Notable entertainment deaths in 2021
January
January 4: actress Tanya Roberts, “Charlie’s Angels”, “That ’70s Show”, 65; actor Gregory Sierra, “Barney Miller”, 83
January 7: filmmaker Michael Apted, “Up”, “Coal Miner’s Daughter”, 79; rapper Deezer D, 55;
January 8: soap opera actress Diana Millay, 85
January 9: soap opera actor John Reilly, 86
January 11: Jazz musician Howard Johnson, 79
January 16: Music producer and convicted killer Phil Spector, 81
January 18: singer Jimmie Rogers, “Honeycomb”, “Kisses Sweeter than Wine”, 87
January 21: character actor Anthony Dawes, 92
January 23: actor Hal Holbrook, 95; Talk show host Larry King, 87
January 27: actress Cloris Leachman, 94
January 28: actress Cicely Tyson, 96
January 30: Rapper Double K, 43
February
February 1: Actor Dustin Diamond, played Screech in “Saved by the Bell”, aged 44
February 3: Jim Weatherly, wrote “Midnight Train to Georgia”, aged 77
February 5: actor Christopher Plummer, 91
February 8: singer Mary Wilson, original member of Supremes, 76
February 9: jazz musician Chick Corea, 79
February 10: Larry Flynt, Hustler editor, 78
February 14: singer-songwriter Ari Gold, 47
February 16: Fashion designer Jessica McClintock, 90
February 18: rapper Prince Markie Dee, 52
February 27: actress Erica Watson, 48
March
March 2: Reggae singer Bunny Wailer, 73
March 9: opera director James Levine, 77
March 14: actor Henry Darrow, 87
March 15: actor Yaphet Kotto, 81 years old
March 18: actor Richard Gilliland, 71
March 23: actor George Segal, 87
March 24: actress Jessica Walter, 80
March 25: actress muMs da Schemer, 52 years old; author Larry McMurtry, 84
March 26: author Beverly Cleary, 104
April
April 1: actor Biff McGuire, 94
April 2: R&B singer Quindon Tarver, 38
April 3: actress Gloria Henry, 98 years old
April 5: actor Paul Ritter, 54
April 7: actor James Hampton, 84; former “Saturday Night Live” writer Anne Beatts, 74
April 9: DMX rapper, 50 years old
April 16: actress Helen McCrory, 52
April 17: Rapper Black Rob, 52
April 19: songwriter Jim Steinman, 73
April 20: Les McKeown, former singer of the Bay City Rollers, 65
April 22: Rapper Shock G, 57
April 24: Opera singer Christa Ludwig, 93
April 28: spy novelist Jason Matthews, 69
April 29: Actress Billie Hayes, 96
Can
May 1: Oscar-winning actress Olympia Dukakis, 89
May 2: dancer Jacques d’Amboise, 86 years old
May 3: Lloyd Price, singer of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, 88 years old
May 6: Pervis Staples, member of the Staple Singers, 85
May 7: model / actress Tawny Kitaen, 59
May 11: actor Norman Lloyd, 106
May 18: actor Charles Grodin, 86 years old
May 19: comedian Paul Mooney, 79; folk singer and activist Alix Dobkin, 80; “The Office” actor Mark York, 55
May 23: children’s book writer / illustrator Eric Carle, 91
May 25: children’s book writer / illustrator Lois Ehlert, 86
May 27: first ballerina Carla Fracci, 84 years old
May 29: actor Gavin MacLeod, 90; singer BJ Thomas, 78
June
June 4: actor Clarence Williams III, 81
June 13: actor Ned Beatty, 83 years old
June 15: actress Lisa Barnes, 65
June 16: actor Frank Bonner, 79
June 26: John Langley, 78, creator of “Cops”
June 29: actor Stuart Damon, 84; 74-year-old hard rock singer John Lawton
July
July 5: director Richard Donner, 91; actor William Smith, 88
July 6: actress Suzzanne Douglas, 64
July 7: director Robert Downey Sr., 85; actor Dilip Kumar, 98; actor Chick Vennera, 74
July 9: drummer Andy Williams, 49
July 10: violinist Byron Berline, 77
July 11: actor Charlie Robinson, 75
July 16: rapper Biz Markie, 57; author and illustrator of children’s books Floyd Cooper, 65
July 17: Robert Steinhardt, former member of the Kansas band, 71
July 24: comedian Jackie Mason, 93
July 26: Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison, 46
July 28: Dusty Hill, ZZ Top bassist, 72; infomercial king Ron Popeil, 86; meringue icon Johnny Ventura, 81; actor Saginaw Grant, 85
July 31: actor Alvin Ing, 89
August
August 3: jazz pianist Robert Ringwald, 80
August 7: actress Markie Post, 70; actress Jane Withers, 95; Dennis Thomas, founding member of Kool & the Gang, 70
August 12: Actress Una Stubbs, 88
August 13: folk singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith, 68
August 19: portrait artist Chuck Close, 81
August 20: Country singer / songwriter Tom T. Hall, 85
August 21: singer / musician Don Everly, half of the Everly Brothers, 84
August 24: Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, 80
August 29: actor Ed Asner, 91
August 31: actor Michael Constantine, 94
September
September 4: “Today”, meteorologist Willard Scott, 78
September 5: singer Sarah Harding, 39
September 6: actor Michael K. Williams, 54; the actor Jean-Paul Belmondo, 88 years old; actor Anthony Johnson, 55
Sep 13: Jazz impresario George Wein, 95
September 14: comedian Norm McDonald, 61
September 16: actress Jane Powell, 92
Sep 20: singer Sarah Dash, co-founder of Labelle, 76
Sep 21: actor Willie Garson, 57; filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles, 89
October
October 4: “Late Show with David Letterman”, announcer Alan Kalter, 98 years old
October 5: “Haché Jr.†competitor Fuller Goldsmith, 17
October 13: Writer Gary Paulsen, 82
October 16: actress Betty Lynn, 95
October 17: Lorli Von Trapp Campbell, second daughter of 90-year-old Maria von Trapp
October 21: director of photography Halyna Hutchins, 42 years old; former CSO conductor Bernard Haitink, 92 years old
October 22: actor Peter Scolari, 66
October 24: actor James Michael Tyler, 59
October 26: actor Mort Sahl, 94 years old
November
November 2: Ronnie Wilson, founding member of the GAP Band, 73
November 4: actor Lionel Blair, 92
November 5: singer MarÃlia Mendonça, 22 years old
November 6: Peter Aykroyd, Emmy-nominated actor / writer and brother of Dan Aykroyd, 66
November 7: actor Dean Stockwell, 85
November 9: actor Jerry Douglas, 88
November 11: Moody Blues drummer and co-founder Graeme Edge, 80
November 17: Rapper Young Dolph, 36
November 22: Joanne Shenandoah, Native American singer-songwriter, 63
November 26: Broadway songwriter / lyricist Stephen Sondheim, 91
November 27: actor Eddie Mekka, 69
November 28: Fashion designer Virgil Abloh, 41
November 29: actress Arlene Dahl, 96; actor David Gulpilil, 68
December
December 4: Stonewall Jackson, singer of Grand Ole Opry, 89
December 9: Mexican TV actress Carmen Salinas
December 10: Mike Nesmith of the Monkees, 78; Lina Wertmueller, first woman to receive Oscar nomination for directing, 93
December 11: 80-year-old bestselling novelist Anne Rice
December 12: Mexican singer Vicente Fernandez, 81
December 14: Producer Ken Kragen, who helped organize “We are the World”, 85
December 18: hip-hop artist Kangol Kid, 55
December 19: Carlos Marin, 53, member of Il Divo; actress Sally Ann Howes, 91