Passages 2023: Howard Bragman, Cody Longo, Burt Bacharach and more stars we lost

Howard Bragman, a beloved Hollywood publicist who specialized in crisis relations and whose clients have included Monica Lewinsky, Cameron Diaz, Ricki Lake, Sharon Osbourne and Chaz Bono, died Feb. 11 in Los Angeles after a short battle with leukemia, his family told The Associated Press Feb. 12. He was 66. Bragman was diagnosed with leukemia nearly two weeks prior to his passing and promptly hospitalized.

Bragman got his start in public relations in Chicago and eventually made his way to Los Angeles, where he founded his own firm, Bragman Nyman Cafarelli (BNC), in 1989. He became known as a go-to for helping celebrities come out publicly, including “Family Ties” star Meredith Baxter, country singer Chely Wright, basketball players John Amaechi and Sheryl Swoopes and football player Michael Sam.

“Howard Bragman was an industry leader who masterfully used the power of the press to create positive change and visibility for LGBTQ people,” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement. “Throughout his long career, he worked with many LGBTQ notables to ensure their coming out stories were treated with dignity and created impact for the entire community.”

Cody Longo, an actor who appeared on “Days of Our Lives” and “Nashville,” has died, Longo’s representative Alex Gittelson confirmed to USA TODAY on Feb. 10. He was 34. A cause of death was not provided.

Longo appeared in several popular television shows, including “Medium,” “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and “CSI: NY.” He also appeared in the 2010 horror comedy “Piranha 3D” and played Nicholas Alamain on the soap opera “Days of Our Lives” for eight episodes in 2011. “Cody was our whole world,” said Longo’s wife, Stephanie Clark, in a statement. “The kids and I are shattered and beyond devastated. He was the best dad and best father. We will always and forever miss you and love you.”

Hugh Hudson, a British filmmaker who debuted as a feature director with the Oscar-winning 1981 Olympics drama “Chariots of Fire” and later made such well-regarded movies as “My Life So Far” and the Oscar-nominated “Greystoke,” died Feb. 10  at age 86. Hudson’s family issued a brief statement announcing his death at a hospital in London “after a short illness.”

Hudson started out as a documentary editor and producer and also worked in TV advertising before finding work in feature films in the late 1970s as a second-unit director on Alan Parker’s “Midnight Express.” He directed “Chariots of Fire,” which starred Ben Cross and Nigel Havers as British athletes of contrasting religions and backgrounds at the 1924 Olympics.

Burt Bacharach, the prolific hit-maker behind “Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head,” “Wishin’ and Hopin’,” “A House is Not a Home” and “That’s What Friends Are For,” died on Feb. 8. He was 94.

Bacharach, a six-time Grammy winner with more than 70 Top 40 singles in the U.S., composed songs for Dionne Warwick, Dusty Springfield, Tom Jones and Aretha Franklin.

He died at home in Los Angeles of natural causes,