From acclaimed actors such as Terence Stamp and Prunella Scales to Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne, 2025 had several high-profile deaths.
Sport also saw some major deaths with the sudden losses of Ricky Hatton and Diogo Jota.
As the year draws to a close, here are some of the celebrities who died in the last 12 months.
2025 celebrity deaths include Ozzy Osbourne, Ricky Hatton and more
January
The Vivienne
James Lee Williams, known professionally as The Vivienne, won the first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK and came third on the 2023 edition of Dancing On Ice.
The star was born in Wales and got the nickname due to wearing Vivienne Westwood clothing.
The news of Williams’s death was announced by their publicist, Simon Jones, with RuPaul’s Drag Race judge Michelle Visage among the many who paid tribute.
Dame Joan Plowright
British actress Dame Joan Plowright was married to Lord Laurence Olivier, and was known for her Golden Globe award-winning performances in TV biopic Stalin and Enchanted April, for which she was also nominated for an Academy Award.
Dame Joan also starred in Love You To Death with River Phoenix and was a star of the West End and Broadway before her international movie success.
The actress retired from the stage in 2014 as she lost her eyesight and was registered as blind.
Paul Danan
Danan starred in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks, playing Sol Patrick from 1997 to 2001.
He later went on to appear in reality TV shows such as Celebrity Love Island in 2005 and 2006 and Celebrity Big Brother in 2017.
DJ Fat Tony called Danan “one of the sweetest men” and said his death at 46 “hurts so bad”.
Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Faithfull was a singer and actress who rose to fame in the 1960s and became one of the leading female artists of the British Invasion in the US.
Her hits included As Tears Go By, which was written by The Rolling Stones’ Sir Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
In addition to her music career, Faithfull also acted in films, including The Girl On A Motorcycle with French actor Alain Delon, as well as theatre productions.
February
Michelle Trachtenberg
Michelle Trachtenberg was known for her roles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl.
Born in New York, she began acting in adverts at just three years old.
The 39-year-old died as a result of complications from diabetes, New York City’s medical examiner said.
March
George Foreman
American boxing champion George Foreman won an Olympic gold medal and the heavyweight title.
He retired from the sport in 1997 with a record of 76 wins and just five losses, with 68 of his victories coming via knockout.
Foreman found tremendous success in the business world after his retirement, with his popular George Foreman Grill selling in the millions.
April
Val Kilmer
The US actor rose to fame in the 1986 hit film Top Gun alongside Tom Cruise and would go on to play Batman in 1995’s Batman Forever.
He also received critical acclaim for his portrayal of musician Jim Morrison in the 1991 film The Doors.
Kilmer’s daughter Mercedes told the New York Times the actor had died from pneumonia.
Pope Francis
Pope Francis died aged 88 on Easter Monday, just one day after greeting crowds in Vatican City.
His death prompted warm tributes from leaders across the globe, and his funeral drew hundreds of thousands of mourners.
He was succeeded by Pope Leo XIV, who is the first Pope to have been born in the United States.
May
Alan Yentob
Former BBC executive and TV presenter Alan Yentob died aged 78.
He joined the BBC as a trainee in 1968 and held positions as controller of BBC One and BBC Two, director of television, head of music and arts, as well as the director of BBC drama, entertainment and children’s.
He launched CBBC and CBeebies and was credited with the revitalisation of BBC2 with commissions like Absolutely Fabulous, arts series The Late Show and Have I Got News For You, which later moved to BBC One.
June
Kim Woodburn
The TV personality rose to fame presenting the Channel 4 series How Clean Is Your House?.
She had appeared in Celebrity Big Brother in 2017 and was among the line-up for E4’s Celebrity Cooking School in 2022.
Woodburn died aged 83 following a short illness.
Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson was an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer best known for co-founding the Beach Boys.
He was the eldest and last surviving of the three musical brothers who formed the American rock band in 1961, alongside their cousin Mike Love and school friend Al Jardine.
His band, known for their vocal harmonies, released their most recognised album, Pet Sounds, in May 1966, which included the popular songs Wouldn’t It Be Nice and God Only Knows.
Frederick Forsyth
Forsyth was an author best known for his political thriller novel The Day of the Jackal, released in 1971.
It is about a professional assassin who is contracted by the OAS, a French dissident paramilitary organisation, to kill Charles de Gaulle, the president of France, with a Sky TV series based on the novel starring Eddie Redmayne, releasing this year.
Forsyth was also a former RAF pilot and investigative journalist.
July
Sylvia Young
Young founded the Sylvia Young Theatre School in 1972.
The school has taught the likes of singer Amy Winehouse, EastEnders actor Adam Woodyatt and James Bond star Lashana Lynch.
It has also produced stars from singers such as Dua Lipa and Rita Ora, to actors such as Doctor Who’s Billie Piper and Nosferatu’s Nicholas Hoult.
Hulk Hogan
The american wrestling star, whose real name was Terry Bollea, was a leading figure in wrestling during the 1980s.
He won six WWE Championships and faced names including Andre the Giant and Randy Savage.
Bollea also enjoyed a career in the media, featuring in films and TV shows.
Ozzy Osbourne
The iconic heavy metal singer, dubbed the “Prince of Darkness”, has been widely credited as a pioneer of heavy metal music.
Ozzy co-founded the band Black Sabbath in 1968 and rose to prominence in the 1970s as their lead vocalist.
The music icon died just over two weeks after the band were reunited at Birmingham’s Villa Park, barely two miles from where they first played together more than 50 years earlier.
Lord Blair
A former Metropolitan Police commissioner, he died aged 72.
Ian Blair, who ran the force from 2005 to 2008, took a seat as a crossbench peer in 2010 when he became Lord Blair of Boughton.
He had been in charge of the force during the July 7 2005 bombings and was knighted in 1999.
Norman Tebbit
A former former Cabinet minister, Lord Norman Tebbit was one of Margaret Thatcher’s closest political allies and played a key role in Tory politics for a generation.
As employment secretary he took on the trade unions, and as chairman of the Conservative Party from 1985 to 1987 he helped Mrs Thatcher secure her third general election victory.
He also served as trade secretary.
Diogo Jota
The Liverpool football star and his brother Andre Silva were killed when a Lamborghini which Jota was travelling in veered off the road and burst into flames following a suspected tyre blowout.
Tributes were paid across the world of sport, including from Portuguese teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.
Liverpool later announced that Jota’s number 20 shirtwould be retired at all levels at the club.
August
Terence Stamp
Academy Award-nominated actor Terence Stamp is perhaps best known for his role as Kryptonian villain General Zod in Superman and Superman II.
He also starred as a transgender woman in 1994’s The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert and was nominated for a Bafta for his performance.
Born in the East End of London in 1938, Stamp rose to acting fame in the 1960s after he won a drama school scholarship.
Dame Stella Rimington
Dubbed the “housewife superspy” when she came into the role, Dame Stella is widely credited as the model for Dame Judi Dench’s M in the James Bond films.
After leaving MI5 in 1996, she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the Bath.
She also published an autobiography, Open Secret, in 2001, kickstarting her career as a novelist.
James Whale
TV and radio presenter James Whale died aged 74 after battling stage four kidney cancer.
He rose to fame in the 1980s on the late-night programme The James Whale Radio Show.
He spent 13 years at TalkSport before hosting the drivetime show on LBC and the breakfast show on BBC Essex.
September
Ming Campbell
Lord Menzies Campbell, known as Ming, was a former Liberal Democrat leader.
He grew up in Glasgow and represented his constituency of North East Fife for almost three decades before taking his seat in the upper chamber in 2015.
He was also known for being a talented sprinter, with the former Olympic athlete holding the British 100 metres record between 1967 and 1974.
John Stapleton
The veteran broadcaster began his career in newspapers before presenting the BBC’s Panorama and Newsnight.
He also presented on Good Morning Britain on ITV, before returning to the BBC in 1986 to host consumer show Watchdog alongside his wife Lynn Faulds Wood until 1993.
The presenter died in hospital aged 79 following complications from pneumonia related to Parkinson’s disease.
The Duchess of Kent
The wife of the late Queen’s cousin, the Duke of Kent, died aged 92.
Katharine was known for consoling losing Wimbledon finalists and presented trophies at the championships for many years.
She preferred to be known as Mrs Kent and dropped her HRH style, retreating from royal life to spend more than a decade teaching music in a state primary school in Hull.
Giorgio Armani
The Italian fashion designer was one of the most influential and globally famous designers.
He dressed celebrities including Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Cate Blanchett and Lady Gaga, and was famous for his relaxed tailoring.
Armani was notably absent from Milan Fashion Week in June and died from liver failure at his home in Milan at 91.
Ricky Hatton
Boxer Ricky ‘The Hitman’ Hatton was one of the most popular fighters in the first decade of the new century.
The Manchester sportsman won world titles at light-welterweight and welterweight and went on to appear on other TV shows, including Dancing On Ice.
Hatton’s body was discovered at his home by his manager and keyholder, Paul Speak, with his funeral taking place a few weeks later.
October
Prunella Scales
The Fawlty Towers star died aged 93 at her home in London.
She was best known for starring in the popular BBC comedy series playing Sybil, wife of hotelier Basil Fawlty, played by John Cleese.
Her big career break was starring in the early 1960s sitcom Marriage Lines and she featured in many BBC Radio 4 sitcoms, stage productions and films.
Dave Ball
Dave Ball was best known as one-half of the synth-pop duo Soft Cell, alongside vocalist Marc Almond.
Formed in the late 1970s, the duo were pioneers of the synth pop sound which would become popular in the 1980s, best known for songs such as their cover of Gloria Jones’ Tainted Love, Say Hello, Wave Goodbye, and Torch.
Their 1981 debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is one of the most acclaimed albums of the decade.
Tony Caunter
Actor Tony Caunter played Roy Evans in EastEnders from 1994 to 2003.
The car dealer and father of Barry Evans (played by Shaun Williamson) was a love interest for Pat Butcher (Pam St Clement), with the couple later marrying as part of the soap storyline.
He was also known for his roles as Jack Shepherd in the Yorkshire Television sitcom Queenie’s Castle and DCI Jim Logan in the first three series of Juliet Bravo.
Dame Jilly Cooper
Dame Jilly was best known for The Rutshire Chronicles books, featuring the showjumping lothario Rupert Campbell-Black.
Her book Rivals was recently adapted for a successful television show by Disney+, which her friend, the Queen, said she binge-watched the series when she had pneumonia.
She died after a fall at age 88.
Dame Patricia Routledge
Dame Patricia was best known for her role as Hyacinth Bucket in BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances.
The role saw her twice nominated for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Light Entertainment Performance.
Her career spanned six decades, and saw her win an Olivier Award as the Old Lady in Leonard Bernstein’s operetta Candide in 1988, a Tony Award for her part as Alice Challice in Darling Of The Day in 1968.
Dame Jane Goodall
The conservationist was one of the world’s leading experts on chimpanzee behaviour, beginning to research free-living chimpanzees in Tanzania in 1960.
It was there she observed a chimpanzee named David Greybeard make a tool from twigs and use it to fish termites from a nest, a ground-breaking observation that challenged the definition of humans as the single species capable of making tools.
Goodall died in her sleep of natural causes while staying at the home of a friend in California, aged 91.
November
Helen Newlove
Baroness Helen Newlove, the victims’ commissioner for England and Wales, died following a short illness.
The Conservative peer had twice served in the post, first from March 2013 to May 2019 before being re-appointed in October 2023.
She was known for being a community campaigner and activist in the wake of the killing of her husband, Garry, outside their Warrington home after confronting vandals in 2007.
Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield
The former Stone Roses and Primal Scream bass player died aged 63.
He worked on the iconic band’s 1989 self-titled debut album as well as its 1994 follow-up, Second Coming.
After The Stone Roses broke up in 1996, Mounfield joined Scottish rock band Primal Scream.
Quentin Willson
A former Top Gear presenter, Willson was one of the first hosts on the hit BBC motoring show, alongside Jeremy Clarkson.
He fronted the series from 1991 until 2001 before going on to present Channel 5’s Fifth Gear.
He also created and presented several other motoring shows, including Britain’s Worst Drivers and BBC Two’s The Car’s The Star.
December
Sophie Kinsella
Kinsella was best known as the author of the Shopaholic series.
The author, whose real name was Madeleine Sophie Wickham, died after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer.
Her death prompted tributes from authors including Jodi Picoult, Adele Parks and Jenny Colgan, who described Kinsella as a “joy in life”.
Joanna Trollope
Author Joanna Trollope studied English language and literature at the University of Oxford after winning a scholarship and joined the Foreign Office after graduating.
She later trained as a teacher but turned to writing full-time in 1980, although it was not until 1991 that she became a household name with her novel, The Rector’s Wife.
Trollope was considered one of the UK’s most well-known novelists, having written for over five decades.