A series of high-profile deaths has marked 2026, with the entertainment, music, sporting and cultural worlds mourning figures whose careers shaped generations of audiences. Among those reported dead this year are Bonnie Tyler, Dolly Parton, Robert Duvall, Catherine O’Hara, Bob Weir, Chuck Norris and Sam Neill.
The list, which runs through 20 September, includes performers, athletes, filmmakers, designers and influential figures from across the United States and beyond.
Celebrity deaths in September 2026
New Found Glory founding member Chad Gilbert died on 20 September aged 45. The band said he died in his sleep with his wife and mother by his side, surrounded by friends and family.
Singer-songwriter Duncan Sheik, whose 1996 hit Barely Breathing earned a Grammy nomination, died on 17 September aged 56.
Competitive eater Tim Janus, known as “Eater X”, died on 16 September aged 49 after a long battle with cancer. He had competed alongside Joey Chestnut on The Amazing Race.
Bob Mackie, the celebrated fashion designer known for creating costumes and gowns for stars including Cher, Barbra Streisand, Madonna and Diana Ross, died in Palm Springs on 14 September. He was 87 and died from pneumonia, according to his publicist.
Mackie won nine Emmy Awards and a Tony Award, and was nominated for three Oscars. He was also inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.
The pioneering feminist writer and activist Gloria Steinem died on 2 September aged 92, while Grammy-winning jazz singer Cassandra Wilson died the previous day aged 70.
Music and film figures mourned
Country music icon Dolly Parton died on 25 August aged 80, according to her family. Her career spanned almost six decades and produced internationally known songs including Jolene and 9 to 5.
Parton sold more than 100 million records worldwide and became one of the most influential figures in country music.
Actor Tim Curry, best known as Dr Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, died on 26 August aged 80. Peter Cullen, the voice of Optimus Prime in the Transformers franchise, also died that month aged 85.
Hayden Panettiere, who starred in Heroes and Nashville, died on 16 August aged 36. Her other credits included Remember the Titans and the Scream films.
Director Mark Rydell, whose work included On Golden Pond, died on 15 August aged 97. The film received ten Academy Award nominations and won Henry Fonda his only Oscar.
Irish actress Brenda Fricker, the first Irish performer to win an Academy Award, died on 17 July aged 81. She was recognised for My Left Foot and was also widely remembered as the pigeon lady in Home Alone 2.
Sam Neill, who played Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park, died in Sydney on 13 July aged 78. He had been receiving treatment for stage-three blood cancer.
Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler died in hospital in Portugal on 8 July aged 75. Her family said she had died unexpectedly as a result of the illness for which she was being treated. Tyler was best known for Total Eclipse of the Heart and Holding Out for a Hero.
Other musicians reported dead during the summer included Village People singer Victor Willis, Blood, Sweat & Tears frontman David Clayton-Thomas, hip-hop producer Tay Keith, saxophonist Sonny Rollins and Chantels singer Arlene Smith.
Actors, filmmakers and television stars
Oscar-winning actor Robert Duvall died on 16 February aged 95. His career lasted more than seven decades and included acclaimed performances in The Godfather and Tender Mercies.
Catherine O’Hara, the Canadian actor and comedian known for Beetlejuice, Home Alone and Schitt’s Creek, died on 30 January aged 71 after a brief illness.
James Van Der Beek, best known for playing Dawson Leery in Dawson’s Creek, died on 11 February aged 48 following a battle with colorectal cancer.
Eric Dane, known for his roles in Grey’s Anatomy and Euphoria, died on 19 February aged 53 after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Chuck Norris, the martial artist and actor whose film credits included The Delta Force and Missing in Action, died on 19 March aged 86. His family described him as a devoted husband, father and grandfather who had inspired millions through his work and discipline.
Other actors reported dead in 2026 included Robert Carradine, Nicholas Brendon, Anthony Head, Anne Schedeen, Michael Byrne, Randolph Mantooth, Shelley Fabares and Vincent Pastore.
Among the directors and behind-the-scenes figures mourned were The Lion King co-director Roger Allers, legendary sitcom director James Burrows, Oscar-winning film editor Marcia Lucas and record executive Clive Davis.
Sporting and cultural figures
The sporting world also lost several prominent figures. Former NFL quarterback Craig Morton, Hall of Fame coach Rick Adelman and baseball pitcher Tommy John were among those reported dead.
Tommy John, who was 83, became synonymous with the elbow operation that helped extend the careers of countless baseball players. After undergoing the procedure in 1974, he returned to win more than 160 games.
Former Formula One driver and CART champion Alex Zanardi, who later became a Paralympic gold medallist, died on 1 May aged 59.
Jason Collins, the former NBA player who became the first openly gay active athlete in a major North American professional sport, died aged 47 after a battle with an aggressive brain tumour.
Grateful Dead founding member Bob Weir died on 10 January aged 78. Weir joined the band as a teenager in 1965 and spent decades touring and recording alongside Jerry Garcia.
Other notable deaths included Motown songwriter Janie Bradford Hobbs, jazz musician Joe Negri, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood performer, and Gene Shalit, the longtime film critic for NBC’s Today programme.
The year’s list also includes younger performers and creators, including Lauren Bennett, the singer featured on LMFAO’s Party Rock Anthem, and Tay Keith, the Grammy-nominated producer behind major hip-hop hits.
