This year is almost over. When you are my age, life is short, and I need to make the most of it while I can. There have been more than 200 people who have died in 2024 that the entire world knew or loved. Some of our most beloved actors, athletes, singers, comics, writers, directors and political figures that died in 2024 did leave their mark or legacy on this earth for us to remember them until we are gone.
Perhaps the most hopeful notation is that most of these people lived past their 70s, 80s, 90s, and even one to 102. Not surprising. the cause of death in most cases was some form of cancer. Even the younger celebrities had cancer, but most of their deaths were accidents, suicide, results from violence, and even one was attacked and murdered.
I guess my saddest realization was that people under 20 do not even know any of these people or their claim to fame, or much less be thoughtful of them. However, the celebrities on TV today are new to me, but I do recognize older ones now playing the newscasters, and announcers on game shows or the roles of the new ones’ parents and grandparents.
Another notation we elderly people witnessed was the change from movies in Hollywood, to the roles of these actors to television. Can you imagine the change from radio to talking movies in theaters for our parents? Remember the first color movie. Now kids watch television and movies on their telephones. My grandmother was born in 1988 and died in 1975 and her music was from the Grand Ole Opry and Louisianna Hayride shows on radio.
I am not going to list all 200 demises, but I will list some of the oldest to the youngest to remind my older readers of our gratefulness for seeing another year through.
• Iris Apfel, 102, fashion designer, dressed and serviced the White House staff and wives under nine presidencies.
• Glynis Johns, 100, actress, starred in over 30 TV shows. Most notable movie role, “Mary Poppins” in 1964.
• Joyce Randolph, 99, the Jackie Gleason Show, the last survivor of the “Honeymooners.”
• Bill Hayes, 98, actor, TV “Days of our Lives” 1970-2024, singer, wrote the “Ballad of Davy Crockett.”
• Tony Bennett, 96, Italian singer, “I left my heart in San Francisco,” last famous gig was with Lady Gaga.
• Joan Benedict Steiger, 96, starred on television in the soap opera role on “General Hospital.”
• Bob Newhart, 94, comedian, “Carol Burnett Show,” “Bob Newhart Show.”
• Gena Rowland, 94, actress, starred in classic movie, “The Notebook” with James Garner.
• James Earl Jones, 93, actor, the voice of Darth Vader and Lion King Mufasa, and was in “Field of Dreams” with Kevin Costner, you knew him by his voice anywhere immediately.
• Quincy Jones, 91, producer composer, director, and played the trumpet. Directed “The Color Purple,” “The Wiz,” and “In the Heat of the Night.” He was the composer for songs for Michael Jackson, like “Thriller,” “Bad,” etc., and was worth more than $500 million when he died.
• Charles Osgood, 91, best known journalist of his time, was noted for his Sunday morning show and as an American television writer.
• Chita Rivera, 91, actress, dancer, fame came from performance in “West Side Story” on Broadway.
• Bill Cobbs, 90, actor, played in more than 200 films, remembered for role in “The Bodyguard” with Kevin Costner and Witney Houston.
I will list the people who died in 2024 who lived to be the age of 70 or above, and then briefly mention the young tragic ones who died before they had lived a longer life span.
• Maggie Smith, 89, actress, noted for the role in the Harry Potter Movies, and her role in the hit series, “Downton Abbey” on the PBS Television.
• Phil Donahue, 88, one of the first daytime talk show hosts who inspired Oprah Winfrey to become a talk show host. Married Marlo Thomas, and he was instrumental in continuing to raise money for Danny Thomas’ St. Jude’s Cancer Research Hospital to find a cure for children’s cancer.
• James Darren, 88, wrote theme music for the Gidget beach movies, and was credited for starting the original surfer craze (not to be confused with Bobbie Darrin).
• Donald Sutherland, 88, actor, best known role in “Dirty Dozen,” father of Keifer Sutherland.
• Tony Lo Bianco, 87, actor, remembered for role in “The French Connection” with Gene Hackman.
•Marla Evans, 85, actress, star in “The Young and the Restless.”
• David Soul, 80, TV actor who starred in “Starsky and Hutch.”
• Bernard Hill, 79, actor in “Lord of the Rings” series and “Titanic” movie.
• Richard Simmons, 76, fitness guru, “Sweating to the Oldies,” exercises.
• O. J. Simpson, 76, famous football star, but remembered for time in jail.
• Teri Garr, 79, actress, starred in movies, “Tootsie,” “Friends,” “Dumb and Dumber.”
• Carl Weathers 76, claim to fame was in the five-movie Rocky series with Sylvester Stallone.
• Shelly Duvall, 75, horror movie actress, “The Shining” in 1980, starred as Olive Oyl.
• Tito Jackson, 70, singer, one of the Jackson Five.
Too young to die and the cause of their deaths when given:
• Chad McQueen, 63, son of Steve McQueen, played Dutch in the movie “Karate Kid” and “Karate Kid II,” died of organ failure from injuries sustained in racing accident in 2006.
• Toby Keith, 62, American Country singer, many awards, well-loved, died from cancer.
• David Gail, 58, actor, roles in “Beverly Hills 90210” and Matlock Series, died of cardiac arrest.
• Eduardo Kol, 58, starred in HGTV, “Extreme Makeover; Home Edition,” was stabbed in Palm Springs, Calif., and called police, but later died in hospital. A suspect was named and arrested.
• Charles Colin, 57, founder of the band Train, died from falling in shower while house sitting in Brussels, Belgium.
• Shannon Doherty, 53, television child star in “Little House on the Prairie,” starred in “Beverly Hills 90210,” died of breast cancer.
• Esta TerBlanche, 51, actress with long-running role on “All My Children,” died of natural causes. She was Miss Teen of South Africa in 1991.
• Alec Musser, 50, soap opera star in “All My Children,” committed suicide.
• Benji Gregory, 46, child star of “Alf,” died of hepatic cirrhosis (sleep disorders) found in his car dead in Arizona with watch dog. Went to sleep in car and probably died from heat exposure as well as his dog.
• Liam Payne, 31, contestant on the X-factor, formed Boy Band One Direction, fell from hotel his balcony in Buenos Aires, and three persons with him were charged with abandonment and failure to curtail drug use.
• Chance Perdomo, 27, actor in horror series “Sabrina” and other series, died from injuries in a motorcycle accident.
I could not think of any legacy I would be remembered for, but my beautiful daughter reminded me that I had five children, eight grandchildren, and 15 great-grandchildren. That is noteworthy to my children, but helping to overpopulate the earth probably is not.
• Last month I told you about Huck’s Heroes and how their organization came about in such a short time. Well, this year, they were successful. They went from giving baskets to 43 families to blessing 64 families with abundant baskets of food before Christmas day. Norene and her daughter Char are amazing as well as their friends and donors.
The baskets consisted of a ham, a turkey, hot dogs, bacon, potatoes, can goods, yams, rolls, fruit, box mixes, spaghetti mixes, sauces, pancake mixes, syrup, rolls, muffins, and a $50 gift card from Brookshire Brothers to purchase additional items they would need.
These heroes do not wear capes, but they are the most loving, generous, caring people who have blessed our Trinity Community for the last two years. Thank you so much to all the volunteers who shopped, sorted, packed and transported the baskets to Mickey’s House to give away to these 64 families of Trinity County.
New Year’s Eve dinners and parties are springing up on Facebook in Trinity County everywhere, so you better reserve now or you will not be kissed at midnight on Tuesday.
January events and calendar will be revised and announced next week. Watch this space.
