Real-world deaths

Dedication to Paul Newman at the end of "Lost Verizon"

The following is a list of real-world people who have worked on The Simpsons, but later died, whilst the show was still airing. It includes deceased voice cast, staff and guest stars. Often, subsequent episodes have been dedicated to them.

Deaths

Cast

Christopher Collins, 44 (died June 12, 1994) - Provided several voices during season 1, including Moe and Mr. Burns, before leaving the show. Cerebral hemorrhage.
Doris Grau, 71 (died December 30, 1995) - Provided the voice of Lunchlady Doris and several minor parts. She had previously served as a script supervisor. Lunchlady Doris was 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. Following his murder, his characters were retired and "Bart the Mother" was dedicated to him. Murdered; gun shot.

Staff

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.
Thomas Chastain, 73 (died September 1, 1994) - Co-wrote the teleplay of the episode "Black Widower".
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.
Ed Demattia (died January 11, 1997) - was an animator for 3 episodes.
Sunni Walton (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.
Kent Holaday, 49 (died June 22, 2001) - Holaday worked as a lip sync for the show. Thyroid condition.
Jamie O'Brien (died 2005) - O'Brien was a layout artist on "Homer the Moe". "The Girl Who Slept Too Little" was dedicated to him.

Guest stars

Audrey Meadows, 73 (died February 3, 1996) - Voiced Beatrice 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 Carney". 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 31, 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 11, 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 atack.
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". "Pappa'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 (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)". 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". 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.

References

Dearly Departed on the Simpsons at The Simpsons Archive