett Jr. went on to star in hit movies and TV shows like “The Principal”, “Toy Soldiers”, “Iron Eagle”, and “Boardwalk Empire.”
Gossett Jr. died on March 29. No cause was given.Cissy Houston, 91
Emily “Cissy” Houston, the Grammy award-winning singer and mother of Whitney Houston, died on Monday at 91.
The soul singer was surrounded by family while in hospice, Gwendolyn Quinn, a representative for Whitney Houston’s estate, told Business Insider.
Cissy Houston had Alzheimer’s disease, according to a statement from Quinn.
“Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness. We lost the matriarch of our family”, Houston’s daughter-in-law Pat Houston said in a statement shared with BI. “Mother Cissy has been a strong and towering figure in our lives.
“A woman of deep faith and conviction, who cared greatly about family, ministry, and community”, the statement continued. “Her more than seven-decade career in music and entertainment will remain at the forefront of our hearts.”
Cissy Houston got her musical start at church before joining her siblings in a family gospel act. She gained commercial success in the 1960s as part of The Sweet Inspirations, a backing group that sang for soul singers like Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, and Elvis Presley.
She later pursued a solo career and recorded hundreds of songs throughout her career as a popular session singer.
Cissy Houston frequently sang with her daughter, including backup on Whitney Houston’s successful first album.
Tito Jackson, 70
Jackson was one of the original members of The Jackson Five.
The group comprised his brothers Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael. They found fame as kids in the 1960s thanks to hits like “Big Boy”, “I Want You Back”, “ABC”, “The Love You Save”, and “I’ll Be There.”
They would go on to sell millions of albums and perform alongside their famous brother Michael once he launched his solo career.
