Also PB, REA, RR and The BAX. None will be "Driving home for Christmas" ever again!
According to a list on Wikipedia, 740 celebrities and famous people died in December 2025 up to the end of yesterday 29 December.
Of these, five stand out for me, as being iconic in their respective fields.
Brigitte Bardot, sex icon, died yesterday aged 91.
Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot, often referred to by her initials B.B., was a French actress, singer, model and animal rights activist.
Famous for portraying characters with hedonistic lives, she was one of the best-known symbols of the sexual revolution.
She withdrew from the entertainment industry aged 39 after making 40 films.
BB as sex kitten aged 18 [Vogue]
Bardot became an animal rights activist, got into trouble over racist remarks, and "opted out" of society. At the time of her death she was a recluse.
BB mid-20s [La Nueva Mañana] BB older [SensaCine] BB in her late 80s [El Periodico]
Perry Bamonte, musician, died on 24 December
Perry Archangelo Bamonte (3 September 1960 – 24 December 2025) was an English musician and artist, best known as a guitarist and keyboard player for the rock band "The Cure" from 1990 to 2005, and again from 2022 to 2025.
Between these two spells with the band Bamonte kept a low profile, devoting his time to fly fishing and a career as an illustrator.
He returned to the music scene as the bassist for the supergroup "Love Amongst Ruin".
[Facebook]
Bamonte died after a short illness at home in the West of England, on 24 December 2025, at the age of 65.
Chris Rea, musician, died on 22 December
Christopher Anton Rea (4 March 1951 – 22 December 2025) was an English rock and blues singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer.
He was known for his distinctive gravelly voice, slide guitar playing and music style blending soft rock with blues.
Sadly he didn't make it "..... home for Christmas".
[Wikipedia]
In 1994 Rea had developed stomach ulcers. The following year, he "got peritonitis and nearly died. Facing the prospect of never singing, touring or performing in public again, he characteristically embarked on a radical career shift and went into movies."
Rea was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2001 and underwent major surgery. He also had problems with diabetes and a weaker immune system, requiring him to take thirty‑four pills and have seven injections a day. He underwent several subsequent operations.
A contemporary of Chris Rea, I was quite a fan back in the day.
However, it wasn't "cool" to be a fan, nevertheless I had his album "Auberge", which I would listen to in secret.
I liked it a lot and still play it from time to time, when I'm pottering about in my "man cave" at the back of the garden.
I must dig it out and play it later today as a tribute to the man who "put Middlesbrough on the map" .
[album sleeve courtesy of Discogs]
Rob Reiner, film director and actor, died on 14 December
Rob Reiner made his mark behind the camera, yet his acting always got the laughs. We grew up with Michael “Meathead” Stivic on "All in the Family", then spotted him in "Sleepless in Seattle" and "The Wolf of Wall Street".
Directing paid the bills, acting kept it fun.
Reiner died on December 14, 2025. His wife, photographer Michele Singer, died with him. It appeared they had been murdered.
Their son, Nick Reiner, has been arrested and charged with their murders.
[Simon & Schuster]
Stanley Baxter, comedian, died on 11 December
The Scottish comedian and actor Stanley Baxter died on December 11, 2025, aged 99, a few months shy of 100, which feels rude for someone with his timing.
Baxter in his 90s [The Stage]
You might not have seen him chasing Hollywood cheques, but you’ve felt his fingerprints on British comedy (like "The Stanley Baxter Show", "The Stanley Baxter Picture Show", "The Stanley Baxter Series" and "Mr Majeika"). He also voiced Gofer in "The Thief and the Cobbler".
Baxter created extravagant and expensive productions that, along with those of Morecambe and Wise, became staples of Christmas and New Year television in the UK.
Baxter’s most cherished impressions were of Noël Coward, Mae West, Dora Bryan, Bette Davis and Queen Elizabeth II.
His female impersonation mimicked body language as well as vocal inflections.
Baxter finally revealed at the age of 94 what many of his public had possibly already assumed: that he was gay.
Baxter as a woman [The Critics' Circle]
“There are many gay people these days who are fairly comfortable with their sexuality,” he told The Daily Mail.
"I’m not. I never wanted to be gay. I still don’t. Anyone would be insane to choose to live such a very difficult life. The truth is, I don’t really want to be me."
I remember watching him on telly as a child and finding him hilarious. He has a great legacy. A shame he didn't reach his "ton".
End of year endword
December deaths in 2025. From BB to Baxter. Just five celebrity deaths that affected me, out of the 840 reported up to the close of play yesterday, 29 December..
Links
Chris Rea ~ Driving Home For Christmas (1986)
CULTURA | Muere la actriz Brigitte Bardot a los 91 años, un icono "que elevó" del cine francés
The Cure - Friday I'm In Love
The Stanley Baxter Hour (1982)
When Harry Met Sally - Restaurant Scene
© The History Man
Photos:
Discogs, El Periodico, Facebook, La Nueva Mañana, SensaCine, Simon & Schuster, The Critics' Circle, The Guardian, The Stage, Vogue, Wikipedia
Thanks:
BBC, The Guardian, Wikipedia, YouTube
Tags:
"All in the Family", animal rights activist, "Auberge", BAX, BBC, BB, Brigitte Bardot, Chris Rea, Discogs, "Driving Home for Christmas", El Periodico, Facebook, Gofer, La Nueva Mañana, "Love Amongst Ruin", Michael “Meathead” Stivic, Michele Singer, Middlesbrough, "Mr Majeika", Nick Reiner, "opted out", Paul Whitelock, PB, Perry Bamonte, racist remarks, REA, recluse, RR, SensaCine, Simon & Schuster, "Sleepless in Seattle", Stanley Baxter, The Critics' Circle, The Cure, The Guardian, The Stage, "The Thief and the Cobbler", "The Wolf of Wall Street", Vogue, Wikipedia