Hollywood Stars across film, music and TV we lost in 2025

Michelle Trachtenberg, 1985-2025.From Hollywood legends to music icons, 2025 proved to be a year of profound loss for the entertainment world. The year saw the passing of actors, musicians and writers who shaped film, television, and popular culture, leaving fans around the globe reflecting on their enduring legacies. Among the notable figures who died were Gene Hackman, Ozzy Osbourne, Connie Francis, and British novelist Sophie Kinsella, marking a somber farewell to icons across generations.

The year began with the deaths of Gene Hackman, the two-time Academy Award-winning actor known for The French Connection and Unforgiven, who passed at age 95 on 18 February, and Michelle Trachtenberg, known for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl, who died at the age of 39 on 26 February.

Just two days later, David Johansen, the 75-year-old punk and rock singer of the New York Dolls and actor in Scrooged, passed away.

Spring and early summer brought a series of losses in both film and music. Between 26 May and 30 May, actor and stunt performer Ed Gale, guitarist and singer Rick Derringer, Emmy-winning MASH* actress Loretta Swit, and actress Valerie Mahaffey all died, marking a significant period of farewells.

In June, legendary musicians Wayne Lewis of Atlantic Starr, Sly Stone, and Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys passed within a week, leaving a lasting void in the music world.

Mid-year brought more high-profile departures. On 16 July, iconic singer Connie Francis, one of the best-selling female vocalists of the 1950s and 1960s, died at 87 in Pompano Beach, Florida. Her hits like “Who’s Sorry Now?” and “Stupid Cupid” made her a defining figure in early rock and traditional pop music. Just days later, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, beloved for his role as Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show, died in an accidental drowning at 54. Heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne passed away at 76 on 22 July.

Autumn saw the loss of Academy Award-winning actress Diane Keaton, who died on 11 October at age 79 from complications of pneumonia.

The year closed with a string of heartbreaking farewells. On 10 December, British author Sophie Kinsella, famed for her Shopaholic series, died at 55 after a battle with glioblastoma. Acclaimed actor and director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer, were found deceased in Los Angeles on 14 December. Later, television actor Pat Finn, influential underground filmmaker Amos Poe, and musician Perry Bamonte all passed away, highlighting a year heavy with cultural loss.