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- As 2023 draws to an end, we take a look at some of the stars we had to say goodbye to.
- The list spans from January to December and includes the deaths of iconic Hollywood A-listers like Tina Turner and Matthew Perry.
- The list also includes notable artists and fashion designers like Francoise Gilot and Paco Rabanne.
From rock queen Tina Turner to reality talk show king Jerry Springer and everyone's favourite friend Matthew Perry, here are some of 2023's most notable deaths.
January
- Russell Banks, 82, prolific and acclaimed US novelist whose work charted the interior lives of marginalised people.
- Jeff Beck, 78, British guitar virtuoso and innovator who rose to rock and roll fame with 1960s group the Yardbirds.
- Lisa Marie Presley, 54, singer-songwriter and only child of Elvis Presley, dies of a bowel condition caused by weight loss surgery.
- Gina Lollobrigida, 95, Italian film diva, one of the last icons of Golden Age Hollywood.
- Lucile Randon, 118, French nun, who was the world's oldest known person.
- David Crosby, 81, American folk-rock pioneer.
READ | 'Lisa Marie Presley was an icon, a role model, a superhero,' says mom Priscilla at memorial
February
- Paco Rabanne, 88, Spanish fashion designer famed for his eccentric designs and fragrances.
- Burt Bacharach, 94, legendary pop composer of hits including Walk On By and Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head.
- Carlos Saura, 91, acclaimed Spanish director who critiqued Francisco Franco's dictatorship.
- Raquel Welch, 82, US actress and global sex symbol who famously donned a fur bikini in a 1960s caveman epic.
March
- Kenzaburo Oe, 88, Nobel-winning Japanese novelist.
- Chaim Topol, 87, Israeli actor best known for his role as milkman Tevye in 1971 classic Fiddler on the Roof.
- Ryuichi Sakamoto, 71, Japanese composer who pioneered electronic music.
April
- Mary Quant, 93, rule-breaking British fashion designer and pioneer of the miniskirt.
- Ahmad Jamal, 92, US pianist, composer and band leader who released some 80 albums and helped transform jazz, pop and hip-hop.
- Moonbin, 25, K-Pop megastar and member of boy band Astro, found dead at his home in an apparent suicide.
- Barry Humphries, aka Dame Edna Everage, 89, Australian comedian who invented the iconic lilac-haired parody of a suburban housewife.
- Carolyn Bryant, 88, US woman whose claim of unwanted attention from Black teenager Emmett Till led to his lynching in 1955.
- Harry Belafonte, 96, superstar American music performer and activist.
- Jerry Springer, 79, popular US talk show host, whose rowdy programme symbolised low-brow TV.
READ MORE | Jerry Springer and the history of that [bleeping] bleep sound
May
- Martin Amis, 73, leading voice in modern British fiction.
- Tina Turner, 83, US rock icon famed for her electrifying stage presence.
June
- Astrud Gilberto, 83, Brazilian Girl from Ipanema singer.
- Francoise Gilot, 101, French artist and longtime lover of Pablo Picasso, with whom she had two children.
- Cormac McCarthy, 89, titan of American fiction with novels including The Road and No Country for Old Men.
- Glenda Jackson, 87, British Oscar-winning actress and politician.
July
- Victoria Amelina, 37, rising star of Ukrainian literature, dies from injuries sustained in a Russian missile attack.
- Milan Kundera, 94, Czech-French novelist who criticised Czechoslovakia's communist regime. Best known for The Unbearable Lightness of Being.
- Jane Birkin, 76, British-born singer and actress famous for her creative and romantic relationship with French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg.
- Tony Bennett, 96, last of the classic American crooners.
- Sinead O'Connor, 56, iconoclastic Irish pop singer, best known for her 1990 global hit Nothing Compares 2 U.
- Paul Reubens, 70, US comic famed for his beloved man-child "Pee-wee Herman" character.
READ MORE | Sinéad O'Connor: a troubled soul with immense talent and unbowed spirit
August
- William Friedkin, 87, US director of The Exorcist and The French Connection.
- Sixto Rodriguez, 81, cult American singer-songwriter who was the subject of the Oscar-winning documentary Searching for Sugar Man.
- Mohamed Al-Fayed, 92, Egyptian ex-owner of Harrods department store and the Ritz in Paris, whose son Dodi died alongside Princess Diana in a car crash in 1997.
September
- Fernando Botero, 91, Colombian sculptor famous for his voluptuous forms
- Michael Gambon, 82, British actor, played Albus Dumbledore in many Harry Potter films.
October
- Louise Gluck, 80, American poet, winner of Nobel and Pulitzer prizes.
- Matthew Perry, 54, US star who played Chandler Bing in hit sitcom Friends died after a long battle with addiction.
READ MORE | George Clooney says Matthew Perry's Friends fame didn't bring him happiness or peace
November
- Shane Macgowan, 65, Irish singer-songwriter and booze-fuelled bard who fronted Celtic folk-punk band The Pogues.
December
- Ryan O'Neal, 82, US actor and heartthrob of Love Story and Barry Lyndon fame.
- Andre Braugher, 61, two-time Emmy-winning actor, star of the television comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
- Lee Sun-kyun, 48, South Korean actor best known for his role in the Oscar-winning film Parasite.
ALSO READ | Gone but not forgotten: Here are the celebrity deaths that shocked SA in 2023
