David Colton | Specially for USA TODAY
On a November afternoon in tiny Plains, Georgia, former first daughter Amy Carter, now a 56-year-old woman who has been out of the spotlight for decades, reluctantly approached the microphone at her mother's funeral. Rosalynn Carter96.
“I chose something that would be hard to read without crying,” she said. “My mother spent most of her life in love with my father.”
Then she unfolded a letter Jimmy Carter wrote to his wife 75 years ago, when he was in the Navy. Unable to speak, the 99-year-old former president listened from a hospital bed wheeled into the crowded church.
“My darling,” the letter began.
The televised service and the VIP-filled pews — three presidents, all five living first ladies — were familiar and somber, yet marked a brief return to normalcy in today's chaotic culture of vicious memes and digital cynicism. Death and memory do that. In this year's “Passages,” USA TODAY's roundup of the most notable deaths of 2023, there are lifetimes of such losses. The achievements of predecessors, the true “influencers” of their time, can be measured by their impact on our culture, our nation and, most importantly, on the lives of those around them. The deceased leave class and sometimes, despite the tears, put a smile on their faces.
It's hard not to smile at the singer's exuberant joy Tina Turner, 83, who never did anything “nice and easy” and influenced everyone from Janis Joplin to Beyoncé. “You paved the way,” recalled Beyoncé, who collaborated with Turner on “Proud Mary” at the 2008 Grammys. “You are strength and resilience.”
The singer defied trends Tony Bennett, 96, a boy from Queens who shortened his name from Benedetto because it had too many syllables. Through rock, disco and rap, he never gave up his enthusiasm for the Great American Songbook. “For my money, the best singer in the business,” his rival Frank Sinatra once said.
The television producer tested cultural boundaries Norman Lear, 101, whose social comedies like “All in the Family,” “Maude” and “The Jeffersons” brought issues like racism, gay rights and abortion into prime time. You could get away with it, Lear said, “as long as you stay strong and the ratings are good.” They were.
A life full of music and activism shaped the singer and actor's long career Harry Belafonte, 96. “He lived a good life,” said former President Barack Obama. “Changing the arts while advocating for civil rights.”
Others like televangelists Pat Robertson, 93, divided the nation. A self-proclaimed “happy warrior,” he drew criticism for his relentless targeting of homosexuals, Democrats and welfare. Still, “he changed the Republican Party and with it American politics,” said Christian activist Ralph Reed.
Also controversial was the architect of US foreign policy for much of the 20th century, the former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, 100, which paved the way for President Richard Nixon to China but also helped prosecute and end the Vietnam War. He won the Nobel Peace Prize, although some called him a war criminal.
And then there were deaths that just shocked everyone, like the lovable “Friends” actor Matthew Perry, 54, who drowned in his hot tub. “It hit deep,” said his former co-star Jennifer Aniston. “Rest, little brother. You always made my day.”
Only a few knew actors Andre BraugherThe 61-year-old popular star of “Homicide” and “Brooklyn-Nine-Nine” battled lung cancer before dying in December. “An extraordinary actor, but above all the departure of a warm and kind soul,” said producer Shonda Rhimes.
Lance Reddick, The beloved star of “The Wire” and the John Wick films died of a stroke at the age of 60. “A man of great strength and grace,” recalled actor Wendell Pierce. “The epitome of class.”
The loss of the feel-good singer was also unexpected Jimmy Buffett, 76, a cancer victim. With roots in calypso and deep in middle-class vacation dreams, Buffett knew that it was always 5 p.m. in Margaritaville. His Parrothead fans were as reliable as Deadheads or Swifties, all looking for the “lost salt shaker.” Since 42% of Americans born after 1980 are Millennials and beyond, according to the U.S. Census, some of those who died may just be 20th-century names, if those generations remember them at all. But these people were all, for better or worse, shapers of what was to come.
Newsmakers who made a difference
The high-profile deaths also included Justice, the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court Sandra Day O'Connor, 93, a conservative who cast swing votes on social issues such as abortion and affirmative action; Democratic Senator. Dianne Feinstein, 90, of California; global civil rights activist Randall Robinson, 81; Military analyst Daniel Ellsberg, 92, who published the secret Pentagon Papers on Vietnam in 1971; DR. Susan Love, 75, a surgeon and breast cancer research advocate; and former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission Newton Minow97, who memorably called television a “vast wasteland.”
Patricia Schröder82, Colorado's first female member of Congress, unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988; Kevin Phillips82, helped develop a “Southern strategy” for Republicans in the 1970s; Roslyn Pope, 84, wrote “An Appeal for Human Rights” in 1960, which helped spur the civil rights movement; And Samuel WurzelbacherThe 49-year-old, known as “Joe the Plumber,” became the darling of conservatives in the 2008 presidential campaign.
They were the entertainment of our lives
The lost actors are also included Ryan O'Neal, 82, star of hit films like “Love Story,” which moved moviegoers to tears in 1970. “A big part of my success was due to his generosity as my co-star,” said Ali MacGraw. “We remain friends to this day.”
Oscar winner Alan ArkinThe 89-year-old has been a reliable character actor in more than 100 films, including “Wait Until Dark” and “The In-Laws”; Richard Roundtree, 81, helped launch black action films with “Shaft” in 1971; Italian film icon Gina Lollobrigida, 95, has been called “the most beautiful woman in the world”; in America, Raquel Welch, 82, tempered her sex symbol image with comic roles; Israeli actor Topol, 87, starred in Broadway and film versions of “Fiddler on the Roof”; and two-time Oscar winner Glenda Jackson, 87, later joined the British Parliament. “The greatest actor this country has ever produced,” said Englishman Jonathan Pryce.
I remember “Rocky,” a tough actor Burt Young83; David McCallum90, a stylish super spy in “The Man From UNCLE”; Piper Laurie91, whose films included “The Hustler” and “Carrie”; Stella Stevens84, climbed to safety in “The Poseidon Adventure”; Melinda Dillon83, starred in “A Christmas Story” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”; Lisa LoringShe, 64, welcomed a sardonic daughter on Wednesday's television series “The Addams Family”; And Phyllis CoatesThe 96-year-old played the courageous Lois Lane in the first season of TV's “Adventures of Superman.” The Legend of the Game Show Bob Barker99, hosted “The Price Is Right” for 35 years and said audiences “liked me so much they invited me to their house”; Paul Rubens, 70, was unforgettable as the child character Pee-wee Herman; child actors Adam Rich, 54, from “Eight Is Enough”; comedian Richard Belzer78, played a grumpy detective on “Law & Order: SVU”; Cindy Williams, 75, was Shirley of “Laverne & Shirley”; and fitness guru Suzanne Somers76, who was fired while fighting for equal pay at Three's Company.
Losses from soap operas included Jackie Zeman70, 45 years a “bad girl turned heroine” on “General Hospital”; Ellen Holly92, of “One Life to Live,” the first black actor to appear on a soap opera (the show also lost). Andrea Evans66); Nancy Frangione, 70, on “All My Children”; and from “Days of Our Lives” Arleen Sorkin67, who was also the original animated voice of Harley Quinn.
Reliable character actor Michael Lerner81, appeared in “Elf” and “Barton Fink”; Ron Cephas JonesThe 66-year-old won an Emmy for his role on “This Is Us”; George Maharis94, shared weekly adventures on “Route 66”; Marlene ClarkThe 85-year-old actress held her own in the clever “Sanford and Son”; Michael Gambon, 82, played everyone from Othello to Dumbledore; comedian Pat Cooper93, and Mark Russell90; Barry Humphries, 89, listed as Dame Edna; And Bill Saluga85, remembers his “You can call me Ray” routine.
Are also gone Mark Margolis, 83, who played the paralyzed drug lord who communicated by doorbell in “Breaking Bad”; TV tap dancer Arthur Duncan, 97; Judge on “Dancing with the Stars.” Len Goodman78; Andrea Friedman53, actress with Down syndrome in “Life Goes On”; Robert Blake89, star of “Baretta,” whose career collapsed after he was acquitted of charges of murdering his wife; Angus Cloud, 25, star of the HBO series “Euphoria”; TV evangelist Charles Stanley, 90; “Bling Empire” matriarch Anna Shay, 62; and shock TV host Jerry Springer79, who ended each episode by saying, “Take care of yourselves and each other.”
Film moguls operated behind the scenes Walter Mirisch, 101; Underground filmmakers Kenneth Anger, 96; Director of “Exorcist” and “French Connection.” William Friedkin, 87; Screenwriter of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” Bo Goldman, 90; Children's television producer Marty Krofft, 86; and longtime set designer for “Saturday Night Live.” Eugene Lee83.
Remembered for music and more
The British were also among the guitar heroes Jeff Beck78, who played with The Yardbirds and Rod Stewart and gave rock classics a new feel; Robbie Robertson80, who wrote Americana music like “The Weight” with The Band; Denny Laine79, founder of the Moody Blues and member of Paul McCartney's Wings; Bernie Marsden, 72, of Whitesnake; Trip George Tickner, 76; And Tom Verlaine73, from Punk Rocks Television.
The spoken David Crosby, 81, a founding member of the Byrds and later Crosby, Stills and Nash, spent nine months in prison for drug possession and later wrote a personal advice column for Rolling Stone magazine; Irish singer Sinead O'Connor, 56, shocked viewers by tearing up a photo of the pope on “Saturday Night Live”; Canadian folk singer Gordon Lightfoot, 84; Earth, Wind & Fire drummer Fred White67; George “Funky” Brown, 74, drummer with Kool & the Gang; folk singer Len Chandler, 88; And Randy Meisner77, the Eagles.
Gone too John Gosling, 75, of the Kinks; Smash Mouth singer Steve Harwell56; Gary Rossington, 71, last founding member of Lynyrd Skynyrd; Copywriter by Procol Harum Keith Reid, 76; Chief violinist Sean Keane76; Andy Rourke59, the Smiths; moon container, 25, K-pop star of the boy band Astro; Bobby Osborne, 91, of country musicians the Osborne Brothers; and bluegrass pickers Jesse McReynolds93.
From the beginnings of rock and pop Huey “Piano” Smith89, whose “Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu” defined what rock and roll was all about; Jean Knight, 80, the “Mr. Big Things”; Motowns Barrett Strong81, the first to record “Money (That's What I Want”); Charlie Thomas85, the Drifters; Katherine Anderson79, the Marvelettes; Larry Chance82, the Earls, is said to have been discovered on a street corner; Rudolph Isley, 84; And Fuzzy Haskins81, which channeled the doo-wop sound into Parliament-Funkadelic.
The pianist has disappeared from the world of jazz and improvisation Peter Nero, 89, who could mix jazz, classical and pop; saxophonist Wayne Shorter89; Astrude Gilberto, 83, the voice behind “The Girl From Ipanema”; trombonist Curtis Fowlkes, 73; pianists Ahmad Jamal92, and George Winston, 74; Bassist Richard Davis, 93; and experimental composer Carla Bley87, who praised musicians “who are able to survive without big record labels” on NPR.
Classical pianists have also disappeared Andre Watts, 77; Oscar-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, 71; Opera sopranos Renata Scotto89, and Grace Bumbry, 86; postmodern choreographer Rudy Perez, 93; Ballerina flats Lupe Serrano92, and Lynn Seymour83.
The hip-hop world has lost the rapper from Memphis Lola Mitchell, 43, known as Gangsta Boo; Dove Shack rapper Arnez Blount52, known as C-Knight; David Jolicour, 54, of De La Soul; And Melvin “Magoo” Barcliff50, who has worked with Timbaland and Missy Elliott.
Behind the scenes, songwriters were like Burt Bacharach94, a three-time Oscar winner whose numerous hits include “Walk On By,” “Alfie” and “The Look of Love”; Cynthia Weil92, who wrote hits like “On Broadway” and “You've Lost that Lovin' Feeling” with husband Barry Mann; Bobby Schiffman, 94, who turned Harlem's Apollo Theater into a showcase for R&B; And Jerry Moss88, who founded A&R Records with Herb Alpert. Are also gone Bob Feldman, 83, co-author of “Hang On Sloopy”; Chicago DJ Kasper58, creator of the “Cha Cha Slide”; Clarence Avant92, advisor to numerous black artists; CoCo Lee, 48, singer-songwriter from the Mandarin version of “Mulan”; And Seymour Stein80, who gave punk a home on his Sire Records and signed Madonna, who later said: “He changed and shaped my world.”
Sports legends set standards for new generations
In some cases, all you have to do is mention the names of sports legends who died in 2023: Jim Brown87 (Cleveland Browns running back); Brooks Robinson86 (Baltimore Orioles third baseman); Bobby Hull84 (Chicago Blackhawks top scorer); Bob Knight83 (Indiana College basketball coach); Willis Reed, 80 (two-time New York Knicks champion); And Dick Butkus80 (strong linebacker for the Chicago Bears).
In baseball shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates Dick Groat, 92; Outspoken outfielder for the New York Yankees Joe Pepitone, 82; Oakland A's pitcher Vida Blue73, and third baseman Sal Bando78; Roger Craig93, who pitched and managed four World Series teams; Jesus Alou, 80, youngest of the three Alou brothers; San Diego Padres power hitter Nate Colbert, 76; bat Frank Howard87, the Senators of Washington, and Frank Thomas, 93, originally from New York Met; Detroit Proceeds Willie Hernandez, 69, who helped lead the Tigers to the championship in 1984; and pitcher Jean Faut98, by the South Bend Blue Sox of the Women's Baseball League.
The NFL mourned wide receivers, among others Otis Taylor, 80, who won Super Bowl IV with the Kansas City Chiefs; Minnesota Vikings coach Bud Grant95 and quarterback Joe Kapp, 85; the “Intimidator,” linebacker from San Francisco Dave Wilcox, 80; and wide receiver for the New York Giants Homer Jones82, the first to kick a football after a touchdown.
Are also gone Larry “Gator” Rivers, 73, of the Harlem Globetrotters; University of Louisville basketball coach Denny Crum, 86, who won two NCAA titles; two-time world champion and television announcer Tim McCarver, 81; College basketball announcer Billy Packer, 82; and Pittsburgh sports reporter Stan Savran76.
Other personalities included Ferdie Pacheco, 89, the ringside “fight doctor” for Muhammed Ali and others; Professional wrestler Antonio Inoki79, and “The Iron Sheik” Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, 81; Golfer Andy Bean70, and Don January, 93; 55-time LPGA champion Betsy Rawls, 95; and racing driver Craig Breedlove86, the first to go 600 miles per hour.
In Olympic lore were Ralph Boston, 83, the first to jump 27 feet; Rail star Tori Bowie, 32; Diver Pat McCormick92; Dick Fosbury, 76, namesake of the “Fosbury Flop,” the jump back over the high bar; and pole vaulter Bob Richards97, the first athlete featured on a Wheaties box.
They made us think, laugh and cry
Among the authors were Cormac McCarthy, 89, whose violent pictures included “No Country for Old Men” and “The Road”; dark crime novelist Anne Perry84; Martin Amis, 73, which exposed the excesses of modern life; Romance novelist Julie Garwood, 78; Crime novelist Carol Higgins Clark66; Louise Meriwether100, who wrote about growing up in Harlem; Milan Kundera, 94, who wrote “The Unbearable Lightness of Being”; And Harold Kushner88, a rabbi who wrote “When Bad Things Happen to Good People.”
Were influential Robert Gottlieb, 92, who edited books by Toni Morrison, John le Carré and Robert Caro; James Hoge87, editor of Foreign Affairs magazine; Betty Rollin87, whose film “First You Cry” documented her battle with breast cancer; Mimi Sheraton97, first female food critic for The New York Times; Heather Armstrong, 47, known as the “Queen of Mommy Bloggers”; and feminist advocate Linda Hirshman79, who argued that the “real glass ceiling for women is at home.”Humorist Dan Greenburg87, wrote the bestseller “How to Be a Jewish Mother” in 1964; Ian Falconer63, created the child character Olivia; Mary Ann Hoberman, 92, wrote rhyming children's books; Designers Mary Quant93, and Jane Birkin76; Tatjana Patitz, 56, one of the original supermodels; and photojournalist Kwame Brathwaite85, helped spread the word about “Black is Beautiful.”
Gone are the illustrators of New York magazine Bruce McCall87, whose covers evoked fanciful cityscapes of the 1940s; Roger Kastel, 92, who terrified moviegoers with his shark poster for Jaws; Marvel artists John Romita, 93, who brought love and tragedy to Spider-Man; and cartoonist Al Jaffee102, known for the Mad Fold-Ins in MAD magazine, who was new to computers in his 90s: “I still like the feel of ink on paper.”
Earn money and build a future
Japan Shoichiro ToyodaIn 1997, Toyota took over the US automobile market. billionaire philanthropist Leon Levine, 85, was the founder of Family Dollar; Acquisition investor Sam ZellThe 81-year-old was the self-proclaimed “Chairman of everything, CEO of nothing.”
Tech lost Adobe co-founder John Warnock82, and Intel co-founder Gordon Moore94.
Graphic designer Burkey Belser76, created the ubiquitous nutrition label embraced by the president of Consumer Reports Rhoda Karpatkin93; Hedda Kleinfeld Schachter99, ran the country's largest bridal retailer, Kleinfeld's, with her husband; Marianne Mantell, 93, was a developer of audio books; and Building an Electric Future was a Nobel Prize winner John B. Goodenough100, who was involved in the development of lithium batteries.
Finally, at the end of the turbulent year of 1968, Frank Bormann, who died last month at age 95, orbited the moon for the first time on Christmas Eve with two other Apollo 8 astronauts. The Earth was a blue marble in space, and they took turns reading Genesis to the millions of people listening on the radio. Borman concluded:
“And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, Merry Christmas and God bless you all – all of you on the good earth.”