Celebrities who died in 2021
From Charlie Watts to Larry King and Esther Bejarano — a commemoration of musicians, artists, entertainers and writers who passed away in 2021.
Siegfried Fischbacher (June 13, 1939-January 13, 2021)
Magic was Siegfried's life. He and his stage partner, Roy Horn, both magicians and entertainers, thrilled international audiences as the famed duo Siegfried & Roy. Their recipe for success was a mixture of big cats (namely white tigers and lions), acrobatics and magic. In 2020, Roy Horn died due to complications from COVID-19. His longtime friend died just eight months later.
Larry King (November 19, 1933-January 23, 2021)
Lawrence Harvey Zeiger became world famous with the "Larry King Live" talk show, which he hosted on CNN from 1985 to 2010. His trademark look included large glasses, suspenders and colorful ties. Over the course of his 63-year career, King interviewed thousands of politicians and celebrities from around the world. The talk show legend died in California at the age of 87.
Mary Wilson (March 6, 1944-February 8, 2021)
The US soul singer was one of the most successful musicians of the 1960s. At the age of just 15, she founded The Supremes, which also included Diana Ross. From 1964 through 1969, the band had 12 No. 1 hits in the US — almost as many as The Beatles. Unlike her colleagues Diana Ross and Florence Ballard, Wilson stayed loyal to the group until its breakup in 1977.
Milva (July 17,1939-April 23, 2021)
Maria Ilva Biolcati, known as Milva, was the great lady of Italian chanson. In Italy, she was also called "La Rossa" because of her fiery red hair. Milva sang in Italian, English, German, French, Spanish, Greek, Portuguese and Japanese, which helped make her famous around the world. She died in Milan at the age of 81.
Chick Corea (June 12, 1941-February 9, 2021)
Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea was one of the most important modern jazz innovators. A pianist from the age of 4, the young musician joined Miles Davis' band in the 1960s and helped pioneer a fusion sound that combined genres from classical to Latin music and rock to jazz. Corea won more jazz Grammys than any other musician and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame since 1999.
Eric Carle (June 25, 1929 - May 23, 2021)
The American children's author and illustrator, who spent part of his childhood in Germany, including during World War II, worked initially on advertising campaigns. In 1969, one of his first children's books, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," became an instant classic. It has sold more than 5 million copies and was translated into over 60 languages.
Gottfried Böhm (January 23, 1920 - June 9, 2021)
Gottfried Böhm was an influential German 20th-century architect, and most of his works were built in Germany. He was, however, also recognized internationally — in 1986, he was the first German to receive the prestigious Pritzker Prize, seen as the Nobel Prize for architecture. Böhm, who also studied sculpture, was called the "artist among architects."
Esther Bejarano (December 15, 1924-July 10, 2021)
As a young woman, Esther Bejarano was deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp. For many years, she was among the last survivors of the notorious girls' orchestra at Auschwitz. As a contemporary witness, she was in great demand to tell her story on talk shows and in schools. Throughout her life, she fought against racism and antisemitism — and played music on stage.
Dusty Hill (May 19, 1949-July 28, 2021)
Dusty Hill, the bassist for iconic blues-rock band ZZ Top, died in July at the age of 72 in his home in Houston. "We will forever be connected to that 'Blues Shuffle in C.' You will be missed greatly, amigo," his bandmates Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard said in a Facebook post. The long-bearded bassist joined ZZ Top shortly after it was formed in 1969 and was with the band for over five decades.
Charlie Watts (June 2, 1941-August 24, 2021)
Charlie Watts was considered one of the greatest rock drummers of all time — though he was equally adept playing jazz. It was often said that the Rolling Stones would probably have long broken up without his calming influence and diplomatic acumen as conflict flared between the quarrelsome Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. The backbone of the band died after withdrawing from a Stones tour in August.
Mikis Theodorakis (July 29, 1925-September 2, 2021)
For almost 60 years, the outspoken composer and conductor influenced both music and politics in his native Greece. He wrote the soundtrack to the 1964 cult film "Zorba the Greek" and then lived in exile in Paris for three years after Greece's military coup, returning home in 1974. Theodorakis wrote more than 1,000 songs, as well as symphonies, operas, chamber pieces and ballet and film music.
Jean-Paul Belmondo (April 9, 1933-September 6, 2021)
Jean-Paul Belmondo was a European cinema icon whose breakout film, "Breathless" (1961), directed by Jean-Luc Godard, defined the French New Wave. He embodied the free spirit and rebellious outsider in life and on the screen, and had wanted to be a professional boxer before embarking on a storied film career. In films such as "The Professional" and "That Man from Rio," he gained worldwide fame.
Noah Gordon (November 11, 1926-November 22, 2021)
If he had listened to his parents, Noah Gordon would have studied medicine. But books made him happy, so Gordon ended up becoming a journalist and novelist. The 1986 novel "The Physician" made him famous. Set in the Middle Ages, the novel tells the story of Rob Jeremy Cole, an orphan boy who sets off for Persia to learn the secrets of the healing arts.
Stephen Sondheim (March 22, 1930-November 26, 2021)
During his illustrious career, the titan of musical theater wrote the scores of some of Broadway's best known shows, including "Company" and "A Little Night Music." Sondheim also wrote the lyrics for "West Side Story," which Steven Spielberg recently adapted into a new film. The New York-born composer won eight Grammys, nine Tonys and one Academy Award, as well as a Pulitzer Prize in 1985.
Anne Rice (October 4, 1941-December 11, 2021)
The American writer, who sold more than 150 million books, is best known for her Gothic novel series The Vampire Chronicles, the first of which was the best-selling "Interview with the Vampire," published in 1976. It was adapted into a film starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in 1994. Another one of her books, "Queen of the Damned," was also made into a film in 2002.
Joan Didion (December 4, 1934-December 23, 2021)
Having launched her career in the 1960s after winning a Vogue magazine essay contest, the American writer and journalist is best known for her essays on the realities of the counterculture of the 1960s and the Hollywood lifestyle. In 2005, she won the National Book Award for Nonfiction and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Biography/Autobiography for "The Year of Magical Thinking."
Jean-Marc-Vallee (March 9, 1963-December 25, 2021)
The Montreal-born director began his career making music videos before moving into film. He is best-known for 2013's Oscar-nominated "Dallas Buyers Club," starring Matthew McConaughey and based on the true story of Texan Ron Woodroof, who sold experimental drugs to fellow AIDS patients. He also won an Emmy for best director for the limited series "Big Little Lies."