The year in review: Influential people who have died in 2026

Civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson is among the influential and noteworthy people who died in February.

A protege of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and a two-time presidential candidate, he led a lifetime of crusades, advocating for poor people and the underrepresented in the United States and around the world.

February also saw the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed amid U.S. and Israeli military strikes. Khamenei ruled the country for decades, assembling theocratic power and seeking to turn the nation into a regional powerhouse. His death — along with the ongoing fighting in Iran — raises questions about the future of the Islamic Republic.

Others who died in February include actors Robert Duvall, James Van Der Beek, Sondra Lee and Eric Dane; Three Dog Night singer Chuck Negron; and Hall of Fame second baseman Bill Mazeroski.

Here is a roll call of some influential figures who have died this year (the cause of death is cited, if available):

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JANUARY ___

Diane Crump, 77. In 1969, she became the first woman to ride professionally in a horse race and a year later became the first female jockey in the Kentucky Derby. Jan. 1.

Ahn Sung-ki, 74. He was one of South Korean cinema’s biggest stars whose prolific 60-year career and positive, gentle public image earned him the nickname “The Nation’s Actor.” Jan. 5.

Aldrich Ames, 84. The CIA turncoat who betrayed Western intelligence assets to the Soviet Union and Russia in one of the most damaging intelligence breaches in U.S. history died in prison. Jan. 5.

Béla Tarr, 70. The celebrated Hungarian filmmaker directed such works as “Sátántangó” and “The Turin Horse” and was the recipient of numerous awards for his long and often darkly comic films. Jan. 6.

Glenn Hall, 94. Nicknamed “Mr. Goalie,” he was a Hockey Hall of Famer whose ironman streak of 502 starts as a goaltender remains an NHL record. Jan. 7.

Bob Weir, 78. The guitarist and singer was an essential member of the Grateful Dead who helped found the sound of the San Francisco counterculture of the 1960s and kept it alive through decades of endless tours and marathon jams. Jan. 10.

Scott Adams, 68. His popular comic strip “Dilbert” captured the frustration of beleaguered, white-collar cubicle workers and satirized the ridiculousness of modern office culture until he was abruptly dropped from syndication in 2023 for racist remarks. Jan. 13.

John Forté, 50. The Grammy-nominated musician was known for his work with the Fugees and the Refugee Camp All-Stars, among others. Jan. 12.

Claudette Colvin, 86. Her 1955 arrest for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated Montgomery bus helped spark the modern civil rights movement. At age 15, she was arrested nine months before Rosa Parks gained international fame for also refusing to give up her seat on a segregated bus. Jan. 13.

Valentino Garavani, 93. He was the jet-set Italian designer whose high-glamour gowns — often in his trademark shade of “Valentino red” — were fashion show staples for nearly half a century. Jan. 19.

Ota Zaremba, 68. He won a weightlifting gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics before admitting to using performance-enhancing drugs under a secret program run by the totalitarian regime in the former Czechoslovakia. Jan. 23.

William Foege, 89. As a doctor, he was a leader of one of humanity’s greatest public health victories — the global eradication of smallpox. Jan. 24.

Catherine O’Hara, 71. The gifted Canadian-born comic actor and “SCTV” alum starred as Macaulay Culkin’s harried mother in two “Home Alone” movies and won an Emmy as the dramatically ditzy, wealthy matriarch Moira Rose in “Schitt’s Creek.” Jan. 30.

Demond Wilson, 79. He found fame in the 1970s playing Lamont on “Sanford and Son” and went on to become a minister. Jan. 30.

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FEBRUARY