Daily Grindhouse exists to recognize creativity that might otherwise get overlooked. In that spirit, let’s please take a minute to remember everything and everyone we lost in the past 365 days. It’s our hope that this tribute includes both huge worldwide stars and the kind of names that might get cut for time in the award-show montages. As always, if you’re looking for a face we somehow missed, please let us know immediately, and we will happily add them. The idea here is inclusion. The goal here is admiration. Give a moment to think about the human beings (and a few animals) listed here who gave a little of themselves and in so doing, with no exaggeration at all, became part of our souls.

 

It’s important to remember people. It’s important to remember their contributions. It’s important to appreciate what they gave us. It’s also important to take inspiration from their example. Get out there and create. Get out there and make your mark. Not everyone will make the planet rattle, and very few get the worldwide remembrances they deserve, but every life has value, no matter how famous, no matter how anonymous. Here are some who made their mark on us.

 

 

Hank Aaron

American baseball legend

 

Virgil Abloh

American fashion designer

Granville Adams

American actor

 

 

Jonshel Alexander

American actress

 

Bradley James Allan

Australian stuntman and martial artist

 

Jack Angel

American voice actor

Michael Apted

British filmmaker

Ed Asner

American actor & activist

 

Peter Aykroyd

Canadian actor & comedian

 

 

Christopher Ayres

American voice actor

Eve Babitz

American author

 

Ross Bacon

American character actor

Lisa Banes

American actress

Claudia Barrett

American actress

Barry The Central Park Owl

 

Bart the Bear

Alaskan Kodiak bear & film actor

 

Raven Bay

American actress & model

Ned Beatty

American character-actor legend

Jean-Paul Belmondo

French actor & New Wave icon

Walter Bernstein

American screenwriter

 

 

Ben Best

American actor, writer, musician, and producer

 

 

Val Bisoglio

American character actor

 

Robert Bly

American poet

 

Ryan Bodenheim

American comic book artist

 

 

 

Frank Bonner

American film & TV actor

Brandy

 

 

Shane Briant

British actor

Leslie Bricusse

British composer

Ed Bullins

American playwright

 

 

George Butler

British-American documentary filmmaker and photographer

 

 

Jennifer Butler 

costume designer

 

 

JoAnna Cameron

American actress

 

Carmine Capobianco

American actor

John “Bud“ Cardos

American film director & stuntman

Raffaella Carrà

Italian singer, dancer, and actress 

 

 

 

Jean-Claude Carrière

French novelist, screenwriter, and actor

 

 

Steve Carver

American film director

Nino Castelnuovo

Italian actor

 

Michael Champion

American actor, singer, songwriter, and musician

 

Sonny Chiba

Japanese film actor & absolute iconic legend

Paul Christy

American professional wrestler

Kevin Alexander Clark

American actor & drummer

 

Beverly Cleary

American writer & forever a legend

Don Collier 

American actor

 

 

Neil Connery

Scottish actor

Michael Constantine

American actor

 

Barbara Campbell Cooke

widow of Sam

Floyd Cooper

American illustrator

Alex Cord

American actor

Chick Corea

jazz composer & keyboardist

Jack Couffer

American cinematographer

Erik Cowie

zookeeper

 

Johnny Crawford

American actor

 

J. D. Crowe

American banjo player and bluegrass band leader

 

Lou Cutell

amazing American actor

 

Arlene Dahl

American actress

 

 

Jacques d’Amboise

American ballet dancer, choreographer, actor, and educator

 

 

 

Blackie Dammett (born John Kiedis)

actor 

 

Stuart Damon

American actor

 

 

Henry Darrow

American character actor

 

John Davis

singer, The Real Milli Vanilli

 

 

Martha De Laurentiis

American film producer

 

 

Giannetto De Rossi

Italian make-up artist

Nathalie Delon

French actress and film director

 

Dustin Diamond

American actor

 

Eric Jerome Dickey

American author

 

 

Joan Didion

American writer

 

 

Art Ditmar

MLB starting pitcher

 

DMX

rapper, actor & NY legend

 

Richard Donner

American director

MF DOOM

British-American rapper & blazer of trails

 

Anne Douglas

American philanthropist and film producer

 

 

Jerry Douglas

American guitar player

 

Suzzane Douglas

American actress

 

 

 

Robert Downey Sr.

a prince

 

Olympia Dukakis

American legend of stage & screen

 

Marilyn Eastman

Iowa-born, Pittsburgh-based actress & filmmaker

 

Pee Wee Ellis

American saxophonist, composer, and arranger

 

Don Everly of the Everly Brothers

country rock pioneer

 

 

Peggy Farrell

American costume designer

 

 

Pedro Feliciano

Puerto Rican MLB pitcher

 

Kangol Kid (Shaun Shiller Fequiere)

American MC & breakdancer

 

Vicente Fernández

Mexican singer & Ranchera legend

 

Robert Fletcher

American costume & set designer

 

 

Verónica Forqué

Spanish film actress

 

 

Gérald Forton

Belgian-born French comic book artist

 

Heath Freeman

American film & TV actor

 

Mira Furlan

Croatian actress & singer

 

John Gabriel

American actor

 

Willie Garson

American TV & film actor

Leon Gast

American documentary film director, producer, cinematographer, and editor

 

 

Larry Gelman

American film & TV character actor

 

Richard Gilliland

American TV actor

 

Brian Goldner

American executive & film producer

 

Arlene Golonka

American actress

 

Desiree Gould

American actress (Aunt Martha from SLEEPAWAY CAMP)

Craig Grant, aka muMs da Schemer

American poet & actor

 

Jim “Mudcat” Grant

MLB pitcher & American pioneer

 

 

Saginaw Grant

Native American character actor

 

Mike Gravel

U.S. Senator

 

Eloise Greenfield

American children’s book author and poet

Charles Grodin

American actor & comedian

 

David Gulpilil

Australian actor & dancer

 

Marvelous Marvin Hagler

American boxer & film actor

Jean Hale

American actress

 

 

Biz Markie (aka Marcel Theo Hall)

American rapper & beatboxer

 

 

Rob Hall

FX artist & filmmaker

James Hampton

American actor

 

Bridget Hanley

American actress

 

 

Haya Harareet 

Israeli actress and screenwriter

 

 

 

Sarah Harding

English singer

 

 

Al Harrington

Samoan-American actor

 

Andrea Haugen

German recording artist & writer

 

 

Billie Hayes 

American TV actress

 

 

Jerome Hellman

American film producer

Monte Hellman

American filmmaking legend

Mike Henry

American actor & NFL linebacker

 

Chuck Hicks

American actor & stuntman

 

Dusty Hill

American musician & rock bassist

Hiroshi Hirata

Japanese comic book artist & designer of iconic logos

 

Pat Hitchcock

English actress & producer

 

Robert Hogan

American actor

 

 

Hal Holbrook

American legend of stage & screen

 

bell hooks

American author & trailblazer

 

Sally Ann Howes

English actress and singer

 

 

Leonard “Hub” Hubbard

bassist for The Roots

 

 

Halyna Hutchins

Ukrainian cinematographer

Toshihiro Iijima

Japanese film & television director

 

 

 

Frank Jacobs

American satirist & the poet laureate of Mad Magazine

Shock G (aka Gregory Jacobs, aka Humpty Hump)

American rapper & leader of Digital Underground

 

 

Paula Jacobs

British actress

 

Anthony Johnson

American actor & comedian

 

Don Jones

American filmmaker

Robert C. Jones

American film editor, screenwriter, and educator

 

 

 

 

Norton Juster

American academic, architect, and author of children’s books

 

Larry King

American broadcaster

Bruce Kirby

American character actor

 

 

Tommy Kirk

American actor

 

Tawny Kitaen

American actress & model

Asei Kobayashi

Japanese composer

Yaphet Kotto

American actor & storyteller

David Anthony Kraft

American comic book writer, publisher, and critic

Dilip Kumar

Indian actor and film producer

 

Art LaFleur

American character actor

Tommy Lane

American actor & stuntman

 

 

 

 

Joe Lara

American actor, martial artist, and musician

Tommy Lasorda

American baseball pitcher and manager

 

 

 

Stephen J. Lawrence

American composer for ‘Sesame Street’

 

 

 

Cloris Leachman

American actress and comedienne

John Paul Leon

American comic book artist

Steve Lightle

American comics artist

Gunnel Lindblom

Swedish film actress

 

Joanne Linville

American actress

 

Ernie Lively

American actor and acting coach

 

Phil Lombardi

MLB catcher

 

 

Janice Long

English broadcaster & trailblazing BBC radio DJ

Norman Lloyd

American actor, producer, director, and Hollywood legend

William Lucking

American actor

 

Betty Lynn

American actress

 

John Madden

American football coach and sportscaster

 

 

Norm Macdonald

Canadian stand-up comedian

Joyce MacKenzie

American actress

 

Gavin MacLeod

American actor

Zygmunt Malanowicz

Polish film actor

 

 

Janet Malcolm

American writer, journalist, and collagist

 

Michael Martin

actor, director, and playwright

Jackie Mason

American comedian

 

Helen McCrory

English actress

 

Ben McFall

New York bookseller

 

 

William “Biff” McGuire

American actor

 

 

Larry McMurtry

American novelist, essayist, bookseller, and screenwriter

 

 

Frank McRae

American character actor

Eddie Mekka

American TV actor

 

 

Tania Mendoza

Mexican actress & singer

 

Art Metrano

American comedian

 

Roger Michell

British film director

 

 

Allen Midgette

American actor and painter

Diana Millay

American actress

 

 

Jack Miller

American radio host

 

Matthew Mindler

American actor

 

 

Paul Mooney

American comedian

Kaycee Moore

American actress

 

Trevor Moore

American comedian

 

Prince Markie Dee (Mark Anthony Morales)

American rapper

 

Joey Morgan

American actor

 

 

Kelsey Mulrooney

American actress

 

 

Ndakasi

Congolese mountain gorilla

 

Michael Nesmith

American musician, songwriter, TV actor, film producer, and novelist

 

Trisha Noble

Australian singer and actress

 

Keiko Nobumoto

Japanese screenwriter

 

Gavan O’Herlihy

Irish actor

 

Walter Olkewicz

American character actor

 

 

Nicola Pagett

Cairo-born British actress

John Paragon

American actor, writer, director, and genie

 

 

 

Gift Of Gab (Timothy G. Parker)

American rapper and still-under-recognized genius

Gary Paulsen

American writer of children’s and young adult fiction

 

Trevor Peacock

English actor, screenwriter, and songwriter

 

 

Ronald Pickup

English actor

 

Lee Scratch Perry

Jamaican record producer and singer

 

Christopher Plummer

Canadian acting legend

 

Wakefield Poole

American dancer, choreographer, theatrical director, and pioneering filmmaker

Markie Post

American TV actress

Anthony Powell

English costume designer for film and stage

 

 

Jane Powell

American actress, singer, and dancer

 

Ricky Powell

American photographer

 

Quandra Prettyman

pioneering educator who inaugurated Black literary studies in the U.S.

Lloyd Price

American R&B and swing singer-songwriter, record executive & bandleader

Albert Raboteau

American scholar & educator

Marion Ramsey

American actress and singer

Milogost Reczek

Polish voice actor

 

 

Anne Rice

American author of gothic fiction, erotic literature, and Christian literature

 

John Richardson

English film actor

Peter Mark Richman

American actor

Paul Ritter

English actor

 

Tanya Roberts

Bronx-born actress, producer, and model

Charlie Robinson

American theater, film & TV actor 

 

James Rocchi

American film critic turned teacher

Mick Rock

British photographer

 

 

Giuseppe Rotunno

Italian cinematographer

 

 

Richard Rush

American film director

Will Ryan

American voice actor, singer, and musician

 

Antonio Sabáto Sr.

Italian film actor

 

 

Libuse Safránková

Czech actress

 

 

Mort Sahl

Canadian-American comedian & satirist

Takao Saito

Japanese manga artist & GOLGO 13 creator

 

Carmen Salinas

Mexican actress, impressionist, comedian, politician, and theatre entrepreneur

 

Rogério Samora

Portugese actor

 

Peter Scolari

American actor

 

Alfie Scopp

Canadian voice actor

 

 

George Segal

American actor, comedian and musician

 

Larry Sellers

Osage American actor and stuntman

 

 

Malikah Shabazz,

daughter of Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz

 

 

Dean Shek

Hong Kong film actor and producer

 

 

Barbara Shelley

English film actress

Antony Sher

Cape Town born British actor

 

Sanpei Shirato

Japanese manga artist and essayist

 

 

Jan Shutan

American actress

 

 

Gregory Sierra

American actor

 

Felix Silla

Italian actor and stuntman

Joan Micklin Silver

American film director

Joseph Siravo

American film & TV actor

 

Wilbur Smith

Zambian-born British-South African novelist 

 

 

William Smith

American actor & tough-guy icon

 

Paul Soles

Canadian voice actor

 

Stephen Sondheim

American composer and lyricist

Leon Spinks

American professional boxer

Lynn Stalmaster

American casting director

Tom Stechschulte

American film & TV actor

 

Dorothy Steel

American actress

 

 

 

Jim Steinman

American composer, lyricist, record producer, and playwright

Martha Stewart

American actress

 

 

Dean Stockwell

American film, TV, and stage actor

 

Tempest Storm

American burlesque star and motion picture actress

Julie Strain

American actress, model, and pin-up icon

 

Una Stubbs

English actress & dancer

 

Sylvain Sylvain

New York Dolls guitarist

 

Greg Tate

American writer, musician, and producer

 

 

Bertrand Tavernier

French director, screenwriter, actor and producer

Bill Taylor

legendary visual effects artist

 

 

T. Mark Taylor

‘He-Man’ artist and toy designer

 

Takeshi Terauchi

Japanese instrumental rock guitarist

 

 

Michail “Mikis” Theodorakis

Greek composer and lyricist

 

 

Wayne Thiebaud

American painter

 

 

BJ Thomas

American singer

Deezer D (Dearon Thompson)

American actor, rapper, and motivational speaker

 

Frank Thorne

American comic book artist

 

Young Dolph (Adolph Robert Thornton)

Memphis rapper

 

Stacy Title

American film director, screenwriter and producer

Ruthie Tompson

American animator

 

 

Colin Tully

Scottish composer and multi-instrumentalist

 

 

Desmond Tutu

South African priest, bishop, theologian, and activist

 

 

James Michael Tyler

American actor

 

Cicely Tyson

American actress, pioneer & icon

 

 

 

Masayuki Uemura

Japanese engineer & designer of the first Nintendo Entertainment System

 

 

 

Andrew Vachss

American crime fiction author, child protection consultant, and attorney exclusively representing children and youths

 

 

Buddy Van Horn

American stunt coordinator and film director

Melvin Van Peebles

American filmmaker, pioneer & iconoclast

Jean-Marc Vallée

Canadian filmmaker, film editor, and screenwriter

 

Isela Vega Durazo

Mexican actress, model, filmmaker & singer-songwriter

 

 

 

Emi Wada

Japanese costume designer

 

Jessica Walter

American actress in film, TV, and theater

 

Romy Walthall

American actress

 

 

Gloria Warren

American actress, soprano singer, and philanthropist

 

 

 

Rusty Warren

American comedian & singer

 

 

 

Charlie Watts

British musican & drummer for the Rolling Stones

 

 

Joan Weldon

American actress and singer

 

Sunni Welles

actor, singer & performer

 

Lina Wertmüller

Italian film director and screenwriter

 

 

Betty White

American actress, comedian, and animal advocate

 

 

Rhonda Stubbins White

veteran TV actor

 

 

Yvonne Wilder

American actress, comedian, writer, and artist

 

 

 

Cara Williams

American film & TV actress

 

 

Clarence Williams III

American actor & icon

 

 

 

Michael Kenneth Williams

American character actor & immediate icon in TV and film

 

 

E.O. Wilson

American biologist, naturalist, and writer

 

Mary Wilson

American singer & founding member of the Supremes

 

 

Ronnie Wilson

founder of the Gap Band

 

 

Winter

American bottlenose dolphin

 

Jane Withers

American actress and children’s radio show host

 

John Woodruff

American middle-distance runner, Olympian, hero

May Wynn

American dancer & actress

 

Samuel E. Wright

American actor & singer

 

 

 

Sophie Xeon (lknown professionally as Sophie)

Scottish musician, record producer, singer and DJ

 

 

Wanda Young

lead singer of the Marvelettes

 

May their memories be a blessing. Please join us in wishing peace and strength to the families, friends, and loved ones. And if you’ll permit me, I would like to add one more name and picture.

 

Alice Fernandez, social worker, mother, and grandmother

 

Love you Mom.

 

 

 

 

 

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Tags: 2021, Tributes