2017 has been a whirlwind of a year, and while we are reaching the final stretches, it’s hard not to look back at all of the celebrities we have lost. Some from old age, some from medical complications, some completely out of left field, but all way too early. Let’s look at the Celebrities we lost in 2017.
Tom Petty
Tom Petty, whose Florida-bred quintet the Heartbreakers was one of the defining arena-rock acts of the 1970s with hits like “Breakdown,” died of a heart attack Oct. 2, the longtime manager of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers confirmed. He was 66.
Hugh Hefner
Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner died on Sept. 27 at the Playboy Mansion in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of West Los Angeles. He was 91.
Harry Dean Stanton
Harry Dean Stanton, the actor with a gaunt, bedraggled look who labored in virtual obscurity for decades until a series of roles increased his visibility, including his breakthrough in Wim Wenders’ “Paris, Texas,” died of natural causes on Sept. 15. He was 91.
Jay Thomas
Actor Jay Thomas, best known for his roles in the classic sitcoms “Murphy Brown” and “Cheers,” died after a battle with cancer at the age of 69.
Jerry Lewis
erry Lewis, the brash slapstick comic who teamed with Dean Martin in the 1950s and later starred in “The Nutty Professor” and “The Bellboy” before launching the Muscular Dystrophy telethon, has died in Las Vegas. He was 91.
Dick Gregory
Dick Gregory, the pioneering standup comedian and civil rights activist who made his advocacy work a key component of his on-stage persona, died Aug. 19 in Washington, D.C. He was 84.
Glen Campbell
Country legend Glen Campbell, whose crossover hits “Gentle on My Mind,” “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” and “Rhinestone Cowboy” forged a lasting bridge between country and pop music, died August 8.. He was 81.
John Heard
John Heard, best known as Peter McAllister in the “Home Alone” movies who appeared in a wide range of TV and film roles, died on July 21. He was 71.
Chester Bennington
Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington was found dead on July 20. The coroner later confirmed his death as suicide by hanging. He was 41.
Nelsan Ellis
“True Blood” star Nelsan Ellis died after complications from heart failure on July 8. He was 39.
Michael Nyqvist
Swedish actor Michael Nyqvist, who starred in the original “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” films alongside Noomi Rapace, died on June 27 following a battle with lung cancer. He was 56.
Prodigy
Prodigy, the rapper best known for his work as half of long-running New York duo Mobb Deep, died in Las Vegas on June 20, after a hospitalization due to complications from sickle-cell anemia. He was 42.
John Avildsen
John G. Avildsen, who won an Oscar for directing the original “Rocky” (1976), starring Sylvester Stallone, and also directed all three of the original “Karate Kid” films, died on June 16. He was 81.
Adam West
Adam West, an actor defined and also constrained by his role in the 1960s series “Batman,” died on June 9 in Los Angeles after a short battle with leukemia. He was 88.
Glenne Headly
Emmy-nominated actress Glenne Headly died on June 8 at age 62.
Roger Moore
Roger Moore, the English actor who appeared in seven films as James Bond — the most of any Bond actor — died in Switzerland after a short battle with cancer, his family annouced on May 23. He was 89.
Roger Ailes
Roger Ailes, a towering figure in TV news and politics whose long run was tarnished by the sexual harassment scandal that forced him out last year as head of Fox News, died May 18. He was 77.
Chris Cornell
Chris Cornell died by suicide on May 18 in Detroit after performing with his longtime band Soundgarden the night before. He was 52.
Brad Grey
Brad Grey, the former Paramount Pictures chairman and CEO, died on May 14 of cancer. He was 59
Powers Boothe
Powers Boothe, a prolific character actor on the small and big screen, died May 14 in Los Angeles. He was 68.
Christopher “Big Black” Boykin
Christopher “Big Black” Boykin, half of MTV’s “Rob & Big” duo, died on May 9. He was 45.
Mary Tyler Moore
TV icon Mary Tyler Moore — the star of “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” — died on Jan. 25. She was 80.
Don Rickles
Abrasive comic Don Rickles, the honorary Rat Pack member and celebrity roast guest whose career spanned six decades, died on April 6. He was 90.
Charlie Murphy
Charlie Murphy, a performer on “The Chappelle Show” and Eddie Murphy’s older brother, died after a battle with leukemia on April 12. He was 57.
Bill Paxton
Bill Paxton, the versatile actor who appeared in films including “Aliens” and “Titanic,” and played a polygamist on HBO’s “Big Love,” died on Feb. 25 from complications following heart surgery. He was 61.
Paul O’Neill
Rock producer Paul O’Neill, who founded the progressive American rock band Trans-Siberian Orchestra, died on April 5. He was 61.
Erin Moran
The actress who played Joanie Cunningham on the 1970s sitcom “Happy Days” died on April 22. She was 56.
Miguel Ferrer
“NCIS: Los Angeles” and “Crossing Jordan” actor Miguel Ferrer died on Jan. 19 from throat cancer. He at 61.
Chuck Berry
Singer-songwriter-guitarist Chuck Berry, the rock ‘n’ roll pioneer who established the form and the themes of the music with his slyly funny, rhythmically propulsive ’50s hits, such as “Maybellene,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” and “Johnny B. Goode,” died on March 18. He was 90.
Darlene Cates
Darlene Cates, known for playing the mother in “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” died on March 26. She was 69.
Richard Hatch
Richard Hatch, star of the original “Battlestar Galactica” and the Syfy remake, died on Feb. 7. He was 71.
John Hurt
John Hurt, the wiry English actor who played a drug addict in “Midnight Express,” Kane in “Alien,” the title character in “The Elephant Man,” and Winston Smith in “1984,” died on Jan. 25. He was 77.
Lola Albright
Lola Albright, who starred opposite Kirk Douglas in “Champion” and on “Peter Gunn,” died o
n March 23. She was 92.
Chuck Barris
Chuck Barris, who hosted “The Gong Show,” and created “The Dating Game” and “The Newlywed Game,” died on March 21. He was 87.
Robert Osborne
Film historian Robert Osborne, the effervescent primetime host of Turner Classic Movies since the cabler’s inception in 1994, died on March 6. He was 84.
Michael Mantenuto
Michael Mantenuto, a hockey player and actor who starred in Disney’s 2004 film “Miracle,” died on April 24. He was 35.
Joseph Wapner
Joseph Wapner, a retired judge who presided over “The People’s Court” for more than a decade, died at his home on Feb. 26. He was 97.
Neil Fingleton
Neil Fingleton, who played the colossal warrior Mag the Mighty on “Game of Thrones,” died from heart failure on Feb. 25. He was 36.
Butch Trucks
Butch Trucks, a drummer and founding member of the Allman Brothers Band, died on Jan. 24. He was 69.
Maggie Roche
Maggie Roche, a singer with the neo-folk trio The Roches, died on Jan. 21 from cancer. She was 65.
Dick Gautier
Dick Gautier, who played Hymie the Robot in “Get Smart” died on Jan. 13 from pneumonia. He was 85.
Jimmy Snuka
WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka died on Jan. 15 after battling stomach cancer. He was 73.
William Peter Blatty
William Peter Blatty, author of “The Exorcist,” died on Jan. 12. He was 89.
Tony Rosato
Tony Rosato, who starred on “Saturday Night Live” for one season, died on Jan. 10. He was 62.
Buddy Greco
Buddy Greco, “The Lady Is a Tramp” singer, died Jan. 10. He was 90.
Om Puri
Bollywood legend Om Puri died on Jan. 6 from a heart attack. He was 66.
Francine York
Francine York, “The Doll Squad” actress, died on Jan. 6. She was 80.
Bill Marshall
