Notable figures from music, film, television and sports died in 2026, leaving behind work that spanned comic strips, rock, hip-hop, television and cinema. Listed alphabetically by surname, here are some of the people who died and the careers they shaped. Causes of death have not been announced for some of them.
Scott Adams turned office life into Dilbert
Scott Adams, creator of the comic strip Dilbert, died at 68. His experience working for a telephone company in the 1980s inspired the strip’s satire of office life. It began appearing in newspapers late in the decade and ran in more than 2,000 papers at its peak. An animated adaptation premiered in 1999 and ran for two seasons.
Adams died on January 13 from metastatic prostate cancer. In 2023, several U.S. newspapers dropped Dilbert after he made racist remarks. He had also drawn attention for blog posts supporting Donald Trump during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign.
Brad Arnold and Afrika Bambaataa shaped rock and hip-hop
Brad Arnold, lead singer of 3 Doors Down, died at 47. The band broke through with “Kryptonite” in 2000; the song reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Other hits included “Loser,” “Here Without You” and “When I’m Gone.” Arnold died on February 7 from a form of kidney cancer.
Hip-hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa, born Lance Taylor, died at 68. He emerged as a Bronx DJ in the 1970s and 1980s, signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1981, and released tracks including “Jazzy Sensation” and “Planet Rock.” His work influenced artists such as Queen Latifah and A Tribe Called Quest.
Bambaataa founded the hip-hop organization Universal Zulu Nation in the 1970s to steer young people away from gang life. He stepped down as its leader in 2016 after being accused of sexual abuse, allegations he denied. He died on April 9 from prostate cancer.
Rob Base and Peabo Bryson left a run of enduring hits
Hip-hop artist Rob Base died at 59. “It Takes Two,” his 1988 collaboration with DJ E-Z Rock, peaked at No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play chart and later earned platinum certification. Spin named it one of the greatest singles of all time in 1989. Rob Base died of cancer on May 22.
Two-time Grammy winner Peabo Bryson was known for his ballads. He began releasing music in the late 1970s and recorded “Tonight, I Celebrate My Love” with Roberta Flack in 1983, followed by “If Ever You’re in My Arms Again.” In 1991, “Can You Stop the Rain” topped the R&B chart. Bryson also sang the pop version of the title song for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast with Céline Dion, and “A Whole New World” from Aladdin with Regina Belle. He died on June 2. No cause of death was announced.
Nicholas Brendon and Robert Carradine were familiar TV faces
Actor Nicholas Brendon, who played Xander Harris throughout all seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, died at 54. He also appeared in Criminal Minds and Kitchen Confidential. His family said he died in his sleep on March 20 of natural causes.
Brendon had a heart attack in 2023 and was later diagnosed with a congenital heart defect. He also had cauda equina syndrome and underwent multiple spinal surgeries. His family said he managed his conditions with medication and treatment and remained hopeful about the future.
Actor Robert Carradine died at 71. He played Lizzie’s father in Lizzie McGuire and was known for his role as Lewis Skolnick in the Revenge of the Nerds films. A member of the Carradine acting family, he appeared early in his career in Kung Fu, starring his brother David Carradine, and later worked on projects including The Big Red One and Lizzie McGuire.
His family said Carradine had lived with bipolar disorder for nearly 20 years and hoped that speaking publicly about the experience would help reduce stigma. He died by suicide on February 23. In the U.S., people experiencing depression or thoughts of self-harm can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or contact local crisis-support services.
James Burrows and Tim Curry made their mark on comedy
Director James Burrows, an 11-time Emmy winner and co-creator of Cheers, died at 85. He directed episodes of Frasier, Will & Grace, Friends and The Big Bang Theory, and directed more than 50 television pilots. He began with an episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and won an Emmy for the Cheers pilot. Burrows died on June 19. No cause of death was announced.
Tim Curry, who died at 80, was best known for playing Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the cult musical film The Rocky Horror Picture Show, a role he first performed on stage. Over a career spanning more than six decades, he also played Rooster Hannigan in Annie, Pennywise in the 1990 miniseries It, and Wadsworth in Clue.
Curry had a stroke in 2012 and underwent brain surgery. In 2025, he said he was still recovering. He died at his Los Angeles home on August 26. No cause of death was announced.
Kyle Busch and Mike Ditka were defining figures in racing and football
Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch died at 41, regarded as one of the sport’s standout drivers. He was hospitalized on May 21 and had been due to compete in two races. He died hours later. His death certificate listed severe pneumonia that progressed to sepsis as the cause of death.
Mike Ditka, the first tight end inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, died at 86. As head coach of the Chicago Bears, he led the team to victory in Super Bowl XX in 1986, the franchise’s only championship to date. Ditka later appeared regularly in commercials, television programs and films, including the 2005 comedy Kicking & Screaming with Will Ferrell. He also inspired the character in “Bill Swerski’s Superfans,” a long-running sketch on Saturday Night Live. Ditka died on October 9. No cause of death was announced.
Robert Duvall and Clive Davis left lasting film and music legacies
Actor Robert Duvall died at 95. His film credits included The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, Apocalypse Now, THX 1138, The Bad News Bears, Days of Thunder and The Apostle. He played Tom Hagen in Francis Ford Coppola’s first two Godfather films and Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore in Apocalypse Now.
Duvall also drew attention as Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird. He won an Academy Award for playing a country singer struggling with alcoholism in Tender Mercies. He died on February 15 at his ranch in Virginia. No cause of death was announced.
Music executive Clive Davis died at 94 after a career spanning 50 years. He discovered or helped advance the careers of Aretha Franklin, Barry Manilow, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Whitney Houston and Alicia Keys, among others. Albums he worked on sold millions of copies, and he won five Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year for the Bodyguard soundtrack and Santana’s Supernatural. Davis died on June 22. No cause of death was announced.
Brenda Fricker and Bud Cort worked across stage and screen
Irish actor Brenda Fricker spent six decades on stage and screen. Many family audiences knew her as the Pigeon Lady in the 1992 film Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. In 1990, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for My Left Foot, becoming the first Irish woman to receive the award.
Actor Bud Cort, who died at 77, was best known as Harold in the 1971 film Harold and Maude. The dark comedy follows Harold, a young man who meets Maude, an eccentric 79-year-old woman played by Ruth Gordon. Cort had earlier appeared in Robert Altman’s MASH and Brewster McCloud, and continued working in later years, with roles in Michael Mann’s Heat and Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou*. He died on February 11 after a long illness.