When a celebrity passes away, it can feel like we're losing a friend.
Whether we watched them on the big screen or let them into our lives through our TVs,
the world seems darker knowing we've had to say goodbye to a favorite star — even though
we can continue enjoying their work indefinitely, letting their legacies live on forever.
Here's a fond look back at some of the stars we've sadly lost in 2017.
Bill Paxton
Veteran actor and director Bill Paxton, who appears in Aliens, Twister, and Titanic, died
February 25 following complications from heart surgery.
He was 61.
Beyond appearing in such movies as Weird Science, The Terminator, and A Simple Plan, Paxton
also starred in the HBO series Big Love, and was nominated for an Emmy for his role in
the TV miniseries Hatfields & McCoys.
At the time of his death, he was starring the CBS reboot of Training Day.
John Hurt
Legendary British actor John Hurt, who was widely known for Alien, The Elephant Man,
1984, and Midnight Express, died January 25 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
He was 77.
In a career spanning more than six decades, Hurt earned two Oscar nominations, and appeared
in many notable television roles, perhaps most famously as the War Doctor on Doctor
Who.
In his later years, he played the wandmaker Ollivander in the Harry Potter series, the
surrogate father of Hellboy, and Indiana Jones' old friend "Ox" in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom
of the Crystal Skull.
He was still very active in acting up until the time of his death, recently appearing
in films such as Snowpiercer.
Mary Tyler Moore
Television legend Mary Tyler Moore died January 25 at the age of 80 after suffering cardiopulmonary
arrest brought on by pneumonia, hypoxia, and diabetes.
A groundbreaking actress, she played a stay-at-home mom on The Dick Van Dyke Show, then became
a feminist icon when she branched out on her own with The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
Moore won six Emmy Awards and was nominated for an Oscar in 1980 for playing the estranged
mother of Timothy Hutton's character in 1980's Ordinary People.
She was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1986.
Don Rickles
One of the most famous and popular stand up comedians of all time, Don Rickles died April
6 at his home in Los Angeles after succumbing to kidney failure at the age of 90.
Known for his abrasive style of comedy, Rickles had a career that spanned six decades.
A regular at celebrity roasts and an honorary member of the Rat Pack, he would often take
jabs at audience members with two signature phrases: "dummy" and "hockey puck."
In 2007, he won an Emmy for the John Landis-directed documentary Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project,
but is perhaps best known to modern audiences as the voice of Mr. Potato Head in the Toy
Story movies.
"What are you lookin' at, ya hockey puck?"
Miguel Ferrer
A character and voice actor who appeared in an assortment of films including RoboCop and
starred on the TV series NCIS: Los Angeles, Miguel Ferrer died of cancer on January 19
at the age of 61.
Ferrer had recently reprised his Twin Peaks role as FBI pathologist Albert Rosenfield
for Showtime's revival of the cult classic drama.
The son of '50s singer Rosemary Clooney and actor Jose Ferrer, he was also George Clooney's
first cousin.
Charlie Murphy
The older brother of Eddie Murphy, Charlie Murphy became a household name on Chappelle's
Show, sharing stories about his time in Los Angeles during the height of his brother's
fame in the 1980s.
Murphy also appeared in numerous movies including Night at the Museum and Norbit, where he provided
the voice of Lloyd the dog, and TV series like Are We There Yet? and Black Jesus.
He also did voicework for the animated series The Boondocks and the video game Grand Theft
Auto: San Andreas.
Charlie Murphy died of leukemia on April 12.
He was 57.
John Heard
A lifelong actor and veteran of both film and television, John Heard appeared in dozens
of projects from shows like The Sopranos to acclaimed movies such as Awakenings.
But he'll always be best known as Kevin's hapless dad, Peter, in the Home Alone films.
Sadly, on July 21, Heard passed away unexpectedly at the age of 72 while recovering from back
surgery.
Chuck Barris
Prolific TV host and producer Chuck Barris died of natural causes on March 21.
He was 87.
Best known as the producer and host of the groundbreaking Gong Show, Barris also created
The Dating Game and The Newlywed Game.
In his book Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Barris also claimed to have actually been
a C.I.A. assassin while he was a TV producer in the '60s and 70s.
Sam Rockwell portrayed him in a 2002 film adaptation that was written by Charlie Kaufman
and directed by George Clooney.
Erin Moran
The beloved actress who played Joanie Cunningham on Happy Days and Joanie Loves Chachi, Erin
Moran died from complications of cancer on April 22 at the age of 56.
Over the course of her career, Moran also appeared on TV shows from Gunsmoke to Murder
She Wrote, to The Love Boat.
Her last project was the 2010 film Not Another B Movie.
Christopher Boykin
One of the stars of MTV's Rob & Big, Christopher "Big Black" Boykin died May 9 from a heart
attack.
The bodyguard and best friend of skateboarder and entrepreneur Rob Dyrdek, he rose to fame
on the reality series that followed the pair during their day-to-day lives from 2006 until
2008.
Boykin later appeared on several episodes of the follow-up series Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy
Factory and Dyrdek's clip show Ridiculousness.
He also started a clothing line in 2007.
Michael Parks
A veteran character actor who appeared in more than 100 films and TV shows, Michael
Parks died May 9 at the age of 77.
Best known for working with directors Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, and Kevin Smith,
Parks played Texas Ranger Earl McGraw in Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Esteban Vihaio in Kill Bill
Vol. 2, while Smith said he wrote the movies Red State and Tusk specifically for Parks.
Parks also played French-Canadian drug runner Jean Renaulton the ABC television series Twin
Peaks.
Richard Hatch
One of the stars of both the original Battlestar Galactica and the Syfy remake, Richard Hatch
died February 7 from pancreatic cancer at the age of 71.
Hatch got his start in 1970 on the soap opera All My Children before being cast as Captain
Apollo on the cult favorite sci-fi series, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination
in 1979.
He also appeared on Dynasty and Santa Barbara before playing Tom Zarek in the reboot of
Battlestar Galactica from 2004 to 2009.
He also wrote five original Battlestar novels and became a fixture at comic book conventions
and sci-fi events.
Martin Landau
Oscar-winning actor Martin Landau died July 15 after a short hospitalization at Ronald
Reagan UCLA Medical Center where he suffered unexpected complications.
He was 89.
Landau was a cartoonist before he rose to fame with his portrayal of a henchman in Alfred
Hitchcock's 1959 classic North by Northwest.
In the '60s, he turned down the role of Spock on Star Trek and played Rollin Hand, the "man
of a million faces," on Mission: Impossible for three seasons.
He later earned Emmy nominations for performances on HBO's Entourage and the CBS series Without
a Trace.
Landau also earned three Oscar nominations over the course of his career, winning Best
Supporting Actor in 1995 for his portrayal of Bela Lugosi the film Ed Wood.
George Romero
The director of the iconic horror classic Night of the Living Dead, George Romero died
July 16 after battling lung cancer.
He was 77.
Romero made Night of the Living Dead on a budget of just $114,000, and it went on to
make $30 million at the box office.
The black and white film about a group of people trapped by a horde of the undead was
integral in creating the modern zombie genre.
He later directed 1978's Dawn of the Dead and 1985's Day of the Dead, as well as genre
films like Knightriders, Creepshow, and Monkey Shines.
Chester Bennington
Actor and singer for the band Linkin Park, Chester Bennington committed suicide by hanging
on July 20, at the age of 41.
Bennington joined Linkin Park before the release of the band's debut album Hybrid Theory in
2000, which went on to become a massive commercial success, paving the way for six more studio
albums.
He also fronted the side project Dead by Sunrise, and served as the singer of Stone Temple Pilots
after the band parted ways with original frontman Scott Weiland.
On the big screen, Bennington appeared in Saw 3D: The Final Chapter, Crank, and Crank:
High Voltage.
Judge Joseph Wapner
Star of the reality series The People's Court, Judge Joseph Wapner died of respiratory failure
on February 26 at the age of 97.
A graduate of USC Law School, Wapner served in World War II and later became a judge at
the Los Angeles Superior Court.
After retiring, he headlined the groundbreaking show The People's Court, which debuted in
1981.
He became something of a pop culture icon during his tenure on the show, which ended
in 1993.
Wapner received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2009, and on his 90th birthday,
he returned to The People's Court to serve as guest judge.
Adam West
The man who brought Batman to life for a generation, Adam West died at the age of 88 on June 9
after a short battle with leukemia.
A contract player for Warner Bros. in film and television starting in the '50s, West
rose to international stardom in 1966 as the star of the massive hit Batman.
The show quickly burnt out, however, and was canceled after its third season in 1968.
Typecast as Batman, West struggled to find other roles, but later in life experienced
a career resurgence as a highly sought after voice actor on animated shows including Family
Guy.
West was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012.
Roger Moore
On May 23, beloved actor Roger Moore, who played James Bond in more movies than any
other star in the long-running franchise, died after a short battle with cancer.
He was 89.
Before his time as Bond, Moore played the dashing thief Simon Templar on the TV series
The Saint, which ran for 118 episodes between 1962 and 1969.
In 1972, he replaced Sean Connery as 007, first appearing as the secret agent in 1973's
Live and Let Die, then portrayed Bond in six more movies, his final being 1985's A View
to a Kill.
He was known for bringing a campy sense of humor to the series.
In his later years, he frequently played off of his fame in films like Spice World.
Powers Boothe
An Emmy-winning actor known for Deadwood and Sin City, Powers Boothe died at the age of
68 of natural causes on May 14.
In 1980, his leading role in the TV movie Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones brought
him an Emmy for lead actor in a limited series or special.
That launched a career that led to dozens of appearances on show including Marvel's
Agents of SHIELD and 24, as well as movies such as Tombstone.
Nelsan Ellis
A fan favorite as Lafayette on the HBO hit True Blood, Nelsan Ellis died from complications
of heart failure caused by alcohol withdrawal on July 8.
He was 39.
Early in his career, he appeared on numerous TV shows including Veronica Mars.
But he made his breakthrough as Lafayette, the short-order cook at Merlotte's on True
Blood.
In the books, the character didn't survive, but because Ellis was so popular, writers
for the show decided to change Lafeyette's fate.
He also appeared in several films, most notably as Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 2013 film
The Butler.
Stevie Ryan
Actress and YouTube celebrity Stevie Ryan died on July 1 at the age of 33.
People reports that the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office ruled the death a suicide
by hanging.
Ryan rose to fame with her YouTube series Little Loca, which helped land her a VH1 sketch
series called Stevie TV, which ran from 2012 to 2013.
She later served as co-host of Brody Jenner's E! series Sex with Brody.
Most recently, she co-hosted Mentally Ch(ill), which is a "podcast about depression," according
to its iTunes description.
Ryan revealed that her grandfather had recently died in an episode that was released just
two days before her death.
Michael Nyqvist
Swedish actor Michael Nyqvist, who starred in the original The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
movies and later appeared in John Wick, died June 27 after a battle with lung cancer.
After the success of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and its sequels, Nyqvist went to Hollywood
appeared in blockbusters such as Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol.
Glenne Headly
An Emmy-nominated actress known for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and the movie adaptation
of Dick Tracy, Glenne Headly died June 8, at the age of 62.
Headly started out as a stage performer before turning her focus to television and films.
She was nominated for Emmys for her performances in the 1989 miniseries Lonesome Dove and the
1996 drama Bastard Out of Carolina.
But she was perhaps best known for playing a con woman in the comedy Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
in 1988 and Tess Trueheart in Warren Beatty's live-action Dick Tracy in 1990.
In memoriam
Sadly, we have lost many more stars in 2017 as well.
Here is a tribute to the some of the other actors and actresses whose talents will no
longer brighten our days.
Sam Shepard
Robert Hardy
Glen Campbell
Haruo Nakajima
Joe Bologna
Mike Connors
Neil Fingleton
Clay Adler
Ji-Tu Cumbuka
Evan Helmuth
Dick Gautier
Francine York
Mike Aktari
Emmanuelle Riva
Robert Michael Morris
Peter Sallis
Molly Peters
Barbara Hale
Red West
John Cygan
Lisa Spoonauer
Darlene Cates
Elena Verdugo
Roger Smith