Famous People Who Died in 2009

Deaths 1 - 200 of 585

Jan 6 Vivienne Della Chiesa, American lyric soprano who sang on US radio during the 1940s and early 1950s (The American Album of Familiar Music, The Standard Hour), dies at 93
Jan 8 Don Galloway, American actor (Arrest & Trial, Ironside), dies at 71
Jan 8 Richard John Neuhaus, Canadian-American Christian writer and editor (b. 1936)
Jan 9 Dave Dee [Harman], British pop singer-songwriter, and guitarist (Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich), dies of cancer at 67
Jan 9 T. Llew Jones, Welsh author (b. 1915)
Jan 10 Bill Stone, British serviceman; one of the last surviving veterans of World War I, dies at 108
Jan 10 Jean Pelletier, French Canadian politician (Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister, 1993–2001; Mayor of Quebec, 1977-89), dies of colon cancer at 73
Jan 10 Sidney Wood Jr, American tennis player (Wimbledon 1931), dies at 97
Jan 11 David Vine, British sports broadcaster (BBC Match of the Day, World Snooker C'ships, Olympics coverage), dies of a heart attack at 74
Jan 11 Tom O'Horgan, American musical theater director (Hair; Jesus Christ Superstar), dies from complications of Alzheimer's disease at 84
Jan 11 Vivian Ridler, British scholar and printer (Oxford University), dies at 95
Jan 12 Arne Næss, Norwegian philosopher (b. 1912)
Jan 12 Claude Berri, French actor, director and screenwriter, dies at 74
Jan 12 Russ Conway, Canadian-American character actor (Richard Diamond Private Eye), dies at 95
Jan 13 Doña Mary Ejercito, Filipino supercentarian, mother of Philippine President Joseph Ejercito Estrada, dies at 102

Jan 13 Hortense Calisher, American novelist (President of the American Academy of Arts and Letters), dies at 97
Jan 13 Mansour Rahbani, Lebanese composer, lyricist, and poet, dies of pneumonia at 83
Jan 13 Nancy Bird Walton, Australian aviator, dies at 93
Jan 13 Patrick McGoohan, American-born Irish actor, writer, and director (The Prisoner; Secret Agent/ Danger Man), dies at 80
Jan 13 William D.W. Snodgrass, American Pulitzer Prize-winning poet (Heart's Needle), also wrote using pseudonym S. S. Gardons, dies at 83
Jan 14 Jan Kaplický, British architect of Czech origin, dies at 71
Jan 14 Ricardo Montalbán, Mexican actor (Fantasy Island, Star Trek II, Naked Gun), dies of congestive heart failure at 88
Jan 16 Andrew Wyeth, American realist painter (Christina's World), dies at 91
Jan 16 Joe Erskine, American boxer and long distance runner (b. 1930)
Jan 16 John Mortimer, English barrister, screenwriter and author (A Voyage Round My Father), dies at 85
Jan 17 Anders Isaksson, Swedish journalist, writer, and historian (b. 1943)
Jan 18 Bob May, American actor (b. 1939)
Jan 18 Grigore Vieru, Romanian poet (b. 1935)
Jan 18 Kathleen Byron, British actress (Abdication, Profile, Saving Private Ryan), dies of breast cancer at 88
Jan 18 Tony Hart, English artist and television presenter (Take Hart, Hartbeat), dies at 83

Jan 19 José Torres, Puerto Rican boxer (world light-heavyweight champion), dies of a heart attack at 72
Jan 20 Dante Lavelli, American Pro Football HOF end (NFL C'ship 1950, 54, 55 Cleveland Browns; First-team All-Pro 1953; 3 × Pro Bowl), dies at 85
Jan 20 David "Fathead" Newman, American jazz saxophonist (Ray Charles - "The Right Time"), dies of pancreatic cancer at 75
Jan 20 Sheila O'Nions Walsh (aka Sheila Walsh, Sophie Leyton), English romance writer (b. 1928)
Jan 20 Stan Hagen, Canadian politician (b. 1940)
Jan 20 Stéphanos II Ghattas, Patriarch Emeritus of Alexandria for the Coptic Catholic Church (b. 1920)
Jan 21 Pat Crawford, Australian cricketer (Australian pace bowler 1956), dies at 75
Jan 22 Billy Werber, American baseball third baseman (World Series 1940; AL stolen base leader 1934, 35, 37; Cincinnati Reds), dies at 100
Jan 23 George Perle, American composer (12 Tone Tonality), dies at 93
Jan 23 Robert W. Scott, American politician, governor of North Carolina (b. 1929)
Jan 24 Diane Holland, British actress and dancer (Crossroads - "Sarah"; Hi-de-Hi! - "Yvonne"), dies of bronchial pneumonia at 78
Jan 24 Gérard Blanc, French pop singer ("Une Autre Histoire"), dies at 61
Jan 24 Kay Yow, North Carolina State Univ. women's basketball head coach (b. 1942)
Jan 24 Leonard Gaskin, American jazz bassist (Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis), dies at 88
Jan 24 Reg Gutteridge, British Boxing Journalist (b. 1924)
Jan 25 Kim Manners, American television producer and director (b. 1951)
Jan 27 John Updike, American Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist (Rabbit' Run; Rabbit is Rich; Rabbit at Rest), and poet, dies of lung cancer at 76
Jan 27 R. [Ramaswamy] Venkataraman, Indian politician, eighth President of India, dies at 98
Jan 28 Arthur Jenkins, Jr., American jazz and pop session and touring keyboardist, composer, and arranger (Johnny Nash; Harry Belafonte; John Lennon; Roberta Flack), dies at 72

Jan 28 Billy Powell, American musician and keyboardist (Lynyrd Skynyrd - "That Smell"; "Freebird"), dies at 56
Jan 29 (Bennie Ross) "Hank" Crawford, American saxophonist, arranger and songwriter (Help Me Make It Through the Night), dies of complications from a stroke at 74
Jan 29 Alfred Mabbs, British Archivist (Public Records Office), dies at 87
Jan 29 Bill Frindall, English cricket scorer and statistician (BBC, "the Bearded Wonder"), dies from Legionnaires' disease at 69
Jan 29 Hélio Gracie, Brazilian martial artist, co-founder and 'Godfather' of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, dies at 95
Jan 29 John Martyn [Iain McGeachy], British folk-rock-blues singer-songwriter, and guitarist ("May You Never"), dies due to acute respiratory distress syndrome at 60
Jan 30 Hans Beck, German inventor, "The Father of Playmobil", dies at 79

Ingemar Johansson (1932-2009)

Jan 30 Swedish heavyweight professional boxing champion of the world, dies at 76

Jan 31 Dewey Martin, Canadian rock drummer (Buffalo Springfield - "For What It's Worth"), dies at 68
Jan 31 Erland von Koch, Swedish composer, dies at 98
Jan 31 Nagesh, Indian comedian actor in Kollywood (b. 1933)
Jan 31 Thérèse Lavoie-Roux, French Canadian politician (Senator from Quebec, 1990-2001; Minister of Health and Social Services, 1985-89), dies at 80
Feb 1 Frankie Ervin, American R&B singer (The Three Blazers -"Dragnet Blues"; The Shields -"You Cheated"), dies at 82
Feb 1 Jay Uzzell, American R&B singer (Corsairs), dies at 66
Feb 1 Lukas Foss [Fuchs], German-American pianist, conductor and composer (Prairie), dies at 86
Feb 3 Max Neuhaus, American classical musician and experimental percussionist (sound sculptures), dies of cancer at 69
Feb 3 Sheng-yen, Buddhist monk and founder of Dharma Drum Mountain. (b. 1930)
Feb 4 Lux Interior [Erick Lee Purkhiser], American punk rock singer (The Cramps), dies of a heart attack at 62
Feb 4 Steve Dullaghan, British bass guitarist (The Primitives - "Crash"), dies of cannabis intoxication at 45
Feb 6 James Whitmore, American actor (The Shawshank Redemption, Give 'em Hell Harry), dies of lung cancer at 87
Feb 6 Phil Carey, American actor (One Life to Live), dies at 83
Feb 7 Betty Jameson, American golfer (US Open 1947, Western Open 1942, 54), dies at 89
Feb 7 Blossom Dearie, American jazz singer and pianist, dies of natural causes at 84
Feb 7 Brian Naylor (broadcaster), Australian television presenter (b. 1931)
Feb 8 Marian Cozma, Romanian handball player (Romania 60 caps), dies of stab wounds at 26
Feb 9 Eluana Englaro, an Italian woman who lived in a persistent vegetative state for 17 years (b. 1970)
Feb 9 Robert Anderson, American writer (Tea & Sympathy, I Never Sang for My Father), dies at 91
Feb 9 Vic Lewis, British jazz guitarist, bandleader, composer, and artist manager (NEMS), and cricket club owner, dies at 89
Feb 10 Jeremy Lusk, American freestyle motocross racer (b. 1984)
Feb 11 Estelle Bennett, American pop singer (The Ronettes - "Be My Baby"), dies at 67
Feb 11 Marina Svetlova, American ballerina and choreographer (Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo), dies at 86
Feb 11 Peter Leng, British Army officer (Master General of the Ordnance, Command of the British Army forces in Northern Ireland), dies at 83
Feb 11 Willem J. Kolff, Dutch-American Physician and Biomedical Engineer (artificial kidney, hemodialysis), dies at 97
Feb 12 Lis Hartel, Danish equestrian rider (Olympic silver individual dressage 1952, 56; permanently paralyzed her below her knees from polio), dies at 87
Feb 13 Gianna Maria Canale, Italian actress (Go For Broke), dies at 81
Feb 14 Bernard Ashley, English businessperson, fashion designer and co-founder of Laura Ashley, dies of cancer at 82
Feb 14 Louie Bellson, American jazz drummer and orchestra leader (Pearl Bailey Show), dies at 84
Feb 15 Dr. Diether H. Haenicke, university president (b. 1935)
Feb 15 Joe Cuba [Gilberto Calderón], Puerto-Rican-American salsa and boogaloo conga player and bandleader, dies at 77
Feb 16 Stephen Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan, Korean Cardinal, Protopriest of the Holy Roman Church (b. 1921)
Feb 17 Conchita Cintrón, Chilean bullfighter (b. 1922)
Feb 17 Gazanfer Özcan, Turkish actor (b. 1931)
Feb 18 (Fird) "Snooks" Eaglin, American blues and R&B guitarist and singer, dies at 72
Feb 18 Al-Tayyib Salih, Sudanese novelist and columnist (b. 1929)
Feb 18 Miika Tenkula, Finnish heavy metal guitarist and songwriter (Sentenced), dies of a heart attack at 34
Feb 18 Ronald Dearing, British civil servant and chairman (British Post Office), dies of cancer at 78
Feb 19 Kelly Groucutt, British rock bass guitarist and vocalist (Electric Light Orchestra; ELO II; The Orchestra), dies of a heart attack at 63
Feb 20 Larry H. Miller, American businessman and owner of NBA's Utah Jazz, died of complications from type-2 diabetes at 64
Feb 22 Günter Kochan, German composer, dies at 78
Feb 25 Ian Carr, Scottish jazz musician (Nucleus), dies after suffering Alzheimer's disease at 75
Feb 25 Ivan Cameron, son of David Cameron UK politician
Feb 25 Philip José Farmer, American sci-fi writer (Riverworld), dies aged 91
Feb 26 Johnny Kerr, American basketball forward (NBA All-Star 1956, 59, 63; Syracuse Nats/Philadelphia 76ers), coach (Chicago Bulls, Phoenix Suns) and broadcaster (Chicago Bulls), dies of prostate cancer at 76
Feb 26 Norm Van Lier, American basketball point guard (NBA All-Star 1974, 76, 77; Chicago Bulls) and broadcaster (Comcast SportsNet), dies at 61
Feb 26 Wendy Richard, English actress (EastEnders), dies of cancer at 65
Feb 28 Miguel Serrano, Chilean author, diplomat and fascist (Esoteric Hitlerism), dies at 91

Paul Harvey (1918-2009)

Feb 28 American news commentator and radio broadcaster (The Rest of the Story), dies at 90

Mar 1 Carolyn Cudone, American golfer (US Senior Women's Amateur 1968-72; most consecutive wins in any USGA championship), dies at 90
Mar 1 Ken Henry, American speed skater (Olympic gold 500m, 1952), dies at 80
Mar 2 Chris Finnegan, British boxer (Olympic gold middleweight 1968), dies of pneumonia at 64
Mar 2 João Bernardo "Nino" Vieira, Bissau-Guinean politician (President of Guinea-Bissau, 1980-99 & 2005-09), killed by army after his military rival's death in a bombing at 69
Mar 3 Sydney Chaplin, American actor and son of Charlie Chaplin (Limelight, Adding Machine), dies at 82
Mar 4 George McAfee, American College-Pro Football HOF utility (Duke University; NFL C'ship 1940, 41, 46; First-team All-Pro & NFL All-Star 1941; Chicago Bears), dies at 90
Mar 4 Harry Parkes, English soccer fullback (Aston Villa 320 games), dies at 89
Mar 4 Horton Foote, American screenwriter (To Kill a Mockingbird; Tender Mercies), and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright (The Young Man from Atlanta), dies at 92
Mar 4 John Cephas, American Piedmont blues guitarist (Cephas & Wiggins), dies of pulmonary at 78
Mar 4 Joseph Bloch, American concert pianist and professor of piano literature (b. 1917)
Mar 4 Patricia De Martelaere, Flemish writer (b. 1957)
Mar 4 Salvatore Samperi, Italian film director (b 1944)
Mar 4 Triztán Vindtorn, Norwegian poet and performance artist (b. 1942)
Mar 6 David Williams, American R&B, pop and rock session and touring guitarist (Michael Jackson; Madonna; Rod Stewart; Bryan Ferry), dies of cardiac arrest following a stroke at 58
Mar 6 Francis Magalona, Filipino Pinoy hip-hop rapper, songwriter, and television personality (Eat Bulaga!, 1995-2009), dies of leukemia at 44
Mar 6 Henri Pousseur, Belgian composer (Votre Faust), dies of bronchial pneumonia at 79
Mar 6 Susan Tsvangirai, wife of Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, dies in a car crash at 50
Mar 7 Jang Ja-yeon, South Korean actress, commits suicide at 29
Mar 8 Ali Bongo [William Oliver Wallace], British comedy musician and magician (President of The Magic Circle - Shriek of Araby), dies at 79
Mar 8 Zbigniew Religa, Minister of Health of the Republic of Poland (b. 1938)
Mar 10 Denis Begbie, South African cricketer (South African batsman in five Tests 1948-50), dies at 94
Mar 11 Charles Lewis, Jr., American businessman, promoter and entertainer
Mar 12 Leonore Annenberg, American diplomat and philanthropist (Chief of protocol for Ronald Reagan), dies at 91
Mar 13 Betsy Blair [Elizabeth Boger], American actress (Marty, A Double Life), dies at 85
Mar 13 James Purdy, American author (Malcolm), dies at 94
Mar 13 Test [Andrew Martin], Canadian professional wrestler (WWF/WWE), dies of an accidental overdose of the prescription pain medication oxycodone at 33
Mar 14 Alain Bashung, French singer, songwriter, comedian and actor, dies of cancer at 61
Mar 14 Altovise Davis [née Gore], American entertainer, best known as Sammy Davis Jr.'s third wife, dies from stroke complications at 65
Mar 15 Ron Silver, American actor (Reversal of Fortune, Timecop), dies of cancer at 62
Mar 16 Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton, American Appalachian moonshiner, bootlegger, and how-to book author (Me and My Likker), takes his own life at 62
Mar 17 Clodovil Hernandes, Brazilian politician and TV host (b. 1937)
Mar 17 Whitey Lockman, American baseball player, dies at 82

Natasha Richardson (1963-2009)

Mar 18 English actress (Gothic, Handmaid's Tale), dies of a traumatic brain injury at 45

Mar 19 Gertrud Fussenegger, Austrian writer (Mohrenlegende), dies at 96
Mar 19 Ion Dolănescu, Romanian singer and politician (b. 1944)
Mar 20 Mel Brown, American-Canadian blues guitarist and singer (Eighteen Pounds of Unclean Chitlings), dies of complications from emphysema at 69
Mar 21 Walt Poddubny, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1960)
Mar 22 Howard Komives, American NBA star (NY Knicks, Buffalo Braves), dies at 67
Mar 22 Jade Goody, English reality TV Star and Entrepreneur, dies of cancer at 27
Mar 22 Leon Walker, Wakefield Wildcats Rugby Player (b. 1988)
Mar 23 Raúl Macías, A famous Mexican boxer (b. 1934)
Mar 24 George Kell, American Baseball HOF third baseman (10 x MLB All-Star; AL batting champion 1949; Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox), dies at 86
Mar 24 Martin Brozius, Dutch actor (Goede Tijden Slechte Tijden), dies at 67
Mar 24 Uriel Jones, American jazz and session drummer (Motown's Funk Brothers), dies from complications of a heart attack at 74
Mar 25 "England" Dan [Seals], American pop and country singer (England Dan & John Ford Coley - "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight"), dies of cancer at 61
Mar 25 Gábor Ocskay, Hungarian hockey player (b. 1975)
Mar 25 Giovanni Parisi, Italian boxer (b. 1967)
Mar 25 John Hope Franklin, American historian (From Slavery to Freedom, 1995 Presidential Medal of Freedom), dies at 94
Mar 25 Johnny Blanchard, American baseball player (b. 1933)
Mar 25 Kosuke Koyama, Japanese theologian (b. 1929)
Mar 25 Yukio Endo, Japanese gymnast (4 Olympic gold 1960, 64), dies of Esophageal cancer at 72
Mar 27 Irving R. Levine, American journalist (NBC News), dies at 86
Mar 27 Jack Dreyfus, American businessman (b. 1913)
Mar 29 Andy Hallett, American actor and singer (b.1975)
Mar 29 Gerrit Viljoen, South African politician (Chair of the Broederbond), dies at 82
Mar 29 Maurice Jarre, French Academy and Grammy Award-winning film composer (Lawrence Of Arabia; Doctor Zhivago; Witness; Fatal Attraction), dies at 84
Mar 30 Andrea Mead-Lawrence, American alpine skier (Olympic gold slalom, giant slalom 1952), dies of leiomyosarcoma at 76
Mar 30 Herman Franks, American baseball manager (SF Giants 1965–68, Chicago Cubs 1977–79) and coach (World Series 1954 NY Giants), dies at 95
Mar 31 Jarl Alfredius, Swedish news anchor (b. 1943)
Mar 31 Raúl Alfonsín, President of Argentina (1983-89), dies of lung cancer at 82
Apr 2 Clifford “Bud” Shank, American jazz saxophonist and flute player, dies of a pulmonary embolism at 82
Apr 2 Frank Springer, American comics artist (The Adventures of Phoebe Zeit-Geist), dies at 79
Apr 2 Peter Anderson, English footballer (Plymouth Argyle), dies at 72
Apr 5 George Tribe, Australian cricket spin bowler (3 Tests; Northamptonshire; 66 VFL games Footscray), dies at 88
Apr 6 Shawn Mackay, Brumbies rugby player (b. 1982)
Apr 7 Dave Arneson, American game designer (Dungeons & Dragons), dies of cancer at 61
Apr 7 Philip Moore [Lord Moore of Wolvercote], British Private Secretary to Queen Elizabeth II, dies at 88
Apr 8 Herbie Lovelle, America drummer, studio musician (Hot Lips Page) and actor (Law & Order), dies at 85
Apr 8 Lennie Bennett [Michael Berry], British comedian and TV game show host (Lucky Ladders), dies at 70
Apr 8 Wally Baker, American supercentenarian, dies at 111
Apr 9 Nick Adenhart, American baseball player, dies at 22
Apr 9 Randy Cain, American soul singer (4 Gents; Delfonics - "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)"), dies at 63
Apr 10 Deborah Digges, American poet (b. 1950)
Apr 10 Henk Hoekstra, Dutch politician (Dutch Communist Party), dies at 84
Apr 10 Richard Arnell, English classical composer, dies at 91
Apr 11 Corín Tellado, Spanish romance novelist, sold the most books in Spanish (400 million), dies at 81
Apr 12 Edward Harper, English composer and pianist, dies at 68
Apr 12 John Maddox, British science writer and editor (Nature), dies at 83