A NewsOne gallery of the celebrities we lost in 2018.
In Memoriam: Notable Deaths In 2018 was originally published on newsone.com
1. Floyd J. Carter, Sr., 95
Tuskegee Airman Colonel Floyd J. Carter Sr. and longtime New York Police Department officer died March 8, 2018. He was 95.
2. Ensa Cosby, 44
Ensa Cosby, daughter of Bill Cosby, died from renal disease in Massachusetts on Feb. 23. She was 44.
3. Lerone Bennett Jr., 89
Lerone Bennett Jr. passed away on February 14. He was 89 years old. He was a scholar, author, social historian and activist. His best-known works include “Before the Mayflower” (1962) and “Forced into Glory” (2000). In addition, he was the longtime editor for Ebony and Jet, inspiring generations of Black journalists. Rest in peace.
APR 23 1968; Bennett, Lerone Jr. – Violence is peripheral.; He said the recent President’s Advisory Commission Report on Civil Disorders had received ‘no response from the White House or Congress, or by and large from the American public’.; (Photo By Cloyd Teter/The Denver Post via Getty Images) vertical,arts culture and entertainment,usa,archival,president,violence,1960-1969
4. Reg E. Cathey
The actor who gained widespread fame from his supporting role on the award-winning cable TV drama “The Wire” before moving on to “House of Cards” has reportedly died at the age of 59.
5. Lovebug Starski, 57
The legendary, pioneering DJ reportedly died in Las Vegas on Feb. 8. While he wasn’t as popular as his better-known contemporaries, such as Grandmaster Flash, he was just as influential, if not more, in shaping the sound of what would become hip-hop music in the 1970s. The Notorious B.I.G. famously dropped Starski’s name on his debut single, “Juicy.” May he rest in peace.
6. Olivia Cole, 75
Cole, a veteran actress who was best known for her breakout role in the “Roots” TV series, died at her home in San Miguel Allende, Mexico at the age of 75 on January 19. She received an Emmy for her performance on the hit miniseries based on Alex Haley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book.
7. Wyatt Tee Walker, 88
Walker, (C) in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1961, with Martin Luther King, Jr. (R), and the Rev. Ralph Abernathy (L), died Tuesday, December 23. King’s former chief of staff, Walker was at an assisted-living facility near his home in Chester, Virginia.
8. Jesse ‘Smiley’ Rutland
Rutland, a co-creator of the Harlem Shake, was found shot dead in his Brooklyn home on Sunday, December 10. He was a member of the Crazy Boyz Dance Crew whose early 2000s upper-body-gyrating routine captured the attention of Sean Combs, who made it world famous.
9. Hugh Masekela, 78
Masekela, known as the father of South African jazz and who collaborated with artists such as Harry Belafonte, died Tuesday, January 23 in Johannesburg after a protracted battle with prostate cancer. His music served as the background for the anti-apartheid movement.
10. Edwin Hawkins, 74
Edwin Hawkins, known for gospel crossover hit “Oh Happy Day” in 1969, died after a long battle with pancreatic cancer Monday, January 15, in Pleasanton, Calif., east of San Francisco.
