A tribute to those we lost in 2022: Queen Elizabeth II, Sidney Poitier and more

The Queen of England and a queen of country music; movie mobsters and barrier breakers; sports superstars and Broadway legends — 2022 saw the deaths of many history makers. Here are some of the most significant figures to leave us this year.

Queen Elizabeth II

The British monarch sat on the throne for more than 70 years before her death on Sept. 8 at the age of 96 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. She was succeeded by her son, King Charles III. Her funeral was held at Westminster Abbey church in London after a 10-day mourning period.

Bill Russell

The 11-time NBA champion and five-time MVP Boston Celtic died July 31 at the age of 88 in Washington state. Widely considered one of the best basketball players of all time, the league quickly moved to retire his iconic #6 jersey. He was also the first black head coach in NBA history.

James Caan

One of the defining actors of his generation, Caan starred in a number of now-classics. during Highlights of his decades-long career include “The Godfather,” for which he received an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor, “Misery” and “Elf.” The Bronx-born and Queens-raised Caan died July 6 at the age of 82.

Sidney Poitier

Oscar-winner Poitier died Jan. 6 at the age of 94 in Beverly Hills. “In The Heat of The Night,” “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” and “The Defiant Ones” were among his many noteworthy and groundbreaking roles. He was the first black actor to win an Oscar for best actor.

Mikhail Gorbachev

The former — and final — premier of the USSR led the communist country from 1985 to 1991. He notably oversaw the USSR’s response to the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. The 91-year-old politician, who also ushered in the perestroika and glasnost reforms, died Aug. 30 in Moscow.

Madeleine Albright

The Czech-born diplomat joined the Clinton administration in 1993 as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and became the first woman to ever serve as Secretary of State in 1997. She died on March 23 in Washington, D.C. at the age of 84.

Ray Liotta

The “Something Wild” and “Goodfellas” star was also one of Hollywood’s go-to supporting actors, with well-regarded turns in “Field of Dreams” and “Cop Land,” among others. The Newark-born actor was 67 when he died on May 26 in the Dominican Republic. His final film, “Cocaine Bear” will be released on February 24, 2023.

Angela Lansbury

The British actress died Oct. 11 at the age of 96. She starred in “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Manchurian Candidate,” “Mame” and many other films throughout her career. Lansbury appeared in the original production of “Sweeney Todd” on Broadway and portrayed Jessica Fletcher on “Murder, She Wrote” for 12 seasons.

Olivia Newton-John

The “Physical” singer and star of “Grease” and “Xanadu” died at the age of 73 on Aug. 8 at her California home. One of the best-selling artists of all time, Newton-John sold over 100 million records. She also won four Grammy awards.

Loretta Lynn

One of country music’s biggest stars, known for hits like “Coal Miner’s Daughter” and “You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man)”, Lynn died at the age of 90 on Oct. 4 in Tennessee. She won three Grammy awards during her decades-long career, including one for her partnership with Conway Twitty.

Christine McVie

As one of the members of Fleetwood Mac, the English singer wrote or co-wrote some of the group’s biggest hits, including “Don’t Stop,” “Everywhere” and “Little Lies.” She won two Grammys and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. McVie died Nov. 30 at the age of 79 after a brief illness.

Vin Scully

The most iconic play-by-play man in the history of baseball, the Bronx-born and Washington Heights-raised Scully graduated from Fordham before he spent the years 1950 to 2016 calling Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers games as well as leading national broadcasts for a number of networks. He was inducted into the baseball hall of game in 1982 and died Aug. 2 at 92.

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Shinzo Abe

The former prime minister of Japan was assassinated in Nara on July 8.

Jerry Lee Lewis

The rock ‘n’ roll icon sang “Great Balls of Fire” one last time on Oct. 28 at the age of 87.

Jean-Luc Godard

The director and pioneer of French New Wave films like “Breathless” was 91 when he died in Switzerland on Sept. 13.

Bob Saget

The 65-year-old comedian and “Full House” star died after an accidental fall in his hotel room at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando on Jan. 9.

Peter Bogdanovich

The Kingston, N.Y. native and New Hollywood director, known for “The Last Picture Show,” “Paper Moon” and others, died Jan. 6 in Los Angeles at the age of 82.

Ronnie Spector

The Harlem-born lead singer of The Ronnettes, known for “Be My Baby” and other hits, died in Danbury, Conn. on Jan. 12 at the age of 78.

André Leon Talley

The fashion journalist, who rose through the ranks at Vogue over several decades, died on Jan. 18 at the age of 73 in White Plains.

Meat Loaf

The “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” singer died Jan. 20 in Nashville at the age of 74.

Louie Anderson

The 68-year-old standup comedian and long-time “Family Feud” host died Jan. 21 in Las Vegas.

Ivan Reitman

The director, known for “Ghostbusters” and its first sequel, “Stripes” and other raucous comedies died Feb. 12 at the age of 75.

Mark Lanegan

The 57-year-old singer of grunge band Screaming Trees died February 22 in Ireland.

William Hurt

The Oscar-winning actor (“Kiss of the Spider Woman”) died March 13 at the age of 71 in Portland, Ore.

Taylor Hawkins

The Foo Fighters drummer died at the age of 50 on March 25 while on tour in Colombia.

Estelle Harris

An actress with memorable turns in “Seinfeld” as well as the “Toy Story” series died April 2 at the age of 93.

Gilbert Gottfried

A comedian and actor known for his exaggerated, distinct voice and edgy sense of humor, the New Yorker died in his native city on April 12 at the age of 67.

Naomi Judd

A member of one of country music’s royal families — and five-time Grammy winner — Judd died at the age of 76 on April 30.

Philip Baker Hall

The 90-year-old character actor, who saw a late-career resurgence after making several films with director Paul Thomas Anderson, died June 12.

Tony Sirico

The New York actor who played Paulie Walnuts on “The Sopranos” died July 8 at the age of 79.

Paul Sorvino

The veteran actor, known for “Goodfellas” and “Law & Order,” died July 25 at the age of 83.

Louise Fletcher

The 1977 best actress winner (Nurse Ratched in “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest”) died in France on September 23 at the age of 88.

Nichelle Nichols

The ground-breaking actress, best-known for playing Lt. Uhura across a number of “Star Trek” iterations, died at the age of 89 on July 30.

Anne Heche

A long-time film and TV actress, Heche, 52, died in Los Angeles on Aug. 11, several days after a car crash.

Coolio

The “Gangsta’s Paradise” rapper, a Los Angeles native, died in the same city on Sept. 28 at the age of 59.

Sacheen Littlefeather

The Native American rights activist, known for accepting Marlon Brando’s best actor Oscar, died at the age of 75 on Oct. 2.

Takeoff

The 28-year-old member of rap group Migos was shot and killed on Nov. 1 in Houston.

Aaron Carter

The former child star was 34 when he died near Los Angeles on Nov. 5.

Irene Cara

The “Fame” and “What a Feeling” singer died at the age of 63 on Nov. 25.

Ivana Trump

The first wife of former president Donald Trump died in New York on July 14 at the age of 73.

Wolfgang Petersen

The German director (“Das Boot,” “The Perfect Storm”) died at the age of 81 on Aug. 12 in Los Angeles.

Kirstie Alley

The “Cheers” actress died at the age of 71 on Dec. 5.

Gallagher

The sledgehammer-wielding prop comedian died Nov. 11 at the age of 76.

Stephen “tWitch” Boss

The 40-year-old DJ and eventual co-executive producer of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” died in Los Angeles on Dec. 13.

Angelo Badalamenti

A composer for film (“Blue Velvet”) and TV (”Twin Peaks) and long-time David Lynch collaborator, Badalamenti died Dec. 11 at the age of 85.

Franco Harris

The Pittsburgh Steeler legend, pro football hall of famer and star of the most famous play in NFL history (The Immaculate Reception) died at the age of 72 on Dec. 22.

Ken Starr

The independent counsel overseeing the Whitewater controversy and author of the Starr Report, which led to the impeachment of President Clinton, died Sept. 13 at the age of 76.

Julie Powell

The blogger turned “Julie & Julia” memoirist died Oct. 26 at the age of 49.

Orrin Hatch

The former U.S. senator from Utah, who served 42 years, died at 88 on April 23.

David McCullough

The American historian and presidential biographer (“Truman,” “John Adams”) died Aug. 7 at the age of 89.

Leslie Jordan

The diminutive character actor, known for work on sitcoms including “Will & Grace,” died at the age of 67 in Los Angeles on Oct. 24.

Roger Angell

The long-time New Yorker writer and editor (and baseball fan) died May 20 at the age of 101.

Michael Lang

One of the organizers of the original Woodstock festival, the 77-year-old Brooklyn native died Jan. 8.

Robert Morse

The Broadway stalwart who found later-career acclaim on “Mad Men” died at the age of 90 on April 20.

P.J. O’Rourke

The journalist and author, known for “National Lampoon” and “Rolling Stone,” died February 15 at the age of 74.

Gaylord Perry

The hall of famer and two-time Cy Young-winning pitcher died at the age of 84 on Dec. 1.

Robbie Coltrane

The Scottish actor and comedian, known for the “Harry Potter” series, died Oct. 14 at the age of 72.

Bernard Shaw

The journalist and former lead anchor for CNN died at the age of 82 on Sept. 7 in Washington, D.C.

Charles McGee

The fighter pilot and one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen died Jan. 16 at the age of 102.

Guy Lafleur

The five-time Stanley Cup champion died at the age of 70 on April 22.