February 18, 2025 - 11:17 AM
The world said goodbye to two influential entertainment figures in January with the deaths of filmmaker David Lynch and pop star Marianne Faithfull.
Lynch, known for films such as “Mulholland Drive” and the TV series “Twin Peaks,” first broke through in the 1970s with the film “Eraserhead” and continued to startle and inspire audiences in the years after. Faithfull, a British singer and pop icon, inspired and helped write some of the Rolling Stones’ most popular songs and her admirers included Beck, Billy Corgan, Nick Cave and PJ Harvey.
Others who died in January include: figure skater Dick Button, French far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen, singer Wayne Osmond, former Planned Parenthood leader Cecile Richards, former Greek prime minister Costas Simitis and French aviator Valérie André.
Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in January (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):
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JANUARY
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Wayne Osmond, 73. A singer, guitarist and founding member of the million-album-selling family act The Osmonds, who were known for such 1970s teen hits as “One Bad Apple,” “Yo-Yo” and “Down By the Lazy River.” Jan. 1.
David Lodge, 89. A witty and prolific British novelist and critic who gently satirized academia, religion and even his own loss of hearing in such highly praised narratives as the Booker Prize finalists “Small World” and “Nice Work.” Jan. 1.
Rosita Missoni, 93. The matriarch of the iconic Italian fashion house that made colorful zigzag-patterned knitwear high fashion and helped launch Italian ready-to-wear. Jan. 1.
James Arthur Ray, 67. A self-help guru whose multimillion-dollar business toppled after he led a sweat lodge ceremony in Arizona that left three people dead. Jan. 3.
Costas Simitis, 88. A former prime minister of Greece and the architect of the country’s joining the common European currency, the euro. Jan. 5.
Jean-Marie Le Pen, 96. The founder of France’s far-right National Front was known for fiery rhetoric against immigration and multiculturalism that earned him both staunch supporters and widespread condemnation. Jan. 7.
Peter Yarrow, 86. The singer-songwriter best known as one-third of Peter, Paul and Mary, the folk-music trio whose impassioned harmonies transfixed millions as they lifted their voices in favor of civil rights and against war. Jan. 7.
Nancy Leftenant-Colon, 104. The first Black woman to join the U.S. Army Nurse Corps after the military was desegregated in the 1940s. Jan. 8.
Sam Moore, 89. The surviving half and higher voice of the 1960s duo Sam & Dave that was known for such definitive hits of the era as “Soul Man” and “Hold On, I’m Comin.’” Jan. 10.
José “Cha Cha” Jiménez, 76. A prominent civil rights and liberation movement figure and founder of the Young Lords in Chicago and co-founder of the Rainbow Coalition. Jan. 10.
David Lynch, 78. The filmmaker celebrated for his uniquely dark and dreamlike vision in such movies as “Blue Velvet” and “Mulholland Drive” and the TV series “Twin Peaks.” Jan. 16.
Bob Uecker, 90. He parlayed a forgettable playing career into a punch line for movie and TV appearances as “Mr. Baseball” and a Hall of Fame broadcasting tenure. Jan. 16.
Joan Plowright, 95. An award-winning British actor who with her late husband Laurence Olivier did much to revitalize the U.K.’s theatrical scene in the decades after World War II. Jan. 16.
Cecile Richards, 67. A national leader for abortion access and women’s rights who led Planned Parenthood for 12 tumultuous years. Jan. 20.
Mauricio Funes, 65. A president of El Salvador who spent the final years of his life in Nicaragua to avoid various criminal sentences. Jan. 21.
Valérie André, 102. A French aviator and parachutist who became the first woman to become a general officer in France. Jan. 21.
Garth Hudson, 87. The Band’s virtuoso keyboardist and all-around musician who drew from a unique palette of sounds and styles to add a conversational touch to such rock standards as “Up on Cripple Creek,” “The Weight” and “Rag Mama Rag.” Jan. 21.
Richard Williamson, 84. An ultra-traditionalist Catholic bishop whose denial of the Holocaust created a scandal in 2009 when Pope Benedict XVI rehabilitated him and other members of his breakaway society. Jan. 29.
Dick Button, 95. He was one of the most accomplished men’s figure skaters in history and one of his sport’s great innovators and promoters. Jan. 30.
Marianne Faithfull, 78. The British pop star, muse, libertine and old soul who inspired and helped write some of the Rolling Stones’ greatest songs and endured as a torch singer and survivor of the lifestyle she once embodied. Jan. 30.
News from © The Associated Press, 2025