Stars We've Sadly Lost So Far In 2025

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It's inevitable: Every year that passes takes beloved stars with it, and sadly 2025 started off by claiming its fair share of performers before the year even kicked off proper. Not only does the death of celebrities we love remind us of our own mortality, but it also serves as a prompt to make the most of the little time we have. Many stars, especially those who were living legends, leave millions of hearts shattered when they die, and it can feel like losing a beloved, long-distance friend you never really talked to but who had a significant impact on your life nonetheless. Thanks to social media, the news can often pop up in one's Instagram feed without any warning, making the shock of a star's passing that much harder. It can also provide some solace, however, with many fans taking to a late performer's page to leave their condolences on their last post.

As we bid stars we loved goodbye — some young and some old — we look back on their work and achievements with bittersweet nostalgia. We have a valid excuse to rewatch their movies and shows or listen to their albums on repeat, and sometimes we even rediscover things about their lives we never knew before or have long forgotten. We lost a significant amount of beloved stars in 2024 and, unfortunately, 2025 didn't wait long before it subjected the world to its first major loss. 

Four-time Daytime Emmy nominee Leslie Charleson, aka "General Hospital's" Monica Quartermaine, died on January 12, 2025. She was 79 years old. The soap icon's cause of death was listed as "sequelae of blunt head trauma," per E! News. No foul play was suspected, with the medical examiner's report indicating that Charleson had previously suffered trauma to her head, which eventually led to her death. The actor died after being admitted to the hospital.

Charleson will forever be fondly remembered for her role as mean girl Monica in the long-running soap opera. She was a living legend, starting her run on "General Hospital" way back in 1977, and continued to work until her death, making Charleson the show's longest-employed actor ever. In fact, her death was first announced on the "General Hospital" Instagram account, with executive producer Frank Valentini breaking the news to the public. "Leslie was a beloved matriarch of the entire cast and crew. I will miss our daily chats, her quick wit and incredible presence on set," he wrote.

Charleson had a long and prosperous career that began when she was still a child. The actor completed her theater degree at New York's Bennett College before making her soap opera debut on "A Flame in the Wind" in 1964. Charleson subsequently landed roles in "As the World Turns" and "Love Is a Many Splendored Thing," starring in the latter for four years. While she appeared to favor long-running shows, Charleson did make an appearance in the 1971 horror film "Revenge!" before landing on "General Hospital" and quickly falling in love with her character's unconventional personality. "I only signed on for two years, and I don't know what happened," the actor quipped during a 2019 chat with Digital Journal. "I like her spunk, independence and everything about her."

Famously known as the child star of "Harriet the Spy" and later as the young Hollywood starlet in shows like "Gossip Girl" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," Michelle Trachtenberg died at the age of 39 on February 26, 2025. Trachtenberg was found by her mother at the New York City apartment building and when emergency responders arrived she was pronounced dead at the scene. The New York Post reported that Trachtenberg had undergone a liver transplant shortly before her death and there was some speculation that the death could have been a result of her body rejecting the organ. However, the death is not being ruled as suspicious.

Trachtenberg landed her first major role on the Nickelodeon show, "The Adventures of Pete and Pete." From there she transformed from child actor to young woman as she went on to star in a number of film and television shows, but it was her role as Dawn Summers in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" that had fans ready for her return to their screens before her death. With news that the series was being rebooted with its original star Sarah Michelle-Geller once again back as the titular Buffy, fans were clamoring to hear if Trachtenberg would be reprising her role as Dawn.

In the weeks and months leading up to her death, Trachtenberg had appeared frail and thin with fans speculating as to her health and well-being. She responded on Instagram in January 2024 to tell followers that she was "happy and healthy" though concern would persist until her death. In a statement to NBC News, Trachtenberg's "Harriet the Spy" co-star Rosie O'Donnell alluded to her final years, saying, "She struggled the last few years. I wish I could have helped."

The towering actor famous for such films as "The French Connection," "The Conversation," "Superman," and "The Royal Tenenbaums," died along with his wife, Betsy Arakawa of 34 years, on February 26, 2025. Hackman was 95 years old and Arakawa was 63. Their bodies were found along with the body of their deceased dog at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Hackman was best known for a legendary Hollywood career that garnered him two Oscars, with one for Best Actor in 1972's aforementioned "The French Connection" and a Best Supporting Actor award for his role alongside Clint Eastwood in the 1993 western, "Unforgiven."

Hackman was born in Danville, Illinois and told Connoisseur that he decided he wanted to become an actor at age 10, saying, "I was so captured by the action guys. Jimmy Cagney was my favorite. Without realizing it, I could see he had tremendous timing and vitality." (via Desert News) But first he would enroll in the Marines at age 16, only begining his acting career after leaving the service and attending the Pasadena Playhouse. There, alongside fellow burgeoning star Dustin Hoffman, he would be voted as "least likely to succeed." But Hackman proved his doubters wrong and went on to appear in almost 80 films. In 2004, Hackman said that he had no plans to continue acting (though we know the real reason he retired) and instead pursued his passion for writing books. He is survived by his three children that he had with his previous wife, Faye Maltese, whom Hackman was with for 30 years prior to his marriage to Arakawa. 

Legendary boxer George Foreman, who will be fondly remembered by his moniker Big George, died at age 76 on March 21, 2025. Foreman was an Olympic champion who brought home gold in 1968. The boxer had an impressive career that lasted longer than your average athlete. He won the world heavyweight title twice, the second time around at the age of 45, cementing himself in history as the oldest person to ever claim the title.

Foreman's family shared news about his death on Instagram. "A devout preacher, a devoted husband, a loving father, and a proud grand and great grandfather, he lived a life marked by unwavering faith, humility, and purpose," the caption read. The family didn't disclose Foreman's cause of death. All that is known to the public is that the boxing legend was hospitalized in Houston, Texas, at the time of his death.

Foreman was the perfect example of someone who completely turned their life around and rose above their circumstances. A high school dropout, he made money through street robberies before finding purpose in the boxing ring. He once faced off against fellow boxing legend Muhammad Ali during the high-profile Rumble in the Jungle in 1974, a match he lost. He admitted to the BBC at the time that he was always slightly nervous before a match but that he felt confident he could beat Ali in the ring that day. He ended up losing the match but said that, in retrospect, it was the "best thing that ever happened to me," because it led to him becoming a preacher and finding the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in Texas.

American singer and pianist Roberta Flack died on February 24, 2025, aged 88. The news was released to the media via a statement from her spokesperson. "She died peacefully surrounded by her family. Roberta broke boundaries and records. She was also a proud educator," the statement read (via Variety). Flack will forever be remembered for making history at the Grammys in the '70s when she became the first artist to win Record of the Year two years in a row for her albums "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "Killing Me Softly."

In his book, "The Rough Guide to Soul and R&B," tour promoter Peter Shapiro praised Flack's achievements. "Urbane, genteel and jazzy, Roberta Flack was, in many ways, the perfect soul act of the early '70s," he wrote. Flack once said in an interview that the secret to her success was putting everything she had into her performances. "What I consider myself is a soulful singer, in that I try to sing with all the feeling that I have in my body and my mind," she explained (via The Guardian). "A person with true soul is one who can take anybody's song and transcend all the flaws, the technique and just make you listen."

Flack had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a neurodegenerative disease that causes severe muscle weakness that eventually affects a person's ability to perform simple tasks like speaking, moving independently, and breathing. The disease eventually left Flack unable to sing, but she didn't let it get her down, pouring her creativity into other projects, like her 2023 autobiographical children's book "The Green Piano: How Little Me Found Music."

"One Life to Live" star Mark Dobies died at age 65 on March 11, 2025. The cause of his death has not been made public. He was a beloved soap opera star who caused quite a stir on "One Life to Live" when it was revealed that his character, District Attorney Daniel Colson, was gay. Before landing the role, he starred as Noah Chase on "Guiding Light."

Avid fans will remember that Dobies used to be a football player before he dipped his toes into the world of acting, which turned out to be his calling. He went on to star in several more TV shows, including "Gossip Girl," where he made a brief appearance as a parole officer. Dobies didn't solely stick to TV shows and soaps — he also starred in films like "Perception," "In My Sister's Shadow," and "Followers." In 2016. Dobies landed a part in "Greater," a sports drama based on a true story. He portrayed the role of Coach Nutt.

Tributes poured in after the actor's death, with Alan Locher, former publicist for "Guiding Light," taking to Instagram to mourn Dobies' death. "I hate to be sharing this really sad and unexpected news. Mark Dobies passed away on March 11th at 65 —far, far too young," Locher wrote. "I was lucky to work with Mark at 'Guiding Light' and always knew him as a genuinely good guy."

On April 1, 2025, hearts shattered across the world when news broke that "Batman Forever" and "Top Gun" star Val Kilmer died at the age of 65. Kilmer's last Instagram video left fans in nostalgic tears, featuring the actor putting on the Batman mask one last time. Kilmer was a living legend, and it was apparent that he was destined to be a star when he landed a spot at Juilliard when he was only 17, the youngest student ever to be accepted to the school at that time.

Kilmer had been diagnosed with throat cancer in 2015. He managed to beat the disease, but treatments left him unable to speak properly. His daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, said that her father's official cause of death was pneumonia. She and her mother, Kilmer's ex-wife Joanne Whalley, issued a statement a few days after the actor's death. "Thank you for honoring our extraordinary father's memory. We are so proud of him and honored to see his legacy celebrated," it read (via Radar Online).

An avid Method actor, Kilmer had a reputation for being quite the challenge on set. He addressed the rumors head-on in his memoir, "I'm Your Huckleberry," writing, "In an unflinching attempt to empower directors, actors and other collaborators to honor the truth and essence of each project, an attempt to breathe Suzukian life into a myriad Hollywood moments, I had been deemed difficult and alienated the head of every major studio." In a documentary about his life titled simply "Val," the actor said he wasn't afraid of death. "I don't believe in death. My whole life, I've tried to see the world as one piece of life. That's how I understand it, right? As you pull back from the planet, you see that we're all one life source," he explained.

"Dennis the Menace" star Jay North died at age 73 on April 6, 2025. He rose to fame in the late 1950s when he landed the role of Dennis Mitchell in the four-season run of the "Dennis the Menace" sitcom. North kept acting, starring in films like "Maya" and "The Teacher" in 1966 and 1974, respectively. He also featured in "The Simpsons" and the 2015 action film "The Man from U.N.C.L.E."

North's friend Laurie Jacobson confirmed his death on Facebook, calling the news "terribly sad, but not unexpected." The actor had colorectal cancer and Jacobson noted that he "passed peacefully at home." She praised North's perseverance and unwavering determination. "As many of his fans know, he had a difficult journey in Hollywood and after ... but he did not let it define his life. He had a heart as big as a mountain, loved his friends deeply," Jacobson wrote. "He is out of pain now. His suffering is over. At last he is at peace."

While North's career seemed set to skyrocket after his success on "Dennis the Menace," he later admitted that landing other parts was a challenge. "I was typecast. I worked for a couple years after 'Dennis the Menace,' but into my teen years, early 20s, the industry pretty much shut its doors on me ... It was what it was," the actor told the Washington Times during a 2017 interview. "It's nice to be remembered for something as wonderful as that little boy." Unable to find work, North eventually switched industries, working in the military and as a corrections officer at one point, where inmates recognized him as the actor who played Dennis all those years ago.