May They Rest in Peace - January 2026 Quiz

Answer: Bob Weir

Bob Weir was born in San Francisco in 1947. Along with Bob Weir, the other founding members of The Grateful Dead were Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann and Ron McKernan. Weir was the youngest founding member and the band released 13 studio albums between 1965 and 1995 when the group disbanded.

Bob Weir was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 as a member of the Grateful Dead. Weir was diagnosed with cancer in 2025 and on January 10, 2026, he died at the age of 78 from issues with his lungs.

Answer: Moira Rose in "Schitt's Creek"

Catherine O'Hara was born in Toronto in 1954. She first gained renown for her work from 1976 to 1984 in the sketch comedy series "Second City Television" (SCTV).

O'Hara appeared in the films "Beetlejuice" (1988), "Home Alone" (1990), and "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" (1992). In addition to her comedic acting brilliance, O'Hara provided her voice to animated films like "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993) "Over the Hedge" (2006) and "Elemental" (2023).

O'Hara starred opposite Eugene Levy as the matriarch of the Rose family in the comedy television series "Schitt's Creek (2015-2020). The series was critically acclaimed and O'Hara and the main cast all won Emmy acting awards.

O'Hara lived in Santa Monica, California, at the time of her death on January 30, 2026, from colon cancer.

Answer: Artistic gymnastics

Jim Hartung was born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1960. While attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Hartung won the Nissen Award as the best gymnast in the country in 1982. Hartung was to be a member of the 1980 U.S. men's gymnastics team, but the U.S. boycotted the Moscow games. In 1984, Hartung won a gold medal with his artistic gymnastics teammates by narrowly defeating China 591.400 to 590.800.

Hartung died on January 10, 2026, from a heart attack.

Answer: Fashion designer

Popularly known as just Valentino, he founded the luxury fashion house Valentino S.p.A. in 1960 and functioned as its creative director until 2007. Jacqueline Kennedy famously wore black and white dresses designed by Valentino after the death of her husband, President John F. Kennedy in 1963. Elizabeth Taylor and Joan Collins also famously wore dresses designed by Valentino.

Valentino died at the age of 93 on January 19, 2026.

Answer: Reggae

Sly Dunbar was born in Kingston in 1952, and he met Robbie Shakespeare in 1972. The duo released several reggae albums under the Island label from the 1980s to 2010s. Sly Dunbar was nominated for 13 Grammy awards and with his recording partner he won in 1999 for Best Reggae Album for "Friends".

Sly Dunbar succumbed to cancer on January 26, 2026, at the age of 73.

Answer: Soviet Union/Russia

Aldrich Ames was born in RIver Falls, Wisconsin, in 1941. Ames began working for the CIA in 1960, and his work was considered exemplary until financial strains brought about from his divorce proceedings from his first wife began in 1983. Just nine days after his divorce finalized in 1985, Ames married his second wife. He began to live a lavish lifestyle that was not aligned with his salary, and the CIA began to take notice.

Eventually it was discovered that Victor Cherkashin of the Soviet Union's KGB had recruited Ames to provide classified information. Tragically, the information that Ames divulged compromised other U.S. intelligence officials and resulted in the execution of many Soviets working on behalf of the U.S. Ames and his wife were charged on February 22, 1994, of spying for the Soviet Union and Russia and for committing tax evasion.

Ames died on January 5, 2026, at the age of 84 while incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution in Cumberland, MD.

Answer: Goalie

Glenn Hall was born in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, in 1931, and he began his NHL career with the Detroit Red Wings in 1952. He signed with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1957, and ended his career with the St. Louis Blues. He was a dominating goalie as he won the Vezina Trophy three times, and he earned the nickname "Mr. Goalie". He pioneered the butterfly style in which goalies drop to their knees to block low shots.

Glenn Hall was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1975. He died on January 7, 2026, at the age of 94.

Answer: Demond Wilson

Demond Wilson was born in Valdosta, Georgia, in 1946. From 1966-68 Wilson served in the 4th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army in Vietnam. He was awarded the Purple Heart upon his return to the USA. His career took off on the NBC comedy "Sanford and Son" in which he played the sensible Lamont Sanford, the son of an opinionated and grumpy junk dealer. Later in his career Wilson would star as Oscar Madison on "The New Odd Couple" (1982-3).

Demond Wilson died of cancer on January 30, 2026, at the age of 79.

Answer: Midnight Oil

Rob Hirst was born in Camden, NSW, in 1955. Midnight Oil was originally called Farm and it comprised Hirst, Jim Moginie, Andrew 'Bear' James, and Peter Garrett. Midnight Oil released 13 studio albums and some of their popular songs included "Power and the Passion" (1983), "The Dead Heart" (1986), "Beds are Burning" (1987) and "Blue Sky Mine" (1990).

Rob Hirst died on January 20, 2026 at the age of 70 from pancreatic cancer.

Answer: Cyprus

George Vassiliou was born in the port city of Famagusta in 1931, which was a part of British Cyprus at the time. Prior to becoming a politician, Vassiliou worked as an economist in the UK, and he founded the consultancy company Middle East Market Research Bureau. He won the 1988 Cypriot presidential election as an independent candidate. His presidency is viewed as a time of favorable growth and reform and Cyprus applied to be a member of the European Union under his tenure.

George Vassiliou died on January 13, 2026, at the age of 94.