Real-world deaths
Wikisimpsons - The Simpsons Wiki
File:Paulnewmandedication.jpg
Dedication to Paul Newman at the end of "Lost Verizon"
The following is a list of people who have worked on The Simpsons, both the show and other franchise elements, but later died. For the main series, the list includes deceased voice cast, staff and guest stars. Often, subsequent episodes have been dedicated to them. Those who have work on the show's comics, albums, video games and other related productions, are also included here.
To clarify, this list only includes people who died after their work on The Simpsons took place, for example:
- Eartha Kitt is included because she recorded a guest spot for the show, but died before it aired.
- Neil Armstrong is included because, although he did not knowingly make an appearance on the series, archive audio of his first steps on the moon were used by the show whilst he was still alive.
- Theodore Roosevelt is not included because the archive audio of his speeches were used in the show long after his death.
- Similarly, the writer Edgar Allan Poe was credited with co-writing "The Raven" section of "Treehouse of Horror", as this primarily consisted of the actual text of Poe's The Raven. Poe died aged 40 on October 7, 1849 from unknown causes, some 141 years before the episode aired.
Contents
The Simpsons
The following people have been credited with working on The Simpsons. Several have worked on other aspects of the franchise as well, but they are principally associated with the TV show.
Cast
- Christopher Collins, 44 (died June 12, 1994) - Provided several voices during season 1, including Mr. Burns in the episode "Homer's Odyssey" and the host of America's Most Armed and Dangerous in "Some Enchanted Evening", before leaving the show. Cerebral hemorrhage.
- Doris Grau, 71 (died December 30, 1995) - Grau provided the voice of Lunchlady Doris and several minor parts, appearing in 23 episodes, between seasons 2 and 9. She had previously served as a script supervisor. Lunchlady Doris was initially retired, but has since made appearances. "Team Homer" was dedicated to her. Emphysema.
- Phil Hartman, 49 (died May 28, 1998) - Hartman regularly provided the voices of Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz as well as other minor one-time parts such as Lyle Lanley and Evan Conover, appearing in 52 episodes, between seasons 2 and 9. Following his murder, his characters were retired and "Bart the Mother" was dedicated to him. Murdered; gun shot.
- Marcia Wallace, 70 (died October 25, 2013) - Wallace regularly provided the voice of Edna Krabappel, appearing in over 170 episodes, between seasons 1 and 25. "Four Regrettings and a Funeral" had the chalkboard gag dedicated to her, and also contained a dedication at the end of the episode in its original airing. "White Christmas Blues" also had a small tribute to both her and Don Payne on the opening sequence. In "The Man Who Grew Too Much" Wallace and her character were retired with a special clip at the end of the episode. Combination of breast cancer, pneumonia, and sepsis.
Crew
Writers and producers
- Thomas Chastain, 73 (died September 1, 1994) - Co-wrote the story of the episode "Black Widower". Lung cancer.
- Don Payne, 48 (died March 26, 2013) - Payne served as a writer, producer, supervising producer, co-executive producer and consulting producer on the show, between seasons 11 and 25. He was credited on 113 episodes, writing 16 of them, including "Insane Clown Poppy" (amongst many co-written with John Frink), "Thank God It's Doomsday" and "Fraudcast News". His most recent aired credit at the time of his death was as a consulting producer on "Dark Knight Court", but two episodes which he wrote, "White Christmas Blues" and "Labor Pains", aired after his death. Bone cancer.
- Steve Viksten, 53 (died June 23, 2014) - Co-wrote the episode "Homer Scissorhands" with Peter Gaffney.
- Sam Simon, 59 (died March 8, 2015) - Simon co-created and developed The Simpsons with Matt Groening and James L. Brooks. He served as the showrunner for seasons 1 and 2 and remained on staff as a writer and producer until the end of season 4. Simon assembled the show's initial writing team and designed characters such as Mr. Burns and Chief Wiggum. He co-wrote nine episodes, including "Some Enchanted Evening" and "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish". He remained credited in his roles of developer, executive producer and character designer in every episode of the show. Colorectal cancer.
Directors and animators
- Michael O'Conner, 54 (died May 5, 1992) - O'Conner was a layout artist for season one.
- Ray Johnson Jr. (died 1994) - Johnson was a layout artist.
- Jackie Banks (died 1995) - Banks was an animation checker and scene planner, who worked on the show during seasons two, four, five and six. "Mother Simpson" was dedicated to her.
- Constantin Mustatea, 68 (died April 17, 1996) - was an animator for "Homer's Odyssey".
- Tom Coppola (died July 13, 1996) - was a layout artist.
- Ed DeMattia (died January 11, 1997) - was an animator for 3 episodes.
- Phyllis Craig, 67 (died May 18, 1997) - ink and paint supervisor for 61 episodes.
- Art Seidel, 66 (died February 21, 1998) - Seidel was the first assistant director and unit production manager for the live-action segment at the end of "Treehouse of Horror VI".
- Lee Mishkin, 74 (died June 19, 2001) - Animation timer for "Bart Gets Hit by a Car" and "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment".
- Kent Holaday, 49 (died June 22, 2001) - Holaday worked as a lip sync for the show. Thyroid condition.
- Ted Bemiller, 79 (died October 26, 2003) - animation camera operator for 23 episodes.
- Barrington T. Bunce, 60 (died June 14, 2005) - layout artist on "Homer's Night Out".
- Jamie O'Brien (died 2005) - O'Brien was a layout artist and assistant director. "The Girl Who Slept Too Little" was dedicated to him. Melanoma.
- Paul Gruwell, 80 (died November 4, 2014) - Animation timer for "Lost Our Lisa".
- Chris Moeller, 47 (died December 31, 2014) - Storyboard artist for nine episodes. ALS.
- Richard Manginsay, 43 (died August 13, 2015) - Layout artist and assistant director. Cancer.
Other crew members
- Michael P. Schoenbrun, 54 (died June 5, 1993) - Schoenbrun was Executive in Charge of Production at Gracie Films. "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" was dedicated to him.
- Robert Glass, 53 (died July 21, 1993) - was the sound re-recording mixer on "Lisa's First Word". Stabbed.
- Andy Houts, 31 (died February 26, 1997) - was a production assistant for 20 episodes.
- Ron Scalera, 49 (died April 21, 2010) - was the executive in charge of production of "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular". Heart attack.
- Daria Paris, 60 (died October 2, 2010) - assistant to the executive producers in season 1; Sam Simon's assistant from season 2 to 4. Cancer.
- Richard Lorenzana, 69 (died March 27, 2014) - Lorenzana served as the show's production accountant from 2009 until his death.
- Harold M. Schulweis, 89 (died December 18, 2014) - was the special technical consultant on "Like Father, Like Clown".
- Ray Colcord, 66, (died February 5, 2016) - was a one time composer for "Dead Putting Society". Pancreatic cancer.
Guest stars
- Audrey Meadows, 73 (died February 3, 1996) - Voiced Beatrice "Bea" Simmons in "Old Money". Lung cancer.
- George Fenneman, 77 (died May 29, 1997) - Appeared as the narrator in "Marge on the Lam". Emphysema.
- Linda McCartney, 56 (died April 17, 1998) - Appeared as herself in "Lisa the Vegetarian". "Trash of the Titans" was dedicated to her. Breast and liver cancer.
- Jim Varney, 50 (died February 10, 2000) - Played Cooter in "Bart Carny". Lung cancer.
- Tito Puente, 77 (died June 1, 2000) - Appeared as himself in "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part One)" and "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two)". Heart problem.
- Steve Allen, 78 (died October 30, 2000) - Appeared as the "electronically altered" voice of Bart in "Separate Vocations" and as himself in "'Round Springfield". Heart attack.
- Joe C., 26 (died November 16, 2000) - Appeared as himself in "Kill the Alligator and Run". Celiac disease
- Werner Klemperer, 80 (died December 6, 2000) - Appeared as Colonel Klink from Hogan's Heroes in "The Last Temptation of Homer". Cancer.
- Joey Ramone, 49 (died April 15, 2001) - Appeared as himself, with the rest of The Ramones in "Rosebud". Lymphoma.
- Jack Lemmon, 76 (died June 27, 2001) - Voiced Frank Ormand in "The Twisted World of Marge Simpson". Colon cancer.
- George Harrison, 58 (died November 29, 2001) - Harrison played himself in "Homer's Barbershop Quartet". "A Hunka Hunka Burns in Love" was dedicated to him. Lung and brain cancer.
- Ron Taylor, 49 (died January 16, 2002) - Voiced Bleeding Gums Murphy in "Moaning Lisa" and "'Round Springfield". "Sweets and Sour Marge" was dedicated to him. Heart attack.
- Lawrence Tierney, 82 (died February 26, 2002) - Played Don Brodka in "Marge Be Not Proud". Pneumonia.
- Stephen Jay Gould, 60 (died May 20, 2002) - Appeared as himself in "Lisa the Skeptic". "Poppa's Got a Brand New Badge" was dedicated to him. Cancer.
- John Entwistle, 57 (died June 27, 2002) - Appeared as himself, with the rest of The Who in "A Tale of Two Springfields". Drug induced heart attack.
- Rod Steiger, 77 (died July 9, 2002) - Voiced Captain Tenille in "Simpson Tide". Pneumonia after gall bladder surgery.
- Chick Hearn, 85 (died August 5, 2002 - Voiced the Announcer in "Homer Defined". Head injury from fall.
- Johnny Unitas, 69 (died September 11, 2002) - Appeared as himself in "Homie the Clown". Heart attack.
- Barry White, 58 (died July 4, 2003) - Appeared as himself in "Whacking Day" and "Krusty Gets Kancelled". Kidney failure.
- Bob Hope, 100 (died July 27, 2003) - Appeared as himself in "Lisa the Beauty Queen". Pneumonia.
- Johnny Cash, 71 (died September 12, 2003) - Voiced the Space Coyote in "El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer". Complications from diabetes.
- George Plimpton, 76 (died September 29, 2003) - Appeared as himself in "I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can". Natural causes.
- Paul Winfield, 64 (died March 7, 2004) - Voiced Lucius Sweet in "The Homer They Fall" and "The Trouble With Trillions". Heart attack.
- Isabel Sanford, 86 (died July 9, 2004) - Appeared as herself in "Milhouse Doesn't Live Here Anymore". Heart disease.
- Johnny Ramone, 55 (died September 15, 2004) - Appeared as himself, with the rest of The Ramones in "Rosebud". Prostate cancer.
- Rodney Dangerfield, 82 (died October 5, 2004) - Played Larry Burns in "Burns, Baby Burns". Complications from heart surgery.
- Johnny Carson, 79 (died January 23, 2005) - Carson appeared as himself in "Krusty Gets Kancelled". "Mommie Beerest" was dedicated to him. Emphysema.
- Henry Corden, 85 (died May 19, 2005) - Voiced Fred Flintstone in the episode "Sideshow Bob Roberts". Emphysema.
- Anne Bancroft, 73 (died June 6, 2005) - Voiced Dr. Zweig in "Fear of Flying". Uterine cancer.
- Bob Denver, 70 (died September 2, 2005) - Played himself in "Simpson Tide". Complications from throat cancer surgery.
- Dennis Weaver, 81 (died February 24, 2006) - Played Buck McCoy in "The Lastest Gun in the West". Complications from cancer.
- James Brown, 73 (died December 25, 2006) - Appeared as himself in "Bart's Inner Child". Heart failure induced by pneumonia.
- Tom Poston, 85 (died April 20, 2007) - Appeared as the Capital City Goofball in "Dancin' Homer". Respiratory failure.
- Robert Goulet, 73 (died October 30, 2007) - Appeared as himself in episode "$pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)". Pulmonary fibrosis.
- George Carlin, 71 (died June 22, 2008) - Voiced Munchie in "D'oh-in' in the Wind". Heart failure.
- Paul Newman, 83 (died September 26, 2008) - Appeared as himself in "The Blunder Years". "Lost Verizon" was dedicated to his memory. Lung cancer.
- Eartha Kitt, 81 (died December 25, 2008) - Appeared posthumously in a "Once Upon a Time in Springfield". Colon cancer.
- Patrick McGoohan, 80 (died January 13, 2009) - Appeared as Number Six in "The Computer Wore Menace Shoes". Short illness.
- John Updike, 76 (died January 27, 2009) - Appeared as himself in "Insane Clown Poppy". Lung cancer.
- Ed McMahon, 86 (died June 23, 2009) - Appeared as himself in "Treehouse of Horror IX". Bone cancer and pneumonia.
- Michael Jackson, 50 (died June 25, 2009) - Appeared as Leon Kompowsky in "Stark Raving Dad" and also co-wrote "Do the Bartman". A repeat of "Wedding for Disaster" was dedicated to him. Drug overdose induced cardiac arrest.
- Gary Coleman, 42 (died May 28, 2010) - Appeared as himself in "Grift of the Magi". Archive audio of his performance was also used in "Behind the Laughter" and "A Tale of Two Springfields". Intercranial hemorrhage from fall.
- Robert Schimmel, 60 (died September 3, 2010) - Appeared as a convict in "Pokey Mom". Car accident.
- Jack LaLanne, 96 (died January 23, 2011) - Appeared as himself in "The Old Man and the "C" Student". Pneumonia.
- Elizabeth Taylor, 79 (died March 23, 2011) - Voiced Maggie in "Lisa's First Word" and appeared as herself in "Krusty Gets Kancelled"; "Love Is a Many-Strangled Thing" was dedicated to her. Heart failure.
- Clarence Clemons, 69 (died June 18, 2011) - Narrated the episode "Grift of the Magi". Stroke.
- Charles Napier, 75 (died October 5, 2011) - Voiced three different characters in four episodes, including the recurring character The Warden. Unknown cause.
- Joe Frazier, 67 (died November 7, 2011) - Appeared as himself in the episodes "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?" and "Homer's Paternity Coot". Liver cancer.
- Harry Morgan, 96 (died December 7, 2011) - Appeared as his Dragnet character Bill Gannon in "Mother Simpson". Pneumonia.
- Tom Ardolino, 56 (died January 6, 2012) - As NRBQ's drummer, Ardolino performed with the rest of the band in three episodes. Diabetes.
- Dick Tufeld, 85 (died January 22, 2012) - Tufeld reprised his role as the voice of the robot from the series Lost in Space in "Mayored to the Mob" and "Milhouse Doesn't Live Here Anymore".
- Dick Clark, 82 (died April 18, 2012) - Appeared as himself in "Treehouse of Horror X". Heart attack.
- Ernest Borgnine, 95 (died July 8, 2012) - Appeared as himself in "Boy-Scoutz 'N the Hood". Kidney failure.
- Gore Vidal, 86 (died July 31, 2012) - Appeared as himself in "Moe'N'a Lisa". Pneumonia.
- Marvin Hamlisch, 68 (died August 6, 2012) - Appeared posthumously as himself in "Gone Abie Gone". Multiple causes.
- Larry Hagman, 81 (died November 23, 2012) - Voiced Wallace Brady in "The Monkey Suit". Throat cancer.
- Huell Howser, 67 (died January 7, 2013) - Appeared as himself in "Oh Brother, Where Bart Thou?". "A Test Before Trying" was dedicated to him. Cancer.
- Pat Summerall, 82 (died April 16, 2013) - Appeared as himself in "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday". Cardiac arrest.
- Joyce Brothers, 85 (died May 13, 2013) - Appeared as herself in "Last Exit to Springfield". Respiratory failure.
- Cory Monteith, 31 (died July 13, 2013) - Appeared as Flynn in "Elementary School Musical". Alcohol and drug overdose.
- Tom Clancy, 66 (died October 1, 2013) - Appeared as himself in "Diatribe of a Mad Housewife". Brief illness.
- Mickey Rooney, 93 (died April 6, 2014) - Appeared as himself in "Radioactive Man". Natural causes.
- Don Pardo, 96 (died August 18, 2014) - Appeared as himself in "Moe Letter Blues" and "Moonshine River". Natural causes.
- Joan Rivers, 81 (died September 4, 2014) - Voiced Annie Dubinsky in "The Ten-Per-Cent Solution". Heart failure.
- Jan Hooks, 57 (died October 9, 2014) - Voiced Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon in six episodes, between seasons 9 and 14. "Super Franchise Me" was dedicated to her. Cancer.
- Leonard Nimoy, 83 (died February 27, 2015) - Appeared as himself in "Marge vs. the Monorail" and "The Springfield Files". "The Princess Guide" was dedicated to him. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
- Alex Rocco, 79 (died July 18, 2015) - Voiced Roger Meyers, Jr. in three episodes.
- Merl Reagle, 65 (died August 22, 2015) - Voiced himself in "Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words".
Archive audio
- Neil Armstrong, 82 (died August 25, 2012) - Twice voiced himself via audio footage. Complications following surgery.
The Simpsons Movie
- Don LaFontaine, 68 (died September 1, 2008) - LaFontaine provided the voice over for the majority of the film's trailers.
- Kevyn L. Wallace, 47 (died September 14, 2011) - Wallace was a background layout artist on the film. Injuries sustained in car accident.
Other franchise elements
The following people worked exclusively on an aspect of The Simpsons' franchise independent of the series or film, such as the comics, albums or video games.
Comics
- Dan DeCarlo, 82 (died December 18, 2001) - comic artist. Pneumonia.
- Al Williamson, 79 (died June 12, 2010) - one time comic artist. Unknown causes.
- Gene Colan, 84 (died June 23, 2011) - one time comic illustrator. Cancer and liver disease.
- Earl Kress, 60 (died September 19, 2011) - comic book writer for Bongo Comics Group.
- John Severin, 90 (died February 12, 2012) - one time comic artist. Unknown causes.
Albums
- David Cole, 32 (died January 24, 1995) - Cole co-wrote the song "I Just Can't Help Myself" for The Yellow Album. Complications from spinal meningitis.
- Floyd Cramer, 64 (died December 31, 1997) - Crammer played piano on "Funny How Time Slips Away". Lung cancer.
- Michael Botts, 61 (died December 9, 2005) - Botts played drums on The Simpsons Sing the Blues and The Yellow Album. Colon cancer.
- Richard Joseph, 53 (died April 23, 2007) - Additional engineer on "I Just Can't Help Myself". Lung cancer.
- Ben Keith, 73 (died July 26, 2010) - Keith played steel guitar on "Funny How Time Slips Away". Blood clot in the lung.
- Andrew Gold, 59 (died June 3, 2011) - Gold worked on The Simpsons Sing the Blues and The Yellow Album. Heart failure.
- B. B. King, 89, (died May 14, 2015) - Played the guitar in the song "Born Under a Bad Sign" for The Simpsons Sing the Blues. Complications from high blood pressure and diabetes.
Video games
- W. Marshall Rogers, 57 (died March 25, 2007) - Worked with concept and design for Bartman Meets Radioactive Man. Heart attack.
The following people have had no direct employment on the series or franchise, but have been connected to it some way, such as appearing on something about the show.
- Homer Groening, 76 (died March 15, 1996) - Matt Groening's father and the namesake of Homer. Cancer.
- Sunni Walton, 59 (died December 29, 1997) - Walton has no known direct connection to The Simpsons, but the episode "This Little Wiggy" was "Dedicated to Sunni Walton O'Neil". Brain tumor.
- Ed Roth, 69 (died April 4, 2004) - Unknown connection to Simpsons Comics. Heart attack.
- Levi Kereama, 27 (died October 4, 2008) - Was interviewed in The Simpsons Extravaganza. Fell off a balcony.
- Daryl Gates, 83 (died April 16, 2010) - Appeared in the special Springfield's Most Wanted, made to promote "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two)", as himself. Blood cancer.
- Polly Platt, 72 (died July 27, 2011) - Gave James L. Brooks the Life in Hell cartoon "The Los Angeles Way of Death" by Matt Groening and suggested the two meet and that the characters be given their own show; the meeting spawned the Tracy Ullman Show shorts. ALS.
- Margaret Groening, 94 (died April 22, 2013) - Matt Groening's mother and the namesake of Marge. Old age.
- Louis Castellaneta, 99 (died August 15, 2014) - After Dan Castellaneta's father death, the season 26 premiere "Clown in the Dumps" was dedicated in memory of him. Natural causes.
- Rusty Nails, 87 (died July 28, 2015) - Was the clown who inspired Krusty the Clown. He was interviewed in The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice!. Congestive heart failure.
Foreign voice cast
- Jean-Louis Millette, 64 (died September 29, 1999) - Voiced Abraham Simpson, Apu and Smithers in the Quebec dubbing. Heart attack.
- Carlos Revilla, 67 (died September 28, 2000) - Voiced Homer Simpson in the Spanish (Spain) dub. Heart attack.
- Eduardo Borja, 58, (died 2001) - Voiced Chief Wiggum, Dr. Marvin Monroe, Dr. Hibbert, Mayor Quimby and other characters in the Latin American Spanish dub from season 1 to season 10. Stroke.
- Elisabeth Volkmann, 70 (died July 27, 2006) - Voiced Marge, Patty and Selma in the German dub.
- Sayuri Yamauchi, 55 (died March 7, 2012) - Voiced Maude Flanders and Itchy in the Japanese dub.
- Ivar Combrinck, 63 (died September 15, 2006) - Voiced Timothy Lovejoy, Jonathan Frink, Bumblebee Man, Melvin Van Horne and other characters in the German dub
- Luis Alfonso Padilla, 51 (died May 12, 2012) - Voiced Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Otto Mann and other characters in the Latin American Spanish dub from season 16 to season 23. Also voiced Lenny Leonard from Season 22 to season 23 and Moe Szyslak in Season 8. Pancreatic cancer.
- Tonino Accolla, 64 (died July 14, 2013) - Voiced Homer Simpson in the Italian dub. Long illness.
- Piero Tiberi, 66 (died October 25, 2013) - Voiced Seymour Skinner and Captain McCallister in the Italian dub of season 4. Long illness.
- Reinhard Brock, 62 (died December 8, 2013) - Voiced several characters in the German dub.
- Norbert Gastell, 86 (died November 26, 2015) - Voiced Homer Simpson and several other characters in the German dub.
References
