The past year has seen a number of celebrities and famous figures lose their lives.
Notable stars to die in 2022 include Queen Elizabeth II – ending the longest reign in British history, the first black man to win the Oscar for Best Actor Sidney Poiter, Harry Potter star Robbie Coltrane, cancer activist Dame Deborah James and Grease actress Olivia Newton-John.
As the year draws to a close, the Standard takes a look back at some of the famous faces who have passed away this year.
Queen Elizabeth II
It was truly the end of an era in which the Queen died peacefully at her home in Balmoral, Scotland, in September, aged 96, becoming the longest-reigning monarch in British history and the world’s oldest head of state.
Born in London on April 21, 1926, she became queen in 1952 at the age of 25, upon the death of her father, King George VI. She was also Head of the Commonwealth, Commander-in-Chief of the British Armed Forces and Supreme Governor of the Church of England, as well as a patron of over 600 charities and organisations.
Outside of her official duties, she was a devoted wife and mother of four children, and a devoted grandmother to eight grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren.
Sidney Potter
Pioneering Bahamian-American actor and diplomat Sidney Poiter was the first black man to win the Best Actor Oscar, taking home the famous statuette in 1964 for his performance in Lilies Of The Field.
Known for highlighting issues faced by black people at the time, the Hollywood star appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows, including In The Heat Of The Night, Blackboard Jungle, and Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner.
He was not only a decorated actor, but also an international diplomat. He was the Bahamian ambassador to Japan from 1997 to 2007, and to UNESCO from 2002 to 2007. He was knighted in 1974 and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. the highest civilian honor in the US, by Barack Obama.
Poitier died in January at age 94, mainly of heart failure, after also suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and prostate cancer, according to his death certificate. Obama led the tributes to a star who “embodied dignity and grace, revealing the power of movies to bring us closer together.”
Dame Olivia Newton-John
Singer and actress Olivia Newton-John was best known for starring in the 1978 film musical Grease as the goody two-shoes-turned-leather wearing Sandy opposite John Travolta’s Danny.
Prior to starring, she represented the UK in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing fourth, the year ABBA won with Waterloo.
She also won a Grammy Award four times, featured in five number one hits on the US Billboard Hot 100 and sold more than 100 million records.
After the first of three cancer diagnoses in 1992, she became a prominent breast cancer campaigner.
Dame Olivia passed away in August at the age of 73, with Travolta saying in tribute, “Your from the moment I saw you and forever!”
Lady Deborah James
Campaigner Dame Deborah James used her own terminal illness to raise awareness of bowel cancer, raising millions of pounds for charity in the process.
The You, Me and The Big C podcast host revealed in May that she had moved home to end-of-life hospice, raising more than £1.6 million in 24 hours for research into the disease.
The Bowel Babe fund continued to rise, reaching more than £7.5 million after her death in June at the age of 40.
Jamal Edwards
The music industry was rocked by the sudden death at the age of 31 of Jamal Edwards, who founded the online urban music platform SBTV, which promoted the careers of artists such as Dave, Ed Sheeran, Jessie J and Skepta.
He died of a heart attack at home in February after using recreational drugs with his mother – singer and Loose Women star Brenda Edwards – calling for “more conversations” about using illegal substances.
Mrs. Edwards subsequently established the Jamal Edwards Self Belief Trust, helping charities in memory of her son.
He was also the first person to be honored posthumously at the annual Music Industry Trusts Award ceremony in November 2022.
Tom Parker
Tom Parker was one fifth of the British boy band The Wanted, best known for their hits such as All Time Low, Glad You Came and Gold Forever.
In October 2020, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with stage four glioblastoma and had undergone chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
During the last few months of his life, he focused on raising funds for cancer research and called for better treatment for people suffering from brain diseases, telling a parliamentary group he was “stunned” that the COVID vaccine developed so quickly “but for decades they have not found better treatments, let alone a cure for brain tumors”.
The Bolton-born star even reunited with his bandmates on stage for their first show in seven years.
He passed away in March at the age of 33, leaving his wife Kelsey and their two young children Aurelia and Bodhi.