Remembering Gangsta Rap Pioneer Eazy-E

When N.W.A.’s debut album, Straight Outta Compton , came out in 1988, it struck a nerve within the rap community and with young people of all stripes.

Diane Charlemagne (1964 - 2015), Urban Cookie Collective singer

Legendary English vocalist Diane Charlemagne, who was featured on Goldie's 1994 hit "Inner City Life," has died of cancer, according to The Guardian. She was 51.

Ronit Elkabetz (1964 - 2016), award-winning Israeli actress

Ronit Elkabetz, an award-winning Israeli actress, screenwriter, and director, died April 19 of cancer in Tel Aviv, Israel, according to Variety and multiple other news sources. She was 51.

Dwayne Washington (1964 - 2016), former NBA player

Dwayne “Pearl” Washington, a retired professional basketball player who acquired the nickname from his skills on Brooklyn, New York, playgrounds, died April 20. He was 52.

Darrell Ward (1964 - 2016), Ice Road Truckers reality star

Darrell Ward, a truck driver who starred on the reality show “Ice Road Truckers,” died Aug. 28, 2016, in a plane crash, according to multiple news sources. He was 52.

Lisa Lynn Masters (1964 - 2016), Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt actress

The actress starred in an episode of "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" and also hadroles on "Gossip Girl," "Ugly Betty," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," and, most recently, "Nashville."

Nicole Bass (1964 - 2017), wrestler and Howard Stern Show regular

Professional wrestler Nicole Bass was also a regular on "The Howard Stern Show."

Christopher Wong Won (1964–2017), 2 Live Crew co-founder

Rap legend co-founded the hip-hop group 2 Live Crew.

Liz MacKean (1964 - 2017), BBC journalist

Ex-BBC journalist was known for her hard-hitting exposés…

Gord Downie (1964 – 2017), frontman for beloved Canadian rock band the Tragically Hip

The singer was known for his mesmerizing stage presence.

Emma Chambers (1964 - 2018), British actress starred in "The Vicar of Dibley"

Emma Chambers, the British actress known for her roles in the TV series “The Vicar of Dibley” and the film “Notting Hill,” died Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, according to The Associated Press. She was 53.

Vinnie Paul (1964 – 2018), Pantera co-founder and drummer

Vinnie Paul, co-founder and drummer of metal band Pantera, died Friday, June 22, 2018, according to multiple news sources. He was 54.

Constance Adams (2018), pioneering space architect

Named a National Geographic Emerging Explorer…

Edith Gonzalez (1964–2019), Mexican telenovela star

Edith Gonzalez was a telenovela star best known for her starring role on the Mexican program "Salome." She had leading roles in more than a dozen other telenovelas, including "Cielo Rojo," "Doña Barbara," "La Academia," and "Camaleones." Most recently, she was a judge on the Mexican reality program "This Is My Style."

Pernell Whitaker (1964–2019), boxing legend

Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker was a boxing legend who was considered one of the best boxers pound for pound in the history of the sport. Whitaker won world championships in four weight divisions, lightweight, light welterweight, welterweight, and light middleweight. He won a boxing Olympic gold medal in the 1984 games in Los Angeles. One of the great defensive boxers in the sport, he had a memorable title bout in 1997 against Oscar De La Hoya, losing a close decision. He had a career record of 40 wins, 4 losses, and one draw.

J. Michael Mendel (1964–2019), “The Simpsons” and “Rick and Morty” producer

J. Michael Mendel was an Emmy Award-winning producer who worked on television shows including “The Simpsons” and “Rick and Morty.”

Philip McKeon (1964–2019), “Alice” star

Played Alice’s son Tommy on the popular sitcom..

Galyn Gí¶rg (1964–2020), actress in “RoboCop 2,” “Twin Peaks”

Galyn G í¶rg was an actress known for roles in films including “RoboCop 2” and TV shows including “Twin Peaks” and “M.A.N.T.I.S.”

Derek Ho (1964–2020), world champion Hawaiian surfer

Derek Ho was a world champion professional surfer. In 1993, at the age of 29, he became the men’s professional world surfing champion. He was the first Hawaii native to accomplish the feat. He was a four-time Triple Crown of Surfing champion (1984, 1986, 1988, and 1990), and two-time Pipeline Masters champion (1986 and 1993).

Kirk Perron (1964–2020), Jamba Juice founder

Kirk Perron started the popular juice company Jamba Juice in 1990 as a senior project in college.

John “Ecstasy” Fletcher (1964–2020), rapper with influential group Whodini

John Fletcher was a rapper with the influential early rap group Whodini, who went by the name Ecstasy.

Biz Markie (1964–2021), rapper known for “Just a Friend”

Biz Markie was a rapper best known for his 1989 hit song, “Just a Friend.”

Kelli Hand (1964–2021), DJ and producer known as K-Hand

Kelli Hand was a DJ and producer better known as K-Hand, who was called the “first lady of Detroit techno.”

Fez Whatley (1964–2021), radio co-host of “The Ron and Fez Show”

Fez Whatley was a radio personality who co-hosted “The Ron and Fez Show” on Sirius XM along with Ron Bennington.

Willie Garson (1964–2021), “Sex and the City” star

Willie Garson was an actor best known for playing Stanford Blatch on “Sex and the City.”

Mark Lanegan (1964–2022), Screaming Trees singer

Mark Lanegan  was the lead singer for the pioneering grunge band Screaming Trees known for the song “Nearly Lost You.”  

Bernard Belle (1964–2022), songwriter for Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston

Bernard Belle was a songwriter and producer who cowrote hits including “Remember the Time.”

Bruno “Pop N Taco” Falcon (1964–2022), “Breakin’” star and Michael Jackson dancer  

Bruno “Pop N Taco” Falcon was a legendary hip-hop dancer who starred in the hit 1980s movie “Breakin’” and danced in Michael Jackson videos including “Smooth Criminal” and the short film “Captain EO.”  

Paul Ryder (1964–2022), Happy Mondays bassist

Paul Ryder was the founding bassist for Happy Mondays, one of the leading bands in the Madchester music scene on the 1980s and ‘90s.

Michael Gerson (1964–2022), George W. Bush’s speechwriter

Michael Gerson was chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush as well as a columnist for the Washington Post.

Petr Klíma (1964–2023), Stanley Cup champ with Edmonton Oilers 

Petr Klí_ma was a hockey player who won the 1990 Stanley Cup as a forward for the Edmonton Oilers.

Andy Rourke (1964–2023), bassist for the Smiths 

Andy Rourke was the bassist for the British band the Smiths, known for their melodic ‘80s indie rock.

Ray Stevenson (1964–2023), star of Rome, Punisher: War Zone 

Ray Stevenson was an actor from Northern Ireland who starred in movies and TV shows including “Rome,” “Punisher: War Zone,” “Thor,” and many more.

Geechy Guy (1964–2023), Guinness record-setting comic 

Geechy Guy was a standup comedian often seen in Las Vegas clubs who set a Guinness World Record for the most jokes told in an hour.

Charlie Robison (1964–2023), country singer and songwriter 

Charlie Robison was a Texas singer and songwriter whose country music singles included “I Want You Bad.” 

Adrian Schiller (1964–2024), Victoria, The Last Kingdom star 

Adrian Schiller was a British actor known for playing Aethelhelm in “The Last Kingdom,” Cornelius Penge in the historical drama “Victoria”, and Monsieur D'arque in Disney’s 2017 live action version of “Beauty and the Beast.” 

Nick Mavar, longtime deckhand on Deadliest Catch

Nick Mavar was a longtime deckhand on “Deadliest Catch” who worked on the F/V Northwestern, appearing in 16 seasons of the reality show.

Evan Wright (1964–2024), Generation Kill author 

Evan Wright was a writer and journalist whose work often explored dark themes, most notably in his 2004 book on the Iraq War, “Generation Kill,” which was adapted into an HBO miniseries.

Billy Bean (1964–2024), baseball player and LGBTQ+ advocate

Billy Bean was a baseball player for the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego Padres who became the second Major League Baseball player to come out as gay.

Christian Juttner (1964–2024), star of Return From Witch Mountain

Christian Juttner was a child actor of the 1970s best known for “Return From Witch Mountain,” “I Wanna Hold Your Hand,” and “The Magical World of Disney.” 

Gene “Groove” Allen (1964–2025), Groove B. Chill rapper

Gene “Groove” Allen was a rapper and actor best known for his work in the hip-hop trio Groove B. Chill and for his roles in movies like “House Party” and “House Party 2.”