Latest in Obituaries

Bill C. Davis, whose 1981 Broadway hit play Mass Appeal was adapted for a 1984 feature film starring Jack Lemmon and Željko Ivanek, died Feb. 26 following a brief illness, his family announced. He was 69. Born in Ellenville, NY, and raised in the state’s Hudson Valley, Davis attended Catholic schools and, after…

Jahmil French, known for his role as Dave Turner in the hit Canadian series Degrassi: The Next Generation, has died, his representative Gabrielle Kachman confirmed to Deadline. He was 29. “It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of a dear friend and client Jahmil French,” Kachman said in a statement. “He…

Reggae pioneer Bunny Wailer, who founded The Wailers with his childhood friend Bob Marley, died today at Medical Associates Hospital in Kingston, Jamaica. He was 73, and had been hospitalized since July following a stroke. A cause of death has not been released, but his passing was confirmed by Jamaica’s Culture…

Irv Cross, a Pro Bowl cornerback who would become the first Black man to work as a full-time sports analyst on national television, died Sundday near his home in Roseville, MN. He was 81. His death was announced by both CBS Sports and the Philadelphia Eagles, his former NFL team. A cause was not disclosed. “Irv was a…

Ng Man-tat, the star Shaolin Soccer and frequent collaborator of Kung Fu Hustle filmmaker Stephen Chow, has died. The iconic Hong Kong actor, accompanied by his wife and children, died peacefully on Saturday of liver cancer. He was 70. Born in China’s Fujian province in 1951, Ng began his career with acting classes…

Fred Segal, who was a fashion icon in Los Angeles for more than 60 years, has died because of complications from a stroke, his representatives confirmed Friday. He was 87. “In 1961, Fred Segal created a retail scene that defined Los Angeles fashion and sparked a revolutionary shift in style that has transcended the…

“It’s every American’s God-given right to live wherever you want to live,” says Alaskan Bush People patriarch Billy Brown in a new tribute video. That ethos has been at the center of the Discovery Channel series as it has chronicled the Brown family’s life in the wilderness over the course of the past 12 seasons. Brown…

Ronald Pickup, who appeared in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and its sequel among more than 150 film, TV and stage credits spanning a half-century, died Wednesday after a long illness. He was 80. His agent confirmed the news to the BBC today. Pickup played Norman Cousins in John Madden’s 2011 romantic dramedy The Best…

Lawrence Ferlinghetti, the founder of San Francisco’s iconic City Lights Books and an integral figure in the Beat poetry movement, has died. The publisher and activist’s son, Lorenzo Ferlinghetti told AP that he died Monday at his home of lung disease. He was 101. The San Francisco icon helped launch the Beat movement…

Peter S. Davis, the producer of the popular cult Highlander franchise, died in his sleep February 21 at home in Calabasas, CA, his son, Epic magazine co-founder Joshua Davis, told Deadline. He was 79. Davis began his career as a Wall Street lawyer and launched his own firm in his 20s before heading to Hollywood in…

Douglas Turner Ward, the director, actor and playwright who co-founded the landmark, influential Off Broadway Black theater group the Negro Ensemble Company, died Saturday at his home in New York City. He was 90. His death was announced by his wife, Diana Ward. Ward had already begun a solid New York stage acting…

Gary Gunas, executive producer of such Broadway musicals as The Who’s Tommy, Jekyll & Hyde and Ragtime, died today of pancreatic cancer at his home in London. He was 73. His death was announced by his husband Bill Rosenfield. Born in Manchester, CT, Gunas began his career Off Broadway in 1969 as an apprentice company…