As 2025 comes to a close, Daily Star is paying tribute to the biggest names that sadly passed on this year – from Hollywood A-listers to soap stars, musicians to directors and everyone in between
2025 has seen some truly legendary stars pass away.
This year we said goodbye to a number of very famous faces, from heavy metal musician Ozzy Osbourne to reality TV star Kim Woodburn, from film director David Lynch to singer Roberta Flack.
Daily Star has compiled a list of some of the most well-known stars that unfortunately lost their lives this year as we pay tribute to the careers they shared with the world.
Scroll on to reflect on the lives of the celebrities we lost in 2025.
January
- Screenwriter and film director Jeff Baena, husband of actress Aubrey Plaza, sadly took his own life
- RuPaul’s Drag Race icon The Vivienne, real name James Lee Williams, was found dead at the age of 32
- Linda Nolan, who rose to fame as part of The Nolans with her sisters, died 20 years after she was diagnosed with breast cancer
- Hollyoaks and Only Fools and Horses actress Diane Langton died at the age of 77
- Dame Joan Plowright died at the age of 95
- Legendary film director and mastermind behind Twin Peaks David Lynch died aged 78, five months after he was diagnosed with emphysema
February
- Grammy-winning Killing Me Softly With His Song singer Roberta Flack died at the age of 88
- Actress Michelle Trachtenberg, known for her roles in Gossip Girl and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, died aged just 39
- Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy were found dead at their home in New Mexico, which became one of the most widely reported celebrity deaths of the year
March
- Soap star Kathryn Apanowicz, who appeared in EastEnders and Emmerdale, died aged 64 after a long illness
- Dolly Parton’s husband Carl Dean died aged 82 after almost six decades of marriage
April
- Top Gun star Val Kilmer’s daughter Mercedes informed The New York Times that her father died after battling pneumonia on 1 April
- Coronation Street star Philip Lowrie, who appeared in the first episode of the show aired back in 1960, died aged 88
May
- Corrie and Doctor Who star Michael McStay died aged 92
- Michael Alaimo, of Cheers and Scrubs fame, “passed away peacefully” aged 86
June
- Beach Boys co-founder and songwriter Brian Wilson sadly died aged 82 after living with a neurocognitive disorder similar to dementia
- MTV presenter Ananda Lewis died aged 52 after battling cancer for five years, leaving behind one child
- I’m A Celebrity and How Clean Is Your House legend Kim Woodburn died aged 82 after a “short illness”
July
- 28-year-old Liverpool player Diogo Jota died in a car crash along with his brother, just two weeks after marrying his wife
- Actor Michael Madsen was found unresponsive on 3 July aged 67
- Heavy metal musician Ozzy Osbourne died two weeks after his “farewell concert” aged 76 after living with Parkinson’s for six years
- The Cosby Show actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner died of “asphyxation by submersion” at the age of 54
- Hulk Hogan of WWE fame passed away at 71 after a cardiac arrest
August
- TalkTV broadcaster James Whale was battling stage four kidney cancer when he died aged 74
- Actress Kelley Mack, known for her role in The Walking Dead, died aged 33 after battling a rare cancer
- Mastodon guitarist Brent Hinds died in a motorbike accident aged 51
September
- Legendary designer Giorgio Armani, one of the most recognised faces in fashion, died at the age of 91
- Grammy winner Brett James died in a plane crash alongside his wife and step-daughter
- Boxer Ricky Hatton died on 14 September age 46
October
- Conservationist and chimpanzee expert Dr Jane Goodall died of “natural causes” aged 91
- Keeping Up Appearances’ Dame Patricia Routledge died peacefully in her sleep at the age of 96
- Tina Turner’s son Ike Turner Jr passed aged 67, one day after his birthday and two years after his mother
- Author Jilly Cooper, who published iconic books such as Rivals and Riders, died after a fall
- Hollywood star Diane Keaton died after her health “declined very suddenly, which was heartbreaking for everyone who loved her”
- D’Angelo, full name Michael Eugene Archer, sadly died at his New York home aged 51 after fighting pancreatic cancer
- Kiss founder Ace Frehley died aged 74 surrounded by his family in New Jersey
- Limp Bizkit guitarist Sam Rivers was found in a pool of his own blood in the bathroom of his Florida home aged 48
- Prunella Scales of Fawlty Towers died aged 93
November
- Songwriter Todd Snider died at the age of 59
- Stone Roses and Primal Scream guitarist Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield died aged 63
- Reggae musician Jimmy Cliff, known for his smash hit You Can Get It If You Really Want, died at the age of 81
- Richard Branson’s wife Joan died at the age of 80 after five decades with the Virgin founder
- Fashion designer Pam Hogg, who dress Kate Moss and Princess Eugenie, died aged 74
December
- Shopaholic series author Sophie Kinsella died at 55 while battling aggressive brain cancer
- Pulp Fiction, The Mask and Training Day actor Peter Greene died at the age of 60
- Rachael Carpani, known for her role in Home and Away, died aged 45 after “a long battle with chronic illness”
- James Ransome of The Wire fame died by suicide aged 46
- Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were stabbed to death on 14 December
- Singer Chris Rea, known for his iconic festive hit Driving Home For Christmas, died on 22 December at 74 – just three days before 25 December
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