Celebrity deaths in 2023: Remembering the stars we lost

As the year draws to a close, these are some of the celebrities who died in the last 12 months:

January

Grammy-winning guitarist Jeff Beck, known for his work with the Yardbirds and the Jeff Beck Group, died on January 10 at the age of 78 after contracting bacterial meningitis.

Lisa Marie Presley, singer and daughter of Elvis Presley, was 54 when she died on January 12 of complications from bariatric surgery – a weight loss procedure – she had several years ago.

February

Grammy and Oscar-winning songwriter and musician Burt Bacharach, who was responsible for hundreds of popular songs including I Say A Little Prayer, Walk On By and Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head, died of natural causes on February 8 aged 94.

March

US actor Lance Reddick, best known for starring in The Wire and the John Wick franchise alongside Keanu Reeves, died from natural causes on March 17 aged 60.

British comedian and TV presenter Paul O’Grady, known for breaking into the mainstream broadcasting landscape with his alter ego Lily Savage and for his charity work around animals and Aids, died “unexpectedly but peacefully” at the age of 67 on March 28.

April

S Club 7 star Paul Cattermole, who was a founding member of the 1990s pop group, died of natural causes on April 6 aged 46.

Australian stage and screen veteran Barry Humphries, who died on April 22 aged 89, was best known for his satirical characters including Dame Edna Everage during a seven-decade career entertaining generations of fans.

Dancer and choreographer Len Goodman, who acted as head judge on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing and the US equivalent Dancing With The Stars and became synonymous with his catchphrase “Seven”, died from bone cancer on April 22 aged 78.

And US broadcaster and politician Jerry Springer, who served as a campaign adviser to Robert F Kennedy but is best remembered for hosting The Jerry Springer Show from 1991 until 2018, died aged 79 on April 27 after a brief illness.

Glasgow-born chef Jock Zonfrillo died at the age of 46 on April 30, having struggled with addiction as a teenager before rising to become one of Australia’s best-known TV figures, presenting MasterChef Australia since 2019.

May

Disgraced entertainer Rolf Harris, who was a family favourite for decades before being convicted of a string of indecent assaults in 2014, died of neck cancer and “frailty of old age” on May 10 aged 93.

The Smiths’ bassist Andy Rourke, who had a string of hits in the 1980s with songs like Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now and Girlfriend In A Coma, died after a lengthy illness with pancreatic cancer on May 19 aged 59.

British literary giant Sir Martin Amis, who was given a knighthood before his death from cancer at the age of 73 on May 19, was best-known for novels Money and London Fields, and he was longlisted twice for the Booker Prize.

US singer Tina turner, one of rock’s most famous voices who had hits including Proud Mary and The Best and won eight Grammy Awards, died at the age of 83 on May 24 after a long illness.

June

Julian Sands, best known for his role in the 1985 romantic period drama A Room With A View, prompted a five-month manhunt after he went missing in the San Gabriel Mountains in southern California where his remains were found by hikers in June. He was 65.

Two-time Oscar winner Glenda Jackson, who also won two Emmy Awards and a Tony and served as a Labour MP for 23 years, died on June 15 aged 87 after a brief illness.

July

Irish singer-songwriter Sinead O’Connor, who was propelled to international stardom in 1990 with her version of the hit ballad Nothing Compares 2 U, died on July 26 aged 56.

American crooner and jazz singer Tony Bennett, who released more than 70 albums during his career which won him a host of Grammys, died at the age of 96 on July 21 – seven years after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Paul Reubens, best known for his on-screen character Pee-wee Herman who championed non-conformity, died aged 70 on July 30 after a six-year struggle with cancer that he did not make public.

August

This Is Us star Ron Cephas Jones, who won two Emmy Awards for his role as a long-lost father who finds redemption on the hit TV series, died at the age of 66 after a long-standing pulmonary issue on August 19.

September

Dublin-born star of stage and screen Sir Michael Gambon, who won four TV Baftas and played Albus Dumbledore in six of the eight Harry Potter films, died on September 27 at the age of 82.

October

Pic: Ian West/PA

The death of Friends star Matthew Perry, who played Chandler Bing in the hit US sitcom, was ruled an accident from the “acute effects of ketamine” after he was found “unresponsive in the pool” at his home on October 28 at the age of 54.

November

The Pogues star Shane MacGowan, who led the Irish punk band best known for their festive song Fairytale Of New York, died on November 30 aged 65 – a year after he was diagnosed with encephalitis where the brain becomes inflamed.

December

Two-time Emmy winning actor Andre Braugher, who starred in Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Homicide: Life On The Street, died from lung cancer at the age of 61 on December 11.