Farewell to These Pop Culture Greats

For many, if not all of us, 2023 had its highs and lows. So much also happened within the realm of pop culture including quite a few unfortunate yet inevitable losses.

Here are just a few of the greats of pop culture from music and television that we lost this year.

In music 🎸

Tina Turner

Known as “The Queen of Rock & Roll”, Tina Turner — music artist, actress, and composer — was a very influential female artist in the music field. Some of her well known hits include: “What’s Love Got To Do With It”, “Proud Mary”, and “The Best”.

Jimmy Buffet

Musician and singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffet invited us to escape an at times chaotic and stressful life to a place known as “Margaritaville”. The beachy vibes of his songs always put me in a carefree feel good mood whenever I’d hear them play on the radio.

Jimmy Buffet is well known for his hit “Margaritaville” as well as “It’s 5 O’ Clock Somewhere”, “Cheeseburger in Paradise” and “Fins”.

Lisa Marie Presley

The daughter of Elvis Presley himself, Lisa Marie Presley followed in her father’s footsteps to become a singer-song writer as well as an actress.

Some of her hit songs include: “To Whom It May Concern” which hit number 5 on the 2003 200 Billboards chart and in 2005, “Now What” which hit number 9.

Sinead O’Connor

Irish singer-songwriter and activist, Sinead O’Connor was best known for her hit song “Nothing Compares 2 U”. This song is one of the most notable and influential songs from the 90’s. It won the 1990 MTV Video of the Year.

Tony Bennett

And yet another great within the realm of music that we had to bid farewell to — Anthony Dominick Benedetto otherwise known as legendary singer-songwriter Tony Bennett.

A few of his hit songs include: “The Way You Look Tonight” (Frank Sinatra also did a version of this song), “Fly Me to the Moon”, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco”, and “Rags to Riches”.

Steve Harwell

You might better know Steve Harwell as the lead singer of American rock band Smash Mouth.

One of the most recognized and influential bands of the late 90’s and early 2000’s, Smash Mouth is known for hits such as “All Star”, “Walking On the Sun”, “Can’t Get Enough of You, Baby”, and “Then the Morning Comes”.

I always enjoyed quite a few of their songs.

It might be safe to say that Smash Mouth wouldn’t be the success it was if it were not for Steve Harwell.

In TV / film 📺

Matthew Perry

Better known as the character Chandler Bing on the hit sitcom Friends (1994), Matthew Perry was an American and Canadian actor. A few other notable T.V. shows he starred in include Ally McBeal (1997), The Whole Nine Yards (2000), and The Good Fight (2017) as a recurring character.

Especially as the role of Chandler Bing, Matthew Perry charmed viewers with his comedy and wit.

Andre Braugher

If you’ve ever watched the American comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013), then surely you are familiar with actor Andre Braugher. Andre Braugher has often played the role of either a military authority or a police officer. His deep authorative voice was very fitting for such roles.

He also starred in the T.V. series Homicide: Life on the Streets (1993–1998), City of Angels (1998), and The Mist (2007)

Norman Lear

You might be familiar with quite a few of Norman Lear’s works as a screenwriter and film producer.

All in the Family (1971–1979), The Jeffersons (1975), Sanford and Son (1972), and Good Times (1974) are a few of his most notable works. Most, if not all of these T.V. shows, have a very catchy and memorable intro / theme song.

I remember being a kid and my grandfather would have Sanford and Son on in the afternoon / evening. It was one of his favorite shows.

Many of Norman Lear’s works involved cleverly incorporating the everyday social political issues with comedy involving everyday families.

Richard Moll

Better known as the bailiff Aristotle Nostradamus “Bull” Shannon, on the original Night Court (1984–1992), Richard Moll was yet another notable actor we lost this year.

Thanks to his fittingly deep voice, he was also a voice actor for a few villainous animated characters like Two-Face in Batman: The Animated Series (1992).

Suzanne Somers

An actress best known for the character Chrissy Snow in Three’s Company (1977), Suzanne Somers was yet another actor that gave viewers comedy and wit. A few other familiar shows she starred in include Step by Step (1991–1998), Dancing With the Stars (2005), and Candid Camera (1960).

Paul Reubens

We best know American actor and comedian Paul Reubens as the comedic, quirky, and likeable character Pee-wee Herman and his red clip on bow tie. Films he starred in as Pee-wee Herman include Pee-wee’s Play House (1986–1990), Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985), and Big-Top Pee-wee (1988). He was also the voice of Lock in The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Many of them we grew up on. Some of us even introducing our kids to them for yet another generation. Their legacy will continue to shape the world of pop culture.

Thank you for the films and music!