2014 Celebrity Deaths

Celebrity Deaths 2014 These stars transformed film and television. Click through the gallery to see who has died this year.

Melvin Jackson In this Oct. 8, 2014, photo provided by Valerie Jordan, Blues musician Melvin Jackson poses for a photo at his home in Las Vegas. Jackson, who played with legends B.B. King and Bobby "Blue" Bland died Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014. He was 79. (AP Photo/Valerie Jordan)

AP Photo/Valerie Jordan

Edward Herrmann Edward Herrmann, the first to arrive for a group portrait session of approximately 100 Tony Award-winning actors, keeps busy before the shoot Thursday, June 1, 2006, at the Shubert Theatre in New York. The photo was taken to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Tony Awards which will be held this year at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 11. (AP Photo/Diane Bondareff)

AP Photo/Diane Bondareff

CAVANAUGH FILE - In this March 25, 1996 file photo, Christine Cavanaugh arrives for the 68th Academy Awards at the Music Center in Los Angeles. Cavanaugh, 51, a prolific voice actress whose characters included the titular character of Babe, has died. Cavanaughs sister Deionn Masock confirmed Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014, that Cavanaugh died December 22 at her home in Utah. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File

JOE COCKER British singer Joe Cocker died Dec. 22, 2014 after a long battle with cancer. He was 70. In this photo he performs on stage at the Avo Session in Basel, Switzerland, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2007. (AP Photo/KEYSTONE/ Georgios Kefalas)

AP Photo/KEYSTONE/ Georgios Kefalas

324946 Philip Seymour Hoffman, who won the Oscar for best actor in 2006 for his portrayal of writer Truman Capote in “Capote” and created a gallery of other vivid characters, many of them slovenly and slightly dissipated comic figures, was found dead Sunday in his Greenwich Village apartment with what law enforcement officials said was a syringe in his arm. He was 46. (AP)

AP

Tom Magliozzi Tom Magliozzi, who graduated from MIT and later became a car mechanic and the co-host of "Car Talk" on NPR, died of complications from Alzheimer's disease Nov. 3, 2014. He was 77 years old.

Marcia Strassman Marcia Strassman is seen with Gabe Kaplan attending the 9th Annual TV Land Awards at the Javits Center on April 10, 2011. Strassman died Friday, Oct. 24, 2014 after a seven-year battle with breast cancer. (Larry Busacca/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images)

Larry Busacca/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Elizabeth Pena Elizabeth Pena, the versatile actress who shifted between dramatic roles in such films as "Lone Star" and comedic parts in TV shows like "Modern Family, died Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2014. She was 55.

Jan Hooks Actress and comedian Jan Hooks, best known as a cast member of "Saturday Night Live" from 1986 to 1991, died on Oct. 9, 2014. (Donald Weber/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images)

Donald Weber/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Sarah Goldberg Sarah Goldberg, who starred in the television series "7th Heaven" and the film "Jurassic Park III," has died. She was 40.

Polly Bergen In this July 18, 1963, file photo, actress Polly Bergen and actor James Garner go through a scene during the filming of "Move Over, Darling," in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. Bergen, an Emmy-winning actress and singer, who in a long career played the terrorized wife in the original "Cape Fear" and the first woman president in "Kisses for My President," died Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014, at her home in Southbury, Conn., publicist Judy Katz said. She was 84. (AP Photo/David Brinn, File)

AP Photo/David Brinn, File

Richard Kiel In this Oct. 11, 2007 file photo, actor Roger Moore, right, who played the part of James Bond 007 in seven films, poses with actor Richard Kiel who played the role of Jaws in "The Spy Who Loved Me," during a ceremony honoring Moore with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. Kiel, the 7-foot-2-inch performer famously played the cable-chomping henchman who tussled with Moore's Bond in "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "Moonraker" has died. He was 74. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, file)

AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, file

Molly Glynn This photo provided by Cathy Taylor Public Relations, Inc., shows Molly Glynn. Glynn, an accomplished Chicago theater actress who also played a recurring role as a doctor on the TV series "Chicago Fire," has died after a tree toppled by a powerful storm struck her as she rode her bike in a forest park. Glynn's husband called the emergency dispatcher just before 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 5, 2014, to say his wife had been injured, Cook County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Sophia Ansari said. She was 46. (AP Photo/Cathy Taylor Public Relations, Inc.)

AP Photo/Cathy Taylor Public Relations, Inc.

Simone Battle In this Tuesday, July 22, 2014 file photo, Simone Battle of the band G.R.L. at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. Battle was found dead in her West Hollywood, Calif., home Friday morning, Sept. 5, 2014. Battle gained notoriety through performances on the television show "X Factor," and her band G.R.L. had been signed by mega-hit maker Dr. Luke. Her death was a suicide, (AP Photo/Casey Curry/Invision/AP, File)

AP Photo/Casey Curry/Invision/AP, File

Joan Rivers Joan Rivers, the raucous, acid-tongued comedian who crashed the male-dominated realm of late-night talk shows and turned Hollywood red carpets into danger zones for badly dressed celebrities, died Sept. 4 at 81. (AP Photo)

AP Photo

Don Pardo Don Pardo, the durable television and radio announcer whose booming baritone became as much a part of the cultural landscape as the shows and products he touted, including "Saturday Night Live," died Monday, Aug. 18, 2014 in Arizona. He was 96. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images)

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Lauren Bacall She was the wife and co-star of Humphrey Bogart. A Tony Award-winning actress. A National Book Award-winning author. A giant of fashion. A friend of the Kennedys. One of the last survivors of Hollywood's studio age.

A star almost from the moment she appeared on screen to the day she died, Aug. 12, at age 89. (AP Photo)

AP Photo

Charles Keating The British-born Shakespearean actor who was amused by the fame that came with being an American soap opera star on "Another World" died Aug. 11. He was 72. (AP Photo)

AP Photo

Robin Williams Robin Williams apparently committed suicide. The star of "Good Will Hunting," "Mrs. Doubtfire," "Good Morning, Vietnam" and dozens of other films was 63. The cause of the Aug. 11, 2014 death was suicide due to asphyxia. (Mike Coppola/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images)

Mike Coppola/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

James Garner James Garner burst on the scene with this disarming style in the 1950s TV Western "Maverick," which led to a stellar career in TV and films such as "The Rockford Files" and his Oscar-nominated "Murphy's Romance." He died July 19, 2014, at 86. (Mark Mainz/Getty Images)

Mark Mainz/Getty Images

Elaine Stritch Elaine Stritch, the brash theater performer whose gravelly, gin-laced voice and impeccable comic timing made her a Broadway legend, died July, 17, 2014. She was 89. (AP Images)

AP Images

Johnny Winter Blues Artist Johnny Winter, who rose to fame in the late 1960s and '70s with his energetic performances and recordings that included producing his childhood hero Muddy Waters, has died. He was 70. He's seen here performing at the 2009 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at the Fair Grounds Race Course on April 25, 2009 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Rick Diamond/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images)

Rick Diamond/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Bob Hastings Hastings won fans on "McHale's Navy" as Lt. Carpenter, a bumbling yes-man. Other memorable roles were on "All in the Family" and "General Hospital." He died July 2 at the age of 89. (AP Photo)

AP Photo

Ann B. Davis In this April 14, 2007, file photo, Ann B. Davis arrives at the 5th Annual TV Land Awards in Santa Monica, Calif. Emmy-winning actress Davis, who played the housekeeper on "The Brady Bunch," has died at a San Antonio hospital on Sunday, June 1, 2014. She was 88. (AP Photo/Gus Ruelas, File)

AP Photo/Gus Ruelas, File

Maya Angelou Poet Maya Angelou, a Renaissance woman and cultural pioneer, has died, Wake Forest University said in a statement Wednesday, May 28, 2014. She was 86. Maya Angelou walked into a meeting of civil rights leaders discussing affirmative action, looked around, and put them all in their place with a single observation. "She came into the room," recalled Al Sharpton, "and she said, ‘The first problem is you don't have women in here of equal status. We need to correct you before you can correct the country.'" Angelou, who died Wednesday at age 86, will be forever known for her soaring poetry and her searing memoirs. But her impact transcended her written words. She was the nation's wise woman, a poet to presidents, an unapologetic conscience for the civil rights movement. Never hesitant to speak her mind, Angelou passionately defended women, and literature, and the right of younger generations to be heard. "I've seen many things, I've learned many things," she told The Associated Press in 2013. "I've certainly been exposed to many things and I've learned something: I owe it to you to tell you."(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File

Bob Hoskins British actor Bob Hoskins, whose varied career ranged from "Mona Lisa" to "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?," died at the age of 71 April 30, 2014.

A versatile character actor capable of menace, poignancy and Cockney charm, Hoskins appeared in some of the most acclaimed British films of the past few decades, including gangster classic "The Long Good Friday."

Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney, a Hollywood legend whose career spanned more than 80 years, died April 6, 2014. He was 93. Los Angeles Police Commander Andrew Smith said that Rooney was with his family when he died at his North Hollywood home.(Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

John Pinette In this Wednesday, Nov 5, 2008, file photo, John Pinette arrives to the 2nd annual Stand Up For Heroes: A Benefit for the Bob Woodruff Foundation in New York. Pinette, the stand-up comedian who portrayed a hapless carjacking victim in the final episode of "Seinfeld," has died. He was 50. Pinette died of natural causes Saturday, April 5, 2014, at a hotel in Pittsburgh, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's office said Sunday evening. Pinette's agent confirmed his death. (AP Photo/Stuart Ramson, File)

AP Photo/Stuart Ramson, File

Harold Ramis In this Dec. 12, 2009 file photo, actor and director Harold Ramis walks the Red Carpet as he arrives to celebrate The Second City's 50th anniversary in Chicago. An attorney for Ramis said the actor died Monday morning, Feb. 24, 2014, from complications of autoimmune inflammatory disease. He was 69. Ramis is best known for his roles in the comedies "Ghostbusters" and "Stripes." (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)

AP Photo/Jim Prisching

Ralph Waite This photo released by CBS shows Ralph Waite, as Jackson Gibbs, in an episode "The Namesake" from "NCIS." Waite, 85, who played the father in TV's hit series "The Waltons" has died. Waite's manager, Alan Mills, says the actor died midday Thursday, Feb. 13, 2014, in the Palm Springs area. (AP Photo/CBS, Cliff Lipson)

AP Photo/CBS, Cliff Lipson

Sid Caesar Guest star Sid Caesar portrays his classic "professor" in an appearance on Sesame Street's 15th anniversary season, which began on Nov. 19, 1985.<br
Oscar the Grouch teaches the professor between "loud" and "quiet." (AP Photo)

AP Photo

Shirley Temple Black Shirley Temple poses in an undated photo.

The iconic child star and Depression-era box office draw died in California on Feb. 11. She was 85. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

AP Photo/Reed Saxon

Richard Bull This June 2011 photo provided by courtesy of Alison Arngrim shows actor, Richard Bull, left, and the actress Arngrim at a restaurant in Chicago. Bull played Nels Oleson and Arngrim played his daughter, Nellie Oleson, on the TV show, "Little House on the Prairie." A Motion Picture & Television Fund spokeswoman Jaime Larkin says the 89-year-old actor, Bull, died Monday, Feb. 3, 2014, at the fund's hospital in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Courtesy Alison Arngrim)

AP Photo/Courtesy Alison Arngrim

Pete Seeger Folk singer Pete Seeger, credited with helping to create the modern American folk music movement, died Jan. 27 at the age of 94. (Getty Images)

Getty Images

Dave Madden Dave Madden, who played the child-hating agent on the hit 1970s sitcom "The Partridge Family," died in Florida Jan. 16, 2014, at age 82. (AP Images)

AP Images

Russell Johnson Actor Russell Johnson, who became known to generations of TV fans as "The Professor," the fix-it man who kept his fellow "Gilligan's Island" castaways supplied with gadgets, died Jan 16. He was 89. (AP Images)

AP Images

Phil Everly Phil Everly, who with his brother Don formed an influential harmony duo Everly Brothers that touched the hearts and sparked the imaginations of rock 'n' roll singers for decades, died Jan. 3. He was 74. (AP Images)

AP Images