Dedication to Paul Newman at the end of "Lost Verizon"
The following is a list of real-world people who have worked on The Simpsons, but later died, whilst the show was still airing. It includes deceased voice cast, staff and guest stars. Often, subsequent episodes have been dedicated to them.
Dedication to Sooan Kim at the end of "Fatzcarraldo"
Doris Grau, 71 (died December 30, 1995) - Grau provided the voice of Lunchlady Doris and several minor parts. She had previously served as a script supervisor for the show. Because of Grau's death, Lunchlady Doris was retired, but has since made appearances under the name "Lunchlady Dora". Tress MacNeille currently voices Lunchlady Doris since "The Mook, the Chef, the Wife and Her Homer". "Team Homer" was dedicated to her. Died due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Marcia Wallace, 70 (died October 25, 2013) - Wallace provided the voice of Edna Krabappel. Her book, Don't Look Back We're Not Going That Way, is a biography that recounts the early detection of her breast cancer. "The Man Who Grew Too Much" was dedicated to her, and Edna had since been retired after Wallace's death. Died due to pneumonia, sepsis, and breast cancer.
Jackie Banks, 54 (died November 4, 1995) - Banks was an animation checker and scene planner who worked on the show during Season 2 and from Seasons 4 to 6. "Mother Simpson" was dedicated to her.
Sunni Walton, 59 (died December 29, 1997) - Walton had no known direct connection to The Simpsons, but the episode "This Little Wiggy" was "Dedicated to Sunni Walton O'Neil". Died due to a brain tumor.
Don Payne, 48 (died March 26, 2013) - Payne was a consulting producer from Seasons 19 to 26, a co-executive producer from Seasons 14 to 19, a supervising producer from Seasons 12 to 14, a producer from Seasons 11 to 12, a writer from Seasons 12 to 25, and did the audio commentaries for the Complete Twelfth, Thirteenth, Fourteenth, Fifteenth and Sixteenth Season DVDs. Died due to bone cancer.
Kevin Curran, 59 (died October 25, 2016) - Curran was the co-executive producer, supervising producer, and consulting producer for the show, written 11 episodes, the co-executive producer for The Simpsons Take the Bowl, and wrote the lyrics to "Tastes Like Liberty". "There Will Be Buds" was dedicated to him. Died due to complications from cancer.
Sooan Kim, 62 (died January 20, 2017) - Kim was a character layout artist from Seasons 16 to 28, and a lead character layout artist from Seasons 21 to 28. "Fatzcarraldo" was dedicated to him.
John Entwistle, 57 (died June 27, 2002) - Entwistle guest starred as himself along with the rest of The Who in "A Tale of Two Springfields". Died due to a heart attack brought on by cocaine overdose.
Rod Steiger, 77 (died July 9, 2002) - Steiger guest voiced as Captain Tenille in "Simpson Tide". Died due to pneumonia and kidney failure as a result of complications from gall bladder tumor surgery.
Chick Hearn, 85 (died August 5, 2002) - Hearn guest voiced as the announcer in "Homer Defined". Died due to a serious head injury from suffering a fall.
Johnny Unitas, 69 (died September 11, 2002) - Unitas guest starred as himself in "Homie the Clown". Died due to a heart attack.
Barry White, 58 (died July 4, 2003) - White guest starred as himself in "Whacking Day" and "Krusty Gets Kancelled". Died due to kidney failure and hypertension after suffering a severe stroke while undergoing dialysis and awaiting a kidney transplant.
Johnny Ramone, 55 (died September 15, 2004) - Ramone guest starred as himself along with the rest of The Ramones in "Rosebud". Died due to prostate cancer after 5 years of surviving it.
Rodney Dangerfield, 82 (died October 5, 2004) - Dangerfield guest voiced as Larry Burns in "Burns, Baby Burns". Died due to complications from his heart valve-replacement surgery after suffering a heart attack.
James Brown, 73 (died December 25, 2006) - Brown guest starred as himself in "Bart's Inner Child". Died due to congestive heart failure that resulted from complications of pneumonia.
John Updike, 76 (died January 27, 2009) - Updike guest starred as himself in "Insane Clown Poppy". Died due to lung cancer.
Ed McMahon, 86 (died June 23, 2009) - McMahon guest starred as himself in "Treehouse of Horror IX". Died due to bone cancer, pneumonia, and the many health problems he'd suffered from beforehand.
Clarence Clemmons, 69 (died June 18, 2011) - Clemmons guest voiced as the narrator in "Grift of the Magi". Died due to complications caused by a stroke.
Dick Clark, 82 (died April 18, 2012) - Clark guest starred as himself in "Treehouse of Horror X". Died due to a heart attack and coronary artery disease after suffering from a transurethral resection of the prostate and benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Marvin Hamlisch, 68 (died August 6, 2012) - Hamlisch guest starred as himself posthumously in "Gone Abie Gone". Died due to respiratory arrest caused by anoxic brain encephalopathy and hypertension.
Larry Hagman, 81 (died November 23, 2012) - Hagman guest voiced as Wallace Brady in "The Monkey Suit". Died due to acute myeloid leukemia from being diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome after stage 2 throat cancer surgery.
Cory Monteith, 31 (died July 13, 2013) - Monteith guest starred as himself in "Elementary School Musical". Died due to combined drug overdose that consisted of heroin, alcohol, codeine and morphine.
Don Pardo, 96 (died August 18, 2014) - Pardo guest starred as himself in the episode "Moonshine River". Died in his sleep due to natural causes.
Joan Rivers, 81 (died September 4, 2014) - Rivers guest voiced as Annie Dubinsky in the episode "The Ten-Per-Cent Solution". Died due to cerebral hypoxia while in a coma after she stopped breathing while suffering serious complications during her failed minor throat surgery.
Janet Reno, 78 (died November 7, 2016) - Reno guest starred as herself in "Dark Knight Court". Died due to Parkinson's disease after being diagnosed with it for 21 years.
Adam West, 88 (died June 9, 2017) - West guest starred as himself in "Mr. Plow" and "Large Marge". Died due to leukemia after his brief battle with it.
