Celebrity deaths: Aretha Franklin and Dale Winton among stars lost in 2018
The entertainment world bid farewell to many big names this year.
![](https://www.expressandstar.com/resizer/v2/ODENAVMMN5EP5BY4MHSCUUFTLY.jpg?auth=188034bf75899043e35eee9188378e1e70b8a6c2069b5dc93fbb6e639fd682da&width=300&height=225)
The entertainment world lost many famous faces in 2018, including singer Aretha Franklin, TV presenter Dale Winton and Hollywood actor Burt Reynolds.
Here are some of the stars we have said goodbye to over the last 12 months.
– Dale Winton
![Dale Winton](http://image.assets.pressassociation.io/v2/image/production/8dfc1f45c3c355854d4be2e45432dc43Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaCwxNTQ1MzQyOTk3/2.37847496.jpg?w=640)
Winton was found dead at a house in north London, which he had moved into just weeks earlier, on April 18.
His agent later said the much-loved Supermarket Sweep star was found to have died aged 62 from natural causes.
Winton became a household name with game shows such as Supermarket Sweep, Touch The Truck and the National Lottery game show In It To Win It.
– Dolores O’Riordan
![Dolores O’Riordan](http://image.assets.pressassociation.io/v2/image/production/e9391a917e59ee9bfb651700ea5231b8Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaCwxNTQ1MzQyODcy/2.25052945.jpg?w=640)
Irish singer O’Riordan died on January 15 at the age of 46.
It was later determined the Cranberries frontwoman had drowned in a London hotel room bath after drinking alcohol.
A coroner told an inquest the cause of death was drowning due to alcohol intoxication and concluded it was an accident.
The band – Noel and Mike Hogan and Fergal Lawler – posted a message on Twitter saying they were “devastated”.
“The world has lost a true artist today,” the statement said.
– Emma Chambers
![Emma Chambers](http://image.assets.pressassociation.io/v2/image/production/f7057536bb71a6d27868d941fde5647cY29udGVudHNlYXJjaCwxNTQ1MzQyOTA3/2.1248468.jpg?w=640)
Vicar Of Dibley star Chambers died from natural causes on February 21 at the age of 53.
The actress portrayed the dim but lovable Alice Tinker opposite Dawn French’s Geraldine Granger in the long-running BBC comedy.
She also played Hugh Grant’s sister Honey in Richard Curtis’ Bafta-winning film Notting Hill.
– Sir Ken Dodd
![Sir Ken Dodd](http://image.assets.pressassociation.io/v2/image/production/830f57aa48b0a7d344c67c701755a93eY29udGVudHNlYXJjaCwxNTQ1MzQyOTQ3/2.35254356.jpg?w=640)
Comedy legend Sir Ken died on March 11, just two days after marrying Anne Jones, his partner of 40 years.
The star, famous for his epic stand-up shows, his tickling sticks and Diddy Men, was 90.
Fans said they had lost a comedy genius after Sir Ken’s death was announced.
Sir Paul McCartney and David Walliams were among those mourning the legendary funnyman after his death was announced, with Walliams saying comedy “flowed through him like water”.
– Jim Bowen
![Jim Bowen](http://content.assets.pressassociation.io/2018/03/14140523/47406853-d780-4c8d-9f69-0bae9aff52e5-640x359.jpg)
Comedian and former Bullseye presenter Jim Bowen died aged 80 in March.
His agent Patsy Martin told the Press Association: “He has sadly died.”
The Lancashire-born star was best known for the TV game show, which aired for 15 years and was watched by more than 12 million viewers at its peak.
The darts-themed show aired in the 1980s and 1990s, obtaining cult status among university students.
He also enjoyed cameo roles in dramas such as Last Of The Summer Wine as well as roles in Jonathan Creek and Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights.
In 2011, Bowen, also known as Alf in the Tetley Bitter adverts, said he had learned to “appreciate all the things in life” after suffering two strokes.
– DJ Avicii
![Avicii](http://image.assets.pressassociation.io/v2/image/production/305d844a01ff621cd979cde0f3ebed72Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaCwxNTQ1MzQzMDIx/2.23224792.jpg?w=640)
Avicii was found dead in Muscat, Oman, on April 20.
The Swedish DJ, who was known for his club anthems including Wake Me Up and Levels, was 28.
Nile Rodgers and Liam Payne were among those to pay tribute to the electronic dance music producer after he died.
Rodgers called Avicii “little bro” and Payne said he was “truly devastated”.
– Verne Troyer
![Verne Troyer](http://image.assets.pressassociation.io/v2/image/production/f482578e43b0dc6f0ad6e9718c864692Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaCwxNTQ1MzQzMDYx/2.24199211.jpg?w=640)
Austin Powers star Troyer died on April 21.
The US actor, who had openly battled alcoholism, was 49.
Following an autopsy and further tests, the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner said he died from the effects of alcohol.
They ruled his death was a suicide.
– Anthony Bourdain
![Anthony Bourdain photocall – London](http://image.assets.pressassociation.io/v2/image/production/2965c4f3eef8a686c35129fa8c6e6281Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaCwxNTQ1NDA0OTgy/2.9688725.jpg?w=640)
Bourdain’s death was announced by his employer CNN in early June.
The chef and host of shows including The Layover and Parts Unknown was found dead in a hotel room in France aged 61.
The news of Bourdain’s death was announced by his employer CNN, which said the chef took his own life.
Celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson and Gordon Ramsay all paid tribute to him with, with Oliver writing on Instagram: “He really broke the mould, pushed the culinary conversation and was the most brilliant writer … he leaves chefs and fans around the world with a massive foodie hole that simply can’t be replaced … rest in peace chef.”
– Leslie Grantham
![Leslie Grantham](http://image.assets.pressassociation.io/v2/image/production/6b9d37d295e4677ebec574413a2a933dY29udGVudHNlYXJjaCwxNTQ1MzQzMDg5/2.1769268.jpg?w=640)
Former EastEnders star Grantham died on June 15 at the age of 71.
The actor was best known for playing Dirty Den in the BBC soap.
He originally played the character from 1985 to 1989 – when the character was apparently killed off – but made a shock return to Albert Square in 2003.
– Joe Jackson
![Joe Jackson](http://image.assets.pressassociation.io/v2/image/production/d035ca3f5abb9003306b67593d1fd8f0Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaCwxNTQ1MzQzMTQ2/2.7806157.jpg?w=640)
The patriarch of the Jackson family died on June 27 at the age of 89.
Several members of the famous family paid tribute on social media after his death.
His daughter La Toya Jackson thanked her father for making the family one of the most famous in the world.
His grandson Prince Michael Jackson – son of late King of Pop Michael – tweeted: “This man is and always will be an example or sheer willpower and dedication.”
– Barry Chuckle
![The Chuckle Brothers, Barry and Paul Elliott](http://image.assets.pressassociation.io/v2/image/production/b9f54b46b0c8eb0310f0dee9f6cfbaa2Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaCwxNTQ1MzQzMjA1/2.18869495.jpg?w=640)
The children’s entertainer, real name Barry Elliott, died on August 5 at the age of 73.
His eldest brother Jimmy Elliot, a Patton brother alongside Brian Elliot, later said the TV star had been suffering from bone cancer, which had spread to his lungs, but kept news of the disease private.
Barry Elliott found fame alongside his brother Paul as one half of the Chuckle Brothers in BBC comedy show ChuckleVision, which ran for 21 series from 1987 to 2009.
In an emotional tribute, Paul said he was “totally devastated at the death of my brother, partner and my very best pal”.
– Aretha Franklin
![Aretha Franklin](http://image.assets.pressassociation.io/v2/image/production/60f1fa74210b79922e2a340939adfb7eY29udGVudHNlYXJjaCwxNTQ1MzQzMzE0/2.38014594.jpg?w=640)
Queen of Soul Franklin died on August 16 aged 76 after a battle with cancer.
The singer was known for huge hits such as Respect, Chain Of Fools and (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.
Former US presidents Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama were among those who paid tribute following Franklin’s death.
Speaking at the singer’s memorial service, Clinton said she was “the voice of a generation, maybe the voice of a century”.
– Burt Reynolds
![Burt Reynolds](http://image.assets.pressassociation.io/v2/image/production/5d8fe87d0c3d823cdfd48f3cbe9839eeY29udGVudHNlYXJjaCwxNTQ1MzQzMzQ0/2.1676092.jpg?w=640)
Hollywood star Reynolds died on September 6 after suffering a heart attack at the age of 82.
During the 1970s, the actor was one of the biggest box office draws in the world, starring in films including The Longest Yard, Smokey And The Bandit and Semi-Tough.
Later credits included Striptease, opposite Demi Moore, and as pornographer Jack Horner in Boogie Nights.
– Mac Miller
![](http://content.assets.pressassociation.io/2018/12/20091554/0551359a-58d7-4ece-b742-91136fa8de55-640x824.jpg)
Rapper Miller died on September 7 at the age of 26.
A coroner in California later said he died following an accidental drug overdose involving cocaine and fentanyl.
Miller, who previously dated Ariana Grande for more than two years, was known for singles such as Diablo and Self Care.
– Geoffrey Hayes
![Geoffrey Hayes](http://image.assets.pressassociation.io/v2/image/production/a48aada7ce44c97e7bef5a9a8bb957ebY29udGVudHNlYXJjaCwxNTQ1MzQzNDIw/2.38880562.jpg?w=640)
Hayes, host of children’s show Rainbow, died of pneumonia on September 30, aged 76.
The actor and presenter appeared alongside cuddly puppets Zippy, George and Bungle in more than 1,000 episodes of Rainbow from 1974 until 1992.
He later said the secret to the programme’s enduring popularity was that it was full of “magic, innocence and imagination”.
– Stan Lee
![Stan Lee](http://image.assets.pressassociation.io/v2/image/production/325e3d7ec6508360a43f275e8750a094Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaCwxNTQ1MzQzNDQ4/2.1979935.jpg?w=640)
Hollywood rushed to pay tribute when Lee, the co-creator of Marvel Comics, passed away.
Lee, the creator of Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four and The Incredible Hulk, died on November 12 aged 95.
X-Men actor Hugh Jackman remembered Lee as “a creative genius”, while Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr said he owed him everything.
– Bernardo Bertolucci
![Bernardo Bertolucci](http://image.assets.pressassociation.io/v2/image/production/8b3069a482577d18c7e17b5dc9e771dcY29udGVudHNlYXJjaCwxNTQ1MzQzNDgw/2.1790371.jpg?w=640)
Film-maker Bertolucci, who won Oscars for The Last Emperor and whose erotic drama Last Tango In Paris shocked the world, died on November 26.
The director passed away at his home in Rome.
He was 77.