Obituary Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

The Rev. Steven Pieters, a long-time HIV survivor and activist who became famous when interviewed by televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker in 1985, died Saturday of complications from gastrointestinal cancer. He was 70. 

Steven Ostrow, the actor and singer best known as the creator of The Continental Baths gay men’s bathhouse where Bette Midler, Barry Manilow, and other stars launched their careers, has died. The Brooklyn native passed away on Feb. 4 at a rest home in Sydney, Australia, where he has lived since the 1980s.

Fox News sports journalist Matt, right, Napolitano has died. He was 33. Napolitano’s husband Ricky Whitcomb, left with Napolitano, shared the news of Napolitano’s passing in a post on X, formerly Twitter. They were married in May. Photos: Instagram/Matt Napolitano

Dr. Susan Love, a physician who took an iconoclastic approach to the detection and treatment of breast cancer, has died at age 75.

One of the chief things for which televangelist Pat Robertson will be remembered is his long record of anti-LGBTQ+ statements.

Gay filmmaker and author Kenneth Anger, known for his experimental and homoerotic movies and his wildly gossipy “Hollywood Babylon” books, has died at age 96.

Famed drag performer Heklina has died.

Legendary drag queen Darcelle has died at age 92.

Longtime activist Urvashi Vaid, a leader of many LGBTQ+ and other social justice organizations, has died at age 63.

Louie Anderson portrayed Christine Baskets in the FX series “Baskets.” Photo: Ben Cohen/FX

Greg Tate, the "Godfather of hip-hop journalism," passed away last night at 64. Friends and fans took to Twitter to mourn his loss this afternoon, and The FADER has independently confirmed his passing.

Anthony Sullivan, an Australian man who fought for same-sex marriage rights for over 40 years, has very sadly passed away at his home in Hollywood, California. In 1975 when Sullivan  married his love, Richard Adams – a Filipino-American, it was a momentous time not only because it was a ground breaking moment but because it instigated the first case that would be put to the US Federal court to recognise a same-sex marriage.Anthony’s life began on February 26, 1942, when he was born to parents

Derek Jones, the guitarist of the Las Vegas post-hardcore band Falling in Reverse, has died. His bandmate Ronnie Radke revealed the news. He was 35. The cause of death is currently unknown. Pitchfork has reached out to Falling in Reverse’s representatives.

Henry Grimes, the legendary multi-instrumentalist and poet who worked alongside some of the biggest names in American jazz, has died, as WBGO reports. His wife Margaret Davis Grimes confirmed the news to the Jazz Foundation of America, according to reporter Nate Chinen. Grimes passed away from complications related to COVID-19; he was 84 years old.

The Soft Boys’ Matthew Seligman, who played bass on the group’s 1980 masterpiece Underwater Moonlight, has died. Frontman Robyn Hitchcock confirmed the news in a post on his official Facebook page April 17.

British Columbia-based singer Sibel Thrasher, who featured heavily on Destroyer’s 2011 album Kaputt, has died, local outlet Richmond News reports. She was 67 years old.

The French pop singer Christophe has died, Agence France-Presse reports. Speaking with AFP, Christophe’s wife Véronique Bevilacqua said he died of emphysema. The French newspaper Le Parisien had previously reported that Christophe tested positive for COVID-19; the late singer’s agent did not confirm or deny the report, according to AFP. Christophe was 74 years old.

Jazz saxophonist Lee Konitz has died of pneumonia complications as a result of COVID-19, his son confirmed to NPR tonight (April 15). He was 93.

The Japanese guitarist, composer, and inventor Ryo Kawasaki has died, his daughter confirmed on Facebook. He was 73.

Travis Nelsen, longtime drummer in Austin indie rock group Okkervil River, has died. Okkervil River announced the news in a statement on their Instagram account on April 9. “Travis Nelsen, Okkervil River’s drummer from 2003-2010, passed away on Tuesday,” the band wrote. “He was a radiant, hilarious, charismatic, generous, passionate human being with a heart that was completely open.” Find Okkervil River’s full statement below.

Larry Sherman, recording engineer and founder of the seminal Chicago house label Trax Records, has died. The label announced the news in a statement on its official Facebook page earlier today (April 9).

Avant-garde composer and live electronic music pioneer Richard Teitelbaum has died, as NPR reports. According to his wife, classical pianist Hiroko Sakurazawa, he suffered a stroke. He was 80 years old.

Philadelphia rapper Chynna Rogers, best known as Chynna, died today, her family confirmed through her management. “Chynna was deeply loved and will be sorely missed,” they wrote in a statement. Her cause of death is currently unknown. She was 25.

Iconic singer-songwriter John Prine died today at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. His family confirmed that he died of COVID-19 complications. He was 73.

Film, TV, and music producer Hal Willner has died at the age of 64, a representative tells Pitchfork. A formal cause of death has not been established, but Willner experienced symptoms consistent with COVID-19, according to the representative.

Patricia Bosworth, an actress who once starred alongside Audrey Hepburn and later wrote biographies of stars including Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift, has died aged 86 after contracting coronavirus.

Bill Withers has died, The Associated Press reports. According to The AP, the legendary soul singer-songwriter, behind enduring hits like “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Lean on Me,” and “Lovely Day,” died from heart complications on Monday, March 30. He was 81 years old.

Ellis Marsalis, the New Orleans jazz pianist and patriarch of an accomplished family of musicians, has died. The Ellis Marsalis Center for Music confirmed his death to NBC News. Branford Marsalis said his father died of COVID-19 complications. He was 85.

Cristina, the new wave singer best known for the music she released on ZE Records, has died. ZE Records co-founder Michael Esteban confirmed the news on Facebook. People close to Cristina say she died of COVID-19 complications. She was 61.

Adam Schlesinger, the singer-songwriter behind Fountains of Wayne and a vast repertoire of film and TV music, has died after being hospitalized with COVID-19, Rolling Stone reports. His lawyer confirmed that he died from complications of the coronavirus. He was 52.

Wallace Roney, an accomplished jazz trumpeter who studied under and collaborated with the likes of Miles Davis and Art Blakey over a four-decade career, died this morning of complications from COVID-19, NPR reports. He had been admitted to St. Joseph's University Medical Center in Paterson, New Jersey last Wednesday, March 25. He was 59.

Krzysztof Penderecki, the influential Polish composer and conductor, has died, The New York Times reports. Penderecki died at his home in Krakow. His death was confirmed by Andrzej Giza, the director of the Ludwig van Beethoven Association—an organization founded by Penderecki’s wife Elzbieta. He was 86.

Gabi Delgado-López, co-founder of the German electropunk group Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft (or D.A.F.), has died. His bandmate Robert Görl confirmed the news on social media. He was 61.

Bill Rieflin, best known as the drummer for Ministry, King Crimson, and R.E.M., has died of cancer, according to his friend and collaborator Robert Fripp. He was 59.

Manu Dibango, the afro-jazz great behind hits including “Soul Makossa,” died Tuesday morning (March 24) from COVID-19, the BBC and AFP report. He was 86. “A voice raises from far away,” a statement on his Facebook page began. “It is with deep sadness that we announce you the loss of Manu Dibango, our Papy Groove.” There will be a private funeral service before a tribute is held “when possible,” according to the statement.

Tres Warren, the lead vocalist and guitarist of New York experimental group Psychic Ills, has died. The band shared the news in a post on its social media pages today (March 23). Warren was 41 years old.