All Obituaries

Last week the rock star Tom Petty, who has died after suffering a cardiac arrest aged 66, and his band, the Heartbreakers, completed a trio of acclaimed shows at the Hollywood Bowl on their 40th anniversary tour, which had also brought them to Hyde Park in London in July. Those recent concerts found the group roving across their entire career, featuring tracks from their 1976 debut album such as American Girl and Breakdown and pieces from their latest album, Hypnotic Eye, which was their...

Glen Campbell, the boyish singer-guitarist whose perfect blend of country and pop made for such hits as “Gentle on My Mind,” “Rhinestone Cowboy,” “Wichita Lineman” and “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” died Tuesday (Aug. 8) after struggling with Alzheimer's disease for years, a rep confirmed to Billboard. He was 81.  "It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and...

Adam West, who has died aged 88, was one of those actors who had to strive to “live down” not a failure but his greatest success. West, who was synonymous with the role of Batman in the vastly popular, campy TV series of 1966-68, could never escape his alter ego. Although he appeared in scores of films and television series throughout his long career, most reviewers, whatever the role, insisted on referring to him as “TV’s Batman”. However, it is fair to say...

Roger Moore, the suave British actor who starred in seven James Bond movies and brought a likable, comedic dimension to the unflappable secret agent, has died after a short battle with cancer, his family said Tuesday. He was 89. From 1973 to 1985, Moore was Agent 007 in “Live and Let Die,” “The Man with the Golden Gun,” “The Spy Who Loved Me,” “Moonraker,” “For Your Eyes Only,” “Octopussy” and “A View to a...

Television great Mary Tyler Moore, the beloved star of “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” died Wednesday in Connecticut, her publicist confirmed. She was 80. “Today, beloved icon, Mary Tyler Moore, passed away at the age of 80 in the company of friends and her loving husband of over 33 years, Dr. S. Robert Levine,” read the statement from Mara Buxbaum, her longtime rep. “A groundbreaking actress, producer, and passionate...

Eugene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon, died Monday, Jan. 16, surrounded by his family. Cernan, a Captain in the U.S. Navy, left his mark on the history of exploration by flying three times in space, twice to the moon. He also holds the distinction of being the second American to walk in space and the last human to leave his footprints on the lunar surface. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a statement after Cernan's death, "Truly, America has lost a patriot...

A less distinctive and eccentric performer than Carrie Fisher, who has died after a heart attack aged 60, might well have had an entire career eclipsed after playing one of the leads in the most successful movie franchise of all time. Fisher’s portrayal of the intergalactic rebel leader Princess Leia Organa in the Star Wars series certainly made her a household name: “In the street, they call out, ‘Hey, Princess!’, which makes me feel like a poodle.” But the...

Florence Henderson, whose portrayal of Carol Brady on “The Brady Bunch” created an idealized mother figure for an entire generation, died Thursday. She was 82. Henderson died from heart failure about 7:30 p.m. while surrounded by her four children, her longtime manager and publicist, Kayla Pressman, said. “The Brady Bunch” ran from 1969 to 1974. But the sitcom about a blended family of three girls and three boys growing up under one roof in Los Angeles became a...

Gwen Ifill, who covered politics for some of the country’s premier newspapers before transitioning to broadcast journalism and making her greatest mark as one of the most prominent TV anchors of her generation, died Nov. 14 at a hospice center in Washington. She was 61. The cause was endometrial cancer, said her brother, Roberto Ifill. Her ill health led to recent absences from her jobs as co-anchor of “The PBS NewsHour” and as moderator of PBS’s...

Before accepting the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004, Arnold Palmer shared a few laughs with President George W. Bush and gave the commander in chief a few golf tips in the East Room of the White House. Eight years later, when honored with the Congressional Gold Medal, Palmer, who again offered golf tips to some of the most important politicians in the country, jokingly thanked the House and the Senate for being able to agree on something. After receiving the highest civilian...