Famous People Who Died in 2002

Deaths 1 - 200 of 523

Jan 11 George Jinda, Hungarian-American smooth jazz and world music percussionist (Special EFX), dies from multiple medical condition complications at 41
Jan 11 Henri Verneuil, French-Armenian playwright and film director (Mélodie en sous-sol), dies at 81
Jan 11 Struan Sutherland, Australian medical researcher (b. 1936)
Jan 12 Cyrus Vance, 57th U.S. Secretary of State (1977-80), dies at 84
Jan 12 Edward Staempfli, Swiss pianist, conductor, and composer, dies at 93
Jan 12 Stanley Unwin, South African comedian (b. 1911)
Jan 13 Frank Shuster, Canadian comedian (Wayne and Shuster), dies at 85
Jan 13 Gregorio Fuentes, Cuban fisherman, reputed model for Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea (b. 1897)
Jan 13 Kurt Brüggemann, German composer, conductor, and music educator, dies at 93
Jan 13 Ted Demme, American film director, dies at 38
Jan 15 Michael Bilandic, American lawyer, politician (Mayor of Chicago, 1976-79), and jurist (Illinois Supreme Court, 1990-2000), dies of heart failure at 78
Jan 15 Steve Gromek, American baseball player (b. 1920)
Jan 16 (Carl) "Bobo" Olson, American boxer World Middleweight Champion, 1953-55), dies at 73
Jan 16 Eddie Meduza, Swedish composer (b. 1948)
Jan 16 Robert Hanbury Brown, British-Australian astronomer and physicist (b. 1916)
Jan 16 Ron Taylor, American actor (b. 1952)
Jan 17 Bishop Karas, Sudanese-born American religious leader (b. 1955)
Jan 17 Camilo Jose Cela, Spanish writer, (Nobel Prize laureate 1989), dies at 85
Jan 17 Héctor Tosar, Uruguayan pianist and composer, dies at 78
Jan 17 Queenie Leonard, American actress (b. 1905)

Jan 18 Alex Hannum, American Basketball Hall of Fame coach (1st ABA, NBA winning coach), dies at 78
Jan 20 Carrie Hamilton, American actress (Fame), dies at 38
Jan 20 Henry Cosby, American songwriter, musician and producer for Motown ("Tears of a Clown"), dies at 73
Jan 20 Ivan Karabits, Ukrainian composer, conductor, and educator, dies at 57

Peggy Lee (1920-2002)

Jan 21 American singer ("Fever"; "Is That All There Is?"), songwriter ("Mañana"), and actress (Pete Kelly's Blues; Lady and the Tramp), dies of a heart attack at 81

Jan 22 John Shea, American 500m/1500m speed skater (Olympic gold 1932), dies at 91
Jan 22 Kenneth Armitage, English sculptor, dies at 85
Jan 22 Peter Bardens, English musician (Camel), dies of cancer at 56
Jan 22 Sheldon Allman, American-Canadian actor, singer, and songwriter (Nevada Smith, Harris Against the World), dies at 77
Jan 22 Stanley Marcus, American business executive (b. 1905)
Jan 23 Igor Kipnis, American harpsichordist, pianist, conductor, and educatordies of renal cancer at 71
Jan 23 Paul Aars, American racecar driver (b. 1934)
Jan 23 Pierre Bourdieu, French sociologist and anthropologist, dies at 71
Jan 23 Robert Nozick, American philosopher (Anarchy, State, and Utopia), dies at 63
Jan 24 Elie Hobeika, Lebanese Forces militia commander (b. 1956)
Jan 24 Kurt Schaffenberger, American comics artist (Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane), dies at 81
Jan 24 Peter Gzowski, Canadian broadcaster, writer and reporter (b. 1934)
Jan 25 Winston Place, English cricket batsman (3 Tests, 1 x 100; Lancashire CCC, MCC), dies at 87
Jan 28 Astrid Lindgren, Swedish children book author (Pippi Longstocking), dies at 94
Jan 29 Dick 'Night Train' Lane, American Pro Football HOF cornerback (7 x Pro Bowl; 7 x First-team All-Pro; LA Rams, Chicago Cardinals, Detroit Lions), dies at 74
Jan 29 Harold Russell, Canadian actor (Best Years of Our Life, Dogtown), dies from a heart attack at 88
Jan 29 James Marjoribanks, British ambassador to the European Economic Community, dies at 90
Jan 30 Carlo Karges, German guitarist and songwriter (Nena - "99 Luftballons"), dies of liver failure at 50
Jan 30 Ellis Larkins, American classically trained (1st Black student at Peabody Institute) jazz pianist (Ruby Braff), and accompanist (Ella Fitzgerald; Eartha Kitt, Mildred Bailey), dies at 79
Jan 30 Ingeborg "Inge" Morath, Austrian born Magnum photographer and wife of Arthur Miller
Jan 30 Louis Salica, American boxer (NBA World Bantamweight title 1935, 40; Olympic bronze flyweight 1932), dies at 89
Jan 31 Francis Gabreski, American fighter pilot (b. 1919)
Jan 31 Henry Kloss, American audio engineer (acoustic loudspeaker), dies at 73
Feb 1 Hildegard Knef, German actress, singer, and writer (Touch of Class; Mozambique), dies at 76
Feb 1 Irish McCalla, American actress & artist (Sheena Queen of Jungle), dies of a brain tumor and stroke complications at 73
Feb 2 Claude Brown, American writer (b. 1937)
Feb 2 Paul Baloff, American singer (Exodus) (b. 1960)
Feb 4 George Nader, American actor (Robot Monster, Away All Boats), dies at 80
Feb 6 John R. Farndon, British surgeon and professor, dies at 53
Feb 6 Max Perutz, Austrian molecular biologist, Nobel laureate (b. 1914)
Feb 8 Eldon Rudd, American politician (Rep-R-AZ, 1977-87), dies at 81
Feb 8 Joachim Hoffmann, German historian (b. 1930)
Feb 8 Ong Teng Cheong, President of Singapore (b. 1936)
Feb 9 Margaret Rose, Countess of Snowdon, Sister of Queen Elizabeth II, dies of a stroke at 71
Feb 9 Vicente Sardinero, Spanish operatic lyric baritone, dies at 65
Feb 10 Dave Van Ronk, American folk singer and songwriter, dies at 65
Feb 10 Traudl Junge, German secretary to Adolf Hitler, dies at 81
Feb 11 Barry Foster, British actor (b. 1931)
Feb 11 Frankie Crosetti, American baseball shortstop and 3rd base coach (record 17 World Series titles as player & coach; NY Yankees), dies from complications of a fall at 91
Feb 13 Pauline Trigère, French-American fashion designer (Bell Bottoms), dies at 93

Waylon Jennings (1937-2002)

Feb 13 American country singer and guitarist ("I'm A Ramblin' Man"), dies of diabetic complications at 64

Feb 14 Mick Tucker, English rock drummer (Sweet - "Ballroom Blitz"), dies of leukemia at 54
Feb 14 Nándor Hidegkuti, Hungarian footballer (b. 1922)
Feb 15 Howard K. Smith, American print and broadcast journalist, dies from pneumonia at 87

Kevin Smith (1963-2002)

Feb 15 New Zealand actor (Ares-Hercules), dies at 38 after falling from a prop tower

Feb 16 Billy Ward, American singer and songwriter (Billy Ward and his Dominoes), dies at 80
Feb 16 Walter Winterbottom, England soccer manager (first manager England national football team 1946–62; FA Director of Coaching), dies at 88
Feb 18 Nathan Perelman, Soviet Russian pianist and pedagogue, dies at 95
Feb 19 Sylvia Rivera, American gay liberation and transgender activist and drag queen, dies of liver cancer at 50
Feb 20 Stephen Longstreet, American writer (All or Nothing), dies at 94
Feb 21 A. L. [Audrey] Barker, English writer, dies at 83
Feb 21 Harold Furth, Austrian-American physicist, dies at 72
Feb 21 Harold Pruett, American actor (Sybil, Embrace of the Vampire), dies of a drug overdose at 32
Feb 21 John Thaw, British stage and screen actor (Inspector Morse), dies of cancer at 60
Feb 22 Charles "Chuck" Jones, American animator and cartoonist best known for his work with Warner Bros. (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Wile E. Coyote, Road Runner, Porky Pig), dies of congestive heart failure at 89
Feb 22 Daniel Pearl, American journalist (b. 1963)
Feb 22 Jonas Savimbi, Angolan revolutionary politician and military leader who founded the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), dies in combat with Angolan government troops at 67
Feb 22 Poncke Princen, Dutch anti-Nazi fighter, colonial soldier and human rights activist, dies at 76
Feb 22 Roden Cutler, Australian diplomat and Governor (New South Wales), dies at 85
Feb 24 Arthur Lyman, American jazz vibraphone and marimba player (b. 1932)
Feb 24 Leo Ornstein, Russian-American composer and pianist, (born about 1893)
Feb 26 Lawrence Tierney, American actor (Abduction, Dillinger, Reservoir Dogs), dies of pneumonia at 82
Feb 26 Oskar Sala, German physicist, composer, electronic music pioneer, and Trautonium (an early synthesizer) player, dies at 91

Spike Milligan (1918-2002)

Feb 27 Irish-British actor and comedian (The Goon Show, 3 Musketeers), dies of kidney failure at 83

Feb 28 Helmut Zacharias, German violinist and composer, dies at 82
Feb 28 Mary Stuart, American actress (Jo-Search for Tomorrow), dies at 75
Mar 2 Halfdan Rasmussen, Danish poet (wrote about social issues and nonsense verse for children), dies at 87
Mar 3 Harlan Howard, American country music songwriter ("I Fall To Pieces"; "Busted"; "Too Many Rivers"), dies at 74
Mar 4 Claire Davenport, English actress (The Elephant Man), dies at 68
Mar 4 Elyne Mitchell, Australian author (b. 1913)
Mar 4 Eric Flynn, British actor and singer (b. 1939)
Mar 4 Velibor Vasović, Yugoslavian footballer (b. 1939)
Mar 6 Alice Bauer, American golfer (co-founder LPGA), dies of colon cancer at 74
Mar 6 Bryan Fogarty, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1969)
Mar 7 Abdul Mati [Matias Klarwein], French artist known for his works used on music album covers (Santana's Abraxus; Miles Davis' Bitches Brew; Osibisa's Heads; Jon Hassel's Dream Theory), dies at 69
Mar 9 Normand Lockwood, American composer (The Closing Doxology; The Hanging Judge), and educator, dies at 95
Mar 11 James Tobin, American economist, Nobel laureate (b. 1918)
Mar 12 Jean-Paul Riopelle, Quebec painter and sculptor (b. 1923)
Mar 12 John "Speedy" Keen, British musician, songwriter, producer (Thunderclap Newman - "Something in the Air"), dies of heart failure at 56
Mar 12 Spyros Kyprianou, Cypriot politician (b. 1932)
Mar 13 Hans-Georg Gadamer, German philosopher (Truth and Method), dies at 102
Mar 14 Cherry Wilder [Cherry Barbara Grimm], New Zealand sci-fi author (Nearest Fire), dies at 71
Mar 15 Marshall Leib [Leibovitz], American pop singer (Teddy Bears - "To Know Him Is To Love Him"), and record producer, dies of a heart attack at 62
Mar 17 Luise Rinser, German writer (Prison Journal), dies at 90
Mar 17 Pat Weaver, American broadcast executive (b. 1908)
Mar 17 Paul Runyan, American golfer (PGA C'ship 1934, 38; Ryder Cup 1933, 35), dies at 93
Mar 17 Rosetta LeNoire, American actress (Family Matters, The Brother from Another Planet), dies from diabetes at 90
Mar 18 Gösta Winbergh, Swedish tenor, dies at 58
Mar 18 R. A. Lafferty, American sci-fi writer (Devil is Dead), dies at 87
Mar 21 Herman Talmadge, American politician (70th Governor of Georgia), dies at 88
Mar 23 Ben Hollioake, English cricketer (b. 1977)
Mar 23 Eileen Farrell, American soprano (I Got A Right To Sing The Blues; Metropolitan Opera, 1960-66) and film voice (Interrupted Melody), dies at 82
Mar 24 César Milstein, Argentine biochemist (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1984), dies at 74
Mar 25 Kenneth Wolstenholme, British BBC football commentator, dies at 81
Mar 26 (Randolpho) Randy Castillo, American rock and mariachi drummer (Ozzy Osbourne; Mötley Crüe; Azul), dies of cancer at 51
Mar 26 Joe Schermie [Schermetzler], American bass player (Three Dog Night - "Joy to the World"), dies of a heart attack at 56

Billy Wilder (1906-2002)

Mar 27 Austrian-American filmmaker (Stalag 17: Some Like It Hot; The Lost Weekend; The Apartment), dies of pneumonia at 95

Dudley Moore (1935-2002)

Mar 27 English comedian, actor (10; Arthur; Bedazzled), jazz pianist, and composer, dies of progressive supranuclear palsy and pneumonia at 66

Milton Berle (1908-2002)

Mar 27 American comedian and TV host (Uncle Miltie, Mr Television), dies at 93

Mar 29 Rachel Levy and Ayat al-Akhras, Israeli and Palestinian children
Mar 29 Rico Yan, Philippine film & TV actor (Gimik), dies of acute pancreatitis at 27
Mar 30 Anand Bakshi, Indian poet and lyricist, dies of multiple organ failure at 72

Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (1900-2002)

Mar 30 British consort of King George VI and Queen Mother after his death, dies at 101

Mar 31 Barry Took, British comedian (b. 1928)
Mar 31 Lucio San Pedro, Filipino composer ("Sa Ugoy ng Duyan"), dies at 89
Apr 1 Simo Hayha, Finnish marksman (b. 1905)
Apr 2 Henry Slesar, American writer and playwright (The Edge of Night), dies at 74
Apr 2 Jack Kruschen, Canadian character actor (The Apartment, Busting Loose), dies at 80
Apr 3 Fad Gadget [Francis Tovey], English singer and musician, dies of a heart attack at 45
Apr 4 Harry L. O'Connor, Czech film stuntman
Apr 5 Layne Staley, American rock singer and guitarist (Alice in Chains - Dirt), dies at 34
Apr 7 John Agar, American actor (Sands of Iwo Jima, Fort Apache), dies at 81
Apr 8 María Félix, Mexican actress (Doña Bárbara), dies at 88
Apr 9 Leopold Vietoris, Austrian mathematician (b. 1891)
Apr 9 Pat Flaherty, American auto racer (Indianapolis 500, 1956), dies from cancer at 76
Apr 13 Desmond Titterington, Northern Irish racecar driver, dies at 73
Apr 15 Byron "Whizzer" White, American football player & U.S. Supreme Court Justice, dies at 84
Apr 15 Damon Francis Knight, American sci-fi author (CV, Beyond the Barrier), dies at 79
Apr 15 William Leonard "Will" Reed, British pianist and composer, dies at 91
Apr 16 Robert Urich, American actor (Spenser: For Hire), dies of cancer at 55
Apr 16 Ruth Fertel, American restaurateur (Ruth's Chris Steak House in Louisiana), dies at 75

Thor Heyerdahl (1914-2002)

Apr 18 Norwegian anthropologist and explorer (Kon Tiki, Aku-Aku), dies of a brain tumor at 87

Apr 18 Wahoo McDaniel, American football player & professional wrestler, dies at 63
Apr 20 Alan Dale, American singer (Alan Dale Show), dies at 76
Apr 23 Manfred Bieler, German writer (The Rabbit is Me), dies at 67
Apr 25 Indra Devi, yoga teacher (b. 1899)

Lisa Lopes (1971-2002)

Apr 25 American singer (TLC), dies in a car crash at 30

Apr 25 Michael Bryant, British actor (Sakharov, Girly), dies at 74
Apr 26 Del Sharbutt, American radio and TV announcer (Your Hit Parade), dies at 90
Apr 26 Robert Steinhäuser, German spree killer, dies at 19
Apr 27 George Alec Effinger, American author, dies at 55
Apr 27 Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza, Dutch-Swiss industrialist, dies at 81
Apr 27 Ruth Handler, American toy manufacturer (invented the Barbie doll), dies of cancer at 85
Apr 28 Alexander Lebed, Russian general, dies at 52

Lou Thesz (1916-2002)

Apr 28 American professional wrestler, dies at 86

Apr 29 Bob Akin, American industrialist and race car driver (b. 1936)
Apr 29 Fernando Pessa, Portuguese journalist, dies at 100
Apr 29 Lor Tok [Sawong Supsamruay], Thai comedian and actor (Ngern, Ngern, Ngern), dies at 88
Apr 30 Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, founder of the Gründerzeit Museum in Berlin-Mahlsdorf. (b. 1928)
Apr 30 Leslie Melville, Australian economist and public servant who helped develop the country's central banking system, dies at 100
May 2 John Nathan-Turner, English television producer (b. 1947)
May 2 W. T. Tutte, English-born codebreaker (b. 1917)
May 3 Barbara Castle, British politician (b. 1910)
May 3 Evgeny Svetlanov, Russian conductor (USSR State Symphony, 1965-2000; Residentie Orchestra 1992-2000), pianist, and composer (Siberian Fantasy), dies at 73
May 4 Dane Škerl, Slovene conductor, composer (Rhapsodic Symphony), and teacher, dies at 70
May 5 George Sidney, American film director (b. 1916)
May 5 Hugo Banzer, Bolivian dictator (b. 1926)
May 5 Paul Klipsch, American engineer, noted for his loudspeaker designs, dies at 98
May 6 (Whilhelmus) "Pim" Fortuyn, Dutch writer, politician, academic, and founder of right-wing political party (Lijst Pim Fortuyn or LPF), assassinated at 54
May 6 Murray Adaskin, Canadian violinist, composer, conductor (Saskatoon Symphony), and teacher (University of Saskatchewan), dies at 96
May 6 Otis Blackwell, American songwriter ("Fever"; "Don't Be Cruel"; "Great Balls Of Fire"; All Shook Up"), dies of a heart attack at 70
May 6 Saleh Selim, Egyptian football midfielder (10 caps; Al-Ahly Cairo SC 354 games) and executive (President Al-Ahly SC 1980-88, 1992-2002), dies at 71
May 7 Kevyn Aucoin, American makeup artist and photographer, dies of the effects of acetaminophen toxicity at 40

Seattle Slew (1974-2002)

May 7 American racehorse (American Triple Crown 1977), dies at 28

May 7 Xavier Montsalvatge, Spanish composer (El gato con botas), dies at 90
May 9 Dan Devine, American football coach, dies at 77
May 9 Leon Stein, American composer, dies at 81
May 10 David Riesman, American sociologist (Lonely Crowd), dies at 92
May 10 George Cates, American composer and orchestra leader (Lawrence Welk Show), dies at 90

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