In memoriam: The high-profile deaths and celebrities we have lost this year

Rock stars and politicians, movie icons and sporting legends, here are some of the notable people who have died in the past year.

Stand-up comedian Cal Wilson has died aged 53.

The colourful TV personality, who moved from New Zealand to Melbourne in 2003, died on October 11 following a short battle with a rare and aggressive cancer.

She was a familiar face on television screens with appearances on Spicks and Specks, Good News Week, and Would I Lie To You. She also appeared on TV for her own stand-up specials.

Most recently, Wilson was the co-host of Foxtel's Great Australian Bake Off.

She also performed at the Melbourne Comedy Festival for over a decade.

Rapper and actor Nashawn Breedlove has died at 46.

Breedlove was best known for his role as Lotto in the movie 8 Mile, which was loosely based on US rapper Eminem's life.

His mother confirmed his death on social media on Tuesday, following reports from TMZ on Sunday.

"No one could deny his talent," she wrote in a Facebook post.

"Nashawn's departure from this world has left an immense void in my life, one that words cannot fully express. I can't put into words the pain and hurt that I feel.

"He was not just my son; he was a remarkable man whose character and strength inspired all who crossed his path."

The "face" of the Hawaiian Airlines logo, which has decorated the tails of its airplanes for decades, has passed away.

Leina'ala Ann Teruya Drummond, Miss Hawaii 1964, died of cancer Monday at the age of 77 in Hilo, Hawaii. The Hawaiian native worked at the airline as a flight attendant when she was 18 and was later selected to become the "face" of the airline logo, which is known as Pualani, or Hawaiian for "flower of the sky."

Hawaiian Airlines has used the vivid image since 1973 in a few variations, with the brand most recently giving it a refresh in 2017.

The face is on the tail of its fleet of airplanes, which totals more than 50 and serves nearly 30 cities globally, making Drummond's profile instantly recognisable to many air travelers.

The face is a "promise to our guests that we offer something no other airline can — the warmth, care and generosity that are hallmarks of our Hawaiian culture," the airline explains its on website.

In a video about its 2017 makeover, employees affectionately describe their emotional connection to the logo and that it's "not just a picture of a woman with a flower, it's the way the Pulani sits on the plane … overlooks and watches over us."

The Miss Hawaii organisation said in a statement that Drummond's "iconic smile, elegance and grace will always be remembered" and noted she placed in the top ten of the Miss America Pageant.

"Hawaii lost a talented, poised and gracious woman who touched the hearts of many across the globe," the organisation said.

John Warnock, co-founder of Adobe, has died aged 82, the software company announced over the weekend.

Warnock helped start the revolutionary company in 1982 with the late Charles Geschke, and transformed Adobe into a software powerhouse that became the backbone of the internet.

Warnock and Geschke were credited with building PostScript, a programming language, which helped usher in the desktop publishing revolution.

The company said Warnock's "vision and passion enabled Adobe to deliver groundbreaking innovations such as Illustrator, the ubiquitous PDF file format and Acrobat, Photoshop and Premiere Pro, defining the desktop era and unleashing creativity and opportunity for millions of people".

Ron Cephas Jones, a veteran stage and screen actor who became best known and won two Emmy Awards for his role as a long-lost father on the NBC drama series This Is Us, died Saturday, August 19, 2023, a representative said. He was 66.

A representative told People that Cephas Jones had died from a long-standing pulmonary health issue.

"Throughout the course of his career, his warmth, beauty, generosity, kindness and heart were felt by anyone who had the good fortune of knowing him," the representative said in a statement.

"Ron's inner beauty and soul was evident to the huge audience from his multi-Emmy award winning performance on This is Us. He is survived by his daughter Jasmine Cephas Jones."

Former Nationals Queensland premier Mike Ahern has died aged 81.

Ahern was premier for 22 months during the time the damning Fitzgerald inquiry into police corruption involving illegal gambling and prostitution was handed down.

Ahern tried to change the government's conservative stance to a more consultative approach, introducing domestic violence legislation and redeveloping the site of Expo 88 to what is now the South Bank Parklands.

Described as a "giant" of Queensland, he was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia in 2007 for his "service to the Queensland Parliament, to economic and trade development" and his work with technological, medical research and charity groups following his political career.

Voice actor Johnny Hardwick (in orange) has died aged 64, Deadline has reported.

Hardwick was best-known for his role as Dale Gribble in animated show King Of The Hill, which ran from 1997 to 2010.

"Johnny Hardwick was an incredibly beloved member of the King of the Hill family, whose tremendous talent, brilliant humour and friendship will be deeply missed by all who were fortunate enough to work with him over the past 25 years," a statement from Hulu and 20th Television Animation read.

"Our deepest condolences go out to his friends and family as we mourn the loss of one of the animation greats. His voice gave life to one of our most iconic characters, and he will be truly missed."

William Friedkin, the generation-defining director who brought a visceral realism to 1970s hits The French Connection and The Exorcist and was quickly anointed one of Hollywood's top directors when he was only in his 30s, has died. He was 87.

Friedkin, who won the best director Oscar for "The French Connection," died Monday in Los Angeles, Marcia Franklin, his executive assistant for 24 years, told The Associated Press on behalf of his family and wife, former studio head Sherry Lansing. His son Cedric Friedkin told the AP he died after a long illness.

Tony Bennett, the eminent and timeless stylist whose devotion to classic American songs and knack for creating new standards such as I Left My Heart In San Francisco graced a decades-long career that brought him admirers from Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga, died Friday.

He was 96, just two weeks short of his birthday.

Publicist Sylvia Weiner confirmed Bennett's death to The Associated Press, saying he died in his hometown of New York. There was no specific cause, but Bennett had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2016.

The last of the great saloon singers of the mid-20th century, Bennett often said his lifelong ambition was to create "a hit catalog rather than hit records".

He released more than 70 albums, bringing him 19 competitive Grammys — all but two after he reached his 60s — and enjoyed deep and lasting affection from fans and fellow artists.

He not only survived the rise of rock music but endured so long and so well that he gained new fans and collaborators, some young enough to be his grandchildren.

In 2014, at age 88, Bennett broke his own record as the oldest living performer with a No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart for Cheek to Cheek, his duets project with Lady Gaga.

Three years earlier, he topped the charts with Duets II, featuring such contemporary stars as Gaga, Carrie Underwood and Amy Winehouse, in her last studio recording.

Merrill J Fernando, the founder of one of Australia's most-loved brands of tea, Dilmah, has died.

The "iconic teamaker" and "visionary" passed away surrounded by family aged 93.

"Surrounded by his sons and grandchildren, iconic Teamaker, Disrupter and Servant Merrill J. Fernando passed in Colombo this morning," an obituary on Fernando's website read.

"The visionary founder of Dilmah Ceylon Tea Company's greatness was in his invincible faith, his integrity and love for tea & family.

"With devotion and urgency he pursued his desire for integrity and quality with humility and kindness."

Fernando is credited with "disrupting an exploitative colonial industry". 

"His achievement in disrupting an exploitative colonial industry irrevocably changed the lives of producers around the world," the obituary went on.

"Introducing a paradigm shift in ethical business before ethics and sustainable business acquired the prominence they have now."

Actress and singer Jane Birkin, who charmed France with her English grace, style and accented French and made the country her home, has died at age 76, according to France's Culture Ministry and French media.

The London-born star was widely admired for her fashion style and known for her musical and romantic relationship with French singer Serge Gainsbourg.

Their songs notably included the steamy Je t'aime moi non plus, with Birkin's ethereal, British-accented singing voice interlacing with his gruff baritone.

She was also celebrated in France for her political activism. In 2022, she joined other screen and music stars in France in chopping off locks of their hair in support of protesters in Iran.

Charlotte Gainsbourg, Birkin's daughter with Gainsbourg, cut off a lock of her mother's hair for that filmed campaign.

The French Culture Ministry tweeted that Birkin died Sunday. It hailed her as a "timeless Francophone icon".

French news outlets Liberation and BFM TV reported that Birkin was found dead at her home in Paris.

Alan Arkin, who waited 45 years between his first Oscar nomination and his first win, has died at the age of 89.

The American actor delighted audiences in films like Little Miss Sunshine, Argo and Catch-22.

Simon Crean, the former federal opposition leader, died at 74.

The Labor politician went from the Storeman and Packers Union, to the ACTU, to a 33-year stint in Parliament.

His two-year tenure as party leader was marked by his opposition to the Iraq War, but he was ousted before facing an election.

Silvio Berlusconi, the boastful billionaire media mogul who was Italy's longest-serving prime minister despite scandals over his sex-fuelled parties and allegations of corruption, has died at the age of 86.

Italian news agency LaPresse reported Berlusconi's death after he was hospitalised on Friday for the second time in months for treatment of chronic leukaemia.

Prolific and acclaimed painter Françoise Gilot has died at the age of 101 in New York City.

Gilot produced art for well more than a half-century but was nonetheless more famous for her turbulent relationship with Pablo Picasso.

Her daughter Aurelia Engel told The Associated Press her mother had died at Mount Sinai West hospital after suffering both lung and heart problems.

"She was an extremely talented artist, and we will be working on her legacy and the incredible paintings and works she is leaving us with," Engel said.

Engel said her mother's key legacy was not only her creativity but her courage.

"She was not without fear," she said.

"But she would always confront her fears and jump in the void and take risks, no matter what."

Multi-award winning Australian songwriter and musician Joy McKean OAM died at the age of 93 on May 25 after a long battle with cancer.

McKean wrote many of her husband Slim Dusty's most famous songs and won the first Golden Guitar award at the Tamworth Country Music Festival for the song 'Lights on the Hill'.

Her musical partnership with Slim, in which she was his manager, produced more than 100 albums, sold more than eight million albums and earned 45 Golden Guitars.

Rock icon Tina Turner died at home aged 83 on May 24.

The legendary singer sold more than 200 million records and won 12 Grammys in a career that spanned more than five decades and produced a catalogue of hit songs including River Deep (Mountain High), What's Love Got To Do With It, and The Best.

Her death after a long illness has prompted a deluge of praise and tributes for the woman dubbed the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".