While 2022 ushered in new talent and amazing movies and television, there were also many great artists lost this year. To remember their lives and their work is to honor them, and sadly, there was a lot of honor to go around this year. Some incredible actors, directors, singers, and stars in general passed away this year:
That litany of tragic passings doesn’t even get into the names below, some of the most recent deaths of stars whose lives and work personally touched us.
Stephen “tWitch” Boss
Stephen “tWitch” Bossdiedon December 13th, and he was 40 years old. He rose to fame in 2008 after competing onSo You Think You Can Danceand earning second place. He was a jack of all trades working as a dancer, choreographer, DJ, and actor. His legacy lives on through his work onEllen’s Game of Games, Step Up, Magic Mike XXL,andStomp The Yard 2: Homecoming.
Kirstie Alley
Kirstie Alleydied on December 5th at age 71 after battling cancer. She was an actress best known for her Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning role, Rebecca Howe, on thelegendary showCheers.Additionally, she was nominated for awards for her role inVeronica’s Closet,won an Emmy for her role in the TV movieDavid’s Mother,and earned a nomination forThe Last Don.
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She had her own sitcom,Kirstie, was featured inScream Queens,and was in theLook Who’s Talkingmovies and the filmDrop Dead Gorgeous.She has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and her influence and mark on Hollywood is not one that will soon be forgotten.
Bob McGrath
Bob McGrathdiedon December 4th at 90 years old. He was an original and founding casting member ofSesame Streetand played the neighborhood teacher for almost 50 years. His legacy lives on in all the lives he touched as an actor, children’s author, and musician.
Leslie Jordan
Leslie Jordandied on October 24th at the age of 76. While he lived a long life and had a prosperous career, it’s hard not to feel that he was gone too soon. Even at 76 years old, he was not slowing down anytime soon and was even on his way to work at the time of his death. His career was jump-started in the 1980s commercial world, and he quickly became a star. Some of his most notable credits are fromDesperate Housewives, American Horror Story, Ally McBeal, Will and Grace,and most recentlyCall Me Kat.His work did not stop on camera, as he has various credits in Los Angeles and off-Broadway theatre.
Robbie Coltrane
Robbie Coltranedied on October 14th at 72 years old. He won the hearts of everyone in his role intheHarry Pottermoviesas Hagrid, a gentle giant. He is a decorated actor and outside the wizarding franchise is best known for roles inCracker, Golden Eye, Van Helsing,andThe World Is Not Enough.He was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award from British Academy of Television Awards Scotland in 2011 as well as three British Academy of Television Awards for his titular role in the excellent seriesCracker.
Related:Robbie Coltrane: Remembering His Best Performances Outside Hagrid in Harry Potter
Louise Fletcher
Louise Fletcherdiedon September 26th at age 88. She earned her fame playing Nuse Ratched inOne Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. A role in which she won an Academy Award for Best Actress, a British Academy of Television Awards Award, and a Golden Globe Award. Fletcher ever-so-iconically sair in her Oscar acceptance speech, “It looks like you all hated me so much that you’ve given me this award for it.” The character was so iconic that it evenbecame a TV series,Ratched. She had a long career and worked on titles such asFlowers in the Attic, Firestarter,andTwo Moon Junction. Her memory lives on in the fierce, yet subtle work that will be relevant and beloved for many years to come.
Bob Sagetdied on January 9th at the age of 65. Saget was known for his iconic role as Danny Tanner in the television showFull House. He was a standup comedian, actor, and television host who devoted part of his life to raising money and awareness for scleroderma. He voiced the narrator inHow I Met Your Mother, hostedAmerica’s Funniest Home Videos,and had various standup specials. He was America’s dad and will live on in the people he brought laughter to.
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-Johndied August 8th at age 73. She was an actor, activist, and Grammy-winning singer. She battled breast cancer and championed research in plant-based medicine with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund. As a star, she is known for her role asSandy inGreaseas well as Kira inXanadu.
Irene Cara
Irene Carawas an American singer, songwriter, and actress who died on November 25th at age 63. She was a child performer who starred in the musical dramaSparkle.She is best known for her role in the movieFameas Coco Hernandez and for the Oscar-winning song she co-wrote forFlashdance.
Angela Lansbury
DameAngela Lansburydied on October 11th at 96 years old, only a few days shy of her 97th birthday. In her 80-year-long career, she touched the lives of many through a series ofperformances we’ll never forget. Manchurian Candidate, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Death on the Nile are only some of the Oscar-winner’s great roles, but Lansbury is remembered most for her role as Jessica Fletcher inMurder, She Wrote.
