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TV Stars Who Died in 2018
Jerry Van Dyke
Van Dyke, best known to TV audiences as Coach‘s Asst. Coach Luther Van Dam, died of heart disease in January at the age of 86. His TV career also included stints on The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Judy Garland Show and, more recently, Yes, Dear and The Middle.
Donnelly Rhodes
Rhodes died in January at the age of 80, after a battle with cancer. His extensive TV resumé included roles on Da Vinci’s Inquest, Danger Bay, Soap and Battlestar Galactica, to name a few.
Keith Jackson
Legendary college football broadcaster Jackson passed away in January at the age of 89; a cause of death was not disclosed. Throughout his six-decade career, he became the first play-by-play announcer for Monday Night Football, earned a spot in the American Sportscasters Hall of Fame and called games for the NCAA, NFL and MLB, among others.
Joel Taylor
Storm Chasers vet Taylor died in January at age 38 of a drug overdose. He had appeared in 21 episodes of the Discovery Channel docuseries.
Mark Salling
Salling, best known for playing Glee‘s Noah “Puck” Puckerman, died by suicide in January at the age of 35. At the time of his death, he was awaiting sentencing for possession of child pornography.
John Mahoney
Mahoney, most fondly remembered for his decade-long run as Frasier‘s Martin Crane, died of cancer in February at the age of 77. After earning multiple Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for his work on the NBC sitcom, Mahoney went on to appear in such shows as ER, In Treatment and Burn Notice.
Reg E. Cathey
Cathey, who won an Emmy in 2015 for his work as House of Cards‘ Freddy, died in February at the age of 59; he was reportedly battling lung cancer at the time of his death. Cathey was also known for his runs on Oz and The Wire, and most recently appeared in Outcast and Marvel’s Luke Cage.
Marty Allen
Allen passed away in February after suffering complications from pneumonia; he was 95. After rising to fame as one-half of the comedy duo Allen & Rossi (with fellow comic Steve Rossi) in the 1950s and ’60s, Allen went on to become “The Darling of Daytime TV,” with a resumé that included made-for-TV movies and countless game show appearances.
Billy Graham
A pioneer of TV evangelism who was known as “America’s pastor,” Graham died in February at the age of 99 after battling various illnesses. Regarded as one of the most influential preachers of the 20th century, he gained a following through numerous TV specials and his weekly radio show Hour of Decision.
Nanette Fabray
Fabray, who earned three Emmy Awards for her run on the ’50s series Caesar’s Hour, died of natural causes in February at the age of 97. Though she was best known for her work as Grandma Katherine Romano on One Day at a Time, Fabray’s seven-decade performing career also included roles on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Love Boat and Coach.
David Ogden Stiers
Stiers, best known to TV audiences as Major Charles Winchester on M*A*S*H, died in March at the age of 75 after a battle with bladder cancer. Following his stint on the CBS series (for which he earned back-to-back Emmy nominations), Stiers’ small-screen credits included Stargate Atlantis, Two Guys and a Girl and The Dead Zone.
Frank Avruch
Best known for his portrayal of Bozo the Clown, Avruch died in March after struggling with heart disease; he was 89. He played the iconic Bozo from 1959 to 1970 and was the first to be nationally syndicated by way of the Boston-based program Bozo’s Big Top.
DuShon Monique Brown
Chicago Fire actress Brown died of sepsis in March at the age of 49. She appeared in 59 total episodes of the NBC drama as no-nonsense assistant Connie, but also held roles on Prison Break and Boss, among other series.
Steven Bochco
Bochco, the prolific producer who co-created such series as NYPD Blue and L.A. Law, died in April following a long battle with leukemia; he was 74. Over the course of his long TV career, Bochco amassed 10 Emmy Awards.
Harry Anderson
Night Court actor Anderson died of a stroke in April at the age of 65. He earned three consecutive Emmy nominations for his work as the amiable Judge Harry Stone on NBC’s sitcom; more recent TV credits included 30 Rock and Comedy Bang! Bang!.
Verne Troyer
Troyer died of suicide in April at the age of 49. Though he was best known for playing Mini-Me in the Austin Powers films, he also guest-starred in episodes of Boston Public, Scrubs and Two and a Half Men, in addition to stints on the reality series Celebrity Wife Swap and The Surreal Life.
Margot Kidder
Kidder, best known for her film work as Lois Lane in the 1970s and ’80s Superman movies, died in May at the age of 69; her death was ruled a suicide after a long struggle with mental illness. In addition to her career on the silver screen, Kidder guest-starred in more than two dozen TV series, including Murder, She Wrote, Tales From the Crypt and Smallville, to name a few.
Joseph Campanella
Campanella, whose long TV career included roles on Mannix and One Day at a Time, died in May at the age of 93 after suffering complications from Parkinson’s disease. His extensive small-screen resumé also included work on Days of Our Lives, The Practice and The Bold and the Beautiful, among many others; his last TV appearance was a 2008 episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
Robert Mandan
Mandan died in June at the age of 86 after suffering from a long, undisclosed illness. He was best known to TV audiences as philandering husband Chester Tate on the ABC sitcom Soap. Additional credits included Private Benjamin, Who’s the Boss? and The Facts of Life.
Anthony Bourdain
Bourdain, who was best known for his CNN series Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, died of suicide in June at the age of 61. Prior to the Peabody and Emmy Award-winning Parts Unknown, Bourdain hosted the Food Network’s A Cook’s Tour and the Travel Channel’s No Reservations.
Jackson Odell
Odell, who played Ari Caldwell on ABC’s The Goldbergs, died of an accidental drug overdose in June at the age of 20. His other TV credits included The Fosters, Jessie and Modern Family.
Neal Boyd
Opera singer Boyd, who won Season 3 of America’s Got Talent, died in June at age 42 of organ failure. After earning a $1 million prize and a headlining act in Las Vegas from AGT, Boyd went on to record an album and perform for multiple U.S. presidents.
Big Van Vader
WWE legend Vader, whose real name was Leon White, died in June at the age of 63 following complications from pneumonia. After beginning his career in the NFL, Vader spent many years as a professional wrestler and even tried his hand at acting: His most memorable gig was a recurring role on Boy Meets World, where he played Frankie “The Enforcer” Stecchino’s father.
Charles Krauthammer
Krauthammer passed away in June at age 68 after battling cancer of the small intestine. He was a Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post columnist and longtime Fox News contributor.
Richard “Old Man” Harrison
Harrison, who was better known to Pawn Stars fans as “The Old Man” of the long-running History Channel reality series — died in June at the age of 77. According to his son, Rick Harrison, the family patriarch suffered from Parkinson’s Disease.
Ed Schultz
The cable news personality, who had stints on both MSNBC and RT America, died in July of natural causes. He was 64.
Elmarie Wendel
The character actress, best known to TV audiences for her role as 3rd Rock From the Sun landlady Mrs. Dubcek, died in July at the age of 89. Additional TV credits included George Lopez and NYPD Blue.
Nicholas “Duffy” Fudge
Fudge, who appeared on the NatGeo reality series Wicked Tuna, died in July at the age of 28. A cause of death was not reported.
Charlotte Rae
TV’s erstwhile Mrs. Garrett died in August at the age of 92, one year after she revealed that she’d been diagnosed with bone cancer. In addition to Diff’rent Strokes and its spinoff, The Facts of Life, Rae’s TV credits included Car 54, Where Are You? and Hot l Baltimore, among many others.
Craig Zadan
Zadan — who, along with his producing partner Neil Meron, shepherded NBC’s recent string of live musicals — died in August at the age of 69, following complications from shoulder surgery. He also served as an EP on Smash, and produced several Academy Awards telecasts on ABC.
Robin Leach
The entertainment reporter, best known for hosting the docuseries Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, died in August of a stroke. He was 76.
Neil Simon
The legendary playwright, best known to TV audiences for developing the Odd Couple franchise, died in August at the age of 91 following complications from pneumonia. Early writing credits included Caesar’s Hour, Your Show of Shows and The Phil Silvers Show.
Vanessa Marquez
Marquez, best known as ER nurse Wendy Goldman, died in August at the age of 49 after being shot and killed by police. She reportedly struggled with mental illness, and armed herself with a BB gun when authorities arrived at her home to check on her wellbeing.
Susan Brown
The General Hospital vet, who played Scotty Baldwin’s stepmother, Dr. Gail Adamson Baldwin, died in August at the age of 86. Additional credits included As the World Turns, The Young Marrieds, Death Valley Days and Santa Barbara.
Burt Reynolds
Reynolds, an icon of 1970s and ’80s cinema, died of a heart attack in September at the age of 82. He earned both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his role as former football star Wood Newton in CBS’ Evening Shade.
Bill Daily
Daily was known for his roles as Major Roger Healey on I Dream of Jeannie and neighbor Howard Borden on The Bob Newhart Show. He died in September at the age of 91; a cause of death was not disclosed.
Peter Donat
The veteran character actor recurred on The X-Files as Agent Mulder’s father, Bill Mulder. He died in September at the age of 90 following complications from diabetes.
Frank Parker
Parker, who played Shawn Brady on Days of Our Lives for nearly a quarter-century, died in September at the age of 79. He suffered from complications of Parkinson’s disease and dementia.
Scott Wilson
The veteran actor, best known as Hershel Greene on The Walking Dead, died in October due to complications from leukemia. He was 76. Additional TV credits included recurring roles on The OA, Damien, Bosch and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
Peggy McCay
The Days of Our Lives veteran earned five Daytime Emmy Award nominations for her portrayal of Caroline Brady. She died in October at the age of 90 due to natural causes.
Beverly McClellan
The third runner-up during NBC’s inaugural season of The Voice died in October following a battle with Stage 3 endometrial cancer. She was 49.
Stan Lee
The Marvel mastermind-turned-cameo king died in November following a medical emergency at the age of 95. He made appearances on The Big Bang Theory, Eureka, Fresh Off the Boat, The Gifted and Nikita.
Katherine MacGregor
MacGregor, best known for her portrayal of Little House on the Prairie gossip Harriet Oleson, passed away in November; she was 93 years old. Her earliest TV credits included episodes of Mannix, Emergency! and Ironside.
Roy Clark
The Hee Haw cohost died in November due to complications from pneumonia at the age of 85. He was a Grammy, ACM and CMA Award winner, and a Country Music Hall of Fame inductee.
Ricky Jay
The master magician’s storied career included a recurring role on HBO’s Deadwood, on which he played card shark Eddie Sawyer. He died in November of natural causes at the age of 70.
Stephen Hillenburg
The SpongeBob SquarePants creator died in November following a long battle with ALS. He was 57 years old.
Ken Berry
Berry died in December of undisclosed causes at the age of 85. His lengthy TV resumé included starring roles on F Troop, Mayberry R.F.D. and Mama’s Family.
Penny Marshall
Marshall, who became an on-screen star as one half of Laverne & Shirley and went on to direct feature films including Big, passed away in December from complications from diabetes; she was 75 years old. Additional TV credits included The Odd Couple and The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
June Whitfield
Whitfield, best known for her supporting role as mother to Jennifer Saunders’ Edina Monsoon in Absolutely Fabulous, died in December at the age of 93. A cause of death was not disclosed.
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