Staying Fit
Jump to Section
Valerie Harper, actress, 80
Noam Galai/Getty Images for The Survivor Mitzvah Project
(Aug. 22, 1939 — Aug. 30, 2019) Harper started out as a dancer on Broadway before finding fame as Mary Tyler Moore's bestie, Rhoda, from 1970 to 1974. She aced the role, which led to her own spin-off, Rhoda in fall 1974. The actress faced several bouts of cancer after the first diagnosis in 2009.
Tim Conway, actor, 85
Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
(Dec. 15, 1933 — May 14, 2019) A six-time Emmy winner best known as an actor and writer for The Carol Burnett Show (1967–1978), Conway was a master of physical comedy and risky, deadpan improv that could stretch a skit from four minutes to 10. Conway won his last Emmy at 74, playing garrulous old-time actor Bucky Bright on 30 Rock (2008). Said Burnett, “I remember Johnny Carson saying that Tim made him laugh more than anybody."
AARP Membership— $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal
Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine.
Doris Day, singer and actress, 97
Paul Harris/Getty Images
(April 3, 1922 — May 13, 2019) At age 12, Day (born Doris Kappelhoff) almost died in a car wreck that ended her dance career. Her sugar-and-spice image propelled her to a second career as a No. 1 film actress opposite Frank Sinatra, James Stewart and, most famously, Rock Hudson. The film Pillow Talk (1959) earned her an Oscar nomination for best actress. She recorded her final studio album in 2011.
Penny Marshall, director and actress, 75
FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images
(Oct. 15, 1943 — Dec. 17, 2018) Penny Marshall was a comic actress who was also a master director of drama, and the first woman to direct a movie grossing more than $100 million — twice, with 1988's Big and 1992's A League of Their Own, starring Tom Hanks, Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell. Her lovable Bronx honk became famous in the No. 1 TV comedy Laverne & Shirley (1976-83).
Burt Reynolds, actor, 82
Mike Windle/Getty Images for SXSW
(Feb. 11, 1936 — Sept. 6, 2018) At the height of his fame in the 1970s, Burt Reynolds was the biggest movie star on the planet. His sly grin and unabashed embrace of his sex-symbol status powered the Smokey and the Bandit (1977) franchise and Me Decade hits like Deliverance (1972) and Hooper (1978). He burst back onto the movie scene in 1997's Boogie Nights, playing a seedy, ‘70s porn flick producer. The role earned him his only Academy Award nomination, for best supporting actor.
Anthony Bourdain, chef and writer, 61
James Keivom/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images
(June 25, 1956 — June 8, 2018) The dynamic celebrity chef with a knack for storytelling ran several New York restaurants and eventually became an executive chef at brasserie Les Halles in Manhattan. America discovered Bourdain after his wildly popular tell-all memoir Kitchen Confidential (2000), and later, when he hosted programs for the Food Network, Travel Channel and, most recently, CNN.
