* I can find no record of who was the last surviving performer in an original run of a play that was written -- presumably -- by William Shakespeare. They were staged between 1589 and 1614. If there was, say, a teenage boy (possibly playing a woman, as was often done) in the last of these, The Two Noble Kinsmen, and he lived to be 100, then he could still have been alive in 1700.
* July 12, 1973: Lon Chaney Jr., 67, the last survivor of the major monster actors of the 1930s, playing the Wolf Man. His father, Lon Chaney (the Hunchback of Notre Dame and the Phantom of the Opera in silent films) died in 1930, Bela Lugosi (Count Dracula) in 1956, Claude Rains (the Invisible Man) in 1967, and Boris Karloff (the Frankenstein Monster and the Mummy) in 1969.
* September 9, 1978: Jack L. Warner, 86, the youngest and last survivor of 4 brothers who founded Warner Brothers Pictures, Inc. on April 4, 1923. 55 years. Sam died in 1927, of a sinus infection, the day before the studio released the 1st sound film, The Jazz Singer. Harry died in 1958, and Albert in 1967.
* October 30, 1978: Wallace MacDonald, 87, the last surviving actor who had been credited as one of the Keystone Kops, who first appeared in Hoffmeyer's Legacy, premiering on December 23, 1912. 66 years.
* May 29, 1979: Mary Pickford, 87, the last survivor of the 4 founders of United Artists, the 1st major Hollywood studio, on February 5, 1919. 60 years. Her ex-husband Douglas Fairbanks Sr. died in 1939, D.W. Griffith in 1948, and Charlie Chaplin in 1977.
* November 30, 1979: Herbert "Zeppo" Marx, 78, the last survivor of entertainment's Marx Brothers, who made their 1st movie together in 1929. 50 years. Leonard, a.k.a. Chico, died in 1961, at 74. Adolph, later renamed Arthur, a.k.a. Harpo, died in 1964, at 75.
Milton, a.k.a. Gummo, died in 1977, at 84. Julius, a.k.a. Groucho, the most famous of them, was in serious decline at this point, and was never told of Gummo's death, so as not to upset him. He died on August 19, 1977, at 86, 4 months after Gummo, and 3 days after Elvis Presley. A bad week for show business. Most of the Marx Brothers movies had Groucho, Harpo and Chico.
* December 21, 1980: Marc Connelly, 90, a playwright and the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1930, and the last surviving original member of the Algonquin Round Table, founded in 1919. 61 years.
* April 11, 1984: Fred Robinson, a trombonist, the last surviving member of Louis Armstrong's Hot Five, who recorded "West End Blues" on June 28, 1928. 56 years.
* September 14, 1984: Janet Gaynor, 77, the last surviving winner at the 1st Academy Awards (a.k.a. the Oscars), May 16, 1929. 55 years. At the time, the awards were given for overall performance in the year, not for any single film performance. She was awarded for 3 films:
7th Heaven, Street Angel and
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans.
* March 29, 1986: Harry Ritz, 78, the last survivor of the Ritz Brothers, Newark-born comedians in both vaudeville and films, their 1st film coming in 1934. 52 years. Jimmy Ritz died the year before at 81, and oldest brother Al Ritz in 1965 at 64.
* September 5, 1988: Lawrence Brown, 81, the last surviving musician from the Duke Ellington Orchestra (like Fred Robinson, he was a trombonist) when it recorded "Take the 'A' Train" on February 15, 1941. 47 years.
* April 26, 1989: Lucille Ball, 77, the last surviving main castmember of
I Love Lucy, which premiered on October 15, 1951. 38 years. The show ran until 1957. William Frawley died in 1966, Vivian Vance in 1979, and Desi Arnaz in 1986.
Lucy and Desi's children, Lucie Arnaz (now 71) and Desi Arnaz Jr. (70), appeared with Lucy on
Here's Lucy (1968-74), but not on
I Love Lucy (1951-57) or
The Lucy Show (1962-68). Characters based on Desi Jr. appeared on those shows, and a character based on Lucie appeared on
The Lucy Show.
* April 23, 1990: Paulette Goddard, 79, actress, 3rd wife of Charlie Chaplin, and the last surviving castmember of his 1st big talking picture,
The Great Dictator, premiering October 15, 1940. 50 years.
* December 1, 1990: Robert Gordon, 77, the last surviving castmember of
The Jazz Singer, the 1st talking picture, premiering October 6, 1927. 63 years. He played Jakie Rabinowitz, the 13-year-old kid who grows up to be the titular singer, Jack Robin, played by Al Jolson. Billed as "Bobby Gordon" as an actor, he moved on to directing as "Robert," and directed, among others,
The Joe Louis Story and the 1955 monster film
It Came From Beneath the Sea.
* May 18, 1995: Elisha Cook Jr., 91, the last surviving castmember of
The Maltese Falcon, premiering October 3, 1941. 54 years.
Star Trek fans will recognize his name, as he played Samuel T. Cogley, the lawyer who got Captain Kirk acquitted in the Original Series episode "Court-Martial."
* November 7, 1995: Jerry Daniels, 89, the last surviving original member of The Ink Spots, founded in July 1934. 61 years.
* January 18, 1997: Adriana Caselotti, 80, the last surviving voice actor, and the holder of the title role, in the 1st full-length animated film,
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, premiering December 21, 1937. 59 years. Billy Gilbert, who voiced Sneezy, was the last survivor of the Dwarf voices, living until 1971.
* June 22, 1997: William Slater Brown, 100, the last survivor of the "Lost Generation" writers, said to have begun in the Paris salon of Gertrude Stein in 1924. 73 years.
* September 8, 1998: Leonid Kinskey, 95, the last surviving actor from the Marx Brothers film Duck Soup, premiering on November 17, 1933. 65 years. He became a drinking buddy of actor Humphrey Bogart and, as a result was cast as one of the European exiles in Casablanca, as Sascha, the Russian bartender at Rick's Cafe Americain. But he was not quite the last surviving actor from that film.
* May 9, 1999: Shirley Dinsdale, 72, the last survivor of the winners at the 1st Emmy Awards in 1949. 50 years. She won Outstanding Television Personality, for her ventriloquism with her doll, Judy Splinters.
* November 13, 1999: Donald Mills, 84, the last survivor of the singing Mills Brothers, who became stars in 1930. 69 years. John Mills Jr. got sick and died in 1936, only 25. The brothers' father, John Sr., took his place, and lived until 1967, at 85. Harry died in 1982, at 69. Herbert died in 1989, at 77.
* December 1, 1999: Marilyn Harris, 75, the last survivor of the 1931 edition of Frankenstein. 68 years. She played Maria, the little girl who played with the Creature, who then misinterpreted her game and threw her into a lake, unintentionally drowning her, leading to a lynch mob hunting him down.
* October 31, 2000: Ring Lardner Jr., 85, the last survivor of the Hollywood Ten screenwriters, 1947. 53 years. His brother John Lardner was also a novelist and screenwriter, and their father Ring Lardner Sr. was one of the greatest sportswriters of all time.
* January 20, 2004: Bernard Punsly, 80, the last survivor of the group of actors known as the Dead End Kids, the Little Tough Guys, the East Side Kids and the Bowery Boys. They debuted in the film Dead End on August 27, 1937. 67 years.
* April 28, 2005: Percy Heath, just short of turning 82, the bass fiddler and last survivor of the original membership of the Modern Jazz Quartet, which formed in 1951, 54 years. Original drummer Kenny Clarke died in 1985, vibraphonist Milt Jackson in 1999, and pianist John Lewis in 2001.
* July 4, 2007: Bill Pinkney, 81, the last survivor of the original version of The Drifters, who recorded their 1st hit, "Money Honey," one of the founding records of rock and roll, on August 9, 1953, 54 years. He traded lead with usual lead singer Clyde McPhatter on their version of "White Christmas," in 2007.
Clyde was drafted in 1954, went solo upon being discharged, and died from alcohol abuse in 1972. Gerhart Thrasher died in 1977, his brother Andrew Thrasher in 1978, Tommy Evans in 1984, and Johnny Moore in 1998.
* September 19, 2008: Earl Palmer, the drummer and the last surviving musician on Sam Cooke's recording of "Twistin' the Night Away," recorded on December 18, 1961, 61 years. I have to put an asterisk on this one: I could not find a date of death for saxophonist Jewell Grant, so he could have survived Palmer, and could even still be alive today.
Palmer played on several big hits in New Orleans in the 1950s, including hits by Little Richard and Fats Domino. The Los Angeles music scene took note, and hired him away, so he played on several big ones in the 1960s, including on some of Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" hits, like "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" by The Righteous Brothers.
Cooke, who used some of these musicians several times, was killed in 1964. pianist Eddie Beal in 1984, co-producer Hugo Peretti in 1986, guitarist René Hall in 1988, trumpeter Stu Williamson in 1991, bass guitarist George "Red" Callender in 1992, guitarist Tommy Tedesco in 1997, guitarist Clifton White in 1998, trombonist John "Streamline" Ewing in 2002, drummer Earl Palmer in 2008, co-producer Luigi Creatore in 2015, and engineer Al Schmitt in 2021.
* May 11, 2010: Doris Eaton Travis, 106, the last survivor of the Ziegfeld Girls. The Ziegfeld Follies ran until 1931, so, 79 years.
* June 27, 2010: Corey Allen, 75, the last survivor of the cast of Rebel Without a Cause, which premiered on October 27, 1955 -- 27 days after the death of its star, James Dean -- 55 years.
* August 8, 2010: Patricia Neal, 84, the last surviving winner of the 1st Tony Awards, April 6, 1947. She won Best Actress in a non-musical play, for her role in Another Part of the Forest. A later actress came to Broadway with the name Patricia Neal, and had to change it because the preceding actress had already registered the name with the Screen Actors Guild. So she took the stage name Fannie Flagg.
* December 24, 2012: Jack Klugman, 90, the last survivor of the actors who played the jurors in the film 12 Angry Men, premiering April 10, 1957. 55 years. The man best known for playing Oscar Madison in the TV version of The Odd Couple outlived John Savoca, who played the defendant at age 17, by 5 years.
* January 30, 2013: Patty Andrews, just short of 95, the last survivor of the singing Andrews Sisters, whose 1st hit song was in 1937. 76 years. LaVerne died in 1967, Maxene in 1995.
* March 19, 2013: Floyd "Buddy" McRae, the last survivor of The Chords, who recorded one of the founding songs of rock and roll, "Sh-Boom," on March 15, 1954, 59 years earlier to the week. Bass singer William "Ricky" Edwards died in 1964, Claude Feaster in 1975, his brother and the lead singer Carl Feaster in 1981, and Jimmy Keyes in 1995.
* March 27, 2013: Gordon Stoker, the last survivor of Elvis Presley's original backing vocalists, The Jordanaires, following his original hits of 1956. 57 years.
* August 7, 2013: Marilyn King, 82, the last survivor of the 6 singing King Sisters, the focal point of the King Family, who had their 1st TV special on August 29, 1964. 49 years.
* February 24, 2014: Francis "Franny" Beecher, 92, the last survivor of Bill Haley's Comets who recorded "Rock Around the Clock," the 1st rock and roll song to hit Number 1, on July 9, 1955. The recording session was on April 12, 1954. 60 years.
* July 11, 2014: Tommy Ramone, 65, the drummer and the last surviving original member of The Ramones, who released their self-titled debut album on April 23, 1976, 38 years. Lead singer Joey Ramone died in 2001, bass guitarist Dee Dee Ramone in 2002, and lead guitarist Johnny Ramone in 2004.
* September 21, 2015: Ben Cauley, 67, trumpeter for the Bar-Kays, Otis Redding's touring band, and the only person to survive the plane crash in Lake Monona, in Madison, Wisconsin, on December 10, 1967. 48 years.
* December 6, 2015: Holly Woodlawn, the last survivor of the actors hired by Andy Warhol for his experimental films, known as the Warhol Superstars, their run beginning with the release of Chelsea Girls on September 15, 1966. 49 years.
* March 6, 2016: Kathryn Trosper Popper, 100, the last survivor of the cast of Citizen Kane, which premiered on September 5, 1941. 75 years. She was the personal assistant of the film's star, co-writer, producer and director, Orson Welles. He gave her one line, near the beginning, as a reporter, asking, "What's 'Rosebud'?"
* May 1, 2016: Madeleine Lebeau, 92, the last surviving castmember of Casablanca, which premiered on November 26, 1942. She played Yvonne, one of Rick Blaine's girlfriends, and a fellow exile from Paris. Her tearful yet determined participation in Victor Laszlo's leading of the French national anthem, "Les Marseillaise," is one of the most powerful moments in the history of motion pictures.
At the time of filming, she was married to Marcel Dalio, who played Emil the croupier, but they were divorced soon thereafter. Together, they actually had fled Paris one step ahead of the Nazis in June 1940, but went straight to Lisbon, Portugal, instead of taking the roundabout way that the film's introduction described: Paris, train to Marseille, ferry to Oran, one form or another of land transportation to Casablanca, plane to Lisbon, plane to New York.
* May 10, 2016: William Herz, 99, the last surviving castmember of Orson Welles's supposedly panic-inducing CBS radio version of H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds, October 30, 1938. 78 years.
* September 1, 2016: Fred Hellerman, 89, the last surviving member of The Weavers, the folk quartet that also included Pete Seeger, Lee Hays and Ronnie Gilbert, founded in November 1948. 68 years.
* September 4, 2016: Bud Isaacs, 88, the last surviving musician on "Move It On Over," Hank Williams' 1st hit record, often called "the first rock and roll record," recorded 1947. 72 years. Williams didn't have his own band at that point, so producer Fred Rose brought in Red Foley's band, which included Isaacs.
* November 11, 2016: Robert Vaughn, 83, an actor better remembered as Agent Napoleon Solo on the 1964-68 TV series The Man From U.N.C.L.E., but also the last surviving member of the titular posse in the film The Magnificent Seven, released on October 12, 1960, 56 years. He was the only 1 of the 7 to outlive the actor who played the film's villain, Eli Wallach, who died on June 24, 2014, at 98.
* March 18, 2017: Chuck Berry, 90, the last surviving musician on his own recording of "Johnny B. Goode," January 6, 1958. 59 years. Drummer Fred Below died in 1988. Pianist Lafayette Leake died in 1990. Bass fiddle player Willie Dixon, perhaps the greatest writer of blues songs ever, died in 1992. Johnnie Johnson, Berry's usual piano player, did not play on the recording. He lived until 2005.
* January 28, 2018: Heinz "Coco" Schumann, 93, the last surviving member of the Ghetto Swingers, a group of jazz musicians hired to entertain the prisoners at the Theresienstadt concentration camp in Terezín, in what is now the Czech Republic.
* May 24, 2018: Jerry Maren, 98, the last surviving castmember of The Wizard of Oz, which premiered on August 15, 1939. 79 years. He played a Munchkin.
* June 13, 2018: Dominic Joseph "D.J." Fontana, 87, the last surviving member of Elvis Presley's original full band, recording "Heartbreak Hotel" on January 10, 1956. 62 years. (He didn't really have a full band for his Sun Records sessions, just guitarist Scotty Moore, who died in 2016, and bass fiddle player Bill Black, who died in 1965. Sun Records owner and producer Sam Phillips died in 2003.)
* January 26, 2020: Bob Shane, 86, the last surviving member of The Kingston Trio, who released their 1st album on June 1, 1958, 61 years. Dave Guard died in 1991. He had left the group in 1961, and was replaced by John Stewart, joining Shane and Nick Reynolds. Reynolds and Stewart both died in 2008.
* March 6, 2020: McCoy Tyner, 81, the last survivor of the John Coltrane Quartet, which broke up with Coltrane's death from cancer on July 17, 1967, 53 years.
* May 24, 2020: Jimmy Cobb, 91, the last surviving musician (drummer) who recorded Miles Davis' album Kind of Blue, the best-selling jazz album of all time, on March 2, 1959, 61 years.
* July 1, 2020: Max Crook, 83, the last survivor from the recording session of Del Shannon's Number 1 hit "Runaway" on January 21, 1961. He wrote the song with Shannon, and played a keyboard instrument he'd invented and named the Musitron, producing one of the most distinctive instrumental bridges in the history of American music.
Shannon died in 1990, drummer Joe Marshall in 1992, bass fiddle player Milt Hinton in 2000, guitarist Al Casamenti in 2014, lead guitarist Al Caiola and pianist Moe Wechsler in 2016, and rhythm guitarist John "Bucky" Pizzarelli in 2020.
* July 26, 2020: Olivia de Havilland, 103, the last survivor of the film The Adventures of Robin Hood, which starred Errol Flynn, and defined the character of the bandit of Sherwood Forest from that point onward, premiering on May 14, 1938. 81 years. She played Maid Marian.
* December 23, 2020: W.S. "Fluke" Holland, 85, the last survivor of the recording session for Carl Perkins' song "Blue Suede Shoes," December 19, 1955. 65 years. A drummer, he was also the last survivor of The Tennessee Three, Johnny Cash's backing band for most of his career, although he had not yet joined in 1956, when Cash, with Luther Perkins and Marshall Grant as The Tennessee Two, recorded "Folsom Prison Blues" and "I Walk the Line."
* December 29, 2020: Phyllis McGuire, last of the singing McGuire Sisters, who had their 1st hit in 1952. 68 years. Dorothy died in 2012, Christine in 2018.
* December 30, 2020: Eugene Wright, 97, the last surviving member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet, which finished recording the album Time Out on August 18, 1959, 61 years. Saxophonist Paul Desmond, who composed the album's "Take Five," their signature song and the biggest-selling jazz single of all time, died in 1977. Drummer Joe Morello died in 2011. Pianist Brubeck died in 2012.
* May 25, 2021: John Warner, 94, the last survivor of Elizabeth Taylor's 8 husbands -- 7 if you count actor Richard Burton only once. Her 7th husband (6th if you count Burton once), he served as Richard Nixon's Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974, and a Republican U.S. Senator from Virginia from 1979 to 2009.
The only one of her marriages that didn't end in divorce was her 3rd, to film producer Mike Todd, who died in a plane crash in 1958, and even that marriage was stormy. Hotel executive Nicky Hilton (Conrad Jr., her 1st) died in 1969, actor Michael Wilding (her 2nd) in 1979, Burton (her 5th and 6th) in 1984, singer Eddie Fisher (her 4th) in 2010, and Larry Fortensky (her 8th) in 2016. Unlike the others, all famous before Liz married them, Fortensky was a construction worker, whom she'd met at the Betty Ford Center. She had 2 sons with Wilding and a daughter with Todd, and adopted a daughter with Burton.
Also in show business and known for their multiple marriages: Each of the 3 acting Gabor sisters, Zsa Zsa (9, including Nicky Hilton's father Conrad), Eva (5) and Magda (6, including one of Zsa Zsa's exes, actor George Sanders); actor Mickey Rooney (8, including actress Ava Gardner); and clarinetist and Big Band leader Artie Shaw (8, including actresses Gardner and Lana Turner, and novelist Kathleen Winsor; he also dated actress-singer Judy Garland, who was an early professional, but never a personal, partner of Rooney's).
* June 7, 2021: Larry Gelman, 90, the last survivor of the poker-playing pals on The Odd Couple, playing Vinnie (no last name ever mentioned), from a show that premiered on September 24, 1970. 56 years. Tony Randall (Felix Unger) died in 2004, Jack Klugman (Oscar Madison) and Garry Walberg (Homer "Speed" Deegan) in 2012, Al Molinaro (Murray Greschler) in 2015, and Ryan McDonald (Roy) in 2020.
* December 31, 2021: Betty White, 99, 17 days short of her 100th birthday, the last survivor of the main cast of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, which premiered on September 19, 1970, 51 years. Ted Knight died in 1986, Moore herself in 2017, Georgia Engel and Valerie Harper n 2019; and, all in 2021, Cloris Leachman, Gavin MacLeod, Edward Asner and Betty White.
Joyce Bulifant, 85, who played Marie Slaughter, wife of MacLeod's Murray, could be counted. If you don't count her, then they're all gone.
Betty White was also the last survivor of the main cast of The Golden Girls, premiering on September 14, 1985, 36 years. Estelle Getty died in 2008, Beatrice "Bea" Arthur in 2009, and Rue McClanahan in 2010. Two oddities: Not only was Betty the oldest, but Getty, playing the mother of Arthur's character, was actually a year younger than Arthur.
* March 31, 2022: Fred Johnson, 80, the last surviving member of The Marcels, who hit Number 1 with "Blue Moon," April 3, 1961. 61 years. Gene Bricker died in 1983. Allen Johnson died in 1995. Lead singer Cornelius Harp died in 2013. Ronald "Bingo" Mundy died in 2017.
The killer on the TV show The Fugitive, known as "The One-Armed Man," was also named Fred Johnson, and was played by Bill Raisch.
* April 5, 2022: Nehemiah Persoff, 102, the last surviving castmember of Some Like It Hot, premiering on March 29, 1959. 63 years.
* May 13, 2022: Rosmarie von Trapp, 93, the last of the singing von Trapp siblings that escaped from Nazi-controlled Austria in 1938, as portrayed in the 1959 Broadway musical The Sound of Music. 83 years. Johannes von Trapp is still alive, at age 84, but he was born to Georg and Maria after they escaped, and was not portrayed in the musical.
* September 6, 2022: Marsha Hunt, 104, the last surviving actor hit by the Hollywood blacklist against those accused of being affiliated with Communism, in October 1947, 74 years. She recovered enough to make film and television appearances up until 1971, with the occasional appearance thereafter.
* September 14, 2022: Henry Silva, 95, the last survivor among the title characters of the original version of the film Ocean's 11, premiering August 3, 1960, 62 years. Joey Bishop was the last regular member of "The Rat Pack," the core of the 11, living until 2007, 57 years.
* October 28, 2022: Jerry Lee Lewis, 87, the last surviving Sun Records performer from the "Million Dollar Quartet" reunion, in Memphis, December 4, 1956. 66 years. Elvis Presley died in 1977, Carl Perkins in 1998, Johnny Cash in 2003. After all he'd done to himself, I don't know how Jerry Lee was the last survivor. He was also the last surviving charter inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 1986, 36 years.
* January 31, 2023: Charlie Thomas, 85, the last surviving member of The Drifters, whose 1st hit, "There Goes My Baby," was released on April 24, 1959, 64 years. Dock Green died in 1989, Elsbeary Hobbs in 1996, and lead singer Ben E. King in 2015.
After singing lead on such songs as "Save the Last Dance for Me" and "I Count the Tears," King went solo in 1961, and was replaced by Rudy Lewis, who sang lead on such hits as "Some Kind of Wonderful," "On Broadway," "Up On the Roof." Lewis died of a drug overdose in 1964. (He was 27, so he is, retroactively, a member of the macabre "27 Club.") Johnny Moore was brought back from the original group, and sang lead on "Under the Boardwalk" and "Saturday Night at the Movies."
Hobbs was replaced in 1962 by Johnny Terry, who died in 2005. Green also left in 1962, and was replaced by Eugene Pearson, formerly of The Cleftones, and he died in 2000.
* March 1, 2023: Leon Hughes, 92, the last surviving original member of The Coasters, who recorded their 1st hit, "Searchin'," on February 15, 1957, 66 years. Bobby Nunn, one of the baddest bass singers in history, died in 1986. Billy Guy died in 2002. Lead singer Carl Gardner died in 2011.
* May 31, 2023: Dickie "Be-Bop" Harrell, 83, the last surviving member of The Blue Caps, the backing band for Gene Vincent, who recorded "Be-Bop-a-Lula" on May 4, 1956. 65 years. He was the drummer, and delivered the song's iconic screams. He appears not to have been related to a popular auto racer named Dickie Harrell, killed in a race crash in 1971, the same year Vincent died.
* October 11, 2023: Phyllis Coates, 96, the last surviving member of the regular cast of The Adventures of Superman, which premiered on September 19, 1952. 71 years. She played Lois Lane in the 1st season.
John Hamilton, who played Perry White, died in 1958, when the show had not yet been canceled. George Reeves, who played Clark Kent and Superman, was, ironically, shot and killed in 1959, essentially canceling the show. Robert Shayne, who played Inspector Bill Henderson, died in 1992; Jack Larson, who played Jimmy Olsen, in 2015; and Noel Neill, who replaced Coates as Lois, in 2016.
* January 12, 2024: Bill Hayes, 98, the last surviving singer who had a Number 1 hit on Billboard magazine's top popular music chart, under any name, prior to the birth of the Rock and Roll Era, which is generally considered to be when "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets hit Number 1 on July 9, 1955. It was "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" on March 26, 1955, 69 years.
* January 13, 2024: Joyce Randolph, 99, the last survivor of the main cast of The Honeymooners, which premiered on October 1, 1955. 67 years. She played Trixie Norton, Ed's wife, and outlived even the actors who played children and teenagers on the show.
* May 22, 2024: Darryl Hickman, 92, the last surviving castmember of film version of John Steinbeck's epic Great Depression novel The Grapes of Wrath, premiering January 24, 1940, 83 years. He played Winfield Joad, the youngest sibling of Tom, played by Henry Fonda. Darryl later became a TV executive and an acting coach. His brother, Dwayne Hickman, starred in the 1959-63 sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. He lived until 2022, at 87.
*
Alive as of March 21, 2025:
* Garry Watson, 96, the last known surviving actor from any silent film, and the last of the 9 Watson siblings who were active in silent films. As a baby, he appeared in Drag, released on October 1, 1929, 95 years -- and 2 years after The Jazz Singer became the 1st "talking picture," on October 6, 1927.
Garry and Billy appeared in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington in 1939, and Garry appeared in Knute Rockne, All-American in 1940. His last film was The Exile, in 1947, 76 years ago. But he is still alive.
* Ray Anthony, 103, the last surviving member (trumpeter) of The Glenn Miller Orchestra, which broke up with Miller's disappearance and probable death in a plane crash on December 15, 1944, 76 years. Anthony played on the recording of their most familiar song, and perhaps the defining song of the entire Big Band era, "In the Mood," on August 1, 1939, 82 years.
* Caren Marsh Doll, was Judy Garland's dance stand-in for The Wizard of Oz, and was an uncredited extra in Gone with the Wind. Both films were released in late 1939, 85 years. If she makes it to April 6, 2025, she will be 106 years old.
Patrick Curtis played Beau Wilkes as a baby, but was not credited. He went on to become a film producer, and was, for 5 years, the 2nd of the 4 husbands of actress Raquel Welch. He died on November 24, 2022, at 83, and was the last surviving credited castmember of Gone with the Wind. He died 4 days after Mickey Kuhn, who played Beau Wilkes, son of Melanie and Ashley Wilkes, and was the last surviving castmember of Vivien Leigh's other big U.S. film, A Streetcar Named Desire, which premiered on September 18, 1951. 70 years.
* There are 4 surviving castmembers from It's a Wonderful Life, premiering on December 20, 1946, 76 years: Ronnie Ralph (91, Sam Wainwright as a child), Carol Coombs (89, George & Mary's daughter Janie Bailey), Karolyn Grimes (about to turn 85, George & Mary's daughter Zuzu Bailey), and Jimmy Hawkins (83, George & Mary's son Tommy Bailey).
* Eva Marie Saint, 100, is the last surviving actor from both the film On the Waterfront, premiering on July 28, 1954, 70 years; and Alfred Hitchcock's film North By Northwest, premiering July 1, 1959, 65 years.
* Pat Boone, about to turn 91, the performer with the earliest Number 1 hit on Billboard magazine's top popular music chart, under any name: "Love Letters In the Sand," in the Billboard issue of June 3, 1957. 68 years.
* Gary Snyder, about to turn 95, the headliner and the last surviving poet from the Six Gallery reading in San Francisco that is said to be the birth of the Beat Generation literary movement, October 7, 1955. 68 years.
Jack Kerouac, in attendance but not reading his work that night, died in 1969; Kenneth Rexroth, who introduced the poets but did not read any poems, in 1982; Allen Ginsberg, who debuted his most famous work, "Howl," in 1997; Philip Whalen in 2002; Philip Lamantia in 2005; and Michael McClure in 2020.
Lawrence Ferlinghetti, in attendance but not reading, died this past February 22, shortly before he would have turned 102. Ann Charters, not quite 19 at the time, was also in attendance. She would later write the 1st posthumous biography of Kerouac, and is now 88.
* There are 2 surviving original members of The Five Satins, who had a hit with what's become known as the National Anthem of Doo-Wop, "In the Still of the Night," in February 1956, 67 years: Jim Freeman (whose brother Richie Freeman now sings with the touring group), and Wes Forbes. James Curtis died in 2001. Stanley Dortche died in 2010. Lewis Peeples died in 2020. Lead singer Fred Parris died in 2022.
* Frank Maffei, 85, the last surviving original member of Danny & the Juniors, who had one of the defining songs of early rock and roll, "At the Hop," in 1958, 65 years ago. Lead singer Danny Rapp took his own life in 1983. Joe Terry and Dave White both died in 2019.
Frank's brother Bobby Maffei took Danny's place in the group, although Joe took Danny's place as lead vocalist. Bobby is also still alive. I don't have a record of what musicians played on the session, so I don't know if any of them are still alive. The only one I'm sure of is that Dave White played the iconic piano. (UPDATE: Frank Maffei died on July 19, 2025, at 85.)
* There are 3 surviving members of The Champs, who recorded "Tequila" at Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles on December 23, 1957, and released it on January 15, 1958, 67 years: Rhythm guitarist and band leader Dave Burgess, 90; lead guitarist Dale Norris, also 90; and drummer Gene Alden, 95.
Bass guitarist Benjamin Van Norman was killed in a car accident later in 1958, only 30 years old. He was replaced by Bob Morris, later known for playing in Buck Owens' band, and he died in 1981. Pianist Dean Beard died in 1989. Danny Flores, a.k.a. Chuck Rio, who spoke the word "Tequila" after the 1st 2 "verses" and played that immortal saxophone part, wasn't so immortal, dying in 2006. Guitarist Buddy Bruce died in 2014. Glen Campbell later played guitar in the band, and when they broke up in 1964, Jim Seals and Dan Crofts were members, and later formed a duo. Campbell died in 2017, Seals in 2022. As of March 21, 2025, Crofts is still alive.
* There are 2 surviving members of The Royal Teens, who recorded "Short Shorts" at Bell Sound Studios in Manhattan, and released it in January 1958, 65 years: Piano player Bob Gaudio (82, later a member of The Four Seasons), and drummer Tom Austin (I can't find a reference as to his age). Bill Crandall, the saxophone player who was only 14 years old at the time of the record, died in 1998. Guitarist Billy Dalton died in 2011. The girl on the record, Diane Costello, a.k.a. Diane Lee, was still alive as recently as 2014; beyond that, I can't say for sure.
* Sonny Rollins, 94, the last surviving jazz performer among the 57 who gathered on the steps of a brownstone at 17 East 126th Street for the famous "A Great Day In Harlem" photo on August 12, 1958, 67 years.
* There are 2 surviving members of The Belmonts, who began having doo-wop hits in 1958, 61 years: Dion DiMucci (soon to be 86) and Angelo D'Aleo (85). Fred Milano died in 2012, and Carlo Mastrangelo in 2016.
When Dion went solo, he was backed by a new group, The Del-Satins (named after 2 of their favorite groups, The Dells and The Five Satins). There are 3 living people from the recording session of Dion's biggest hit, "Runaround Sue," in 1961, 62 years: Dion himself, and, of The Del-Satins, Stan Zizka and Tom Ferrara. Keith Koestner, an original member, is also still alive, but left before "Runaround Sue" was recorded.
All of the backing musicians have since died: Pianist George "Teacho" Wiltshire in 1969, saxophonist Alonza "Buddy" Lucas in 1983, bass fiddle player Milt Hinton in 2000, drummer Dave "Panama" Francis in 2001, Del-Satin Fred Ferrara in 2011, lead guitarist Mickey "Guitar" Baker in 2012; Ernie Maresca, Dion's co-writer for this song and "The Wanderer," in 2015; both Del-Satin singer Les Cauchi and rhythm guitarist John "Bucky" Pizzarelli in 2020; and Del-Satin singer Bobby Failla in 2023. (Hinton and Pizzarelli both also played on "Runaway.")
* There are 2 surviving members of The Crickets, Buddy Holly's band, whose contributions to rock and roll did not quite end, but Holly's did, with Holly's death on February 3, 1959, 64 years: Sonny Curtis, guitar (about to turn 88); and Glen Hardin, piano (about to turn 86). Hardin was later the pianist for Elvis' Las Vegas and touring band from 1970 until the King's death in 1977. The other Cricket, drummer Jerry Allison, died in 2022 (82).
* There are 4 surviving winners from the 1st Grammy Awards, held on May 4, 1959, 64 years: Eddie Hodges, 77, who won for his part in the musical The Music Man, which won Best Original Cast Album; and the 3 surviving members of The Champs, Dave Burgess, Dale Norris and Gene Alden, because, despite all band members being white, they won for Best Rhythm & Blues Performance.
* There are 6 living former "Mouseketeers" on the original version of The Mickey Mouse Club, which aired from October 3, 1955 to 1959, 66 years: Darlene Gillespie (about to turn 84), Bobby Burgess (also about to turn 84), Tommy Cole (83), Lonnie Burr (about to turn 82), Sharon Baird (81), and Carl "Cubby" O'Brien (78). Annette Funicello died in 2013, Doreen Tracy in 2018, Karen Pendleton in 2019, and Johnny Crawford, who also played Mark McCain on The Rifleman, in 2021.
* There are 2 surviving actors from Hitchcock's film Psycho, premiering September 8, 1960, 63 years: Vera Miles (95), and Marli Renfro (Janet Leigh's body double for the shower murder scene, about to turn 87).
* There are 2 surviving members of The Miracles, who released the 1st Motown Records hit, "Shop Around," on September 27, 1960, 65 years: William "Smokey" Robinson (83), who wrote it and sang lead; and his wife at the time, Claudette Robinson (about to turn 83), whom Motown boss Berry Gordy Jr. called "The First Lady of Motown." She was born on June 20, 1942, the exact same day as the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, and 2 days after the Beatles' Paul McCartney.
Ronnie White, who discovered Stevie Wonder and co-wrote “My Girl” with Smokey, died in 1995. Marv Tarplin died in 2011. Bobby Rogers, Claudette's cousin, died in 2013. Pete Moore died in 2017.
* Ron Howard, 71, the last surviving regular castmember of The Andy Griffith Show, which premiered on October 3, 1960, 63 years.
* There are 2 surviving regular castmembers of The Dick Van Dyke Show, which premiered on October 3, 1961, 60 years: Dick himself (99), and Larry Matthews (69). Carl Reiner's character, TV show host Alan Brady, was based on Sid Caesar. Dick's character, Rob Petrie, was based on Carl. And Larry's character, Rob's son Richie, was based on Carl's son Rob Reiner.
In 2023, at 97, Dick became the oldest performer to appear on the American version of The Masked Singer, breaking the record recently set by 92-year-old William Shatner.
* There are 2 surviving original members of The Four Seasons, who recorded their 1st hit, "Sherry," in July 1962, 63 years: Lead singer Frankie Valli (90), and keyboard player Bob Gaudio (82, also the song's author).
Bass singer and bass guitarist Nick Massi died in 2000. James "Panama" Francis, who drummed on their early hits, died in 2001. Buddy Saltzman, the group's drummer from late 1963 onward, died in 2012. Lead guitarist Tommy DeVito died in 2020. And Joe Long, who replaced Massi in late 1965 (giving the Seasons, like the Beatles, a lefthanded bass guitarist), died in 2021. Both DeVito and Long died from COVID-19.
* Max Baer Jr., 87, is the last surviving member of the main cast of The Beverly Hillbillies, which premiered on September 26, 1962, 58 years. His father was Heavyweight Champion of the World in 1934 and 1935.
* There are 3 surviving original members of The Beach Boys, who released their 1st album, Surfin' Safari, on October 1, 1962, 62 years: Lead singer Mike Love (84); main songwriter, bass guitarist, and sometimes pianist Brian Wilson (about to turn 84); and rhythm guitarist Al Jardine (82).
Drummer Dennis Wilson, the only member of the band who had regularly surfed, died in 1983, at 39, ironically by drowning (but with booze involved). Lead guitarist Carl Wilson died in 1998, at 51.
Brian, Dennis and Carl were brothers. Mike was their cousin. Brian was the quarterback for the Hawthorne High School football team in the suburbs of Los Angeles, and Al was his receiver.
* Mel Brooks, 98, the last survivor among the guests of Johnny Carson's 1st night hosting The Tonight Show, October 1, 1962, 61 years. : Mel Brooks and Tony Bennett (both about to turn 97). Of the others, Joan Crawford died in 1977, Rudy Vallée died in 1986, and Tony Bennett died in 2023. Carson and original bandleader Lyle "Skitch" Henderson died in 2005, and Ed McMahon in 2009. Skitch's 1967 replacement, Carl "Doc" Sevrinsen, is still alive (about to turn 98).
As it turned out, Brooks and Bennett both outlived Robin Williams, who, along with the still-living Bette Midler, appeared on Carson's last show with guests, May 21, 1992.
* There are 8 surviving members of "The Wrecking Crew," the Los Angeles studio musicians that music producer Phil Spector, a genius and a psychopath, used for his landmark rock and roll recordings starting in 1962, 63 years: Dick Nash (97, trombone), Plas Johnson (93, saxophone), Nino Tempo (90, trumpet and saxophone, 92), Carol Kaye (about to turn 90, bass guitar), Don Randi (88, piano), Jim Horn (84, aptly-named because he played saxophone), Michel Rubini (82, piano), and Chuck Findley (77, trumpet). (UPDATE: Tempo died on April 10, 2025, reducing the number to 7.)
Nino Tempo and his sister, April Stevens -- Antonino LoTempio and Caroline Vincinette LoTempio -- had a Number 1 hit with a duet of Paul Whiteman's 1933 song "Deep Purple" in 1963. April died in 2023, at 93.
* Jack Ashford, about to turn 91, the last surviving original member of The Funk Brothers, the backing band at Motown Records, whose "golden age" began in 1963, 62 years. A percussionist, he was apparently not related to Motown songwriter Nick Ashford.
* Barrie Chase, 91, the last surviving member of the huge cast of the film It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, which premiered on November 7, 1963, 59.
* There are 5 surviving singers from A Christmas Gift for You From Philles Records, a.k.a. "The Phil Spector Christmas Album," which was released with horrible timing on November 22, 1963, 61 years: Darlene Love (who Spector sometimes had sing lead on songs credited to The Crystals and to Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans) is 81, Nedra Talley of The Ronettes is 77, Dolores "Dee Dee" Kenniebrew of The Crystals is 77, Patsy Wright of The Crystals is 77, and Dolores "LaLa" Brooks of The Crystals is about to turn 76.
Jean King of The Blossoms died in 1983. Bobby Sheen, lead singer of Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans, died in 2000. Estelle Bennett of The Ronettes died in 2009. Barbara Alston of The Crystals died in 2018. Spector himself died in 2021, in prison for murder, finally having fully paid for his many sins. Veronica Bennett of The Ronettes, his former wife, known professionally as Ronnie Spector, died in 2022. Fanita James of the Blue Jeans died in 2023. (UPDATE: Nedra Talley died on April 26, 2026, leaving 4.)
* There are 4 surviving performers from the episode of The Ed Sullivan Show that featured The Beatles' 1st appearance on American TV, February 9, 1964, 59 years: Singer Gloria Bleezarde, 82; comedian Charlie Brill, 87; and the 2 surviving Beatles: Paul McCartney, about to turn 81; and Ringo Starr, about to turn 82. John Lennon was murdered in 1980, at 40. George Harrison died of cancer in 2001, at 58.
Other guests that night: Actor Oliver Kidds died in 1990, English singer Georgia Brown (invited because she, too, was British) in 1992, Welsh singer (ditto) Tessie O'Shea in 1995, impressionist Frank Gorshin (whose name will come up again) in 2005, and Brill's wife and comedy partner, Mitzi McCall, who died in 2024. Sullivan himself died in 1974.
There was also a dance act named Wells and the Four Fays, but I can't find any reference as to whether any of them are still alive. Singer-dancer Toni Basil later joined them and is still alive, but was only 12 years old and not with them at this point.
As for "Fifth Beatles": Pete Best, the drummer before Ringo, is 81. Chas Newby, who subbed on bass guitar between the firing of Stuart Sutcliffe and Paul's assumption of the instrument, is about to turn 82. Jimmie Nicol, who subbed for a tonsillectomy-recovering Ringo for a few tour appearances in 1964, is 83. Sutcliffe died in 1962, Murray "The K" Kaufman in 1982, Billy Preston in 2006, Tony Sheridan in 2013, and Andy White (subbed for Ringo on "Love Me Do" on George Martin's order) in 2015.
* There are 3 surviving members of The Animals, who recorded their version of the 19th Century folk song "House of the Rising Sun" on May 18, 1964, 61 years: Lead singer Eric Burdon (about to turn 84), drummer John Steel (84) and organist Alan Price (about to turn 83). Bass guitarist Bryan "Chas" Chandler died in 1996, and lead guitarist Hilton Valentine died in 2021.
* There are 5 surviving musicians from the recording session on Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty Woman," August 1, 1964, 61 years: Guitarists Wayne Moss (87), Billy Sanford (85) and Jerry Kennedy (84), saxophonist Charlie McCoy (about to turn 84), and drummer Paul Garrison (I can't find a reference to his age, but he is definitely still alive and performing).
Sanford played the lead, one of the best-known guitar parts ever, and was also the lead guitarist on Charlie Rich's "Behind Closed Doors." Moss was the lead guitarist on Tommy Roe's "Sheila," Dylan's "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" (a.k.a. "Everybody Must Get Stoned"), and Joe Simon's "The Choking Kind." Kennedy was the lead guitarist on Jeanne C. Riley's "Harper Valley P.T.A." Counting Orbison himself, that's 4 fantastic guitarists on the one song.
Orbison died in 1988. Floyd Cramer, best known as Elvis Presley's pianist from 1956 to 1968, died in 1997. Homer "Boots" Randolph, legendary saxophonist best known for "Yakety Sax" (a.k.a. the theme from The Benny Hill Show), died in 2007.
Orbison used 2 drummers on the song: Garrison was his usual session and road drummer. He also used Murrey "Buddy" Harmon, who drummed on hits for him, Elvis, and most of the hits of the Everly Brothers and Patsy Cline. He died in 2008. Henry Strzelecki, who played the upright bass, died in 2014. Recording engineer Bill Porter died in 2010. Co-writer Bill Dees died in 2012. Producer Fred Foster died in 2019. Sadly, Claudette Orbison, Roy's wife, for whom he wrote the song, was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1966.
* There are 3 surviving musicians from the recording session on The Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," May 12, 1965, 60 years: Bass guitarist Bill Wyman (88), lead singer Mick Jagger (about to turn 82), and lead guitarist Keith Richards (81). That's right, Keith Richards is the youngest. Producer Andrew Loog Oldham is also still alive (81).
Rhythm guitarist Brian Jones died in 1969, pianist Jack Nitzsche (not an official member of the band) died in 2000, and drummer Charlie Watts died in 2021. Not yet with the Stones: Mick Taylor, who succeeded Jones, is 76; and Ron Wood, who succeeded Taylor in 1975, is about to turn 78. Darryl Jones, a black American, replaced Wyman on bass guitar in 1993, and is "only" 63. Watts' death essentially ended the Stones.
* There are 2 surviving musicians from the recording session on Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone," June 16, 1965, 60 years: Dylan himself (about to turn 84), organist Al Kooper (81), and pianist Frank Owens (definitely still alive, but I can't find any reference as to his age).
Bass guitarist Joe Macho (pronounced "MAH-koh") died in 1977, producer Tom Wilson in 1978, guitarist Mike Bloomfield in 1981, drummer Bobby Gregg in 2014, tambourine player Bruce Langhorne in 2017, and pianist Frank Owens in 2023.
* Barry McGuire, 89, is the only surviving performer from the recording session for his Number 1 hit "Eve of Destruction," July 15, 1965, 60 years. Bass guitarist Larry Knechtel died in 2009, songwriter and guitarist Philip "Flip" Sloan in 2015, and drummer Hal Blaine in 2019. Knechtel and Blaine had both been members of Phil Spector's aforementioned Wrecking Crew.
* There are 3 surviving members of The McCoys, who released "Hang On Sloopy" sometime around July 15, 1965, 60 years. Guitarist and lead singer Rick Derringer is 77. His real name is Richard Zehringer. Since the band was signed to Bang Records, he changed his name to Derringer, a rhyming style of handgun. Rick's brother, who goes by Randy Z, was the drummer, and is 75. Keyboard player Ronnie Brandon is 79. Bass guitarist Randy Jo Hobbs died in 1993, and keyboard player Bobby Peterson died in 2002.
The Zehringers and Hobbs were later members of The Edgar Winter Group. Rick also toured with Edgar’s brother Johnny Winter, and as a member of Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band.
"Sloopy" bears a close melodic, and even lyrical (which references to "Shake it, shake it"), resemblance to "Twist and Shout," which is no accident: Both songs were written by Bert Berns, who also wrote "A Little Bit of Soap" by The Jarmels, "Cry to Me" by Solomon Burke," "Tell Him" by The Exciters, "Cry Baby" by Garnet Mimms, "Here Comes the Night" by Van Morrison's early band Them, "I Want Candy" by The Strangeloves, "Twenty Five Miles" by Edwin Starr, and "Piece of My Heart" by Janis Joplin (who also recorded "Cry Baby"). He did not live to see the last 2 become hits, as he died of a rheumatic heart in 1967. He was only 38. (Bobby Darin would die of the same thing, in 1973, at 37.)
* Al Gorgoni, 85, is the last surviving musicians from the recording session on Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence," September 13, 1965, 59 years. Ironically, despite both still being alive, neither Paul Simon nor Art Garfunkel was on that session, since they'd previously recorded the song in an all-acoustic version, and they weren't present at this session, at which electric instruments were added without their knowledge. But if we do count them, then that makes 3: Simon (83), Garfunkel (also 83), and guitarist Gorgoni. (On a previous version of this, I had bass guitarist Bob Bushnell as still alive. Unfortunately, I had that wrong: He died in 2016.)
Since, like Dylan, S&G were also with Columbia Records, Tom Wilson also produced this recording, and Bobby Gregg also drummed on it. Bass guitarist Bob Bushnell died in 2016.
* There are 3 surviving members of the regular or semi-regular cast of the spy sitcom Get Smart, which premiered on September 18, 1965, 58 years: Barbara Feldon (CONTROL's Agent 99, age 92), David Ketchum (CONTROL's Agent 13, 97), and Bernie Kopell (Conrad Siegfried, leader of KAOS, about to turn 92).
* Burt Ward, about to turn 80, is the last survivor of the main cast of the Batman TV series, which premiered on January 12, 1966, 59 years. He played Dick Grayson, a.k.a. Robin. Adam West, who played Bruce Wayne, a.k.a. Batman, died in 2017.
Of the supporting players: Madge Blake (Harriet Cooper, Dick's aunt) died in 1969, Stafford Repp (Chief Miles O'Hara) in 1974, Neil Hamilton (Commissioner James Gordon) in 1984, Alan Napier (Alfred Pennyworth) in 1988, William Dozier (executive producer and narrator) in 1991, and Yvonne Craig (Barbara Gordon, the Commissioner's daughter, a.k.a. Batgirl) in 2015.
Of the regular rotation of villains: George Sanders (Mr. Freeze in Season 1) died in 1972, Victor Buono (King Tut) in 1982, Otto Preminger (Mr. Freeze early in Season 2) in 1986, Vincent Price (Egghead) in 1993, Cesar Romero (the Joker) in 1994, David Wayne (the Mad Hatter) in 1995, Burgess Meredith (the Penguin) in 1997, the aforementioned Frank Gorshin (the Riddler in Seasons 1 & 3) in 2005, Eartha Kitt (Catwoman in Season 3) in 2008, and Eli Wallach (Mr. Freeze later in Season 2) in 2014.
There are 3 "Special Guest Villains" still alive: John Astin (about to turn 95, the Riddler in Season 2); Joan Collins (about to turn 92, who played the Siren), and Julie Newmar (91, Catwoman in Seasons 1 & 2 before giving way to Eartha Kitt). You could make it 4, counting Lee Meriwether (about to turn 90, played Catwoman in the movie made from the show, as Newmar was unavailable).
* There are 2 surviving musicians from The Doors' "Light My Fire," released on January 4, 1967, 58 years (I could only narrow down the recording date to August 1966), and it's the 2 surviving members of the band: Guitarist Robbie Krieger (79) and drummer John Densmore (81).
Lead singer Jim Morrison died in 1971. Organist Ray Manzarek, who usually played the bass parts on a "piano bass" attached to his Vox organ, died in 2013. And Larry Knechtel, a bass guitarist brought in for the session, died in 2009. Producer Paul Rothchild died in 1995.
* There are 3 surviving members of The Jefferson Airplane, who released their debut album Surrealistic Pillow on February 1, 1967, 58 years: Lead singer Grace Slick is 85, lead guitarist Jorma Kaukonen is 84, and bass guitarist Jack Casady is about to turn 81. Drummer Spencer Dryden died in 2005, guitarist Paul Kantner in 2016. guitarist Marty Balin in 2018.
* There are 4 surviving members of The Grateful Dead, who released their self-titled debut album on March 17, 1967: Drummer Mickey Hart is 81, drummer Bill Kreutzmann is about to turn 79, and rhythm guitarist Bob Weir is 77. Organist Ron "Pigpen" McKernan died in 1973, lead singer and guitarist Jerry Garcia in 1995, and bass guitarist Phil Lesh in 2024.
* There are 5 surviving people among the figures shown on the cover of The Beatles' album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, released on June 1, 1967, 58 years: Beatles Paul and Ringo, the aforementioned Bob Dylan, singer Dion DiMucci, and sculptor Larry Bell (86).
* There are 2 surviving members of the titular commando group in the film The Dirty Dozen, released on June 15, 1967, 58 years: Colin Maitland and Stuart Cooper, both 80. Note that Charles Bronson was the only member of both The Magnificent Seven and The Dirty Dozen.
* There are 4 surviving members of the main cast of The Carol Burnett Show, which debuted on September 11, 1967, 56 years: Burnett herself (92) and Vicki Lawrence (76).
* There are 4 surviving original castmembers of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, which debuted on January 22, 1968, 57 years: Ruth Buzzi (about to turn 89), Jo Anne Worley (87), Lily Tomlin (85), and Goldie Hawn (79). (UPDATE: Ruth died on May 1, 2025, leaving 3: Jo Anne, Lily and Goldie.)
* There are 3 surviving members of the main cast of the original Star Trek series, which aired its last episode on June 6, 1969, 56 years: William Shatner (94), Walter Koenig (88) and George Takei (88, younger than Koenig by 7 months).
* There are too many survivors from the performers at the Woodstock Music & Art Fair, August 15-18, 1969, 57 years ago, to list here.
* There are 3 surviving members of the cast of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, premiering on September 13, 1969, 56 years: Nicole Jaffe (Velma Dinkley), about to turn 84; Frank Welker (Fred Jones), 79; and Indira Stefanianna, then billed as Stefanianna Christopherson (Daphne Blake), 78.
Don Messick, the original voice of Scooby, died in 1997. He was also the voice of Bamm-Bamm Rubble on The Flintstones, Boo-Boo Bear and Ranger Smith on The Yogi Bear Show, Sebastian the Cat in Josie and the Pussycats, and Papa Smurf and Azrael on The Smurfs. Casey Kasem, who played Norville "Shaggy" Rogers, died in 2014.
* There are 3 surviving members of the original human cast of Sesame Street, premiering on November 10, 1969, 54 years: Loretta Long (86, played Susan Robinson from 1969 to 2017), and Jada Rowland (82, played Jennie until 1973, and is the only one of the originals of whom I have no memory).
Will Lee (Harold "Mr." Hooper) died in 1982, resulting in the famous Thanksgiving Day 1983 episode explaining the character's death. Northern Calloway (David, no last name ever mentioned, from 1971 to 1988) died in 1990. Matt Robinson (the original Gordon Robinson, 1969 to 1972, and father of actress Holly Robinson Peete) died in 2002. Alaina Reed Hall (Olivia Robinson, 1976 to 1988) died in 2009. Bob McGrath (Bob Johnson from 1969 to 2016) died in 2022.
Not original, but certainly "classic" performers of the 1970s and '80s: Hal Miller (the 2nd Gordon, 1972 to 1974) died in 2017. Emilio Delgado (Luis Rodriguez) died in 2022. Roscoe Orman (the 3rd and longest-running Gordon, 1974 to 2016) is about to turn 81. Linda Bove (the deaf actress who played Linda the Librarian from 1972 to 2003) is 79. Sonia Manzano (Maria Rodriguez, although her last name was never mentioned until she married Luis) is about to turn 75. All have since retired from the show.
* There are 2 surviving people who were in the Oval Office when President Richard Nixon met Elvis Presley on December 21, 1970, 52 years: White House aide Dwight Chapin (84) and Elvis' friend Jerry Schilling (83). Elvis died in 1977, Nixon in 1994, White House aide Egil "Bud" Krogh in 2020, and Elvis' friend Sonny West in 2022.
* There are 4 surviving musicians from the recording of "American Pie" by Don McLean on May 26, 1971, about to be 54 years: McLean himself (79), lead guitarist David Spinozza (75), bass guitarist Rob Stoner (about to turn 77), and drummer Roy Markowitz (I can't confirm his age, and I can't actually confirm that he's still alive, only that the Internet Movie Database seems to think he is. I found an interview of him dated February 22, 2016. Pianist Paul Griffin, in my opinion the real star of the recording, died in 2000.
* There are 4 survivors of the original main cast of M*A*S*H, which premiered on September 17, 1972, 52 years: Alan Alda (89), Loretta Swit (87), Gary Burghoff (about to turn 82), and Jamie Farr (about to turn 91). Counting later additions to the main cast, add Mike Farrell (86), to make it 6 survivors of the main cast from the last episode, February 28, 1983, 42 years.
* Joe D'Alessandro, 76, the last surviving person mentioned in Lou Reed's song "Walk On the Wild Side," released November 4, 1972. 50 years.
* There are 7 surviving semi-regular panelists on Match Game, which debuted on July 2, 1973, 52 years: Joyce Bulifant (87), Jo Ann Pflug (87), Ann Elder (82), the aforementioned Gary Burghoff (about to turn 82), Fannie Flagg (80), Elaine Joyce (79) and Bart Braverman (79).
Pflug, Anita Gillette (88) and the aforementioned Vicki Lawrence (76) appeared on the 1st episode, and each would appear again, but Gillette and Lawrence did not become semi-regulars.
* There are 3 surviving actors who provided voices for the original characters of the superhero cartoon series Super Friends, premiering on September 8, 1973, 50 years: Frank Welker (79) as Marvin and Wonder Dog, Sherry Alberoni (78) as Wendy, and Shannon Farnon (83) as Wonder Woman.
Welker is a legendary voice, even if most people don't know his face or his name. He's been Fred in the Scooby-Doo franchise from the beginning, and Scooby himself since 2002. He's specialized in dogs, including Astro Jetson and Dynomutt. He's also been Speed Buggy, Jabberjaw, Garfield the cat, several Smurfs, and several Transformers including Megatron. Alberoni had also been a Mouseketeer, and voiced Alexandra Cabot on Josie and the Pussycats. Farnon had done a few TV show one-shot appearances, and a lot of commercials, before taking on the Amazonian role.
Ted Knight, the narrator ("Later, at the Hall of Justice... "), and, for 1 episode, The Flash, died in 1986. Of course, he was better known as Ted Baxter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and Henry Rush on Too Close for Comfort. Olan Soule, who voiced Batman, and, on a later episode, the Professor Martin Stein half of Firestorm, died in 1994. He was a legend in Chicago radio.
Danny Dark, who voiced Superman, died in 2004. He was known for his commercial voiceovers, most notably "Sorry, Charlie" for StarKist tuna. Norman Alden, who voiced Aquaman, and later voiced Green Arrow, died in 2012. He also played Frank Heflin, the Alfred equivalent to the titular superwomen, in the Krofft Brothers' series Electra Woman and Dyna Girl; Lou, owner of the 1955 cafe, in Back to the Future; and was frequently cast in TV shows as sports coaches.
Casey Kasem, who voiced Robin, died in 2014. The legendary Los Angeles disc jockey also voiced Shaggy on Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! (even as a little kid, I could tell that Shaggy and "cartoon Robin" were the same voice), Alexander Cabot III on Josie and the Pussycats (ditto), and the title character in the 1971 Easter special Here Comes Peter Cottontail (this one, I don't remember at all).
* There are 4 surviving "Men (or Women) of the Hour" who were the subject of The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast, which premiered on NBC on October 31, 1974, 49 years: Comedian Gabe Kaplan, actress Angie Dickinson, consumer advocate Ralph Nader, and football star Joe Namath.
* There are 3 surviving original castmembers of Barney Miller, which premiered on January 23, 1975, 50 years: Hal Linden (Captain Barney Miller, 94), Barbara Barrie (Liz Miller, social worker and Barney's wife, rarely seen but frequently mentioned by Barney after Season 2, about to turn 94), and Max Gail (Detective, later Detective Sergeant, Stanley "Wojo" Wojciehowicz, 82).
Jack Soo (Detective Sergeant Nick Yemana) died during the show's run, in 1979; James Gregory (Inspector Frank Luger) in 2002; Ron Carey (Officer Carl Levitt, finally promoted to Sergeant, but not Detective, in the 1982 series finale) in 2007; later addition Steve Landesberg (Detective Sergeant Arthur P. Dietrich) in 2010; Abe Vigoda (Detective Sergeant Philip K. Fish) and Ron Glass (Detective Sergeant Ronald N. Harris) in 2016, and Gregory Sierra (Detective Sergeant Miguel "Chano" Amangual) in 2021.
* There are 5 surviving members of the original cast, "The Not Ready for Prime Time Players," of Saturday Night Live, premiering on October 11, 1975, 49 years: Garrett Morris (88). Chevy Chase (81), Jane Curtin (77), Laraine Newman (73), and Dan Aykroyd (about to turn 73). John Belushi infamously died in 1982, Gilda Radner in 1989, Michael O'Donoghue (whose character died in the 1st-ever sketch in 1975) in 1994, George Coe in 2015. Bill Murray (73) was not an original member, joining in the 2nd season.
* There are 5 living survivors of the plane crash that killed some members of the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd and some of their support staff outside Gillsburg, Mississippi on October 20, 1977, 44 years: Drummer Artimus Pyle, backing vocalist Leslie Hawkins, band security manager Gene Odom, and road crew members Steve Lawler and Marc Frank.
Killed in the crash itself were lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, backup singer Cassie Gaines (Steve's sister), assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary, and co-pilot William Gray. Guitarist Allen Collins, paralyzed in the crash, was in another crash, of his car, in 1986, never fully recovered, and died in 1990. Bass guitarist Leon Wilkeson died in 2001, from lung and liver diseases. Keyboardist Billy Powell died of natural causes in 2009. Guitarist Gary Rossington and road crew member Ken Peden died in 2023.
With some irony, Leonard Skinner, the high school gym teacher and basketball coach whose no-long-hair policy convinced Van Zant, Rossington and Burns to sort-of name the band after him, outlived some of them, dying in 2010.
* Willie Nelson, about to turn 92, is the last surviving member of The Highwaymen, a group of 4 country-singing legends, who released 3 albums together, starting with Highwayman on May 6, 1985, 40 years. Waylon Jennings died in 2002, Johnny Cash in 2003, and Kris Kristofferson in 2024.
* There are 2 surviving members of The Traveling Wilburys, a supergroup that came together and released 2 albums, starting with The Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 1 on October 25, 1988, 34 years: Bob Dylan (using the alter ego of Lucky Wilbury) is about to turn 84, and Jeff Lynne (Otis Wilbury), former leader of the Electric Light Orchestra, is 75. You could say there are 3 surviving members: Jim Keltner, whom Dylan has called "the best session drummer in America" (and, as a "sideman," took the name Buster Sidebury) is 81.
Roy Orbison (Lefty Wilbury) died mere weeks later, and was thus not on the 2nd album, titled The Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 3. George Harrison (Nelson Wilbury), formerly of The Beatles, died in 2001. Tom Petty (Charlie T. Wilbury Jr.) died in 2017.
* There are 4 people still alive who were mentioned by name in Billy Joel's song "We Didn't Start the Fire," which covers a period from Joel's birth on May 9, 1949 until the song's release on September 27, 1989, 74 to 34 years: Brigitte Bardot, 90; Bob Dylan, about to turn 84; Chubby Checker, 83; and 1984 New York subway vigilante Bernhard "Bernie" Goetz, 77.
Billy mentioned "British Beatlemania," so you could raise the number to 6, with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. Billy mentioned several other cultural phenomena, but no other names of people that still survive.
Despite being the youngest and last-mentioned actual name in the song, I'm hoping Goetz does not end up being the last survivor. He was no hero.
There are any number of recording sessions, major movies, and TV shows I could have included here, but most of the people involved are still alive, so it wouldn't make sense to list them.
