Celebs Who Died In 2025

Note: This article includes mentions of suicide.

With each turn of the wheel of the year, it can often feel as if so much loss follows. Now that 2024 is firmly in the rearview with its celebrity deaths, many of us want to look forward. However, even though previous years might take a while to recover from, 2025 didn't waste any time in reaching for heartbreak. With early celebrity gut punches such as Wayne Osmond and Jeff Baena both passing away in the first week of January, it was clear this year was going to be a tough one for losing some beloved performers.

Grief is often difficult to navigate, especially when we're grieving someone we might not have known personally but feel deeply moved by what they gave to the world. Celebrity deaths are especially tricky, as it's often hard to know how to healthily express pain at the loss of a person who felt like a friend but was ultimately a stranger. One way to help is to revisit the work of any artist who has passed to be reminded of what connected you to them in the first place.

Here we have collected the names of those celebs who passed away in 2025, as well as reminders of their accolades, accomplishments, and what they leave behind for us to cherish.

After suffering a major stroke, Wayne Osmond tragically passed away on January 1, 2025. He was the fourth oldest of the nine Osmond children and left behind a legacy of music and faith. While performing with his brothers Alan Osmond, Merrill Osmond, and Jay Osmond under the moniker "The Osmonds," Wayne played guitar and even occasionally hopped behind the drum set. As performers, the Osmond family did face some struggles, but with Wayne's perfect pitch, they were able to work together to become one of America's most beloved family groups.

Leading up to his passing, Wayne struggled with health issues on and off for several decades. In 1997, Wayne was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and whereas treatment and surgery were successful, it did leave the performer partially deaf. After this Wayne was still able to perform, but in 2012 his health took another turn when he had his first stroke and lost the functional ability to play guitar.

When Wayne succumbed to his final stroke in 2025, Merrill took to Facebook to craft a warm remembrance post that included this loving tribute, "My brother Wayne endured much. He gave it his all. His legacy will go down as someone who was not only a genius in his ability to write music, but was able to capture the hearts of millions of people and bring them closer to God. I will miss him tremendously." Wayne left behind his wife Kathlyn Osmond and their five children.

Independent filmmaker Jeff Baena, possibly most known for being Aubrey Plaza's husband, passed away on January 3, 2025. According to initial reports from TMZ, first responders declared he died by suicide. Baena boasted an impressive career in writing and directing independent films. After getting his start by collaborating with director David O. Russell on the script for 2004's "I Heart Huckabees," Baena went on to launch his own successful career. Between 2014 and 2022, Baena was able to direct five movies, and his work has received critical praise.

One of the more heartbreaking details regarding Baena's death was how often he and his wife would work alongside one another. Plaza starred in several of his films, including "Joshy" and "Life After Beth." Speaking with Movie Freak during the press tour of "The Little Hours" Plaza opened up on what it was like to work with her romantic partner. "I've worked with Jeff since his first movie. I've seen him evolve and I've seen him grow," she said. "It's a really special dynamic that we have." Other longtime collaborators of Baena include Alison Brie and her husband Dave Franco, with Brie co-writing "Spin Me Round" and "Horse Girl" and acting in several of Baena's films as well.

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Michelle Trachtenberg, best known for her roles in "Gossip Girl" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," passed away on February 26, 2025. Following her death, Trachtenberg's representative issued a statement to Us Weekly, saying, "It is with great sadness to confirm that Michelle Trachtenberg has passed away." They continued, "The family requests privacy for their loss. There are no further details at this time." Unfortunately, it was Trachtenberg's mother who discovered her body at her home in New York. Multiple sources have confirmed that the actor previously underwent a liver transplant. Natural causes were originally floated around as her cause of death, but her family has decided against having her body autopsied, so the public may never know what actually happened.

Unofficially, sources close to Trachtenberg have revealed that she, indeed, suffered from bouts of serious illness. "We all knew she was sick, but we didn't realize how sick," shared one insider with Us Weekly. "For a long while, she had back issues and then bone problems; she fell a few times," they continued. The same insider also revealed that Trachtenberg frequently updated them about her health issues over the past decade, though they didn't dig into any specifics. Meanwhile, her friend, Amanda de Cadenet, revealed that the star was hospitalized at some undisclosed time shortly before her passing. "I will always remember you as the young vivacious woman I met when I took this photo of you ... and seeing your face from the hospital bed when we FaceTimed recently, even though you did not look like you, your sweetness and humor were still alive," she posted to her Instagram Stories. "I'm so sad for you that the outcome was not a better one."

Gene Hackman's death has shaken Hollywood, but not just because the world has lost one of its most illustrious careers, which saw him star in a slew of iconic roles, including "Mississippi Burning," "The French Connection," "Unforgiven," and several more. Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and one of their dogs, died while at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, under very tragic and unsettling circumstances that will take time to unravel. Following the news, Hackman's family released a statement to confirm their passing. "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy," shared Hackman's family (via The Wrap). "He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa. We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss."

The emerging details suggest that the early reports stating that their deaths weren't suspicious may not accurately describe the whole story. For example, Hackman, who was 95 years old, was located in a different area of his home than his wife of over three decades, NBC News reported. While Hackman's body was located in his mudroom, his wife's body was in a bathroom, dangerously close to a space heater. The report also revealed that Hackman's wife, who was roughly 30 years younger than him, had prescription medication "scattered on the countertop" of her bathroom. While both had started to decompose, his wife was further along. "It's not normal to find two people deceased in the residence," shared Sheriff Adan Mendoza. "That's concerning. And then there was also a dog that was in a kennel that was also found deceased." The investigation is ongoing.