Notable celebrity and newsmaker deaths of 2025

Take a look at the notable celebrities and newsmakers who have died so far in 2025. These prominent people have made an impact in their fields of sports, public service and the arts.

• Related: Notable celebrity and newsmaker deaths of 2024

• Dick Cheney, one of the most powerful and polarizing vice presidents, dies at 84

• ‘This guy was scary’: Ex-Chicago cop, Outfit hitman Steve Mandell dies in prison

• Sonny Curtis, Crickets member who penned ‘Mary Tyler Moore Show’ theme, dies at 88

• Grammy-winning songwriter Brett James who co-wrote ‘Jesus, Take the Wheel’ dies in plane crash

• Robert Redford, Oscar-winning actor, director and Sundance founder, dies at 89

• Former two-term Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar, who led the state through much of the 1990s, dies at 79

• Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk dead at 31 after campus shooting

• Bruce DuMont, host of ‘Beyond the Beltway’ and founder of Chicago’s Museum of Broadcast Communications, dies at 81

• Fashion designer Giorgio Armani dead at 91

• ‘Sopranos’ star Jerry Adler, Broadway backstage vet turned late-in-life actor, dies at 96

• Former FBI and CIA Director William H. Webster dies at 101

• Apollo 13 commander James Lovell dies at 97

• Kelley Mack, actress on ‘The Walking Dead’ and ‘Chicago Med,’ dies at 33

• Ryne Sandberg, Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer, dies at 65 after cancer recurrence

• Hulk Hogan, icon in professional wrestling, dies at age 71

• Ozzy Osbourne, lead singer of Black Sabbath and godfather of heavy metal, dies at 76

• Malcolm-Jamal Warner, ‘Cosby Show’ actor, dies at 54 in Costa Rica drowning

  

• Star-crossed singer Connie Francis, whose hits included ‘Pretty Little Baby,’ dead at 87

• Harry Teinowitz, sports talk radio host who co-wrote play on sobriety after DUI arrest, dies at 64

• Michael Madsen, Chicago native and ‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Kill Bill’ actor, dead at 67

• Julian McMahon, star of ‘Charmed,’ ‘Nip/Tuck,’ and ‘FBI,’ dies at 56

• Chicago Heights native Lynn Hamilton, who had roles in ‘Sanford and Son’ and ‘227,’ dies at 95

• Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, whose ministry was toppled by prostitution scandals, dies at 90

• ‘Storybook life’ of accomplished horse trainer D. Wayne Lukas ends with his death at age 89

• Dave Parker dies at 74 — a month before the hard-hitting outfielder’s Hall of Fame induction 

• Flora Johnson, a prolific Chicago journalist remembered as ‘bohemian’ and ‘eccentric’, dies at 76 

• Bill Moyers, the former White House press secretary turned acclaimed TV journalist, dead at 91

• Bobby Sherman, teen idol in the 1960s and ’70s, and later a CPR teacher, dies at 81

• Mick Ralphs, founding member of Bad Company and Mott the Hoople, dies at 81

• Sister Rosemary Connelly, Misericordia head, helped bring dignity to special needs community

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• Food Network star Anne Burrell dead at 55 

• Nina Kuscsik, a marathon pioneer and 1st official winner of Boston women’s race, dies at 86

• Leonard Lauder, philanthropist who globalized family cosmetic business, dies at age 92

• Brian Wilson, visionary leader of the Beach Boys, dies at 82

• Sly Stone, leader of funk revolutionaries Sly and the Family Stone, dies at 82 

• Renee Ferguson, longtime investigative reporter for WMAQ-Ch. 5, dies 

• Gary Deeb, former Tribune media critic with razor-sharp wit, dies at 79

• Groundbreaking gay author Edmund White dies at 85

• Jim Marshall, the ‘all-time iron man’ and Minnesota Vikings Purple People Eater, dies at 87

• Loretta Swit, Emmy-winner who played Maj. Houlihan on pioneering series ‘M.A.S.H.,’ has died at 87 

• Rick Derringer, who had a hit with ‘Hang On Sloopy’ and produced ‘Weird Al,’ dies at 77

• ‘Duck Dynasty’ patriarch and conservative cultural icon Phil Robertson dies

• Former US Rep. Charles Rangel of New York has died at age 94

• Jim Irsay, longtime Indianapolis Colts owner and Chicago-area native, dies at 65

• Former Supreme Court Justice David Souter, a Republican who became a liberal darling, dies at 85

• Chet Lemon, a 2-time All-Star center fielder for the Chicago White Sox, dies at 70

• Ruth Buzzi, comedy sketch player on groundbreaking series ‘Laugh-In,’ dies at 88 

• Steve McMichael, the colorful Hall of Famer and a leader on the 1985 Chicago Bears, dies at 67

• Jim Johnson, longtime WLS radio newsman for 45 years, dies at 80

• Pope Francis dies at 88

• Nora Aunor, an actor among the Philippines’ biggest stars, dies at 71

• Wink Martindale, the genial game-show host and an early TV interviewer of Elvis Presley, dies at 91

• Rory Spears, a longtime Chicago sports radio presence with a passion for golf, dies at 65

• Stanley Ikenberry, former U. of I. System president, dies at 90

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• Jay North, TV’s mischievous Dennis the Menace, dies at 73

• Val Kilmer, ‘Top Gun’ and Batman star with an intense approach, dies at 65

• George Freeman, a trailblazing jazz guitarist who enjoyed a late-career renaissance, dies at 97

• Thomas Hardy, Tribune top political writer who later went to work for Gov. Edgar, U. of I., dies at 72

• Richard Chamberlain, TV actor who starred in ‘Dr. Kildare,’ dies at 90

• George Foreman, two-time heavyweight boxing champion and Olympic gold medalist, dies at 76

• Marian ‘Cindy’ Pritzker, family matriarch, philanthropist and Gov. JB Pritzker’s aunt, dies at 101

• Ron Nessen, press secretary to President Ford, dies at 90

• Joe Bean, Wheaton College soccer coach who won two national titles, dies

• Former US Sen. Alan Simpson of Wyoming, who bridged partisan gaps with his quick wit, dies at age 93

• John Feinstein, bestselling author and nationally renowned sports writer, dies at 69

• Tuyet Le, leader in Chicago’s Asian American community, dies at 53

• Joseph Wambaugh, who brought street cops to life in his books and movies, dies at 88

• D’Wayne Wiggins, founding member of the R&B group Tony! Toni! Tone!, has died at 64

• Gene ‘Daddy G’ Barge, music producer, actor and band leader, dies at 98

• Margie Korshak, silver-haired publicist and Chicago’s connection to the stars, dies at 86

• Grammy-nominated R&B singer Angie Stone dies in car crash at 63

• David Johansen, singer from the seminal punk band the New York Dolls, dies at 75

• Actor Gene Hackman, raised in Danville, found dead at home along with his wife

• Michelle Trachtenberg, star of ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer,’ ‘Gossip Girl’ and ‘Harriet the Spy,’ dies at at 39

• Roberta Flack, Grammy-winning singer with an intimate style, dies at 88

• Jerry ‘Iceman’ Butler, former Cook County commissioner and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, dies at 85

• Dick Jauron, who led Chicago Bears to 13-win season in 2001, dies: ‘He didn’t get enough credit for what he did’

• Virginia McCaskey, principal owner of the Chicago Bears and George Halas’ daughter, dies at 102

• The Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the world’s Ismaili Muslims, has died at age 88

• Fay Vincent, MLB commissioner during three years of turmoil, dies at 86

• Dick Button, Olympic great and voice of skating, dies at 95

• Marianne Faithfull, singer and pop icon, dies at 78

Gene Schroeder

• Oldest living Chicago Bear, Gene Schroeder, dies at 95

• Jack Helbig, a caustic critic with a deep love for teaching and Chicago theater, dies at 66

• Garth Hudson, master instrumentalist and last surviving member of The Band, dies at 87

• Former Planned Parenthood president, women’s rights activist Cecile Richards has died at 67

• Jeff Torborg, former Chicago White Sox manager and big-league catcher, dies at 83

• Tony Award-winning British actor Joan Plowright, widow of Laurence Olivier, dies at 95

• ‘Mr. Baseball’ Bob Uecker, the voice of the Milwaukee Brewers, dies at 90

• David Lynch, visionary filmmaker behind ‘Twin Peaks’ and ‘Mulholland Drive,’ dies at 78

• Sam Moore, who sang ‘Soul Man’ in Sam & Dave duo, dies at 89 because of surgery complications

• Peter Yarrow of folk-music trio Peter, Paul and Mary dies at 86

• Jean-Marie Le Pen, French far-right leader known for fiery rhetoric against immigration, dies at 96

• Nagasaki atomic bomb survivor, who devoted his life for peace, dies at 93

• Aubrey Plaza’s husband, director Jeff Baena, dead by apparent suicide

• Wayne Osmond, singer and guitarist for The Osmonds, dies at 73