We have lost so many celebrities in the past few years. The following is a list of 15 celebrities that you probably didn’t realize are still among us. Some of them are still active in entertainment, sports and politics.
Pam Grier
Pamela Suzette Grier, 74, was considered one of America’s greatest sex symbols in the 1970s. She starred in “blaxploitation” action films such as The Big Doll House (1971), Women in Cages (1971), The Big Bird Cage (1972), Black Mama White Mama (1973), Scream Blacula Scream (1973), and Sheba, Baby (1975). Quentin Tarantino handpicked Ms. Grier for the lead role in his critically acclaimed crime film Jackie Brown in 1997. She won the Golden Globe award for her acting in Jackie Brown.
Johnny Mathis
R&B crooner Johnny Mathis is still going strong at age 88. The music legend is the third best-selling solo artist in music history, selling over 360 million records worldwide. In 2017, Mathis confirmed he is gay, saying, “I come from San Francisco. It’s not unusual to be gay in San Francisco. I’ve had some girlfriends, some boyfriends, just like most people. But I never got married, for instance. I knew that I was gay.”
Berry Gordy
Retired record mogul Berry Gordy Jr., 93, is the founder of Motown Records, one of the most successful Black-owned music companies in America. He is also a record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer.
Alfre Woodard
Actress Alfre Woodard, 70, is known for portraying strong Black women in films. She has received many honors, including 4 Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and 3 Screen Actors Guild Awards, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, and two Grammy Awards.
Chubby Checker
82-year-old legendary singer Chubby Checker is still performing for his adoring fans! Born Ernest Evans in South Carolina, Chubby is best known for his classic songs “The Twist”, “Pony Time”, and “Let’s Twist Again.”
Morgan Freeman
There was a rumor that distinguished actor Morgan Freeman had passed away during the pandemic. But, thankfully, he’s still with us. Freeman, 86, is known for his distinctive deep voice and his incomparable acting style.
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones, 92, is known for his distinctive deep voice. He is best known as the voice of Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker’s father in Star Wars. Jones has won multiple awards for his acting, including 3 Tony Awards, 2 Emmy Awards, and a Grammy Award.
Dame Shirley Bassey
Welsh singer Shirley Veronica Bassey, 86, is best known for singing the theme songs to three James Bond films, Goldfinger (1964), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), and Moonraker (1979). Her song “Goldfinger” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008. She was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II.
Leslie Uggams
Actress Leslie Uggams, 80, is best known for her portrayal of Kizzy Reynolds in the television miniseries Roots (1977). She earned a Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominations for her role. The Harlem native became the second Black person to host her own television variety show, The Leslie Uggams Show in 1969. Nat King Cole hosted his own network variety show in the 1950s. Uggams appeared on the daytime soap opera All My Children and won a 1983 Daytime Emmy Award as a host of the NBC game show Fantasy. Later, she starred in a recurring role on the canceled nighttime soap opera Empire on FOX TV.
Louis Gossett Jr.
Actor Louis Cameron Gossett Jr., 87, is best known for his role as Fiddler in the television miniseries Roots, for which he won an Emmy Award. He also won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a tough gunnery sergeant in An Officer and a Gentleman (1982).
Danny Glover
Actor, producer, and political activist Danny Glover, 77, is best known for his roles in The Color Purple (1985), Lethal Weapon, Predator 2, Dreamgirls, and a cameo appearance in Michael Jackson’s music video “Liberian Girl.”
Willie Mays
Willie Mays is one of the greatest baseball players ever in the major leagues. The former center fielder is ranked second behind Babe Ruth on most all-time greatest baseball players lists.
Marla Gibbs
Marla Gibbs, born Margaret Bradley, 92, is known for her role as George Jefferson’s feisty maid, Florence Johnston, in the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons (1975–1985).
Billy Dee Williams
Versatile actor Billy Dee Williams, 86, is best known as Diana Ross’ love interest in the film Lady Sings The Blues (1972). He also played Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars franchise, and as football great Gale Sayers in the TV movie Brian’s Song (1971).
Andrew Young
Esteemed civil rights activist, politician and former Ambassador Andrew Jackson Young Jr., 91, served as executive director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and as a Georgia Congressman. He was a close confidant of Martin Luther King Jr.
