Celebrity Deaths 2021 In Memoriam
1 / 86
Betty White
Betty White has sadly died just a few weeks away from her 100th birthday. The iconic actress, known for playing "Rose Nylund" in The Golden Girls and her scene-stealing turn in the 2009 rom-com The Proposal, reportedly passed away on December 31. Already tributes to her are pouring in from fans and former co-stars alike. She will be greatly missed.
2 / 86
Tiffini Hale
Tiffini Hale, who was known for being part of the cast of The All New Mickey Mouse Club, has sadly passed away. Her former co-stars Deedee Magno and Chasen Hampton took to Instagram with a memorial post on Thursday. "After many prayers and with her family by her side, our dearest Tiff took her last breath Christmas morning," they said, revealing that the star had been in a coma in December. The post also mentioned how Hale's family has "kindly asked that their privacy be respected" at this time. She was 46 years old.
3 / 86
Sally Ann Howes
Sally Ann Howes, the actress known from the '60s musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, passed away on Dec. 19. She died in a hospital in Florida, according to The New York Times, and her nephew tweeted that she passed "peacefully in her sleep." She was 91.
Born in London, England, in 1930, Howes began her career young in British films of the 1940s. She went on to a highly successful career as a stage actress in England and on Broadway, even earning a Tony nomination in 1963.
Howes was also a frequent guest on American series, talk shows, and game shows in the 1960s. But her best-known work came in the classic 1968 film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. In the musical, Howes starred as "Truly Scrumptious" opposite Dick Van Dyke. The movie was a hit and it remained a children's favourite for decades after.
Howes was married three times, and her third husband Douglas Rae, whom she married in 1972, passed away just three months earlier. May she rest in peace.
4 / 86
Carlos Marin
Carlos Marin, the Spanish singer and member of the popular group Il Divo, passed away on Dec. 19. He died in a Manchester, England, hospital after a serious case of COVID-19, according to the British press. He was just 53.
On Twitter, his Il Divo bandmates confirmed the terrible news: "It is with heavy hearts that we are letting you know that our friend and partner, Carlos Marin, has passed away. He will be missed by his friends, family and fans. There will never be another voice or spirit like Carlos."
Marin was born in West Germany in 1968 but grew up in Madrid, Spain. He recorded his first album at age 8 and launched a successful singing career in musicals, TV and film. But he was probably best known for his work with Il Divo, the successful pop-opera quartet which formed in 2004.
Marin, from Spain, had joined the Swiss Urs Bühler, American David Miller, and French Sébastien Izambard in the group. Il Divo released nine albums and they were a popular touring attraction around the world for nearly two decades.
May he rest in peace.
5 / 86
Michael Nesmith
Michael Nesmith, member of the '60s band The Monkees, passed away on Dec. 10. He died of natural causes, his family announced to Rolling Stone. He lived to be 78.
Nesmith was born in Houston, Texas, in 1942, and he found fame as a singer and guitarist in The Monkees. The popular band had success on TV and dominated the charts worldwide with a run of hit albums in the late 1960s. Nesmith left the group in 1970 and didn't play on any new albums until 1996.
After The Monkees, Nesmith also worked as a film producer, and he fronted the country rock group First National Band. He was also a Grammy-winner for his 1981 video compilation Elephant Parts. He was married three times, with that third marriage ending in divorce in 2011.
With the sad loss of Michael Nesmith, Micky Dolenz is left as the last-surviving original member of The Monkees. Davy Jones passed in 2012 and Peter Tork followed in 2019.
6 / 86
Stonewall Jackson
Stonewall Jackson, a country musician who had chart-topping hits in the 1950s and '60s, passed away on Dec. 4. He died after a "long battle with vascular dementia," according to AP News. He was 89.
Jackson, who was named after the Confederate general of the same name, was born in North Carolina in 1932. He launched a country music career in the 1950s and was most successful with his first few releases. He topped the Cash Box Country charts with '50s singles "Life to Go" and "Waterloo."
For Jackson, other No. 1 hits included "A Wound Time Can't Erase" and tragedy song "B.J. the D.J." From 1957 to 1983, he released over 25 albums and had dozens of songs crack the Top 40 in the country music charts. He was also associated with the Grand Ole Opry show in Tennessee.
May he rest in peace.
7 / 86
David Gulpilil
David Gulpilil, an Indigenous Australian actor who appeared in films including Crocodile Dundee, passed away on Nov. 29. He had terminal lung cancer and died at his home after a four-year battle with the disease, the Adelaide Advertiser reported. He was 68.
Gulpilil was an important figure in Australian cinema, and he appeared in several of the country's best-known films. His screen debut came in 1971's Walkabout and roles followed in titles including Storm Boy and The Last Wave.
He was probably known to international viewers, however, for his role as "Neville Bell" in the '80s hit Crocodile Dundee. He was the witty Indigenous man who had one of the film's most memorable lines — about "Sue" having her lens cap on while trying to take a photo.
Gulpilil later appeared in Hugh Jackman's Australia, the Western The Proposition, and he starred in the 2013 film Charlie's Country, which won him an acting prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
Upon Gulpilil's death, South Australian Premier Steven Marshall called him "an iconic, once-in-a-generation artist who shaped the history of Australian film and Aboriginal representation on screen." He will be missed.
8 / 86
Eddie Mekka
Eddie Mekka, the Laverne & Shirley star, passed away on Nov. 27. He was found dead in his home in Newhall, California, his Facebook page announced. He was 69.
Mekka was best known for playing "Carmine 'The Big Ragu' Ragusa" on Laverne & Shirley. He was a regular star on the popular sitcom that ran from 1976 to 1983. "Carmine" was the on-again, off-again boyfriend of "Shirley" (Cindy Williams).
He also appeared in dozens of other films and series. In more recent years, Mekka had acted in episodes of The Bold and the Beautiful, The Young and the Restless, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It appears his last role came in a small 2018 film called Hail Mary!
Confirming the sad news of Mekka's passing, his Facebook page wrote: "It is with deep regret that we share with you the passing of our beloved Eddie Mekka. Eddie passed away peacefully in his Newhall, California home on Saturday, November 27, 2021. He was 69 years old.
"At this time, we do ask that all media inquiries be withheld during his family's time of grief and mourning. We welcome you to share your memories of Eddie and your condolences to his family on this fan page. Rest In Peace Eddie."
Mekka was married twice and is survived by his daughter Mia, from his second marriage to Yvonne Marie Grace.
9 / 86
Arlene Dahl
Arlene Dahl, an old Hollywood star known for her roles in films such as Journey to the Centre of the Earth and The Bride Goes Wild is confirmed to have passed away. The news was confirmed by Dahl's son Lorenzo, who made an emotional social media post about his late mother. "Mom passed away this morning in New York," he began. He also called Dahl "the most positive influence on my life," as well as "a force of nature." The actress later went on to work in cosmetics after she left Hollywood behind, only returning to acting for several stints as a guest star over the years. She was 96 years old.
10 / 86
Lisa Brown
Actress Lisa Brown, best known for her roles on several popular soap operas, passed away on Nov. 24. She died after a "brief illness," according to Soap Opera Digest. She was 67.
Brown filled two long-running parts on iconic American soap operas in the 1980s and '90s. She played "Nola Reardon" on Guiding Light from 1980 through 1984 and would later reappear in dozens of episodes in the '90s. As well, she was "Iva Snyder" on As the World Turns from 1985 through 1994.
For decades, Brown also served as acting coach on Guiding Light and for a period on One Life to Live. She was once married to Guiding Light actor Tom Nielsen, but they divorced in 1991. Brown is survived by her second husband Brian Neary, whom she married in 1997.