We remember the legends we said goodbye to in 2022

As we welcome 2023,
let’s not forget those we said farewell to in 2022.

Let’s pause to remember some of the local and international legends and historical icons who have inspired us, entertained us,
and who will always be remembered*


Leslie Philips	Queen Elizabeth II	June Brown
Died aged 98	Died aged 96	Died aged 95
He was an English actor, director, producer and author. He achieved prominence in the 1950s, playing smooth, upper-class comic roles utilising his Ding dong and Hello catchphrases. He appeared in the Carry On and Doctor in the House film series as well as the long-running BBC radio comedy series The Navy Lark.	Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regent of 32 sovereign states during her lifetime, and was head of state of 15 realms at the time of her death. Her reign of 70 years and 214 days was the longest of any British monarch and the longest verified reign of any female monarch in history.	June Muriel Brown OBE (16 February 1927 – 3 April 2022) was an English actress and author. She was best known for her role as Dot Cotton on the BBC soap opera EastEnders (1985–1993; 1997–2020). In 2005, she won Best Actress at the Inside Soap Awards and received the Lifetime Achievement award at The British Soap Awards. Brown was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) 2008 and promoted to an OBE in the 2022 New Year Honours.



Former Pope Benedict XVI	Sidney Poitier	Jack Higgins
Died aged 95	Died aged 94	Died aged 93
Pope Benedict XVI (born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict chose to be known as "Pope emeritus" upon his resignation and he retained this title until his death in December 2022.	Sidney Poitier KBE (February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was a Bahamian and American actor, film director, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. He received two Golden Globe Awards, a British Academy of Film and Television Arts award (BAFTA), and a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album.	Henry "Harry" Patterson, commonly known by his pen name Jack Higgins, was a British author. He was a best-selling author of popular thrillers and espionage novels. His novel The Eagle Has Landed (1975) sold more than 50 million copies and was adapted into a successful 1976 movie of the same title.



Loretta Lynn	Nichelle Nichols	Prof Heinz Prekel
Died aged 90	Died aged 89	Died aged 89
Loretta Lynn (April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. She had numerous hits such as: I'm a Honky Tonk Girl, Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind), One's on the Way, Fist City, and Coal Miner's Daughter. In 1980, the film Coal Miner's Daughter was made based on her life.	Nichelle Nichols, born Grace Dell Nichols; December 28, 1932 – July 30, 2022) was an American actress, singer, and dancer best known for her portrayal of Nyota Uhura in Star Trek and its film sequels. Nichols' portrayal of Uhura was groundbreaking for African American actresses on American television. From 1977 until 2015, Nichols volunteered her time to promote NASA's programs and recruit diverse astronauts, including some of the first female and ethnic minority astronauts.	The man at the tip of the spear of South Africa’s transition from imperial to metric measurements. Prekel was instrumental in South Africa’s transition from furlongs per fortnight to grams, metres, and litres.



Jerry Lee Lewis	James Caan	Pelé
Died aged 87	Died aged 82	Died aged 82
Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935 – October 28, 2022) was an American pianist, singer and songwriter. Nicknamed The Killer, he was described as rock 'n' roll's first great wild man. Crazy Arms sold 300,000 copies in the Southern United States, but it was his 1957 hit Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On that shot Lewis to worldwide fame. He followed this with the major hits Great Balls of Fire, Breathless, and High School Confidential.	James Edmund Caan (March 26, 1940 – July 6, 2022) was an American actor. He came to prominence playing Sonny Corleone in The Godfather (1972) – a performance which earned him Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor. He reprised his role in The Godfather Part II (1974). He received a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1978	Edson Arantes do Nascimento (23 October 1940 – 29 December 2022), better known by his nickname Pelé, was a Brazilian professional footballer. Regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and labelled the greatest by FIFA, he was among the most successful and popular sports figures of the 20th century. In 1999, he was named Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee and was included in the Time list of the 100 most important people of the 20th century



John Berks	Christine McVie	Barry Ronge
Died aged 80	Died aged 79	Died aged 74
John Berks (born John Berkowitz; 24 August 1941 – 4 June 2022) was a well-known South African radio presenter. Known for his role as a breakfast presenter on Radio 702 in Johannesburg. His broadcast career covered many countries in Southern Africa and stretched from 1964 until 2001.	Christine Anne McVie (12 July 1943 – 30 November 2022) was an English musician and songwriter. She was best known as keyboardist and one of the vocalists of Fleetwood Mac. As a member of Fleetwood Mac, McVie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 1998 received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.	Barry Johann Ronge (30 December 1947 – 3 July 2022) was a South African journalist, columnist, writer, broadcaster, movie reviewer and raconteur. He was one of the country's best-known movie critics as well as one of its most widely read (and discussed) columnists. Ronge was best known for his Spit and Polish column in the Sunday Times, his movie reviews for the same newspaper, and his Sunday evening show on Radio 702.



Ivana Trump	Robbie Coltrane	William Hurt
Died aged 73	Died aged 72	Died aged 71
Ivana Marie Trump (February 20, 1949 – July 14, 2022) was a Czech-American businesswoman, media personality, socialite, fashion designer, author, and model. Ivana lived in Canada in the 1970s before relocating to the United States and marrying Donald Trump in 1977. She held key managerial positions in The Trump Organization as vice president of interior design, as CEO and president of Trump's Castle casino resort, and as manager of the Plaza Hotel.	Anthony Robert McMillan OBE (30 March 1950 – 14 October 2022), known professionally as Robbie Coltrane, was a Scottish actor and comedian. He gained worldwide recognition in the 2000s for playing Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter film series. He was appointed an OBE in the 2006 New Year Honours by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to drama. In 2011, he was honoured for his outstanding contribution to film at the British Academy Scotland Awards.	William McChord Hurt (March 20, 1950 – March 13, 2022) was an American actor. Known for his performances on stage and screen, he received various awards including an Academy Award, BAFTA Award and Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor. He continued leading a series of critically acclaimed films garnering three consecutive nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actor; Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), which he won, Children of a Lesser God (1986), and Broadcast News (1987).



Kirstie Alley	Jessie Duarte	Ray Liotta
Died aged 71	Died aged 68	Died aged 67
Kirstie Louise Alley (January 12, 1951 – December 5, 2022) was an American actress. Her breakout role was as Rebecca Howe in the NBC sitcom Cheers (1987–1993), for which she received an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe in 1991. From 1997 to 2000, she starred as the lead in the sitcom Veronica's Closet, earning additional Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. On film, she was perhaps best known for her role as Mollie Jensen in Look Who's Talking (1989) and its two sequels, Look Who's Talking Too (1990) and Look Who's Talking Now (1993).	Yasmin Jessie Duarte (19 September 1953 – 17 July 2022) was a South African politician and acting secretary-general of the African National Congress. A longtime anti-apartheid activist, she served various roles as a special assistant to Nelson Mandela, a member of the provincial cabinet (MEC) for Gauteng, as ambassador to Mozambique, and as spokesperson for the ANC, before assuming her post as Deputy Secretary-General of the ANC in 2012, until her death on 17 July 2022.	Raymond Allen Liotta (December 18, 1954 – May 26, 2022) was an American actor. He was best known for his roles as Shoeless Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams (1989) and Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas (1990). He was a Primetime Emmy Award winning actor and received nominations for a Golden Globe and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.



Bob Saget	Patrick Shai	Irene Cara
Died aged 65	Died aged 65	Died aged 63
Robert Lane Saget (May 17, 1956 – January 9, 2022) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, and television host. Saget portrayed Danny Tanner on the sitcom Full House (1987–1995) and its sequel Fuller House (2016–2020). He was the original host of America's Funniest Home Videos (1989–1997), and the voice of narrator Ted Mosby on the sitcom How I Met Your Mother (2005–2014).	Patrick Molefe Shai (9 December 1956 – 22 January 2022) was a South African actor and director. He was best known for the roles in the television series and shows Soul City, Generations, Zone 14, Ashes to Ashes, and Zero Tolerance. He was one of the founding members of Free Film Makers of South Africa	Irene Cara, the iconic 80’s singer and actress best known for massive soundtrack hits to the films “Flashdance” and “Fame,” died in November. Cara’s top hits were “Fame” in 1980 and 1983’s “Flashdance … What a Feeling,” the latter of which she won an Academy Award for Best Original Song and a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance.