Alabama has loved and lost many celebrities over the years, and if we could bring back some of them — without any of the complications that haunt fans of horror stories — we definitely would.

This Is Alabama asked its Facebook followers a question in a similar vein earlier this year: Which Alabamian do you wish was still alive?

Nearly 600 responses came in, pointing to luminaries in sports, literature, entertainment and more. Some folks paid tribute to their relatives, and we certainly understand that. Most of the comments, however, focused on famous people who remain household names.

Here are 10 Alabama celebs we really miss, all of whom received several mentions from fans on Facebook. (You can see all of the responses here.)

Bear Bryant

Paul “Bear” Bryant is widely regarded as one of the greatest college football coaches of all time. Bryant, an Arkansas native known for his crusty demeanor and winning ways, played for the Crimson Tide in the 1930s. But he became an honorary Alabamian in the eyes of countless fans during his stellar coaching career at UA, 1958-1982. There, Bryant led the Crimson Tide to six national championships and 13 conference championships.

When he retired on Dec. 29, 1982, Bryant could claim a record 323 victories as a college football coach, 232 of them with the Crimson Tide. He died in Tuscaloosa on Jan. 26, 1983, at age 69, after suffering a heart attack. Bryant is buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Birmingham. He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1969 and College Football Hall of Fame in 1986.

Jimmy Buffett

James William Buffett was born in Mississippi, but the prolific singer-songwriter grew up in Mobile, attended Auburn University and maintained strong ties to the state. He became one of Alabama’s favorite sons, earning fame for “beach bum” soft-rock songs such as “Margaritaville,” “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” “Son of a Son of a Sailor” and more. Buffett released 27 studio albums, received multiple Grammy nominations, wrote New York Times bestselling books and became one of the top touring artists in the world, thanks to his loyal legion of Parrothead fans.

He also was a highly successful businessman, creating a Margaritaville lifestyle brand that included merchandising, restaurants, casinos, hotels, a signature beer, a satellite radio channel and more. Buffett died on Sept. 1, 2023, at age 76 his home on Long Island, N.Y., after a four-year battle with Merkel Cell skin cancer. A memorial sculpture in his honor is planned in Mobile.

Harper Lee

Nelle Harper Lee, a Monroeville native, earned enduring fame with the publication of her first novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird.” The compelling book — about racial tensions, social justice and 1930s life in a small Southern town— was set in fictional Maycomb, Alabama, and based on Lee’s hometown. The main character, upright lawyer Atticus Finch, was inspired on her father, Amasa Coleman Lee. “Mockingbird,” published in 1960, became a international sensation, won a Pulitzer Prize and prompted an Oscar-winning 1962 movie starring Gregory Peck.

Lee’s novel remains a classic, beloved by readers and renowned for its timeless relevance. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of Arts and several honorary degrees, including one from the University of Alabama. Lee, an intensely private figure, shunned the limelight and spent much of her life surrounded by family and friends in her hometown. She died on Feb. 19, 2016, at age 89 at a nursing home in Monroeville. She’s buried at Monroeville’s Hillcrest Cemetery.

Nat ‘King’ Cole

Nathaniel Adams Cole, a velvet-voiced singer and jazz pianist, has a secure place in music history as an interpreter of 1940s and ’50s classics such as “Sweet Lorraine,” “Unforgettable,” “Mona Lisa,” “Smile,” “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66,“ “The Christmas Song” and more. Born in Montgomery, Cole moved to Chicago with his family during childhood and dropped out of high school to forge a music career. Bing Crosby gave him a break in the 1930s, introducing Cole to Johnny Mercer, and the young artist was on his way.

Cole was a reliable hitmaker during his heyday, selling millions of records, appearing on radio programs, touring the world and winning a Grammy Award in 1959 for “Midnight Flyer.” Cole also made history in 1956-57 as the host of NBC’s “The Nat King Cole Show,” the first variety series hosted by a Black star. Despite his celebrity, Cole experienced racism during his career, including an infamous 1956 incident in Birmingham, where he was knocked down on stage by a group of club-wielding white supremacists. Cole wasn’t an outspoken figure in the civil rights movement, but he was a member of the NAACP and supported several civil rights organizations. He died on Feb. 15, 1965, at age 45 in Santa Monica, California, after battling lung cancer.

Hank Williams

Hiram “Hank” Williams is a legend in country music, known for the elegant simplicity of his powerful songs — hence his nickname as the “Hillbilly Shakespeare” — and the emotional power of his twangy voice. Born in Mount Olive in 1923, Williams also lived in Georgiana and Montgomery. His early mentor was Rufus “Tee-Tot” Payne, a street musician in Georgiana, who reportedly taught Williams how to play guitar and introduced him to the blues.

Williams started his career by playing on radio stations in Montgomery and performing with his band, the Drifting Cowboys. He eventually became of the the biggest stars in Nashville, appearing on the Grand Ole Opry and performing signature songs that included “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” “Hey Good Lookin’,” “Lovesick Blues,” “Cold, Cold Heart,” “Jambalya (on the Bayou),” “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” and many more. Williams had a short life, but made a huge impact on generations of country artists to follow.

He died at age 29 on January 1, 1953, on a road trip from Montgomery to Canton, Ohio. Williams, who had struggled with alcoholism and substance abuse, died in the car en route, after suffering heart failure. He’s buried at Oakwood Cemetery Annex in Montgomery. It’s among several sites where fans can pay their respects in Williams’ home state, designated as the “Hank Williams Trail” by the Alabama Tourism Department. (See an online brochure here.)

Eddie Kendricks

Edward James Kendrick, who used the stage name Eddie Kendricks, earned fame as a key member and co-founder of the Temptations. Born in Union Springs and raised in Ensley, Kendricks moved to Detroit as a young man, forming the Temptations with friends during the early 1960s. Kendricks, a silky tenor, handled lead vocals on some of the Tempts’ best-known songs, including “Just My Imagination” and “The Way You Do the Things You Do.” He had co-writing credits on several songs recorded by the troupe, such as “The Girl’s Alright With Me.”

Kendricks became Motown royalty during his tenure with the Temptations, which lasted until 1971. His iconic falsetto was an important part of the group’s appeal, along with his stage charisma and smooth dance moves. With the Temptations, Kendricks won a Grammy Award for “Cloud Nine” and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He launched a solo career after leaving the group, releasing hits such as “Keep on Truckin’” and “Boogie Down.” Kendricks died in Birmingham on Oct. 5, 1992, at age 52, after a battle with lung cancer. He’s buried in Birmingham’s Elmwood Cemetery.

Jeff Cook

Jeffrey Alan Cook, a Fort Payne native, made his fame as part of the country band Alabama. Cook, a skillful fiddler and guitarist, formed Alabama with his cousins, Randy Owen and Teddy Gentry, in the 1970s. He remained a crucial member of the group for five decades, recording immensely popular albums that crossed over onto the pop charts and touring in the United States and abroad. Alabama has sold more than 75 million albums worldwide and can claim a slew of radio hits, including “Tennessee River,” “Mountain Music,” “Dixieland Delight,” “The Closer You Get,” “Song of the South,” “Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)” and more.

With Alabama, Cook won many accolades in the music industry, including ACM Awards, American Music Awards, CMA Awards and Grammys. The band was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum in Nashville. Alabama also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Cook stopped touring regularly with Alabama in 2018 due to health issues from Parkinson’s disease. He died on Nov. 7, 2022, at age 73. Instruments, photos and memorabilia from Cook’s life and career can be seen at the Alabama Fan Club & Museum in Fort Payne.

Jim Nabors

James Thurston Nabors has a secure place in television history, thanks to his indelible portrayal of an goofy, naive soldier who gets into plenty of scrapes — and drives his sergeant crazy — in the U.S. Marine Corps. We’re talking about Gomer Pyle, of course, and Nabors absolutely owns=ed that heartwarming role. The Sylacauga native (who also was a talented singer) developed his signature character as a regular on “The Andy Griffith Show” in the 1960s. Gomer was so popular with viewers, CBS created a spin-off sitcom for him, “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.,” that aired for five seasons, 1964-1969.

Nabors hosted a CBS variety show, “The Jim Nabors Hour,” from 1969 to 1971. He also appeared on “The Danny Kaye Show,” “The Carol Burnett Show,” “The Lucy Show,” “The Muppet Show” and other TV series. He released many albums and singles, famously covering “The Impossible Dream (The Quest)” from “Man of La Mancha.” Nabors was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and Alabama Stage and Screen Hall of Fame. He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Nabors died on Nov. 30, 2017, at his home in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was 87. Memorabilia from his life and career — photos, newspaper clippings, plaques, clothing, street signs and more — can be found at the Isabel Anderson Comer Musem and Arts Center in Sylacauga.

Kathryn Tucker Windham

Kathryn Tucker Windham, a Selma native, earned widespread acclaim as a storyteller, author, historian and folklorist. Windham, also a talented photographer, started her career in the 1940s as a journalist. She began to write books in the late 1960s, starting with “Treasured Alabama Recipes.” Windham is perhaps best known for “13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey,” published in 1969 with folklore teacher Margaret Gillis Figh. It was the first of several books about Southern ghosts, and led to a career as a storyteller on stages around the country.

Windham appeared many times at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee, and was a regular contributor to National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered.” She was the subject of Norton Dill’s 2004 documentary, “Kathryn: The Story of a Teller.” Windham also became a civil rights figure in Selma, hosting “comb singings” that had people from all walks of life playing the comb as a kazoo-like instrument. It was her way of trying to fight against racism in Selma, she said. Windham died on June 12, 2011, at age 93. She’s buried at New Live Oak Cemetery in Selma. In 2023, Windham was inducted into the Alabama Writers Hall of Fame.

Sun Ra

Sun Ra, a pioneering force in jazz music, was born in Birmingham as Herman “Sonny” Blount. He earned fame as a prolific and influential composer, bandleader, keyboard player and intergalactic philosopher, best known for his experimental and avant-garde works. Sun Ra claimed to be from Saturn, or transformed by a visit to Saturn, and therefore invested with the power to impact the world through music. He preached peace, love and awareness, and his overall aesthetic was a blend of concepts from the Bible, science fiction, numerology, Egyptian mythology and African culture.

Sun Ra also created a large, ever-changing ensemble of musicians and dancers known as the Arkestra. Their trademark costumes featured flowing robes and spectacular headdresses, inspired by ancient Egypt and alien fantasy. Sun Ra released more than 100 albums, and his recordings remain influential in the music world. They continue to inspire his Arkestra, now led by Marshall Allen. Sun Ra died on May 30, 1993, at age 79, and was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Birmingham. He’s a member of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame and Alabama Music Hall of Fame.