Celebrity deaths 2026: Actors, singers and stars we lost this year

Several notable entertainers died this year, including Victoria Jones, Bret Hanna-Shuford and Patrick Swayze’s brother Sean Swayze. The losses span actors, singers and industry figures from television, film and music. Child actor Blake Garrett, known for How to Eat Fried Worms, died on Feb.

8 at 33 after being hospitalized for shingles the week before; his mother said he may have been self-medicating while awaiting a cause of death. Brad Arnold, founder and lead singer of 3 Doors Down, died Feb. 7 at 47 after a battle with cancer; he passed peacefully with family by his side and had announced a stage 4 kidney cancer diagnosis in May 2025.

Character actor Charles C. Stevenson Jr. died Jan. 19 at 95 of natural causes; he was remembered for roles including Smitty the Bartender on Will and Grace. Grady Demond Wilson, who played Lamont Sanford, died Jan. 30 at 79 after cancer complications and was the last surviving cast member of Sanford and Son.

victoria jones, bret hanna-shuford, sean swayze, patrick swayze, blake garrett, brad arnold, kidney cancer, charles stevenson, smitty, lamont sanford