Stars we’ve lost in 2023
DURING THIS YEAR, SEVERAL OF OUR BEST-LOVED CELEBRITIES TOOK THEIR FINAL BOWS. FROM BARRY HUMPHRIES TO MATTHEW PERRY, WE REFLECT ON SOME FAMOUS LIVES (MOSTLY) WELL LIVED
BARRY HUMPHRIES
“Hello, possums!” With his gladioli-waving, “housewife from Moonee Ponds” creation Dame Edna Everage, Barry Humphries took Australia to the world. And we were never the same.
In a seven-decade career spanning theatre, television, books and film, Humphries was lauded for his transgressive humour, taking the mickey out of Australian culture with his cast of characters, some of whom would end up being among the most-loved comedic creations of all time. Alongside Dame Edna, there was Sir Les Patterson, the vulgar and drunk Australian cultural attache; the decent and occasionally senile Sandy Stone; and the archetypal Aussie bloke Barry McKenzie. Humphries died in Sydney in April following complications from hip surgery. He was 89.
MATTHEW PERRY
The Friends star, who played anxiety-ridden, wisecracking Chandler Bing for a decade on the iconic sitcom, was found dead in the hot tub of his Los Angeles home on October 28. He was just 54.
In reality, Matthew Perry’s own neuroses weren’t that far removed from his famous character – only much darker.
He was open about his longterm struggles with drugs and alcohol, even admitting that he could tell whether he was hooked on drink or drugs by his appearance in each season of Friends.
In his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Terrible Big Thing, Perry said he had been to 6000 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and in rehab 15 times.
TINA TURNER
One of music’s greatest-ever performers, Tina Turner was also a beacon for resilience and overcoming hardship.
The Tennessee-born Turner survived poverty and endured years of emotional and physical abuse from her ex-husband, singer Ike Turner.
In the 1990s, an Oscarwinning film based on her life was released, and she became the face of rugby league in Australia after her classic song The Best was used to promote the code, culminating in an unforgettable performance at the NRL grand final in 1993.
After years of ill health, Turner died in May at the age of 83 at her home in Switzerland where she had lived with German husband Erwin Bach for 30 years.
SINEAD O’CONNOR
The Irish singer, who possessed one of the most haunting voices of the 20th century, shot to global superstardom in 1990 with a cover of Prince’s Nothing Compares to U. Her life would never be the same.
Her second album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, sold more than seven million copies worldwide, while Nothing Compares to U was considered one of the great modern pop songs.
O’Connor was found dead in her London flat in July. While no official cause of death was given, police were not treating her death as suspicious. She was 56.
TONY BENNETT
The legendary crooner, who bridged generations and found a new, younger late-career audience thanks to collaborations with the likes of Lady Gaga and Amy Winehouse, died in July at the age of 96.
Bennett, who had a professional career spanning eight decades and a US No.1 album at age 85, was once described by Frank Sinatra as “the greatest popular singer in the world”.
Bennett was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016 but continued to perform until 2021.
MICHAEL PARKINSON
The legendary British broadcaster and chat show host was ubiquitous on UK and Australian screens in a career that spanned seven decades.
He interviewed the world’s most famous faces including actors, musicians, sportspeople, royalty and politicians.
Indeed, the likes of Muhammad Ali, Shane Warne, David Beckham, Elton John, Madonna, Tom Cruise and Robert De Niro had all sat down with “Parky”.
During his final show in 2007, he was joined by “alltime favourite” Dame Edna Everage, fighting back tears as he was given a thundering farewell from the audience. He was knighted by the Queen the following year and continued to write and appear on TV and radio.
Parkinson died in August following a “brief illness”. He was 88.
DOUG MULRAY
Veteran entertainer and radio identity Doug Mulray – affectionately known as “Uncle Doug” – died in March at the age of 71 after a long illness.
During the 1980s, Mulray was Australian radio’s biggest name, ruling the commercial airwaves with his cheeky persona and stunts. But he became infamous when the TV show he fronted, Australia’s Naughtiest Home Videos, was sensationally pulled off air by Channel 9 owner Kerry Packer after just 34 minutes into what would be the last show.
When Sydney-born Mulray was inducted into the Commercial Radio Australia Hall of Fame in 2019, he joked: “It’s about time.”
ROLF HARRIS
For half a century, Rolf Harris was one of Australia and Britain’s most celebrated entertainers – until his career ended in disgrace and he was jailed in 2014 for sex offences.
He sold millions of records, with songs such as Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport; Sun Arise, Two Little Boys, and an unexpected reworking of Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven, which were hits in both Australia and the UK.
Harris introduced audiences to the joys of such musical instruments as the stylophone, didgeridoo and the wobble board, the last his own creation.
But behind the loveable onscreen persona lurked a dark side. In March 2013, Harris was arrested over allegations of sexual offences. He was subsequently jailed for five years and nine months for 12 counts of indecent assault that took place between 1968 and 1986 on four female victims, including a 13-year-old schoolfriend of his daughter.
Harris served only three years and was released in 2017. He died in May at the age of 93 without ever apologising to his victims.
CAL WILSON
Cal Wilson, the New Zealand comedian who became a staple on Australian television over the past 20 years, died in October after a short illness. She was 53.
Wilson moved to Melbourne in 2003, two years after winning the best newcomer award at the Melbourne Comedy Festival, where she would become a regular fixture, eventually performing 14 shows over her career. Wilson appeared regularly on Aussie comedy shows including Rove Live, Spicks and Specks and Good News Week.
A frequent guest on early seasons of Thank God You’re Here, she was also part of the ensemble cast of sketch show The Wedge, a short-lived
series that enjoyed a cult following. Wilson also hosted two radio shows on Nova, the first in 2007 and the second in 2009. Most recently, she was seen as the host of Foxtel’s Great Australian Bake Off.
JOCK ZONFRILLO
The affable Scotsman, who died in April at the age of 46, became a popular figure on Australian TV thanks to his role as a judge on MasterChef, which he began in 2019 after he, Melissa Leong and Andy Allen replaced the show’s original hosts Matt Preston, George Calombaris and Gary Mehigan.
Born Barry Zonfrillo in Glasgow, he began working in kitchens as a dishwasher at the age of 13. He left school at 15 and started an apprenticeship at the Turnberry Hotel, becoming one of its youngestever apprentices.
He eventually opened many restaurants in Australia and, in 2021, released his frank memoir Last Shot.
JOHNNY RUFFO
The acclaimed singer and actor first came to our notice after appearing on the 2011 final of X Factor Australia where he placed third.
The following year, Ruffo signed a music contract with Sony and recorded a duet with his former X Factor mentor Guy Sebastian. He also competed on Dancing With The Stars.
In 2013, Ruffo began a threeyear stint on evergreen soap Home and Away, where he starred as Chris Harrington.
In August 2017, he announced that he had been diagnosed with brain cancer and began “aggressive treatment”. Three years later he announced the cancer had returned. Ruffo died in November at the age of 35.
ALAN WILKIE
Forever known as Australia’s “first weatherman”, Alan Wilkie died in July at the age of 94. The esteemed meteorologist began his on screen career presenting the weather on the ABC in the 1950s – after his employer, the Bureau of Meteorology, insisted.
Queensland-born Wilkie, who served in World War II, left TV for a period after ending his stint at the network in 1960, reappearing on Australians’ television screens in 1968 when he joined Channel 7, but he would become best known for his 25-year stint as the Sydney-based forecaster for Channel 9.
LISA MARIE PRESLEY
Blessed – or cursed – with music’s most iconic name, Lisa Marie Presley lived a tumultuous life, never far from the spotlight.
The only child of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, Lisa Marie found fame difficult and became a tabloid staple, particularly due to her four marriages, which reached its apex with her bizarre union with singer Michael Jackson in 1994.
They divorced barely two years later.
She had four children – actor Riley Keough, Benjamin Keough, and twin daughters Finley and Harper Lockwood.
Presley was just 54 when she died in January after suffering a cardiac arrest at her California home, two days after attending the Golden Globe Awards with her mother, to celebrate Australian director Baz Luhrmann’s hit movie Elvis.
MICHAEL GAMBON
The British actor may have had a long and distinguished career on stage and screen but he will forever be remembered as the beloved Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films.
Gambon took over the role of the wizened Hogwarts headmaster for 2004’s Prisoner of Azkaban after the death of Richard Harris, ultimately playing the part in six of the franchise’s eight movies.
In addition to a celebrated career in theatre and television, Gambon had memorable roles in movies such as 1992’s Toys, 1999’s Sleepy Hollow, 2001’s Gosford Park and 2010’s The King’s Speech.
He was twice nominated for Emmy Awards, won four BAFTA Awards and, in 1998, received a knighthood from the late Queen. Gambon died in September following a bout of pneumonia. He was 82.
ANGUS CLOUD
The rising star was discovered by a casting agent while working in a restaurant in New York and cast in HBO’s controversial Euphoria as Fezco, the drug dealer with a heart of gold.
Cloud was magnetic and his vulnerable and kind performance clearly marked him as a star of the future.
He nabbed roles in independent films North Hollywood (2021) and The Line (2023).
Cloud also became a fashion favourite, with designers clamouring to work with him (he fronted a Polo by Ralph Lauren campaign).
He died in July, shortly after the death of his father.
The coroner later ruled that Cloud’s death was caused by an accidental overdose from a mix of drugs including fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, and benzodiazepine.