Celebrity deaths, they say, come in threes.

Of course ‘they’ aren’t really correct; an honest examination of the timing of celebrity deaths would show that they probably don’t come in threes.

Only six weeks in to 2021, however, it seems we are losing a pop culture icon nearly every day. The February 5th (though it was announced February 6th) death of boxing champ Leon Spinks seems to hammer that home. So let’s look at the numbers: who have we lost thus far this year?

February 5th

Jamie Tarses – the trailblazing TV executive and producer who became the first woman to serve as entertainment president of a broadcast network in 1996 died of heart complications at the age of 56.

January 30th

Sophie Xeon – Scottish musician, DJ and producer Sophie died on January 30 after a “sudden accident,” according to a statement from her team. She was 34.

Allan Burns – the Emmy-winning writer and co-creator of The Munsters and The Mary Tyler Moore Show died at age 85.

January 28th

Cicely Tyson – a Tony and Emmy winner who was Oscar-nominated for her role as a sharecropper’s wife in the 1972 film Sounder died peacefully at age 96, only two days after the release of her memoir Just As I Am. Tyson starred in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman and won an honorary Oscar and was considered a trailblazer who refused to take demeaning or stereotypical roles.

January 27th

Cloris Leachman – The Mary Tyler Moore Show alum died in her sleep at her home in California at age 94. The actress, who appeared on Malcolm in the Middle and Raising Hope and starred in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Young Frankenstein, and Double, Double, Toil and Trouble.

January 24th

Bruce Kirby – he veteran character actor most famously known for his roles in Columbo and L.A. Law died at age 95. He was the father of actor Bruno Kirby.

January 23rd

Hal Holbrook – Tony and Emmy-winning actor Hal Holbrook, famed for his portrayal of Mark Twain throughout his career and for playing Watergate informant Deep Throat in 1976’s All the President’s Men, died at age 95. He also appeared on his wife Dixie Carter’s sitcom Designing Women, and on Evening Shade.

Larry King – the much-married famed interviewer and longtime CNN host whose career spanned more than six decades died at age 87 from sepsis after battling Covid-19, according to his wife.

Soon-yoo Jung – The South Korean actress and model died at age 26 from unknown causes.

Tricia Noble – The Star Wars actress, who played Jobal Naberrie in two movies, died after an 18-month battle with mesothelioma, the Daily Mail reported. She was 76.

January 22nd

Hank Aaron – The Hall of Fame baseball player, born Henry Louis “Hank” Aaron, died in his sleep at the age of 86, the Atlanta Braves announced on January 22. The home run hitter was best known for his 23 years as an MLB player, all but two of them played with the Braves (first in Milwaukee and then Atlanta.) He was an activist for civil rights throughout his adult life.

January 21st

Randy Parton – the musician and the younger brother of Dolly Parton died of cancer at the age of 67. 

January 20th

Mira Furlan – The Lost and Babylon 5 actress died at age 65 due to complications from the West Nile virus.

January 19th

Baby CEO – Memphis rapper Baby CEO was killed in a shooting in Frayser, Tennessee. The rapper, who was born Jonathon Brown, first made headlines at the age of 14 over a video that featured him pointing guns and rapping about drugs, gang signs in the song, which featured explicit lyrics.

January 18th

Jimmie Rodgers – the singer, who tested positive for Covid-19, died of kidney disease. Known for songs like “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine” and his cover of Bob Merrill’s “Honeycomb,” the singer landed hits on Billboard’s pop singles, country and western, and rhythm and blues charts through the 50s and 60s.

January 17th

Harry Brant – the flamboyant fashionista son of billionaire Peter Brant and supermodel Stephanie Seymour, died of an accidental drug overdose at age 24.

January 16th

Phil Spector – the convicted murderer and former music producer died  “of natural causes” on while at “an outside hospital,” according to a Department of Corrections release, which stated “his official cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner in the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office.” Spector, who was 81 at the time of his death, was serving 19 years to life in prison after being convicted of actress Lana Clarkson’s murder in 2009.

January 14th

Joanne Rogers – a musician, the widow of Fred Rogers of Mr Rogers’ Neighborhood, died in Pittsburgh on January 14. She was 92. 

Peter Mark Richman – the actor died of natural causes at his home in Woodland Hills, California. He was 93. The actor had more than 130 television credits, including recurring roles on Three’s Company and Dynasty. 

January 13th

Sylvain Sylvain – Sylvain Sylvain, guitarist for the iconic Lower East Side punk band New York Dolls, died at the age of 69. He had been battling cancer for the past two-and-a-half years.

Siegfried Fischbach – one half of the iconic Las Vegas magician duo Siegfried & Roy, Siegfried died at age 81 of pancreatic cancer. He passed away less than a year after his romantic and professional partner Roy Horn died of Covid-related causes.

January 9th

John Reilly – Soap star John Reilly — famed for his longtime role as retired spy Sean Donely on General Hospital — from unknown causes. He was 84. He also appeared as Kelly’s (Jennie Garth) dad on Beverly Hills 90210.

January 8th

Angie Jakusz – a contestant on Survivor: Palau, Angie died after a lengthy battle with cancer. She appeared on the 2005 season of the CBS reality series, where she was given the nickname “No Fun Angie.” She was 40.

January 7th

Michael Apted – the British filmmaker who directed the long-running Up documentary series and Oscar-nominated features including Coal Miner’s Daughter and Gorillas in the Mist died at age 79. His films also included The World Is Not Enough and Stardust.

Marion Ramsey – the Police Academy star who played Officer Laverne Hooks in the beloved comedies died at age 73. Ramsey was also an accomplished stage actor, appearing on Broadway in Grind and Eubie, as well as touring the country in Hello, Dolly.

Deezer D – Actor and rapper Dearon Thompson (aka Deezer D) died of a heart attack at age 55. He was best known for portraying nurse Malik McGrath on the medical drama ER from 1994 until 2009, including the pilot and series finale. Thompson also appeared in movies such as Fear of a Black Hat, CB4, Bringing Down the House, and Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion.

Tommy Lasorda – The former Los Angeles Dodgers manager, who won two World Series titles with the team and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997, died of a heart attack at age 93.

January 4th

Tanya Roberts – former Bond Girl and Charlie’s Angel, Roberts died at age 65 in Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles from a urinary tract infection that developed into sepsis. Roberts starred as Stacey Sutton in 1985’s A View to Kill, opposite Roger Moore as 007. She also starred on That ’70s Show as Donna’s mother, Midge. The actress appeared on the last season of Charlie’s Angels in the ’80s and on Fantasy Island, and in movies like Sheena and The Beastmaster.

Gregory Sierra – the actor who appeared in Barney Miller and Sanford and Son died at age 83 from cancer. He had a film and stage career that ultimately spanned five decades. His most prominent roles were in sitcoms from the 1970s.

Barbara Shelley – the famed British actress died at age 88 after contracting Covid-19. She was best known for appearing in horror movies produced by Hammer Films, including Blood of the Vampire (1958), Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966), and 1967’s Quatermass and the Pit. Shelley also starred in 1960’s spooky horror classic Village of the Damned.

January 3rd

Gerry Marsden – The lead singer of the British band Gerry and the Pacemakers died after a short illness at age 78. Marsden and his band came to fame in the early 1960s with hits including “Ferry Across the Mersey” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” 

Eric Jerome Dickey – The author died at age 59 after a long illness. He published 29 novels, including multiple New York Times best-sellers: Milk in My Coffee, Cheaters, Chasing Destiny, The Other Woman, Sleeping With Strangers, Resurrecting Midnight, Sister, Sister, An Accidental Affair, and Decadence. Dickey also wrote the 2007 Marvel Comics miniseries Storm, chronicling the love story between the Black superheroes Storm and Black Panther.

January 2nd

Kerry Vincent – The Food Network Challenge judge and cake artist died at the age of 75 from an undisclosed illness.

January 1st

George Gerdes – the actor, known for his work in A Few Good Men, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The X-Files, Bosch and Grey’s Anatomy, died at age 72 after suffering a brain aneurysm.

Mark Eden – The actor, who appeared on Coronation Street and Doctor Who, died peacefully at age 92.

That is a lot. There wasn’t a death every day, and some days they did indeed come in threes. And though it would make sense that a perceived increase in deaths would be the fault of Covid-19, only a few of these deaths were related to coronavirus.

Let’s just hope that the rest of us, celebrities or not, stay healthy for the rest of this year and beyond.