Deaths Date 2021 February | History by KabAstro

Tony Trabert (1930-2021)

Feb 3 American tennis player (Wimbledon 1955; US Open 1953, 55; French Open 1954, 55), dies at 90

Feb 4 Gil Saunders, American soul singer (Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes), dies of lung cancer at 68
Feb 4 Jessie Smith, American session and touring vocalist (Ike & Tina Turner Revue; The Mirettes; Dr. John), dies at 79
Feb 4 Nolan Porter, American R&B singer-songwriter ("Keep On Keeping On"), dies at 71
Feb 5 Alan Scott, American lyricist (Candid Camera theme), writer, TV host (Spin the Picture), and actor, dies at 98
Feb 5 Charlie Krueger, American College Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle (Texas A&M; Pro Bowl 1960, 64; San Francisco 49ers), dies from heart and kidney failure at 84

Christopher Plummer (1929-2021)

Feb 5 Canadian Emmy, Tony, and Oscar winning actor (Sound of Music; Cyrano; Beginners), dies at 91 [1]

Feb 5 John Pullin, English rugby union hooker (42 caps; British Lions 7 caps; Bristol RFC), dies at 79
Feb 5 Joseph Benz, Swiss bobsledder (Olympic gold 2-man 1980; World C'ship gold 4-man 1975; 2-man 1978, 79), dies from COVID-19 at 76
Feb 5 Julio Canani, Peruvian thoroughbred horse racing trainer (Breeders' Cup Mile 1999, 2001; Juvenile Fillies 2004), dies at 82

Leon Spinks (1953-2021)

Feb 5 American boxer (WBC, WBA heavyweight champion 1978; Olympic gold light heavyweight 1976), dies from prostate cancer at 67

Feb 5 Sam Gannon, Australian cricket fast bowler (3 Tests, 11 wickets; Western Australia; Chairman WACA), dies at 73
Feb 6 Bruce Taylor, New Zealand cricket all-rounder (30 Tests, 111 wickets, BB 7/74, 2 x 100, HS 124; Canterbury, Wellington), dies at 77
Feb 6 Ezra Moseley, Barbadian cricket fast bowler (2 Tests; 9 ODIs, West Indies; Barbados; Glamorgan), dies in a road accident at 63

George P. Shultz (1920-2021)

Feb 6 American economist, and statesman (Secretary of State, 1982-89; Secretary of the Treasury, 1972-74), dies at 100 [1]

Feb 6 Ken McCaffery, Australian rugby league centre (12 Tests; North Sydney; Queensland), broadcaster (9 Network) and administrator (North Sydney DRLFC), dies at 91
Feb 7 Elliot Mazer, American audio engineer and record producer (Chubby Checker; Neil Young), dies of a heart attack at 71
Feb 7 Leslie Laing, Jamaican athlete (Olympic gold men's 4x400m relay 1952 WR 3:03.9), dies at 91
Feb 7 Mario Osbén, Chilean soccer goalkeeper (36 caps; Unión Española, Colo Colo, Cobreloa), dies from a heart attack at 70
Feb 7 Pedro Gomez, American sports journalist (ESPN 2003-21), dies at 58
Feb 7 Ralph Backstrom, Canadian ice hockey center (6 x Stanley Cup Montreal Canadiens; 6 x NHL All-Star), dies at 83
Feb 8 David Egerton, English rugby union #8 (7 caps; Bath Rugby) and broadcaster (BBC), dies from COVID-19 at 59
Feb 8 Jean-Claude Carrière, French screenwriter and actor, collaborated with Luis Buñuel on screen plays (Belle de Jour, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie), dies at 89

Marty Schottenheimer (1943-2021)

Feb 8 American football coach (Cleveland Browns, KC Chiefs; NFL Coach of Year 2004, San Diego Chargers), dies from Alzheimer's disease at 77

Feb 8 Mary Wilson, American pop vocalist (Supremes - "Where Did Our Love Go?"), dies at 76 [1]
Feb 9 (Armando) "Chick" Corea, American jazz-fusion pianist and composer; 27 time Grammy winner (Return To Forever; Delhpi I; Toy Dance), dies of cancer at 79 [1]
Feb 10 Fanne Foxe [Annabella Battistella], Argentine-American exotic dancer famous for her involvement in a sex scandal with US Congressman Wilbur Mills, dies at 84

Larry Flynt (1942-2021)

Feb 10 American magazine publisher (Hustler), dies of heart failure at 78

Feb 10 Pachín, Spanish soccer defender (8 caps; Real Madrid) and manager (Osasuna, Levante, Granada), dies at 82
Feb 11 Joan Weldon, American actress (So This is Love, Them), dies at 90
Feb 11 Phil Horrocks-Taylor, English rugby union fly half (9 caps England, 1 British & Irish Lions; Leicester Tigers), dies at 86
Feb 12 Milford Graves, American avant-garde and free jazz drummer, percussionist (New York Art Quartet), and educator (Bennington College, Vermont, 1973-2012), dies of heart failure at 79 [1]
Feb 13 Frank Orr, Canadian sports author and journalist (Hockey Hall of Fame; Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award; Toronto Star), dies at 84
Feb 13 Olle Nygren, Swedish speedway rider (World Team Cup 1960; World C'ship 1954 3rd; World Longtrack C'ship 1961 runner-up), dies at 91
Feb 13 Urs Jaeggi, Swiss sociologist and writer, dies at 89
Feb 13 Yury Vlasov, Ukrainian weightlifter (Olympic gold USSR heavyweight 1960, 64; World C'ship gold x 4) and writer, dies at 85
Feb 14 Doug Mountjoy, Welsh snooker player (Masters 1977; Pot Black 1978, 85; UK C'ship 1988, World C'ship 1981 runner-up), dies at 78
Feb 14 Peter Martinček van Grob, Slovakian contemporary classical composer and conductor, dies at 58
Feb 15 (Juan) "Johnny" Pacheco, Dominican-American salsa flutist, bandleader, composer, record producer and label executive (Fania Records), dies at 85 [1]
Feb 15 Leopoldo Luque, Argentine soccer striker (43 caps; River Plate), dies from COVID-19 at 71
Feb 15 Vincent Jackson, American NFL wide receiver (Pro Bowl 2009, 11, 12; SD Chargers, TB Buccaneers), dies at 38
Feb 16 Wayne Giardino, Canadian football linebacker (Grey Cup 1968, 69, 73; Ottawa Rough Riders), dies at 77
Feb 17 Doug Grisby, American soul music bassist, composer and producer (Patti LaBelle; Teena Marie), dies after suffering a stroke at 57
Feb 17 Gianluigi Saccaro, Italian fencer (Olympic gold épée team 1960; silver épée team 1964; bronze épée 1968), dies at 82
Feb 17 Martha Stewart [Haworth], American actress (In A Lonely Place; Daisy Kenyon: Doll Face), dies at 98
Feb 17 Martí Vergés, Spanish soccer midfielder (12 caps; FC Barcelona), dies at 86
Feb 17 Murray Weideman, Australian rules football CHF (Collingwood VFL premiers 1953, 58 [c]; B&F 1957, 61, 62; Victoria 1956-60) and coach (Collingwood 1975-76), dies at 85
Feb 17 Özcan Arkoç, Turkish soccer goalkeeper (9 caps; Hamburger SV) and manager (Hamburger SV, Hannover 96), dies at 81

Rush Limbaugh (1951-2021)

Feb 17 American conservative political talk radio personality, dies of lung cancer at 70

Feb 18 Carman Licciardello, American Christian music singer-songwriter ("The Champion"; "Radically Saved"), dies of post-surgical complications at 65
Feb 18 Juan Pizarro, Puerto Rican baseball pitcher (MLB All-Star 1963, 64 Chicago White Sox; World Series 1957 Milwaukee Braves), dies at 84
Feb 18 Prince Markie Dee [Mark Anthony Morales], American rapper and songwriter (Fat Boys - "Jail House Rap"; "Wipe-Out"), and actor (Disorderlies), dies at 52 [1]
Feb 20 Mauro Bellugi, Italian soccer defender (32 caps; Inter Milan, Bologna, Napoli), dies from COVID-19 at 71
Feb 20 Paolo Castaldi, Italian composer and essay writer, dies at 90
Feb 20 Stan Williams, American baseball pitcher (MLB All-Star 1960²; World Series 1959, 1990 [coach: Cincinnati Reds]; NY Yankees, LA Dodgers), dies from cardio-pulmonary illness at 84
Feb 21 Doug Wilkerson, American football guard (Pro Bowl 1980–82; First-team All-Pro 1982; SD Chargers), dies at 73
Feb 21 Zlatko Saračević, Croatian handball player (145 caps Yugoslavia, 75 Croatia; Olympic gold 1996 Croatia), dies at 59
Feb 22 Lawrence Ferlinghetti, American beat poet (Coney Island of the Mind), dies at 101 [1]
Feb 23 Art Michalik, American football linebacker / guard (All-Pro 1953; Pro Bowl 1953; San Francisco 49ers, Pittsburgh Steelers), dies at 91
Feb 23 Fausto Gresini, Italian Grand Prix motorcycle racer (125cc World C'ship 1985, 87) and team manager (Aprilia Racing, Gresini MotoGP), dies from COVID-19 at 60
Feb 23 Juan Carlos Masnik, Uruguayan soccer defender (26 caps; NY Skyliners, Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata, Nacional, NY Cosmos), dies at 77
Feb 23 Sergiu Natra [Nadler], Romanian-Israeli composer (Symphony in Red, Blue, Yellow and Green), and music professor (Tel Aviv University, 1975-85), dies at 96
Feb 23 Tormod Knutsen, Norwegian cross country skier (Olympic gold individual 1964, silver 1960), dies at 89
Feb 24 Atsushi Miyagi, Japanese tennis player (US Open doubles 1955 [with Kosei Kamo] first Japanese players to win a Grand Slam event), dies at 89
Feb 24 Gary Halpin, Irish rugby union prop (11 caps; Wanderers F.C, Leinster, London Irish, Harlequins), dies at 55
Feb 24 Peter Ostroushko, American fiddler, mandolin player, and composer (A Prairie Home Companion), dies of heart failure at 67
Feb 24 Tom Foley, Irish racehorse trainer (trainer Danoli, "the People's Champion"), dies from cancer at 74
Feb 25 Jim Johnson, Australian jockey (Melbourne Cup: Gatum Gatum 1963, Rain Lover 1968, 69), dies at 92
Feb 25 John Geddert, American gymnastics coach (US head coach London Olympic Team 2012), dies from self-inflicted gunshot wounds at 63
Feb 26 Aleksandr Klepikov, Russian rower (Olympic gold Soviet Union coxed four 1976), dies at 70
Feb 26 Hannu Mikkola, Finnish rally driver (World Rally champion 1983), dies from cancer at 78
Feb 26 John Mallard, English medical physicist (developed MRI and PET scans), dies at 94
Feb 28 Glenn Roeder, English soccer defender (QPR, Newcastle United), and manager (Watford, West Ham, Newcastle, Norwich), dies from a brain tumour at 65
Feb 28 Irv Cross, American football cornerback (Pro Bowl 1964, 65; Philadelphia Eagles) and broadcaster (CBS), dies from ischemic cardiomyopathy at 81
Feb 28 Johnny Briggs, English actor (Mike Baldwin on Coronation Street), dies at 85 [1]