If you grew up in the ’80s, then 2024 has been a very difficult year. A seemingly endless list of celebrities that we relied on have died this year, including Alf’s best friend, Doogie’s dad and Dylan’s girl (until she wasn’t).
Generation X may feel every one of these celebrity deaths. We won’t go as far to call all 12 iconic, but there are definitely legends of film, television and broadcasting. A few even leaked into the 1990s, meaning Generation Y could feel the brunt of this sorrow.
Related: Remembering the Country Stars Who Died in 2024
An adored member of the Tanner family leads off a list that also includes a Howser, a Mustard and a “Meat.” Two famous newscasters died, including one whose career would tumble after remarks made about the 2020 election.
Dolly Parton‘s co-star, a Seinfeld favorite and “The King of Sting” also died this year. A strange twist to this list of 12 celebrity deaths (so far) is that three died on the same day, July 13, 2024. That is also the day of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
Billy Dukes is a Senior Editor and Executive Producer of Video Content at Taste of Country. He specializes in country music interviews, trend analysis and the Secret History of Country Music. Additionally, Billy covers Yellowstone, 1923 and related television shows through the Dutton Rules podcast. To date, he’s written more than 13,000 articles for Taste of Country and produced over 3,000 videos for the Taste of Country YouTube channel.
12 Celebrity Deaths That Will Break an ‘80s Kid’s Heart (2024)
An iconic sitcom dad, the original Colonel Mustard, a beloved Seinfeld character and Brenda, sweet, complicated Brenda. These are just a few of the heartbreaking deaths for Generation X. If you grew up in the ‘80s and early ’90s, you lost a lot in 2024.
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
In Memoriam: Country Stars Who Died in 2024
Take a moment to remember the country artists, songwriters and industry members who died in 2024.
Gallery Credit: Carena Liptak