Deaths Elsewhere
Yayoi Kusama, who splashed polka dots across the art world, dies at 97 in Tokyo
TOKYO | Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, who splashed her signature polka dots on paintings, sculptures and museum installations around the world, has died, her studio said Thursday. She was 97. Kusama died Aug. 14 at a hospital in Tokyo, Yayoi Kusama Studio said, without specifying the cause of death. “She continued to paint until her […]
Shelley Fabares, ‘Johnny Angel’ singer and actor in ‘The Donna Reed Show’ and ‘Coach,’ dies at 82
Shelley Fabares, an actor who was a fixture on television for decades from her days as a young teenager on “The Donna Reed Show,” through “One Day at a Time” and “Coach,” has died. She was 82. She died Saturday in Los Angeles, her family said in a statement to The Associated Press. No cause […]
Mark Rydell, the Oscar-nominated director of ‘On Golden Pond,’ dies at 97
LOS ANGELES | Mark Rydell, the Oscar-nominated director of the sentimental blockbuster “On Golden Pond” who worked with such Hollywood heavyweights as Henry Fonda, Katharine Hepburn, Steve McQueen and John Wayne, has died. He was 97. His daughter, Amy Rydell, told The Hollywood Reporter that her father died Thursday of natural causes at a retirement […]
Hayden Panettiere, who starred in ‘Heroes’ and ‘Nashville,’ dies at 36
Hayden Panettiere, who soared to fame two decades ago as a cheerleader with superpowers in the TV show “Heroes” and won country music success playing a singer on “Nashville,” has died. She was 36. Police said Panettiere was found unresponsive in an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, shortly before 2 p.m. Sunday. Lifesaving measures were […]
Ben Jones, good ol’ boy ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ actor and 2-term US House member, dies at 84
Ben Jones, who played the good ol’ boy mechanic in “The Dukes of Hazzard” TV series and parlayed his fame into a political career and two terms in the U.S. House, has died. He was 84. Jones had a heart attack in his home Sunday in Washington, Virginia, as he was waiting to watch his […]
Sydney Towle, content creator who documented life with cancer, dies at 26
Sydney Towle, a social media content creator who projected enduring optimism as she chronicled her life with a rare form of cancer, has died, according to her family. She was 26. Towle was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, an aggressive form of cancer in the bile ducts, in August 2023. Her mother, Elizabeth Morrow, and brother, Austin […]
‘Sopranos’ actor Vincent Pastore, known for playing mobsters and tough guys, dead at 80
NEW YORK | Vincent Pastore, a veteran actor who played mobsters and tough guys, and was best known for portraying Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero on “The Sopranos,” has died. He was 80. Bob McGowan, who managed Pastore since his run on “The Sopranos,” told The Associated Press that he learned of his death Saturday from […]
Brenda Fricker, the first Irish actress to win an Oscar for ‘My Left Foot,’ dies at 81
LONDON | Brenda Fricker, who won an Academy Award for her role as Bridget Fagan Brown in the 1989 film “My Left Foot,” has died. She was 81. The Irish character actor died Thursday night in Dublin after a period of ill health, her agent, Phil Belfield said in a statement. Fricker became the first […]
Sam Neill, New Zealand actor who starred in ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘The Piano,’ dies at 78
WELLINGTON, New Zealand | Sam Neill, the smoothly elegant and versatile actor whose prolific career moved from art films to blockbusters as he dodged velociraptors in “Jurassic Park” and played Holly Hunter’s husband in “The Piano,” has died. He was 78. In 2023, Neill disclosed he had been diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare […]
Los Angeles medical examiner says former child actor Daveigh Chase died of AIDS
LOS ANGELES | Former child actor Daveigh Chase’s death on June 16 was due to AIDS, the office of the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner reported. The cause of death for Chase, 35, was acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, according to online medical examiner records from this week that listed her last name as Schwallier. “Chronic […]