A music video icon... The most deadpan face in Hollywood...
A classic R&B legend... The captain of TV romance...
And a beloved Oscar winner. These are the stories of the lives we lost in May 2021.
Pervis Staples was a founding member of the legendary gospel and R&B group, The Staples Singers.
He founded the group with his father and sisters, and he sang on early hits like
“Uncloudy Day” and “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall.” Staples died May 6, at the age of 85.
Chuck Hicks was an actor and stuntman known for playing tough-guy roles in movies with
Clint Eastwood and Ronald Reagan. One of his most memorable roles was playing
The Brow in the 1990 movie “Dick Tracy.” Hicks died May 4, after suffering a stroke at the age of 93.
Arlene Golonka was an actress best known for
playing Millie Swanson on “Mayberry R.F.D.” She was also the voice of Debbie in the cartoon
“Speed Buggy.” Golonka died May 31, at the age of 85.
Del Crandall was an All-Star catcher with the Boston and Milwaukee Braves. He helped
lead the Braves to a World Series win in 1957. He later managed the Milwaukee Brewers and
Seattle Mariners. Crandall died May 5, of Parkinson’s disease at the age of 91.
Courtney Hall was an NFL star who played center for the San Diego Chargers. He was voted captain
four years in a row, and he helped the Chargers to their lone
Super Bowl appearance in 1994. Hall died April 29 at the age of 52. His death was reported in May.
Lloyd Price was a pioneering R&B singer and songwriter.
He had hit songs in the ‘50s with “Personality” and “Stagger Lee.”
His 1952 hit “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” was one of the major influences on the development
of rock and roll. At his Hall of Fame induction, he shared that music wasn’t his only passion.
I’m a bowler. I have a 212 average. Love bowling. I’ve got six 300 games.
Price died May 3, of complications of diabetes at the age of 88.
Samuel E. Wright was an actor best known as the voice of Sebastian the crab in Disney’s
“The Little Mermaid.” He sang the memorable songs “Kiss the Girl” and “Under the Sea.”
He also originated the role of Mufasa in the Broadway musical, “The Lion King.”
Wright died May 24, of prostate cancer at the age of 74.
Patrick O’Connell was the founding director of the advocacy group Visual AIDS. He developed
the red ribbon campaign for HIV/AIDS awareness. The red ribbon was a big success, and inspired
a rainbow of colored ribbons to bring awareness to other diseases and health conditions.
O’Connell died March 23, of AIDS-related causes at the age of 67. His death was reported in May.
Billie Hayes was an actress best known for playing the funny villain Witchiepoo
on the cult classic children’s show “H.R. Pufnstuf.”
She was also in the movie “Lil Abner” and TV shows like “General Hospital” and
“Murder, She Wrote.” But even later in life—and out of costume and make-up—she
was still recognized as Witchiepoo. Hayes: Did I scare you, too?
Cameraman: You did, you did. Especially as a child.
Hayes: Oh, no! See the kids are running from me! I don’t blame them!
Hayes died April 29, of natural causes at the age of 96. Her death was reported in May.
Edgar Harrell was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of World War II. He was the last living Marine
who survived the sinking of the USS Indianapolis. Harrell told the story of the disaster in
his memoir, “Out of the Depths.” He died May 8 at the age of 96.
Eric Carle was a children’s author and illustrator who wrote books like “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”
and “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?”
He is known for his bright collages, and for adding unusual features like holes punched
through pages. Carle died May 23, at the age of 91.
Paul Mooney was a comedian, actor and writer, best known for his long collaboration with
Richard Pryor. He was also a writer for the sketch comedy shows
“In Living Color” and “Chappelle’s Show.” Mooney died May 19, of a heart attack at the age of 79.
Damon Weaver was an aspiring reporter known for his interview of President Obama in 2009.
Weaver was just 11 then, and he was the youngest person ever to interview a sitting president.
He also interviewed celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Samuel L. Jackson.
Weaver died May 1, of natural causes at the age of 23.
Norman Lloyd was an actor known for roles in the Alfred Hitchcock films “Saboteur”
and “Spellbound” and in TV’s “St. Elsewhere.”
His acting career spanned nine decades, and he worked with directors from Orson Welles
to Judd Apatow. Lloyd died May 11 at the age of 106.
B.J. Thomas was a singer best known for his Oscar-winning song “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head.”
Raindrops keep falling on my head But that doesn’t mean my eyes will soon be turning red
Thomas also had hits with “Hooked on a Feeling,” later made famous by Blue Swede,
and “(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song.”
Thomas died May 29 of lung cancer at the age of 78.
Olympia Dukakis was an actress who won an Academy Award for her performance as
Cher’s mother in “Moonstruck.” The acclaim she received from that film transformed
her from a working actor to an in-demand movie star.
Better parts. My bills are paid. I don’t… I had two mortgages before on one house, you know.
Now I own the house. That’s good.
Her other memorable movies include “Steel Magnolias,” “Look Who’s Talking,” and “Mr. Holland’s Opus.”
She also starred in the “Tales of the City” TV miniseries. Dukakis died May 1 at the age of 89.
Gavin MacLeod was an actor best known for playing Captain Stubing on the hit TV show
“The Love Boat.” His role was so iconic that he later became the global ambassador
for Princess Cruises. He also starred in “McHale’s Navy,”
and he played news writer Murray Slaughter on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”
MacLeod died May 29 at the age of 90.
Bobby Unser was a racecar driver who won the Indianapolis 500 three times.
He was one of only two Indy 500 drivers to win in three different decades.
Unser also won the grueling Pikes Peak Hill Climb 13 times. He later became a commentator for Indycar and NASCAR.
Unser died May 2, of natural causes at the age of 87.
Tawny Kitaen was an actress known for starring in a series of Whitesnake music videos in
the 1980s, including the video for the hit song “Here I Go Again.”
She also starred in movies like “Bachelor Party” and “Witchboard,” and on the
TV show “The New WKRP in Cincinnati.” Kitaen died May 7 at the age of 59.
Charles Grodin was an actor known for movies like “Midnight Run,” “The Heartbreak Kid,”
“Heaven Can Wait,” and “Beethoven.” He was a hilariously deadpan talk show guest—and
seemed thoroughly unimpressed after winning an American Comedy Award for his performance in the movie “Dave.”
I honestly don’t know what this is. I really don’t know what this is. I’m just a, I’m just a… I’m told to come out.
Look, they’re so excited. Somebody’s so excited. I’m told to get out a certain amount of time a
few times a year, so people, you know, but I don’t honestly know what it is.
Grodin died May 18, of bone marrow cancer at the age of 86.