It happens in an instant. You’re scrolling through your phone, maybe waiting for coffee or sitting on the train, and a headline stops your heart. A name you’ve known for years—someone who felt like a constant in your life through movies, music, or even just viral clips—is suddenly gone. Death is the only thing we all have in common, yet when it touches the world of fame, it feels different. It’s loud. It’s public. Honestly, it’s often deeply confusing.
The list of celebrities who passed away in the last few years isn't just a tally of names. It is a record of cultural shifts. When we lose people like Matthew Perry, Tina Turner, or Andre Braugher, we aren't just losing performers. We are losing the anchors of our nostalgia. We’re losing the people who helped us understand who we are.
Grief is weird. You didn't know them personally, but you felt like you did. That’s the "parasocial relationship" psychologists talk about, and it's why these losses hit so hard.
Why We Can't Stop Thinking About Matthew Perry
It’s been over a year since the world lost Matthew Perry, and yet the conversation around his passing hasn't quieted down. Why? Because it wasn't just about a TV star dying. It was about the grueling reality of addiction and the vulnerability he shared in his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.
He was found in his hot tub in October 2023. The autopsy eventually pointed to the acute effects of ketamine. For many, this was a gut punch. Perry had spent years being incredibly honest about his struggle to stay sober. He once said he wanted to be remembered as someone who helped people with addiction more than he was remembered for Friends.
But let’s be real. We remember him as Chandler Bing.
His death triggered a massive federal investigation into how he obtained the drugs. It pulled back the curtain on "doctor shopping" and the dark side of high-end concierge medicine in Los Angeles. This wasn't just a celebrity passing away; it became a criminal case involving doctors and distributors. It served as a grim reminder that even with millions of dollars and global fame, the "Big Terrible Thing" doesn't care who you are.
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The Quiet Loss of Andre Braugher
Then you have the deaths that feel like a sudden silence in a room. Andre Braugher, the backbone of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Homicide: Life on the Street, died in December 2023. He was 61.
He didn't make a spectacle of his health. He had been diagnosed with lung cancer just months before he passed. Braugher was a "actor’s actor." He had this gravitas that could make a silly joke about a Corgi feel like Shakespeare. His passing hit the industry hard because he represented a certain kind of integrity. He was a family man who prioritized his kids over the Hollywood party circuit.
The Legends We Never Thought Would Leave
Some people feel immortal. Tina Turner was one of them.
When the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll" passed at 83 in her home in Switzerland, it felt like the end of an era. She had survived everything. Abuse, a career stall, a massive comeback in her 40s—she was the ultimate survivor.
Her death in May 2023 was due to natural causes after a long illness, but the impact was seismic. She had struggled with hypertension and kidney failure for years. In fact, her husband Erwin Bach had donated a kidney to her back in 2017. Her story is a testament to the fact that celebrities who passed away often leave behind blueprints for resilience.
She lived her final years in a literal castle, away from the paparazzi. She found peace.
Shannen Doherty and the Fight Out Loud
If Tina Turner was about survival, Shannen Doherty was about the fight.
The Beverly Hills, 90210 and Charmed star died in July 2024 at age 53. She lived with Stage 4 breast cancer for years. She didn't hide. She started a podcast, Let’s Be Clear, where she talked about the logistics of dying. She talked about cleaning out her storage units so her mother wouldn't have to do it. She talked about which coworkers she didn't want at her funeral.
It was raw. It was arguably some of the most "human" content ever produced by a celebrity.
Doherty’s passing was a massive moment for the cancer community. She showed that you could still work, still love, and still be "difficult" (her words) while facing the end. She refused to be a quiet victim.
The Complicated Nature of Public Mourning
Social media has changed how we process celebrities who passed away. It’s no longer just a news report on the 6 p.m. broadcast. It’s a collective digital wake.
Within minutes of a death being confirmed by Variety or The Hollywood Reporter, the tributes flood in.
- The "Receipts": Fans post old clips, interviews, and photos.
- The Personal Stories: "I met him in 1994 and he was so kind."
- The Critical Re-evaluations: Sometimes, death brings up the messy parts of a legacy.
Take someone like OJ Simpson, who passed in April 2024. His death didn't bring universal mourning. It brought a complex discussion about race, the justice system, and domestic violence. It reminded us that celebrity legacies aren't always polished. They are often jagged.
Dealing with the "Death Hoax" Culture
We have to talk about the internet's obsession with killing people off before they're actually gone.
In 2023 and 2024, we saw a massive spike in death hoaxes. Everyone from Rick Astley to Celine Dion has been "killed" by a TikTok rumor. It’s cruel. It creates this weird "boy who cried wolf" effect where, when a celebrity actually passes away, half the world spends the first three hours trying to debunk it.
Always check reputable sources. If it isn't on the major wires (AP, Reuters) or confirmed by a publicist, be skeptical. The "breaking news" accounts on X (formerly Twitter) are often just looking for engagement.
What We Learn From the Ones Who Stay Behind
When we look at the list of celebrities who passed away, we should look at what they left.
Not just the movies. Not just the albums.
We look at the causes they championed. Matthew Perry’s death led to a renewed focus on the ethics of ketamine clinics. Shannen Doherty’s transparency sparked conversations about palliative care.
Death is a period at the end of a sentence, but the sentence itself is what matters.
Actionable Steps for Processing Celebrity Loss
It sounds silly to some, but "celebrity grief" is real. If you find yourself deeply affected by the loss of a public figure, here is how to navigate it:
- Acknowledge the Connection: Don't feel "stupid" for crying over someone you never met. They were the soundtrack to your life or the face you saw every Friday night for a decade. That connection is valid.
- Engage with the Work: Watch their best movie. Listen to the album that changed your mind. The best way to honor a creator is to consume what they created.
- Donate in Their Name: Most celebrities have a foundation or a cause they loved. Instead of buying flowers for a memorial you can't visit, send $10 to the charity they supported.
- Check Your Sources: In the age of AI and deepfakes, always verify death news through legacy media outlets before sharing.
- Reflect on Your Own Legacy: Seeing someone "untouchable" pass away is a reminder of our own mortality. Use it as a prompt to check in on your own health or to call someone you haven't spoken to in a while.
The list of celebrities who passed away will always grow. Every year, we lose icons. But their influence doesn't vanish. It just shifts from the present tense to the permanent record. Whether it's the comedic genius of a sitcom star or the powerhouse vocals of a rock legend, they remain part of the culture. We keep them alive by talking about them—not just how they died, but how they lived.