In memory of the celebrities who’ve died this year, including Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir, “The Thing” and “Punky Brewster” star T.K. Carter, “Dilbert” creator Scott Adams, and legendary fashion designer Valentino Garavani.

Celebrity deaths 2026: Remembering the stars who died this year

In memory of the celebrities who've died this year, including Grateful Dead's Bob Weir, "The Thing" and "Punky Brewster" star T.K. Carter, "Dilbert" creator Scott Adams, and legendary fashion designer Valentino Garavani.

By Jillian Sederholm

Jillian Sederholm

Jillian Sederholm is news director at *. *She has worked at EW for more than eight years. Jillian has previously worked as a reporter, social media editor, and homepage producer at NBC News, Digital First Media, Newsday, and *Random Lengths News.*

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January 27, 2026 2:11 p.m. ET

TK Carter; Bob Weir; Kianna Underwood. Credit:

Bobby Bank/Getty; Paul Natkin/WireImage; Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic

In 2026, Hollywood is saying goodbye to beloved entertainers across television, films, music, and more.

Among the famous figures whose deaths were announced in January are Grateful Dead founding member Bob Weir,* The Thing *and* Punky Brewster* star T.K. Carter, *Dilbert* creator Scott Adams, and Valentino Garavani, the iconic fashion designer who appeared in *The Devil Wears Prada.*

Read on to remember the lives and careers of the stars who have died in 2026.**

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Sly Dunbar in 1984.

David Corio/Getty

Sly Dunbar, a Grammy-winning reggae drummer, died on Jan. 26 at 73. As one half of the duo Sly & Robbie, along with late bassist Robbie Shakespeare, the Jamaican musicians created reggae rhythms used by the likes of Bob Marley, Mick Jagger, and Bob Dylan.

Gabe Lopez; RuPaul on 'RuPaul's Drag Race'.

Gabe Lopez/Instagram; MTV

Emmy-nominated *RuPaul's Drag Race* crew member and songwriter Gabe Lopez died on Jan. 25 after a "brief but intense battle with lymphoma," according to his mother. Lopez received recognition for his behind-the-scenes work mixing sound for the reality competition's popular 2023 musical episode, "Wigloose: The Rusical!," putting a drag spin on 1980's classic *Footloose. *He also worked on *Queen of the Universe*, *The Bitch Who Stole Christmas*, *Monster High: The Movie*, *The Other Two,* and the *Las Culturistas Culture Awards.***

Guy Hovis with then-wife Ralna English on 'The Lawrence Welk Show'.

Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

Guy Hovis, a musician who frequently appeared on *The Lawrence Welk Show*, died on Jan. 22. He was 84. Hovis performed numerous times on the popular musical variety show alongside then-wife Ralna English, beginning in 1969 and throughout the 1970s.

Francis Buchholz

Francis Buchholz and Rudolph Schenker of Scorpions in 1984.

Paul Natkin/Getty

Bassist Francis Buchholz, a member of German rock band Scorpions, died on Jan. 22 of cancer. He was 71. Buchholz played with the band behind hits like "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and "Wind of Change" for nearly two decades.

Jardyn ‘Pee Wee’ Walker

Jardyn 'Pee Wee' Walker.

Former reality TV star Jardyn Walker was found shot to death in Missouri on Jan. 21. He was 23. Under the nickname "Pee Wee," Walker was a contestant on Zeus Network reality dating series *Two Ways With Erica Mena, *featuring *Love & Hip Hop: New York* and *Atlanta *alum Erica Mena looking for love. Walker placed fourth overall on the competition in 2025.

Kevin Johnson

Defensive lineman Kevin Johnson plays with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1995.

George Gojkovich/Getty

Former NFL player Kevin Johnson was found dead on Jan. 21 from blunt head trauma and stab wounds. He was 55. Johnson played as a defensive lineman for the Philadelphia Eagles and the then-Oakland Raiders in the 1990s.**

Rob Hirst of Ghostrighters and Midnight Oil performs in 2007.

Gaye Gerard/Getty

Midnight Oil co-founder and drummer Rob Hirst died on Jan. 20 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 70. Hirst helped write many of the Aussie band's hit songs, including "Beds Are Burning," "Blue Sky Mine," "Forgotten Years," "The Dead Heart," and "King of the Mountain."

Kim Vō in 2009.

Isaac Brekken/WireImage

Celebrity hairstylist and reality TV star Kim Vō died on Jan. 19 after an eight-year battle with colorectal cancer. He was 55. In addition to serving as a popular colorist and hairstylist for the Hollywood elite, Vō served as a judge on Bravo's *Shear Genius* and starred on Paramount+'s *Blowing LA.***

Valentino Garavani

Valentino Garavani with Meryl Streep in 'The Devil Wears Prada'.

20th Century Fox

Fashion designer Valentino Garavani, founder of the Valentino brand, who also appeared in *The Devil Wears Prada*, died on Jan. 19 at his home in Rome. He was 93. The fashion visionary founded his namesake brand in 1960, gaining widespread popularity thanks to former first lady Jackie Kennedy wearing his designs. Garavani appeared in 2006's *The Devil Wears Prada *alongside Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway. He also appeared in the feature documentary about his life, *Valentino: The Last Emperor, *before his 2008 retirement.**

Roger Allers

Roger Allers in 2023.

Phillip Faraone/Getty

Animator, screenwriter, and filmmaker Roger Allers died on Jan. 17. He was 76. Allers co-directed 1994's animated blockbuster *The Lion King*, and later co-wrote the libretto for the movie's Broadway musical adaptation, which was nominated for Best Book of a Musical at the 1998 Tony Awards. He also worked on films like *Beauty and the Beast*, *Aladdin*, and *Lilo & Stitch* as an animator, storyboard artist, and story editor.**

Bruce Bilson

Bruce Bilson with granddaughter Rachel Bilson in 2004.

Frederick M. Brown/Getty

Emmy-winning TV director Bruce Bilson died on Jan. 16 at 97. Bilson, grandfather of actress Rachel Bilson, directed episodes of hit TV series, including *The Andy Griffith Show, Get Smart, The Patty Duke Show, The Odd Couple, *and* Hogan's Heroes.*

Kianna Underwood

Kianna Underwood on 'All That'.

Former child actress Kianna Underwood, best known for costarring on Nickelodeon's *All That*, died on Jan. 16, after being struck in a hit-and-run in New York. She was 33. Underwood appeared on the 10th season of the Nickelodeon kids' sketch show that originally starred Amanda Bynes and Kenan Thompson. She also appeared in 1999's *The 24 Hour Woman,* was cast in the original national tour of *Hairspray, *and did voice work on Bill Cosby's animated show *Little Bill *and 2001 TV movie *Santa, Baby.***

Kenny Morris

Siouxsie & the Banshees members Steve Severin, Siouxsie Sioux, John McKay, and Kenny Morris.

Fin Costello/Redferns

Drummer Kenny Morris, a member of Siouxsie and the Banshees, died on Jan. 15. He was 68. Morris played on the influential goth rock band's first two albums.**

Cartoonist Scott Adams poses with a life-sized cutout of his Dilbert character in 2014.

Lea Suzuki/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty

Cartoonist and *Dilbert *creator Scott Adams died on Jan. 13 after a battle with prostate cancer. He was 68. Adams created his defining comic strip in 1989, satirizing white collar work life. After finding mainstream success throughout the 1990s, *Dilbert* was dropped from newspapers across the U.S. in 2023 after its creator's racist comments, calling Black people a "hate group" and advising white people to "get the f--- away" from them.**

John Forté in 2025.

Theo Wargo/Getty

John Forté, a Grammy-nominated musician and producer who was a close collaborator with the Fugees, was found dead at his Massachusetts home on Jan. 12. He was 50. Forté helped produce and write two songs, "Cowboys" and "Family Business," on the influential hip-hop group's chart-topping 1996 album, "The Score." He also helped work on songs for Wyclef Jean's debut solo album, *Wyclef Jean Presents the Carnival, *before making his own album, *Poly Sci*, working with Jean and fellow Fugee Pras.**

Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin

Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin of Black Midi.

Jim Bennett/WireImage; Travis P Ball/Getty

Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin, a co-founder and guitarist for British rock band Black Midi, died at age 26, his family announced on Jan. 12. The band released their debut album, *Schlagenheim*, in 2019, and was nominated for the Mercury Prize that same year. He stepped away from the group in 2021.

Yeison Jiménez

Yeison Jimenez performing in Miami on Oct. 7, 2023.

Johnny Louis/Getty

Colombian singer-songwriter Yeison Jiménez died on Jan. 10 in a plane crash, just hours before he was scheduled to perform. He was 34. The musician was one of the region's biggest names in pop music, or "música popular," a genre that blends traditional Mexican ranchera music with Colombian roots. Jiménez, who broke through with the 2013 track *Te Deseo Lo Mejor,* released eight albums over his lifetime.**

Bob Weir performing with the Grateful Dead in 1981.

Clayton Call/Redferns

Legendary Grateful Dead co-founder and rock guitarist Bob Weir died on Jan. 10 due to underlying lung issues after previously beating cancer, according to his daughter. He was 78. Weir and fellow guitarist Jerry Garcia formed the legendary jam band in 1965 with bassist Phil Lesh, keyboardist Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, and drummer Bill Kreutzmann. Weir wrote or co-wrote the lyrics to some of the band's most famous tunes, including "Truckin'," "Sugar Magnolia," "Cassidy," and "Throwing Stones." He spent the next six decades touring, including three with the Dead, who became one of the highest-grossing American touring acts.

T.K. Carter in 2016.

Desiree Stone/Getty

Character actor T.K. Carter, best known for *Punky Brewster *and *The Thing*, died on Jan. 9 in his home. He was 69. Carter landed one of his most memorable roles in John Carpenter's 1982 sci-fi classic *The Thing, *as Nauls, the roller-skating cook aboard the Antarctic research station. He also played popular teacher Mike Fulton on *Punky Brewster. *Carter also appeared on *Good Morning, Miss Bliss, Dave,* *The Steve Harvey Show, The Sinbad Show,* *A Different World*, *Family Matters*, *NYPD Blue*, *Everybody Hates Chris*, and *How to Get Away with Murder. *Carter's final film role came in 2020's *The Way Back*, starring Ben Affleck.

Nickelodeon composer Guy Moon.

Guy Moon/Facebook

Emmy-nominated composer Guy Moon, who wrote music for Nickelodeon hits like *The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom,* and *SpongeBob SquarePants,* died on Jan. 8 from injuries sustained in a car accident. He was 63. Moon also served as a music writer for *Big Time Rush*, *Back at the Barnyard,* and *The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy*. On the big screen, he composed scores for *The Brady Bunch Movie *and its sequel, and contributed to the soundtracks for *Minority Report*, *Fight Club,* and *Mystic Pizza*.**

Béla Tarr at the Filmoteca de Catalunya in 2024.

David Zorrakino/Europa Press via Getty

Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr, known for films like *Sátántangó* and *Damnation*, died on Jan. 6 at age 70. Recognized as a pioneer of the slow cinema movement, Tarr wrote and directed nine feature films throughout his career, beginning with his 1979 feature debut *Family Nest, *which won the Grand Prix at the Mannheim Film Festival, to 2011's *The Turin Horse.***

Elle Simone Scott

Elle Simone Scott in 2022.

Dave Kotinsky/Getty

*America's Test Kitchen* host Elle Simone Scott died on Jan. 5 after a long battle with ovarian cancer. She was 49. In addition to serving as the first Black woman to be a regular host of the hit PBS show, Scott authored bestselling cookbooks and hosted *The Walk-In* podcast.**

Bret Hanna-Shuford

Bret Shuford and husband Stephen Hanna in 2023.

Slaven Vlasic/Getty

Broadway actor and influencer Bret Hanna-Shuford died on Jan. 3 of an aggressive form of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis and peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL). He was 46. An actor in Broadway's *Beauty and the Beast* and *The Little Mermaid*, he was also one-half of the popular social media account Broadway Husbands, along with his spouse, Stephen Hanna-Shuford.**

Sidney Kibrick

Sidney Kibrick in 'Our Gang' circa 1935.

Silver Screen Collection/Getty

Former* Our Gang *child star Sidney Kibrick died Jan. 3. He was 97. Kibrick appeared in dozens of *Little Rascals* shorts in the 1930s and 1940s, first as unnamed children before turning up regularly as the character Woim, the sidekick of Tommy Bond's bully Butch. He retired from Hollywood as a teenager.**

Victoria Jones

Victoria Jones with dad Tommy Lee Jones at the Cannes Film Festival in 2014.

Stephane Cardinale/Corbis via Getty

Actress Victoria Jones, the daughter of Oscar-winning actor Tommy Lee Jones, was found dead in a San Francisco hotel room on Jan. 1. She was 34. The actress appeared in her father's films* Men in Black II, The Homesman, *and *The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada,* as well as the Robin Wright-starring *Sorry, Haters*, and an episode of the TV series* One Tree Hill.***

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