“Life is short, but art lives forever.” —Marcus Tullius Cicero
The entertainment world suffered heavy losses in 2019, from the graceful passing of iconic figures to the tragic and abrupt end of young, budding stars. Here we’ve highlighted a few notable stars who left this world—but not our hearts—in 2019.
(Top row, l-r) Rapper-entrepreneur Nipsey Hussle’s killing in March shocked the world. He was 33-years-old; Mama Cax, 30, an American-Haitian model and disabled rights activist lost her battle with cancer in December; literary giant Toni Morrison, 88, passed away due to complications of pneumonia in August; comedian and actor John Witherspoon, 77, of “Friday” movie fame, died of a heart attack in late October.
(Second row, l-r) Rising star rapper Juice WRLD, 21, died in December after suffering seizures; screen and stage legend Diahann Carroll died in October of cancer at age 84; prize-winning British novelist Andrea Levy, 62, died of cancer in February; Grammy-winning songwriter, LaShawn Daniels, 41, died in a car crash in September.
(Third row, l-r) Actor Kristoff St. John, 52, of “Young & the Restless” died of heart disease in February; Oscar-nominated director John Singleton, 51, died of a massive stroke in April; pioneering soprano opera singer Jessye Norman died of septic shock in September; Melvin Edmonds, 65, of ’90s R&B group After 7 died in May.
(Bottom, l-r) Veteran rapper Bushwick Bill of the Geto Boys passed away from pancreatic cancer in June; R&B crooner James Ingram, 66, died of brain cancer in January; R&B songstress Jackie Moore, 73, died in November; Dave Bartholomew, 100, a rock n’ roll pioneer and iconic figure in New Orleans music died in June.
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