Remembering 16 era-defining celebrities who died in 2023 – Matthew Perry, Tina Turner, Coco Lee, Angus Cloud, Sinéad O’Connor, Andre Braugher, Lisa Marie Presley and more stars that left us too soon
- It was a heartbreaking year: Friends star Matthew Perry died after a lifelong battle with addiction, Elvis heir Lisa Marie Presley suffered a cardiac arrest, and Jerry Springer died peacefully, aged 79
- The music world lost Harry Belafonte and Lady Gaga favourite Tony Bennett, both aged 96, as well as the ‘Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ Tina Turner, Robbie Robertson of The Band and David Crosby of CSNY and The Birds
Over the past 12 months, numerous iconic talents sadly left this world for good. Among the stars who will never shine from our screens again are Lisa Marie Presley, Jim Brown, Raquel Welch, Matthew Perry, Andre Braugher, Norman Lear and Bob Barker.
The world of music meanwhile lost a plethora of legends, including Tina Turner, David Crosby, Wayne Shorter, Jimmy Buffett, Tony Bennett, Sinéad O’Connor, Jaimie Branch and Robbie Robertson.
As we prepare to embark on a new year, let’s take a moment to pay tribute to some of the incredible figures the world lost in 2023, organised alphabetically.
1. Harry Belafonte, 96
A beloved singer, songwriter, actor and activist, Belafonte was beloved by millions for many reasons. Along with winning Emmy, Tony and Grammy awards, he also fought for civil rights alongside his late friends Dr Martin Luther King Jr and Sidney Poitier.
After claiming fame in 1954 as Joe in Carmen Jones, in which he was Oscar nominated, he then trail blazed a career both as an actor and a musician. And with his activism he did everything from marching with MLK to speaking about the apartheid in South Africa.
Belafonte died on April 25. The cause of death was congestive heart failure.
2. Tony Bennett, 96
Though born Anthony Dominick Benedetto in Queens, New York, the world knew him as Tony Bennett.
The crooner was timeless as he performed hits for generations of fans.
Bennett died on July 21 after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease.