Bobby Sherman, Lou Christie, Mikayla Raines, and Lynn Hamilton Dies

These four have been on shows like Here Come the Brides, Monkees, Partridge Family, Emergency!, and had hits like “Little Woman” and “Easy Come, Easy Go”; sang songs like “The Gypsy Cried” and the #1, “Lightning Strikes”; founded the nonprofit SaveAFox Rescue; and was on TV shows like Sanford and Son, The Waltons, and Generations.

Bobby Sherman, born Robert Cabot Sherman Jr. on July 22, 1943, in Santa Monica, California, was an American pop singer, actor, and later a trained emergency medical technician and police officer, who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s as a teen idol.

Raised in Van Nuys, he attended Birmingham High School and later studied at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, where his interest in music deepened. His career took off after appearing on ABC’s musical variety show Shindig! in 1964, which led to a recording contract and a string of chart-topping hits,

including “Little Woman,” “Julie, Do Ya Love Me,” and “Easy Come, Easy Go.” At the peak of his popularity, he became a regular fixture on teen magazine covers and starred as Jeremy Bolt on the television series Here Come the Brides from 1968 to 1970. Though his music and acting career waned by the mid-1970s, Sherman pursued a surprising and admirable second act.

He became a certified EMT and later a technical reserve police officer with the Los Angeles Police Department and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, where he trained recruits in CPR and first aid. In his personal life, Sherman married Patti Carnel in 1971,

with whom he had two sons, Christopher and Tyler, before divorcing in the late 1970s. He married Brigitte Poublon in 2010, with whom he co-founded the Brigitte & Bobby Sherman Children’s Foundation, supporting education in Ghana. Sherman died of natural causes on Saturday, January 20, 2024, at the age of 80, in Southern California. He was survived by his wife Brigitte, his sons Christopher and Tyler, and several grandchildren.

Sherman’s unique legacy as a pop culture icon turned real-life public servant made him a beloved figure among fans spanning multiple generations.

Lou Christie, born Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco on February 19, 1943, in Glenwillard, Pennsylvania, was an American pop singer and songwriter best known for his distinctive falsetto and chart-topping hits during the 1960s, most notably the million-selling “Lightnin’ Strikes” in 1965.

Raised in a working-class Italian-American family near Pittsburgh, Christie showed musical talent early on and studied classical music and voice at the Tasso Institute before graduating from Moon Area High School. He began writing songs with his long-time collaborator Twyla Herbert,

a classically trained pianist more than 20 years his senior, and their unusual creative chemistry produced a series of hits that blended doo-wop, pop, and melodramatic teen angst. His recording career began with Roulette Records and later with Columbia and MGM.

He scored early success with “The Gypsy Cried” and “Two Faces Have I.” His dynamic stage presence and soaring falsetto made him a standout on radio and television shows like American Bandstand, and his career peaked with the #1 smash “Lightnin’ Strikes,” a dramatic tale of romantic indecision driven by layered harmonies and urgent vocals.

Though his chart success declined with the rise of psychedelic rock, he remained active through the 1970s and beyond, touring frequently and becoming a popular fixture on the oldies and nostalgia circuit. Known for being private about his personal life, Christie largely stayed out of the spotlight outside of his music,

and little was ever publicly confirmed about his relationships or family. In his later years, he remained involved in the business side of his music, oversaw reissues of his catalog, and occasionally recorded new material. Lou Christie died on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, at the age of 81;

his death was confirmed by his publicist, though no cause was immediately disclosed. He was survived by close family members, though their identities were not publicly detailed, in keeping with his lifelong preference for privacy. His remarkable vocal style and emotionally charged songwriting left an indelible mark on 1960s pop music and earned him a devoted fanbase that endured for decades.

Mikayla Anne Raines, born March 5, 1995 or 1996, in Minnesota, was a passionate wildlife rescuer, YouTuber, and founder of the nonprofit SaveAFox Rescue—best known for rehabilitating and rehoming foxes from fur farms and sharing their stories with a devoted online audience.

Her early interest in animal welfare emerged around age 15 when she helped rehabilitate an orphaned gray fox; by 19 she was licensed to care for foxes and, after attending college to become a vet tech, she shifted focus entirely to her sanctuary work, managing USDA and DNR permits and growing her sanctuary from her mother’s property in Lakeville to a larger facility in Rice County.

Mikayla’s engaging Instagram and YouTube content, featuring viral foxes like Esmae and Mala, earned her more than 2.4 million subscribers by June 2025, and her work garnered media coverage from outlets like National Geographic, Good Morning America, and Pioneer Press. Despite her success, Mikayla faced serious mental health challenges, including struggles with autism,

depression, and borderline personality disorder, and in the wake of increasing online harassment—sometimes from other sanctuaries and purported friends—she tragically died by suicide on Saturday, June 21, 2025; her passing was confirmed in a June 23 announcement by her husband,

who shared that he had attempted CPR for 15 minutes before paramedics arrived. he is survived by her husband Ethan, their daughter Freya, and the sanctuary family she built; Ethan has since pledged to continue her mission in her honor.

Mikayla’s legacy as a devoted animal advocate and beloved online figure continues to inspire, and her story poignantly reminds us of both the power of compassion and the devastating impact of bullying.

Lynn Hamilton, born Alzenia Lynn Hamilton on Friday, April 25, 1930, in Yazoo City, Mississippi, grew up in Chicago Heights after moving there with her family at age four, where she attended Bloom High School and studied acting at the Goodman School of Drama. She launched her career on Chicago’s community theater scene before debuting on Broadway in 1959,

appearing in Only in America and several other stage productions, including work with the New York Shakespeare Festival. Film roles followed, beginning with John Cassavetes’ Shadows in 1958, and later included Brother John, Buck and the Preacher, and Lady Sings the Blues. On television, she became widely known as Donna Harris, Fred Sanford’s longtime girlfriend and eventual fiancée on Sanford and Son (1972–1977).

She had began on Sanford and Son as an initially uncredited one-off landlady role; she also brought depth to Verdie Grant Foster on The Waltons from 1973 to 1981 and appeared in Roots: The Next Generations, Dangerous Women, Generations, 227, The Golden Girls, NYPD Blue, Gunsmoke, The Practice, and others.

Married to poet/playwright Frank Jenkins from November 13, 1964, until his death in August 2014, she shared one daughter and collaborated on theater projects like Nobody: The Bert Williams Story. A recipient of an NAACP Award, Hamilton’s career spanned more than five decades, symbolizing dignity and

resilience for Black women in entertainment. She passed peacefully of natural causes at her home in Chicago on Thursday, June 19, 2025, surrounded by her grandchildren, loved ones, and caretakers, and is survived by her daughter, grandchildren, and extended family. Her enduring legacy as a pioneering, trailblazing actress continues to uplift and inspire.