Famous Dead Artists: Recent Artist Deaths and Obituaries
Over 4,000 obituaries of famous dead artists. Notable deaths, news, info, and memorial pages.
Brian Johnson dead at age 86, British artist
Brian Johnson, the British designer and director of film and television special effects, died on June 15, 2026. Born Brian Johncock on June 29, 1939, in Surrey, he changed his…
Semyon Skrepetsky dead at age 45, Russian artist
Semyon Skrepetsky, a Russian artist, activist and blogger, died on June 15, 2026, at age 45. Born Robert Kuzovkov in Altai Krai in 1981, he became known for political caricature,…
Danny Simmons dead at age 72, American abstract expressionist painter
Danny Simmons, an American abstract expressionist painter, died on June 15, 2026, at age 72. Born Daniel Simmons Jr. on August 17, 1953, in New York, he worked as a…
Győző Somogyi dead at age 83, Hungarian graphic artist and painter
Győző Somogyi, a Hungarian graphic artist and painter, died on June 14, 2026. He was 83. Born in Budapest on July 28, 1942, Somogyi worked across graphic art and painting,…
Görel Hanser dead at age 76, Swedish record company executive and talent manager
Görel Hanser, a Swedish record company executive and talent manager known for her work with ABBA, died on June 13, 2026. She was 76. Born Görel Kristina Johnsen on June…
Pauls Butkēvičs dead at age 85, Richard, Four White Shirts, Long Road in the Dunes
Pauls Butkēvičs, the Latvian actor known for I Remember Everything, Richard, Four White Shirts and Long Road in the Dunes, died on June 12, 2026. He was 85. Born in…
Portchie dead at age 62, South African painter and sculptor
Portchie died on June 12, 2026. He was a South African painter and sculptor. Born on November 23, 1963, he was known professionally by the name Portchie. Tags Artists, 12…
Margaret Kerry dead at age 97, If You Knew Susie
Margaret Kerry, an American dancer and actress best known for Peter Pan and If You Knew Susie, died on June 11, 2026, at age 97. Born Peggy Lynch on May…
David Hockney dead at age 88, draughtsman, printmaker, stage designer, and photographer
David Hockney, the English painter, draughtsman, printmaker, stage designer and photographer, died on June 11, 2026, at the age of 88. Born in Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire, on July…
David Fairrington dead at age 85, American painter
David Fairrington, an American painter known for his realistic portraits and a range of other subjects, died on June 10, 2026, at age 85. Born David Neal Fairrington on October…
Wim T. Schippers dead at age 83, Dutch comedian, actor and visual artist
Wim T. Schippers, a Dutch comedian, actor and visual artist, died on June 10, 2026. He was 83. Known for the television programs De Fred Haché Show and Van Oekel's…
Duane Michals dead at age 94, American photographer
Duane Michals, an American photographer known for inventive photo-sequences that often combined text with images to explore emotion and philosophy, died on June 9, 2026. He was 94. Born in…
Robert Greenidge dead at age 76, Trinidadian steelpan player
Robert Greenidge, a Trinidadian steelpan player and composer, died on June 8, 2026, at age 76. Born on April 28, 1950, in Laventille, Trinidad and Tobago, he began performing as…
Elfie Semotan dead at age 84, Austrian fashion photographer
Elfie Semotan, the Austrian fashion photographer whose work helped define the country’s visual culture, died on June 6, 2026, at the age of 84. Born in Wels on July 25,…
Talay Riley dead at age 35, stabbed
Talay Riley, a British singer-songwriter, died on June 5, 2026, after being stabbed in Silvertown, London. He was 35. Born Mark Olayinka Orabiyi on July 10, 1990, Riley began his…
Greg James dead at age 71, American tattoo artist
Greg James, an American tattoo artist known for designs and original artwork that appeared in magazines, books, documentaries and at the Hard Rock Cafe, died on June 4, 2026, at…
John B. Williams dead at age 85, The Arsenio Hall Show
John B. Williams, an American double bassist and bass guitarist known for his work on The Tonight Show and The Arsenio Hall Show, died on June 4, 2026, at age…
John Blanche dead at age 77, Warhammer 40,000
John Blanche, the British fantasy and science fiction illustrator whose work helped define White Dwarf and Warhammer 40,000, died on June 3, 2026. He was 77. Blanche, born in 1948,…
Peabo Bryson dead at age 75, I Celebrate My Love”, “Beauty and the Beast”, “…
Peabo Bryson, the American singer and songwriter known for “Tonight, I Celebrate My Love,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “A Whole New World,” died on June 2, 2026, at age…
Nina Marushina dead at age 91, Russian actress
Nina Marushina, a Russian actress best known for Day by Day, died on June 2, 2026, at the age of 91. Born Nina Aleksandrovna Marushina on May 16, 1935, in…
Sir Angus Stirling dead at age 92, British arts administrator and conservationist
Sir Angus Stirling, a British arts administrator and conservationist who served as director general of the National Trust, died on June 1, 2026, at the age of 92. Born Angus…
Keith Anthony Morrison dead at age 84, Jamaican-American painter
Keith Anthony Morrison, a Jamaican-American painter, died on June 1, 2026, at age 84. Born in Linstead, Jamaica, he studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, earning…
Jay Silva dead at age 45, Angolan-born American mixed martial artist
Jay Silva, an Angolan-born American mixed martial artist, died on June 1, 2026. He was 45. Born in Luanda on May 25, 1981, Silva competed as a heavyweight and fought…
Knut Husebø dead at age 80, Julia Julia, Apprentice to Murder
Knut Husebø, a Norwegian visual artist and actor, died on June 1, 2026, at the age of 80. Born in Stavanger on May 10, 1946, he built a long career…
Master Parrot dead at age 47, Ugandan dancehall and Afro-pop music artist
Master Parrot, a Ugandan dancehall and Afro-pop music artist, died on June 1, 2026. Born David Sifaayo in 1978, he emerged in the 2000s as part of Uganda’s contemporary dancehall…
Matthew Spender dead at age 81, English sculptor and writer
Matthew Spender, the English sculptor and writer whose death was announced on May 31, 2026, died at 81. Born in London in 1945, he was also a painter and biographer,…
Julio Le Parc dead at age 97, Argentine-French artist
Julio Le Parc, the Argentine-French artist whose experiments in painting, sculpture and visual art helped shape modern kinetic and op art, died on May 30, 2026. He was 97. Born…
Sidney Moko Mead dead at age 99, New Zealand Māori anthropologist and historian
Sidney Moko Mead, a New Zealand Māori anthropologist and historian, died on May 29, 2026. He was 99. Born in Wairoa on January 8, 1927, Mead was also known as…
Marie-Jo Lafontaine dead at age 75, Belgian sculptor and video artist
Marie-Jo Lafontaine, the Belgian sculptor and video artist, died on May 28, 2026. She was 75. Born in Antwerp on November 17, 1950, she studied at the École nationale supérieure…
Paul Dorpat dead at age 87, American historian
Paul Dorpat, an American historian, died on May 27, 2026. He was 87. Dorpat was an author and photographer who focused on the history of Seattle and Washington state. He…
Jay Milder dead at age 92, stroke
Jay Milder, an American painter, died on May 27, 2026, at 92. A figurative expressionist associated with the second generation of the New York School, he developed a body of…
Alan Saret dead at age 81, American postminimalist artist
Alan Saret, an American postminimalist artist and sculptor whose wire works helped define parts of the Soho alternative art scene, died on May 26, 2026. He was 81. Born in…
Yoshihiro Nishimura dead at age 59, Mutant Girls Squad, Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl), cirrho…
Yoshihiro Nishimura, a Japanese film director, screenwriter and special effects artist, died on May 25, 2026. He was 59. Born on April 1, 1967, in Taitō-ku, Nishimura worked predominantly in…
Tess Jaray dead at age 88, British painter and printmaker
Tess Jaray, the British painter and printmaker, died on May 24, 2026, at the age of 88. Born in Vienna on December 31, 1937, she was a painter, printmaker and…
Jordi Amorós dead at age 82, Spanish cartoonist and animator
Jordi Amorós, the Spanish cartoonist and animator known for satirical comics and pioneering work in adult animation, died on May 24, 2026. He was 82. Born Jordi Amorós i Ballester…
Jordi Amorós i Ballester dead at age 82, autor de còmic, director de cinema, guionista
Jordi Amorós i Ballester died on May 24, 2026. He was a Spanish cartoonist and animator. Born in Barcelona on April 7, 1944, he worked as a comic author, film…
Arleen Schloss dead at age 82, American performance artist
Arleen Schloss, an American performance artist, died on May 23, 2026. She was 82. Schloss was known for performance art, video and film art, sound poetry, directing and curating, and…
DJ Congélateur dead, Ivorian singer and artist
DJ Congélateur, the stage name of Ivorian singer and artist Koffi Kouakou Elias, died on May 21, 2026. Born in Ivory Coast, he also worked as a coupé-décalé artist and…
Jacob Cress dead at age 81, American furniture maker
Jacob Cress, an American furniture maker known for his interpretations of classical 18th-century furniture, died on May 19, 2026. He was 81. Born in 1944 in Norton, Virginia, he worked…
Marideth Sisco dead at age 82, American author and musician
Marideth Sisco, an American author and musician, died on May 18, 2026, at the age of 82. Also known as Marideth Ann Sisco, she was an American storyteller, folklorist, singer-songwriter,…
Predrag Koraksić Corax dead at age 92, Serbian political caricaturist
Predrag Koraksić Corax, a Serbian political caricaturist, died on May 16, 2026, at the age of 92. Born on June 15, 1933, in Gornja Gorevnica near Čačak, then in the…
Dai-won Moon dead at age 83, South Korean-born Mexican taekwondo practitioner
Dai-won Moon, a South Korean-born Mexican taekwondo practitioner, died on May 16, 2026, at age 83. Known as the Father of Mexican Taekwondo, he introduced the sport to Mexico in…
João Abel Manta dead at age 98, Portuguese architect, painter, and cartoonist
João Abel Manta, Portuguese architect, painter and cartoonist, died on May 15, 2026, at the age of 98. Born in Lisbon on Jan. 29, 1928, he graduated in architecture from…
Valie Export dead at age 85, Austrian artist
Valie Export, Austrian artist, died on May 14, 2026, at the age of 85. Born Waltraud Lehner in Linz, Austria, she became known as an avant-garde artist whose work included…
Nikolay Tsaturyan dead at age 81, Armenian theatre director
Nikolay Tsaturyan, the Armenian theatre director, died on May 14, 2026, in Yerevan. Born in Yerevan on January 8, 1945, Tsaturyan was also an actor and playwright and was named…
Noel Galea Bason dead at age 71, Maltese medalist and sculptor
Noel Galea Bason died on May 14, 2026. He was a Maltese medalist and sculptor. Noel Galea Bason [it], 71, Maltese medalist and sculptor. Tags Artists, 14 May 2026, Bason,…
Harald Metzkes dead at age 97, German painter and graphic artist
Harald Metzkes, a German painter and graphic artist, died on May 14, 2026, at the age of 97. Born in Bautzen, Saxony, on January 23, 1929, he grew up there…
Vladimir Ovchinnikov dead at age 88, Russian painter, ethnographer and social activist
Vladimir Ovchinnikov, the Russian painter, ethnographer and social activist, died on May 13, 2026, at the age of 88. Born in Dushanbe in 1938, he graduated from Moscow State University…
Dileep Raj dead at age 47, Indian actor, heart attack
Dileep Raj, an Indian actor, died on May 13, 2026, of a heart attack. He was 47. Known for his work in Kannada cinema and television, he appeared in films…
Jack Douglas dead at age 80, American record producer
Jack Douglas, an American record producer known for his work on "Toys in the Attic," "Rocks" and "Double Fantasy," died on May 11, 2026. He was 80. Douglas was a…
Mary Lovelace O’Neal dead at age 84, American artist and arts educator
Mary Lovelace O'Neal, an American artist and arts educator, died on May 10, 2026, at age 84. Born in Jackson, Mississippi, on February 10, 1942, she was known for painting…
Michael Pennington public figure dead at age 82
Michael Pennington, the English actor, director and writer who co-founded the English Shakespeare Company, died on May 10, 2026, aged 82. Born in Cambridge on June 7, 1943, he was…
Raymonde Arcier dead at age 86, French artist and feminist activist
Raymonde Arcier, a French artist and feminist activist, died on May 7, 2026, at the age of 86. Born in Bellac on November 13, 1939, she was known for her…
René Groebli Swiss photographer dead at age 98
René Groebli, a Swiss photographer known for his artistic photo-books, industrial and advertising photography, photojournalism and photo-illustration, died on May 5, 2026, at the age of 98. Born in Zurich…
David Plowden dead at age 93, Photography
David Plowden, an American photographer, died on May 4, 2026. He was born on October 9, 1932, in Boston and became known for historical documentary photographs of urban cities, steam…
Ben Morea dead at age 84, American artist and anarchist activist
Ben Morea, an American painter and anarchist activist, died on May 2, 2026, at age 84–85. Born in Brooklyn in 1941 and raised in poverty, he became addicted to heroin…
Michael Sollis Australian musician, bowel cancer dead at age 40
Michael Sollis, an Australian musician, died on May 1, 2026, aged 40, from bowel cancer. He was also an interdisciplinary artist, artistic director, researcher and teaching artist. Sollis founded and…
Yair Garbuz Israeli visual artist, writer, and opinion journalist dead at age 80
Yair Garbuz, an Israeli visual artist, writer, and opinion journalist, died on April 29, 2026, at the age of 80. Born in Givatayim, Mandatory Palestine, on September 29, 1945, he…
Carla Van Zon dead at age 74, Artistic director
Carla Van Zon, a New Zealand artistic director, died on April 29, 2026, aged 74. Born Carla Marja Olga van Zon in Te Atatū on January 20, 1952, she worked…
Dick Matena Dutch comics writer and cartoonist dead at age 83
Dick Matena, a Dutch comics writer and cartoonist, died on April 26, 2026, at the age of 83. He was known for his work on Storm and for cartooning on…
Raghu Rai Indian photographer, cancer dead at age 83
Raghu Rai, an Indian photographer and photojournalist, died on April 26, 2026, in Delhi, India, at the age of 83, from cancer. He became a photographer in the mid-1960s and…
George Herms American artist dead at age 90
George Herms, an American artist known for assemblages, works on paper, and poetry, died on April 24, 2026, at the age of 90. Born in 1935 in Woodland, California, he…
Kim Bowers Australian musician, music director and sound artist, breast cancer dies
Kim Bowers, an Australian musician, music director and sound artist associated with Spdfgh, died on April 24, 2026, of breast cancer. Bowers was a founding member of Spdfgh, an Australian…
Jean-Benoît Meybeck public figure dead at age 53
Jean-Benoît Meybeck, a French comic book author and illustrator, died on April 23, 2026, at the age of 53. Born in Grenoble on January 29, 1973, he worked as a…
Sylvana Lorenz French art dealer and writer dead at age 73
Sylvana Lorenz, French art dealer and writer, died on April 23, 2026, at the age of 73. Born in Tunis, Tunisia, on February 14, 1953, she opened her first art…
Jack R. Thornell American photographer, complications from kidney disease dead at age 86
Jack R. Thornell, an American photographer, died on April 23, 2026, from complications from kidney disease. He was 86. Born Jack Randolph Thornell in Vicksburg, Mississippi, on August 29, 1939,…
Dean Tavoularis American production designer dead at age 93
Dean Tavoularis, the American production designer known for The Godfather, Apocalypse Now and Bonnie and Clyde, died on April 22, 2026, at age 93. Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, on May…
Moogie Canazio Brazilian recording engineer, mixing engineer and record producer dead at age 70
Moogie Canazio, a Brazilian recording engineer, mixing engineer and record producer, died on April 21, 2026, at age 70. Born Antonio Canazio in Rio de Janeiro, he worked with artists…
Pavel Matuška Czech painter, cartoonist and humorist dead at age 82
Pavel Matuška died on April 21, 2026. He was a Czech painter, cartoonist and humorist. His work was associated with painting, cartooning and humor. Pavel Matuška [cs], 82, Czech painter,…
Wayne Moss American session guitarist and songwriter dead at age 88
Wayne Moss, an American session guitarist and songwriter, died on April 20, 2026, at the age of 88. Born on February 9, 1938, in Charleston, West Virginia, he was best…
Desmond Morris English zoologist, ethnologist and surrealist painter dead at age 98
Desmond Morris, English zoologist, ethnologist and surrealist painter, died on April 19, 2026, at the age of 98. Born Desmond John Morris in Purton, Wiltshire, on January 24, 1928, he…
Dean Schwarz dead at age 88, ceramic artist, painter, writer, teacher, publisher, historian
Dean Schwarz, an American ceramic artist, died on April 18, 2026. Dean Lester Schwarz was also a painter, historian, writer, publisher and teacher, and he co-founded the South Bear School…
James Hayward American abstract painter dead at age 82
James Hayward, an American abstract painter, died on April 16, 2026. He was 82. Born in 1943 in San Francisco, California, Hayward was known for paintings divided into two bodies…
Craig Krampf American drummer dead at age 80
Craig Krampf, an American drummer, died on April 16, 2026, at age 80. Born in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, on August 25, 1945, he worked as a drummer, percussionist, arranger, record producer…
Sophie Flamand Belgian writer and journalist dead at age 61
Sophie Flamand, a Belgian writer and journalist, died on April 14, 2026, at the age of 61. Born in Liège on November 6, 1964, she studied at the Université libre…
David Kahler dead at age 89, public figure
David Kahler, an American architect and photographer, died on May 14, 2026, at age 89. Kahler led the Milwaukee-based firm Kahler Slater for much of his career. His work included…
Taylor Kirk Canadian musician dead at age 44
Taylor Kirk, a Canadian musician best known for his work with Timber Timbre, died on April 14, 2026. He was 44. Kirk was the featured artist in Timber Timbre, a…
Margret Nikolova Bulgarian pop singer dead at age 97
Margret Nikolova, a Bulgarian pop singer, died on April 13, 2026, at the age of 97. Born in Sofia on October 10, 1928, she was active from 1948 to 2000…
Edgardo Roque Filipino Olympic basketball player dead at age 88
Edgardo Roque, a Filipino Olympic basketball player, died on April 12, 2026, at age 88. Born on February 11, 1938, in Obando, Bulacan, in the Philippine Commonwealth, he competed in…
Frank Stack American cartoonist dead at age 88
Frank Stack, an American cartoonist, died on April 12, 2026, at the age of 88. Born Frank Huntington Stack in Houston, Texas, he was an underground cartoonist and artist who…
Jacques Witt dead at age 67, Sipa Press
Jacques Witt, a French journalist and photographer who worked for Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace and Sipa Press, died on April 11, 2026. He was born in Strasbourg in 1958 and attended…
Mike Westbrook English jazz pianist and composer dead at age 90
Mike Westbrook, the English jazz pianist and composer, died on April 11, 2026, at the age of 90. Born Michael John David Westbrook in High Wycombe in 1936 and raised…
Mike Westbrook English jazz pianist and composer dead at age 90
Mike Westbrook, the English jazz pianist and composer, died on April 11, 2026, at the age of 90. Born Michael John David Westbrook in High Wycombe in 1936 and raised…
Amivi Homawoo Togolese visual artist and videographer dead at age 51
Amivi Homawoo, a Togolese visual artist and videographer, died on April 11, 2026. Born Améyovi Akpéyédjé Homawoo in Lomé on April 5, 1975, she studied in Togo, Ivory Coast, Benin…
Flo Oy Wong American artist, curator and educator dead at age 87
Flo Oy Wong, an American artist, curator and educator, died on April 11, 2026, at age 87. Born in Oakland, California, on October 28, 1938, she earned a Bachelor of…
Gabor Szilasi Canadian photographer dead at age 98
Gabor Szilasi, a Canadian photographer, died on April 10, 2026, at the age of 98. Born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1928, he became known for the humanist vision of his…
Celeste Dupuy-Spencer American painter dead at age 46
Celeste Dupuy-Spencer, an American painter, died on April 10, 2026. Born in New York City in 1979, she received a BFA from Bard College in 2007 and was based in…