With the end of the year approaching, it’s an ideal time to look back at the highs, lows, celebrations and ceremonies of 2023. News pages, websites and social media feeds were filled with hundreds of stories about pop culture events, celebrity updates and eclectic trivia — all of which provided inspiration for the annual Mammoth Crossword Puzzle, appearing in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Living & Arts on Sunday, Dec. 24.
Spoiler alert: While this article serves up an abbreviated wrap of 2023 events, it also contains hints for several clues in the crossword.
For starters, it was a big year for celebrities to release their memoirs and as always, they dropped a few bombshells along the way. Britney Spears ended an early pregnancy, she wrote in her book. Barbra Streisand still gets hurt when people comment on her looks, according to her new book. Paris Hilton wrote about how her eighth grade teacher inappropriately kissed her. Jada Pinkett Smith revealed she has lived separately from husband Will for seven years. And Prince Harry? He admitted he froze his private bits during an expedition to the North Pole.
Looking back on the year also leads to reflection about those who passed away, including many who seem to be gone too soon. “Friends” star Matthew Perry was just 54 years old when he passed away in October. That’s the same age as Elvis’ daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, who died in January. Sinead O’Connor was just 56 when she died in July.
Other celebrity deaths in 2023 included: actor Tom Sizemore, 61; actor Paul Reubens (aka Pee-wee Herman), 70; actress Suzanne Somers, 76; singer Jimmy Buffett, 76; dancer Len Goodman, 78; musician Jeff Beck, 78; TV host Jerry Springer, 79; actor Richard Moll, 80; singer Robbie Robertson, 80; actor Richard Roundtree, 81; singer David Crosby, 81; actress Raquel Welch, 82; actor Michael Gambon, 82; singer Tina Turner, 83; singer Gordon Lightfoot, 84; singer Roger Whittaker, 87; actress Piper Laurie, 91; composer Burt Bacharach, 94; legendary jazz singer Tony Bennett, 96; singer Harry Belafonte, 96; and former “The Price Is Right” host Bob Barker, 99.
On a brighter note, a number of celebrities celebrated milestone birthdays. Heidi Klum turned 50. Brad Pitt’s 60 arrived this month. Drew Carey and Sharon Stone both hit 65 this year. Cyndi Lauper, Tim Allen and Hulk Hogan turned 70. Robert de Niro celebrated his 80th; so did Mick Jagger and Chevy Chase. And, Willie Nelson and Carol Burnett both turned 90.
Celebrations also occurred for the Denver Nuggets, who grabbed the NBA championship. Meanwhile, the Texas Rangers captured the World Series; the Vegas Golden Knights hoisted hockey’s Stanley Cup; and, the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl. It was the second time Travis Kelce was on a Super Bowl winning team, but it was his personal life outside football that became even more buzzworthy as he began dating Taylor Swift.
For Swift, 2023 was a golden year. She launched The Eras Tour, smashing concert and ticket sales records everywhere she’s been and is going. A movie about the concert tour broke even more records and Forbes estimated she’s now worth more than a billion dollars.
Speaking of golden, “The Golden Bachelor” debuted, proving it’s never too late to find love and that reality show dating isn’t just for the young and thin. The tube also mesmerized millions with “The Last of Us,” “The White Lotus” and “Abbott Elementary.”
It was a good year at the movies, too. Sell-out crowds went to see “Barbie” and stayed for “Oppenheimer.”
The year also saw Beyoncé reign as queen of the Grammys, as she became the most awarded artist. Another royal coronation? Charles was officially crowned king.
The year 2023 also marked a number of notable anniversaries: The Simpsons had their 750th episode. RuPaul’s “Drag Race” recorded its 200th episode. Jimmy Kimmel marked 20 years of being a late night talk show host. And, Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick celebrated 35 years of marriage — an anniversary reached by few celebrity couples.
Other good news? The ozone layer improved! The Beatles released a new song. Jeremy Renner survived a bizarre snowplow accident. Harrison Ford brought back Indiana Jones. Pickleball was everywhere.
Bizarre news took center stage, too. Billionaire Elon Musk challenged billionaire Mark Zuckerberg to a cage match. Spy balloons were shot down over North America. A submersible exploring the shipwreck of the Titanic imploded, killing all five people aboard. AI was everywhere. Plus, we found out the moon is older than we originally thought.
Mammoth Crossword
To test your trivia knowledge from this year, check out the 2023 Mammoth Crossword in the Living & Arts section on Sunday, Dec. 24. The puzzle is included in print editions for home delivery and at metro Atlanta retail stores, as well as in the ePaper edition.
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