It’s been a triumphant year for women, despite everything bad that’s happened in the world.
Indeed, women achieved numerous milestones in 2024, in realms ranging from music to politics. For example, the release of Beyonce’s song, “Texas Hold ‘Em,” resulted in her becoming the first Black woman to ever top Billboard’s country song chart. Taylor Swift, meanwhile, became the richest female musician in the world. And in the lead-up to Election Day 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris smashed fundraising records after collecting $81 million – in one day.
Though they and scores of other women reached new heights, we also lost several female icons along the way. Women whose legacies left a mark on many, including those still realizing their own greatness. To honor the contributions to the world made by those we lost, we’ve compiled some moving bits of wisdom from 15 of those outstanding women who passed away this year.
May their works, and words, continue to touch us all.
Shannen Doherty (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
“I don’t want to die. I’m not done with living. I’m not done with loving. I’m not done with creating. I’m not done with hopefully changing things for the better. I’m just not – I’m not done.” – Shannen Doherty (1971-2024)
Years after a breast cancer diagnosis in 2015, Doherty publicly shared these words in a 2023 interview with People Magazine — a bid to help others dealing with the debilitating disease. Best known for her starring performances on classic 1990s shows “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “Charmed,” Doherty consistently demonstrated perseverance in her more recent posts and interviews, a reflection of her determination to beat breast cancer. Though she ultimately succumbed to the disease at age 53, her willingness to fight, and to keep living life honestly and fully, is something everyone can learn from.
Janice Burgess. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
“I’m an example of someone who’s learned a lot along the way. It’s very important to follow your instincts about what it is you want to do, and try to get jobs that help you do that.” – Janice Burgess (1952-2024)
Whenever the theme song for Nickelodeon’s animated children’s show “The Backyardigans” plays, it sparks nostalgia for Gen Z-ers and Millennials alike. As the show’s screenwriter and creator, Burgess was the force behind the five lively, diverse animal characters that kids could relate to and dance with. She, herself, benefited from them as well – Burgess would say she saw herself most in the character Uniqua, a one-of-a-kind species who was sweet, graceful, adventurous and self-confident. And just like Uniqua, Burgess was a ringleader of sorts — a status she achieved by following her instincts, as she noted in a 2009 interview with Investor’s Business Daily.
Ethel Kennedy. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
“For anyone to achieve something, (s)he will have to show a little courage. You're only on this Earth once. You must give it all you've got.” – Ethel Kennedy (1928-2024)
Kennedy’s words, quoted in this tribute post from her nonprofit, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, gave us a glimpse into what fueled her through own social justice efforts – and her desire to carry on the work of her husband after he was assassinated in 1968. Ethel displayed strength even as she continued to experience loss – including the death of one son, David, to a drug overdose in 1984, and another, Michael, to a skiing accident in 1997. Amid those heartbreaks, Kennedy experienced wins, too. An award-winning documentary, “Ethel,” was released about her life in 2012, and she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by former President Barack Obama two years later. Up until her death at age 96, Kennedy made sure to live up to her own words by giving life all she had.
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee. (Credit: OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Flickr.com)
“We want to be responsive to all Americans, and we know how diverse this country has become.” – Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (1950-2024)
Lee represented Texas’ 18th congressional district — and in a broader sense, all of the American people, as she told Politico in 2019. In her work as a lawyer and politician, she had many accomplishments, including co-sponsoring the bill that led to Juneteenth becoming a national holiday. In 2021, she helped reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act in a bid to improve how the criminal legal system – and communities in general – respond to gender-based violence. She also supported policies designed to expand Medicaid, provide stricter gun-control measures and protect children from bullying. And it was her respect for our nation’s diversity, and the range of needs that diversity signals, that drove it all.
Chita Rivera. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
“I have a very young outlook. I don't think you know how much you can do until you try.” – Chita Rivera (1933-2024)
Well, Rivera could do it all onstage – singing, dancing, you name it. One of her most iconic performances – as Anita in the original Broadway cast of “West Side Story” – embodied much of what made Rivera, herself, special: Sparky, independent and passionate about her community. The performance also catapulted her acting career forward, with Rivera going on to star in the 1969 musical “Sweet Charity,” and “Chicago” in 2002. She was additionally the first Latina woman awarded with Kennedy Center Honors in 2002, along with being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by former President Barack Obama in 2009. The array of accomplishments throughout Rivera’s 91 years speaks to her willingness to try, and keep trying, she told AARP in a 2011 interview, per Reuters.
Gena Rowlands. (Credit: internetadn, Flcikr.com)
“If you like to act, you just go ahead and act … You don’t necessarily have to have training. You just have to love to do it.” – Gena Rowlands (1930-2024)
Though she’s perhaps better known to younger generations for her heartbreaking role in the 2004 romance classic “The Notebook,” Rowlands acting career actually spans 60 years. Along the way, she won four Emmys, two Golden Globes and an Honorary Academy Award for her role as actor Myrtle Gordon in the 1977 film “Opening Night” – just to name a few accolades. She also made 10 films with her ex-husband, John Cassavetes, a notable filmmaker and actor himself. Rowland’s legacy lives on in part through her family, as all of her three children became actors and directors as well. But in order to build such a life, Rowlands emphasized in a 2016 interview with Beverly Cinema, you must love what you do – which she undoubtedly did.
Hydeia Broadbent. (Credit: Social Security Administration)
“I am the future, and I have AIDS. I can do anything I put my mind to. I am the next doctor. I am the next lawyer. I am the next Maya Angelou. I might even be the first woman president. … You can’t crush my dream. I am the future, and I have AIDS.” – Hydeia Broadbent (1984-2024)
Broadbent was only 12 when she spoke these inspirational words at the 1996 Republican National Convention, after she’d risen to national prominence through a memorable appearance on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” at age 11. Broadbent had been an AIDS and HIV activist since age 6, displaying her bravery as she shared her own AIDS-positive status publicly, and capturing hearts around the country along the way. By becoming a symbol of the movement, she also fought against the stigma that the disease – and those who have it – still face. “AIDS is something that happened to me, but does not define who I am as a person,” Broadbent once also noted, according to a tribute from the Social Security Administration. While she was just 39 at the time of her death, AIDS never got in the way of her grand visions.
Iris Apfel. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
"I don't see anything wrong with a wrinkle. It's kind of a badge of courage." – Iris Apfel (1921-2024)
A businesswoman and interior designer, Apfel is well-known for her bold, eccentric style. The Queens, New York, native began her career as an art student and interior decorator, eventually working her way up to becoming one of the most influential designers in the world. Apfel’s wardrobe, too, emphasized colors, colors and more colors – with her once saying in a 2022 Vogue Portugal interview, “Color can raise the dead.” She also called herself a “geriatric starlet,” her longtime friend Elyze Held said in an Instagram post after Apfel’s death. Yes, Apfel also encouraged her design industry cohorts to be more age-inclusive – she spoke of wrinkles being a “badge of honor”sin her 2015 documentary “Iris,” which aired PBS’ POV in 2016. Before dying at age 102, Apfel collected many significant achievements under her (likely eye-grabbing) belt – for example, by becoming the first designer outside of the fashion world to be featured as part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in 2005.
Judith Jamison. (Credit: Ailey.org)
“People come to see beauty, and I dance to give it to them.” – Judith Jamison (1943-2024)
She began taking dance lessons at age 6. By the time she reached adulthood, Jamison had become one of the most notable dancers of all time. After getting discovered by choreographer Agnes de Mille in 1964, she joined the American Ballet Theater in New York City. One year later, she debuted with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, a space for Black dancers, specifically, to express their culture and experiences. She became the artistic director for Alvin Ailey in 1989, and achieved several recognitions in that capacity, including winning a National Medal of Arts and an American Choreography Award. All in the name of beauty, as she said to Vogue Magazine in 2009.
Barbara Taylor Bradford. (Credit: barbarataylorbradford.com)
“Even the most powerful women need a place to unwind.” – Barbara Taylor Bradford (1933-2024)
An acclaimed British-American author, Bradford was one of the best-selling novelists in history, with over 90 million copies of her works sold internationally. Her 1979 book, “A Woman of Substance,” sold over 30 million copies alone, and was later adapted into a television miniseries that aired in the United Kingdom in 1984. Bradford’s fictional works also became well-known around the world after being translated into 40 languages. The profits earned from book sales helped her fortune reach $300 million by the time she died at age 91. But, as she noted in her 2008 book “Being Elizabeth,” she couldn’t have done any of it without setting aside time to unwind.
Glynis Johns. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
“Relatives cannot help you in the studios. You stand or fall by your own efforts.” – Glynis Johns (1923-2024)
Success comes from the person reaching for it, Johns said in 1946 while discussing nepotism, according to IMDB. And succeed, she did. Johns captured the hearts of children around the world through her turn as Suffragette and matriarch Winifred Banks in Disney’s 1964 classic film, “Mary Poppins” – a role Walt Disney selected Johns for himself. As a child prodigy, she first made history when she received a teaching degree at the Cone School of Dancing in London at age 10. By the time she turned 12, she had won 25 gold medals in dancing competitions across England. At age 13, she debuted in her first movie, “South Riding.” Johns’ career continued apace, and she made history once again at age 19 by becoming the youngest female actor to play the titular role in a staged performance for “Peter Pan” at the Cambridge Theater in England. And she only reached – and rose up – from there.
A young Barbara Rush. (Credit: Flickr.com)
“I’m one of those kinds of people who will perform the minute you open the refrigerator door and the light goes on.” – Barbara Rush (1927-2024)
Rush could perform anywhere, at any time, she asserted during a 1997 interview with the San Francisco Chronicle. As a stage, television and screen actress, Rush performed alongside fellow legends like Frank Sinatra and Paul Newman. She received her first acting role in the 1950 film “The Goldbergs,” then went on to capture audiences again and again with turns in several other acclaimed movies and television shows. That includes 1953 sci-fi/horror flick “It Came From Outer Space” — which earned her a Golden Globe in 1954. She also starred in the long-running soap opera “All My Children.” Rush continued to perform until the refrigerator lights went off at age 97.
Ruth Westheimer. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
“When it comes to sex, the most important six inches are the ones between the ears.” – Dr. Ruth Westheimer (1928-2024)
Westheimer was a pioneering sex expert who made a career out of offering sage advice, as seen here in this quote — from a 2019 interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette — on one of life’s most interesting, taboo topics: Human intimacy. Her exploration of joy came after a childhood of hardship – she was a Holocaust survivor who had fled Nazi Germany for Switzerland at age 10. Her rise to prominence as an adult came in the 1980s and 1990s, when she hosted the popular call-in radio show, “Sexually Speaking,” as well as an also-beloved television program, “The Dr. Ruth Show.” Westheimer also published more than 40 books, and received an Ace Award in 1989 for her achievements in cable television.
Maggie Smith. (Credit: Flickr.com)
“I tend to head for what's amusing, because a lot of things aren't happy. But usually you can find a funny side to practically anything.” – Maggie Smith (1934-2024)
Smith was in a class all her own. Through her work in the “Harry Potter” film franchise, stealing scenes on popular period drama “Downton Abbey,” and decades of other memorable performances, she endeared herself to generations of fans. She was private about her personal life, but her stage presence was on display for the world to see, and love. Smith began acting in 1952, and continued doing so until 2023, when she starred in “The Miracle Club.” It would be the last film she made before her death. She also earned some of the biggest acting accolades one can get along the way, including seven BAFTA awards, two Oscars, four Emmys and a Tony. And no matter how hard the path got, Smith tried to find the humor in it all, she revealed in a 2004 interview with The Guardian.
Cissy Houston. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
“You can't treat your voice badly and expect it to stay around.” – Cissy Houston (1933-2024)
She was the mother of music legend Whitney Houston – but she was also a prodigy herself. The Newark, New Jersey, native was a member of the gospel group The Drinkard Singers, and later sang with The Sweet Inspirations, who sang backup for artists like Dionne Warwick (who was Cissy Houston’s niece) and Otis Redding. The two-time Grammy winner also acted – she appeared alongside her daughter in the 1996 film “The Preacher’s Wife,” and starred in the 1994 film “The Vernon Johns Story.” Besides her passion for performing, Cissy Houston was also a proud mother to Whitney, who died in 2012 at age 48. “She accomplished a whole lot in the short time that she had here… She was a very wonderful person,” Cissy Houston told My9 after her daughter’s death. Indeed, she cared for others, as well as herself, throughout her 91 years of life – a vital component to holding on to what matters, as she noted during a 2013 interview with USA Today.
