January has come to an end and even though it’s so early into 2022, many groundbreaking celebrities have passed away. From Vogue writer André Leon Talley to comedy star Bob Saget, these public figures had an effect on everyone in one way or another and the world is sad to see them go. 

Betty White

Just 12 hours before everyone rang in the new year, reports came out that we lost one of the most beloved ladies, Betty White.
According to CBS news, she had a stroke the week before her death, but her agent, Jeff Witjas, reported that she “died in her sleep, in her own bed.” White, who was 99 when she died, was  most known for her role in Golden Girls which aired from 1985-1992. She also was in movies such as “The Proposal” starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. Reynolds was one of many to post about the loss, “She was great at defying expectations,” he said. “She managed to grow very old and somehow, not old enough.” White would have turned 100 on January 17th.

Sidney Poitier 

Like White, Sidney Poitier was a staple in Hollywood; he was not only an actor but also a director. He starred in three major films: “In The Heat of the Night,” “To Sir, With Love,” and “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” He was the first Black person and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. Even though he was a public figure in Hollywood, he still felt the danger associated with his success. “His first wife, Juanita, was menaced by racists who burned a cross on her lawn,” Variety said. Even with these worries, he never gave up creating more films and starring in them. Along with creating films, he started his own autobiography and a spoken album “The Measure of a Man” which won a Grammy. In addition to being a Hollywood star, Poitier took the role in 1997 of representing the Bahamas, were he was raised, to Japan up until 2007. He passed away on January 6th due to a combination of heart failure, Alzheimer’s, dementia, and prostate cancer at the age of 94. 

Bob Saget 

Comedian and America’s favorite Dad, Bob Saget passed away at the age of 65 in his hotel room in Orlando Florida.  Saget was on a comedy tour upon his passing. Saget was known for his role as Danny Tanner from the hit show “Full House” and for hosting ABC’s “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, who both played the youngest daughter,  Michelle, on “Full House,” commented on the passing of their TV dad. “Bob was the most loving, compassionate and generous man,” They said to E! News. “We are deeply saddened that he is no longer with us but know that he will continue to be by our side to guide us as gracefully as he always has. We are thinking of his daughters, wife and family and are sending our condolences.”

Meat Loaf 

Marvin Lee Aday, famously known as Meat Loaf, passed away Thursday, January 20th at the age of 74. He was a “larger than life rocker” who was huge in the 70s, and his debut album was one of the best selling albums of all time in over six decades. He has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide. Not only was he a huge rocker, but he also was an actor. Some of his more famous roles were Eddie from “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and Robert Paulson from “Fight Club.” “[We] Had so much fun with meatloaf when we did ‘Dead Ringer,’” Cher tweeted after hearing the news. “I am very sorry for his family, friends, & fans.” 

André Leon Talley 

André Leon Talley was a former Vogue editor and a man known for his grand capes and friends in design such as Tom Ford, Marc
Jacobs, and more. He was the first Black man to hold his position at Vogue and sometimes the only one you would find in the front row of a fashion show. He was the first to write about LaQuan Smith and many other famous designers of color. “He was magnificent and erudite and wickedly funny—mercurial, too. Like many decades-long relationships, there were complicated moments,” Anna Wintour, Editor and Chief of Vogue said, “but all I want to remember today, all I care about, is the brilliant and compassionate man who was a generous and loving friend to me and to my family for many, many years, and who we will all miss so much.” Talley passed away at the age of 73 due to a heart attack. 

 These celebrities have all paved ways for others to accomplish things that may have not seemed possible. From Sidney Poitier becoming the first Black man to win an Oscar to Meat Loaf’s major accomplishment of having one of the biggest selling albums of all time. Everyone from celebrities to others have felt the loss of these stars, but their achievements will continue to live on for generations.