Celebrities Deaths in 2021

Celebrities and famous people who have passed away in 2021 so far!

It’s never easy to say goodbye. Let's take a moment to reflect on some of the beloved celebrities that we’ve lost recently. While in some ways Hollywood feels like a million miles away from everyday life for most of us, we can grow surprisingly close to stars. We let them into our homes, and they become a part of our world, too. In 20201, we sadly have said goodbye to many notable celebrities. Deshayla Harris, Richard Gilliland, George Segal, Chick Corea and Mary Wilson to name a few.

Below are some of the notable celebrities who died in 2021 with a brief about their life and their achievements. Feel free to check deadorkicking.com for the latest updates on the death of celebrities and famous people.

Richard Gilliland; January 23, 1950 - March 18, 2021

Richard Gilliland, an actor known for his role on “Designing Women,” died at 71. The actor died on March 18 in Los Angeles following a brief illness. He was slated to work alongside his wife, Jean Smart, this summer in a movie directed by Tate Taylor.

Alongside “The Waltons” and “The Love Boat,” one of his most well-known roles came on “Designing Women,” the popular CBS sitcom that debuted in 1986 and where he met his future wife. Throughout the first five seasons of “Designing Women,” Gilliland played J.D. Shackelford, a baseball talent scout and the boyfriend of Annie Pott’s character Mary Jo Shively.

George Segal; February 13, 1934 - March 23, 2021

George Segal, the prolific actor with a career that spanned more than six decades, has died at age 87. For the past eight years, Segal had been a series regular on ABC’s 1980s-set family comedy The Goldbergs. The last episode he filmed before his death, Episode 16 of the show’s current eighth season, is set to air April 7. The series is expected to pay tribute to Segal on-air.

Born in New York City on February 13, 1934, Segal attended Haverford College, eventually graduating from Columbia University with a degree in performing arts and drama. He began his acting career in the theater before being drafted into the U.S. army. Upon his return, Segal worked on Off Broadway and in film, signing a contract with Columbia Pictures in 1961 and making his film debut in The Young Doctors. He won a Golden Globe for new star of the year for his work in Columbia Pictures’ The New Interns alongside Harve Presnell and Chaim Topol in 1964.

Some of the top directors of the 1960s and ’70s, including Robert Altman, Mike Nichols, Paul Mazursky and Sidney Lumet cast Segal for his gently humorous everyman quality, and he often played an unlucky-in-love professional or a writer who gets in over his head.

Jahmil French; July 29, 1991 - March 1, 2021

Actor Jahmil French, who starred in "Degrassi: The Next Generation," has died at 29 years old. On Degrassi, Shankar, 29, played Alli Bhandari, a love interest of French's character. Fans of the show came to refer to their relationship as "Bhandurner," which the actress referenced as she honored French.

The cause of death was not reported.

Cicely Tyson; December 19, 1924- January 28, 2021

Emmy- and Tony-winning actress Cicely Tyson, who distinguished herself in theater, film and television, died at the age of 96. Tyson's death was announced by her family, via her manager Larry Thompson, who did not immediately provide additional details.

Her prowess on screen earned her three Emmys and a Tony Award - and countless nominations for other accolades. In a career that spanned some 65 years, Tyson was an elegant, dignified presence on stage and screen. She commanded attention in such movies as Sounder and The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. She won Emmys and, at age 88, a Tony Award. She also inspired generations of African American actors who grew up watching her.

Oprah Winfrey, who has cited her as a standout, groundbreaker and inspiration, honored Tyson at her famous Legends Ball, celebrating the actress and ensuring that she, and her work, would be introduced to a new generation of film enthusiasts.

Hal Holbrook; February 17, 1925 - January 23, 2021

Hal Holbrook, the actor best known for his portrayal of Mark Twain in the renowned one-man show he performed on stages, has died at the age of 95. In 2008, at age 82, Holbrook became the oldest male performer nominated for an Academy Award for his supporting role in "Into the Wild."

Holbrook technically portrayed Twain longer than author Samuel Clemens did, since Clemens only adopted the pen name for 50 years. Holbrook announcing the end of his award-winning show in a letter referenced by The Oklahoman, saying, "I know it must end, this long effort to do a good job. I have served my trade, gave it my all, heart and soul, as a dedicated actor can."

In 2006 the actor guested on “The Sopranos” as a terminally ill patient who imparts some wisdom to the hospitalized Tony Soprano.

Larry King; November 19, 1933 - January 23, 2021

The legendary broadcast and television personality died at 87 on January 23 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. King's immediate cause of death was sepsis, according to his death certificate.

By his count, he interviewed more than 60,000 subjects, and when his run on cable ended in 2010, he segued to the internet with "Larry King Now," a daily talk show on Hulu from Ora TV, and became an active presence on Twitter.

Unlike many interviewers, King had a direct, non-confrontational approach. His reputation for asking easy, open-ended questions made him attractive to important figures who wanted to state their position while avoiding being challenged on contentious topics. King said that when interviewing authors, he did not read their books in advance, so that he would not know more than his audience.

Michael Apted; February 10, 1941 - January 7, 2021

Michael Apted; the acclaimed British director who moved with ease between socially conscious documentaries and feature films; he has died aged 79.

Apted made his feature directorial debut with the war saga The Triple Echo (1972), starring Glenda Jackson and Oliver Reed, and his résumé also included Continental Divide (1981), featuring John Belushi as a romantic lead; the crime drama Class Action (1991), starring Gene Hackman; and the thrillers Gorky Park (1983), featuring William Hurt; Thunderheart (1992), with Val Kilmer; Blink (1993), starring Madeleine Stowe; Extreme Measures (1996), featuring Hugh Grant; Enigma (2001), with Kate Winslet; and Enough (2002), starring Jennifer Lopez.

His “Up” series of documentaries for Granada Television, in which he profiled a varied group of young Britons and revisited them every seven years to what changes time had wrought, topped the list in the 2005 Channel 4 Program “The 50 Greatest Documentaries.”