Celebrities who died in 2018
From Aretha Franklin to George H.W. Bush, here are some of the famous people who have passed away this year
The world has lost leading figures from fields including entertainment, politics and science over the past 12 months.
Film fans worldwide mourned the death of Hollywood heartthrob Burt Reynolds, while British TV viewers were shocked by the passing of The Vicar of Dibley star Emma Chambers at the age of just 53. US politics lost three icons: Republican senator John McCain, and former president George H.W. Bush and his wife Barbara.
The music industry marked the passing of “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin, one of the most famous singers of all time, while scientists across the globe paid their respects to groundbreaking British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
As the year nears its close, click on the gallery above to remember these celebrities and some of other public figures to whom we said goodbye in 2018.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The Week contest: Swift stimulus
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
'It's hard to resist a sweet deal on a good car'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
10 concert tours to see this winter
The Week Recommends Keep warm traveling the United States — and the world — to see these concerts
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin: the new space race?
Speed Read Branson has declared space open for business. Is that still a pie in the sky?
By The Week Staff Published
-
Russia and China joining forces to build first Moon base
Speed Read Lunar pact represents ‘all kinds of security threats’ to UK and US, expert warns
By Joe Evans Last updated
-
Mystery of where Stonehenge stones came from finally solved
Speed Read But how the builders moved the huge stone megaliths to the Salisbury site remains a mystery
By Aaron Drapkin Last updated
-
How chimpanzee ‘lip smacking’ can unlock mystery behind human speech
Speed Read New study reveals rhythm of great apes’ communications is identical to spoken language
By The Week Staff Published
-
Scientists discover new variety of black hole
Speed Read Astronomers had previously missed entire class of dead star
By James Ashford Last updated
-
Trio win Nobel physics prize for work to understand cosmos
Speed Read The scientists were hailed for ‘ground-breaking’ discoveries
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Quadriplegic man walks using mind-reading robotic exoskeleton
Speed Read Robo-suit hailed as huge step forward for paralysed patients
By James Ashford Published
-
Will ancient scrolls damaged by Vesuvius be read again?
Speed Read Scientists believe they have developed technology to see what is on the famous scrolls
By The Week Staff Published