All articles tagged with #obituaries
Randolph Mantooth, best known as John Gage on the 1970s NBC series Emergency!, died at 80 in Ventura, California from pneumonia complications. His iconic role helped popularize emergency medicine in the U.S., and he later advocated for EMS and produced related documentary work.
Barbara Ling, Oscar-winning production designer who transformed 1969 Los Angeles for Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, died at 73 in Santa Barbara after a cancer battle; her four-decade career also included The Doors and Fried Green Tomatoes, and she is survived by wife Lindsay and their sons Clay and Will.
Randolph Mantooth, best known as Los Angeles paramedic John Gage on NBC’s Emergency!, died July 9 in a Ventura, California hospice after a long illness, at age 80. The actor also built a daytime-soap resume with roles on Loving (380+ episodes) and The City, plus appearances on As the World Turns and One Life to Live, and he voiced Gage in Emergency+4. His long TV career included guest spots on Charlie’s Angels, Dallas, Murder, She Wrote, The Fall Guy, L.A. Law, MacGyver, Walker, Texas Ranger and Criminal Minds, with his final credit in 2011’s Sons of Anarchy. Born September 19, 1945, in Sacramento, Mantooth’s death was confirmed to Deadline by his family via The Hollywood Reporter.
Bonnie Tyler, the Welsh rock icon known for Total Eclipse of the Heart and Holding Out for a Hero, has died at 75 in a Portugal hospital after an emergency surgery; tributes poured in from fellow artists including Kevin Bacon, Johnny Knoxville, and Rod Stewart, who celebrated her powerful voice and lasting impact on music.
Wally Funk, a trailblazing aviator who pursued space for six decades, died at 87. After earning a pilot’s license early and training as a female astronaut in the 1960s, she finally flew aboard Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin mission in 2021, becoming a symbol of perseverance in space exploration.
Former All-Star reliever and longtime pitching coach Phil Regan died at 89 of natural causes in Michigan. A bullpen ace for Detroit, the Dodgers and Cubs in the 1960s, Regan led the NL in saves in 1966 (21) and 1968 (25) and finished his playing career with 92 saves in 551 appearances. He later coached for decades, including a 1995 Orioles managerial stint and a 2019 Mets pitching coach role, mentoring a generation of stars such as deGrom and Díaz.
Louise Lasser, the demure star of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and Woody Allen’s early leading lady, died at 87 of natural causes in Manhattan. A Broadway alum who appeared in Allen’s early films and went on to headline the cult TV satire Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, her career spanned stage, film and TV, with later roles including HBO’s Girls and guest turns on shows like Taxi and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Her personal life included a 1976 cocaine arrest and a brief Saturday Night Live hosting ban, experiences she channeled into her distinctive comic persona.
The Root honors Black icons who passed away in 2026, from Victor Willis of the Village People to a wide array of musicians, athletes, actors, and civil-rights leaders, celebrating their contributions to culture and their lasting legacies despite their departures.
Michael Byrne, the London-born actor known for his turn as an older Grindelwald in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Vogel in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Smythe in Braveheart, died on June 20 at age 82; The Guardian reported no cause of death and noted a career that spanned more than 170 credits, including Gangs of New York, Tomorrow Never Dies and Diana.
Ann Blyth, the Oscar-nominated star of Mildred Pierce who died at 98 from natural causes, rose to fame as Veda Pierce in the 1945 film and built a long career in film, television and on stage, leaving five children, ten grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Ann Blyth, who played Joan Crawford’s daughter in Mildred Pierce and earned a 1946 Oscar nomination, died at 98; her career ranged from film noir and musical features (Brute Force, The Great Caruso, The Helen Morgan Story) to Broadway and television work through the 1980s.
Ann Blyth, the Oscar-nominated actress who played Joan Crawford’s vengeful daughter in Mildred Pierce, has died at 98 from natural causes. A versatile performer and soprano, she starred in MGM musical highlights such as The Great Caruso, Rose Marie, The Student Prince and Kismet, and later appeared on television and in advertisements after leaving MGM. Born in Mount Kisco, New York in 1927, Blyth’s career spanned film, stage, and TV across decades.
Clive Davis, the influential recording executive who led Columbia Records and Arista and helped shape the careers of countless artists, died at 94.
Jill Smokler, the Baltimore-area mom who created Scary Mommy in 2008 and turned it into a candid, millions-strong platform about the imperfect side of parenting, died at 48 from glioblastoma diagnosed in 2024. She built a media brand, wrote best-selling books, and sold Scary Mommy in a multimillion-dollar deal in 2015 while remaining its chief content officer. She is survived by her three children, brother, and parents; her marriage ended in 2017. Smokler’s work challenged the myth of work-life balance by embracing the messy realities of motherhood.
Jill Smokler, founder of the Scary Mommy parenting site, died at 48 after more than two years of glioblastoma. Smokler launched Scary Mommy in 2008 as a stay-at-home mom sharing honest, relatable takes on motherhood, growing it into a large, supportive community. Her family praised her humor, fearlessness and generosity, and asked that donations in her memory go to The Brain Tumor Network in lieu of flowers.