By Molly Lindstrom ‘21, Arts and Entertainment Writer

2019 was an exciting year in the arts and entertainment world. While we eagerly look forward to what 2020 has in store, it is important to pause and reflect upon those who left us over the past year. These well respected people influenced many who followed them. From actors to musicians, from architects to writers, here is a tribute to some of the brightest stars whose lights sadly dimmed in 2019.

Luke Perry

Luke Perry, born Coy Luther Perry III, was an iconic actor in the American film and television industries. He began his career as a teenager, starring as heartthrob Dylan McKay in the hit television series Beverly Hills, 90210. Perry made guest appearances on famous TV shows including Criminal Minds, Law and Order, and The Simpsons. He was also featured in movies such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Sadly, Perry passed away from a stroke at age 52 on March 4th. Before his passing, Perry left his mark playing the beloved role of Fred Andrews on the CW’s Riverdale. To honor Perry’s  memory, the series dedicated the first episode of the fourth season to his character. 

Toni Morrison

Chloe Anthony Wofford Morrison, better known as Toni Morrison, was an American writer who made a lasting impact on the world of literature. Morrison was the first black female editor in fiction at Random House in New York City in the late 1960s. She became nationally recognized after publishing The Song of Solomon in 1977, a novel that won her the National Book Critics Circle Award. Morrison was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1988 for her novel Beloved, as well as the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993. Morrison’s works were centered around racial and female  empowerment. At age 88, Morrison passed away from pneumonia on August 5th. Her legacy lives on through the Toni Morrison Society: a group inspired by Morrison to establish benches at sites that are important to the history of slavery in the United States. 

Juice WRLD

Originally Jarad Anthony Higgins, widely-known rapper Juice WRLD was famous for No. 2 Billboard Hot 100 hit “Lucid Dreams.” Juice WRLD was also known for his collaboration on Travis Scott’s album Astroworld, and his song “Hide” which was in the latest Spider-Man film. On March 8th, 2019, his second album, Death Race for Love, was released and became the number one album on the Billboard 200. On December 8th, he suffered from a medical emergency after landing in Chicago, reported to be either a heart attack or a seizure caused by an overdose. Juice WRLD’s untimely death left fans everywhere in shock, as the rapper’s music career was just taking off.

Doris Day

Doris Day was a beloved American actress, singer, and animal rights activist. Day started her career in 1939 as a singer, later becoming commercially successful with two No. 1 hits in 1945, “Sentimental Journey” and “My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time,” with the big band Les Brown and His Band of Renown. She recorded more than 650 songs between 1947 and 1967, and simultaneously embarked on her acting career. She starred in 39 films which are still popular and run on television today.  She won Top Box-Office Female Star for four consecutive years. Day left Hollywood to become an activist for animal welfare, focusing her attention on rescuing abused and neglected animals. On May 13, Doris Day passed away from pneumonia at the age of 97. Before her death, Day started her own organization known as the Doris Day Animal Foundation, which continues to serve in her memory. 

Cameron Boyce 

Cameron Boyce was an actor and philanthropist. On July 6th, Boyce sadly died at the age of 20 due to an epileptic seizure. He is best known for his work on Disney Channel as Luke Ross in the series Jessie, and as Carlos in the television film trilogy Descendants. He also starred in numerous films, including Mirrors, Grown Ups, and Eagle Eye. Boyce also pursued many acts of charity, supporting organizations such as the Thirst Project, which provides underdeveloped countries with clean water. His final project was a campaign that he created on social media known as Wielding Peace, a campaign that fights against gun violence by posting pictures of celebrities and survivors of gun violence wielding peaceful objects in the place of guns. 

Caroll Spinney

Caroll Spinney was the original puppeteer behind the characters Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on the show Sesame Street. Spinney joined Sesame Street in 1969, and remained a cherished part of the series for nearly 50 years. Over these years, he recorded more than 4,400 episodes as these puppets. Spinney struggled with dystonia, a disorder that affects the movements of one’s muscles, limiting him to just the voices of his puppets in the years leading up to his retirement in 2018. At the age of 85, Spinney died from his dystonia on December 8th. 

I.M. Pei

Chinese-American architect Ieoh Ming (I.M.) Pei was a major influence in the field of architecture. Pei moved to the United States in 1935, and joined the Harvard Graduate School of Design. In 1955, he developed his own design firm. Throughout his career, Pei designed many famous buildings including the pyramid at the Louvre, the Bank of China Tower, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the John F. Kennedy Library. These remarkable buildings carry on the architect’s legacy after his peaceful death on May 16th at 102 years old. 

These are only a few of the influential artists we lost last year.  There are so many others worthy of mention, such as Broadway composer Jerry Herman, fashion icon Gloria Vanderbilt, Broadway star Carol Channing, film director and producer John Singleton, and even social media star Grumpy Cat. Each of these artists left their unique imprint on the world, and their contributions will be passed onto the next generation of artists whom we so eagerly look forward to hearing from in the future.