In 2026, the worlds of film, television, music, sport and popular culture lost a number of prominent figures. Some were remembered for a single defining role, while others reshaped music, television comedy or popular culture over careers spanning decades. The following list reviews confirmed deaths to date, arranged alphabetically by surname.
Scott Adams: From Dilbert to Newspaper Controversy
Scott Adams, 68, worked for a telecommunications company in the 1980s, an experience that later inspired his comic strip Dilbert. By the end of that decade, the office satire was appearing in newspaper comic sections and, at its peak, was carried by more than 2,000 newspapers.
Dilbert was adapted into an animated television series in 1999 and ran for two seasons. Adams later drew attention for his political commentary. After he made remarks concerning race in 2023, newspapers across the United States dropped Dilbert from their pages. Adams died on January 13 from metastatic prostate cancer, aged 68.
Brad Arnold: 3 Doors Down Frontman Dies
Brad Arnold, 47, was the lead singer of rock band 3 Doors Down. The group broke through with its 2000 hit “Kryptonite,” which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The band went on to release songs including “Loser,” “Here Without You” and “When I’m Gone.”
Arnold’s voice and lyrics focused on love and loss helped 3 Doors Down build a broad audience. He died on February 7 from a form of kidney cancer.
Afrika Bambaataa: An Early Force in Hip-Hop
Lance Taylor was better known by his stage name, Afrika Bambaataa. He first gained attention as a DJ in New York’s Bronx during the 1970s and 1980s. In 1981, he signed with Tommy Boy Records and released influential tracks including “Jazzy Sensation” and “Planet Rock.”
Bambaataa also founded the Universal Zulu Nation in the 1970s, seeking to steer young people away from street-gang life. His music and organizational work influenced later artists including Queen Latifah and A Tribe Called Quest.
In 2016, Bambaataa stepped down as the organization’s leader after facing sexual-assault allegations, which he denied. He died of prostate cancer on April 9, aged 68.
Rob Base: “It Takes Two” Took Hip-Hop Mainstream
“It Takes Two,” created by Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock, became one of the tracks that helped move hip-hop into the mainstream. Released in 1988, the song reached No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Club Songs chart and later received platinum certification.
In 1989, Spin magazine named “It Takes Two” one of the greatest singles of all time. Rob Base died of cancer on May 22, aged 59.
Nicholas Brendon: Best Known for Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Nicholas Brendon, 54, became widely known for playing Xander Harris across all seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He also appeared in Criminal Minds and Kitchen Confidential.
Brendon died in his sleep on March 20 from natural causes. His family said he had experienced serious health problems, including a heart attack in 2023 and a diagnosis of a congenital heart defect. He also had cauda equina syndrome and underwent multiple spinal surgeries.
His family said Brendon received medication and treatment to manage those conditions and remained hopeful about the future shortly before his death. They asked the public to respect his privacy while remembering someone who lived with “passion, imagination and heart.”
Peabo Bryson: Two-Time Grammy-Winning Balladeer
Peabo Bryson, 75, was known for his romantic ballads and won two Grammy Awards. He began releasing music in the late 1970s and had an early breakthrough in 1983 with Roberta Flack on “Tonight, I Celebrate My Love.” The following year, he released “If Ever You’re in My Arms Again,” and in 1991 “Can You Stop the Rain” topped the R&B chart.
Bryson reached an even wider global audience through two Disney classics. In 1991, he recorded the pop version of “Beauty and the Beast” with Céline Dion. A year later, he teamed with Regina Belle on “A Whole New World” from Aladdin. Bryson died on June 2. No cause of death was disclosed.
James Burrows: A Defining Force in American Sitcoms
James Burrows, an 11-time Emmy Award winner, was one of the co-creators of Cheers. Through shows including Will & Grace, Friends and Frasier, he helped shape the pacing and performance style of modern American television comedy.
Burrows was known for precise comic timing and complex staging. Early in his career, he directed episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He later directed Frasier, Will & Grace, Friends and The Big Bang Theory, and won an Emmy for the pilot of Cheers. Over his career, he directed more than 50 television pilots.
Burrows died on June 19 at the age of 85. No cause of death was disclosed.
Kyle Busch: Two-Time NASCAR Cup Series Champion
Kyle Busch, 41, won the NASCAR Cup Series championship twice and was regarded as one of the sport’s leading drivers.
Busch was hospitalized on May 21, shortly before he was scheduled to compete in two races. He was pronounced dead several hours later. His death certificate said he died after severe pneumonia worsened and led to sepsis.
Robert Carradine: From Revenge of the Nerds to Lizzie McGuire
Robert Carradine, 71, was widely known for playing Lizzie’s father in Lizzie McGuire and the nerdy Lewis Skolnick in the 1980s film series Revenge of the Nerds.
Carradine came from Hollywood’s prominent Carradine family. One of his early major screen roles was in the 1970s television series Kung Fu, which starred his older brother David Carradine. He later appeared in Samuel Fuller’s World War II film The Big Red One and in the Lizzie McGuire franchise.
In a family statement, relatives said Carradine had struggled with bipolar disorder for nearly 20 years and expressed hope that his experience would encourage more open discussion of mental health and reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness. Carradine died by suicide on February 23.
If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or thoughts of self-harm or suicide, seek help promptly. In the United States, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or text “HOME” to 741741 to contact the Crisis Text Line. People outside the United States can use resources from the International Association for Suicide Prevention to find local support.
Bud Cort: A Counterculture Icon in Harold and Maude
Bud Cort, 77, was best known for playing Harold in the 1971 cult film Harold and Maude. With his youthful face, dry wit and detached manner, he became one of the defining faces of 1970s counterculture cinema.
In the film, Cort played a young man preoccupied with suicide who meets Maude, an eccentric 79-year-old woman played by Ruth Gordon. Before Harold and Maude, Cort had small roles in Robert Altman’s MAS*H and Brewster McCloud.
Cort continued working into his later years, appearing in Heat and in Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. He died on February 11 after a long illness.
Tim Curry: From The Rocky Horror Show to Pennywise
Tim Curry, 80, became famous for playing Frank-N-Furter in the cult musical film The Rocky Horror Picture Show. He had previously played the role in the original stage production.
Across a career of more than 60 years, Curry frequently portrayed flamboyant villains and eccentric characters, including Rooster Hannigan in the 1982 film Annie, Pennywise in the 1990 miniseries It, Wadsworth in Clue and Mr. Hector in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
Curry suffered a serious stroke in 2012 and underwent brain surgery. In 2025, he said he was still recovering. Curry died at his home in Los Angeles on August 26. No cause of death was disclosed.
Eric Dane: From Grey’s Anatomy to Euphoria
Eric Dane, 53, began with guest appearances on shows including Saved by the Bell and Married… with Children before gaining wider attention through Charmed.
He later played Mark “McSteamy” Sloan on Grey’s Anatomy, becoming a recognizable television presence. In recent years, he appeared in HBO’s Euphoria as Cal Jacobs, the father of Nate Jacobs, played by Jacob Elordi.
Dane and his wife, Rebecca Gayheart, had two children. In April 2025, he disclosed that he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. His publicist confirmed that Dane died on February 19, aged 53. A statement said he spent his final days with close friends, his wife and his two daughters, Billie and Georgia.
Clive Davis: A Career Spanning Generations of Pop Music
Clive Davis, 94, was a major music executive and producer. During a career lasting more than 50 years, he helped advance the careers of artists including Aretha Franklin, Barry Manilow, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Whitney Houston and Alicia Keys.
Davis was involved in the release of millions of albums and won five Grammy Awards. He won Album of the Year twice, for the soundtrack to The Bodyguard and for Santana’s Supernatural. He died on June 22. No cause of death was disclosed.
Robert Duvall: Defining Roles in Three Classics
Robert Duvall, 95, appeared in a long list of acclaimed films, including The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, Apocalypse Now, THX 1138, The Natural, Days of Thunder and Tender Mercies.
Audiences may remember him most clearly from three films directed by Francis Ford Coppola. In the first two Godfather films, he played Tom Hagen; in Apocalypse Now, he played Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore. Kilgore’s line, “I love the smell of napalm in the morning,” became one of cinema’s best-known quotations.
Duvall’s range extended well beyond those roles. In 1962, he played Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird with almost no dialogue. In 1983, he portrayed a country singer struggling with alcoholism in Tender Mercies, a performance that earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Duvall died on February 15 at his farm in Virginia. No cause of death was disclosed.
Brenda Fricker: The First Irish Actress to Win an Oscar
Brenda Fricker, 81, worked on stage and screen for 60 years. One of her best-known roles was the Pigeon Lady in the 1992 film Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. The character became part of many families’ holiday viewing traditions and later featured in internet memes.
Fricker’s career extended beyond commercial cinema. In 1990, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for My Left Foot, becoming the first Irish actress to win an Oscar.
Fricker died on July 16. No cause of death was disclosed.
Mark Fuhrman: A Key Detective in the Simpson Case
Mark Fuhrman, 74, became nationally known through the investigation into the killings of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. Brown Simpson was O.J. Simpson’s former wife, while Goldman was her friend. Fuhrman found a bloody glove at Simpson’s residence, an item that became a significant part of the trial.
During the proceedings, Simpson’s defense team challenged Fuhrman’s credibility over racist language he had used in the past. Fuhrman retired from the Los Angeles Police Department after the case, moved to Idaho and later wrote true-crime books.
Fuhrman died of throat cancer on May 12, aged 74.
Valentino Garavani: Final Details Not Provided
The available material ends with the entry for Valentino Garavani and does not provide complete information about his biography, date of death, age or cause of death.