List of Celebrities Who Died in 2025: Sam Rivers, Diane Keaton, and More
This year delivered a gut punch to pop culture, as we said goodbye to giants of music and film who once felt immortal. Their sudden exits laid bare our fragility — and the timeless force of the work they left behind.
Some years hit harder than others, and 2025 has been rough. A lot of people we thought were basically permanent fixtures in music, movies, and pop culture left us, suddenly and way too soon. The only comforting part, if there is one, is getting to look back at what they made and realizing the work sticks around even when they can’t.
Sam Rivers
Sam Rivers, the bassist and backing vocalist who helped launch Limp Bizkit, died on October 18, 2025, at 48. No cause has been shared. If you grew up on that late-90s/early-2000s crossover sound, you know how much his rhythm-and-groove backbone mattered to that band. His bandmates posted a heartfelt tribute on Instagram, and that’s about all we’ve officially gotten so far.
Hulk Hogan
Whether you watched wrestling or not, Hulk Hogan was impossible to miss. Born Terry Gene Bollea, he turned the bandana, the mustache, and the 24-inch pythons into global branding, piled up world titles, headlined the biggest shows, and even wandered into movies. He died at 71 from cardiac arrest. One note: the date is a little messy in the source material. It says July 24, 2025, in one section, but the roundup table lists July 14. The report cites BBC for the cause.
Diane Keaton
Diane Keaton was singular: the energy of Annie Hall, the quiet tension of The Godfather, and a style nobody else could replicate. The Oscar winner died on October 11, 2025, from pneumonia. According to People, her health had been declining rapidly, and her family kept things extremely private — so private that even close friends reportedly didn’t realize how serious it had become. That tracks with how carefully she managed her public persona for decades.
David Lynch
David Lynch passed on January 15, 2025, at 78. His family announced the news on Facebook. Per The Guardian, his health worsened after an emphysema diagnosis in August 2024. Lynch was one of those true originals: surreal, unsettling, strangely funny, and always poking at identity and the subconscious. The resume is stacked — Twin Peaks, Mulholland Drive, Blue Velvet, Eraserhead — and the ripple effects from that work are everywhere.
Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne — the voice of Black Sabbath, a heavy metal pioneer, and a magnet for controversy — died on July 22, 2025, after a cardiac arrest. His death certificate also listed acute myocardial infarction, coronary artery disease, and Parkinson’s with autonomic dysfunction, according to The Guardian. For a guy who lived a life this loud, he left an even louder catalog behind.
Quick recap
- Sam Rivers — Died October 18, 2025 — Cause not announced
- Hulk Hogan — Died July 24, 2025 (roundup list also cites July 14) — Cardiac arrest (per BBC)
- Diane Keaton — Died October 11, 2025 — Pneumonia (per People)
- David Lynch — Died January 15, 2025 — Complications following emphysema diagnosis (per The Guardian)
- Ozzy Osbourne — Died July 22, 2025 — Cardiac arrest; death certificate also listed acute myocardial infarction, coronary artery disease, and Parkinson’s with autonomic dysfunction (per The Guardian)
Losing this many titans in a year is a gut punch. But their work isn’t going anywhere — and that’s the part we get to keep.