Celebrity deaths in 2018 that shocked us and the surprising facts you don’t know
It was the year we lost some of the world’s biggest stars to tragic circumstances. But these are the strange facts you don’t know.
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It was the year we lost some of the world’s biggest stars to tragic circumstances. Here’s a look back on the celebrity deaths of 2018 — and the surprising facts you don’t know.
DAME JUNE WHITFIELD
Veteran comic actor Dame June Whitfield died aged 93. She is most famous for her role in Absolutely Fabulous, where she played the character of Eddie’s mother alongside Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley in the hit BBC show.
Her career took off when she rose to fame on the radio comedy Take It From Here in 1953 at a time when radio was far more popular than television.
She later became a popular TV double-act with Terry Scott on Happy Ever After (1974) and Terry and June (1979).
She also appeared the popular Carry On film series which included Carry On Nurse (1959), Carry on Abroad (1972) and Carry on Girls (1973).
Little-known fact: Her mother was into amateur dramatics and June had elocution and dancing lessons from an early age. She gave birth to her only child at age 34, a daughter she named Susan Jane Aitchison in 1960. She also gave up smoking in 1976.
PENNY COOK
Australian actor Penny Cook, who starred in the TV drama series A Country Practice, died aged 61.
Cook’s family said she died of cancer and was surrounded by family when she passed away.
“The family wish to express their thanks for all messages of condolence forwarded to them,” the statement said.
She graduated from Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1978 and first appeared on Australian TV screens in the soap series The Restless Year. Cook was perhaps best known for her role as veterinarian Vicky Dean-Bowen in A Country Practice from 1981 to 1985 for which she won a Logie in 1981. She played the original Dr Elly Fielding in the Ten Network soap E Street from 1989 to 1991, before being replaced in that role by actor Diane Craig.
In 1998 Cook had a daughter called Poppy. She was married to David Lynch and was previously married to broadcaster Clive Robertson. Cook was a presenter on the Australian travel show The Great Outdoors from 1992 to 1996. She appeared in the police drama Young Lions in 2002. Cook had a long involvement in the theatre, both as an actor and director, and was involved in nearly 40 stage productions. She most recently played a supporting role in the hospital drama Pulse in 2017.
Little-known fact: Despite her large body of work, Cookrevealed that fans still called her Vicky after she starred in A Country Practice. The role left her burnt-out and almost on the verge of quitting acting altogether.
VERNE TROYER
He shot to stardom as the iconic character Mini Me in the Austin Powers film series. But behind the laughs, Verne Troyer struggled with stardom.
The 49-yer-old actor and stunt man, who was born with a rare genetic disorder and was one of the world’s shortest men, died in April from the effects of alcohol.
The Los Angeles County Coroner later ruled his death was a suicide.
Troyer had been open about his alcoholism and had spent time in rehab. At the time of his treatment, he wrote a post to fans on Facebook that said “while it’s not always been an easy fight, I’m willing to continue my fight day by day”.
“Verne was an extremely caring individual. He wanted to make everyone smile, be happy, and laugh. Anybody in need, he would help to any extent possible. Verne hoped he made a positive change with the platform he had and worked towards spreading that message every day,” a statement on his Instagram page read shortly after his death.
Little known fact: Troyer grew up in the Amish community but his parents left the religion when he was a child.
“Looking back, I wonder how I survived in the Amish community,” he told The Guardian in 2015. “I can barely live without my phone and internet access now. But when I go back I still get into that culture. I can even drive a horse and buggy. Most of my mum’s side are still Amish. I respect them a lot. They like to live a plain lifestyle, the way they think God intended.”
ANTHONY BOURDAIN
The shocking death of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain stunned his fans and the culinary world.
The best-selling author and TV host took his own life at the age of 61 while filming the CNN series Parts Unknown in France.
The charismatic Bourdain first shot to prominence with Kitchen Confidential, his no-holds-barred account of his early days as a chef.
CNN issued a statement at the time of his death, describing Bourdain as a “unique storyteller”.
“His love of great adventure, new friends, fine food and drink and the remarkable stories of the world made him a unique storyteller,” the statement said. His talents never ceased to amaze us and we will miss him very much. Our thoughts and prayers are with his daughter and family at this incredibly difficult time.”
Bourdain had reportedly kept a brutal work schedule filming Parts Unknown in the months before his death and was “absolutely exhausted,” a source told People.
He was also embroiled in a volatile relationship with controversial actor Asia Argento, who was among the first women in the movie business to publicly accuse the producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault.
Following Bourdain’s death, Argento revealed her relationship with the TV personality wasn’t as smooth as it appeared. She claims they both cheated on each other and that infidelity “wasn’t a problem” for the couple.
Little-known fact: In his will, which was revealed in July, Bourdain left the majority of his money to his daughter, Ariane. Though he and his wife Busia had separated in 2016 after nine years of marriage, they had never formally divorced.
“My wife and I live, have lived, very separate lives for years,” he told People at the time of their split. “There’s no drama here. We get along really, really well and it’s not a big lifestyle change happening here.”
CORNELIA FRANCES
Much-loved Australian actor Cornelia Frances, one of the nation’s most popular TV stars, lost her battle with cancer in May.
Frances was a veteran of Australian acting, having played Morag Bellingham on long-running Seven soap Home And Away.
Other credits included Sons and Daughters, Prisoner, Young Doctors and Kingswood Country.
Her imposing screen presence made her the perfect choice for host of the Seven game show The Weakest Link.
Home And Away actor Ray Meagher, who played her on-screen brother, Alf, said: “We had a moment of silence for her on set this morning and she’ll be sadly missed by both cast and crew.”
“Cornelia Frances was a unique person,” a Seven spokeswoman said. “Her on-screen presence inspired a generation of actors. This gift was coupled with an ability to bring a sense of dignity and presence into each room she entered. Her energy and character will be missed.”
Little-known fact: One of Australia’s most famous soapie stars, Frances was born Cornelia Frances Zulver in Liverpool and got her start in British films after training at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.
PENNY MARSHALL
Actor and director Penny Marshall — famed for her sassy character on the TV classic Laverne & Shirley died at age 75.
Marshall was best-known for her 1970s and ’80s on-screen antics as beer-bottle-capper Laverne DeFazio opposite quirky co-star Cindy Williams, aka Shirley Feeney.
Marshall went on to direct such flicks as Big, Awakenings and A League of Their Own.
Marshall, who had battled ill-health in recent years, passed away in her Hollywood Hills home from complications from diabetes.
The comedic actor had reportedly been battling serious health issues off and on since around 2009, when she was diagnosed with lung cancer that then spread to her brain.
Little-known fact: Marshall’s success as a director was groundbreaking in Hollywood, and she became the first female director to score a $US100 million ($A140 million) gross with Big, starring Tom Hanks, in 1988. She turned the financial trick again with A League of Their Own, again starring Hanks alongside Geena Davis and Madonna, four years later.
MARGOT KIDDER
Her portrayal of Lois Lane in the original Superman movies won her a legion of fans. Quick-witted and strikingly attractive, Margot Kidder brought a touch of classic screwball comedy to the character opposite Christopher Reeve’s Superman in the series.
One of the biggest stars of the late 1970s, Kidder also starred in The Amityville Horror and appeared in movies such as Black Christmas (1974) and Heartaches (1981).
But despite her success, Kidder battled mental health issues throughout her life, at one point leaving her homeless.
She told People magazine that the root of most of her problems, which included “mood swings that could knock over a building”, was bipolar disorder.
“It’s very hard to convince a manic person that there is anything wrong with them,” said Kidder. “You have no desire to sleep. You are full of ideas.”
News broke about Kidder’s death after a friend found her body in Kidder’s Montana home on May 13. At the time, her manager, Camilla Fluxman Pines, said Kidder, 69, “died peacefully in her sleep.”
But Maggie McGuane, Kidder’s daughter with ex-husband Thomas McGuane, told the Associated Press that she instantly knew her mother died by suicide the moment she arrived at her home, in a small town near Yellowstone National Park.
a coroner later confirmed that Kidder “died as a result of a self-inflicted drug and alcohol overdose.”
Little known fact: In 1996, Kidder suffered a breakdown when she was found in a stranger’s garden, having hacked off her hair and damaged her teeth after becoming convinced that McGuane had enlisted the CIA to kill her. “I guess I came to terms with my demons,” she later said.
STAN LEE
Tributes poured in for Stan Lee, the legendary writer, editor and publisher of Marvel Comics, after his death at the age of 95.
Lee, who once “used to be embarrassed because I was just a comic book writer while other people were building bridges or going on to medical careers,” was the man behind many superhero creations that endeared him to comic book fans everywhere.
The illustrator, who started in the business in 1939, created or co-created Black Panther, Spider-Man, X-Men, The Mighty Thor, Iron Man, The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, Daredevil, Ant-Man and other characters.
“He felt an obligation to his fans to keep creating,” his daughter JC Lee said in a statement to Reuters.
“He loved his life and he loved what he did for a living. His family loved him and his fans loved him. He was irreplaceable.”
Lee revolutionised the comic book and helped make billions for Hollywood by introducing human frailties in superheroes.
Little known fact: Born Stanley Martin Lieber in New York in 1922, Lee ended up in the comics business by accident, thanks to an uncle who got him a job when he was a teenager filling artists’ inkwells and fetching coffee.
Within a few months, the editor and art director quit, leaving the 17-year-old Lee with creative control over the company, which grew and was renamed Atlas Comics and, finally, Marvel.
MAC MILLER
The music world lost American rapper Mac Miller, who went through a bitter break up with Ariana Grande. The young rising star died at the young age of 26.
Miller, whose real name is Malcolm James McCormack, was very open about his substance abuse issues and died of an accidental drug overdose involving of fentanyl, cocaine and alcohol. He was found at his San Fernando Valley, California, home after a friend called 911. He had reviously struggled with depression and addiction. Before he died he had just released his fifth studio new album titled Swimming. The album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, even up against a number of other rap albums released the same week.
Little-known fact: Mac Miller grew up playing music and was a self-taught musician. He could play the piano, guitar, drums, and bass.
ARETHA FRANKLIN
In terms of drama, the life of Aretha Franklin is hard to top. As one of the most respected artists of all time, the Queen of Soul cemented her place in music history with her powerful voice.
It was an incredible instrument that stretched over four octaves, and it made her a legend.
But the life of Franklin — who died from pancreatic cancer in August — was fraught with pain.
Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Franklin was only 12 when she gave birth to her first child. She had another at 14.
Still a child herself, Franklin handed over the childcare responsibility for her sons to her grandmother Rachel and older sister Erma while she pursued her music career.
She grew up singing in her preacher father’s church. By all accounts, he was a domineering figure who exerted control over his daughter's life.
Franklin went on to sell millions of records as one of the most successful female artists of all-time.
She signed with Columbia Records as a teenager. The label attempted to mould her into a pop singer.
She truly became “Aretha Franklin” after signing with Atlantic Records in 1966, releasing a succession of albums and singles of unparalleled power and emotional depth.
Little-known fact: In a 2016 profile, The New Yorker’s editor David Remnick explained why Franklin always had a designer handbag nearby when was on stage.
He explained that during a visit backstage, he noticed there were “small stacks of hundred-dollar bills” on the counter in front of her, “next to her makeup and hairbrush”.
“She collects on the spot or she does not sing,” Remnick wrote.
“The cash goes into her handbag and the handbag either stays with her security team or goes out onstage and resides, within eyeshot, on the piano.”
Franklin’s close friend, TV host and author Travis Smiley, said it was due to “the era she grew up in.”
“She saw so many people, like Ray Charles and B.B. King, get ripped off … There is the sense in her very often that people are out to harm you. And she won’t have it. You are not going to disrespect her,” Smiley said.
DOLORES O’RIORDAN
She possessed one of music’s most unique voices, described by one critic as “the voice of a saint trapped in a glass harp”.
Cranberries lead singer Dolores O’Riordan struggled with fame after the Irish band’s spectacular success.
She also spoken in interviews about being sexually abused as a child, her battles with depression and a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
But shortly before her tragic death in a London hotel room at the age of 46, O’Riordan, a mither of three, was said to be feeling upbeat about new musical ventures.
The Cranberries formed in the city of Limerick at the end of the 1980s and had international hits in the ‘90s with songs including Dreams, Linger and Zombie.
The group, which combined indie guitar with O’Riordan’s distinctive Irish lilt, was one of the most successful bands of the 1990s, selling more than 40 million records.
Westminster Coroner’s Court ruled O’Riordan’s death to be “tragic accident” caused by drowning due to alcohol intoxication.
After her death, O’Riordan’s bandmates mourned her as “an extraordinary talent”.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said that “for anyone who grew up in Ireland in the 1990s, Dolores O’Riordan was the voice of a generation”.
Little-known fact: The Cranberries are the second best-selling Irish band after U2. They were originally an all-male band but hired O’Riordan after their previous singer quit.
STEPHEN HAWKING
One of the world’s most brilliant physicists, Professor Stephen Hawking became, in the words of The New York Times, “an emblem of human determination and curiosity”.
the best-selling author died on March 14 at his home in Cambridge at the age of 76.
He contracted motor neurone disease in 1963 and was given two years to live.
“Not since Albert Einstein has a scientist so captured the public imagination and endeared himself to tens of millions of people around the world,” Michio Kaku, a professor of theoretical physics at the City University of New York, told the NYT.
The English physicist was known for his groundbreaking work with black holes and relativity — the nature of space and time.
He was the author of several popular science books including A Brief History of Time, which has sold more than 10 million copies.
Hawking was also the subject of the Oscar-winning film The Theory of Everything in 2014, in which he was played by Eddie Redmayne.
His children, from his first marriage to Jane Wilde, released a statement after his death, hailing his courage, persistence and humour.
“We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today. He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years,” Hawking’s children, Lucy, Robert and Tim said in a statement.
“His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humour inspired people across the world.
“He once said, ‘It would not be much of a universe if it wasn’t home to the people you love.’ We will miss him forever.”
Little-known fact: Hawking’s second marriage to his nurse, Elaine Mason, was tainted by allegations that she was physically abusive towards him and had isolated him from his family. In 2006, they filed for divorce, and the years following saw the physicist work on his relationship with his children.
KATE SPADE
The death of fashion designer Kate Spade — who built a global empire from her signature handbags — laid bare her lengthy battle with severe depression.
Tributes to the respected designer poured in after her death at the age of 55 from celebrities, the fashion world and everyday women who admired her quintessential American style.
Her fashion label was so associated with the city she loved that she eventually added its name to her label, Kate Spade New York.
Spade was working as an accessories editor at Mademoiselle magazine when she launched her company with husband Andy Spade in 1993.
Coach, now known as Tapestry, bought the Kate Spade brand last year for $US2.4 billion ($A3.25 billion). Kate and Andy Spade recently had started a new handbag company, Frances Valentine. The couple had a teenage daughter.
In a released statement, Andy Spade said that his wife of 24 years had been “actively seeking help” for her severe depression and that there were no warning signs that she would take her life.
He said they had been living separately for the past 10 months but they were not legally separated or planning divorce.
“We were not legally separated, and never even discussed divorce. We were best friends trying to work through our problems in the best way we knew how. We were together for 35 years. We loved each other very much and simply needed a break.”
Little-known fact: Kate Spade and her husband Andy met by chance as university students when they both worked at a Phoenix haberdashery, John’s & Co.
There were two sides to the store, and Andy and Kate would see each other across the hall. “Sometimes we’d go to the other side,” Andy told Vanity Fair before his wife’s death, “and talk when it was slow.”
JOE JACKSON
The patriarch of the Jackson family, Joe Jackson was the ruthless authoritarian who drove his children to superstardom. But fame came at a price for his children.
As superstar Michael Jackson told Oprah Winfrey in 1992: “When he’d come to see me, I’d get sick. I’d start to regurgitate.”
Jackson, who was married to wife Katherine from 1949 until his death at the age of 89 from cancer in June, was the architect of his gifted children’s early successes.
But some of them would later accuse him of bullying, physical abuse and punishing work schedules.
When Michael’s solo career took off after the Jackson Five broke up, the pop superstar distanced himself from his father, who then focused instead on his youngest child Janet, who went on to become a huge star.
Jackson later admitted that he had whipped Michael, but denied it could be categorised as a beating. “I whipped him with a switch and a belt. I never beat him. You beat someone with a stick,” he told the BBC’s Louis Theroux in 2003.
His death came just two days after the anniversary of his son Michael Jackson’s death nine years ago.
Estranged from most of his family when he died, Jackson lived out his last years in Las Vegas.
Little-known fact: Jackson reportedly carried on a decades-long affair with a secretary 20 years his junior. The pair had a daughter, who is now 43, but Jackson remained married to Katherine all along.
AVICII
Swedish DJ Avicii, whose real name was Tim Bergling, battled with his health in the years leading up to his shock death. He took his own life at the age of 28 in Muscat, Oman, on April 20.
He would later shock fans in 2016 by announcing his retirement from touring. He was best known for radio hits such as, ‘Hey Brother’, ‘Wake Me Up’ and ‘Without You’.
Little-known fact: Legendary producer Nile Rodgers said his last performance with Avicii — about three years ago — upset him because he realised that Avicii had been drinking again.
“It was a little bit sad to me because he had promised me he would stop drinking, and when I saw him he was drunk that night. And I was like, ‘Whoa. Dude. C’mon. What are you doing? What’s going on? You said that that was done,”’ Rodgers recalled.
“We did a show and I was a little upset. I didn’t even stick around for his performance because it was breaking my heart. But we still had a great time. It was wonderful — we were that close.”
JOHN MAHONEY
He won the hearts of comedy lovers for is role as Martin Crane.
John Mahoney, the actor who played the cranky dad who often outsmarted his pompous sons in the smash hit series Frasier, was one of Hollywood’s most respected stars.
He died at the age of 77 in his beloved adopted city of Chicago due to multiple health complications including brain cancer.
Mahoney did not start acting until he was 37. He joined the Steppenwolf Theatre Company and won a Tony for his performance in John Guare’s The House of Blue Leaves.
After a decade of theatrical roles, Mahoney transformed a single appearance on Cheers, the sitcom that included Grammer as the psychiatrist Frasier Crane, into a career-defining role.
Mahoney played Martin Crane for 11 years, appearing in all 263 episodes of Frasier from 1993 to 2004.
After his death, tributes flowed from his Frasier co-stars as well as Hollywood stars Ben Stiller and John Cusack.
Kelsey Grammer, who played the title character in the Frasier, simply wrote: “He was my father. I loved him.”
Little known-fact: He came across as an American “everyman” but Mahoney was actually British. Born in the northern seaside city of Blackpool, he decided to make Chicago his home when he fell in love with the city while visiting as a college student.
BURT REYNOLDS
His career spanned close to 60 years and included some of the highest grossing movie starts of the 1970s and 80s.
Burt Reynolds, who died at the age of 82 after suffering a cardiac arrest, was one of Hollywood’s biggest stars in the 1970s.
The actor, who had nearly 200 film and TV credits, starred in multiple successful films including 1974’s The Longest Yard, 1977’s Smokey And The Bandit, 1996’s Striptease and 1997’s Boogie Nights, the latter of which earned him an Oscar nomination.
Reynolds spent nearly five years as the No 1 box office attraction in America in the 1970s.
He broke taboo and posed nude in Cosmopolitan magazine, which helped cement his growing status as a sex symbol.
He later said he regretted that centrefold image, which showed Reynolds spread out across a bearskin rug, and said it distracted attention from his Deliverance co-stars and likely cost them an Academy Award.
Little-known fact: Reynolds turned down two of Hollywood’s biggest roles — Han Solo and James Bond. He later said he regretted rejecting the Star Wars role, saying he
“just didn’t want to play that kind of role at the time”. He also turned down Richard Gere’s role in Pretty Woman, Bruce Willis’ role in Die Hard, and Jack Nicholson’s roles in both Terms of Endearment and One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.
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