Celebrity deaths of 2026: The entertainers and artists we lost this year
TMZ: Actress Catherine O'Hara dead at 71
TMZ reports actress Catherine O'Hara is dead at 71. The actress was known for her work in Schitt's Creek, Home Alone, and Beetlejuice.
In 2026, several notable public figures died, drawing attention across the entertainment, sports, political, and cultural spheres.
The individuals included actors, musicians, athletes, artists, politicians, and religious leaders whose work and public roles made them widely known.
Many beloved actors, comedians and politicians died in 2026. LEFT: Chuck Norris, RIGHT: Catherine O'Hara (Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images, Frederic Meylan/Sygma via Getty Images)
List of celebrity deaths
Below is a list of prominent figures who died in 2026:
Mary Beth Hurt
March 28: Mary Beth Hurt, a Tony Award-nominated actor who starred on Broadway in "Benefactors" with Glenn Close and later reunited with her in the film "The World According to Garp,"died at 79. Hurt died in New Jersey after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2015, according to her daughter, Molly Schrader.
Darrell "Dash" Crofts
March 25: Darrell "Dash" Crofts, singer and one half of the soft rock duo, Seals & Crofts, has died. He was 87 years old.
Crofts died in the hospital due to complications from heart failure, according to a New York Times report.
Valerie Perrine
March 23: Actress Valerie Perrine, known for her role as Eve Teschmacher in multiple early ‘Superman’ films, has died at the age of 82. She was also nominated for an Academy Award and won several other awards for her role as Honey Bruce in the 1974 film "Lenny".
Carrie Anne Fleming
March 23: Carrie Anne Fleming, the Canadian actress best known for her roles in horror productions like "iZombie" and "Supernatural," has died. She was 51 years old. According to multiple reports, Fleming passed away on February 26 in Sidney, British Columbia.
Nicholas Brendon
March 20: Nicholas Brendon, the actor best known for his role as Xander in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," has died. He was 54 years old.
Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris dies at 86
The family confirmed that Chuck Norris, the famed martial artist and actor, died. He was 86 years old.
March 19: Chuck Norris, the famed martial artist and actor in films like "The Delta Force" and "Missing in Action," died. He was 86 years old.
"To the world, he was a martial artist, actor, and a symbol of strength. To us, he was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, an incredible brother, and the heart of our family," his family said in a statement. "He lived his life with faith, purpose, and an unwavering commitment to the people he loved. Through his work, discipline, and kindness, he inspired millions around the world and left a lasting impact on so many lives."
Kiki Shepard
March 17: Kiki Shepard, the co-host of the long-running television show "Showtime at the Apollo," has died. She was 74. Shepard's representative told TMZ that the entertainer suffered a massive heart attack in Los Angeles.
Country Joe McDonald
March 7: Country Joe McDonald, a ‘60s psychedelic rocker who performed his Vietnam anti-war anthem with his band the Fish at Woodstock, died of complications from Parkinson's disease. He was 84.
Corey Parker
March 5: Corey Parker, a veteran actor known for his roles in "Friday the 13th Part V" and the sitcom "Flying Blind," died at 60 after a battle with cancer, according to TMZ.
Robert Carradine
Feb. 24: Robert Carradine, the actor best known for his roles in the 1984 film "Revenge of the Nerds" and the Disney Channel series "Lizzie McGuire" has died. He was 71. His family released a statement on the entertainer's death and asked for privacy.
Willie Colón
Feb. 21: Willie Colón, the iconic salsa musician and key figure in the Nuyorican salsa movement, died Saturday at the age of 75, his family announced in a statement shared on his Facebook page. A cause of death was not given.
Eric Dane
Feb. 19: Eric Dane, the actor who was best known for his roles in "Grey's Anatomy" and "Euphoria," died due to Lou Gehrig's disease. He was diagnosed less than a year before his death.
Robert Duvall
Feb. 16: Long-time, Oscar-winning actor Robert Duvall died at 95. His career spanned more than seven decades, with iconic roles in "Tender Mercies" and "The Godfather."
Tom Noonan
Feb. 14: Tom Noonan, an actor, writer and director recognized for his performances in "Manhunter," "The Monster Squad" and "Heat," died at 74. Noonan died on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, according to Fred Dekker, director of the 1987 film "The Monster Squad," in which Noonan played Frankenstein’s monster.
James Van Der Beek
Feb. 11: Beloved TV star James Van Der Beek died following a battle with colorectal cancer. He was 48 years old. The actor, known for starring in the popular television series "Dawson’s Creek," died, his reps and family confirmed. No cause of death was given.
RELATED: Colorectal cancer: Symptoms and what causes it
Terrance Gore
Feb. 7: Terrance Gore, an MLB veteran known for his base-running speed, died at 34. His cause of death wasn't immediately released, but the Dodgers expressed sorrow over his "sudden" passing. Gore played for several MLB teams throughout the span of his 8-year career.
Brad Arnold
Feb. 7: Brad Arnold, founding member and lead singer of 3 Doors Down, died at age 47 following a battle with kidney cancer.
Singer Brad Arnold of 3 Doors Down performs at 2023 FOX & Friends' Summer Concert Series on May 26, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)
Chuck Negron
Feb. 3: Chuck Negron, a founding member of Three Dog Night whose lead vocals powered numerous hits including "Joy to the World," died at his home in Los Angeles. He was 83 years old.
Demond Wilson
Jan. 31: Demond Wilson, the stage actor turned TV star who played Lamont Sanford on "Sanford and Son," died at his home in Palm Springs, California, following complications from cancer.
Catherine O'Hara
Jan. 30: Catherine O'Hara, the beloved actor and comedian known for her starring roles in "Beetlejuice," "Home Alone," "Schitt’s Creek" and more, died at 71 following a brief illness.
MARCH 24: Catherine O'Hara attends the World Premiere of Apple TV+'s Series "The Studio" at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on March 24, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
RELATED: Catherine O'Hara's death prompts shock, grief across social media
Roger Allers
Jan. 17: Roger Allers, the filmmaker and animator best known for co-directing the 1994 Disney classic "The Lion King," and writing the Tony Award-winning Broadway adaption of the movie, died.
RELATED: 'The Lion King' co-director Roger Allers dead at 76
Scott Adams
Jan. 13: Cartoonist Scott Adams has died following a battle with prostate cancer at the age of 68. Adams revealed that he was suffering from prostate cancer – the same cancer that former President Joe Biden announced that he was diagnosed with.
RELATED: 'Dilbert' creator Scott Adams dies after prostate cancer battle
Yeison Jiménez
Jan. 10, 2026: Colombian music star Yeison Jiménez, 34, died following a plane crash in Colombia.
RELATED: Yeison Jiménez, Colombian music star, dies at 34 in plane crash
According to TMZ, Jiménez was one of Colombia’s most successful artists, known for blending Mexican ranchera music with Colombian influences.
Bob Weir
Celebrity deaths of 2026: Bob Weir sings as Dead & Company performs at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco on August 3, 2025. (Credit: Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
Jan. 10, 2026: Grateful Dead founding member Bob Weir died, according to a family statement posted to his official Instagram account. He was 78.
RELATED: Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir dead at 78
Weir was famously the "little brother" of the Grateful Dead, as the guitarist and vocalist joined the band in 1965 at just 17 years old. He'd spend the next 30 years playing on endless tours with the Grateful Dead alongside fellow singer and guitarist Jerry Garcia, who died in 1995.
T.K. Carter
Jan. 9, 2026: Thomas Kent "T.K." Carter, a veteran actor known for roles in the horror film "The Thing" and TV’s "Punky Brewster," died.
RELATED: Actor T.K. Carter, known for 'The Thing' and 'Punky Brewster,' dies at 69
He began his career in stand-up comedy, and had been acting for years before a breakthrough role as Nauls the cook in John Carpenter's 1982 horror classic, "The Thing." Other big-screen roles include "Runaway Train" in 1985, "Ski Patrol" in 1990 and "Space Jam" in 1996.
Guy Moon
Jan. 8, 2026: Music Composer Guy Moon – the man behind "The Fairly OddParents" theme song – died in a car crash.
RELATED: 'Fairly OddParents' composer Guy Moon dies in car crash in Los Angeles
Moon's family posted on the composer's public Facebook page that Guy Moon had died on Thursday, January 8.
Sidney Kibrick
Jan. 3, 2026: Sidney Kibrick, one of the original cast members of the 1930s film shorts "Our Gang/Little Rascals," died. He was 97 years old.
RELATED: Sidney Kibrick, the last original 'Our Gang' actor, dies at 97
Kibrick was cast as Woim and appeared in dozens of "Our Gang/Little Rascals" shorts throughout the 1930s. The "Our Gang" shorts would later be titled "The Little Rascals" after it was sold to MGM for syndication in the 1950s.
The Source
This story was reported from Los Angeles. Previous FOX Local reporting contributed.