Died in 2021 Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Jack “Blackjack” Lanza was a WWE Hall of Fame wrestler who was one half of the legendary tag team The Blackjacks.Jack “Blackjack” Lanza (born John Lanzo) was one half of the legendary pro wrestling tag team The Blackjacks with Blackjack Mulligan. The pair won the WWWF World Tag Team Championship in 1975.

Graeme Edge was a co-founder and drummer for the classic progressive rock band the Moody Blues.Graeme Edge was one of the co-founders and the drummer of the Moody Blues who formed in Birmingham, England in 1964. The band started out playing rhythm and blues influenced songs.

Cynthia Harris (1934–2021), actress known for “Mad About You”Deon Estus (1956–2021), bassist for Wham! and George MichaelRonnie Tutt (1938–2021), drummer for Elvis Presley, Jerry GarciaLizzie Bravo (1951–2021), Beatles fan who sang on “Across the Universe”Jerry Remy (1952–2021), Boston Red Sox All-Star and commentatorRay Fosse (1947–2021), Oakland Athletics and Cleveland Indians catcherChris Ayres (1965–2021), “Dragon Ball” voice actorJack Angel (1930–2021), voice actor in “Super Friends,”

Gary Paulsen was an author of books for young adults including the wilderness survival classic “Hatchet.”Paulsen’s stories of survival under harsh conditions drew in part on his own life, including his experiences hunting and trapping for sustenance as a child. His 1986 book “Hatchet” told the story of a 13-year-old boy stranded in the wilderness with only a hatchet.

Art Metrano (1936–2021), actor known for “Police Academy” moviesSarah Dash (1945–2021), singer who co-founded LabelleRoberto Roena (1940–2021), legendary salsa percussionistDavid Patten (1974–2021), Patriots wide receiver who won three Super BowlsMick Tingelhoff (1940–2021), Minnesota Vikings Hall of FameBen Best (1974–2021), “Eastbound & Down” co-creator and starDaffney Unger (1975–2021), pro wrestling’s “Scream Queen”Al Harrington (1935–2021), actor known for “Hawaii Five-O”Anthony “A.J.”

Raymond T. Odierno was a U.S.

Zach Snyder, 28, of Fairview Heights, Illinois.

George Holliday was a plumber who videotaped the 1991 police beating of Rodney King (1965–2012) that led to riots in Los Angeles.Holliday was asleep on the early morning of March 3, 1991, when he was awakened by the sounds of sirens and a helicopter. He stepped out onto his apartment’s balcony, grabbing his new camcorder on impulse.

Fred Dakota was a businessman who founded the first full-scale Native American casino in the United States.Dakota was out of work in the 1980s when he had the idea to open a small casino in his brother-in-law’s two-car garage. They lived in the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where bingo was already legal.

Joan Washington was a dialect coach who worked with stars including Penelope Cruz and Jessica Chastain.Washington found her way to working with actors after teaching standard British pronunciation to newcomers to England. When she began working in movies, her first was “Yentl” (1983), starring Barbra Streisand as an Ashkenazi Jewish woman in Poland; Washington taught the movie’s stars an authentic accent.

Willard Scott was the weatherman for “The Today Show” from 1980 to 1996, and he was the first actor to play the Ronald McDonald character for McDonald’s.Scott joined “The Today Show” when its anchors were Tom Brokaw and Jane Pauley, delivering the nationwide weather report. In 1983, he began a practice that would become a tradition: wishing a happy birthday to centenarians.

Chuck Close was a celebrated artist known for his large-scale portraits, some of which were composed of many tiny paintings arranged as pixels.Close was among the best-known artists of his era, with a large body of work centered on huge portraits of friends, fellow artists, and celebrities. Some are all but indistinguishable from photographs.

Maki Kaji was known as the “Father of Sudoku” for bringing the number puzzle to a worldwide audience through his magazine, Nikoli.The number puzzle now known as Sudoku existed before Kaji published it in Nikoli, Japan’s first puzzle magazine, which he founded in 1980. But the puzzle wasn’t widely known, and it didn’t have its now-ubiquitous name.

James Hormel was a philanthropist and the heir to the Hormel Food fortune who became the first openly gay ambassador representing the U.S.Hormel served as dean of students and director of admissions at the University of Chicago Law School in the 1960s. Later, he became one of the founders of the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ advocacy group in the U.S.

Jovenel Moïse (1968–2021), which left the country in political turmoil. On the heels of the earthquake, a tropical depression threatens further damage to Haiti.Haiti’s prime minister, Ariel Henry, said, “These are difficult times.

Richard Trumka was a labor leader who was the longtime president of the powerful union, the AFL-CIO.Trumka began his career in organized labor in the 1970s as a staff attorney for the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA). He later rose to president of the UMWA, serving from 1982 to 1995.

Karla Burns (1954–2021), Tony-nominated singer and actressJohn Paragon (1954–2021), played Jambi the Genie on “Pee-wee’s Playhouse”Henry “Nacho” Laun (2021), reality star on “Wahlburgers”Ernie Lively (1947–2021), “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” actor and Blake Lively’s fatherBobby Unser Jr.

George Stranahan was a physicist and rancher who founded Flying Dog Brewery, one of the largest craft breweries in the U.S.As a young physicist – and the wealthy heir to the Champion Spark Plugs fortune – Stranahan founded the Aspen Center for Physics, which decades later remains a vibrant research center.

Bobby Unser Jr. was a racecar driver who was the son of racing legend Bobby Unser.Though Unser’s racing career was not as extensive as his father’s, he had several notable successes. He won several races at Speedway Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix.

Pervis Staples (1935–2021), co-founder of the Staples SingersChuck Hicks (1927–2021), tough-guy actor alongside Clint Eastwood and Ronald ReaganArlene Golonka (1936–2021), played Millie on “Mayberry R.F.D.” and “The Andy Griffith Show”Del Crandall (2930–2021), All-Star with the Boston/Milwaukee BravesCourtney Hall (1968–2021), captain of Chargers’ Super Bowl teamLloyd Price (1933–2021), R&B pioneer known for “Personality,” “Lawdy Miss Clawdy”Samuel E.

Charlie Glotzbach was a NASCAR driver known as Chargin’ Charlie, who was active in the 1960s and ‘70s.Glotzbach began racing with NASCAR in 1960, though he left NASCAR after his debut year to race with ARCA and USAC. IN 1964, he was named ARCA’s Rookie of the Year.

Frank Jacobs was a longtime writer for Mad magazine, best known for his song parodies.Jacobs first joined Mad in 1957, when he first picked up a copy of Mad.

Sabine Schmitz (1969–2021), racing driver and “Top Gear” starMarvelous Marvin Hagler (1954–2021), former middleweight boxing championLance Waldroup (1990–2021), star of “Moonshiners” reality showHenry Darrow (1933–2021), “The High Chaparral” starMark Pavelich (1958–2021), “Miracle on Ice” starCarla Wallenda (1936–2021), Flying Wallendas daredevilRoger Mudd (1928–2021), “Meet the Press” host and “NBC Nightly News” anchorBunny Wailer (1947–2021), reggae icon who co-founded the WailersYaphet Kotto

Phil Spector was a record producer who worked with artists including the Beatles and Ike & Tina Turner. At the time of his death, he was serving a prison sentence of 19 years to life for the 2003 murder of actress Lana Clarkson.This is a breaking news story.