Famous People Who Died in 2016

Deaths 1 - 200 of 609

• Jan 1 Dale Bumpers, American politician (Sen-D Arkansas, 1975-99), dies at 90
• Jan 1 Fazu Aliyeva, Russian poet, novelist and journalist who helped develop Dagestani in Russian literature, dies from heart failure at 83
• Jan 1 Michael G. Oxley, American politician (Rep-R-OH, 1981-2007), dies at 71

• Jan 1 Tony Lane, American art director (Rolling Stone magazine), and Grammy Award-winning album cover art designer (Carly Simon - Boys in the Trees; Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water; Michael Jackson - Bad), dies of brain cancer at 71
• Jan 1 Vilmos Zsigmond, Hungarian-born American cinematographer (Close Encounters of the Third Kind), dies at 85
• Jan 2 Marcel Barbeau, Canadian abstract artist, dies at 90
• Jan 2 Nimr al-Nimr, Saudi Shiite religious leader & non-violent critic of the Saudi Arabian government, executed by the Saudi authorities aged 56 or 57
• Jan 4 Michel Galabru, French actor (Judge & the Assassin), dies at 93
• Jan 4 Robert Stigwood, Australian-British music entrepreneur (RSO Records), stage (Jesus Christ Superstar) and film (Saturday Night Fever; Grease; Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band) producer, dies at 81
• Jan 5 Elizabeth Swados, American theater composer playwright (Runaways), and author, dies from complications after surgery for esophageal cancer at 64
• Jan 5 Jean-Paul L'Allier, Canadian politician (Mayor of Quebec City), dies at 77
• Jan 5 Nicholas Caldwell, American R&B and soul singer (The Whispers - "And The Baet Goes On"; "It's A Love Thing"), dies of congestive heart failure at 71
• Jan 5 Pierre Boulez, French composer (La Visage Nuptial), conductor (BBC Symphony, 1970-77; New York Philharmonic, 1971-77), and new music advocate (IRCAM, Ensemble intercontemporain)dies at 90
• Jan 6 Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros, Cuban jazz trumpeter (Orchestra Harlow; Eddie Palmieri), dies of prostate cancer at 87
• Jan 6 Pat Harrington Jr, American actor (Danny Thomas Show, One Day at a Time), dies at 86
• Jan 7 (Catherine) "Kitty" Kallen, American big band (Harry James, Jimmy Dorsey, Jack Teagarden) and pop singer ("Little Things Mean A Lot"; "My Coloring Book"), dies at 94 [1]

• Jan 7 (John) "JJ" Johnson, American NBA basketball player, 1970-82 (Cleveland Cavaliers, Seattle SuperSonics, and 2 other teams), dies at 68
• Jan 7 André Courrèges, French fashion designer, dies at 92
• Jan 7 Francis Kennedy, British diplomat, and administrator (Chancellor of the University of Central Lancashire, 1995-2001), dies at 89
• Jan 7 Troy Shondell, American singer (This Time (We’re Really Breaking Up)), dies from complications of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease at 76
• Jan 8 Maria Teresa de Filippis, Italian racing car driver (first woman to complete in Formula One), dies at 89
• Jan 9 Ed Stewart, British DJ and broadcaster (Crackerjack), dies of a stroke at 74
• Jan 9 Mitsu Suzuki, Japanese-American Zen teacher (San Francisco Zen Center, wife of Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki), dies at 101

• Jan 11 Gilberto Mendes, Brazilian composer, dies at 93
• Jan 11 Kenneth Corfield, English industrialist (CEO Standard Telephones and Cables), dies at 91
• Jan 11 Monty Irvin, American Baseball HOF outfielder (4 x NgL All-Star, NgL World Series 1946 Newark Eagles; MLB All-Star 1952, World Series 1954 NY Giants), dies at 96
• Jan 13 Brian Bedford, English actor (Anthony-Coronet Blue), dies at 80
• Jan 13 Lawrence Phillips, American football running back (Grey Cup, CFL All-Star 2002 Montreal Alouettes; St Louis Rams 1996-97), dies of suicide at 40
• Jan 13 Luis Arroyo, Puerto Rican MLB baseball pitcher, 1955-63 (2 x All-Star; 2 x World Series Champion; St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, and 2 other teams), dies at 88

• Jan 14 Leonid Zhabotinsky, Ukrainian weightlifter (Olympic gold USSR +90 kg 1964, 68: World C'ships gold 1964, 65, 66, 68), dies at 77
• Jan 14 René Angélil, Canadian music executive, actor and director (Omertà, L'apparition), and husband of Céline Dion, dies of throat cancer at 73
• Jan 15 Dan Haggerty, American actor (Grizzly Adams), dies of cancer at 73
• Jan 15 Noreen Corcoran, American actress (Bachelor Father), dies at 72
• Jan 16 Gary Loizzo, American rock guitarist and singer (American Breed - "Bend Me, Shape Me"), dies of pancreatic cancer at 70
• Jan 17 Dale "Buffin" Griffin, English rock drummer (Mott The Hoople - "All Young Dudes"), and producer (BBC's John Peel sessions), dies from complications of Alzheimer's disease at 67
• Jan 17 Mic Gillette, American trumpet, trombone, and flugelhorn player (Tower of Power, Cold Blood, The Sons of Champlin), dies of a heart attack at 64

• Jan 18 Johnny Bach, American basketball coach (Fordham Uni, Penn State Uni; NBA C'ship 1991-93 Chicago Bulls assistant coach), dies at 91
• Jan 18 Michel Tournier, French writer (Friday, or, The Other Island), dies at 91
• Jan 19 Ettore Scola, Italian director and screenwriter (A Special Day), dies at 84
• Jan 20 David G. Hartwell, American editor and anthologist, dies at 74
• Jan 20 George Weidenfeld, British publisher (Weidenfeld & Nicolson), dies at 96
• Jan 21 Bill Johnson, alpine skier (first American to win alpine Olympic gold - 1984), dies at 55
• Jan 22 Anthony Simmons, British writer and film director (The Optimists of Nine Elms), dies at 93
• Jan 22 Cecil Parkinson, British politician (C), dies at 84
• Jan 23 Bobby Wanzer, American basketball guard (NBA All-Star 1952–56; Rochester Royals) and coach (NBA All-Star Game 1957), dies at 94
• Jan 23 Jack Bannister, English cricket commentator (BBC; Talksport radio) and bowler (Warwickshire 1,198 wickets), dies at 85

• Jan 24 Yvonne Chouteau, Native American dancer (one of the "five Moons" of Oklahoma), dies at 86
• Jan 25 Concepcion Picciotto, American peace activist (longest political protest in US history, outside The White House), dies at 80
• Jan 25 Denise Duval, French soprano (music of Francis Poulenc), dies at 94
• Jan 25 Frank Collett [Taglieri], American jazz pianist and bandleader, dies of liver failure at 75
• Jan 25 Leif Solberg, Norwegian organist, choral conductor and composer, dies at 101
• Jan 25 Paul Terasaki, American scientist, invented tissue typing for organ transplants and founded first kidney transplant registry, dies at 86 [1]
• Jan 26 Abe Vigoda, American actor (Barney Miller, The Godfather), dies at 94
• Jan 26 Colin Vearncombe, British singer-songwriter (Black - "Wonderful Life"), dies from injuries in a car accident at 53
• Jan 27 Artur Fischer, German Inventor with more patents than Edison, dies at 96
• Jan 28 Paul Kantner, American rock singer and guitarist (Jefferson Airplane - "Volunteers"), dies following a heart attack at 74
• Jan 28 Signe Toly Anderson, American singer, founding member of Jefferson Airplane, dies of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at 74
• Jan 29 Alden Ashforth, American composer and professor of ethnomusicology, dies at 82
• Jan 29 Aurèle Nicolet, Swiss flautist (Berlin Philharmonic), and educator, dies at 90
• Jan 29 Jacques Rivette, French New Wave film director (The Beautiful Troublemaker), dies at 87
• Jan 30 Frank Finlay, British actor (Bouquet of Barbed Wire), dies at 89
• Jan 30 Ken Sailors, professional basketball player (popularized and may have invented the jump shot), dies at 95
• Jan 31 Terry Wogan, British broadcaster (Eurovision Song Contest, Blankety Blank), dies of cancer at 77
• Feb 1 Israr Ali, Pakistan cricket all-rounder (4 Tests; member of Pakistan's first Test team that played against India 1952–53), dies of pneumonia at 88
• Feb 2 Bob Elliott, American comedian (Bob & Ray, Get a Life), dies at 92
• Feb 2 Intizar Hussain, Pakistani and Urdu writer and columnist, dies in his early 90s
• Feb 3 Joseph Francis "Joe" Alaskey, American stand-up comedian, actor, voice artist, and impressionist (Buggs Bunny, Daffy Duck), dies from cancer at 63
• Feb 3 Mary Healy, American actress (The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T, He Married his Wife), dies of natural causes at 96
• Feb 3 Saulius Sondeckis, Lithuanian violinist, conductor, orchestra leader (Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, 1960-2004), dies at 87
• Feb 4 Dave Mirra, American BMX rider (Best Male Action Sports Athlete ESPY Award 2005; 24 x Games medals), dies by suicide at 41
• Feb 4 Edgar Mitchell, American NASA astronaut (Apollo 14), dies at 85
• Feb 4 Edgar Whitcomb, American politician and Governor of Indiana (1969-73), dies at 98
• Feb 4 Jimmie Haskell [Sheridan Pearlman], American arranger (Ricky Nelson; Chicago; Sheryl Crow), and film and television score composer, dies at 89
• Feb 4 Leslie Bassett, American classical composer (Variations for Orchestra - Pulitzer Prize, 1966), and educator (University of Michigan, 1952-92), dies at 93
• Feb 4 Maurice White, American singer-songwriter (Earth, Wind & Fire - "Shining Star"), dies at 74
• Feb 4 Ulf Söderblom, Finnish conductor (Finnish National Opera, 1973-93), and teacher, dies at 85
• Feb 5 Bodil Malmsten, Swedish writer (The Price of Water in Finistère), dies at 71
• Feb 6 Dan Hicks, American singer and songwriter (Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks), dies at 74
• Feb 8 John Disley, Welsh athlete (co-founded London Marathon), dies at 87
• Feb 8 Violetta Verdy, French ballerina and teacher, dies at 82
• Feb 9 Sushil Koirala, Nepalese politician, Prime Minister of Nepal (2014-2015), dies at 76
• Feb 12 Johnny Lattner, American College Football Hall of Fame halfback (Heisman Trophy 1953, Notre Dame; Pro Bowl 1954, Pittsburgh Steelers), dies from mesothelioma at 83
• Feb 13 Antonin Scalia, American 105th Supreme Court Justice (1986-2016), dies at 79
• Feb 14 Eric Lubbock, Lord Avebury, English politician and human rights advocate (Liberal MP for Orpington 1962-70), dies at 87
• Feb 14 Steven Stucky, American Pulitzer Prize-winning composer (Silent Spring; August 4, 1964; Los Angeles Philharmonic, 1988-2009), conductor (Ensemble X, 1997-2006), educator, and musicologist, dies of brain cancer at 66
• Feb 15 George Gaynes, Dutch-Finnish-American singer, stage and screen actor (Tootsie; Police Academy; General Hospital), dies at 98
• Feb 15 Louis Lane, American conductor (Akron, 1959-83; Lake Erie Opera, 1964-72), and educator (Cleveland Institute, 1982-2004), dies at 72
• Feb 15 Vanity [Denise Matthews], Canadian R&B singer, Prince protege ("Nasty Girl"), actress (52 Pick Up), and evangelist dies of kidney failure at 57

• Feb 16 Gwyneth George, Welsh cellist and teacher, dies at 95
• Feb 17 Andy Ganteaume, Trinidadian cricketer and West Indian batsman who scored 112 in his only Test innings in 1948, dies at 95
• Feb 17 Tony Phillips, American MLB player (Oakland Athletics), dies at 56
• Feb 19 Umberto Eco, Italian philosopher and writer (Name of the Rose), dies at 84

• Feb 20 Peter Mondavi, American winemaker (Charles Krug - Napa Valley), dies at 101
• Feb 21 Pascal Bentoiu, Romanian composer, dies at 88
• Feb 21 Roger Chorley [Baron Chorley), English accountant and peer (Chorley Report, President of the Royal Geographical Society), dies at 85
• Feb 22 Douglas Slocombe, British cinematographer (Kind Hearts and Coronets, Raiders of the Lost Ark), dies at 103
• Feb 22 Sonny James [Jimmie Loden], American pop and country music singer-songwriter, and guitarist ("Young Love"), dies at 87
• Feb 22 Wesley A Clark, American computer designer (first personal computer - LINC), dies at 88
• Feb 22 Yolande Betbeze Fox, Miss America 1951, first to refuse to parade in a swimsuit, dies at 87
• Feb 23 (Hendricus) "Henk" Mochel, Dutch TV host (Rondom Tien), dies of a brain hemorrhage at 83
• Feb 23 Lennie Baker, American rock saxophonist musician (Sha Na Na, 1970-99), dies at 69
• Feb 24 Colin Low, Canadian documentary and animation filmmaker (City of Gold), dies at 89 [1]
• Feb 24 Miguel Ángel Coria, Spanish composer of classical music, dies at 78
• Feb 24 Nabil Maleh, Syrian film director and writer, dies at 79
• Feb 25 John Chilton, English jazz trumpeter (Feetwarmers), dies at 83
• Feb 25 Tony Burton, American actor (Rocky films) and boxer, dies at 78
• Feb 26 Andy Bathgate, professional ice hockey player (New York Rangers, 1958 NHL MVP), dies at 83
• Feb 26 Eri Klas, Estonian conductor (Netherlands Radio Symphony; Aarhus Symphony; Estonian National Opera, 1975-95), and educator, dies at 76
• Feb 26 Howard Quilling, American classical composer (From Quiet Beginnings), and educator, dies at 80
• Feb 27 George Kennedy, American actor (Cool Hand Luke, Naked Gun films), dies at 91
• Feb 28 Frank Kelly, Irish stage and screen actor (Father Ted), dies at 77
• Feb 29 Aron Burton, American electric and Chicago blues bass guitarist, singer, and songwriter, dies of heart disease and diabetes at 77
• Feb 29 Edward M. Lawson, Canadian trade unionist and politician, dies at 86
• Mar 1 Jim Kimsey, American co-founder of AOL, dies at 76
• Mar 1 Martha Wright [Wiederrecht;], American stage, concert and radio singer and actress (South Pacific; The Sound Of Music)), dies at 92
• Mar 1 Tony Warren [Anthony McVay Simpson], English actor and screenwriter (Coronation Street), dies at 79

• Mar 4 P.A. Sangma, Indian politician (4th Chief Minister of Meghalaya), dies at 68
• Mar 4 Pat Conroy, American writer (The Great Santini, Prince of Tides), dies at 70
• Mar 4 Zhou Xiaoyan, Chinese operatic soprano and pedagogue (Shanghai Conservatory, 1949-65 and 1970-78), dies at 98
• Mar 5 Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Austrian conductor (Early Music Movement), dies at 86
• Mar 5 Ray Tomlinson, American computer programmer (invented email and the @ sign), dies at 74

• Mar 7 Michael White, British theater/film producer (The Rocky Horror Picture Show), dies at 80

• Mar 9 Bill Wade, American NFL quarterback (Pro Bowl 1958, 63; LA Rams, Chicago Bears), dies at 85

• Mar 9 Juvenal "Naná' Vasconcelos, Brazilian jazz and world music percussionist, and berimbau player (Pat Metheny, Björk, Milton Nascimento), dies of lung cancer at 71
• Mar 9 Robert Horton [Meade Howard Horton Jr.], American actor and singer (Kings Row, Wagon Train, Arena), dies at 91
• Mar 10 Anita Brookner, English novelist (Hotel du Lac) and art historian, dies at 87
• Mar 10 Ernestine Anderson, American jazz vocalist and blues singer, dies at 87
• Mar 10 Gogi Grant [Myrtle Audrey Arinsberg], American singer ("The Wayward Wind"), dies at 91
• Mar 10 Keith Emerson, English rock keyboardist (Emerson, Lake & Palmer), commits suicide at 71
• Mar 10 Ken Adam, British film production designer (James Bond sets), dies at 95
• Mar 11 Iolanda Balaș, Romanian high jumper (Olympic gold 1960), dies at 79
• Mar 12 Lloyd Shapley, American Mathematician (2012 Nobel Prize, Game Theory), dies at 92
• Mar 13 Adrienne Corri, British actress (River, Doctor Zhivago), dies at 85
• Mar 13 Hilary Putnam, American philosopher, dies at 89
• Mar 13 Martin Olav Sabo, American politician (Rep-D-MN, 1979-2007), dies at 78
• Mar 14 Peter Maxwell Davies, British composer (Prolation, Taverner), dies at 81
• Mar 16 Cliff Michelmore, English television presenter and producer (Tonight; Day By Day), dies at 96
• Mar 16 Frank Sinatra, Jr., American singer and bandleaderr, dies at 72
• Mar 17 Paul Daniels, British magician (The Paul Daniels Magic Show), dies at 77
• Mar 18 Jan Nemec, Czech film director (Diamonds of the Night), dies at 79
• Mar 18 Joe Santos, American actor (Rockford files), dies at 84
• Mar 20 Anker Jørgensen, Danish politician, Prime Minister of Denmark (1972-3, 75-82), dies at 93
• Mar 20 Peter Williams, British organist and musicologist, dies at 78

• Mar 21 Peter Brown [Pierre Lind de Lappe], American actor (Lawman, Laredo, Bold & Beautiful), dies at 80
• Mar 21 Robert McNeill Alexander, British zoologist (estimated speed of dinosaurs), dies at 81
• Mar 22 Eli Louw, South African politician (Minister of Transport), dies at 88
• Mar 22 Phife Dawg [Malik Taylor] American rapper (A Tribe called Quest), dies from diabetes complications at 45
• Mar 22 Rita Gam, American actress (Night People, Hannibal), dies at 88
• Mar 22 Rob Ford, Canadian politician (Toronto mayor caught with cocaine), dies at 46
• Mar 23 Gegham Grigorian, Armenian operatic tenor, and artistic director (Yerevan Opera, 2000-07), dies at 65
• Mar 23 Joe Garagiola, American MLB catcher (4 teams, 1946-54), sportscaster, and TV host (Today Show), dies at 90
• Mar 23 Ken Howard, American actor (The White Shadow), dies at 71
• Mar 23 Peter Moores, British businessman and director (Littlewoods), dies at 83
• Mar 24 Earl Hamner Jr., American creator and narrator of TV show "The Waltons", dies at 92
• Mar 24 Garry Shandling, American comedian (It's Garry Shandling's Show, Larry Sanders Show), dies at 66

• Mar 24 Kevin Turner, American football fullback (Philadelphia Eagles) and plaintiff against NFL (concussion case), dies of ALS at 46
• Mar 26 David Baker, American jazz trombonist and cellist, jazz and classical composer (Reflections), and educator (Indiana University), dies at 84
• Mar 26 Jim Harrison, American poet and novelist (Legends of the Fall), dies at 78
• Mar 27 Mother Angelica, Catholic American Franciscan nun, dies at 92
• Mar 28 James Noble, American actor (Benson, 1776, Airplane II: The Sequel), dies of a stroke at 94
• Mar 28 Peggy Fortnum, British Illustrator (first to draw Paddington Bear), dies at 96
• Mar 29 Jean Lapierre, Canadian politician and television host, dies at 59

• Mar 30 Bram Beekman, Dutch organist, composer and teacher (Brabants Conservatory, 1980-2012), dies at 66
• Mar 30 Gianmaria Testa, Italian singer-songwriter, dies of cancer at 57
• Mar 30 Howard Cable, Canadian conductor, arranger, and composer, dies at 95
• Mar 30 Mike Gibbons, American rocker (Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods - "Billy Don't Be A Hero"), dies at 69
• Mar 31 Douglas Wilmer, British actor (Sherlock Holmes, Octopussy, El Cid), dies of pneumonia at 96
• Mar 31 Hans-Dietrich Genscher, German Minister of Foreign Affairs (FDP), worked to re-unify Germany, dies at 89

• Mar 31 Ronnie Corbett, British comedian (The Two Ronnies), dies at 85
• Mar 31 Zaha Hadid, Iraqi-British acchitect (London Aquatic Centre; Pritzker Prize - 2004), dies at 65
• Apr 2 Gato Barbieri, Argentinian Latin jazz musician (Last Tango in Paris), dies at 83
• Apr 3 Bill Henderson, American jazz singer ("Señor Blues"), and actor (Dreams - "Torpedo"), dies at 90
• Apr 3 Cesare Maldini, Italian footballer, 1954-67 (AC Milan and 2 other teams), and manager, 1967-1999 (6 teams), dies at 84
• Apr 3 Don Francks, Canadian actor, singer and musician (Terminal Choice; Finian's Rainbow), dies at 84
• Apr 3 Erik Bauersfeld, American voice actor (Star Wars' Admiral Ackbar "Its a trap"), dies at 93
• Apr 3 Joseph Medicine Crow, Native American chief and historian, dies at 102
• Apr 3 Lars Gustafsson, Swedish poet and novelist (The Death of a Beekeeper, The Cracks in the Wall), dies at 79
• Apr 4 (Dorothy) "Dottie" Schwartz (née Hummitzsch), American barbershop quartet vocalist (The Chordettes, 1946-52), dies at 89
• Apr 4 Carlo Mastrangelo, Italian-American rocker (Dion & The Belmonts), dies of cancer at 78
• Apr 4 Chus Lampreave [María Jesús Lampreave Pérez], Spanish actress (Volver, Belle Époque), dies at 85
• Apr 5 Leon Haywood, American funk and soul singer, and keyboardist ("It's Got To Be Mellow"; "I Want'a Do Something Freaky To You"), dies at 74
• Apr 6 Dennis Davis, American jazz, rock and funk drummer (Roy Ayers; David Bowie, 1975-80; Stevie Wonder), dies of cancer at 66

• Apr 7 Marcel Dubé, Canadian playwright (Zone), and French language advocate, dies at 86
• Apr 10 Howard Marks, British drug dealer and author (Mr Nice), dies at 70
• Apr 11 Emile Ford, Caribbean-born British singer and engineer (first black male singer to top UK charts), dies at 78

• Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• Next

• Assassination
• Drug Overdose
• Gunshot Wound
• Murder
• Plane Crash
• Suicide