16 celebrities we lost in 2021: from Friends’ Gunther and Harry Potter star Helen McCrory, to Sarah Jessica Parker’s Sex and the City bestie Willie Garson and Louis Vuitton legend Virgil Abloh

As we start reflecting on the year that was 2021, it’s time to remember some of the famous faces who are no longer with us. Sonny Chiba, 82 Legendary Japanese actor Shinichi “Sonny” Chiba was known best for playing the lead in numerous martial arts films through the 1970s. However, it was the 1974 movie The Street Fighter which led to international acclaim for Chiba. It also launched several sequels. The Fukuoka native also starred in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill. “He was a great friend … humble, caring and friendly man. I will surely miss him,” Chiba’s manager Timothy Beal said. Chiba died on August 18 due to pneumonia caused by Covid-19. Meghan Markle’s 10 biggest haters, from Donald Trump to Wendy Williams Michael Constantine, 94 Character actor Michael Constantine was best known for his role as family patriarch Gus Portokalos in My Big Fat Greek Wedding. He reprised the role in the 2016 sequel and the short-lived TV sitcom My Big Fat Greek Life. Constantine won an Emmy in 1970 for his role as principal Seymour Kaufman in the ABC series Room 222. Constantine died on August 31 in Reading, Pennsylvania, US, following a long illness. House of Gucci vs the true story of the wealthy Gucci fashion dynasty Dustin Diamond, 44 Diamond was known best for playing the bumbling comic relief Samuel “Screech” Powers in the beloved 1990s television series Saved by the Bell. “We are saddened to confirm of Dustin Diamond’s passing on Monday, February 1, 2021 due to carcinoma,” Diamond’s representative said in a statement after his death. “He was diagnosed with this brutal, relentless form of malignant cancer only three weeks ago. In that time, it managed to spread rapidly throughout his system,” the statement continued. “The only mercy it exhibited was its sharp and swift execution. Dustin did not suffer. He did not have to lie submerged in pain. For that, we are grateful.” What to know about Lauren Sánchez, Jeff Bezos’ glamorous girlfriend DMX, 50 Rapper DMX (born Earl Simmons) moved a generation with the pain and anguish he poured into his songs. Nominated for a Grammy, songs including Get at Me Dog and X Gon’ Give It to Ya made him a major fixture of the gritty 1990s rap scene. But his talents went beyond music, as his performance as a drug dealer trying to get to kingpin level in 1998’s Belly showed. DMX died on April 9, a week after having a heart attack at his home in New York. Robert Downey Sr., 85 Downey Sr. was a pioneer of the experimental filmmaking scene in New York City during the 1960s. As a result of his father’s career, a five-year-old Robert Downey Jr. made his screen debut in his dad’s 1970 movie Pound alongside his sister, Allyson, who was aged seven at the time. He would go on to star in several more of his dad’s films before becoming a global star in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and other blockbusters. Father and son also co-starred in films not directed by Downey Sr., including 1988’s Johnny Be Good and 1994’s Hail Caesar. Downey Sr. died on July 7 after years battling Parkinson’s disease. Inside Bill and Melinda Gates’ close relationship with daughter Jennifer Larry Flynt, 78 The controversial publisher rose to prominence in the early 70s when he created the pornographic magazine Hustler. Flynt went on to become a First Amendment cult hero in his continued court battles over regulations on pornography, leading to one of those cases being reviewed by the US Supreme Court in 1981. That case would go on to become the basis of the 1996 movie The People vs. Larry Flynt, starring Woody Harrelson in the lead role. Flynt died of heart failure on February 10. Willie Garson, 57 Garson was known best for playing talent agent Stanford Blatch, best friend of Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw, in the HBO series Sex and the City. He reprised his role in both films, and had been filming for the network’s new revival series And Just Like That at the time of this death. Garson died on September 21, the cause of death was pancreatic cancer. Halyna Hutchins, 42 Halyna Hutchins was a rising star in the cinematography world. Having been the director of photography on films Archenemy, Snowbound, Darlin’, Blindfire and The Mad Hatter, she was praised by those who worked with her for to a creative eye and dedication to her craft. Hutchins died on the set of her latest movie Rust in an accident that shocked the world when a prop gun held by Alec Baldwin went off and killed her, and injured the director. Hutchins died on October 21 due to her wounds. 15 facts about Walt Disney, from secret apartments to historic Oscar wins Larry King, 87 The renowned broadcaster had been on radio and then TV since the 1950s interviewing all kinds of people, and was regarded as one of the best interviewers ever thanks to his friendly style with his subjects. He’s most known for his show Larry King Live on CNN, that ran from 1985 to 2010, and was one of the network’s most watched and longest-running shows of all time. On it, King would speak to the prominent figures of the day, including celebrities and presidents. King died on January 23. He had been battling Covid-19 in hospital for over a week before his death, but on February 13 it was announced that the cause of death was sepsis and two other underlying health conditions. Gregg Leakes, 66 This year former The Real Housewives of Atlanta star NeNe Leakes’ husband Gregg Leakes died of colon cancer. Leakes became a cast member on the popular Bravo reality show 11 years after the two became married, and the show documented the couple’s divorce in 2011. They couldn’t stay away from each other for long. By 2013, they were married again, and their second wedding was filmed for a special limited series called I Dream of NeNe: The Wedding. Leakes was first diagnosed with cancer in 2018 and then said in 2019 that he was, at the time, cancer-free. Sadly Leakes revealed in June that her husband’s cancer had returned. Helen McCrory, 52 A veteran of the stage, television and film, McCrory is best known for playing Narcissa Malfoy in the final three Harry Potter films. “I’m heartbroken to announce that after a heroic battle with cancer, the beautiful and mighty woman that is Helen McCrory has died peacefully at home, surrounded by a wave of love from friends and family,” her husband, actor Damian Lewis tweeted following her death. “She died as she lived. Fearlessly. God we love her and know how lucky we are to have had her in our lives. She blazed so brightly. Go now, Little One, into the air, and thank you.” McCrory died of cancer on April 16. How does Emma Watson spend her Harry Potter millions? Prince Philip, 99 Prince Philip, the husband of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, became the longest-serving British consort in history. “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” the palace said in a statement at the time. “His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle.” Philip died on April 9, according to Buckingham Palace. Who are Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s closest celebrity friends? James Michael Tyler, 59 Best known as the lovable Central Perk barista Gunther on hit show Friends, James Michael Tyler’s obsession with Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) brought laughs to millions. “The world knew him as Gunther (the seventh ‘Friend’), from the hit series Friends, but Michael’s loved ones knew him as an actor, musician, cancer-awareness advocate, and loving husband,” Toni Benson, Tyler’s manager, wrote in a statement. “Michael loved live music, cheering on his Clemson Tigers, and would often find himself in fun and unplanned adventures.” Tyler passed away on October 24 from prostate cancer. Cicely Tyson, 96 In a career that spanned more than 70 years, Cicely Tyson made her mark in every form of entertainment medium, having won three Emmy awards, a Tony, an honorary Oscar and Peabody Award. She was even awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016 by then president Barack Obama. “When Cicely Tyson was born, doctors predicted she wouldn’t make it three months because of a murmur in her heart,” Obama wrote in a statement after her death. “What they didn’t know, what they couldn’t know, was that Cicely had a heart unlike any other.” She’s most known for her Oscar-nominated performance in the 1972 drama Sounder, her Emmy-winning role as Ophelia Harkness in How to Get Away with Murder, and her countless stage performances. Tyson died on January 28, the cause of death was not announced. Shiloh Jolie-Pitt and Suri Cruise at 15: how do their teenage years compare? Michael K. Williams, 54 Responsible for crafting one of the most memorable TV characters of all time in Baltimore gangster Omar Little in HBO’s The Wire, Williams went on to forge a respected career playing several complex roles. Williams’ acting always stood out regardless of the size of the role thanks to his deep voice and that prominent scar on his forehead. The actor was reportedly found dead in his New York City apartment on September 6, according to the New York Post. Later in the month the cause of death was ruled to be an accidental drug overdose. Virgil Abloh, 41 Virgil Abloh was appointed creative director of Louis Vuitton menswear in 2018 and in July this year, he was offered a parallel position working across parent company LVMH’s portfolio of 75 brands – which includes Dom Perignon, Rimowa, Hublot and more – making him one of the most powerful figures in luxury and fashion in the world. He also DJed prolifically and designed album covers for hip-hop artists from A$AP Rocky to Jay-Z and Kanye West. On 28 November, Abloh died at the age of 41. A statement posted to his Instagram account revealed that he had been undergoing treatment for cancer. 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