Remembering beloved soap and TV actors
In 2022, Hollywood bid farewell to many famous faces, beloved celebrities, and even royalty with Queen Elizabeth II who sadly died. As we reflect on the year, we take the opportunity to honor the stars we’ve lost this year as we remember their legacy.
2022 has been a somber year. Queen Elizabeth II, the UK’s longest-serving monarch, passed away at her Balmoral Estate on September 8. Her Majesty passed aged 96, after reigning on the throne for 70 years. But sadly, the Queen’s death was not the only one to be announced.
This year, we’ve seen a long list of beloved stars sadly pass away throughout the past 12 months. Following the announcements, fans paid tribute to their icons online and on social media.
To remember those celebrities who have tragically died in 2022, we honor them as the year draws to a close. Hollywood is still in mourning as we enter the new year without some legendary names, let’s pay respect to those we have lost…
Soap and TV celebrities who sadly died in 2022
Robyn Griggs
Robyn Griggs died at age 49, on August 13, 2022.
The TV and film star, best known for her roles in Another World and One Life To Live, was diagnosed with stage 4 cervical cancer in 2020. However, her cause of death has not yet been confirmed.
Griggs’ official Facebook page announced the sad news in an emotional statement on Saturday, saying that she was “no longer suffering”.
Olivia Newton-John
Fans finding out Olivia Newton-John had been one of the celebrities who died in 2022 was a shocking announcement.
Olivia Newton-John found lifelong fame after her leading role in the film Grease.
The Sandy star tragically died at 73 on August 9, 2022, after a long battle against breast cancer. The news was confirmed by her husband John Easterling who announced her death in a Facebook statement.
The star also featured in Glee, Sordid Lives: The Series as well as Kommotion alongside her film career.
Tributes poured in across the globe for the musician, and she’ll be dearly remembered for decades to come.
Robert LuPone
Sopranos star Robert LuPone died at the age of 76 on August 27, 2022.
Popular for portraying Dr Bruce Cusamano in the drama, his death was confirmed in a statement released by the Manhattan Class Company (MCC) Theatre. MCC Theatre was an organization that was founded by the late actor.
In a tribute posted on the MCC website, it was confirmed the actor died after battling pancreatic cancer for three years.
Ray Liotta
Actor Ray Liotta, best known for his leading role in Martin Scorsese’s 1990 crime classic Goodfellas, died aged 67. The news came on 26 May 2022, as per Deadline.
He died in his sleep in the Dominican Republic while shooting a new film project titled Dangerous Waters.
The actor is survived by his daughter, Karsen. Before his death, he was engaged to be married to Jacy Nittolo.
Paul Sorvino
Tragically, we also lost another Goodfellas star, on the list of celebrities who died in 2022.
Paul Sorvino, the Tony-nominated actor who played mobster Paulie Cicero in Goodfellas, died at age 83.
Sorvino, died of natural causes on Monday, July 25 as his wife, Dee Dee, announced.
Following his passing, tributes from other celebs poured onto social media after the news.
James Caan
Caan is best known for his Oscar-nominated role as Sonny Corleone in 1972’s The Godfather.
The veteran actor died on July 6 at 82 of a heart attack and coronary artery disease, according to his death certificate, which was signed by his doctor and obtained by TMZ.
Caan’s death was confirmed “with great sadness” by his family on July 7 on Twitter and fans fled to social media to pay their tributes.
Cann was also known for his parts in Las Vegas, Hawaii Five-O, Back in the Game and Magic City.
Nichelle Nichols
Nichelle Nichols, who portrayed communications officer Uhura in the original Star Trek series, died of heart failure on July 30. The star died in Silver City, New Mexico.
Nichols was 89 years old, and her death was confirmed by Gilbert Bell, her talent manager of 15 years, as per The Guardian.
Nichols made history when she had the US’s first small-screen kiss between a black woman and a white man, involving Uhura and Captain Kirk (William Shatner), in 1968.
Bob Saget
The 65-year-old actor was known best for his role on the TV sitcom Full House. Saget was on tour when he was sadly found dead in his hotel room at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando, Florida, on January 9. Saget’s death was a result of blunt head trauma, per an official autopsy report obtained by TMZ.
The police and the fire department arrived at the hotel around 4 pm after a security team member found him unresponsive during a welfare check. He was tragically later declared dead at the scene.
Saget’s family told TMZ on February 9, 2022, details of his death: “They have concluded that he accidentally hit the back of his head on something, thought nothing of it, and went to sleep. No drugs or alcohol were involved.”
Sidney Poitier
Legendary actor Sidney Poitier sadly died on January 6 at age 94. His death certificate obtained by CNN listed heart failure as the cause of his death.
Poitier passed away at his Beverly Hills home in California. The actor also suffered from prostate cancer and Alzheimer’s dementia, which were also contributing factors to his death.
Poitier’s legacy left an imprint in Hollywood as in 1964, he was the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Poitier featured in To Sir, With Love, In The Heat Of The Night, The Jackal and Lilies of The Field. Also, he starred in the likes of Shoot to Kill, A Patch of Blue and in the TV show Separate But Equal.
Mary Alice
Emmy and Tony-winning actress Mary Alice died on 27 July 2022 of natural causes at her home in New York, she was 85 years old, according to the New York Police Department via Variety
Mary Alice won a Tony in 1987 for her performance as Rose Maxson in the original Broadway production of August Wilson’s Fences. To sitcom fans, she was best known as Leticia ‘Lettie’ Bostic on NBC’s A Different World.
William Hurt
Oscar-winning actor William Hurt had a successful 45-year career in the showbiz industry, but sadly died, aged 71. Tragically, he joined the list of names of celebrities who died this year after the news came in March, 2022.
The actor’s son, Will, announced the sad news on social media. He wrote: “It is with great sadness that the Hurt family mourns the passing of William Hurt, beloved father, and Oscar-winning actor, on March 13, 2022, one week before his 72nd birthday.”
In May 2018, it was revealed Hurt had terminal prostate cancer that spread to the bone, as per The Independent.
His son revealed in the statement: “He died peacefully, among family, of natural causes. The family requests privacy at this time.”
Featuring in so many movies and TV franchises, it’s hard to list all of Hurt’s achievements. Some include Humans, Damages, Goliath, Robin Hood, Mythic Quest and Moby Dick. He also starred in Lost in Space, the Accidental Tourist and AI.
Joan Copeland
Broadway star and talented actress Joan Copeland died on 4 January 2022, at the age of 99. She passed at her home in New York City. Joan’s death was initially reported by the site Broadway World.
Copeland, who was the sister of playwright Arthur Miller, spent decades performing on Broadway and in films. One of her most popular performances being in The America Clock in 1980.
Roger E Mosley
Roger E Mosley, who played Theodore “TC” Calvin on all eight seasons of Magnum, PI, died on 7 August 2022. He was aged 83.
The actor, also popular for The Mack, died from injuries he sustained in a car accident three days earlier, his daughter, Ch-a, told the Hollywood Reporter.
His daughter shared news of his car accident, which occurred in Lynwood, California, several days earlier. Ch-a told her followers her father was in a critical condition and had been left “paralyzed from the shoulders down”.
Pat Carroll
Pat Carroll, the actress who voiced menacing sea witch Ursula in Disney’s The Little Mermaid, died aged 95 on July 30, 2022.
Carroll, who won an Emmy in 1957 for the TV comedy show Caesar’s Hour, died of pneumonia at her Massachusetts home, her daughter Tara Karsian told The Hollywood Reporter.
Carroll’s other daughter, Kerry Karsian, posted news of her mother’s death on Instagram. She asked followers to “honor her by having a raucous laugh at absolutely anything today (and every day forward)”.
Richard Roat
Richard Roat, known for acting in Cheers, Friends, and Seinfeld, died at age 89 on August 5, according to an obituary published in the Los Angeles Times. The cause of death remains unknown.
Fans have missed watching the familiar TV face and fled to social media to pay their condolences.
Rebecca Balding
Rebecca Balding, best known for her roles in Charmed and Soap, died at the age of 73 on July 18, in Park City, Utah. She was surrounded by her family.
James L Conway, her husband of 41 years, released a statement confirming the sad news. He also confirmed the actress passed away following a fight with ovarian cancer.
The couple shared two daughters, Kathleen and Sarah, Balding was also a grandmother.
Joe E Tata
Beverly Hills, 90210 actor Joe E Tata died aged 85 following a battle with Alzheimer’s disease, as per The Independent.
The actor is best known for his role as Nat Bussichio in the hit show. It ran from 1990 to 2000.
Tata’s daughter, Kelly Tata, announced her father “passed away peacefully last night August 24, 2022” on a GoFundMe page. News of Tata’s death was also announced by his co-star and good friend, Ian Ziering, on Instagram.
Marsha Hunt
Marsha Hunt, a legendary Hollywood actress best known for her roles in films like Pride and Prejudice and Raw Deal, died from natural causes at the age of 104 on September 7.
She died in her Sherman Oaks home in Los Angeles, which she had lived in since 1946, as per Variety.
Louise Fletcher
Louise Fletcher, who won an Oscar for her iconic role as Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, died at her home in the south of France aged 88, according to BBC.
She is also known for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Shameless, Picket Fences and The Hitchhiker. The actress was also cast in Girlboss, Wonderfalls, Joan of Arcadia and In A Child’s Name.
She married producer Jerry Bick in the 1960s, before getting divorced in 1977. She is survived by two sons, John and Andrew.
Denise Dowse
Denise Dowse, best known for playing the vice principal in US teen drama Beverly Hills, 90210, died aged 64 on August 13, 2022
Her death was announced by her sister Tracey Dowse who posted an Instagram. She described her sister as “the most amazing sister, a consummate, illustrious actress, mentor, and director.”
Dowse had fallen into a coma in early August, which had been brought on by “a virulent form of meningitis”. Her sister Tracey first shared Dowse’s health update via Facebook on August 6.
Anne Heche
US actor Anne Heche died after spending a week on life support at a burn center. She was critically injured in a devastating car crash after her vehicle collided with a building. The coroner’s office listed August 11 as her date of death.
The news of the accident shocked the Hollywood industry as well as fans, as she sadly became one of the celebrities who died in 2022.
The news was confirmed by a representative for her family who told TMZ: “We have lost a bright light, a kind and most joyful soul, a loving mother, and a loyal friend.
Heche died from inhalation injury and burns after her car crash, which was ruled as an accident, according to coroner’s results obtained by the outlet. The 53-year-old also had a fractured sternum caused by “blunt trauma” and suffered a “severe anoxic brain injury” caused by a lack of oxygen, according to the statement.
Heche was declared brain-dead but was kept on life support until her organs could be donated.
Leslie Jordan
Another blow to the list of celebrities who died in 2022 includes Leslie Jordan. Hollywood Icon Leslie Jordan, who had an impressive TV and movie career, was also known for his incredible role in Will & Grace in the 1990s until 2020.
The American actor, who passed on October 24, was mourned by fans around the world and the LGBTQ+ community after all his work on raising awareness for equality.
The 67-year-old tragically died aged 67 following a car accident in Los Angeles. TMZ and LA Times report law enforcement sources suspect the beloved star may have suffered a medical emergency before crashing his BMW.
The Emmy Award-winning star was also known for his parts in American Horror Story: Red Tide, and Hearts Afire.
“The world is definitely a much darker place today without the love and light of Leslie Jordan,” said David Shaul, Jordan’s agent.
“Not only was he a mega talent and joy to work with, but he provided an emotional sanctuary to the nation at one of its most difficult times.”
Sesame Street’s Bob McGrath
Sadly, Bob McGrath, one of Sesame Street’s original stars passed away in December, with an official announcement being made on the 5th.
Playing Bob Johnson, the 90-year-old was one of the first non-Muppet regulars on the children’s show. He died peacefully at home, his family confirmed.
After being featured on the US program for more than 50 years, he made his final appearance in 2017.
“Sesame Workshop mourns the passing of Bob McGrath, a beloved member of the Sesame Street family for over 50 years,” the non-profit educational organization behind the show read.
“A founding cast member, Bob embodied the melodies of Sesame Street like no one else, and his performances brought joy and wonder to generations of children around the world, whether teaching them the ABCs, the people in their neighborhood, or the simple joy of feeling music in their hearts.”
General Hospital’s Sonya Eddy
Sonia was also known as nurse Epiphany Johnson for her role on the popular TV series General Hospital. She played the role of a head nurse who was also the mother of the late Stan Johnson. She began her long run on the ABC soap opera in 2006 and appeared in 543 episodes.
Eddy, who starred for 17 years on the long-running soap, died Monday, December 19. She was 55.
News broke about Sonya Eddy’s passing on December 21. The official cause of her death has not been shared. Eddy’s friend Tyler Ford confirmed that the actor died of an infection after a non-emergency surgery at Providence St. Joseph’s Hospital in Burbank
Aside from acting, Eddy had trained as a licensed vocational nurse. In February 2021, she used her platform to announce that she would be leading a new campaign to provide scholarships to nurses.
Have something to tell us about this article?
