Despite the numerous highs of the past year, 2022 also marked the deaths of a number of famous faces that millions across the world had grown up with or had come to love.
The year marked the death of Queen Elizabeth II, who died peacefully at Balmoral, in Scotland, on September 8, aged 96, ending the longest reign in British history.
Sadly, December 2022 saw the passing of several notable figures including Brazilian football legend Pele, British fashion icon Vivienne Westwood and The Specials frontman Terry Hall.
Newsweek has taken a look back at the famous faces the world lost in 2022.
Celebrity Deaths in 2022
January 2022
Musician and actor Michael Lee Aday, best known as Meat Loaf, died on January 20, 2022. He was 74 years old.
The “Bat Out Of Hell” singer died with loved ones by his side, according to a statement shared on behalf of the star’s family on his official Facebook account.
“Our hearts are broken to announce that the incomparable Meat Loaf passed away tonight with his wife Deborah by his side,” read the statement. “Daughters Pearl and Amanda and close friends have been with him throughout the last 24 hours.”
Other famous faces who died in January 2022 include:
Actor and diplomat Sidney PoiterFashion designer Thierry MuglerSinger Ronnie SpectorDirector Peter BogdanovichOscar-winning lyricist Marilyn BergmanComedian Bob SagetRapper Wavy Navy PoohFrench actor Gaspard UllielActor and comedian Louie AndersonFormer Miss USA Cheslie KrystFrench TV star Igor BogdanoffSeinfeld and Orange Is The New Black star Kathryn KatesWoodstock co-creator Michael LangBroadway and film star Joan CopelandBachelorette reality TV star Clint ArlisThe Dixie Cups singer Rosa Lee HawkinsActress Yvette MimieuxGerman actor Hardy KrugerCharlie Brown voice actor Peter Robbins
February 2022
MAS*H actress Sally Kellerman died from heart failure on February 24, 2022, at the age of 84. Kellerman was also suffering from dementia.
Kellerman’s career spanned 60 years and outside of MAS*H fame, she was well known for starring in the movies Brewster McCloud, Welcome to L.A., and The Player.
Other celebrity deaths in February 2022:
Entrepreneur Jamal EdwardsSinger Lata MangeshkarScreaming Trees frontman Mark LaneganItalian actress Monica Vitti
March 2022
Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins suddenly died aged 50 on March 25, 2022. He was found unresponsive in his hotel room in Bogotá, Colombia.
Hawkins would go on to win three posthumous Grammy awards and the Foo Fighters would go on to host an epic tribute concert at London’s O2 in September 2022.
Paying tribute, Hawkins’s wife Alison shared a statement on her late husband’s Twitter account. She said: “As Taylor’s wife, and on behalf of our children, I want to share how much you meant to him and how dedicated he was to ‘knocking your socks off’ during every performance. Taylor was honored to be a part of the Foo Fighters and valued his dream role in the band every minute of his 25 years with them. We consider every band member and the extended Foo Fighters team our family.
“Taylor’s endearing spirit and deep love of music will live on forever through the collaborations he so enjoyed having with other musicians and the catalog of songs he contributed to and created,” she wrote.
Alison continued: “In celebration of his life, it is now up to all of us who loved him most to honor Taylor’s legacy and the music he gave us.”
She concluded her message by reiterating her gratitude for the “love and sympathy” of her husband’s fans, adding: “Taylor loved all of you & we love you too.”
Other celebrities who passed away in March 2022:
Australian cricketer Shane WarneOscar-winner William HurtThe Wanted’s Tom ParkerSesame Street star Emilio DelgadoWWE legend Scott HallFirst female Secretary of State Madeleine AlbrightSopranos actor Paul Herman
April 2022
Punk icon Jordan Mooney, real name Pamela Rooke, died on April 3, 2022. She was 66 years old.
Mooney was best known for her work with Vivienne Westwood and the SEX boutique in the Kings Road area of London in the mid-1970s, and for attending many of the early Sex Pistols performances.
Other April 2022 celebrity deaths:
British soap star June BrownMusic executive Art RupeBodybuilding champion Cedric McMillanSeinfeld actress Liz SheridanActor and comedian Gilbert GottfriedDie Another Day and Rush Hour 2 actor Kenneth Tsang
May 2022
Goodfellas and Field of Dreams actor Ray Liotta died on May 26, 2022. He was 67.
Deadline reported that Liotta died in his sleep in the Dominican Republic, where he was filming the movie Dangerous Waters.
Lorraine Bracco, who starred opposite Liotta in Goodfellas, led tributes to him. She wrote on Twitter: “I am utterly shattered to hear this terrible news about my Ray.
“I can be anywhere in the world & people will come up & tell me their favorite movie is Goodfellas. Then they always ask what was the best part of making that movie. My response has always been the same…Ray Liotta.”
Other celebrities who passed away in May 2022 included:
Friends actor Mike HagertyDepeche Mode’s Andy FletcherER, The X-Files, and West Wing actor John AylwardBasketball star Bob LanierRapper Lil Keed
June 2022
Seinfeld actor Philip Baker Hall’s death was announced by Los Angeles Times sportswriter Sam Farmer, Hall’s friend and neighbor.
He announced the news on Twitter, writing: “My neighbor, friend, and one of the wisest, most talented, and kindest people I’ve ever met, Philip Baker Hall, died peacefully last night. He was surrounded by loved ones. The world has an empty space in it.”
Hall was 90 years old.
Other celebrity deaths in June 2022:
British podcaster and bowel cancer campaigner Dame Deborah JamesRapper TroubleBon Jovi founding member Alec John SuchER and Ray Donovan actress Mary MaraHells Angels founding member Sonny BargerSeals And Crofts star Jim SealsNBA star Caleb Swanigan
July 2022
Elvis star Shonka Dukureh died suddenly at the age of 44 on Thursday, July 21.
In the Baz Luhrman movie, Dukureh portrayed Big Mama Thornton, an R&B singer, and songwriter, and the first person to record Leiber and Stoller’s “Hound Dog” in 1952.
Dukureh was found dead at her home in Nashville, which she shared with her two young children.
Other famous faces who passed away in July 2022 included:
Actor James CaanIvana Trump, the first wife of former U. S. president Donald TrumpThe Railway Children’s Bernard CribbinsActress Nichelle NicholsSopranos star Tony SiricoTron, Titanic, and Omen star David WarnerGoodfellas and Law & Order actor Paul Sorvino
August 2022
Dame Olivia Newton-John died aged 73 on August 8, 2022.
Her Grease co-star John Travolta led tributes, penning on Instagram alongside a photo of them together: “Yours from the moment I saw you and forever!”
August 2022 also saw the deaths of these celebrities:
Singer and actor Darius DaneshActress Anne HecheFashion designer Issey MiyakeTriangle Of Sadness star Charlbi DeanCountry star Luke Bell
September 2022
Artis Leon Ivey Jr, best known by his stage name Coolio, died at the age of 59.
He was best known for the 1995 Grammy-winning hit “Gangsta’s Paradise”, recorded for the soundtrack for Michelle Pfeiffer’s film Dangerous Minds.
Other celebrity deaths in September 2022 included:
Queen Elizabeth IIWolf Hall author Dame Hilary MantelOne Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest actress Louise FletcherCanadian battle rapper Pat Stay’Enfant terrible’ of French cinema Jean-Luc GodardDrag Race UK star Cherry Valentine
October 2022
Harry Potter legend Robbie Coltrane died at the age of 72 on October 14, 2022.
Coltrane was best known for his role as the lovable, dragon-obsessed gamekeeper at Hogwarts, Rubeus Hagrid, but he also starred in two James Bond films as Valentin Zukovsky and played criminal psychologist Eddie “Fitz” Fitzgerald in the British TV series, Cracker.
Following the announcement of his passing, Daniel Radcliffe—who played Harry Potter in the films and worked alongside Coltrane for all eight movies—said in a statement: “Robbie was one of the funniest people I’ve met and used to keep us laughing constantly as kids on the set. I’ve especially fond memories of him keeping our spirits up on Prisoner of Azkaban when we were all hiding from the torrential rain for hours in Hagrid’s hut and he was telling stories and cracking jokes to keep morale up.”
“I feel incredibly lucky that I got to meet and work with him and very sad that he’s passed,” Radcliffe continued. “He was an incredible actor and a lovely man.”
Other celebrities who died in October 2022 included:
Dame Angela LansburyRock ’n’ roll pioneer Jerry Lee LewisWWE star Sara LeeActress Sacheen LittlefeatherCountry music star Loretta LynnAmerican Idol runner-up Willie SpenceWill & Grace star Leslie JordanDrill rapper PermK-Pop star and actor Lee Jihan
November 2022
Christine McVie, co-lead vocalist, keyboardist, and songwriter of Fleetwood Mac, died on Wednesday, November 30 at the age of 79.
According to a statement from her family, McVie died peacefully in the hospital “following a short illness.” She was in the company of her loved ones, who asked: “everyone to keep Christine in their hearts and remember the life of an incredible human being, and revered musician who was loved universally.”
Fleetwood Mac bandmate Stevie Nicks paid tribute to her “best friend” online, writing: " I didn’t even know she was ill…until late Saturday night. I wanted to be in London; I wanted to get to London—but we were told to wait. So, since Saturday, one song has been swirling around in my head, over and over and over. I thought I might get to sing it to her, and so, I’m singing it to her now. I always knew I would need these words one day, written by the Ladies Haim. It’s all I can do now.”
Other celebrity deaths in November 2022 included:
Actor Leslie PhillipsFormer child star Aaron CarterRapper TakeoffFame singer Irene CaraJohn Aniston, father of Jennifer AnistonThe Clash guitarist and co-founder Keith LeveneSupernatural actress Nicki AycoxOrange Is The New Black star Brad William HenkeDie Hard and Top Gun actor Clarence Gilyard
December 2022
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known to most as soccer star Pelé, passed away on December 29 after a year-long battle with colon cancer and other medical issues. He was 82.
Pelé has been called the greatest soccer player in history, even by the sport’s international governing body FIFA. He was also one of the most popular athletes of the 20th century, leading Brazil to World Cup titles in 1958, 1962 and 1970.
That same day, British fashion icon Dame Vivienne Westwood died at the age of 81.
The news was announced by her family, who said she had died “peacefully and surrounded by her family” at her home in Clapham, southwest London.
After the announcement, Westwood’s husband and creative partner, Andreas Kronthaler, said: “I will continue with Vivienne in my heart.
“We have been working until the end and she has given me plenty of things to get on with.”
Other famous people who died in December included:
Faithless frontman Maxi JazzActress Kirstie AlleyThe Specials Terry HallActress Ruth MadocPrimal Scream keyboard player Martin DuffySesame Street original cast member Bob McGrathCountry musician Jake FlintDJ Stephen ’tWitch’ Boss
