Publications
Partners
These were the most surprising celebrity deaths of 2018.
Avicii
Tim Bergling – professionally known as Avicii – the late Swedish DJ and music producer was best known for his songs Wake Me Up and Without You and collaborated with the likes of David Guetta (51), Madonna (60) and Usher (40), to name a few. He won two Grammies in 2012 and 2013 and in 2018 he was awarded the MTV Video Music Award for best dance video for the song Lonely Together. The 28-year-old was found dead after committing suicide with the broken glass of a bottle, TMZ reported.
Aretha Franklin
Nicknamed the Queen of Soul, the Tennessee-born singer started out as a gospel singer before switching to more secular music at the age of 18. Franklin was also a political activist, touring with Martin Luther King Junior and singing one of his favourites, Precious Lord, Take My Hand, at his funeral in April 1968 when she was only 26, Face to Face Africa reports. One of her greatest hits was Respect by late singer and songwriter Otis Redding (26), the lyrics telling of the struggles of a black man who works all day to bring money home to his wife, demanding respect in return for his efforts. Aretha died aged 76 from pancreatic cancer at her Detroit home surrounded by family and friends, Rolling Stone reported.
Mac Miller
The late Malcolm James McCormick – known professionally as Mac Miller – started his career at record label Rostrum Records in 2010 and released his first studio album Blue Slide Park, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, in 2011, selling 144 000 copies in its first week. In total, Miller released five albums and 12 mixtapes. The 26-year-old also had a two-year romance with pop star sensation Ariana Grande (25). Mac was found dead in his California home on 7 September after an overdose, TMZ reported.
Burt Reynolds
The legendary actor was best known for his roles on The Longest Yard and Boogie Nights, for which he won a Golden Globe award in 1998, USA today reports. The Oscar nominee stayed busy until the end with the latest movie he starred in, The Last Movie Star, released in 2017. Reynolds died aged 82 on 6 September at the Medical Centre in Florida after suffering a heart attack, The Hollywood Reporter writes.
Verne Troyer
The American actor and comedian was best known for his role as Mini-Me in the Austin Powers movie series and playing the elf, Griphook, in Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone. Standing only 81cm tall, he was also one of the smallest men in the world, making him an instantly recognisable star, The Guardian reports. The actor died on 21 April at the age of 49 through alcohol poisoning, his death ruled a suicide by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.
Sources: TMZ, birminghammail.co.uk, theguardian.com, refinery29.com, npr.org, rollingstone.com, billboard.com, The Hollywood Reporter, USA today, TMZ, Face to Face Africa
