Dolly Parton
(Singer)
Wikimedia Commons / RCA Records
19 January 1946 – 25 August 2026 (Aged 80)
Dolly Parton was an American singer, songwriter, actress, businesswoman and philanthropist, universally known as the “Queen of Country”.
Born one of twelve children into a poor family in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee, she rose from humble beginnings to global stardom.
Parton arrived in Nashville the day after graduating from High School in 1964. After starting her laundry in the Laundromat, she caught the eye of Carl Dean driving by, who started a conversation with her that led to a marriage that lasted until Dean’s death in March, 2025.
Dolly first found success as a songwriter before launching a recording career that spanned some seven decades.
Her many hits included “Jolene”, “Coat of Many Colors” and “9 to 5”, while her song “I Will Always Love You” later became a worldwide smash for Whitney Houston. She also became a film star, appearing in 9 to 5 and Steel Magnolias.
Parton built a business empire that included her Dollywood theme park in Tennessee. Through her Imagination Library she gave away many millions of free books to children around the world.
She won 11 Grammy Awards, sold more than 100 million records and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. Beloved for her warmth, wit and generosity, she was one of the most cherished figures in American culture.
Parton died at her home in Nashville, Tennessee, on 25 August 2026 after a brief battle with cancer; she was 80.
Robert Duvall
(Actor)
Wikimedia Commons / Josh Jensen
5 January 1931 – 15 February 2026 (Aged 95)
Robert Duvall was an American actor of remarkable range and dedication, widely regarded as one of the finest of his generation.
Born in San Diego, California, he made his film debut as the reclusive Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962).
Duvall became closely associated with director Francis Ford Coppola, playing the consigliere Tom Hagen in the first two Godfather films. He also delivered one of cinema’s most quoted lines as Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore in Apocalypse Now.
He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for Tender Mercies (1983), one of seven Oscar nominations across his career. His many other films included The Great Santini, The Natural and The Apostle, which he also wrote and directed.
Duvall was widely admired for his role as the cattle-drive boss in the acclaimed television miniseries Lonesome Dove. He received the National Medal of Arts in 2005. His career spanned more than six decades.
Duvall died peacefully at his home in Middleburg, Virginia, on 15 February 2026 at the age of 95.
Chuck Norris
(Actor & Martial Artist)
Wikimedia Commons / Corporal Lynn Murillo
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10 March 1940 – 19 March 2026 (Aged 86)
Chuck Norris was an American martial artist and actor who became one of the most recognisable action stars in the world.
Born in Oklahoma, he served in the United States Air Force before taking up martial arts.
Norris became a champion karate competitor and helped popularise the martial arts in the United States. He made an early screen impression fighting Bruce Lee in The Way of the Dragon (1972).
He went on to star in a string of hit action films, including the Missing in Action series and The Delta Force. He reached his greatest fame as Texas Ranger Cordell Walker in the long-running television series Walker, Texas Ranger.
His tough-guy image made him a cultural icon, later celebrated through countless internet “Chuck Norris facts” jokes. He was also an author and a prominent conservative public figure.
He remained an enduring symbol of strength and self-discipline.
Norris died in Hawaii on 19 March 2026 at the age of 86.
Ted Turner
(Media Mogul)
Wikimedia Commons / John Mathew Smith
19 November 1938 – 6 May 2026 (Aged 87)
Ted Turner was an American media entrepreneur and philanthropist who transformed the television industry.
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, he took over his father’s billboard advertising business at the age of 24 and expanded into broadcasting.
Turner pioneered the cable “superstation” concept with his Atlanta station, WTBS. In 1980 he founded CNN, the world’s first 24-hour cable news channel, revolutionising how news was delivered.
He owned the Atlanta Braves baseball team and the Atlanta Hawks basketball team. A keen yachtsman, he won sailing’s America’s Cup in 1977.
He was named Time magazine’s Man of the Year in 1991 and was for a time married to the actress Jane Fonda.
He became a major philanthropist and conservationist, pledging a landmark billion-dollar gift to support the United Nations. He sold his Turner Broadcasting empire to Time Warner in 1996.
Turner died on 6 May 2026 at the age of 87, having lived with dementia in his later years.
Jesse Jackson
(Civil Rights Leader)
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8 October 1941 – 17 February 2026 (Aged 84)
The Reverend Jesse Jackson was an American civil rights leader, Baptist minister and politician, one of the most prominent activists of his era.
Born in Greenville, South Carolina, he became a protégé of Martin Luther King Jr. and was present when King was assassinated in 1968.
Jackson rose to national prominence through his work in the civil rights movement. He founded the organisations Operation PUSH and the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, campaigning for social justice and economic opportunity.
In 1984 and again in 1988 he ran for the Democratic presidential nomination, breaking new ground for a Black candidate. He became a powerful and eloquent voice for the marginalised, both at home and abroad.
Jackson negotiated the release of hostages and prisoners in several international crises. He was a familiar presence at the heart of American political and social life for decades. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2000.
Jackson died in Chicago on 17 February 2026 at the age of 84.
David Hockney
(Painter)
Wikimedia Commons / Connaissance des Arts
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9 July 1937 – 12 June 2026 (Aged 88)
David Hockney was a British painter widely regarded as one of the most influential artists of his time.
Born in Bradford, in the north of England, he became a leading figure of the pop art movement in the 1960s.
After moving to California, he became famous for his vivid paintings of Los Angeles swimming pools, most iconically A Bigger Splash.
Hockney was also celebrated for his portraits, his sweeping Yorkshire landscapes and his experiments with photography. In his later years he embraced digital tools, creating acclaimed drawings on his iPad. He worked across many mediums, including stage design for opera.
His bold use of colour and constant reinvention kept him at the forefront of contemporary art for six decades. He divided his time between England, California and Normandy. He was appointed to the Order of Merit, one of Britain’s highest honours.
Hockney died at his home in London on 12 June 2026 at the age of 88.
Sam Neill
(Actor)
14 September 1947 – 13 July 2026 (Aged 78)
Sam Neill was a New Zealand actor whose distinguished career spanned five decades.
Born in Omagh, Northern Ireland, he grew up in New Zealand and began his career there before winning international roles.
Neill achieved worldwide fame as the palaeontologist Dr. Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster Jurassic Park (1993). He reprised the role in later films in the franchise.
His other acclaimed films included The Piano, The Hunt for Red October and Dead Calm. On television he starred in Reilly, Ace of Spies and, more recently, Peaky Blinders.
Away from acting, he was also a respected winemaker in New Zealand. Admired for his warmth and versatility, he worked steadily throughout his life.
He had recently overcome a serious blood cancer through a pioneering treatment and was cancer-free.
Neill died of pneumonia in Sydney, Australia, on 13 July 2026 at the age of 78.
Tim Curry
(Actor)
Wikimedia Commons / Alan Light
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19 April 1946 – 25 August 2026 (Aged 80)
Tim Curry was an English actor and singer celebrated for his flamboyant, theatrical performances.
Born in Cheshire, England, he trained for the stage and became known for playing memorable villains and larger-than-life characters.
Curry created the role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the stage musical The Rocky Horror Show and reprised it in the cult 1975 film. That performance turned him into an enduring cult icon.
His many other roles included the scheming butler in the comedy Clue and the terrifying clown Pennywise in the television adaptation of Stephen King’s It.
He also appeared in Home Alone 2, Legend and Annie, and did extensive voice work. He enjoyed a long and varied career across film, television and theatre.
Curry continued to perform and record even after suffering a stroke in 2012, which left him using a wheelchair. He remained much loved by audiences and fellow performers alike.
Curry died at his home in Los Angeles on 25 August 2026 at the age of 80.
Catherine O’Hara
(Actress)
Wikimedia Commons / Jerry Avenaim
4 March 1954 – 30 January 2026 (Aged 71)
Catherine O’Hara was a Canadian-American actress and comedian whose career spanned more than fifty years.
Born in Toronto, she honed her craft with the Second City comedy troupe.
O’Hara became a star of the influential Canadian sketch series SCTV, for which she also won an Emmy for writing. She was beloved as the overbearing Delia Deetz in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice (1988).
O’Hara reached a huge audience as Kate McCallister, the frantic mother in Home Alone (1990) and its sequel. She was a mainstay of Christopher Guest’s improvised comedies, including Best in Show and Waiting for Guffman.
Late in her career she won an Emmy for her role as the flamboyant Moira Rose in the acclaimed sitcom Schitt’s Creek.
She was widely regarded as one of the great comic actors of her generation. She was also honoured as an Officer of the Order of Canada.
O’Hara died near Los Angeles on 30 January 2026 of a pulmonary embolism; she was 71.
Bonnie Tyler
(Singer)
Wikimedia Commons / Nadir Chanyshev
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8 June 1951 – 8 July 2026 (Aged 75)
Bonnie Tyler was a Welsh singer known for her powerful, husky voice and dramatic rock ballads.
Born Gaynor Hopkins in Skewen, Wales, she began her career singing in local clubs.
Tyler achieved her first international hit in the late 1970s with “It’s a Heartache”. Her signature song, the epic 1983 power ballad “Total Eclipse of the Heart”, topped charts around the world.
She scored another enduring hit with “Holding Out for a Hero”. Her distinctive raspy voice became instantly recognisable to fans across generations.
Tyler continued to record and tour for decades, remaining especially popular across Europe. She represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2013. She remained an active and much-loved performer late in life.
Tyler died unexpectedly in hospital in Faro, Portugal, on 8 July 2026 at the age of 75, after an illness.
Neil Sedaka
(Singer)
13 March 1939 – 27 February 2026 (Aged 86)
Neil Sedaka was an American singer, songwriter and pianist, one of the most successful pop songwriters of the rock-and-roll era.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, he was a classically trained pianist before turning to popular music.
Together with lyricist Howard Greenfield, he wrote a string of hits in the late 1950s and 1960s. His best-known songs included “Oh! Carol”, “Calendar Girl” and “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do”.
Sedaka staged a major comeback in the 1970s with hits such as “Laughter in the Rain” and “Bad Blood”. He also wrote hit songs for many other artists.
His melodic gift and craftsmanship influenced generations of pop songwriters. He was nominated for several Grammy Awards over his long career. He continued to perform and record into his later years.
Sedaka died on 27 February 2026 at the age of 86.
Honourable mentions…