All the famous people we lost in 2021 – from RTE Radio star and Peaky Blinders actor to tragic death of Sarah Harding

A difficult 2021 saw the deaths of several icons Sarah Harding, Charlie Watts from The Rolling Stones, and many Irish stars including Simon Young, and Des “Snitchy” Ferguson.

Hollywood lost several entertainers: including legendary composer Stephen Sondheim, award-winning actress Helen McCrory, rapper DMX, actress and Saved by the Bell’s Dustin Diamond.

The Irish Mirror takes a look at all the singers, actors, and sports stars we lost in 2021.

Simon Young (RTE radio star) (October 31, 2021, aged 70)

Thomas Meade, better known as Simon Young, was a much-loved Irish radio and television presenter with RTÉ 2fm. He started in pirate radio and DJ’ing in the 1970s.

Mr Young was a familiar face in the 1990s, known for his presenting duties and his work on shows like Den TV, the Beatbox and Pay the Price.

In the 80s, he presented shows titled Simon’s Choice or Simon’s Saturday Choice on Saturday mornings between 10:00-13:00pm.

His cause of death was not revealed.

Helen McCrory (April 16, 2021, aged 52)

Beloved British actress Helen McCrory passed away in April after battling Breast Cancer.

Announcing the death on Twitter, husband Damian Lewis stated that she had died “peacefully at home, surrounded by a wave of love from friends and family”

The star’s most high-profile role was sinister Slytherin Narcissa Malfoy in the Harry Potter film franchise, but McCrory’s stage and screen work were full of incredible performances, from Lady Macbeth and Medea to the scheming Aunt Polly on Peaky Blinders. Helen and her husband Damian Lewis chose to keep her diagnosis private.

Prince Philip (April 9, 2021 age 99)

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. He was the consort of the British monarch from Elizabeth’s accession on 6 February 1952 until his death in 2021, making him the longest-serving royal consort in history.

He had a reputation for bluntness and plain-speaking, Philip was noted for occasionally making observations and jokes that have been construed as either funny or politically incorrect.

His cause of death is noted as “old age”, two months before his 100th birthday.

Paddy Moloney (October 12, 2021, aged 83)

Talented Paddy Moloney was an Irish musician, composer, and record producer. He co-founded and led the Irish musical group the Chieftains, playing on all of their 44 albums. He was particularly associated with the revival of the uilleann pipes.

Paddy passed away suddenly in a Dublin hospital.

Nikki Grahame (April 9, 2021, age 38)

Reality TV star Nikki Grahame, was an English tv personality, model and author. She was a contestant on the seventh series of Big Brother UK in 2006. Among those who paid tributes were former Big Brother UK presenter Davina McCall.

Sarah Harding (September 5, 2021, aged 39)

Sarah Harding was a popular English singer, model and actress. Her professional career began in 2002 when she successfully auditioned for the ITV reality series Popstars: The Rivals, during which Harding won a place in the girl group Girls Aloud.

Among those who paid tributes were her former Girls Aloud bandmates: Nadine Coyle and Nicola Roberts said they were “absolutely devastated”; Kimberley Walsh added that her “heart was broken”; and Cheryl stated that Harding would be “forever in their hearts”.

A number of celebrities took to their social media and also paid tribute to Harding.

Alan McLoughlin, (May 4, 2021, aged 54)

Alan McLoughlin was an Irish professional footballer and coach, who played as a midfielder for the Republic of Ireland and various English club sides. Former Ireland international Alan McLoughlin has died after a battle with cancer.

In 2014, his book, A Different Shade Of Green, was published by Ballpoint Press, as McLoughlin reflected on his life and career.

Willie Garson (September 21, aged 57)

William Garson Paszamant was an American actor. He appeared in over 75 films and more than 300 TV episodes.

He was known for playing Stanford Blatch on the HBO series Sex and the City and in the related films Sex and the City and Sex and the City 2.

Leon Brennan of the Clannad Family (17th December 2021)

Leon was the brother of Irish Singer Enya worked as Irish band Clannad’s tour and production manager and was behind the scenes with the group for 35 years. He was the brother of the band’s frontwoman Moya Brennan, who has said she is heartbroken following the death of her brother Leon.

The family’s pub Leo’s Tavern is known as a centre of music in the Irish-speaking Gweedore area of Donegal. Leo’s Tavern was closed in a mark of respect.

Charlie Watts (24 August 2021 aged 80)

Charlie Watts was an English musician who achieved international fame as the drummer of the Rolling Stones from 1963 until his death at a London hospital on 24 August 2021, at the age of 80, with his family around him. Watts’s bandmates Jagger, Richards and Wood paid tribute to him, along with former bandmate Wyman.

Several other celebrities and rock musicians paid tribute to Watts following his death, including Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Elton John, the members of U2, Bryan Adams, Liam Gallagher, Brian May, Roger Taylor. For 10 days, the contents of the Rolling Stones’ official website were replaced with a single picture of Watts in his memory.

Virgil Abloh (November 28, 2021 aged 41)

Virgil Abloh was a famous American fashion designer and entrepreneur. He was the artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear collection.

Abloh showed his first collection for Louis Vuitton at the 2018 Men’s Fashion Week at the Palais-Royal gardens in Paris.

Rihanna was the first well-known person to wear Abloh prior to this watershed show.

In 2019, Abloh was diagnosed with cardiac angiosarcoma, a type of cancer, though he kept the diagnosis private.

Abloh’s private funeral took place on December 6, 2021, in Chicago, with Drake, Rihanna, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Kid Cudi, Tyler, the Creator, A$AP Rocky, Frank Ocean, Vic Mensa, and Lauryn Hill.

DMX (April 9, 2021 aged 50)

Earl Simmons, known by his stage name DMX, was an American rapper and actor. He began rapping in the early 1990s and released his debut album It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot in 1998.

When DMX partnered with Jay-Z and Ja Rule in Murder Inc., there was a feud between the two, which also contributed to the failure of the group and working together.

Simmons said he became addicted to crack cocaine when he was 14 years old after Ready Ron tricked him into smoking a marijuana cigarette laced with the drug. He also said that he had bipolar disorder.

His cause of death was a cocaine-induced heart attack.

Sean Lock (August 16, 2021 aged 58)

Sean Lock was an English comedian and actor. He began his comedy career as a comedian and in 2000 won the British Comedy Award, in the category of Best Live Comic, and was nominated for the Perrier Comedy Award.

He was a team captain on the Channel 4 comedy panel show 8 Out of 10 Cats from 2005 to 2015, and on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown from 2012 until his death in 2021.

Lock died of cancer at his home, aged 58.

According to Bill Bailey, a close friend of Lock’s, he had been diagnosed with “advanced” lung cancer “a few years ago”.

Dustin Diamond ( February 1, 2021 aged 44)

Dustin Neil Diamond was an American actor, director, stand-up comedian, musician, and occasional professional wrestler, best known for his role as Samuel “Screech” Powers throughout the Saved by the Bell franchise.

In 2006, Diamond directed and released his own celebrity sex tape, Screeched – Saved by the Smell. In early January 2021, Diamond was diagnosed with extensive stage four small cell carcinoma of the lungs. He completed one round of chemotherapy in Cape Coral, Florida, but died from the disease aged 44.

Dieter Brummer (24 July 2021 aged 45)

Dieter Kirk Brummer was an Australian actor. He was best known for his roles in television soap operas, including playing Shane Parrish in Home and Away from 1992 to 1996 and Troy Miller in Neighbours from 2011 to 2012. He died by suicide.

Captain Sir Tom Moore (2 February 2021 aged 100)

Captain Sir Thomas Moore, more popularly known as Captain Tom, was a British Army officer and fundraiser who made international headlines in 2020 when he raised money for charity in the run-up to his 100th birthday during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On 6 April 2020, at the age of 99, Moore began to walk one hundred lengths of his garden in aid of NHS Charities Together, with the goal of raising £1,000 by his 100th birthday on 30 April.

Over a week before Moore’s 100th birthday, so many cards had been sent to him that Royal Mail had had to introduce dedicated sorting facilities and around 20 volunteers were recruited to open and display them, at the local Bedford School.

By his birthday, over 150,000 cards had been received.

Larry King (January 23, 2021 aged 87)

Larry King was an American television and radio host, whose awards included two Peabodys, an Emmy and ten Cable ACE Awards.

Over his career, he hosted over 50,000 interviews. Larry gained prominence in 1978 as host of The Larry King Show, an all-night nationwide call-in radio program heard on the Mutual Broadcasting System.

From 1985 to 2010, he hosted the nightly interview television program Larry King Live on CNN. King hosted Larry King Now from 2012 to 2020, which aired on Hulu.

On January 2, 2021, it was revealed that King had been hospitalised with Covid-19, and then died of Sepsis as a complication.

Randy Parton (January 21, 2021 aged 67)

Randel Huston “Randy” Parton was an American singer-songwriter, actor and businessman.

He was the younger brother of Dolly and Stella Parton and the older brother of actress Rachel Dennison. Parton was the first person to record the song “Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)” in 1982 and played bass for sister Dolly. Randy Parton died of cancer on January 21, 2021, at age 67.

Tom Hickey (Irish actor) (1 May 2021 aged 76)

Tom Hickey was an Irish actor who appeared on stage and screen in a career that began in the early 1960s. He was best known for playing Benjy Riordan for over 16 years in the long-running television series, The Riordans.

In 2013, Hickey was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

During an interview on The Marian Finucane Show in 2015, he spoke of his determination to continue acting despite the onset of this condition.

Hickey died in May 2021 with tributes paid by President Michael D. Higgins.

Gavan O’Herlihy (September 15, 2021 aged 70)

Gavan O’Herlihy was an Irish-born American actor. He has over thirty screen credits to his name, most of them in the roles of villains and antagonists. He was known for playing Chuck Cunningham in the first episodes of Happy Days, as well as his appearances in films such as Never Say Never Again, Death Wish 3, Willow, and Superman III.

O’Herlihy and his wife Juliette had four children. He died at the age of 70 of undisclosed causes. His death was not COVID-related

Des ‘Snitchy’ Ferguson (November 2, 2021 aged 91)

Legendary Dublin dual player Desmond Ferguson was a Gaelic footballer who played for the Dublin team. He played Left wing-forward and played his club football and with St Vincents. He won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship with Dublin in 1958 and 1963, including four Leinster titles.

A woodwork teacher, St Vincent’s club man Ferguson later moved to Meath and was one of the founding members of Gaeil Colmcille.