A Tribute to the Beloved Primetime TV Stars We’ve Lost During the First Half of 2025
As we pass the halfway mark of 2025, we’re taking time to remember the cherished primetime TV stars who left us this year. Over the past six months, we’ve lost beloved performers from current and classic shows, as well as TV hosts and series creators, all of whom left an indelible mark on the small-screen landscape.
January brought the sad news that sportscaster-turned-Mr. Belvedere star Bob Uecker, who played TV dad George Owens on the ABC sitcom, and Twin Peaks creator/iconic filmmaker David Lynch had died. In February, we said goodbye to classic TV stars Peter Jason (Gunsmoke, Remington Steele) and Lynne Marie Stewart (Pee-wee’s Playhouse), who were known to modern audiences for their roles on Deadwood and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, respectively.
February also delivered the gutting announcement that Michelle Trachtenberg (pictured left above), who played Buffy’s sister Dawn on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl troublemaker Georgina Sparks, tragically died at just 39 years old. Not long after, we bid adieu to legendary actor Richard Chamberlain (The Thorn Birds, Shogun), then said goodbye to stars from Dennis the Menace, Boston Public, Dallas and Upstairs, Downstairs in April.
As we inched toward 2025’s halfway mark, we lost memorable TV performers such as George Wendt (Cheers’ Norm), Loretta Swit (M*A*S*H’ Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan) and Rick Hurst (The Dukes of Hazzard‘s Deputy Cletus Hogg), as well as Food Network mainstay Anne Burrell.
And of course, we haven’t forgotten about all the soaps stars who passed away in 2025, like General Hospital‘s Leslie Charleson, Guiding Light‘s Mark Dobies and The Young & the Restless‘ Pamela Bach, who are highlighted in their own gallery.
