La Jornada - Farewell to great figures of the world

In 2021, a year defined by the vaccination of millions of people on the planet against Covid-19, which continued to claim victims in show business, only in the United States did it cause more deaths than in 2020, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Others lost their lives in accidents or various diseases, such as cancer. In Mexico, actress Carmen Salinas and singer Vicente Fernández died.

The following is a list of figures who died in 2021 (the cause of death is mentioned if known).

January

Eric Jerome Dickey, 59 years old. Popular novelist who blended mystery, romance, and eroticism in Sister, Sister, and dozens of other stories about contemporary black life. January 3. Cancer.

Tanya Roberts, age 65. She wowed James Bond in 007: Assassins Crosshairs and starred in the comedy series That '70s Show. January 4.

Larry King, 87 years old. The perennial suspender-wearing host whose television interviews with world leaders, movie stars and ordinary people helped define the American conversation for half a century. January 23.

Cloris Leachman, 94 years old. She was an Oscar winner for The Last Picture and comic delight in Young Frankenstein, as well as the self-absorbed girl next door in The Mary Tyler Moore Show. January 27th.

Cicely Tyson, 96 years old. A pioneering black actress nominated for an Oscar for Sounder, she won a Tony Award in 2013 at age 88 and wowed audiences in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. January 28.

Hilton Valentine, 77 years old. Founding guitarist of the English The Animals, distinguished for creating one of the best-known riffs of the 60s with The House of the Rising Sun. January 29.

Sophie, 34 years old. Scottish Diyei, Grammy Award nominee, producer and music artist who has worked with Madonna and Charli XCX. January 30th. accidental fall.

February

Dustin Diamond, 44 years old. Famous for playing Screech on the hit '90s comedy series Saved by the Bell. First of February. Cancer.

Christopher Plummer, 91 years old. Stylish actor who played Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music. At 82, he won an Oscar at an older age. February 5th

Larry Flynt, 78 years old. He built Hustler magazine into an empire while fighting for free speech. Feb. 10.

Johnny Pacheco, 85 years old. Salsa idol and co-founder of Fania Records, bandmate of Eddie Palmieri, and colleague of Rubén Blades, Willie Colón, and Celia Cruz. February 15.

March

Bunny Wailer, 73 years old. Reggae luminary and late founding member of The Wailers. March 2.

James Levine, 77 years old. Director who decided the course of the Metropolitan Opera for more than 40 years. He was fired for sexual misconduct. March 9.

Elsa Peretti, 80 years old. One of the most celebrated jewelry designers, with timeless, organically inspired collections for Tiffany & Co. March 18.

George Segal, 87 years old. Banjo player turned actor and Oscar nominee for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? 1966. He worked as an octagenarian on the ABC sitcom The Goldbergs. 23 of March. Complications from bypass surgery.

Jessica Walter, 80 years old. Matriarch in the series Arrested Development and stalker in Play Misty for Me, with a stern screen presence. March 24th.

Larry McMurtry, 84 years old. Prolific and popular author who took readers back to the Old West with his Pulitzer Prize-winning work Lonesome Dove and back to modern landscapes with Terms of Endearment. March 25th.

April

Anne Beatts, 74 years old. Innovative comedy writer with a taste for the sweet and the macabre. He created Square Pegs. April 7.

Prince Philippe, 99 years old. The irascible and tenacious husband of Queen Elizabeth II spent more than 70 years supporting his wife in a role that he defined, but also pigeonholed, her life. April 9th.

DMX, 50 years old. Hip hop star behind songs like Ruff Ryders, Anthem and Party Up (Up in Here), one of the greatest exponents of rap. April 9th.

May

Olympia Dukakis, 89 years old. Veteran actress. She won an Oscar as Cher's mother in the romantic comedy Moonstruck. First of May.

Jacques d'Amboise, 86 years old. One of the greatest classical dancers of the New York Ballet. May 2.

Paulo Gustavo, 42 years old. Popular Brazilian comedian whose character Dona Herminia grappled with LGBT and family issues in some of Brazil's most popular movies and television shows. May 4th. Covid-19.

Carla Fracci, 84 years old. Former prima ballerina of La Scala in Milan famous for romantic roles alongside such greats as Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov. may 27th.

Gavin MacLeod, 90 years old. Famous as the sardonic TV reporter Murray Slaughter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He rose to stardom with the role of Captain Stubing in The Love Boat. May 29.

June

Delia Fiallo, 96 years old. Cuban writer considered the mother of soap operas in Latin America. June 29.

July

Raffaella Carrà, 78 years old. One of the most beloved Italian television stars. July 5th.

Richard Donner, 91 years old. Filmmaker who helped create modern superhero movies with 1978's Superman. July 5.

Joey Jordison, age 46. Founding member of Slipknot and drummer for the metal band who helped write several of their hits. July 26.

Dusty Hill, 72 years old. Bassist for the Texas rock and blues trio ZZ Top. 28 of July.

August

Dennis Dee Tee Thomas, 70 years old. Founder of the soul and funk band Kool & the Gang known for hits like Celebration and Get Down On It. August 7.

Sonny Chiba, 82 years old. Japanese actor who impressed with his martial arts skills in more than 100 films. August 19.

Larry Harlow, 82 years old. Arranger, pianist, and Fania All-Star member. He made 50 of his own albums and was the producer of hundreds of records. August 30th. Renal disease.

Charlie Watts, 80 years old. Low-key drummer for the Rolling Stones who helped create one of the greatest rhythm sections in rock and who used his "day job" to fuel his love of jazz. August 24.

Michael Constantine, 94 years old. Emmy Award-winning character actor who rose to fame playing the bride's father with a bottle of Windex (window cleaner) in the 2002 film Get Married...It's in Greek. August 31.

September

Adalberto Álvarez, 72 years old. Composer, arranger and conductor, one of the most important exponents of the Cuban son. First of September. Covid-19.

Mikis Theodorakis, 96 years old. Greek composer whose powerful music and life of political resistance earned him international recognition. September 2.

Jean-Paul Belmondo, 88 years old. Leading man in the iconic French New Wave film At the End of the Break whose flat boxer's nose and mischievous grin made him one of France's most recognizable actors. September 6.

Roberto Roena, 81 years old. Member of the Fania All-Stars, of El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico and leader of the Apollo Sound orchestra known as El gran bailarín and El señor bongo. September 23.

Michael Renzi, 80 years old. He's worked with Peggy Lee, Mel Tormé, Lena Horne and some of the biggest names in jazz and pop. He was also the musical director of Sesame Street. September 29th.

October

Lars Vilks, 75 years old. Swedish artist who had lived protected by the police after making a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad with the body of a dog in 2007. October 3. Car accident (died along with two police bodyguards).

Ronnie Tutt, 83 years old. Legendary drummer who shared the stage with Elvis Presley and other musical greats like Johnny Cash and Stevie Nicks. October 16.

November

Marília Mendonça, 26 years old. One of the most popular Brazilian singers of the moment awarded with the Latin Grammy. November 5th. Plane crash.

Dean Stockwell, 85 years old. One of Hollywood's leading child actors who found renewed success in his middle age in the sci-fi series Quantum Leap and films like David Lynch's Blue Velvet; Paris, Texas, by Wim Wenders, and Married to the Mob by Jonathan Demme. November 7.

Stephen Sondheim, 91 years old. Composer who revamped American musical theater in the second half of the 20th century with his clever, intricately rhymed lyrics, his use of evocative melodies, and his ability to tackle unusual themes. November 26.

December

Carmen Salinas, 82 years old. She is an actress in films like Danzón, Man on Fire and Bellas de noche, as well as soap operas and series like María la del Barrio and Mujeres asesinas. December 9.

Lina Wertmueller, 93 years old. The provocative Italian filmmaker whose mixture of sex and politics in An Unusual Summer Adventure and Pascualino's Seven Beauties made her the first woman nominated for a Best Director Oscar. December 9.

Anne Rice, 80 years old. Gothic writer known for her successful film-made novel Interview with the Vampire. December 11. Complications of a cerebral infarction.

Vicente Fernandez, 81 years old. With his powerful voice, he immortalized songs like El rey, Volver, volver and Páltima que seas ajena and remained active for decades. He sold more than 50 million records. He starred in dozens of movies. December 12th.

Verónica Forqué, 66 years old. Actress who has won four Goya awards and one of the faces of television, theater and cinema in the last half century in Spain. December 13th.