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It was another difficult year in 2022, and the sadness extended to many beloved and groundbreaking people in the show business and media worlds who died during the past 12 months.
Scroll through a photo gallery above, which also includes the obituaries.
The acting world lost giants including Sidney Poitier and Angela Lansbury, along with such big names as James Caan, Anne Heche, Bob Saget, Kirstie Alley, Ray Liotta, Nichelle Nichols, William Hurt, Louise Fletcher, Robert Clary, Emilio Delgado, Sally Kellerman, Robbie Coltrane, Monica Vitti, Leslie Jordan, John Aniston, Tony Sirico, Charlbi Dean, Tony Dow, Irene Papas, Howard Hesseman and Seinfeld moms Estelle Harris and Liz Sheridan.
We also pay tribute to directors including Ivan Reitman, Peter Bogdanovich and Marvin J. Chomsky.
Musicians who left us this past year include Jerry Lee Lewis, Loretta Lynn, Olivia Newton-John, Meat Loaf, Ronnie Spector, Naomi Judd, Ramsey Lewis, Stephen “tWitch” Boss and Coolio. Many key players from popular bands also were lost in 2022, including Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie, Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins, The Ventures’ Don Wilson, Depeche Mode’s Andy Fletcher, Yes’ Alan White, Alabama’s Jeff Cook, Foreigner’s Ian MacDonald, The Specials’ Terry Hall, Procol Harum’s Gary Brooker, Nazareth’s Dan McCafferty and Manny Charlton, Public Image Ltd.’s Keith Levene, The Tubes’ Rick Anderson and Faithless’ Maxi Jazz.
Memorable songwriters Marilyn Bergman and Lamont Dozier also passed, and radio airwaves crackled less with the loss of P.J. O’Rourke, Ralph Emery and Michael Jackson.
Popular comedians we mourned this past year include Louie Anderson, Judy Tenuta, Gallagher and The Amazing Johnathan.
Two treasured members of the VFX community also died in Robert Blalack and Douglas Trumbull, as did comic book artists Tim Sale and Neil Adams.
The sports world also lost such all-time greats soccer’s Pelé, the NBA’s Bill Russell, golfer Kathy Whitworth, the NFL’s Len Dawson and Franco Harris and 67-year Dodgers announcer Vin Scully.
And the Flower Power era seems ever longer ago with the passing of Woodstock promoter Michael Lang and Hair co-creator/star James Rado.
Meanwhile, the world also mourned a pair of groundbreaking geopolitical figures in Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union.
And we at Deadline lost our founder and inspiration, Nikki Finke.
A toast to all of the legends and behind-the-scenes people who passed in 2022.
