Notable Deaths in 2026

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A look backmost astatine the esteemed personalities who near america this year, who'd touched america with their innovation, creativity and humanity.

By CBSNews.com elder shaper David Morgan. The Associated Press contributed to this gallery.

Demond Wilson (Oct. 13, 1946-Jan. 30, 2026) was champion known for playing Redd Foxx's lad Lamont connected "Sanford and Son" successful the aboriginal 1970s. Adapated by Norman Lear from the British drama "Steptoe and Son," astir a grumpy and irascible junk antheral and his aspirational big offspring, "Sanford and Son" was 1 of the earliest American sitcoms to diagnostic a predominantly Black cast, and was for galore years NBC's top-rated show.

Born successful Valdosta, Georgia, Wilson grew up successful Harlem. As a kid helium appeared connected vigor and danced connected the signifier of the Apollo Theatre. As a teenager, a ruptured appendix led him to committedness to give himself to God.

He was wounded portion serving with the Army successful Vietnam, and upon his instrumentality to New York began acting off-Broadway, earlier going to Hollywood. After a impermanent relation connected Lear's "All successful the Family," helium was hired for 1 of the leads successful "Sanford and Son." In 2022, Wilson told the Associated Press that helium was competing with Richard Pryor for the relation other Foxx. "I said, 'C'mon, you can't enactment a comedian with a comedian. You've got to person a consecutive man,'" helium said helium told producers.

Debuting successful 1972, the amusement ran connected NBC for six seasons, and spent astir of its tally successful the Nielsen Top 10 (frequently 2nd lone to Lear's "All successful the Family"). The bid ended erstwhile ABC lured Foxx distant to big his ain assortment show.

Wilson aboriginal starred successful the TV shows "Baby I'm Back" and "The New Odd Couple" (playing Oscar Madison). He besides appeared successful "Girlfriends" and the movie "The Organization." But helium did not find acting fulfilling, and successful the 1980s helium became an ordained minister. "Show concern did not travel retired of me. I came retired of amusement business," he told Jet Magazine successful 1985.

He besides founded Restoration House of America, an enactment that helps rehabilitate situation inmates and the formerly incarcerated, and wrote respective books, including children's stories.

Catherine O'Hara

11th Annual New York Television Festival

Emmy-winning histrion Catherine O'Hara (March 4, 1954-Jan. 30, 2026) was best-known for her roles connected the sketch drama bid "SCTV," "Schitt's Creek," and the films "Home Alone" and "Beetlejuice."

Born successful Toronto, O'Hara grew up successful a household that encouraged being funny, she told The New York Times successful 2016: "My dada would archer jokes, and my ma would archer stories and imitate everyone wrong the stories. I deliberation everyone is calved with humor, but your beingness tin bushed it retired of you, sadly, oregon you tin beryllium fortunate capable to turn up successful it."

A subordinate of the Second City improv troupe, wherever she primitively understudied for Gilda Radner, O'Hara helped make the Canadian bid "SCTV," for which she played a multitude of characters alongside formed members John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas and Harold Ramis. O'Hara dropped retired of the formed for its 3rd season, but rejoined aft the amusement moved from syndication to NBC and past Cinemax. She won an Emmy arsenic a co-writer.

Among her movie roles, O'Hara played quirky supporting characters successful Martin Scorsese's "After Hours" and Tim Burton's "Beetlejuice," and was besides featured successful "Dick Tracy," "The Paper," "Wyatt Earp," and "Orange County." But her astir recognized relation was arsenic Macaulay Culkin's parent successful "Home Alone." She was besides portion of Christopher Guest's ensemble successful his improvisational mockumentaries, including "Waiting for Guffman," "Best successful Show," "A Mighty Wind," and "For Your Consideration."

Her biggest splash was arsenic flamboyant matriarch Moira Rose successful "Schitt's Creek." The show, created by her "SCTV" costar Eugene Levy and his lad Dan, centers connected a affluent household losing each their wealth and being forced to unrecorded successful a motel successful a tiny town.

In 2016 O'Hara told "CBS This Morning" she had immoderate archetypal reservations astir doing the series. "You ne'er cognize however agelong it'd go, and to fastener into 1 character, that's benignant of scary," she said.

"Schitt's Creek" ran for six years, and successful its last play won 9 Emmys.

In summation to winning for playing Moira Rose successful "Schitt's Creek," she was besides Emmy-nominated for "Temple Grandin," "The Last of Us," and "The Studio."

O'Hara shared with The New York Times her improv secret: "My crutch was, successful improvs: erstwhile successful doubt, play insane. Because you didn't person to excuse thing that came retired of your mouth. It didn't person to marque sense."

Dr. William Foege

President Obama Awards The Presidential Medal Of Freedom

Dr. William Foege (March 12, 1936-Jan. 24, 2026), a doc and epidemiologist, was a person successful the planetary eradication of smallpox — 1 of humanity's top nationalist wellness victories.

His involvement successful planetary wellness was an outgrowth from his clip when, astatine property 15, helium was stuck successful a assemblage formed for 3 months. "We did not person tv astatine that time," helium said successful a 2021 interrogation for Exemplars successful Global Health. "So, I was forced to read, and came crossed Albert Schweitzer, and became funny successful Africa, and successful medicine."

Following aesculapian school, and years earlier helium served arsenic manager of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Foege was a subordinate of the CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Service, arsenic good arsenic the Peace Corps, and studied astatine Harvard School of Public Health, wherever his involvement successful smallpox took hold.

Smallpox vaccination campaigns were good established by that time. In fact, the illness was nary longer seen successful the U.S. But infections inactive occurred elsewhere.

As a aesculapian missionary successful Nigeria successful the 1960s, Foege and his colleagues developed a "ring containment" strategy, successful which a smallpox outbreak was contained by identifying each smallpox lawsuit and vaccinating everyone with whom the patients mightiness travel into contact. The method relied heavy connected speedy detective enactment and was calved retired of necessity; determination simply wasn't capable vaccine disposable to immunize everyone, Foege wrote successful his 2011 publication "House connected Fire."

It worked, and was instrumental successful ending the dispersed of the disease. The past naturally-occurring lawsuit of smallpox was spotted successful Somalia successful 1977. Three years later, the World Health Organization declared smallpox eradicated for good.

From 1977 to 1983, Foege was manager of the CDC. He was aboriginal enforcement manager astatine The Carter Center, and elder chap astatine the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2012, helium received the Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. He was called "the Father of Global Health" by Duke University President Richard Brodhead.

Foege said successful the 2021 interrogation that helium advises students to deliberation astir editing their ain obituary each day:

"'You won't recognize it, but if you aftermath up successful the greeting knowing that you're going to edit your obituary, it makes a quality what you volition effort to bash that day.' Is determination a unifying tract mentation successful each this? Yes. We beryllium to a radical of optimists who judge that we tin alteration the future. So, you aftermath up each greeting knowing that you're changing the future."

"Uncle Floyd" Vivino

Beginning successful the mid-1970s, "The Uncle Floyd Show" was a low-rent affair, broadcast from a UHF presumption whose studios were housed successful an existent location successful West Orange, New Jersey. Hosted by comedian and soft subordinate Floyd Vivino (Oct. 19, 1951- Jan. 22, 2026), with a puppet named Oogie and a menagerie of vaudevillian sidekicks, the bid — filled with corny jokes and skits, honky-tonk piano, philharmonic acts, and letters from viewers — was ostensibly a children's assortment show, but it played much arsenic a parody of kids amusement hosts similar Soupy Sales (and presaged aboriginal ironic kids shows similar "Pee-Wee's Playhouse").

"We produced the shows without a publication and ne'er a rehearsal," he told NJ Arts successful 2024.

The amusement appealed to older kids and to punk artists (Cyndi Lauper, Bon Jovi and The Ramones were philharmonic guests). When David Bowie met Vivino backstage astatine a New York appearance, helium told him he'd learned of "The Uncle Floyd Show" from John Lennon. Bowie adjacent name-checked Uncle Floyd successful his opus "Slip Away."

"The Uncle Floyd Show" developed a cult following. A broadcast model connected NBC's late-night docket successful the aboriginal '80s, airing aft David Letterman, was short-lived, and the amusement returned to cablegram until 2001.

Vivino, who hailed from a theatrical household and attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts successful New York, wore his emotion for each things New Jersey connected his sleeve. (His anthem was "Deep successful the Heart of Jersey.") In summation to his unrecorded revue shows and foundation events, helium hosted vigor broadcasts and podcasts, and made a fewer movie appearances, including playing an Armed Forces Radio DJ other Robin Williams successful "Good Morning, Vietnam."

In a 2011 paper interview, Vivino described giving a show portion a precocious schoolhouse pupil successful Glen Rock, N.J. successful 1968: "The orchestra was playing 'Everything Is Coming Up Roses' and I felt the unreserved of 600 radical clapping for me. It was past and determination that I knew I was going to beryllium an entertainer. I did not beryllium connected the hoops tribunal oregon successful the subject lab."

Valentino

The designs of Valentino Garavani (May 11, 1932-Jan. 19, 2026) were fashion-show staples for astir fractional a century. Known by his archetypal name, Valentino clothed royals, archetypal ladies and movie stars, from Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Princess Diana and Queen Rania of Jordan, to Julia Roberts and Cate Blanchett.

Born into an affluent household successful the bluish Italian municipality of Voghera, his emotion of movies — and movie stars — pb him to fashion. He studied successful Milan and Paris, and worked for designers Jean Desses and Guy Laroche, earlier launching his ain steadfast successful Rome successful 1959.

"Why I ever thought I could spell retired connected my ain similar that, God lone knows," Valentino told The New Yorker successful 2005. "But my parents gave maine a small wealth and I started. I had nary thought what I was getting into. Sometimes ignorance is simply a fantastic thing."

Besides his trademark shadiness of red, Valentino's recognized flourishes included bows, ruffles, lace and embroidery.

Valentino's steadfast would grow to see ready-to-wear, menswear and accessories. In 1998, helium and his partner, Giancarlo Giammetti, sold the statement to an Italian holding institution for an estimated $300 million, with Valentino remaining successful a plan relation until 2008.

In a 2016 interrogation with The Talks, Valentino said quality was the astir important happening to him: "Since I was a kid I loved the mode a formal looks, I admired a large face, a beauteous body. I bask the quality successful a woman, successful a man, successful a child, successful a painting. Beautiful things are important and marque beingness important. Since I was a kid, I've been encouraging myself to admit beauty."

Bob Weir

In 1963, Jerry Garcia met vocalist and instrumentalist Bob Weir (Oct. 16, 1947-Jan. 10, 2026) successful a Palo Alto, California, euphony shop. Weir was 16, struggling successful schoolhouse but showing committedness connected the guitar. With drummer Bill Kreutzmann, bassist Phil Lesh and keyboardist Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, they soon founded what became 1 of the world's astir beloved bands, creating improvisational jams of blues, jazz, folk, state and psychedelia.

The Grateful Dead grew into a touring powerhouse, playing for an service of loyal fans arsenic they built a beingness spreading from the San Francisco Bay Area. Over 3 decades they lone had 1 Top 10 deed (1987's "Touch of Grey"), but astatine their peak, they took successful $50 cardinal oregon much a twelvemonth from unrecorded shows. In the days earlier societal media and viral marketing, "Deadheads" were encouraged to grounds concerts and commercialized tapes, creating an archive of show creation unparalleled successful the euphony industry.

"Longevity was ne'er a large interest of ours," Weir said during the 2025 Grammys, erstwhile the Dead received the MusiCares Persons of the Year honor. "Spreading joyousness done the euphony was each we ever truly had successful mind, and we got plentifulness of that done."

It looked similar the "long, unusual trip" would extremity erstwhile Garcia died successful 1995 astatine the property of 53. But the Dead continued — and Weir was instrumental successful keeping the dependable of San Francisco's counterculture alive. The remaining set members played unneurotic and, successful collaboration with guitarist John Mayer, besides toured arsenic Dead & Company. Weir besides released unrecorded albums with Wolf Bros., and adjacent performed Dead euphony with symphony orchestras — genuinely classical rock. Weir besides founded the Tamalpais Research Institute, a high-tech workplace for streaming unrecorded audio and video connected the internet.

In 2024 the Grateful Dead were named Kennedy Center Honorees.

"A opus is simply a surviving critter," Weir told "Sunday Morning" successful 2022. "If I whitethorn wax hippie metaphysical for you, the characters successful those songs are real. They unrecorded successful immoderate different world, and they travel and sojourn america done the musicians, done the artists who person dedicated their lives to being that mean and inviting those critters from different worlds to travel and sojourn our satellite and entertain the folks, due to the fact that that's each they privation to do. It's they conscionable privation to conscionable america and we conscionable them, and that's what we do."

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