Celebrity Deaths – D

by Michael RichComment — Updated August 3, 2023
James Dean - celebrity deaths D
James Dean
1955
Bette Davis
Bette Davis
1989
Gail Davis
Gail Davis
1997
John Denver
John Denver
1997
Rodney Dangerfield
Rodney Dangerfield
2004
Ossie Davis
Ossie Davis
2005
Celebrity Death - Sandra Dee
Sandra Dee
2005
James Doohan
James Doohan
2005
Bob Denver
Bob Denver
2005
Mike Douglas dies
Mike Douglas
2006
Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley
2008
Dom deluise
Dom Deluise
2009
Jimmy Dean
Jimmy Dean
2009
John Dye
John Dye
2011
Richard Dawson
Richard Dawson
2012
Phyllis Diller
Phyllis Diller
2012
michael clarke duncan
Michael Clarke Duncan
2012
Charles Durning
Charles Durning
2012
Donna Douglas
Donna Douglas
2015
Larry Drake
Larry Drake
2016
Patty Duke
Patty Duke
2016
Fats Domino died 2017
Fats Domino
2017
Celebrity Death 2020 Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas
2020
Hugh Downs legendary broadcaster died in 2020
Hugh Downs
2020

Richard Daley b. 1902 d. 1976 (heart attack)
Mayor of Chicago

Paul Dana b. 1976 d. March 26, 2006 (warmup session crash)
IRL race car driver – Rahal Letterman Racing team

Dorothy Jean Dandridge b. 1922 d. 1965 (possible bone fragment poisoning from fractured ankle)
Singer

Rodney Dangerfield b. 1921 d. October 5, 2004 (complications of heart surgery)
Comedian – I don’t get no respect!

Royal Dano b. 1922 d. 1994 (heart attack)
Character Actor

Ray Danton b. 1931 d. 1992 (kidney disease)
Actor – Nifty Cronin on the Alaskans

Bobby Darin b. 1936 d. 1973 (heart disease)
Singer/Actor – Mack the Knife

Linda Darnell b. 1924 d. 1965 (died running back into a burning house to save others)
Actress – Star Dust

Sam Dash b. 1925 d. May 29, 2004
Lawyer/Politician – chief counsel for the Senate Watergate Committee

Hal David b. 1921 d. Sept. 1, 2012 (stroke)
Lyricist – with partner Burt Bacharach “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head”

Ann B. Davis b.1926 d. June 01, 2014 (Subdural hematoma)
Actress – Schultzy in “The Bob Cummings Show” (1955-59) and Alice in “The Brady Bunch” (1969-74)

Beryl Davis b. 1924 d. 2011 (Alzheimer’s disease)
Singer- Benny Goodman,and Four Girls singing group

Bette Davis b. 1908 d. 1989 (breast cancer)
Actress – All About Eve

Brad Davis b. 1949 d. 1991 (AIDS)
Actor – Robert Kennedy in Robert Kennedy and His Times

Gail Davis b. 1925 d. 1997 (cancer)
Actress – Annie Oakley

Jim Davis b. 1915 d. 1981(complications from surgery for a perforated ulcer)
Actor – Jock Ewing on Dallas

Joan Davis b. 1912 d. 1961(heart attack)
Actress – I Married Joan

Miles Davis b. 1926 d. 1991(pneumonia and stroke)
Musician

Ossie Davis b. 1917 d. February 4, 2005
Actor, humanitarian – husband of Ruby Dee; Roots, The Stand, Do the Right Thing

Priscilla Davis b.1942 d. February 19, 2001 (breast cancer)
Dallas socialite shot in 1976. Ex-husband T. Cullen Davis was acquitted of the crime.

Sammy Davis, Jr. b. 1925 d. 1990 (throat cancer)
Entertainer and member of the Rat Pack

Skeeter Davis b. 1931 d. September 19, 2004 (breast cancer)
Singer – Grand Ole Opry; song – End of the World

Richard Dawson b. 1932 d. June 2, 2012 (esophageal cancer)
Actor – Host of “Family Feud” (1976-1985), Hogans Heroes

James Dean b. 1931 d. 1955 (car crash)
Actor – Rebel Without a Cause

Jimmy Dean b. 1928 d. 2010 (natural)
Singer, Businessman – “Big Bad John”, also founder Jimmy Dean Sausage

Michael Deaver b. 1938 d. August 18, 2007 (pancreatic cancer)
Close advisor to President Ronald Reagan

Rosemary DeCamp b.1910 d. February 20, 2001(complications of pneumonia)
Actress – Margaret MacDonald on The Bob Cummings Show

Yvonne De Carlo b. 1922 d. January 8, 2007
Actress – Lily on the Munsters

Jeanine Decker b. 1933 d. 1985 (drug and alcohol overdose)
The Singing Nun – Dominique

Fred de Cordova b. 1910 d. September 15, 2001
Producer/director – The Tonight Show, also Burns and Allen, Jack Benny Show, My Three Sons

Ruby Dee b. 1922 d. June 11, 2014 (natural)
Actress / playwright – “A Raisin in the Sun” (1961) also civil rights activist, married to Ossie Davis

Sandra Dee b. 1942 d. February 20, 2005 (kidney failure and pneumonia)
Actress – Gidget and Tammy;Married to Bobby Darin 1960-1967

Gloria DeHaven b. 1925 d 2016 (in her sleep)
Actress/Singer – “So This Is Paris”, “The Girl Rush”

Dino De Laurentiis b. 1919 d. 2010 (natural)
Producer – Serpico, King Kong, Barbarella and many Italian films

John DeLorean b. 1925 d. March 19, 2005 (complications from a stroke)
Launched DeLorean Motor Corp., made time-traveling vehicle for “Back to the Future” films

Brad Delp b. 1951 d. March 9, 2007 (suicide)
Lead singer of Boston – More Than a Feeling and Long Time

Dom DeLuise b. 1933 d. May 4, 2009 (cancer)
Actor/Comedian/chef, best known for comedy films

William Demarest b. 1892 d. 1983 (heart attack)
Actor – Uncle Charlie in My Three Sons

Richard Denning b. 1914 d. 1998 (cardiac arrest)
Actor – the Governor in Hawaii Five-O

Sandy Dennis b. 1937 d. 1992 (ovarian cancer)
Actress – Honey in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf

Bob Denver b. 1935 d. September 2, 2005 (cancer & heart problems)
Actor – Maynard G. Krebs on “Many Loves of Dobie Gillis” and Gilligan on “Gilligan’s Island,”

John Denver b. 1943 d. 1997 (plane crash)
Musician and environmental activist

Albert DeSalvo b. 1931 d. 1973 (stabbed to death by inmates)
The Boston Strangler

Johnny Desmond b. 1919 d. 1985
Actor – Jim Kendall in Sally

Andy Devine b. 1905 d. 1977 (heart attack)
Actor – Andy’s Gang and Wild Bill Hickock

Colleen Dewhurst d. 1991 b. 1926
Actress – twice married to George C. Scott

Brandon DeWilde b. 1942 d. 1972 (car accident)
Actor – Joey Starrett in Shane

Selma Diamond b. 1920 d. 1985 (cancer)
Actress – Baliff Selma Hacker in Night Court

Little Jimmy Dickens b. 1920 d. 2015 (cardiac arrest)
C&W Musician – biggest hit, “May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose”

Nancy Dickerson b. 1927 d. 1997 (stroke/heart attack)
Journalist

James Dickey b. 1923 d. 1997 (lung disease)
Writer – Deliverance

Bo Diddley b.1928 d. 2008
(real name Ellas McDaniel) was a behind the scenes influence on most of early rock & roll

Marlene Dietrich b. 1901 d. 1992
Singer/actress – Destry Rides Again

Phyllis Diller b.1917 d. 2012
Comedienne / TV Personality – known for her wild hair, long cigarette holder and self-deprecating humor

Joe DiMaggio b. 1914. d. 1999 (lung cancer)
Baseball Player and husband of Marilyn Monroe

Emilie Dionne b. 1934 d.1954
One of famed Dionne quintuplets

Marie Dionne b. 1934 d.1970
One of famed Dionne quintuplets

Yvonne Dionne b. 1934 d. 2001
One of famed Dionne quintuplets

Walt Disney b. 1901 d. 1966
Entertainment Genius

Jeanne Dixon b. 1918 d. 1997 (heart attack)
Astrologer

Larry Doby b. 1924 d. June 18, 2003
Baseball Hall of Famer – Cleveland Indians,Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers

Jimmie W. Dodd b. 1910 d. 1964
Head Mousketeer

Denny Doherty b. 1940 d. January 19, 2007 (kidney problems after surgery)
Singer – Mamas and the Papas

Fats Domino b. 1928 d. Oct. 25, 2017 (natural)
Singer/Songwriter – “Ain’t That a Shame” (1955), “Blueberry Hill” (1956), he sold over 65 million records

Troy Donahue b. 1936 d. September 2, 2001 (heart attack)
Actor – A Summer Place and Surfside Six

James Doohan b. 1920 d. July 20, 2005 (Alzheimers and pneumonia)
Actor – Commander Montgomery “Scotty” Scott on Star Trek

James “Jimmy” Doolittle b. 1896 d. 1993
Aviator, Medal of Honor Winner

Donna Douglas b. 1933 d. 2015 (pancreatic cancer)
Actress – Elly May Clampett on “The Beverly Hillbillies

Kirk Douglas b.1916 d. 2020
Actor/producer/director/author – appeared in over 90 films here are a few of his movies “Champion” (1949), “Bad & the Beautiful” (1952), “Lust for Life” (1956); his awards are too numerous to list so please click here for the list

Marjory Stoneman Douglas b. 1890 d. 1998
Environmentalist, writer – “First Lady of the Everglades”

Mike Douglas b. August 11, 1925 d. August 11, 2006
Singer and talk show host – The Mike Douglas Show

Hugh Downs b. 1921 d. 2020
Radio and television broadcaster/announcer/host/news anchor

Joe Dowell b. 1940 d. 2016 (heart attack)
Pop Singer – #1 hit song “Wooden Heart” (1961)

Morton Downey Jr. b. 1933 d. March 12, 2001 (lung cancer, respiratory problems)
Talk show host – Mort the Mouth

Jerry Doyle b. 1956 d. 2016 (unknown)
Actor – Michael Garibaldi in Babylon 5 (1994–98)

Larry Drake b. 1950 d. 2016
Actor – Benny Stulwicz on L.A. Law (1987-1994)

Allen Drury b. 1918 d. 1998 (heart failure)
Lawyer/writer – Advise and Consent

James Drury b. 1934 d. 2020 (natural)
Actor – had the title role in TV show “The Virginian” as the ranch foreman (1962-’71)

Peter Duel b. 1940 d. 1971(suicide)
Actor – Hannibal Heyes Alias Smith and Jones

Howard Duff b. 1913 d. 1990 (heart attack)
Actor – Married to Ida Lupino

Andrew Duggan b. 1923 d. 1988 (cancer)
Actor – Bourbon Street Beat and Lancer

Patty Duke b. 1946 d. 2016 (sepsis from a ruptured intestine)
Actress – played identical cousins in “The Patty Duke Show” (1963-1966)

David Dukes b. 1945 d. 2000 (heart attack)
Actor – Dr. Wade Halsey on Sisters

Michael Clarke Duncan b. 1957 d. 2012 (complications from a heart attack)
Actor – “Armageddon”, “The Green Mile”

Michael Dunn b.1934 d. 1973 (suicide)
Actor – Dr. Miguelito Loveless on Wild Wild West

Irene Dunne b. 1898 d. 1990 (heart attack)
Actress – nominated five times for Academy Award for Best Actress

Ryan Dunn b. 1977 d. 2011 (alcohol related car accident)
did stupid stunts in the “Jackass” TV series and movies

John Gregory Dunne b. 1932 d. December 30, 2003 (heart attack)
Writer – husband of Joan Didion, brother of Dominick Dunne

Jimmy Durante b. 1893 d. 1980
Entertainer

Deanna Durbin b. 1921 d. 2013
Actress/Singer – Christmas Holiday (1944)

Charles Durning b. 1923 d. 2012 (natural causes)
Actor – “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”, “Tootsie”

Leo “The Lip” Durocher b. 1905 d. 1991
Baseball Manager

Dan Duryea b. 1907 d. 1968 (cancer)
Actor – China Smith

John Dye b. 1963 d. 2011 (heart attack)
Actor – Andrew the Angel of Death on “Touched By An Angel

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