So far, 2024 has been a tragic year as a handful of legendary icons unfortunately passed away. With the sudden passing of Liam Payne, we learn to appreciate the people we have now more than ever because we never know when they’ll be taken away from us.
Just in the past two weeks, many famous celebrities took their last breath. From local Olympian to notable producers, here’s a list of recent celebrities who have tragically passed away:
Annie Choong
The first woman to ever represent Malaysia in the Olympics, Annie Choong was only 22 when she carried Malaysia on her back while competing in the 100-metre race held at the 1956 Melbourne Games. The sprinter finished at 4th place with 12.73 seconds on the clock, and she was the only female competitor among 32 others on the Malaya team. Annie passed away at age 90 due to dementia complications on 2nd November.
Daim Zainuddin
Former Minister of Finance, Che Abdul Daim bin Zainuddin, also known as Datuk Daim Zainuddin, served under former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir during his reign. Although it was never officially recorded, the former finance minister was also one of Malaysia’s billionaires, owning multiple luxury cars and multiple properties. Datuk Daim has been wheelchair bound for the past few years and eventually took his last breath at age 86 on the morning of November 13th, after spending the previous month hospitalised.
Kim Soo-Mi
Starring in “Country Diaries,” which was aired in 1980 up until 2002, Kim Soo-Mi (김수미) was well known and loved among Korean citizens and international fans alike. She was also seen in other popular K-dramas like “Late Blossom” and “The Greatest Expectation”. The famous Korean actress tragically passed away due to a cardiac arrest from hyperglycemic shock on October 25th, at 75 years of age.
Phil Lesh
A member of the well-known band Grateful Dead, Philip Chapman Lesh, also known as Phil Lesh, was the group’s main bassist for 30 years. The rock band was established in 1965, with Phil being one of its founding members. He had a unique relationship with his bass, the instrument itself being a six-string improvised bass guitar. Phil stayed in the group until it was disbanded in 1995, after 30 years of activity. In 2006, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and fortunately, he made a full recovery. The bassist passed away on 25th October at 84 years old, and his family has yet to disclose the cause of death.
Shigemi Ikeda
Famous Japanese art director Shigemi Ikeda (池田繁美) passed away on 13th October with no cause of death disclosed, yet it was only announced on a later date, 26th October. He made his career debut in 1981, where he worked on Hyakujû-ô Goraion, a popular anime series back then. The artist has worked on as many as 30 different animated series, with his most famous one being “One Punch Man,” where he worked on all seven seasons. He peacefully took his last breath at the age of 69.
Kazuo Umezu
Renowned manga artist Kazuo Umezu (楳図 かずお) specialises in horror comics. Publishing his first work, “Mori no Kyōdai” at the age of 18, the artist concluded his career at 59 years old with his manga, “Fourteen”. Kazuo inspired many newer generation artists, like Junji Ito and Toru Yamazaki. He was unfortunately diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer; however, he didn’t undergo any surgeries and stayed under hospice care until he took his last breath on 28th October, at 88 years old.
Teri Garr
American actress Terry Ann Garr, also known as Teri Garr, has been in the entertainment industry since she was only 18 years old, debuting in “A Swingin’ Affair”. Ever since then, she’s had major roles in shows, like Inga for “Young Frankenstein”, a horror comedy. The actress retired in 2011 and has been keeping a low profile. In 1999, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and it took her life on 29th October at age 79.
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delight Jones Jr., also known as Quincy Jones, was a famous American producer who created legends like Michael Jackson and Frank Sinatra. However, he was multitalented and besides producing music, songwriting and composing, he was also a film and TV producer. Quincy created the hit film “The Colour Purple,” which scored him a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. He kept himself in the industry for more than half a decade and sadly passed away at the age of 91 in the comfort of his Los Angeles home on 5th November.
Tony Todd
Known for his appearances in horror films, Anthony Tiran Todd, or more commonly known as Tony Todd, was loved by many for his memorable performances in popular flicks. Our hearts are genuinely touched by the actor’s performances in well-known films, such as Candyman and William Bludworth. Not only that, he was also a voice actor for animated films and games, such as Zoom from “The Flash” and Venom from “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2”. Unfortunately, the actor was diagnosed with stomach cancer and has been fighting a tough fight ever since. Tony Todd passed away on 6th November at age 69 in the comfort of his home, likely due to the mentioned illness.
Lou Donaldson
Lou Donaldson, a well-known American saxophonist, was renowned for his lyrical style and passion for the alto saxophone. He started playing the instrument in 1952 at 26 years old and eventually retired in 2017. The musician used to join small groups of other well-known jazz performers to create beautiful tunes of soul jazz. Ever since his retirement, he has only made public appearances at 95th, 96th and 97th birthday tribute shows at Dizzy’s Club in New York. Because of his deteriorating health from pneumonia, the saxophonist was unable to attend this year’s tribute. Sadly, not long after the show, he passed away at age 98 in a Florida hospital.
Song Jae-Rim
Famous for his role “Good Morning” and “My Military Valentine”, South Korean actor Song Jae-rim (송재림) has never failed to put a smile on our faces. The actor originally debuted as a runway model for multiple South Korean brands and eventually ended up in renowned magazines like Dazed Korea and Marie Claire Korea. He started his acting career in 2009, where he played a minor role in the film “Actresses”. Sadly, he passed away on 7th November in his home at age 39, authorities have yet to confirm the reason why.
Timothy West
Legendary actor Timothy West passed away at age 90. His children – Samuel and Joseph – released a statement that reads, “After a long and extraordinary life on and off the stage, our darling father Timothy West died peacefully in his sleep. Tim was with friends and family at the end. He leaves his wife Prunella Scales, to whom he was married for 61 years, a sister, a daughter, two sons, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. All of us will miss him terribly.”
The British actor had an illustrious career, having portrayed numerous roles in TV and the theatre, including soaps “Coronation Street” and “EastEnders”, BBC sitcom “Not Going Out” and ITV’s “Brass”.
Sources: Twitter (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10), South China Morning Post,
May and Justin contributed to this article.
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