A number of notable Colorado residents, as well as some who made an impact on the state but didn’t live here anymore, died in 2024. From a famous developer who left a lasting legacy, to sports heroes, impactful politicians and longtime journalists — 2024 took many prominent people. 

Here’s The Denver Gazette’s informal, and certainly not complete, list: 

BUSINESS

John W. Madden

Noted Colorado developer John Worthington Madden Jr., 94, died peacefully on Jan. 19 at his home in Greenwood Village, the south Denver suburb he developed from the ground up during a development career that lasted over 60 years.

The John Madden Co. built more than 10 million square feet of office and mixed-use space, including forging the Denver Technological Center (DTC), Harlequin Plaza and Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre. The latter came as an extension of the Museum of Outdoor Arts (MOA), in which he co-founded in 1981.

SPORTS

Allen Aldridge Jr.

Super Bowl-winning Denver Broncos linebacker Allen Aldridge Jr. died at the age of 52 on Sept. 8 in Houston. No cause of death had been revealed as of December.

The Broncos selected Aldridge in the second round of the 1994 NFL draft out of the University of Houston. He started in 45 games over four seasons in Denver, including all four playoff games when the Broncos won their first Super Bowl in 1998. He eventually became the head coach of Fort Bend Bush High School outside of Houston for 15 years before his passing.

Joe Collier

Joe Collier, the longtime Denver Broncos defensive coordinator and the architect of their famed “Orange Crush” defense, died on May 6 at his home in Littleton at the age of 91.

Collier was a Broncos assistant from 1969-88, including being defensive coordinator from 1972-88. He built up their 3-4 defense and the Broncos made their first playoff appearance in their 18th season in 1977, losing to the Dallas Cowboys 27-10 in Super Bowl XII. But his “Orange Crush” unit captivated the Rocky Mountain region. Before that, Collier was the head coach of the Buffalo Bills for two years between 1966-68.

Mike Haffner 

Former Denver Broncos wide receiver and longtime Denver sportscaster Mike Haffner, 82, died in Las Vegas on Oct. 22 after being ill in recent years, according to Hank Siegel, a former Denver television producer who was executive producer at KMGH-TV Channel 7.

Haffner played in the NFL from 1968-71, including 1968-70 with the Broncos. He caught 59 passes for 991 yards and seven touchdowns for Denver, including 35 balls for 563 yards and five touchdowns in 1969. He then began broadcasting as an NFL analyst for NBC before joining Channel 7 from the 1980s into the early part of this century.

Duane Klueh

Former Hall of Fame Denver Nuggets player Duane Klueh died on June 2 in Indiana at the age of 98 after an illustrious career that included coaching, Hall of Fame tennis playing and serving in the Navy in World War II.

He was the oldest living Nugget, a member of the 1949-50 squad credited as Colorado’s first major pro sports franchise. An All-American scorer who played for the great John Wooden at Indiana State, Klueh was drafted by the Boston Celtics. He first suited up for the Nuggets and defended Bob Cousy in Cousy’s NBA debut.

Dikembe Mutombo

Former Denver Nuggets center and Hall of Fame inductee Dikembe Mutombo, 58, died from brain cancer on Sept. 30 in Atlanta after battling a brain tumor for two years. Mutombo began treatment for the tumor in October 2022, according to his family.

The Nuggets drafted “Mt. Mutombo” with the fourth pick of the 1991 draft out of Georgetown. He went on to spend the first five seasons of his 18-year career in Denver before stints with the Hawks, 76ers, Nets, Knicks and Rockets. He was an eight-time All-Star, four-time Defensive Player of the Year and earned All-NBA honors three times, eventually being labeled one of the best defensive players in league history.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

John Amos

Television acting legend John Amos, who had various ties to Colorado, died in Los Angeles on Aug. 21 of natural causes at 84-years-old, his publicist Belinder Foster told the Associated Press. He had been suffering from congestive heart failure and dementia for years prior.

Amos starred on the 1970s sitcom “Good Times” and was nominated for an Emmy for his role in the 1977 miniseries “Roots.” He also played football at Colorado State University and was later signed by the Denver Broncos. However, Amos was released two days into training camp in 1964 after a hamstring injury, according to the Kansas City Chiefs’ website.

Penny Dwyer

Longtime Denver theater actor Penny Dwyer, 60, died peacefully in her Englewood home on April 7 after a battle with an aggressive form of ovarian cancer after a nearly 30-year acting career.

After moving to Denver in 1992, Dwyer continued her acting career at Theatre on Broadway, the Arvada Center, Garner-Galleria Theatre, Theatre Group and Country Dinner Playhouse. She also served on numerous charitable boards, like the Denver Actors Fund, which has helped local theater artists pay down their medical bills by $1.4 million.

Nagle Jackson

Internationally renowned theater director and playwright, Nagle Jackson, died at 88-years-old in New York on July 15 from COVID-related pneumonia. He moved to Denver in 1983 after an already illustrious career of directing throughout the country, on Broadway and abroad.

Jackson was part of a band of 66 artists who came to Denver in 1983 with incoming Artistic Director Donovan Marley. He went on to direct 20 plays for the Denver Center Theater Company. He was also a longtime member of the Creede Repertory Theatre, a summer repertory company 250 miles southwest of Denver. His play “The Elevation of Thieves” was also the winner of an Onassis Foundation International Cultural Prize in 1997.

Jerome Kern

Jerome “Jerry” Kern, the former CEO of the Colorado Symphony who helped turn the organization around from financial troubles, died on Dec. 13, a month after he was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He was 87.

Kern began working with the Colorado Symphony with his wife Dr. Mary Rossick Kern in the late 1990s as community trustees. Throughout the 2000s, they helped launch the Symphony on the Rocks concert series at Red Rocks Amphitheater and the organization’s most popular fundraiser, the Colorado Symphony Ball.

JOURNALISTS

Bill Husted

Legendary Denver journalist Bill Husted, 76, died on Nov. 9 at his home after a long battle with cancer, ending a nearly 40-year career as a journalism icon of the city.

Husted came to Colorado in 1983 to try journalism and ended up writing about nightlife, the social scene and entertainment for the Rocky Mountain News. After his switch to the Denver Post in 1996, his thrice-weekly column became the most read part of the paper. He also covered those same aspects of life on television, reporting for 9NEWS and other Denver TV stations for 20 years.

Lou Kilzer

Denver journalist Lou Kilzer died at 73-years-old on March 27 in his Colorado Springs home under hospice care surrounded by family after battling various ongoing illnesses, according to his wife, Elizabeth Kovacs.

The two-time Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist carved a staggering resume throughout his over-41-year career, writing five books, winning multiple awards and bringing various public safety issues to the spotlight through his investigative reporting for publications like the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News.

Scott Monserud

Award-winning former Denver Post sports editor Scott Monserud, 69, died on Oct. 28 after a nine-year battle with prostate cancer. His journalism career in Denver lasted 22 years before his 2023 retirement.

Under Monserud’s 17 years as the paper’s sports editor, the section won various awards including Top 10 in Daily sections, Sunday sections and special sections from the Associated Press Sports Editors annual contests three times. The Post’s Sunday sports section was also considered one of the Top 10 among the contest’s largest newspapers 12 different times by the Associated Press.

POLITICS

Paul Schauer

Former state Rep. Paul Schauer died on Oct. 18 at age 80 after serving 20 years in the state House, his focus primarily on financial and tax issues, including financing public highways and mass transit projects.

Schauer also served on the CU Board of Regents. Beyond being an “outstanding legislator,” according to his colleagues, he was a great father. Schauer had a good sense of humor and high expectations for his children, who he supported in finding their own paths, his son said.

Keith King

Keith King, a businessman, education leader and former legislator in the state House and Senate, as well as on the Colorado Springs City Council, died at age 75 on Feb. 3 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.

King taught at a high school and coached basketball before coming to Colorado and starting Colorado Early Colleges in Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Parker and Aurora. He then served in the state House and Senate, and finally the Colorado Springs City Council, ending his final term in an elected office in 2017.

Frederick James (Jim) Dyer

Former state Sen. Frederick James (Jim) Dyer died Jan. 1 from Parkinson’s disease after a long career in the military and in politics.

He was elected state senator of District 26 in Colorado in 2000 and 2004, and was heavily involved in passing two Second Amendment bills. He then served as a county commissioner in Arapahoe County from 2007 to 2011. Outside of politics, Dyer had a “life-long passion for learning,” a love for playing guitar and was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, according to his obituary.

LAW ENFORCEMENT

Evan Dunn

Golden Police Department officer Evan Dunn, 33, died on Nov. 6 after being struck during a crash on Highway 58. Dunn and another officer were reporting to the scene for a different crash when they were hit.

Golden Police Chief Joe Harvey described the 33-year-old officer as an “amazing human being” who flew Black Hawk helicopters in the military and served as a commander. He is survived by his wife, Analise, his sister and his  parents. He was the first Golden Police Department officer to die while on duty.