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Associated Press

Among the entertainers who left the world this year was singer Tina Turner, who died May 24. Turner`s powerful voice and stage presence brought her fame across multiple decades.

Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2023. 

JANUARY

Fred White, 67. A drummer who backed up his brothers Maurice and Verdine White in the Grammy-winning ensemble Earth, Wind & Fire. Jan. 1.

Lynette "Diamond" Hardaway, 51. An ardent supporter of former President Donald Trump and one half of the conservative political commentary duo Diamond and Silk. Jan. 8.

Lisa Marie Presley, 54. The only child of Elvis Presley and a singer-songwriter dedicated to her father’s legacy. Jan. 12.

Robbie Knievel, 60. An American stunt performer who set records with daredevil motorcycle jumps following in the tire tracks of his thrill-seeking father Evel Knievel. Jan. 13.

Barrett Strong, 81. One of Motown’s founding artists and most gifted songwriters who sang lead on the company’s breakthrough single "Money (That’s What I Want)" and collaborated with Norman Whitfield on such classics as "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," "War" and "Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone." Jan. 28.

FEBRUARY

Burt Bacharach, 94. The singularly gifted and popular composer who delighted millions with the quirky arrangements and unforgettable melodies of "Walk on By," "Do You Know the Way to San Jose" and dozens of other hits. Feb. 8.

David Jude Jolicoeur, 54. Widely known as Trugoy the Dove, he was one of the founding members of the Long Island hip hop trio De La Soul. Feb. 12.

Huey "Piano" Smith, 89. A beloved New Orleans session musician who backed Little Richard, Lloyd Price and other early rock stars, and with his own group made the party favorites "Don’t You Just Know It" and "Rockin’ Pneumonia and Boogie Woogie Flu." Feb. 13.

James Abourezk, 92. A South Dakota Democrat who grew up on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, became the first Arab American U.S. senator and was known for his quick wit as he advocated for populist causes. Feb. 24.

Gérard Latortue, 88. A former interim prime minister of Haiti who Helped rebuild and unite the country after a violent coup in the mid-2000s. Feb. 27. 

MARCH

Gloria Bosman, age unknown. A smooth-voiced South African jazz musician who was lauded for her contribution to the country’s music industry in a Career spanning more than two decades. March 14.

Lance Reddick, 60. A character actor who specialized in intense, icy and possibly sinister authority figures on TV and film, including "The Wire," Fringe" and the "John Wick" franchise. March 17.

Willis Reed, 80. He dramatically emerged from the locker room minutes before Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals to spark the New York Knicks to their first championship and create one of sports’ most enduring examples of playing through pain. March 21. 

APRIL

Harry Belafonte, 96. The civil rights and entertainment giant who began as a groundbreaking actor and singer and became an activist, humanitarian and conscience of the world. April 25. Carolyn Bryant Donham, 88. The white woman who accused Black teenager Emmett Till of making improper advances leading to his lynching in Mississippi in 1955. April 25.

Larry "Gator" Rivers, 73. He helped integrate high school basketball in Georgia before playing for the Harlem Globetrotters and becoming a county commissioner in his native Savannah. April 29.

MAY

Tori Bowie, 32. The sprinter who won three Olympic medals at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. May 2. Complications of childbirth.

Vida Blue, 73. A hard-throwing lefthander who became one of baseball’s biggest draws in the early 1970s and helped lead the brash A’s to three straight World Series titles before his career was derailed by drug problems. May 6.

Grace Bumbry, 86. A pioneering mezzo-soprano who became the first Black singer to perform at Germany’s Bayreuth Festival during a more than three-decade career on the world’s top stages. May 7.

Jim Brown, 87. The pro football Hall of Famer was an unstoppable running back who retired at the peak of his career to become an actor as well as a prominent civil rights advocate during the 1960s. May 18.

Tina Turner, 83. The unstoppable singer and stage performer who teamed with husband Ike Turner for a dynamic run of hit records and live shows in the 1960s and ’70s and survived her horrifying marriage to triumph in middle age with the chart-topping "What’s Love Got to Do With It." May 24.

JUNE

Daniel Ellsberg, 92. The history-making whistleblower who by leaking the Pentagon Papers revealed longtime government doubts and deceit about the Vietnam War and inspired acts of retaliation by President Richard Nixon that helped lead to his resignation. June 16.

Big Pokey, 48. A popular Texas rapper and original member of Houston’s pioneering Screwed Up Click. June 18. H. Lee Sarokin, 94. The federal judge who freed boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter and in a landmark case famously said tobacco companies engaged in a "vast" conspiracy to conceal the dangers of smoking. June 20.

JULY

André Watts, 77. A pianist whose televised debut with the New York Philharmonic as a 16-year-old in 1963 launched an international career of more than a half-century. July 12. AUGUST

Sheila Oliver, 71. The New Jersey lieutenant governor rose to become one of the state’s most prominent Black leaders and passionately advocated for revitalizing cities and against gun violence. Aug. 1.

Sixto Rodriguez, 81. He lived in obscurity as his music career flamed out early in the U.S. only to find success in South Africa and a stardom of which he was unaware. Aug. 8.

Magoo, 50. The rapper known for his work in the hip-hop duo Timbaland & Magoo and hit song "Up Jumps da Boogie" featuring Aaliyah and Missy Elliott. Aug. 13.

Clarence Avant, 92. The judicious manager, entrepreneur, facilitator and adviser who helped launch or guide the careers of Quincy Jones, Bill Withers and many others and was known as the "Black Godfather" of music and beyond. Aug. 13.

Ada Deer, 88. An esteemed Native American leader from Wisconsin and the first woman to lead the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Aug. 15.

Betty Tyson, 75. Convicted in a 1973 murder, she spent 25 years in prison before being exonerated on the basis of new evidence. Aug. 17.

Ron Cephas Jones, 66. A veteran stage actor who won two Emmy Awards for his role as a long-lost father who finds redemption on the NBC television drama series "This Is Us." Aug. 19. Samuel "Joe" Wurzelbacher, 49. He was thrust into the political spotlight as "Joe the Plumber" after questioning Barack Obama about his economic policies during the 2008 presidential campaign. Aug. 27. 

SEPTEMBER

Jimmy Buffett, 76. The singer-songwriter who popularized beach bum soft rock with the escapist Caribbeanflavored song "Margaritaville" and turned that celebration of loafing into a billion-dollar empire of restaurants, resorts and frozen concoctions. Sept. 1. Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, 95. The controversial South African politician and traditional minister of the Zulu ethnic group. Sept. 9.

Dianne Feinstein, 90. A centrist Democrat from California and champion of liberal causes who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1992 and broke gender barriers throughout her long career in local and national politics. Sept. 28.

OCTOBER

Hughes Van Ellis, 102. He was the youngest known survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre and spent his latter years pursuing justice for his family and other descendants of the attack on "Black Wall Street." Oct. 9.

Louise Meriwether, 100. The author and activist whose coming-of-age novel "Daddy Was a Number Runner" is widely regarded as a groundbreaking and vital portrait of race, gender and class. Oct. 10.

Rudolph Isley, 84. A founding member of the Isley Brothers who helped perform such raw rhythm and blues classics as "Shout" and "Twist and Shout" and the funky hits "That Lady" and "It’s Your Thing." Oct. 11.

Richard Roundtree, 81. The trailblazing actor who starred as the ultrasmooth private detective in several "Shaft" films beginning in the early 1970s. Oct. 24. NOVEMBER

George "Funky" Brown, 74. The cofounder and longtime drummer of Kool & The Gang who helped write such hits as "Too Hot," "Ladies Night," "Joanna" and the party favorite "Celebration." Nov. 16.

Rosalynn Carter, 96. The former first lady was the closest adviser to Jimmy Carter during his one term as U.S. president and their four decades thereafter as global humanitarians. Nov. 19. DECEMBER

Sandra Day O’Connor, 93. The former U.S. Supreme Court justice was an unwavering voice of moderate conservatism and the first woman to serve on the nation’s highest court. Dec. 1.

Juanita Castro, 90. The of Cuban rulers Fidel and Raúl Castro, who worked with the CIA against her siblings’ communist government. Dec. 4.

Norman Lear, 101. The writer, director and producer who revolutionized prime-time television with "All in the Family," "The Jeffersons" and "Maude," propelling political and social turmoil into the once insulated world of TV sitcoms. Dec. 5.

Andre Braugher, 61. The Emmy-winning actor who would master gritty drama for seven seasons on "Homicide: Life on The Street" and modern comedy for eight on "Brooklyn 99." Dec. 11.

Zahara, 36. She rose from an impoverished rural background to find rapid fame with multi-platinum selling albums and delivered her unique version of wistful Afro-soul in her country’s isiXhosa language and in English. Dec. 11.

George McGinnis, 73. A Hall of Fame forward who was a two-time ABA champion and three-time All-Star in the NBA and ABA. Dec. 14.