
Premiere Radio Networks
Art Bell, a self-proclaimed expert on the paranormal who hosted a popular syndicated radio show for decades, has died at the age of 72 — on Friday the 13th, appropriately enough.
Bell died in his home in Pahrump, Nevada, according to the Nye County sheriff’s office.
Community Announcement — Long time resident, and radio show host, Art Bell died today at 72 years old in his home in Pahrump Nevada. https://t.co/eNOYD97i4b
— Nye County Sheriff (@NyeSheriff) April 14, 2018
Also Read: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2018 (Photos)
He started out as a disc jockey but drifted into political talk radio in the 1970s and saw a ratings boost when he veered into the realm of conspiracy theories and the paranormal. He espoused his belief in alien abductions, ghosts, crop circles report — and even that the Hale-Bopp comet that neared the Earth in 1986 was being followed by a UFO.
Soon, his late-night show “Coast to Coast” gained national syndication and allowed him to broadcast from his own Pahrump-based radio station, KNYE 95.1 FM. At the height of his fame, as many as 500 stations carried his show in the U.S. and Canada.
Bell also made cameo appearances (typically as himself) in movies like 2007’s “I Know Who Killed Me” and TV shows like “Dark Skies.”
Also Read: Milos Forman, 'Amadeus' and 'Cuckoo's Nest' Director, Dies at 86
In a 1999 interview with Larry King on CNN, Bell displayed the even-keeled tone and that made his out-there theorizing seem so reasonable and inviting.
“People are always demanding proof,” he told King at one point. “These are things that are not easily proved.”
Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2018 (Photos)
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The year is still young, but we've already lost a handful of stars across Hollywood. Here's a list of some of the notable celebrities and industry professionals in film, TV, music and sports who we've lost so far in 2018.
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Paramount TV
Jon Paul Steuer
Jon Paul Steuer, a former child actor who starred in “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” and most recently under the stage name Jonny Jewels for the rock band P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S., died on Jan. 1. He was 33.
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Crown International Pictures
Mark Tenser
Mark Tenser, president and CEO of B-Movie studio Crown International Pictures, died on Jan. 1. At his request, his age was not disclosed.
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Frank Buxton
Frank Buxton, a writer and director best known for his work on “The Odd Couple” and “Happy Days,” died on Jan. 2. He was 87.
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Donnelly Rhodes
Donnelly Rhodes, a Canadian actor who played chief medical officer Dr. Sherman Cottle on the “Battlestar Galactica” reboot, died on Jan. 8. He was 80.
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Millennium Films
John Thompson
John Thompson, a major action film producer and head of production at Millennium Films, died on Jan. 9 after a battle with leukemia. He was 71.
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Courtesy: Andrew King
"Fast" Eddie Clark
Motörhead guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke died on Jan. 10 at the age of 67 after being admitted to the hospital for pneumonia. He was the last living member of the band's 1976-1982 lineup.
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Dolores O'Riordan
Dolores O’Riordan, lead singer for Irish rock group The Cranberries, known for hits like "Linger," "Dreams" and "Zombie," died on Jan. 15 at age 46. She died suddenly while recording in London.
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Celtics
Jo Jo White
Jo Jo White, a Hall of Fame basketball player for the Boston Celtics, died from cancer on Jan. 16. He was 71.
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New Line Cinema
Hugh Wilson
Hugh Wilson, director of the film comedies “Police Academy” and “The First Wives Club” and creator of the hit TV series “WKRP In Cincinnati,” died on Jan. 16. He was 74.
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Simon Shelton
The British actor who portrayed Tinky Winky on "Teletubbies," Simon Shelton - who also went by the name Simon Barnes - died on January 17. He was 52.
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Shutterstock
Peter Wyngarde
Peter Wyngarde, the cult British actor who served as Mike Myers’ inspiration for Austin Powers, died on Jan. 18. He was 90.
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Dorothy Malone
Dorothy Malone, a glamour queen of Old Hollywood who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for 1956’s “Written on the Wind” and starred in "Peyton Place" and "Basic Instinct," died on Jan. 19 of natural causes. She was 92.
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Brad Barket/Getty Images for HISTORY
Olivia Cole
Olivia Cole, the Emmy-winning star of the miniseries "Roots," died on Jan. 19 at her home in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. She was 75.
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Fredo Santana
Fredo Santana, a Chicago rapper who came up with his cousin Chief Keef, died on Jan. 20. No cause of death was immediately revealed, but Santana was hospitalized in October with kidney and liver failure. He was 27.
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Columbia Pictures
Connie Sawyer
Connie Sawyer, a late blooming actress who starred in "When Harry Met Sally" and "Pineapple Express," died on Jan. 22. She was 105, and the oldest working member of the Screen Actors Guild.
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Lari White
Lari White, a country singer known for her songs "Now I Know" and "That's My Baby," as well as an actress who appeared in "Cast Away" and "No Regrets," died on Jan. 23 following a battle with cancer. She was 52.
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Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula K. Le Guin, an acclaimed fantasy and science fiction writer, died in her home in Portland, Oregon on Jan. 23. She was 88.
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Joel Taylor
Joel Taylor, a star of the Discovery Channel reality show "Storm Chasers," died on Jan. 23. He was 38.
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Ezra Swerdlow
Ezra Swerdlow, a New York film producer for "The First Wives Club" and with additional credits on "Spaceballs," "Alien 3," "Tootsie" and more, died of complications from pancreatic cancer and ALS in Boston on Jan. 23. He was 64.
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Mark E. Smith
Mark E. Smith, the lead singer of the prolific British post-punk band The Fall, died on Jan. 24 in his home. He was 60.
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Courtesy of The Film Music Society
John Morris
John Morris, a composer who worked on "Blazing Saddles," "Young Frankenstein" and many other Mel Brooks movies, died on Jan. 25. He was 91.
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Mark Salling
Mark Salling, known for playing Puck on "Glee," was found dead on Jan. 30 near a riverbed in Sunland, California. Salling’s death came as he awaited sentencing in March after pleading guilty last October to possession of child pornography. The actor was 35.
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Louis Zorich
Louis Zorich, star of "Mad About You" and "Fiddler on the Roof," died on Jan. 30. He had been married to "Moonstruck" star Olympia Dukakis since 1962. He was 93.
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Ann Gillis
Ann Gillis, a former child star during the Golden Age of Hollywood and who was featured in Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey," died on Jan. 31. She was 90.
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Rasual Butler
Former NBA star Rasual Butler was killed in a car crash on Jan. 31. He was 38.
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Terry Wyatt/Getty Images
Dennis Edwards
Dennis Edwards, the lead singer of the Motown soul group The Temptations between 1968 and 1984, died on Feb. 2 just one day before his 75th birthday.
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John Mahoney
John Mahoney
John Mahoney, who played Martin Crane on "Frasier" and also starred in "Moonstruck" and "Tin Men," died on Feb. 4. He was 77.
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Mickey Jones
Mickey Jones, an actor known for roles in "Total Recall" and "Sling Blade," died on Feb. 7 following a "long illness." He was 76.
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Jill Messick
Jill Messick, a veteran studio executive, producer and the former manager to actress and activist Rose McGowan, took her own life on Feb. 8. Messick's family issued a devastating statement blaming, "our new culture of unlimited information sharing and a willingness to accept statement as fact,” specifically citing the fight between Rose McGowan and Harvey Weinstein that also ensnared Messick. She was 50.
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Reg E. Cathey
Reg E. Cathey, the Emmy-winning actor known for his work on "The Wire" and "House of Cards," died on February 9. He was 59.
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John Gavin
John Gavin, an actor who starred in Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho," "Thoroughly Modern Millie" and "Spartacus," died on February 9. He was 86.
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Jóhann Jóhannsson
Jóhann Jóhannsson, an acclaimed, Oscar-nominated and emerging Icelandic film composer known for his work on "Sicario," "Arrival" and "The Theory of Everything," died on February 9. He was 48.
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Vic Damone
Vic Damone, a singer known for his baritone crooning and for his work on classic films like 1957's "An Affair to Remember," died on February 11. He was 89.
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Daryle Singletary
Daryle Singletary, a Georgian born country singer known for his songs "I Let Her Lie" and "Amen Kind of Love," died on February 12. He was 46.
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Barbara Alston
Barbara Alston, a member of the '60s girl group The Crystals who sang on the hit song "Then He Kissed Me," died on Feb. 16 from complications from the flu. She was 74.
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Fox
Bruce Margolis
Fox studio executive and TV producer Bruce Margolis, best known for work on "Star" and overseeing "24," "Prison Break" and "Bones," died after a battle with cancer on February 16. He was 64.
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Getty Images
Billy Graham
The Rev. Billy Graham, a Christian preacher and spiritual adviser to presidents going back to Harry Truman and an icon of American religious life and TV, died on Feb. 21. He was 99.
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Emma Chambers
Emma Chambers, who starred in "Notting Hill" and the BBC's "The Vicar of Dibley," died on Feb. 21 of natural causes. She was 53.
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Pixar
Bud Luckey
Bud Luckey, an Oscar-nominated animator who designed Woody from Pixar's “Toy Story” and voiced Eeyore in “Winnie the Pooh,” died on Feb. 24. He was 83.
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YouTube
Lewis Gilbert
Lewis Gilbert, an Oscar-nominated British director of “Alfie” and three James Bond movies, died on Feb. 23. He was 97.
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Sridevi
Bollywood actress Sridevi Kapoor, also known as just Sridevi, died on Feb. 24. She had appeared in over 150 films in Bollywood. She was 54.
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Benjamin Melniker
Benjamin Melniker, an executive at MGM who had been with the company since 1939, as well as most recently a producer on "Justice League," died on Feb. 26. He was 104.
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Chapman University
Harry J. Ufland
Harry Ufland (right), an agent-turned producer and who was a long-time collaborator with Martin Scorsese on films including "The Last Temptation of Christ," died in March after suffering from brain cancer. He was 81.
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Barry Crimmins
Barry Crimmins, a legendary comedian on the Boston comedy circuit and political advocate for victims of childhood sexual abuse, died on March 1. Weeks before his death Crimmins disclosed a cancer diagnosis. He died beside his wife and filmmaker Bobcat Goldthwaite, who made a documentary on Crimmins titled "Call Me Lucky." Crimmins was 64.
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David Ogden Stiers
David Ogden Stiers, an Emmy-nominated actor who played Major Charles Emerson Winchester III on "M.A.S.H.," died of cancer on March 3. He was 75.
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Hubert de Givenchy
Hubert de Givenchy, a legendary French fashion designer who dressed Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Kennedy, Princess Grace of Monaco and more, died on March 10. He was 91.
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Bad Boy Records
Craig Mack
Craig Mack, a rapper who rose to fame with the 1994 hit “Flava in Ya Ear,” died on March 12. He was 46.
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Nokie Edwards
Nokie Edwards, a surf rock guitarist who played in the band The Ventures and who played bass on the "Hawaii Five-O" theme song, died on March 12. He was 82.
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ITV
Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking, the British physicist, cosmologist and author whose insights made him a scientific icon, and whose life inspired the film “The Theory of Everything,” died on March 13. He was 76.
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Mayor John F. Collins records, Collection #0244.001, City of Boston Archives, Boston
Frank Avruch
Frank Avruch, who worked at Boston's WCVB for more than four decades, including on the first nationally syndicated "Bozo the Clown," died on March 20. He was 89.
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Getty
H. Wayne Huizenga
H. Wayne Huizenga, the billionaire founder of Blockbuster Video, AutoNation, Waste Management and the former owner of the Miami Dolphins, Florida Marlins and Florida Panthers, died on March 23. He was 80.
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Taylor-Laughlin Distribution Co.
Delores Taylor
Actress Delores Taylor, who starred with her husband Tom Laughlin in the series of "Billy Jack" movies, died on March 23. She was 85.
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Aaron Gang/IMDb
DuShon Monique Brown
Actress DuShon Monique Brown, who starred as Connie on the NBC show "Chicago Fire" and also appeared on Fox's "Prison Break," died on March 23. She was 49.
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Seo Minwoo
Seo Minwoo, a member of the K-Pop group 100%, died after suffering cardiac arrest on March 25. He was 33.
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Anita Shreve
Author Anita Shreve, whose books "The Pilot's Wife," "Resistance," and "The Weight of Water" had all been turned into films, died on March 29. She had been battling cancer. Shreve was 71.
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Getty Images
Steven Bochco
Steven Bochco, the creator and producer of influential TV shows including “Hill Street Blues,” “L.A. Law,” “NYPD Blue” and “Doogie Howser, M.D.,” died on April 1 after a battle with leukemia. He was 74.
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WWE.com
Johnny Valiant
WWE Hall of Fame wrestler "Luscious" Johnny Valiant died on April 4 after being hit by a pickup truck. Valiant was a manager and color commentator who also appeared in "The Sopranos" and "The Wrestler." He was 71.
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Columbia Pictures Corporation
Susan Anspach
Actress Susan Anspach, best known for roles in 1970s films “Five Easy Pieces” and “Play It Again, Sam,” died in Los Angeles of coronary failure on April 2. She was 75.
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Getty Images
Isao Takahata
Isao Takahata, the Japanese animator of "Grave of the Fireflies" and "The Tale of the Princess Kaguya" and co-founder of Studio Ghibli with Hayao Miyazaki, died on April 5 after a battle with lung cancer. He was 82.
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Mitzi Shore
Mitzi Shore, the founder and owner of The Comedy Store who gave starts to many big names in comedy, as well as the mother to actor Pauly Shore, died of an undetermined neurological disorder on April 11. She was 87.
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Premiere Radio Networks
Art Bell
Art Bell, a syndicated radio host who specialized in stories of the paranormal, died on April 13 in his home in Pahrump, Nevada. He was 72.
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Getty Images
Milos Forman
Milos Forman, the Czech-born, Oscar-winning director of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," "Amadeus" and more, died on April 13. He was 86.
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R. Lee Ermey
R. Lee Ermey, a Marine Corps veteran and drill sergeant turned character actor best known for his role as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket," died on April 15. He was 74.
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Harry Anderson
Harry Anderson, the Emmy-nominated star of the '80s sitcom "Night Court," died on April 16 in his home in Asheville, North Carolina. He was 65.
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Carl Kasell
Carl Kasell, a news broadcaster on NPR's "Morning Edition" and a scorekeeper on "Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me" as part of a nearly 40-year long career, died on April 17. He died of complications from Alzheimer's disease. He was 84.
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Barbara Bush
Barbara Bush, wife of George H.W. Bush and first lady of the United States from 1989-1993, died at her home in Houston, Texas, on April 17. In the later years of her life she struggled with COPD and congestive heart failure. She was 92.
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WWE.com
Bruno Sammartino
Bruno Sammartino, a WWE Hall of Fame wrestler nicknamed "The Italian Superman," died on April 18. He was 82.
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Avicii
Tim Bergling, better known as the Swedish DJ and producer Avicii, died on April 20 at the age 28. In 2016, he announced he would retire from live performances due to health issues.
A look back at the stars in movies, TV, music and sports we lost this year
The year is still young, but we've already lost a handful of stars across Hollywood. Here's a list of some of the notable celebrities and industry professionals in film, TV, music and sports who we've lost so far in 2018.