Famous Actresses and Singers Who Died of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer has affected women across every part of public life, including film, music, literature, activism, science, and television.

Some of the women on this list spoke openly about their diagnosis. Others kept their illness private until near the end of their lives. What connects them is not only the disease, but the work, art, courage, and public impact they left behind.

Breast cancer remains one of the most serious cancers affecting women. The CDC describes it as the second most common cancer among women in the United States and the second leading cause of cancer death among U.S. women, while the WHO reported about 670,000 global breast cancer deaths in 2022.

Here are famous women who died of breast cancer and are still remembered for their work and influence.

Olivia Newton-John

Olivia Newton-John became a global favorite through Grease, where her role as Sandy made her one of the most recognizable stars of the late 1970s. Away from the screen, she also built a major music career with hits like “Physical,” “Magic,” and “Hopelessly Devoted to You.” Newton-John was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992 and later became closely associated with cancer awareness and wellness work.

She died on August 8, 2022, at age 73, after living with breast cancer for decades. Her husband’s public statement remembered her as a symbol of hope who had shared her journey with breast cancer for more than 30 years.

Shannen Doherty

Shannen Doherty was best known for playing Brenda Walsh on Beverly Hills, 90210 and Prue Halliwell on Charmed. Her cancer journey became public in 2015, and she later spoke openly about treatment, recurrence, and living with stage 4 breast cancer. Doherty used interviews and her podcast to talk about the reality of illness while still working, planning, and staying connected with fans.

She died on July 13, 2024, at age 53, after years with breast cancer. Her public honesty helped many fans see that people living with cancer are more than their diagnosis.

Suzanne Somers

Suzanne Somers became famous as Chrissy Snow on Three’s Company and later reached a new audience through books, health-focused work, and business ventures. Somers was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000 and lived with the disease for more than two decades. Her family later said she died peacefully at home in October 2023, one day before what would have been her 77th birthday.

Her public story was sometimes debated because of her views on treatment, but her place in television history remains clear. She was a major sitcom figure who kept a public career long after her first diagnosis.

Kelly Preston

Kelly Preston appeared in films such as Jerry Maguire, Twins, For Love of the Game, and What a Girl Wants. Her breast cancer diagnosis was kept largely private during her lifetime. After her death, John Travolta shared that his wife had died after a two-year experience with breast cancer, thanking the medical teams and loved ones who supported her.

Preston died on July 12, 2020, at age 57. Many tributes focused not only on her acting career, but also on her warmth as a mother, wife, friend, and colleague.

Sarah Harding

Sarah Harding rose to fame as a member of Girls Aloud, one of the United Kingdom’s most successful pop groups of the 2000s. She announced in 2020 that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and that it had spread to other parts of her body. Harding later wrote about her illness in her memoir Hear Me Out, giving fans a more personal view of her final years.

She died on September 5, 2021, at age 39. Her mother announced the news publicly and asked that Sarah be remembered as a bright, shining person rather than only for her illness.

Linda McCartney

Linda McCartney was a photographer, musician, animal-rights advocate, and a member of Wings alongside her husband, Paul McCartney. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995. Public statements after her death said she had received treatment that initially appeared to work, but the disease later progressed.

McCartney died on April 17, 1998, at age 56. Her legacy includes her photography, her music, her vegetarian food brand, and her long-running advocacy for animals and plant-based living.

Jackie Collins

Jackie Collins became one of the most successful popular novelists of her time, known for books filled with Hollywood ambition, fame, money, and power. Collins kept her breast cancer diagnosis private for years, even from many close to her. She died on September 19, 2015, at age 77, after living with stage 4 breast cancer.

Her final public message urged readers to get regular mammograms and live fully. That message reflected the same boldness that shaped her writing career: direct, confident, and unwilling to fade quietly.

Diahann Carroll

Diahann Carroll was a trailblazer in American entertainment. She won a Tony Award, earned an Oscar nomination for Claudine, and made television history with Julia. Her role in Julia was especially important because it showed a Black woman in a professional lead role at a time when television offered very limited representation.

Carroll died on October 4, 2019, at age 84, from complications of breast cancer. Her career opened doors for generations of performers who followed her.

Lynn Redgrave

Lynn Redgrave came from one of Britain’s best-known acting families and became widely recognized for her Oscar-nominated performance in Georgy Girl. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002 and later documented her experience through writing and photography with her daughter. That project gave readers a close, human look at treatment, family, fear, and recovery.

Redgrave died on May 2, 2010, at age 67. Her work across stage, film, and television remains part of a remarkable acting legacy.

Ingrid Bergman

Ingrid Bergman was one of the defining actors of classic cinema, remembered for Casablanca, Notorious, Gaslight, Anastasia, and many other films. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in the 1970s but continued acting, including her acclaimed final performance as Golda Meir in A Woman Called Golda. Her commitment to her craft remained clear even as her health declined.

Bergman died on August 29, 1982, her 67th birthday. Her career left behind three Academy Awards and a body of work that still shapes film history.

Bette Davis

Bette Davis was one of Hollywood’s most powerful screen performers, known for films such as All About Eve, Jezebel, Now, Voyager, and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? In later life, Davis faced serious health challenges, including breast cancer and strokes. Still, she continued to work and remained a sharp, memorable public figure.

She died on October 6, 1989, at age 81, from metastasized breast cancer. Her career helped define screen acting for generations, especially for women who wanted complex, forceful roles.

Minnie Riperton

Minnie Riperton is best remembered for her extraordinary vocal range and the classic song “Lovin’ You.” She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1976 and became one of the early celebrities to speak publicly about the disease. She later served as a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society and received recognition for her public courage.

Riperton died on July 12, 1979, at age 31. Her voice, especially on “Lovin’ You,” remains instantly recognizable decades later.

Dusty Springfield

Dusty Springfield was one of Britain’s most respected pop and soul singers, known for “Son of a Preacher Man,” “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me,” and “Wishin’ and Hopin’.” She was diagnosed with breast cancer in the 1990s. After treatment and remission, the cancer returned.

Springfield died on March 2, 1999, at age 59. Her Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction came shortly after her death, confirming what fans already knew: her voice had left a permanent mark on popular music.

Nina Simone

Nina Simone was a singer, pianist, composer, and civil-rights voice whose music crossed jazz, blues, classical, gospel, and soul. Songs like “I Put a Spell on You,” “Feeling Good,” “Mississippi Goddam,” and “Four Women” made her a singular artist. Her work carried both musical power and social meaning.

Simone died on April 21, 2003, at age 70, in Carry-le-Rouet, France. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture notes that she lost her life to breast cancer after her health had declined.

Jill Ireland

Jill Ireland was a British actress known for her film work and for appearing alongside Charles Bronson, her husband, in several movies. After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1984, Ireland became a public advocate and wrote about her experience. She also spoke before Congress about medical costs and received the American Cancer Society’s Courage Award.

Ireland died on May 18, 1990, at age 54. Her later public life helped bring more attention to the emotional and financial strain that serious illness can place on families.

Wendie Jo Sperber

Wendie Jo Sperber was a comedy actor known for Bosom Buddies, Back to the Future, Private Benjamin, and later television appearances. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997. After her diagnosis, she founded weSPARK, a cancer support center in Los Angeles, to help people living with cancer and their families.

Sperber died on November 29, 2005, at age 47. Her legacy includes both her screen work and the support community she helped create for others facing cancer.

Rachel Carson

Rachel Carson was a marine biologist and author whose book Silent Spring helped shape the modern environmental movement. She was dealing with breast cancer while working on the book that would become her most famous contribution. Even under serious personal strain, Carson continued her research and writing.

She died in 1964 after a long experience with breast cancer. Her work changed public conversation around pesticides, environmental safety, and the responsibility of science to protect human and ecological health.

Fannie Lou Hamer

Fannie Lou Hamer was a civil-rights leader, voting-rights organizer, and one of the most powerful public speakers of the movement. She helped found the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and became known for her moral clarity, courage, and unforgettable phrase, “I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.”

Hamer died in 1977 at age 59. The National Women’s History Museum notes that she died of breast cancer, while other historical accounts also reference hypertension and the long-term effects of violence she endured during her activism.

Juliette Gordon Low

Juliette Gordon Low founded the Girl Scouts of the USA and spent her later life building an organization that gave girls more opportunities for leadership, service, and confidence.

In the early 1920s, Low was diagnosed with breast cancer. She kept working through surgeries and unsuccessful treatments, continuing to support the Girl Scouts even as her health declined. Low died on January 17, 1927, at age 66. Her legacy lives on through the organization she founded and the millions of girls it has served.

Kay Francis

Kay Francis was one of Warner Bros.’ biggest stars during the 1930s and was once among the highest-paid women in Hollywood. She was known for films such as Trouble in Paradise, One Way Passage, and The House on 56th Street. Later in life, her career slowed, and she stepped away from the public eye.

Francis was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1966 and died from the disease in 1968 at age 63. Turner Classic Movies notes that her personal papers are preserved at the Wesleyan University Cinema Archives, keeping part of her Hollywood history accessible to researchers.