Remembering just some of the famous faces who left us this year

Glynis Johns

The actress who was best known as the suffragette mother Mrs Banks in the 1964 film Mary Poppins, died at the age of 100. She won a Tony Award in 1973 for playing Desiree Armfeldt in A Little Night Music on Broadway.

Derek Draper

The former lobbyist and political adviser who was married to TV presenter Kate Garraway, died aged 56 after suffering long-lasting damage to his organs from coronavirus. A prominent figure in New Labour in the 1990s, Mr Draper worked for Blairite Peter Mandelson.

David Soul

The US-born actor, best known for his role as Detective Kenneth “Hutch” Hutchinson in the classic crime-solving series Starsky & Hutch, died aged 80. Soul, who starred opposite Paul Michael Glaser as Detective Dave Starsky in the 1970s US TV series, was also known for his roles in Here Come The Brides, Magnum Force and The Yellow Rose.

Annie Nightingale

The DJ, who died at the age of 83, became the first female presenter on BBC Radio 1 when she joined the station in 1970 and went on to become its longest-serving host. Nightingale, who first broadcast on the BBC in 1963 as a panellist on Juke Box Jury, remained Radio 1’s only female DJ until 1982.

Mary Weiss

Weiss, the lead singer of 1960s pop group the Shangri-Las, died at the age of 75. The US girl group rose to stardom with a run of hit songs about teenage love and tragedy, including Remember (Walking In The Sand) and Leader Of The Pack.

FEBRUARY

Carl Weathers

A former American footballer who became a Hollywood action movie and comedy star, Weathers died aged 76. Sylvester Stallone described him as “an integral part” of his life after the death of his Rocky co-star, who played nemesis-turned-ally Apollo Creed in the first four Rocky movies.

Ian Lavender

The actor, who played Private Frank Pike in classic comedy series Dad’s Army, died at the age of 77. He is best known for playing the hapless Pike, who frequently had run-ins with Captain George Mainwaring (Arthur Lowe), calling him “Stupid Boy”. Lavender also played Derek Harkinson in BBC One soap EastEnders.

Steve Wright

Wright, one of the most familiar voices on UK radio, died at the age of 69. He joined the BBC in the 1970s, going on to host shows on BBC Radio 1 and 2 for more than four decades, which attracted millions of listeners. He had also been a long-standing presenter of Top Of The Pops on BBC One.

Dave Myers

Best known as one-half of the Hairy Bikers, Myers died at the age of 66. He found fame alongside Si King, his friend of 30 years, as part of the motorcycle-riding cooking duo. Myers announced he was receiving treatment for cancer in May 2022.

Pamela Salem

Known for her role as James Bond’s secretary Miss Moneypenny in Sean Connery’s Never Say Never Again, Salem died at the age of 80. The British star, who had a role in 1978 crime film The First Great Train Robbery opposite Connery, also appeared in US drama series The West Wing, where she played the UK prime minister and medical serial ER.

MARCH

Steve Harley

Harley, who fronted rock band Cockney Rebel, died at the age of 73. The rock band were best known for their hit Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me), which went to number one in the UK charts in 1975 and was later covered by Duran Duran. Harley helped to write a number of songs for Sir Rod Stewart and the former Faces frontman covered Harley’s song, A Friend For Life.

Louis Gossett Jr

Gossett Jn was said to have paved the way for black actors following his death at the age of 87. He won the supporting actor Oscar for An Officer And A Gentleman, the first black man to take home the gong, when he starred opposite Richard Gere and Debra Winger in the 1982 romance drama.

Peter McAleese

The mercenary soldier who took part in a daring but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to kill the Colombian drug baron Pablo Escobar died at the age of 81. The Glasgow-born former SAS operative led a team of British mercenaries who, in 1989, travelled to the criminal empire of the world's most dangerous man in order to assassinate him.

APRIL

Professor Peter Higgs

The Scottish scientist behind the concept of the subatomic particle the Higgs boson, died aged 94. Higgs predicted the existence of a new particle – the so-called Higgs boson – in 1964 but it would not be confirmed for almost half a century, with experiments at the Large Hadron Collider at Cern finally confirming his theory in 2012. Prof Higgs, emeritus professor at Edinburgh University, was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for this work in 2013, along with Francois Englert.

OJ Simpson

The controversial former NFL star who also pursued an acting career died of cancer at the age of 76. Simpson was a running back for the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers, before being acquitted of the murder of his former wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman in 1995. He was later jailed following an armed robbery in Las Vegas in 2007 and served a lengthy sentence before being released in 2017.

Vincent Friell

The Scottish actor who starred in the cult classic film Restless Natives died aged 64. In addition to his starring role in the 1985 comedy, the Glasgow native also appeared in Trainspotting, The Angel's Share and TV shows including Still Game and Rab C Nesbitt.

Willie Limond

The former British and Commonwealth light-welterweight boxing champion died at the age of 45. He won 42 of his 48 professional fights from 1999 to 2023 - and 13 by knockout. The Scot was originally a footballer, playing five times for Albion Rovers in the late 1990s.

MAY

Bernard Hill

Known for his roles in Boys From The Blackstuff, Titanic and Lord Of The Rings, Hill died aged 79. He first made a name for himself as Yosser Hughes in Alan Bleasdale’s acclaimed BBC drama series Boys From The Blackstuff, about five unemployed men, which aired in 1982.

Dame Shirley Conran

The author and journalist, known for her best-selling books including feminist practical guidebook Superwoman and the novel Lace, died aged 91. Dame Shirley began writing books after she was diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) in her late 30s and could no longer work full-time.

Tony O’Reilly

O’Reilly, one of Ireland’s leading business figures, died at the age of 88. He was also known as a media magnate and international rugby player for Ireland and the British and Irish Lions. In his business career, he pioneered the dairy brand Kerrygold, turning it into one of Ireland’s best-known global consumer brands.

Morgan Spurlock

The journalist, whose 2004 documentary Super Size Me was nominated for an Oscar, died at the age of 53. The documentary, which saw the US filmmaker eat McDonald’s for a month to illustrate the dangers of a fast food diet, made Spurlock globally famous. Spurlock, whose family said he died from complications of cancer, also addressed controversial subject matters including the US war in Afghanistan.

JUNE

Rob Burrow

The former rugby league player, died aged 41 after a lengthy battle with motor neurone disease (MND). Since announcing his diagnosis, the Leeds Rhino player campaigned tirelessly to raise awareness of the disease and to raise funds to improve care.

Colin Gibb

The Black Lace singer, best known for novelty hit Agadoo, died at the age of 70. The group first found fame in 1979 when they competed in the Eurovision Song Contest with their song Mary Ann. They also enjoyed a novelty hit with Do The Conga in 1989.

Michael Mosley

The TV doctor and columnist, died aged 67 after going missing on the Greek island of Symi. Mosley appeared as a guest on BBC’s The One Show and ITV’s This Morning many times, hosted programmes including Trust Me, I’m a Doctor and was credited with popularising a form of intermittent fasting called the 5:2 diet.

Donald Sutherland

The star of Ordinary People, M*A*S*H, The Hunger Games series and Six Degrees Of Separation, died aged 88. Sutherland won a Golden Globe for the TV movie Path To War for playing presidential adviser Clark Clifford and another gong along with an Emmy Award for the the mini-series Citizen X.