Category Archives: Celebrity Losses

Grant Imahara, an electrical engineer who co-hosted “MythBusters” as well as the Netflix show “White Rabbit Project,” has died, a spokesperson for Discovery confirmed. He was 49 years old.

“We are heartbroken to hear this sad news about Grant. He was an important part of our Discovery family and a really wonderful man. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family,” Discovery said in a statement to Variety.

A company spokesperson told the New York Times the cause of death is believed to be a brain aneurysm.

Read more from The San Francisco Chronicle…

Another Loss…

Author: TEGNA, Associated Press

Comedy veteran Jerry Stiller, who launched his career opposite wife Anne Meara in the 1950s and reemerged four decades later as the hysterically high-strung Frank Costanza on the smash television show “Seinfeld,” died at 92, his son Ben Stiller announced Monday.

Jerry Stiller was a multi-talented performer who appeared in an assortment of movies, playing Walter Matthau’s police sidekick in the thriller “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three” and Divine’s husband Wilbur Turnblad in John Waters’ twisted comedy “Hairspray.”

Read more from WFAA…

By DAVID BROWNE

Dezo Hoffmann/REX/Shutterstock

Little Richard, a founding father of rock and roll whose fervent shrieks, flamboyant garb, and joyful, gender-bending persona embodied the spirit and sound of that new art form, died Saturday. He was 87. The musician’s son, Danny Jones Penniman, confirmed the pioneer’s death to Rolling Stone, but said the cause of death was unknown. 

Starting with “Tutti Frutti” in 1956, Little Richard cut a series of unstoppable hits – “Long Tall Sally” and “Rip It Up” that same year, “Lucille” in 1957, and “Good Golly Miss Molly” in 1958 – driven by his simple, pumping piano, gospel-influenced vocal exclamations and sexually charged (often gibberish) lyrics.

Read more from Rolling Stone…

Bryant

Kobe Bryant, the sports icon who won five NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and was often compared to Michael Jordan, died Sunday in a helicopter crash. He was 41. Bryant was traveling in his private helicopter when it crashed in the Los Angeles County suburb of Calabasas. Eight other people were killed, with no survivors. Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna (“Gigi”) was among the deceased.

Read more from Variety…

By Latifah Muhammad‍

Luke Perry

Luke Perry, best known for his roles on Beverly Hills, 90210 and Riverdale, has died. He was 52. His rep confirmed his death on Monday.

“Actor Luke Perry, 52, passed away today after suffering a massive stroke,” the statement reads. “He was surrounded by his children Jack and Sophie, fiancé Wendy Madison Bauer, ex-wife Minnie Sharp, mother Ann Bennett, step-father Steve Bennett, brother Tom Perry, sister Amy Coder, and other close family and friends. The family appreciates the outpouring of support and prayers that have been extended to Luke from around the world, and respectfully request privacy in this time of great mourning.  No further details will be released at this time.”

Read more from ET Online…

By Hayden Brooks

(L – R): Michael Nesmith, Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork

Peter Tork, the guitarist from the 1960s TV sensation The Monkees, died on Thursday (February 21), as per confirmation from the group’s rep. He was 77.

Tork’s sister, Anne Thorkelson, announced his passing to the Washington Post, but did not specify a cause. Nonetheless, back in 2009, he was diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma, a rare cancer that affected his tongue. When The Monkees premiere on NBC in 1966, Tork was just 24-years-old and the band’s oldest member. 

Read more from Sixx Sense…

By T. Rees Shapiro

Penny Marshall, who starred in the long-running sitcom “Laverne & Shirley” and parlayed her fame into a career directing crowd-pleasing movies such as “Big” and “A League of Their Own,” making her the first woman to helm movies that earned more than $100 million, died Dec. 17 at her home in Hollywood Hills, Calif. She was 75.

Penny Marshall in 2002 (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Michelle Bega, a spokeswoman for Ms. Marshall’s family, said the cause was complications from diabetes.

During a career spanning four decades, Ms. Marshall rose up the ranks with help from her older brother, Garry Marshall, an established TV and film writer, producer and director. He worked her into featured parts in his sitcoms, including “Happy Days,” in which Ms. Marshall’s deadpan comic style and nasally Bronx accent made her an instantly recognizable television performer.

Read more from The Washington Post…