Obits Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Peter H. Hunt, who won a Tony Award for his direction in 1969 of the now-classic musical “1776,” helmed the 1972 film version and numerous episodes of CBS’ “Touched By An Angel,” died Sunday at home in Los Angeles from complications of Parkinson’s disease. He was 81.

Actor Dimitri Diatchenko, whose turn in Oren Peli’s “Chernobyl Diaries” earned him praise, has died. Diatchenko’s agent, Roger Paul, confirmed the news to Deadline. He was 52.

Henry Grimes, the multi-instrumentalist whose career in jazz music spanned more than 60 years, has died of complications related to the coronavirus. He was 84.

Timothy Brown, a former NFL running back who later appeared in both the film and TV versions of “M*A*SH,” died April 4 from complications with dementia, according to reports. He was 82.

Lee Fierro, best-known as Alex Kintner’s mom in Steven Spielberg’s 1975 shark attack classic “Jaws,” died Sunday from coronavirus complications. She was 91.

Bill Withers, the soulful voice behind R&B classics such as  “Lean On Me,” “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Lovely Day” and “Just the Two of Us,” died Monday from heart complications in Los Angeles. He was 81.

Stardom is no safeguard to the global coronavirus pandemic.

Wallace Roney, a celebrated jazz trumpeter and Miles Davis protégé, has died after contracting the coronavirus. He was 59.

Stardom is no safeguard to the global coronavirus pandemic.

David Schramm, a stage actor who was also a star on the NBC comedy “Wings,” has died. He was 73.

Stuart Gordon, best known as the filmmaker behind such cult classics as “Re-Animator” and “From Beyond,” has died, his family confirmed to Variety Tuesday night. He was 72.

Terrence McNally, a prolific playwright whose love of opera and compassion for human frailties wove their way into many of his works, died March 24 from complications of the coronavirus in a Sarasota, Fla., hospital. He was 81, and had lived with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease for some time.

Max von Sydow, the Sweden-born French actor whose credits included Ingmar Bergman’s “The Seventh Seal” and the role of Emperor Ming in “Flash Gordon,” has died at the age of 90, his reps confirmed to Deadline.

Longtime TV writer and “Inside the Actors Studio” host James Lipton has died. He was 93.

Paula Kelly, an actress who earned Emmy nominations for roles on NBC’s 1980s sitcom “Night Court “and 1989 ABC miniseries “The Women of Brewster Place,” died February 8 in Whittier, CA, from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. She was 77.