The year’s just started but we’re already had to say goodbye to some important celebrities in 2026. Some of them are well known by everyone across the world. Others are only well-known in their fields. Either way, they all deserve to be celebrated for the lives they lead and the impact they made. Here is a list of celebrity deaths in January 2026 so far.
Diane Crump – January 1, 2026
Born May 18, 1948, in Milford, Connecticut, Diane Crump chased horses. That choice put her under police escort at Hialeah Park on February 7, 1969, when she became the first licensed woman to ride in a U.S. pari-mutuel race. A year later, she showed up at the Kentucky Derby on Fathom and finished 15th. Across 228 wins before retiring in 1998, she changed who belonged. After racing, she trained horses and worked therapy programs. Churchill Downs president Mike Anderson called her “an iconic trailblazer who admirably fulfilled her childhood dreams.”
Sidney Kibrick – January 2, 2026
Sidney Henry Kibrick, the kid you remember as Woim, the tough little echo behind Butch in Our Gang, died on January 2, 2026, in Los Angeles. He was 97. Born July 2, 1928, in Minneapolis, Kibrick hit Hollywood at five after an agent spotted him during a movie outing. That luck landed him dozens of shorts later branded as The Little Rascals. Acting paid the bills, but it felt like a job, so he quit by 11, studied at University of Southern California, and built a real estate career. He stayed close to George Spanky McFarland, showed up for reunions, and outlived every regular from the gang.
Eva Schloss – January 3, 2026
Eva Schloss died in London on January 3, 2026, aged 96. Born in Vienna in 1929, she escaped Nazi Austria, hid in Amsterdam, got betrayed, survived Auschwitz-Birkenau, and lost her father and brother before she turned 16. Later, she studied art, married refugee Zvi Schloss, raised three daughters, and became Anne Frank’s posthumous stepsister after her mother married Otto Frank in 1953. For years she stayed silent. Then she spoke everywhere. Schools. Forums. Everywhere. King Charles III said he and Queen Camilla were “privileged and proud to have known her.”
Michael Reagan – January 4, 2026
Michael Reagan, born John Charles Flaugher on March 18, 1945, grew up adopted by Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman, then carved his own lane. You probably heard him before you read him. Acting came first, yes, even Falcon Crest, but radio stuck. The Michael Reagan Show ran nationwide and never whispered. He wrote about family and faith, spoke often at the Reagan Presidential Library, and guarded a legacy. Fred Ryan called him a “steadfast guardian of his father’s legacy” who “used his voice to champion freedom, personal responsibility, and the principles that defined his father’s presidency.” He died January 4, 2026, in Los Angeles, after cancer. He was 80. Scott Walker remembered him as “a wonderful inspiration,” the guy who kept nudging younger conservatives forward.
Bob Pulford – January 5, 2026
Bob Pulford packed five decades of NHL life into one résumé and still found time to win four Stanley Cups. Born March 31, 1936, in Newton Robinson, Ontario, he grew up in Weston, chased pucks with the Toronto Marlboros, then joined the Maple Leafs at 21. By 31, he was lifting his fourth Cup. After 1,079 games and 643 points, he didn’t slow down. He organized players as the NHLPA’s first president, coached the Kings, then spent over 30 years fixing, guiding, and steadying the Chicago Blackhawks. Gary Bettman called him someone who “left an indelible mark on the game.” Pulford died January 5, 2026. He was 89.
Jawann Oldham – January 5, 2026
Jawann Oldham stood 7 feet tall and somehow still felt bigger in Seattle. Born July 4, 1957, in Chicago, he grew up turning Cleveland High School into a problem for everyone else. Back-to-back state titles in the mid-1970s did that. The Seattle Times crowned that squad the “Team of the Century,” and the school locked his jersey away in 2011. You might remember him grinding through 10 NBA seasons after going No. 41 in the 1980 draft, swatting shots for eight teams. After 329 games, he took the game overseas, building leagues in Asia. Oldham died January 5, 2026. He was 68. He leaves behind his daughter, Jasmine.
Elle Scott – January 5, 2026
Elle Simone Scott didn’t tiptoe into food media. She kicked the door open and told you to pull up a chair. Born LaShawnda Sherise Simone Scott on November 28, 1976, in Detroit, she started as a social worker before the 2008 recession wiped out her job, car, and home. So she pivoted. Cruise ship kitchens. New York City. Culinary school. By 2016, she made history as the first Black woman on America’s Test Kitchen. Diagnosed with stage-1 ovarian cancer that same year, she stayed honest and loud. Carla Hall called her “a force and a trailblazer.” She died January 5, 2026, at 49. Her voice still echoes.
Jim McBride – January 6, 2026
Country music lost Jim McBride on January 6, 2026. He was 78, Alabama-born, and stubborn about craft. Born Jimmy Ray McBride in Huntsville on April 28, 1947, he grew up on the Grand Ole Opry, graduated Lee High School in 1965, then chased songs. You know the results. After Conway Twitty cut an early tune, McBride moved to Nashville in 1980 and stayed busy. Alan Jackson collaborations like Chattahoochee and Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow still play loud. Five No. 1s followed. Jerry Salley said McBride was “instrumental in helping write America’s Country Music Songbook.” Your playlist agrees today, tomorrow, always.
Glenn Hall – January 7, 2026
Glenn Henry Hall didn’t just guard the net. He dared it to blink. Born October 3, 1931, in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Glenn Hall rewrote what durability meant, starting 502 straight NHL games between 1955 and 1963. No mask. Just nerve. You watch goalies rotate now and forget one man once refused a night off. Hall won the Calder in 1956, a Stanley Cup with the Chicago Black Hawks in 1961, and even grabbed the Conn Smythe in a losing Final with the St. Louis Blues in 1968. Gary Bettman said it best: “Glenn was sturdy, dependable, and a spectacular talent in net.” Mr. Goalie never flinched.
T.K. Carter – January 9, 2026
Thomas Kent “T.K.” Carter died on January 9, 2026, at 69, and if you’ve watched TV anytime since the late ’70s, you’ve seen his work, even if you didn’t clock his name. Born December 18, 1956, in New York City and raised in Southern California, Carter started hustling early, doing stand-up at 12 and Neil Simon plays in high school. Horror fans know him forever as Nauls in The Thing, the guy cooking and skating like the apocalypse wasn’t outside. Sitcom kids remember him as the calm teacher on Punky Brewster. Five decades, zero fuss. Just solid work, done right.
Bob Weir – January 10, 2026
Bob Weir died on January 10, 2026, at 78, after a cancer diagnosis complicated by underlying lung issues. If you ever followed the long, strange trip of the Grateful Dead, you know Weir wasn’t a sidekick. He was the glue. From co-writing “Sugar Magnolia” with Robert Hunter to steering “Truckin’” alongside Jerry Garcia, he made rhythm feel restless. Margo Price said, “Bob was a sage- a profoundly wise, musical guru who taught me so much about songs, art, melody, meditation and being in the moment. He was unlike most rock stars in that he was unpretentious, deep and rooted in knowing who he was. Bobby vibrated with magic. He was both ancient and young- he always had a twinkle in his eye.” That twinkle carried from Palo Alto street jams at 16 to Dead & Company shows in August 2025.
Scott Adams – January 13, 2026
Scott Adams, 68, died Tuesday after metastatic cancer. He built “Dilbert,” then torched it with Trump-era blogs and a livestream calling Black people a “hate group.” Want a takeaway? Keep your brand louder than your politics, fact-check your feed, and log off sooner. “There’s only one direction this goes now.”
Isiah Whitlock – December 30, 2025
Actor Isiah Whitlock Jr. died December 30, 2025, at 71, and you probably hear Clay Davis before you picture him. Across five seasons of The Wire, he turned a corrupt Maryland senator into appointment TV. You also caught him stealing scenes in Cedar Rapids, BlacKkKlansman, and Cocaine Bear. Loud laugh. Sharp timing. He stuck. Movies kept calling; audiences kept listening.
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