The great missing | Internationally and in English Canada

These musicians, writers, painters, actors and other Canadian and international artists left us in 2023. Here is a list of around thirty names, it goes without saying, not exhaustive.

Michael Snow (January 5, 94 years old)

Canadian multidisciplinary artist. Painter, sculptor, filmmaker and photographer, among others, he was one of the great representatives of contemporary art in post-war Canada. His work of silhouette sculptures Walking Women was presented at Expo 67.

Jeff Beck (January 10, 78 years old)

British rock musician, he was one of the guitarists in the group The Yardbirds with Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. At home in rock as well as blues and jazz, he has been called by many the best guitarist of all time.

Lisa Marie Presley (January 12, age 54)

Rock singer and singer-songwriter. Only daughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, she administered her father’s estate until the sale of 85% of her father’s empire in 2005, while retaining the Graceland estate.

Gina Lollobrigida (January 16, 95 years old)

Italian-born actress known for her numerous film roles, including Fanfan the Tulip by Christian-Jaque in which she shares the screen with Gérard Philipe. She has also played with Burt Lancaster, Yul Brynner, Humphrey Bogart, etc.

David Crosby (January 18, 81 years old)

American singer-songwriter and guitarist, Crosby co-founded the group The Byrds in 1964 and then co-founded the folk-rock group Crosby, Stills and Nash in 1968. He also had several solo albums to his credit.

Burt Bacharach (February 8, 94 years old)

American pianist and composer, he wrote several melodies that have become classics, including the Oscar-winning song Rain Keeps Falling on My Headand has collaborated with many artists, including Dionne Warwick.

Carlos Saura (February 10, 91 years old)

A major figure in Spanish and European cinema, he directed around fifty films during his career, some of which were presented at the World Film Festival. It won awards at both the Cannes Film Festival and the Berlinale in addition to being a three-time Oscar finalist in the category of best film in a language other than English.

Raquel Welch (February 15, 82 years old)

American actress, Raquel Welch was noted for her role as Cora Peterson in Fantastic Voyage (1966) and got a contract from 20th Century Fox. Often seen as a sex symbol, she has appeared in several films and television series.

Wayne Shorter (March 2, 89)

American jazz saxophonist and composer. In 1964, he joined Miles Davis’ quintet. A founding member of the group Weather Report and with several solo albums to his credit, he received the Miles Davis Prize from the Montreal International Jazz Festival in 1996.

Ryūichi Sakamoto (March 28, age 71)

Japanese composer, musician and actor. Among other things, he wrote the soundtracks for the films Furyo (Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence) and, with David Byrne and Cong Su, The last emperorOscar for best original score in 1988.

Harry Belafonte (April 25, age 96)

Singer, actor and activist, both for human rights around the world and for civil rights in the United States. In 1956, his album Calypso attracted a lot of attention. In addition to releasing several dozen albums, he played several roles in the cinema.

Jerry Springer (April 27, age 79)

American television host known for his controversial television show The Jerry Springer Show. He also served as mayor of Cincinnati in 1977, under the Democratic Party banner.

Gordon Lightfoot (1^er May, 84 years old)

Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and folk singer. During his long career, Lightfoot released twenty albums, received 16 Juno Awards and was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1986.

Tina Turner (May 24, 83 years old)

American singer and queen of rock’n’roll, she has won eight Grammy awards for her albums and shows as well as four honorary Grammys. His solo career has been punctuated by immense successes, including What’s Love Got To Do With It, Private Dancer And The Best.

Jean-Louis Murat (May 25, 71 years old)

French singer-songwriter. During his forty-year career, he recorded 21 albums. He achieved success with the albums Cheyenne Autumn, Dolores And Mustango. Its soft rock was mixed with folk, country and blues.

Astrud Gilberto (June 5, 83 years old)

Brazilian singer considered the undisputed voice of bossa nova. She was the singer of the famous song Girl from Ipanema. She recorded several dozen albums and compilations between 1964 and 2008.

Cormac McCarthy (June 13, 89 years old)

American writer whose novels, of the Southern Gothic genre, were peppered with crude descriptions of human deviance. Five of his works have been adapted for cinema, including No Country for Old Men (by the Coen brothers) and The Road (by John Hillcoat).

Claude Barzotti (June 24, 69 years old)

Italian-Belgian singer known for his hit The Rita, released in 1983 and became number 1 on the charts in France. He made several tours in Quebec.

Milan Kundera (July 11, 94 years old)

Franco-Czech novelist, essayist and playwright, known in particular for his novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being. He was one of the rare writers to enter the collection of Editions de La Pléiade during his lifetime.

Jane Birkin (July 16, 76 years old)

Franco-British singer and actress. With her companion Serge Gainsbourg, she recorded, among other things, the 45 rpm I love you… me neither. She has starred in dozens of films over six decades, including Blow-Up by Michelangelo Antonioni.

Tony Bennett (July 21, 96 years old)

Last of the great charming singers of the 20th^e century, capable of moving from pop to jazz. Well known for his hit I Left My Heart in San FranciscoTony Bennett has recorded more than 70 albums and won 20 Grammy awards during his career.

Sinéad O’Connor (July 26, 56 years old)

Irish singer who had immense success with the song Nothing Compares 2 Uwritten by Prince, in 1990. She campaigned for various causes, notably against child molestation.

Randy Meisner (July 26, age 77)

Bassist and founding member of the group Eagles. Known for his voice with a particular register that we recognize on the tube Take It to the Limit.

William Friedkin (August 7, 87 years old)

American director known for his films French Connection (which won him the Oscar for best direction in 1972), The exorcist And Sorcerer. He has also worked in television and opera.

Robbie Robertson (August 9, 80 years old)

A Canadian-born guitarist and musician, he was the principal composer of The Band and helped develop the Americana musical style.

Bob Barker (August 26, age 99)

American host and producer of game shows like The Price is Right, at the helm of which he was for 35 years. A great defender of the animal cause, he has donated millions of dollars to save elephants in zoos and for whales.

Roger Whittaker (September 13, 87 years old)

British singer-songwriter. Very Francophile, Whittaker was very popular in Quebec in the 1970s with his songs My blue country, The mistral And An elephant on my balcony. He was also known for his whistling skills.

Fernando Botero (September 15, 91 years old)

Painter and sculptor of Colombian origin. His works were distinguished by characters with voluptuous shapes close to magical realism.

Michael Gambon (September 28, 82 years old)

Anglo-Irish actor, he played the character of Dumbledore from the third part of the Harry Potter film series after the death of Richard Harris. He was knighted in the Order of the British Empire in 1998.

Suzanne Somers (October 15, 76 years old)

American actress and former playmate. She was well known for her role as Chrissy Snow in the television series Three’s Company.

Matthew Perry (October 28, 54 years old)

American-Canadian actor well known for his role as Chandler Bing in the series Friends. He has played several roles in both cinema and television. In his memoirs published in 2022, he discussed his drug addiction problems.

Elliott Erwitt (November 29, 95 years old)

A Franco-American photographer, he has documented several events involving American presidents. Loving dogs, he signed a series of black and white photos with half-dog, half-human characters.

Shane MacGowan (November 30, 65 years old)

An Irish musician, MacGowan was the lead singer of the Celtic punk band The Pogues, well known in the 1980s. He later formed the band Shane MacGowan and the Popes.

Charles Officer (1^er December, 48 years old)

Canadian filmmaker, screenwriter and actor. Officer specialized in portraits of the lives of black Canadians, which earned him several awards and the admiration of his peers.

Myles Goodwyn (December 3, 75 years old)

Singer, guitarist and main songwriter of the Canadian rock band April Wine. He also had a solo career for several years.

Denny Laine (December 5, 79 years old)

British rock guitarist, Denny Laine was one of the founding members and singers of the group Moody Blues. Later, he accompanied Paul and Linda McCartney in the founding of the group Wings.

Norman Lear (December 6, 101 years old)

American producer, screenwriter, director and actor, Norman Lear made his mark as producer of the television series All in the Family.

Emmanuelle Debever (December 7, 60 years old)

French actress, she played Louison Danton, wife of the politician Danton (Gérard Depardieu), in the film of the same name by Andrzej Wajdan and had denounced Depardieu’s sexual misconduct. Died in tragic circumstances shortly after the release of the documentary Further investigation on the actor’s actions.

Ryan O’Neil (December 8, age 82)

American actor, Ryan O’Neil gained universal fame for his role as Oliver Barrett IV in the romantic drama love storyreleased in 1970. But the actor played several other roles in film and television, including the title role in the film Barry Lyndon by Stanley Kubrick.