NEW YORK (AP) — Tom Skerritt, the Emmy-winning actor who embodied a solid, wry authority figure, whether as a flight instructor in “Top Gun,” a tough-but-fair sheriff on TV’s “Picket Fences” or the doomed captain of “Alien,” has died. He was 93.

Skerritt died Wednesday of natural causes, his family said in a statement. “While the world knew Tom through his remarkable acting career, we knew him for his humor, curiosity, wisdom, generosity and the love he brought into our lives. He cared deeply about imagination, creativity, storytelling, service, veterans, the natural world and helping others find and share their own voices,” the statement said.

Skerritt was twice nominated for an Emmy — both for “Picket Fences,” winning outstanding lead actor in a drama series in 1993. Other career highlights include playing the patient husband of Shirley MacLaine in “Turning Point,” Sally Field’s husband in “Steel Magnolias” and a scheming opportunist who stands in the way of Jodie Foster’s attempt to communicate with extraterrestrial life in “Contact.”

“A writer once described me as a character actor locked in a leading man’s body, and I’ve always loved that. It’s a nice compliment. I’ve been able to walk the line between television and features,” he told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in 1997.

Onstage, he was the narrator in “Our Town” at Seattle’s Intiman Theatre in 2004 and made his Broadway debut in 2013 in an adaptation of John Grisham’s “A Time to Kill,” in which The Associated Press wrote he “nicely pulls off a charming disgraced and drunken lawyer.”

Neil Sedaka, the singer-songwriter behind dozens of hits such as “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do” and “Laugher in the Rain,” died on February 27, 2026. He was 86. Sedaka teamed with lyricist Howard Greenfield on songs that reflected the teen innocence of the post-Elvis/pre-Beatles era of the late 1950s-early 1960s, including “Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen,” “Calendar Girl” and “Oh! Carol.”

Robert Carradine, the "Revenge of the Nerds" star who hailed from one of Hollywood's prominent acting families, died on February 23, 2026. He was 71. Carradine earned a generation of new fans by playing the father in “Lizzie McGuire” and also had a prominent role in the Oscar-decorated “Coming Home” (1978) and appeared in Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained” (2012).

Eric Dane, the actor best known for his roles on “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Euphoria” and who later in life became an advocate for ALS awareness, died on February 19, 2026. He was 53. Dane developed a devoted fanbase when he was cast as Dr. Mark Sloan, aka McSteamy, on the ABC medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy,” a role he would play from 2006 until 2012 and reprise in 2021. In April 2025, Dane announced he had been diagnosed with ALS, a progressive disease that attacks nerve cells controlling muscles throughout the body.

Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson, whose two presidential runs in the 1980s set the stage for today’s progressive movement, died on February 17, 2026. He was 84.

He participated in marches from Selma to Montgomery in Alabama and established a branch of the Martin Luther King Jr.-led Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Chicago. He was later appointed to lead SCLC’s economic arm, Operation Breadbasket.

Robert Duvall, an acclaimed and prolific actor celebrated for his complex, rugged roles in films like “The Godfather,” died on February 15, 2026. He was 95. Duvall’s career spanned six decades, during which he accumulated many directing, producing and acting credits. He continued to work until late in his life, acting alongside Martin Sheen in 2021’s “12 Mighty Orphans,” a film about a football team at an orphanage in 1930s Texas, and appearing in 2002’s “Hustle.”

James Van Der Beek, star of the iconic teen drama series "Dawson’s Creek" in the late ’90s and early 2000s, died on February 11, 2026. He was 48. Van Der Beek had announced in November 2024 that he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

He participated in theater in middle school, and at 16, he made his professional debut off-Broadway in Edward Albee’s “Finding The Sun.” The next year, he made his feature film debut in the coming-of-age comedy “Angus.” He also starred in “Mercy,” “CSI: Cyber” and most recently “Overcompensating.” His film credits include “Varsity Blues,” “Bad Hair” and “The Rules of Attraction.”

Terrance Gore, who was part of World Series championship teams as a speedy bench weapon, died on February 6, 2026. He was 34. He played in 11 postseason games as a pinch runner, stealing five bases in six attempts and scoring three runs. He was a part of a championship team with the Royals (2015), who drafted him with a 20th-round selection in 2011, the Los Angeles Dodgers (2020) and the Atlanta Braves (2021).

Hall of Fame quarterback Sonny Jurgensen died on February 6, 2026. He was 91. He topped 3,000 yards in a season five times, including twice with Philadelphia, in an era before rules changes opened up NFL offenses. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and remains the only Washington player to wear the No. 9 jersey in a game.

Beloved comic actor Catherine O'Hara, best known for her roles in “Schitt’s Creek,” “Home Alone,” “Best in Show” and countless other comedies, died on January 30, 2026. O’Hara, a two-time Emmy Award winner, was 71. O’Hara got her start in 1974 performing with The Second City, an improv comedy troupe with an outpost in Toronto, then joined the group’s spinoff production SCTV.

Veteran rock musician Bob Weir, the Grateful Dead’s rhythm guitarist who helped guide the legendary jam band, died on January 10, 2026. He was 78. It was Weir who sang the verses on the band’s trademark boogie anthem, “Truckin’,” and who wrote such key songs as “Sugar Magnolia,” “Playing in the Band” and “Jack Straw.”

Republican Doug LaMalfa, a seven-term U.S. representative from California and a reliable vote on Trump’s agenda, died on January 6, 2026. He was 65. LaMalfa was first elected to Congress in 2012 and represented Northern California’s 1st District, along the Oregon border, including Redding and reaching just north of Sacramento.

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