In a sombre week for fans across the globe, the world mourned the loss of some of the greatest artists of their time whose talents, voices, and presence left lasting imprints on our lives. Whether through music, film, or performance, these icons brought joy, inspiration, and meaning to millions.
Here’s a look at the notable stars we’ve lost this week, and the indelible marks they leave behind:
The bleach-blond, mahogany-tanned behemoth became the face of professional wrestling in the 1980s, helping transform the mock combat from a seedy spectacle into family-friendly entertainment worth billions of dollars.
Hogan parlayed his wrestling fame into a less successful career in Hollywood, starring in films like “Rocky III” and “Santa With Muscles,” but kept returning to the ring as long as his body would allow.
A godfather and force of heavy metal, Osbourne died just weeks after his last performance on July 5. The original members of Black Sabbath had reunited for the first time in 20 years for what Osbourne said would be his final concert.
Osbourne had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019.
The English icon’s idiosyncratic, throaty voice launched generations of metalheads, both through his work at the reins of Black Sabbath and in his solo career.
His attorney said Mangione died in his sleep at his home in Rochester, New York. The musician had been retired since 2015.
Perhaps his biggest hit — “Feels So Good” — is a staple on most smooth-jazz radio stations and has been called one of the most recognized melodies since “Michelle” by the Beatles. It hit No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the top of the Billboard adult contemporary chart.
He played the loveable Theo Huxtable for all eight seasons of the show, helmed by disgraced comic actor Bill Cosby.
Warner, who was nominated for an Emmy for his work on The Cosby Show, also appeared in sitcoms Malcolm & Eddie and Reed Between the Lines.
Fulton joined As the World Turns in 1960 and remained on the show until it ended in 2010. She played Lisa Miller, one of soap opera’s earliest and most famous “bad girl” characters.. In 1998, Fulton was inducted into the Soap Opera Hall of Fame.
She received a Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004 for her work in television.
Fulton also wrote two autobiographies: “How My World Turns” in 1970 and “As My World Still Turns” in 1995, marking her 35th year on the soap. In the late 1980s, she wrote six murder mystery novels.
Larson enlisted in the National Guard in 1938, lying about his age since he was only 15 at the time. In 1942, he was sent overseas and was stationed in Northern Ireland. He became operations sergeant and assembled the planning books for the invasion of Normandy.
He was among the nearly 160,000 Allied troops who stormed the Normandy shore on D-Day, 6 June 1944, surviving machine-gun fire when he landed on Omaha Beach. He made it unhurt to the bluffs that overlook the beach, then studded with German gun emplacements that mowed down American soldiers.
In his TikTok posts and interviews, Larson combined humorous anecdotes with sombre reminders about the horrors of war.
Before making his directorial debut with “Don”, Barot served as an assistant director to actor-director Manoj Kumar in “Purab Aur Pachhim”, “Roti Kapada Aur Makaan”, “Yaadgaar”, and “Shor”.
Initially declared a ‘flop,’ Don went on to be a cult classic and is the one Barot was most proud of. “I made one film, Don, and will always be remembered for it,” the filmmaker had said in an interview in 2006.
Born in August 1934 in Dalwal, now in Pakistan, Nath grew up to become a stalwart of theatre and led the Shri Ram Centre for Performing Arts (SRCPA) as its first director from 1976-81 and again from 1983-89.
He also founded Abhiyan Theatre Group in Delhi in 1967 to present original Indian scripts that had never been performed in Hindi theatre before. In 2019, Gupta took over the group’s direction.
A recipient of the Padma Shri in 1989, Thiyam founded the Imphal-based Chorus Repertory Theatre and briefly directed the National School of Drama in the ’80s.
Thiyam’s works include ‘Chakravyuha’ (The Wheel of War), ‘Uttar Priyadarshi’ (The Final Beatitude), ‘Urubhangam’ (The Broken Thigh) and ‘Andha Yug’ (Blind Age). His ‘Chinglon Mapan Tampak Ama’ (Nine Hills One Valley) allegorically tells the story of the insurgency in Manipur.
He used in his plays traditional Manipuri song, dance and even martial arts to spread a contemporary message.
