Celebrities who died in 2024

BUSINESS INSIDER AFRICA

Here are the famous people who died in 2024.

Quincy Jones, Liam Payne, Kris Kristofferson, Teri Garr, James Earl Jones, and Shannen Doherty have passed away.
So did broadcasters Charles Osgood and Phil Donahue, fashion designer Roberto Cavalli, MLB legend Pete Rose, and former president Jimmy Carter.

Cissy Houston, 91 Emily “Cissy” Houston, the Grammy award-winning singer and mother of Whitney Houston, died on Monday at 91.The soul singer was surrounded by family while in hospice, Gwendolyn Quinn, a representative for Whitney Houston’s estate, told Business Insider.Cissy Houston had Alzheimer’s disease, according to a statement from Quinn.”Our hearts are filled with pain and sadness. We lost the matriarch of our family,” Houston’s daughter-in-law Pat Houston said in a statement shared with BI. “Mother Cissy has been a strong and towering figure in our lives.”A woman of deep faith and conviction, who cared greatly about family, ministry, and community,” the statement continued. “Her more than seven-decade career in music and entertainment will remain at the forefront of our hearts.”Cissy Houston got her musical start at church before joining her siblings in a family gospel act. She gained commercial success in the 1960s as part of The Sweet Inspirations, a backing group that sang for soul singers like Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, and Elvis Presley.She later pursued a solo career and recorded hundreds of songs throughout her career as a popular session singer.Cissy Houston frequently sang with her daughter, including backup on Whitney Houston’s successful first album.

John Amos, 84 John Amos delivered legendary performances on TV and in movies for over five decades.After starting his acting career playing weatherman Gordon “Gordy” Howard on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” his career took off with memorable roles like James Evans Sr. on “Good Times” and Kunta Kinte in the landmark miniseries “Roots,” the latter of which earned him an Emmy nomination.He also appeared in films like “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song,” “The Beastmaster,” and “Die Hard 2,” and even made a surprise cameo opposite Adam Sandler in “Uncut Gems.”But his most memorable performance was as Cleo McDowell in Eddie Murphy’s beloved comedy “Coming to America.”Amos died on October 1 of natural causes.

O.J. Simpson, 76 O.J. Simpson had a life of high highs and low lows.Finding fame initially on the football field, he became one of the greatest running backs ever to play in the NFL in the 1970s. He had an MVP season in 1973 when he set a single-season rushing record and was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1985 after his retirement.He was set to live out his days as a hero and grow even more famous thanks to endorsements, movie roles, and broadcasting.But all of that changed in June of 1994 after his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman were found stabbed to death outside her condo. Days later, Simpson, who was a person of interest in the murders, led Los Angeles police on a slow-speed chase in his Ford Bronco, finally giving up when he got back to his home.Simpson’s televised trial for the deaths of Nicole and Goldman a year later became one of the biggest spectacles in modern-day American history.Simpson was acquitted of the murders, was found guilty in civil court in 1997.The story of Simpson’s incredible rise and fall still fascinates people to this day. The 2016 ESPN docuseries “O.J.: Made in America” won an Oscar and Emmy, and Ryan Murphy’s 2016 scripted series “The People vs. O.J.: American Crime Story” won eight Emmy Awards and two Golden Globes.Simpson died on April 10. He had been diagnosed with cancer, his family said.
 
Quincy Jones, 91 Quincy Jones was one of the most successful producers in the history of the music business. Over his eight decades in music, he worked with everyone from Frank Sinatra to Will Smith, and his work resulted in 28 Grammy Award wins.But Jones will forever be linked with Michael Jackson.He produced Jackson’s iconic solo albums, “Off the Wall,” “Thriller,” and “Bad,” which launched the artist into becoming the King of Pop.And only Jones could pull off the star-studded charity single “We Are The World,” which featured the likes of Jackson, Lionel Richie, Diana Ross, Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper, and Ray Charles.Jones died on November 3. No cause was given.

Marian Robinson, 86 Former First Lady Michelle Obama’s mother, Marian Robinson, was often described as the matriarch of the White House during the Obama administration, but the Chicago-born daughter of seven never felt quite at home on Pennsylvania Avenue, according to her family.”The trappings and glamour of the White House were never a great fit for Marian Robinson,” a statement from former President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and other family members said. “‘Just show me how to work the washing machine and I’m good,’ she’d say.”Robinson’s death was announced on May 31.A cause and place of death was not revealed.

Jimmy Carter, 100 Carter, the 39th president of the United States, had humble beginnings before becoming the most powerful man in the world.He served in the Navy for seven years in the late 1940s before returning to Georgia to take over his family’s peanut farm after his father died.Carter entered state politics as a Democrat in the early 1960s and was elected governor of Georgia in 1970.Carter served one term as president from 1977 to 1981. During his presidency, he established the Departments of Education and Energy and expanded the national parks system.He facilitated the first peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, known as the Camp David Accords. Carter also established full diplomatic relations between the US and China and orchestrated two important treaties between the US and Panama.Perhaps his greatest work was what he did after leaving office. He focused heavily on humanitarian efforts by founding The Carter Center in 1982 and played an active role with Habitat for Humanity until the end of his life. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.Carter died on December 29. No cause was given.