A host of influential and noteworthy people passed away in 2024, including James Earl Jones, Maggie Smith, O.J. Simpson, Liam Payne and Shelley Duvall.

In 2024, Oklahoma also lost a number of native sons and daughters, as well as transplants, that had a lasting impact on the Sooner State.

Among them were a Pulitzer Prize winner, a country music icon and a presidential candidate, as well as senators, public servants and athletes.

Jim Inhofe

Jim Inhofe was born on Nov. 17, 1934, in Des Moines, Iowa. Born James Inhofe, he would go on to serve as the longest-serving U.S. senator in Oklahoma history from 1994 to 2022. He died on July 9, 2024, at age 89.

‘Santa Blair,’ Kenny Blair

Santa Blair visits with children Dec. 10, 2022, at First Security Bank in Oklahoma City.

Kenny Blair was born on May 9, 1958. The Oklahoma City native was a former Philadelphia Eagles football player and coach at Frederick A. Douglass High School but was known as Santa Blair by many. He died on March 16, 2024, at age 65.

Toby Keith

Toby Keith, shown in 2013.

Toby Keith was born July 8, 1961, in Clinton, Oklahoma. Born Toby Keith Covel, he would go on to become a country music icon and legend and be posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He died on Feb. 5, 2024, at age 62.

Judy Love

Judy Love

Judy Love was born in 1937 in Chicago, Illinois. She was known for being the matriarch of Love’s Travel Stops. She died on Nov. 5, 2024, at age 87.

Tito Jackson

Tito Jackson

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Tito Jackson was born on Oct.15, 1953, in Gary, Indiana. He was most known as one of the founding members of the Jackson 5 band and enjoyed four No. 1 hit songs. He lived in Claremore, Oklahoma, for several years before he died on Sept. 16, 2024, at age 70.

Sam Gonzales

Oklahoma City police chief Sam Gonzales, shown in September 1991.

Sam Gonzales was born on Aug. 24, 1941, in Gonzales, Louisiana. He was most known for being the Oklahoma City police chief following the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in 1995. He died on Dec. 25, 2023, at age 82.

N. Scott Momaday

Pultizer Prize-winning Oklahoma native and Kiowa writer N. Scott Momaday appears in the documentary “Words from a Bear.”

N. Scott Momaday was born on Feb. 27, 1934, in Lawton, Oklahoma. Born Navarre Scott Mammedaty, Momaday was a member of the Kiowa Nation and became the first Native American to win a Pulitzer Prize. He died on Jan. 29, 2024, at age 89.

Cathy Cummings

Cathy Cummings was born in 1962. She was known for being the former mayor of The Village and owner of Vito’s Ristorante. She died Feb. 11, 2024, at the age of 62.

Jesse Jane

Adult film actress Jesse Jane attends a red carpet even in 2005.

Jesse Jane was born July 16, 1980, in Fort Worth, Texas. Born Cynthia Ann Howell, she was known predominately as an adult film actress. She died on Jan. 24, 2024, at age 43 in Moore, Oklahoma.

Hubert Reed

Hubert Reed was born on Oct. 4, 1934, in Maysville, Oklahoma. He was most known for a long NBA career with the St. Louis Hawks, Cincinnati Royals, Los Angeles Lakers and Detroit Pistons. He died on May 28, 2024, at age 89.

Mike Brumley

Mike Brumley, baseball, 1963-2024

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Mike Brumley was born April 9, 1963. The Oklahoma City native was most known for a 12-year career in the MLB playing on six teams before coaching the Seattle Mariners and the Chicago Cubs. He died on June 15, 2024, at age 61.

Susie Maxwell Berning

Susie Berning was born on July 22, 1941, in Pasadena, California. Her family moved to Oklahoma City when at age 13, she was introduced to golf. She would later win 11 LPGA Tour titles and three Women’s Opens. She died on Oct. 2, 2024, at age 83.

Larry McAtee

Larry McAtee was born on March 6, 1937, in Orange, New Jersey. He moved to Oklahoma City with his wife in 1969 and would later become a councilman for Ward 3 for 20 years. He died on Oct. 11, 2024.

Fred Harris

Fred Harris was born Nov. 13, 1930, in Walters, Oklahoma. He would serve in the nation’s Senate from 1964 until 1972 when he ran for president in 1972 and 1976. He died on Nov. 23, 2024, at age 94.

Glenn Lewis

Glenn Lewis was born on July 12, 1955, in Shawnee, Oklahoma. He served as the city of Moore’s mayor through two EF5 tornadoes and transformed the suburb as one of the longest-serving mayors in the state. He died on April 28, 2024, at age 68.