It has been a heavy few days for Hollywood. Honestly, it feels like every time we open a social media app lately, there is another "rest in peace" post. This week specifically has hit hard because we aren't just losing icons of the silver screen; we are losing people who felt like part of our childhood.
Loss is weird. It’s personal, even when you’ve never met the person. When a movie star passes, you aren't just mourning an actor. You’re mourning the way you felt when you first watched their biggest movie. This week, the industry lost a mix of veterans who spent decades on stage and young talents whose stories ended way too soon.
What Really Happened With Kianna Underwood?
The most shocking news of the week involves Kianna Underwood. If you grew up in the early 2000s, you knew her. She was a staple of the Nickelodeon era. She was only 33.
Basically, the details are devastating. Kianna was in Brooklyn on Friday morning, January 16. Around 6:50 a.m., she was crossing the street near Watkins Street and Pitkin Avenue. She had just left a bodega. A grey sedan hit her and—this is the part that’s hard to stomach—the car didn't stop. She was dragged for nearly two blocks.
Police found her, but the trauma to her head and torso was too much. She was pronounced dead right there on the pavement. As of today, the person driving that car is still out there. The NYPD is looking through surveillance footage from a nearby laundromat, which apparently caught the whole thing. It’s a messy, tragic end for someone who brought so much energy to shows like All That and Little Bill.
Kianna started acting at age seven. She wasn't just a child star; she was a voice artist and a theater performer who eventually toured with Hairspray. Her death feels like a jagged reminder of how fragile things are.
The Quiet Passing of a Broadway Legend: John Cunningham
While the news cycle has been dominated by the tragedy in Brooklyn, the theater world is saying goodbye to a titan. John Cunningham died at 93. He didn't die in a headline-grabbing accident; he passed away in his Victorian home, right next to the 11th hole of the Rye Golf Club.
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That sounds like a peaceful way to go, doesn't it?
But don't let the quiet ending fool you. John was a powerhouse. He was "plucked from obscurity" by Moss Hart in 1960. Think about that. He was fresh out of the Army, had no agent, and suddenly he’s the understudy for Henry Higgins in the national tour of My Fair Lady.
You’ve probably seen him even if you aren't a "theater person." He was in:
- Mystic Pizza
- Dead Poets Society
- School Ties
He starred in 16 different Broadway productions. We're talking the original runs of Cabaret, Titanic, and Company. He was the kind of actor who provided the "glue" for a scene. He was chameleonic. He did voiceovers for years, changing his accent so perfectly that you’d never know it was the same guy. He leaves behind his wife of nearly 70 years, Carolyn.
T.K. Carter and the Stars We’re Missing
We also lost T.K. Carter. He was 69. Most people remember him from John Carpenter’s The Thing, which is basically a masterpiece of practical effects and paranoia. He had this specific charisma that worked just as well in Punky Brewster as it did in Space Jam.
He died on January 9, and the tributes are still pouring in. He was one of those actors where you'd see his face and immediately feel like the movie was in good hands.
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Then there are the influencers and creators who are, in many ways, the "movie stars" of the modern generation. Sara Bennett, who spent the last few years documenting her life with ALS, announced her own death on January 13. She actually posted her own goodbye.
"I am not in pain, or tired. I can laugh, talk, and I can move... I finished my list."
That is a heavy thing to read. She even did a "dry run" of her end-of-life ceremony. It’s a different kind of stardom, one where the audience is invited into the most private, painful moments of a person's life.
Why movie stars who died this week still matter to us
Why do we care so much? Some people think it’s parasocial or "fake" to be sad about a celebrity. Honestly, they’re wrong.
Movies and TV shows are the bookmarks of our lives. When you hear about Kianna Underwood, you don't just think about a news report. You think about Saturday mornings on the couch. When you hear about John Cunningham, you think about that one scene in Dead Poets Society that made you want to change your life.
These people represent eras of our own growth. When they go, a little piece of that era feels like it’s being filed away forever.
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Common Misconceptions About Recent Losses
People often assume that every "famous" death is related to some grand Hollywood mystery. But the reality is usually much more human.
- The "Child Star Curse": People love to use terms like this for someone like Kianna. But her death wasn't about "Hollywood." It was a hit-and-run in Brooklyn. It could have happened to anyone.
- The "Sudden" Death: Often, we think a veteran actor died "out of nowhere." In John Cunningham’s case, he had a caregiver for three years. He lived a full, long life. It wasn't a tragedy; it was a completion.
- The Influence Gap: We sometimes dismiss the deaths of TikTok or Instagram stars. But for a younger generation, Isabel Veloso (who died at 19 from Hodgkin's lymphoma this week) had a bigger impact than any Oscar winner.
Moving Forward: How to Honor Their Legacy
If you're feeling the weight of these losses, the best thing you can do is actually engage with the work they left behind.
- Watch a classic. Put on The Thing to see T.K. Carter at his best.
- Share a memory. If you grew up on All That, talk about your favorite sketches. It keeps the artist’s impact alive.
- Support the arts. Many of these actors, like Cunningham, started in local theater. Go see a play.
The industry keeps moving, and there will be new stars. But this week taught us that the old ones—and the ones who were just starting to shine—won't be forgotten easily.
Take a moment to check out the archives of Playbill or Legacy.com for the full obituaries. They often contain small, beautiful details that the big news sites miss, like John Cunningham’s love for his golf course home or the names of the family members who were with them at the end.
Rest in peace to the entertainers who made our world a little bit brighter.