PHOTOS: Showbiz mourns losses, from Luke Perry to Doris Day
Posted December 31, 2019 6:00 am
The world of entertainment said goodbye to some legends in 2019 - from ebullient musical comedy star Carol Channing to Carol Spinney, the man behind Big Bird.
There were farewells for British actor Albert Finney and U.S. TV pioneers Valerie Harper and Diahann Carroll. Hollywood paused to remember acting icons Peggy Lipton and Doris Day as well as Peter Mayhew, the towering actor, who played Chewbacca. 'œBoyz N the Hood'ť director John Singleton died in April after a stroke.
On Broadway, producing and directing titan Harold Prince was mourned, as was actress Phyllis Newman. The opera world lost a superstar in Jessye Norman.
The year also saw the untimely deaths of two young rappers - Nipsey Hussle and Juice WRLD. In the world of rock, singers and musicians Ric Ocasek and Eddie Money died. Fashion superstar Karl Lagerfeld, author Judith Krantz and TV star Luke Perry of "Beverly Hills, 90210" fame, also died in 2019.
This photo released by Bravo shows cooking contestant Fatima Ali during season 15 of the competition series, "Top Chef," on May 9, 2017. Ali died of cancer on Jan. 25. She was 29. (Tommy Garcia/Bravo via AP)
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Actor Rene Auberjonois appears at the International Myeloma Foundation 7th Annual Comedy Celebration in Los Angeles on Nov. 9, 2013. Auberjonois, a prolific actor best known for his roles on the television shows "Benson" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" died Dec. 8, at age 79. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
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Actress Kay Ballard poses in her home in New York in 1966. Ballard, a boisterous comedian, singer and actress, died on Jan. 21, at age 93. (AP Photo)
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Actor Cameron Boyce appears at WE Day California in Inglewood, Calif., on April 25, 2019. Boyce died unexpectedly from epilepsy on July 6. He was 20. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
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This 1972 image shows singer and actress Diahann Carroll. The Oscar-nominated actress who won critical acclaim as the first black woman to star in a non-servant role in a TV series, died on Oct. 4, at her home in Los Angeles after a long battle with cancer. She was 84. (AP Photo/Jean-Jacques Levy)
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Carol Channing acknowledges applause during the opening night curtain call for the Broadway revival of "Hello Dolly!" in New York on Oct. 19, 1995. The ebullient musical comedy star who delighted American audiences in almost 5,000 performances as the scheming Dolly Levi on Broadway and beyond, died on Jan. 15 at age 97. (AP Photo/Aubrey Reuben)
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Comedian Carol Burnett laughs with co-star Tim Conway during the taping of the final episode of "The Carol Burnett Show" in Los Angeles on March 19, 1978. Conway, who won four Emmy Awards on the TV variety show, starred in "McHale's Navy" and later voiced the role of Barnacle Boy for "Spongebob Squarepants," died on May 14. He was 85. (AP Photo/ George Brich)
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Singer-actress Doris Day, Cecil B. DeMille Award recipient, appears at the annual Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles. Day, who stood for the 1950s ideal of innocence and G-rated love, died May 13. She was 97. (AP Photo/Bob Galbraith)
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Toni Tennille, left, and Daryl Dragon, of the singing duo Captain & Tennille, pose during an interview in Washoe Valley, Nev. on Oct. 25, 1995. Dragon, who teamed with then-wife Tennille on such easy listening hits as "Love Will Keep Us Together" and "Muskrat Love," died on Jan. 2. He was 76. (AP Photo/David B. Parker)
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Actor-comedian Bob Einstein appears at the Los Angeles premiere of "Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind" on June 27, 2018. The comedy veteran known for "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" died on Jan. 2. He was 76. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
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Actress Georgia Engel, who played Georgette on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" appears at the Russian Tea Room in New York on Aug. 30, 1992. Engel, who amassed a string of other TV and stage credits, died on April 12 at age 70. (AP Photo/Malcolm Clarke)
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Paramount Pictures production chief Robert Evans talks about his film "Chinatown" in his office in Beverly Hills, Calif., in 1974. Evans, who helped shepherd films including "The Godfather" and "Harold and Maude" to the screen, died on Oct. 26. He was 89. (AP Photo/Jeff Robbins)
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British actor Albert Finney appears in London on Sept. 18, 1980. Finney, the Academy Award-nominated star of films "Tom Jones," "Erin Brockovich," and "Skyfall," died on Feb. 8 at age 82. (AP Photo)
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Actor Peter Fonda, star of the 1969 counterculture film "Easy Rider," poses atop a Harley-Davidson motorcycle in Glendale, Calif. The son of Hollywood legend Henry Fonda and brother of actress Jane Fonda, died on Aug. 16 at age 79. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
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This image released by Showtime shows, from left, Michael Horse, Robert Forster and Dana Ashbrook in a scene from the series "Twin Peaks." Forster, the handsome and omnipresent character actor who got a career resurgence and Oscar nomination for playing bail bondsman Max Cherry in "Jackie Brown," died of brain cancer on Oct. 11. He was 78. (Suzanne Tenner/Showtime via AP)
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Marie Fredriksson of the Swedish Pop band Roxette performs during a concert in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on April 16, 2011. Fredriksson, who sang many hits including "It Must Have Been Love" from the film "Pretty Woman," died on Dec. 9. She was 61. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)
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Social media celebrity Tardar Sauce, better known as Grumpy Cat, appears in Los Angeles on Dec. 1, 2015. The popular feline died on May 14 at age 7. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)
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Actor Sid Haig appears at Universal Studios Hollywood to celebrate "Halloween Horror Nights" on Sept. 23, 2011. Haig, the bearded character actor best known as Captain Spaulding in the "House of 1000 Corpses" trilogy, died on Sept. 21, after a recent fall in his home. He was 80. (AP Photo/Dan Krauss)
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South Korean singer Goo Hara appears at a press conference in Singapore on July 10, 2012. Hara was found dead in her home on Nov. 24. She was 28. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File)
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Actress Valerie Harper poses for a photo in Los Angeles on Feb. 5, 1990. Harper, who stole hearts and busted TV taboos as the brash, self-deprecating Rhoda Morgenstern on back-to-back hit sitcoms in the 1970s, died of cancer on Aug. 30. She was 80. (AP Photo/Julie Markes)
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Dutch actor Rutger Hauer arrives at the premiere of "Sin City" in Los Angeles on March 28, 2005. Hauer, who specialized in menacing roles, including a memorable turn as a murderous android in "Blade Runner" died at his home in the Netherlands on July 19. He was 75. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
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Actress Katherine Helmond poses for a portrait in Los Angeles on June 22, 1988. The Emmy-nominated and Golden Globe-winning actress who played matriarchs on the ABC sitcoms "Who's the Boss?" and "Soap," died on Feb. 23. She was 89. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
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Rapper Nipsey Hussle watches an NBA basketball game between the Golden State Warriors and the Milwaukee Bucks in Oakland, Calif. on March 29, 2018. The widely respected West Coast rapper was shot and killed outside his Los Angeles clothing store on March 31. He was 33. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
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Radio personality Don Imus speaks at Town Hall in New York on Dec. 3, 2007. Imus, whose career was made and then undone by his acid tongue after a decades-long rise in radio, died on Dec. 27. He was 79. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
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Dr. John performs during the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival on April 28, 2006. The New Orleans singer and piano player died on June 6 at age 77. (AP Photo/Jeff Christensen)
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Harvey Korman, right, of "The Carol Burnett Show," and Arte Johnson, of "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In," hold their Emmys for Outstanding Individual Achievements for a Variety Performance at the Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on June 8, 1969. Johnson died of heart failure in Los Angeles on July 3. He was 90. (AP Photo)
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Author Judith Krantz during an interview at her home in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles. Krantz, whose million-selling novels such as "Scruples" and "Princess Daisy," died on June 22 at age 91. (AP Photo/Deidre Hamill)
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Designer Karl Lagerfeld takes a bow at the end of his Metiers d'Art fashion show in Dallas on Dec. 10, 2013. Lagerfeld, whose trademark white ponytail, high starched collars and dark enigmatic glasses dominated high fashion for the last 50 years, died on Feb. 19. He was 85. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
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Actress Peggy Lipton arrives at the Stella McCartney Autumn 2018 Presentation in Los Angeles on Jan. 16, 2018. Lipton, a star of the groundbreaking late 1960s TV show "The Mod Squad" and the 1990s show "Twin Peaks," died of cancer at age 72 on May 11. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
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Actor Bill Macy appears in Los Angeles on April 27, 1987. Macy, who starred opposite Bea Arthur in the 1970s sitcom "Maude," died on Oct. 17. He was 97. (AP Photo/Lennox McLendon)
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Peter Mayhew arrives at the world premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in Los Angeles on Dec. 14, 2015. The towering actor, who played Chewbacca in the Star Wars films, died on April 30 at age 74. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
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Musician Eddie Money performs at the American Music Theatre in Lancaster, Pa., on Jan. 31, 2013. The rock star known for such hits as "Two Tickets to Paradise" and "Take Me Home Tonight," died of esophageal cancer on Sept. 13. He was 70. (Photo by Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP)
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Cast mates from the comedy "Will & Grace," from left, Shelley Morrison, Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Megan Mullally and Sean Hayes pose in the press room at the 52nd annual Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles. Morrison, who was best known for playing a memorable maid Rosario on "Will and Grace," died from heart failure on Dec. 1. She was 83. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
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Author Toni Morrison attends a conference at the Guadalajara's University in Guadalajara City, Mexico on Nov. 25, 2005. The pioneer and reigning giant of modern literature died on Aug. 5 at age 88. (AP Photo/Guillermo Arias)
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Actress Phyllis Newman arrives at the 63rd Annual Tony Awards in New York on June 7, 2009. Newman, a Tony Award-winning Broadway veteran who became the first woman to host "The Tonight Show" died on Sept. 15 at age 86. (AP Photo/Peter Kramer)
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American opera singer Jessye Norman performs on the Stravinski Hall stage at the 44th Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland on July 4, 2010. Norman died on Sept. 30, at age 74. (AP Photo/Keystone/Dominic Favre)
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Musician Ric Ocasek, of the group The Cars, appears at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York on Sept. 14, 1984. The Cars frontman whose deadpan vocal delivery and lanky, sunglassed look defined a rock era, died on Sept. 15 at age 75. (AP Photo)
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Luke Perry, a cast member in the CW series "Riverdale," poses for a portrait during the 2018 Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Aug. 6, 2018. Perry, who gained instant heartthrob status as wealthy rebel Dylan McKay on "Beverly Hills, 90210," died of a stroke on March 4 at age 52. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
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Actor Michael Pollard arrives at the American Film Institute Life Achievement Award dinner honoring Warren Beatty in Los Angeles on June 12, 2008. Pollard, who starred in the film "Bonnie and Clyde," died on Nov. 20 at age 80. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
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Andre Previn and actress Mia Farrow leave Carnegie Hall in New York after Previn conducted the London Symphony Orchestra on on April 30, 1969. The pianist, composer and conductor whose broad reach took in the worlds of Hollywood, jazz and classical music, died on Feb. 28. He was 89. (AP Photo/ETA)
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Harold Prince holds his award for best director in a musical for "Show Boat" at the Tony Awards in New York on June 4, 1995. Prince, who pushed the boundaries of musical theater and won a staggering 21 Tony Awards, died on July 31, after a brief illness. He was 91. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
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This photo released by ABC News shows political journalist Cokie Roberts in Washington. Roberts, who covered politics in Washington for ABC News and NPR over several decades, died of complications from breast cancer on Sept. 17. She was 75. (Randy Sager/ABC via AP)
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This image released by CBS shows Kristoff St. John who portrays Neil Winters on the CBS series "The Young and the Restless." St. John, who helped cement the prominence of major African-American characters in the traditionally white soap opera world, died of heart disease on Feb. 4. He was 52. (Sonja Flemming/CBS via AP)
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Director John Singleton arrives at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Sept. 9, 2017. A director who made one of Hollywood's most memorable debuts with the Oscar-nominated "Boyz N the Hood" died April 29 after suffering a stroke. He was 51. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
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Caroll Spinney, the puppeteer who plays the roles of Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on "Sesame Street," arrives holding the Oscar the Grouch puppet at the 33rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on April 28, 2006. Spinney died on dec. 8. He was 85. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
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In this Sept. 30, 2015, photo, South Korean pop star and actress Sulli poses during the K-Beauty Close-Up event in Seoul, South Korea. News reports on Monday, Oct. 14, 2019, say Sulli has been found dead at her home south of Seoul. (Jang Se-young/Newsis via AP)
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Rip Taylor arrives at the 16th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards in Los Angeles on Jan. 14, 2011. Taylor, the madcap, mustached comedian who became a television game show mainstay in the 1970s, died on Oct. 6. He was 88. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
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Peter Tork, center, of The Monkees, appears at the 19th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on June 4, 1967. Tork, who rocketed to teen idol fame in 1965 playing the lovably clueless bass guitarist in the made-for-television rock band, died of complications related to cancer on Feb. 21. He was 77. (AP Photo)
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Actor Rip Torn appears in Los Angeles on March 2, 1984. The free-spirited Texan who overcame his quirky name to become a distinguished actor in television, theater and movies, such as "Men in Black," and an Emmy for "The Larry Sanders Show," died on July 9. He was 88. (AP Photo/Wally Fong)
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Italian fashion designer Valentino, left, appears with French designer Emmanuel Ungaro after the presentation of his Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2008 collection, in Paris on Jan. 23, 2008. Ungaro, renowned for his use of vibrant colors, mixed prints and elegant draping, died Died Dec. 22 at the age of 86. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
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Fashion designer and artist Gloria Vanderbilt poses for a photo in Toronto's De Luca Fine Art Gallery at the launch of her first solo art show in Canada. on June 14, 2013. The intrepid heiress who began her extraordinary life as the "poor little rich girl" of the Great Depression, and survived family tragedy, multiple marriages and reigned during the 1970s and '80s as a designer jeans pioneer, died on June 17. she was 95. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Chris Young)
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Filmmaker Agnes Varda arrives at the Oscars in Los Angeles on March 4, 2018. The French New Wave pioneer who for decades beguiled, challenged and charmed moviegoers, died of cancer on March 29. She was 90. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
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Actor John Witherspoon poses at the Entertainment Studios' Daytime Emmy and series launch party in Los Angeles on June 19, 2012. The actor-comedian who memorably played Ice Cube's father in the "Friday" films, died on Oct. 29 at the age of 77. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
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Director-Producer Franco Zeffirelli appears in an April 15, 1983 photo. Zeffirelli died in Rome at the age of 96 on June 15. (AP Photo)
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