Remembering the international celebrities we lost in 2023 (2024)

From punk rockers to crooners, best friends to magicians, the world lost some well-known faces and creative geniuses this year.

Let's take a look back at who died in 2023.

Matthew Perry, beloved Friend

Friends fans around the world were left heartbroken when Matthew Perry died unexpectedly in October at the age of 54.

The actor was best known for playing the bumbling and sarcastic Chandler Bing in the iconic sitcom, which rocketed him to stardom in the 1990s.

Following his death at his Los Angeles home, Friends co-star David Schwimmer praised Perry's "impeccable comic timing", while the show's co-creators and executive producer said "he was always the funniest person in the room".

"We will always cherish the joy, the light, the blinding intelligence he brought to every moment - not just to his work, but in life as well," Marta Kauffman, David Crane and Kevin Bright said in a statement.

Last year, Perry released a memoir in which he detailed his struggles with addiction and sobriety. In it, he spoke about how he wanted to be remembered for his work with people dealing with substance abuse.

"When I die, people will talk about Friends, Friends, Friends," he wrote.

"And I'm glad of that ... But when I die, as far as my so-called accomplishments go, it would be nice if Friends were listed far behind the things I did to try to help other people."

Lisa Marie Presley, heir of the king

Starting with her father Elvis Presley's untimely death when she was just nine years old, Lisa Marie Presley's life was marred by tragedy before her own early death this year. She was 54.

The singer and songwriter was suffering from complications related to an earlier weight-loss surgery when she went into cardiac arrest in January.

Her mother, Priscilla Presley, confirmed the news, describing her daughter as the "most passionate, strong and loving woman" she had ever known.

Throughout her life, Presley was married and divorced four times - including to Michael Jackson and Nicolas Cage - and lost her only son to suicide when he was just 27.

She detailed her grief in a 2022 essay, writing that she had "dealt with death, grief and loss since the age of nine years old". "I've had more than anyone's fair share of it in my lifetime and somehow, I've made it this far."

She was the rockstar's only child and the sole heir of the Elvis Presley trust.

Harry Belafonte, 'King of Calypso' and political activist

Harry Belafonte, a singer, songwriter, and groundbreaking actor turned political activist, died in April, aged 96.

Belafonte was born in Manhattan but spent his early childhood in his family's native Jamaica.

Belafonte began his career as a calypso singer, best known for his 1950s hit 'Banana Boat' song.

He was the first black person allowed to perform in many plush nightspots and also had racial breakthroughs in movies at a time when segregation prevailed in much of the United States.

His acting work pushed racial boundaries in a segregated US, which led him to the civil rights movement, working with his friend Martin Luther King Jr.

Belafonte travelled the world as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, in 1987 and later started an AIDS foundation.

Belafonte was also the driving force behind the celebrity-studded, famine-fighting hit song 'We Are the World' in the 1980s, raising $62 million.

Sinéad O'Connor, firebrand performer

Sinéad O'Connor topped international charts with her rendition of 'Nothing Compares 2 U', but for many, it is the Irish singer's outspoken views on religion, sex, war and feminism and staunch activism that will endure. She died in London in July, aged 56.

The performer began her career singing on the streets of Dublin and soon rose to international fame. Her 1987 debut album, 'The Lion and the Cobra', made her a star, but it was her powerful performance of Prince's ballad that made her a sensation and earned her four Grammy nominations and one win.

O'Connor declined the award, describing it as a commercial exercise. The following year she made headlines when, during an appearance on Saturday Night Live, she ripped up a photo of Pope John Paul II while performing a rendition of Bob Marley's 'War', in which she changed some lyrics to reference child abuse in the Catholic Church.

"I found her to be a very, very humble person, a very funny person, and someone who struggled with the injustices of the world," wrote Irish music promoter Fran Daly following O'Connor's death.

"I don't think anyone who's seen her perform has heard a sound like when Sinéad O'Connor opens up and sings."

Shane MacGowan, Celtic punk rocker

Shane MacGowan, the singer-songwriter and frontman of The Pogues, died in November, aged 65.

MacGowan, who was born on Christmas Day, grew up in Tipperary, Ireland, and later in England. He founded the Pogues - originally Pogue Mahone, an anglicisation of the Irish phrase póg mo thóin, meaning "kiss my arse" - in 1982.

The band melded Irish traditional music and "Celtic punk" rock with McGowan's emotive songwriting and slurred, exuberant performances.

The band's most famous song, 1987's 'Fairytale of New York' - with Kirsty MacColl - is a bittersweet Christmas classic.

MacGowan struggled with alcohol and substance abuse, which lead to a tempestuous relationship with his band - he was kicked out in 1991 before rejoining a decade later. They disbanded in 2014.

MacGowan had years of health problems and used a wheelchair after breaking his pelvis.

Tina Turner, queen of rock'n'roll

Tina Turner, the legendary queen of rock'n'roll, died in May after a long illness. She was 83.

The singer and songwriter was best known internationally for her hits 'What's Love Got to Do With It' and '(Simply) The Best', while her song 'Nutbush City Limits' struck a particular chord with Australians, inspiring the now iconic dance routine.

Turner began her career in the 1950s performing with her husband Ike Turner - the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has described them as "one of the most formidable live acts in history" - before embarking on a solo career after their split in 1976.

In the 80s she won six of her eight Grammy Awards and saw a dozen songs reach the Top 40 charts. She also used her platform to speak about the abuse she suffered at the hands of her ex-husband.

"Through her courage in telling her story, her commitment to stay the course in her life, no matter the sacrifice, and her determination to carve out a space in rock'n'roll for herself and for others who look like her, Tina Turner showed others who lived in fear what a beautiful future filled with love, compassion, and freedom should look like," said actor Angela Bassett, who played Turner in a 1993 film, following the singer's death.

"How do we say farewell to a woman who owned her pain and trauma and used it as a means to help change the world?"

Raquel Welch, bombshell actor

Golden Globe winning actor Raquel Welch died in February, aged 82.

She starred in about 30 films and 50 television series in a career spanning five decades.

Welch came to the wide attention of movie-goers for her role in the 1966 sci-fi adventure Fantastic Voyage, followed by her iconic appearance in the prehistoric drama One Million Years BC - where her fur bikini made her a bestselling pin-up.

She broke the mould of the traditional sex symbol with her strong female characters and went on to be an icon of the 1960s and 70s. She won a Golden Globe for best actress in a musical or comedy in 1974 for The Three Musketeers.

Her final film, How to be a Latin Lover, was released in 2017.

Michael Gambon, stage great turned Dumbledore

Harry Potter and The King's Speech actor Michael Gambon died in September, aged 82.

Gambon left school aged 15 to begin an engineering apprenticeship and by 21 he was fully qualified.

He was also a member of an amateur theatre group and in 1962, he auditioned for the great Shakespearean actor Laurence Olivier, who made him one of the founding members of the National Theatre at the Old Vic, alongside other young emerging greats including Derek Jacobi and Maggie Smith.

He moved into TV and film in the 1980s, and was best known to younger generations for taking over the role of Professor Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies.

He won four BAFTAs, three Olivier Awards and two ensemble cast Screen Actors Guild Awards - for 2001's Gosford Park and The King's Speech. He was made a Commander of the British Empire in 1992 and knighted for services to drama in 1998.

Gambon retired from the stage in 2015 after suffering long-term memory problems but continued to act on-screen until 2019.

Jimmy Buffett, tropical rock pioneer

The US singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett, best known for his hit songs 'Margaritaville' and 'Come Monday', died in September, aged 76.

Buffett's "tropical rock" sound was popular with his boomer fan base - who called themselves Parrotheads - and featured songs like 'Cheeseburger in Paradise', 'It's Five O'Clock Somewhere' and 'Why Don't We Get Drunk'.

Buffett's most popular tune 'Margaritaville' was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2016 for its cultural and historic significance, which helped brand Key West, Florida, as a holiday destination internationally.

One of the world's richest musicians, Buffett channelled the "island escapism" of his music into several business ventures, including the Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville chain of restaurants.

Buffett continued touring into 2023 despite undergoing treatment for a rare and aggressive skin cancer - Merkel cell carcinoma - for four years.

Jerry Springer, host of salacious talk show

Controversial afternoon TV host Jerry Springer died in April, aged 79.

Love it or hate it, The Jerry Springer Show changed afternoon television with its bleep-filled family confrontations, chair throwing and the chant of "Jerry Jerry, Jerry" - an early indication on how popular reality TV would become.

Springer was born in a London underground railway station being used as a bomb shelter in 1944, before his parents, German Jews who fled during the Holocaust, moved to the US when he was five.

He first worked in politics and ran for office many times, including a stint at the mayor of Cincinnati. He went on to become a local political reporter before starting his talk show in 1991.

In its 4000-episode run, which ended in 2017, 'The Jerry Springer Show' found rebuke and criticism for its salacious storylines, but it was ratings gold, even outperforming Oprah's show at one stage.

Burt Bacharach, composer of iconic pop classics

Composer of some of the world's biggest earworms, Burt Bacharach died in February, aged 94.

The Oscar-winner is best known for hit songs, 'Alfie' and 'I Say a Little Prayer', 'I'll Never Fall in Love Again' and 'This Guy's in Love with You', usually working in partnership with lyricist Hal David.

He had a run of top 10 hits from the 1950s into the 21st century. There were few rivals for Bacharach's songwriting genius for catchy songs, which were performed, covered and played long after they were written.

Bacharach considered Dionne Warwick among his favourites, though he also created songs for Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, Tom Jones and many others.

Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Frank Sinatra were among countless artists who covered his songs.

Other celebrities who died this year

• Martin Amis, writer of dark comic novels
• William Friedkin, director of The Exorcist
• Angus Cloud, actor from Euphoria
• Moonbin, KPop star
• Suzanne Somers, sitcom star
• Tom Sizemore, Saving Private Ryan actor
• Alan Arkin, Oscar-winning actor
• Ryan O'Neal, Love Story actor
• Sixto Rodriguez, singer-songwriter and documentary star
• Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine actor
• Sandra Day O'Connor, first female justice on the US Supreme Court

* This story was first published by ABC.