Breast cancer has touched women across every area of public life, from film and music to 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 continues to be one of the most serious health threats facing women today. The CDC identifies it as the second most common cancer among women in the United States and the second leading cause of cancer death among American women, while WHO data from 2022 recorded roughly 670,000 deaths from breast cancer worldwide.
Here are famous women who died of breast cancer and are still remembered for their work and influence.
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John captured global attention through her role as Sandy in Grease, which turned her into one of the most recognizable faces of the late 1970s. Beyond acting, she built a remarkable music career behind songs like “Physical,” “Magic,” and “Hopelessly Devoted to You.” Newton-John received her first breast cancer diagnosis in 1992 and went on to become strongly associated with cancer awareness and wellness advocacy.
She passed away on August 8, 2022, at age 73, having lived with breast cancer for several decades. Her husband’s statement honored her as a beacon of hope who had shared her cancer journey with the world for over thirty years.
Shannen Doherty
Shannen Doherty earned her most enduring recognition through Brenda Walsh on Beverly Hills, 90210 and Prue Halliwell on Charmed. Her battle with cancer entered the public eye in 2015, and she went on to speak candidly about treatment, recurrence, and daily life with stage 4 breast cancer. Through interviews and her podcast, Doherty addressed the raw realities of illness while continuing to work, make plans, and stay close to her fanbase.
She died on July 13, 2024, at age 53, following years of living with breast cancer. Her willingness to be transparent helped countless fans understand that people living with cancer are far more than their diagnosis.
Suzanne Somers
Suzanne Somers first became a household name as Chrissy Snow on Three’s Company and later built a second chapter through books, health-related work, and business ventures. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000 and continued living with the disease for more than twenty years. Her family announced that she died peacefully at home in October 2023, just one day before what would have been her 77th birthday.
Her public story drew some debate because of the treatment approaches she favored, but her standing in television history is not in question. She was a significant sitcom figure who maintained an active public presence long after her diagnosis.
Kelly Preston
Kelly Preston appeared in a range of well-known films including Jerry Maguire, Twins, For Love of the Game, and What a Girl Wants. She kept her breast cancer diagnosis largely out of the public eye during her lifetime. Following her death, John Travolta revealed that his wife had spent two years living with breast cancer, offering thanks to the medical teams and loved ones who supported her throughout.
Preston died on July 12, 2020, at age 57. Many tributes paid attention not only to her acting work but also to the warmth she brought to her roles as a mother, wife, friend, and colleague.
Sarah Harding
Sarah Harding rose to prominence as a member of Girls Aloud, one of the most successful British pop groups of the 2000s. In 2020, she shared publicly that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and that it had spread beyond its original site. She later gave readers a more personal look at her final years through her memoir Hear Me Out.
She died on September 5, 2021, at age 39. Her mother shared the news and asked that Sarah be remembered as a bright and vibrant person rather than solely through the lens of her illness.
Linda McCartney
Linda McCartney was a photographer, musician, animal rights advocate, and member of Wings alongside her husband Paul McCartney. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995. Statements made after her death indicated that treatment had initially shown promise before the disease advanced further.
McCartney died on April 17, 1998, at age 56. Her legacy spans her photography, her music, her vegetarian food brand, and years of dedicated advocacy for animals and plant-based living.
Jackie Collins
Jackie Collins became one of the most commercially successful novelists of her generation, writing books built around Hollywood ambition, wealth, power, and fame. She kept her breast cancer diagnosis private for years, including from many people close to her. Collins died on September 19, 2015, at age 77, after living with stage 4 breast cancer.
Her final public message encouraged readers to schedule regular mammograms and live their lives fully. That message carried the same directness that had defined her writing career throughout.
Diahann Carroll
Diahann Carroll broke barriers across American entertainment. She took home a Tony Award, received an Oscar nomination for Claudine, and made television history with Julia, a show that placed a Black woman in a professional leading role at a time when such representation was nearly absent from the screen.
Carroll died on October 4, 2019, at age 84, from complications related to breast cancer. Her career created pathways for generations of performers who came after her.
Lynn Redgrave
Lynn Redgrave came from one of Britain’s most celebrated acting families and earned wide recognition for her Oscar-nominated work in Georgy Girl. Following her breast cancer diagnosis in 2002, she collaborated with her daughter to document the experience through writing and photography, producing an intimate look at treatment, family life, fear, and recovery.
Redgrave died on May 2, 2010, at age 67. Her contributions across stage, film, and television form a lasting part of a distinguished acting legacy.
Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman stands among the defining performers of classic cinema, celebrated for Casablanca, Notorious, Gaslight, Anastasia, and numerous other films. Diagnosed with breast cancer during the 1970s, she kept working, including delivering a widely praised final performance as Golda Meir in A Woman Called Golda. Her dedication to her craft never wavered even as her health worsened.
Bergman died on August 29, 1982, her 67th birthday. She left behind three Academy Awards and a body of work that continues to shape film history.
Bette Davis
Bette Davis was among Hollywood’s most commanding screen performers, recognized for All About Eve, Jezebel, Now, Voyager, and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? In her later years, Davis confronted serious health challenges including breast cancer and strokes, yet she kept working and remained a sharp and memorable presence in public life.
She died on October 6, 1989, at age 81, from metastasized breast cancer. Her career helped shape screen acting for generations, particularly for women seeking complex, forceful roles.
Minnie Riperton
Minnie Riperton is best remembered for her extraordinary vocal range and the beloved song “Lovin’ You.” Diagnosed with breast cancer in 1976, she became one of the first well-known figures to discuss the disease publicly. She went on to serve as a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society and was recognized for her openness and courage.
Riperton died on July 12, 1979, at age 31. Her voice, particularly on “Lovin’ You,” remains immediately recognizable to this day.
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield was one of Britain’s most admired 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 received a breast cancer diagnosis during the 1990s, went through treatment, entered remission, and then faced the disease again when it returned.
Springfield died on March 2, 1999, at age 59. Her Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction followed shortly after her death, confirming the permanent impression her voice had made on popular music.
Nina Simone
Nina Simone was a singer, pianist, composer, and civil rights voice whose music moved across jazz, blues, classical, gospel, and soul. Songs such as “I Put a Spell on You,” “Feeling Good,” “Mississippi Goddam,” and “Four Women” established her as a singular artist whose work carried both musical depth and social weight.
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 following a period of declining health.
Jill Ireland
Jill Ireland was a British actress recognized for her film work and for frequently appearing alongside her husband Charles Bronson on screen. After her breast cancer diagnosis in 1984, Ireland stepped into a public advocacy role and wrote about her experience. She testified before Congress on the subject of medical costs and received the American Cancer Society’s Courage Award.
Ireland died on May 18, 1990, at age 54. Her later public work drew greater attention to the emotional and financial weight that serious illness can place on families.
Wendie Jo Sperber
Wendie Jo Sperber was a comedy actor known for her appearances in Bosom Buddies, Back to the Future, Private Benjamin, and various television projects. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997, she responded by founding weSPARK, a cancer support center in Los Angeles created to serve 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 built for others navigating cancer.
Rachel Carson
Rachel Carson was a marine biologist and author whose book Silent Spring played a central role in shaping the modern environmental movement. She was managing breast cancer while completing the research and writing that produced her most celebrated work. Even under that personal burden, her commitment to her work never faltered.
She died in 1964 after a prolonged experience with breast cancer. Her contributions transformed public conversation around pesticides, environmental safety, and the duty of science to safeguard human and ecological health.
Fannie Lou Hamer
Fannie Lou Hamer was a civil rights leader, voting rights organizer, and one of the most powerful voices of the movement. She helped establish the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and became known for her moral clarity, personal courage, and her unforgettable declaration, “I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
Hamer died in 1977 at age 59. The National Women’s History Museum identifies breast cancer as the cause of her death, while other historical records also point to hypertension and the lasting physical toll taken by violence she endured during her years of activism.
Juliette Gordon Low
Juliette Gordon Low founded the Girl Scouts of the USA and devoted her later years to building an organization that expanded opportunities for girls in leadership, service, and self-confidence.
In the early 1920s, Low received a breast cancer diagnosis. She pressed on through surgeries and treatments that ultimately proved unsuccessful, continuing to support the Girl Scouts even as her health gave way. Low died on January 17, 1927, at age 66. Her legacy endures through the organization she created and the millions of girls it has reached.
Kay Francis
Kay Francis was among Warner Bros.’ most prominent stars during the 1930s and counted among the highest-paid women in Hollywood at her peak. She appeared in films such as Trouble in Paradise, One Way Passage, and The House on 56th Street. As the years passed, her career wound down and she gradually withdrew from public life.
Francis received a breast cancer diagnosis in 1966 and died from the disease in 1968 at age 63. Turner Classic Movies notes that her personal papers are held at the Wesleyan University Cinema Archives, keeping a portion of her Hollywood history available to researchers.
