The entertainment world lost many famous faces in 2019, including Prodigy singer Keith Flint, Hollywood actor Albert Finney and music star Doris Day.
Here are some of the stars we have said goodbye to over the last 12 months.
Albert Finney
Albert Finney died at the age of 82 on February 7.
The veteran actor and five-time Oscar nominee, best known for roles in Tom Jones, Erin Brockovich and Annie, had been in London’s Royal Marsden Hospital for a month.
He died from a chest infection with his wife Pene Delmage and son Simon at his bedside.
Karl Lagerfeld
Fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld died in Paris on February 19 at the age of 85 following a short illness.
The former Chanel creative director’s death prompted an outpouring of grief and admiration, with celebrities including designer Stella McCartney and singers Kylie Minogue and Rihanna lining up to praise his impact on the fashion world over a career spanning six decades.
Regarded as one of the most important fashion visionaries of the 20th and 21st centuries, Lagerfeld was known for regularly wearing sunglasses and a black suit with a white shirt, and with his white hair pulled back into a ponytail.
Andre Previn
The pianist, composer and conductor died aged 89 on February 28 at his Manhattan home.
Previn – who was married to Mia Farrow for nine years – was best known for his work on films such as Gigi, Porgy And Bess and My Fair Lady.
He later turned his back on Hollywood to conduct orchestras and was principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) from 1968 to 1979.
Keith Flint
The Prodigy star was found dead aged 49 at his Essex home on March 4. He died by hanging and had unspecified amounts of cocaine, alcohol and codeine in his system at the time.
The Chemical Brothers, Kasabian and Glastonbury co-organiser Emily Eavis were among those who paid tribute to the rave pioneer.
Luke Perry
The star of Riverdale and Beverly Hills, 90210 died aged 52 on March 4 after suffering a massive stroke.
Perry shot to fame in the 90s with hit series 90210, in which he played bad boy Dylan McKay.
His portrayal of the rebellious heartthrob captured a nation of hearts in both his native America and across the Atlantic.
Mike Thalassitis
Thalassitis, who found fame on ITV2’s reality dating show Love Island in 2017, was found dead in a north London park on March 15 aged 26.
His death led to increased scrutiny of ITV over the reality show’s aftercare.
The broadcaster recently announced an enhanced duty of care process for participants on the show, including a minimum of eight therapy sessions.
Mya-Lecia Naylor
The CBBC child star died aged 16 on April 7. An inquest ruled that she died by misadventure after hanging at her family home.
Naylor appeared in shows including Millie Inbetween, and starred alongside Emily Atack, Fleur East and Tess Daly on CBBC show Almost Never.
Peter Mayhew
The actor, best known for playing the famous Wookie Chewbacca in Star Wars, died on April 30 at his Texas home at the age of 74.
A loyal friend of Harrison Ford’s Han Solo, Chewy, as he was affectionately known, served as the co-pilot of the Millennium Falcon.
Mayhew did not reprise his role in 2017’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but is listed in the credits as a Chewbacca consultant.
Freddie Starr
The comedian, who became a household name in the 1970s, died aged 76 from heart disease at his home in Spain on May 9.
The comedian was known by fans for his eccentric and often unpredictable behaviour, rising to national prominence in the early 1970s after appearing on Opportunity Knocks.
In 1986, he was famously at the centre of one of the best known newspaper headlines when The Sun splashed with: “Freddie Starr ate my hamster.”
Doris Day
The Calamity Jane actress died at her home in Carmel Valley, California, on May 13 aged 97, after a serious case of pneumonia.
She was known as a honey-voiced singer and actress whose film dramas, musicals and innocent sex comedies made her a top star in the 1950s and 1960s and among the most popular screen actresses in history.
Judith Kerr
Kerr, who wrote and illustrated a number of enduring children’s books including The Tiger Who Came To Tea, died aged 95 at her home on May 22 following a short illness.
A much-loved and timeless classic, The Tiger Who Came To Tea has sold more than five million copies since it was first published in 1968, and it has never been out of print.
David Walliams remembered her as a “legendary author and illustrator” whose books will live on forever.
John McCririck
The horse racing pundit died aged 79 on July 5 after suffering from lung cancer.
McCririck – known as “Big Mac” to many in the racing world – was for many years the face of British horse racing.
He took part in Celebrity Big Brother in 2005 along with Caprice Bourret, Germaine Greer, Jackie Stallone, Bez and Kenzie.
Peter Sissons
Former BBC and ITN news anchor Sissons, whose broadcasting career spanned more than 40 years, died aged 77 on October 1 in hospital surrounded by his family.
Sissons was a familiar face for decades as a newsreader, joining ITN in 1964 after graduating from Oxford University.
Sir Paul McCartney, who attended school with Sissons in Liverpool in the 1950s, was among those who paid tribute.
Former Emmerdale star Leah Bracknell died in September aged 55, three years after being diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer.
The actress played Zoe Tate on the ITV soap for 16 years until 2005.
Her cancer diagnosis came to light in October 2016 when her husband Jez Hughes launched a GoFundMe page to raise money for her to undergo treatment overseas, due to a lack of options available on the NHS.
Gary Rhodes
Gary Rhodes died aged 59 on November 26 after falling ill suddenly at his Dubai home.
He died from bleeding between the skull and the brain, a statement from his family later revealed.
The spiky-haired TV chef was known to millions for shows like MasterChef, Ready Steady Cook and Hell’s Kitchen, and for putting British cuisine on the world stage.
Great British Bake Off star Prue Leith described him as “the first rock star of cooking”.
Sir Jonathan Miller
The theatre director and writer died on November 27 at the age of 85.
The polymath, who first found fame in the early 1960s in the revue Beyond The Fringe with Peter Cook, Dudley Moore and Alan Bennett after giving up a career as a doctor, made his directing debut in 1962 with John Osborne’s Under Plain Cover.
He went on to direct theatre and television plays, including The Merchant Of Venice at the National Theatre and six of the BBC Television Shakespeare plays, and had a four-decade relationship with the English National Opera.
Clive James
The author, critic and broadcaster died at the age of 80 on November 24, a month after laying down his pen for the last time.
James was diagnosed with leukaemia, kidney failure and lung disease in 2010 and over the years he wrote and updated his own obituary.
He died at home in Cambridge and a private funeral attended by family and close friends took place in the chapel at Pembroke College, Cambridge.
