PHOTOS: 2026 celebrity deaths

Afrika Bambaataa, a man widely considered one of the main pioneers of hip-hop, died in Pennsylvania of prostate cancer on Thursday, according to his lawyer. He was 68. (AP/Henny Ray Abrams)

The celebrated mountaineer Jim Whittaker, the first American to summit Mount Everest, has died. He was 97. (AP/Jeff Chiu)

Actor Nicholas Brendon attends the 2012 Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo at McCormick Place on April 15, 2012 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Barry Brecheisen/WireImage)

Chuck Norris appears at a ceremony in Garland, Texas on Dec. 2, 2010. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)

This Jan. 9, 1973 file photo shows British author Len Deighton who has died at the age of 97. (PA via AP)

Alexander Butterfield, testifies, July 16, 1973 before the Senate Watergate Committee. Butterfield, the White House aide who inadvertently hastened Richard Nixon’s resignation over the Watergate scandal when he revealed that the president had bugged the Oval Office and Cabinet Room and routinely recorded his conversations, has died. He was 99. (AP Photo/File)

Country singer Joe McDonald plays during the Heros of Woodstock concert at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Bethel, N.Y., Saturday, Aug. 15, 2009. McDonald, a hippie rock star, died Sunday. He was 84. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, File)

FILE – Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz carries away the National College Champion Trophy following a news conference in Tempe, Ariz. in this Jan. 3, 1989 photo. Holtz died Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Rob Schmacher, File)

Neil Sedaka poses for a portrait in New York, April 30, 2012. He died February 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes, File)

Robert Carradine appears at the 24th Annual “A Night at Sardi’s” in Beverly Hills, Calif., on March 9, 2016. Carradine, known for his roles in “The Long Riders,” “Revenge of the Nerds” and the television series “Lizzie McGuire,” has died at 71. (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP/Richard Shotwell) (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

FILE – Legendary salsa musician Willie Colon poses for a portrait in Mexico City, March 5, 2009. Colón, considered by many to be the “architect of urban salsa,” died Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. He was 75. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

FILE – Eric Dane arrives at a promotional event for the series “Euphoria,” in Los Angeles, April 20, 2022. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

Rev. Jesse Jackson waves as he steps to the podium during the third day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, July 27, 2016. Jackson, a protege of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and two-time presidential candidate who led the Civil Rights Movement for decades after the revered leader’s assassination, died Tuesday. He was 84. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Robert Duvall arrives at the BAFTA Los Angeles Britannia Awards in Beverly Hills in 2014. Duvall, the Oscar-winning actor best known for “The Godfather,“ “Apocalypse Now” and many other tough-guy roles over an acclaimed screen career that spanned six decades, died on Feb. 15, 2026. He was 95. (Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

FILE – James Van Der Beek attends the premiere of “The Words” in Los Angeles on Sept. 4, 2012. Van Der Beek died Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. He was 48. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

Brad Arnold of the band 3 Doors Down performs during Patriots Fest on Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Aurora, Ill. Arnold, the lead singer of the Grammy-nominated rock band 3 Doors Down, died Saturday, months after he announced that he had been diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney cancer. (Photo by Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP)

Singer LaMonte McLemore (second from right), a founding member of vocal group The 5th Dimension, whose smooth pop and soul sounds with a touch of psychedelia brought them big hits in the 1960s and ’70s, has died. He was 90. (WireImage/Mark Sullivan)

Chuck Negron, former lead singer of Three Dog Night, sings to a crowd during a Christmas Eve party, Dec. 24, 1997, at the Union Rescue Mission in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/John Hayes)

PARSIPPANY, NJ – APRIL 22: Demond Wilson attends the 2016 Chiller Theater Expo at Parsippany Hilton on April 22, 2016 in Parsippany, New Jersey. (Photo by Bobby Bank/WireImage)

FILE – Catherine O’Hara, a cast member in the Apple+ series “The Studio,” poses for a portrait on Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

FILE – Fashion designer Valentino Garavani during a photo-call to present the documentary film “Valentino: The Last Emperor” in Rome, Monday, Nov. 16, 2009. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)

John Forte appears at the Fall 2013 Nanette Lepore Runway Show in New York on Feb. 13, 2013. Forté, the Grammy-nominated musician known for his work with the Fugees and the Refugee Camp All-Stars among others, has died at age 50. (Photo by Dario Cantatore/Invision/AP, File)

Claudette Colvin sits for a portrait, Feb. 5, 2009 in New York. Colvin, whose 1955 arrest for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated Montgomery bus helped spark the modern civil rights movement, has died. She was 86. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File)

FLE – Scott Adams, creator of the comic strip Dilbert, poses for a portrait with the Dilbert character in his studio in Dublin, Calif., Oct. 26, 2006. Adams’ death was announced Tuesday, Jan. 13., 2026. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

Former CIA agent Aldrich Ames leaves federal court after pleading guilty to espionage and tax evasion conspiracy charges April 28, 1994, in Alexandria, Va. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)

Michael Reagan, the son of former President Ronald Reagan, introduces Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich during a campaign stop, Jan. 30, 2012, in Pensacola, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Rep. Doug LaMalfa of California speaks during a press conference at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles on Feb. 20, 2025. LaMalfa, a seven-term U.S. representative and a reliable vote on President Donald Trump’s agenda, has died, reducing the GOP’s narrow control of the House. He was 65. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)