Recent deaths
The following is a list of famous people (and animals) who have died recently.
December 2003
- 31 Yoshio Shirai, 80, first Japanese world boxing champion
- 30 John Gregory Dunne, 71, American novelist and screenwriter
- 30 Anita Mui, 40, Hong Kong pop queen
- 29 Earl Hindman, 61, U.S. actor, played "Wilson" on Home Improvement TV series
- 29 Bob Monkhouse, 75, British comedian and game show host
- 28 Isabelle Stevenson, chairman of the board of the American Theatre Wing, presenters of the Tony Awards. [1]
- 27 Ivan Calderon, (41 years) Puerto Rican former major league baseball star
- 27 Sir Alan Bates, British actor
- 20 John Halfpenny Australian unionist (68 years)
- 19 Hope Lange, actress in Peyton Place
- 19 Peter Carter-Ruck UK libel lawyer (89 years)
- 17 Ed Devereaux, Australian actor
- 17 Otto Graham, Cleveland Browns football quarterback during the 1950s (82 years)
- 16 Gary Stewart, Country music singer (suicide, age 58)
- 16 Robert Stanfield, Canadian politician
- 15 Keith Magnuson, former National Hockey League player (car accident, 56 years)
- 15 George Fisher, U.S. political cartoonist
- 14 Jeanne Crain, Oscar-nominated actress (78 years)
- 14 Blas Ople, foreign minister of the Philippines (75 years)
- 13 William V. Roth, Jr, former U.S. Senator, known for Kemp-Roth Tax Cut and Roth IRA.
- 12 Keiko, orca of Reino Aventura and Free Willy fame (27 years)
- 12 Heydar Aliyev, former President of Azerbaijan (80 years)
- 12 Fadwa Toukan, Palestinian poet (86 years)
- 12 Earl Gillespie, sportscaster, voice of the Milwaukee Braves (81 years)
- 11 Ahmadou Kourouma, author from Côte d'Ivoire
- 11 John W. Sidgmore, former head of Worldcom and UUNet
- 11 Paulos Tzadua, Roman Catholic cardinal from Ethiopia
- 9 Paul Simon, former U.S. Senator from Illinois (75 years)
- 8 Rubén González, Cuban pianist, member of the Buena Vista Social Club (84 years)
- 8 Johnny Bulla, golfer (89 years)
- 7 Raúl Vale, Venezuelan-Mexican entertainer (59 years)
- 7 Carl F. H. Henry, American Evangelical theologian, founder of Christianity Today magazine (90 years)
- 7 Azie Taylor Morton, former Treasurer of the United States (67 years)
- 6 Jose-Maria Jimenez, professional bicycle rider (32 years)
- 6 Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio, President of Guatemala 1970-74 (85 years)
- 6 Jerry Tuite, professional wrestler (36 years)
- 5 Bert Templeton, ice hockey coach (63 years)
- 3 David Hemmings, actor
- 2 Ignaz Kiechle, German politician, minister for agriculture 1983-93
- 1 Clark Kerr, first Chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, 1952-58, and President of the University of California, 1958-67 (92 years)
November 2003
- 30 Barber B. Conable, New York Congressman, president of the World Bank from 1986-1991 (81 years)
- 30 Gertrude Ederle, first woman to swim the English Channel (97 years)
- 28 Harold von Braunhut, American, creator of Amazing Sea Monkeys and Ku Klux Klan and Aryan Nations member
- 27 Talal al-Rasheed, Saudi poet (41 years?)
- 27 Will Quadflieg, German actor
- 26 Stefan Wul, French sf writer (81 years)
- 26 Soulja Slim, rapper
- 26 Anton Burg, USC chemistry professor (99 years)
- 26 William H. Waldren, archaeologist (79 years)
- 24 Hugh Kenner, literary critic (80 years)
- 24 Warren Spahn, baseball pitcher (82 years)
- 24 Floquet de Neu or Copito de Nieve ("Snowflake"), rare albino gorilla, star of the Barcelona zoo [1]
- 24 Uma Devi, popularly known as Tuntun, Indian actress (80 years)
- 21 Bohumil Simon, one of the leaders of the Prague Spring (83 years)
- 20 David Dacko, first president of the Central African Republic (73 years)
- 20 Robert Addie, British actor (43 years)
- 20 Eugene Kleiner, entrepreneur and co-founder of Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers venture capital firm (80 years)
- 20 Roger Short, British diplomat, consul-general in Istanbul (58 years)
- 20 Kerem Yilmazer, Turkish actor (58 years)
- 19 Ken Brett, former Major League Baseball player, brother of George Brett. (55 years)
- 18 Michael Kamen, composer
- 17 Arthur Conley, soul singer
- 17 Don Gibson, singer-songwriter
- 16 Bettina Goislard, UNHCR relief worker (29 years)
- 16 Fukuda, Arihiro, Japanese associate professor and author of Sovereignty and the Sword (39 years)
- 15 Ray Lewis, first Canadian-born black Olympic medalist
- 15 Mohamed Choukri, writer
- 15 Laurence Tisch, billionaire, head of Loews Corporation and CBS television network
- 15 Dorothy Loudon, actress
- 14 Gene Anthony Ray, actor and dancer
- 13 Kellie Waymire, actress (35 years)
- 13 Mitoyo Kawate, oldest person in the world (114 years)
- 12 Tony Thompson, drummer for The Power Station
- 12 Penny Singleton, actress (95 years)
- 12 David Silvetti, Mexican bullfighter, committed suicide
- 12 Jonathan Brandis, actor, reportedly suicide (27 years)
- 10 Canaan Banana, first president of independent Zimbabwe (67 years)
- 10 Irv "Kup" Kupcinet, columnist, television personality (91 years)
- 9 Gordon Onslow Ford, surrealist painter (90 years)
- 9 Mario Merz, Italian artist
- 9 Art Carney, The Honeymooners actor (85 years)
- 9 Buddy Arnold, jazz saxophonist
- 8 Hava Rexha, oldest woman in Albania, maybe in the world (123 years?)
- 8 C. Z. Guest, socialite (83 years)
- 6 Eduardo Palomo, Mexican actor (41 years)
- 6 Crash Holly, professional wrestler (32 years)
- 6 Rie Mastenbroek, Dutch swimmer, triple Olympic champion (84 years)
- 5 Bobby Hatfield, half of the singing duet, the Righteous Brothers (63 years)
- 5 Dernell Stenson, Cincinnati Reds baseball player
- 4 Angel Chingre, Ecuadorian campesino leader, human rights activist
- 4 Mitch Rosario, Puerto Rican hair stylist who worked with Ricky Martin, Paulina Rubio among others.
- 4 Ken Gampu, South African actor
- 4 Richard Wollheim, British philosopher (80 years)
- 3 Rasul Gamzatov, Avarian/Soviet/Russian poet, called the "People's poet of Dagestan" (80 years)
- 2 Frederic Vester, German cybernetician (77 years)
October 2003
- 31 Mohamed Yazid, Algerian politician, 80 years old
- 31 Richard Neustadt, political scholar and historian
- 31 Kamato Hongo, oldest person in world at 116
- 30 Daphne Hardy Henrion, British sculptor, 86 years old
- 30 Franco Corelli, operatic tenor, 82 years old
- 29 Hal Clement, author, 81 years
- 28 Behram Kursunoglu, Turkish physicist, 81 years old
- 27 Rod Roddy, booth announcer on The Price is Right
- 26 Elem Klimov, Russian director
- 24 Rosie Nix Adams, daughter of June Carter Cash
- 23 Tony Capstick, British actor, comedian, musician and broadcaster
- 23 Soong May-ling, widow of the Nationalist Chinese president Chiang Kai-shek, 106 years
- 21 Louise Day Hicks, US politician
- 21 Fred Berry, American actor, "Rerun" on the show What's Happening
- 21 Elliott Smith, US musician, 34 years
- 21 Luis A. Ferré, former governor of Puerto Rico, 99 years
- 20 Jack Elam, American actor, 84 years
- 19 Margaret Murie, "Mother of the Modern Conservationist Movement" 101 years
- 19 Faith Fancher, television journalist and breast cancer awareness activist, 53 years
- 19 Michael Hegstrand, "Road Warrior Hawk", 46 years
- 19 Alija Izetbegovic, former President of Bosnia Herzegovina
- 18 Preston Smith, former governor of Texas
- 18 Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, Spanish writer
- 16 Stu Hart, patriarch of wrestling family, 88 years
- 16 László Papp, Hungarian boxer
- 16 Avni Arbas, Turkish artist
- 14 Ben Metcalfe, Greenpeace activist and co-founder
- 13 Bertram Brockhouse, Nobel Prize-winning Canadian physicist [1]
- 13 Joan B. Kroc, philanthropist, widow of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc
- 12 Willie Shoemaker, Hall of Fame jockey
- 12 Jim Cairns, Australian politician
- 11 Fredy Knie, Sr, Swiss circus director
- 10 Eugene Istomin, American pianist
- 9 Carolyn Gold Heilbrun, American academic and author
- 7 Frank Roe, former President of the Irish Circuit Court
- 7 Eleanor Lambert, U.S fashion pioneer
- 7 Izzy Asper, Canadian press baron [1]
- 7 Felicitas Corrigan, Benedictine nun
- 6 Mildred O'Neill, widow of former Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Tip O'Neill
- 5 Neil Postman, media critic
- 5 Elena Slough, oldest American, aged 114
- 5 Denis Quilley, British actor
- 5 Dan Snyder, Atlanta Thrashers hockey player
- 4 Sid McMath, former governor of Arkansas
- 4 James Forlong, former British reporter for Sky News, who was accused of faking a news report during the invasion of Iraq, in an apparent suicide
- 4 Bill Cayton, American boxing manager, owner of (reportedly) largest fight video collection in the world, former manager of Edwin Rosario and Mike Tyson
- 3 William Steig, American cartoonist and children's author; creator of Shrek
- 2 John T. Dunlop, briefly Secretary of Labor under Gerald R. Ford
- 2 Gunther Philipp, Austrian actor
September 2003
- 30 Gilbert Ortega, jewelry tycoon, country singer
- 30 Robert Kardashian, criminal defense lawyer
- 28 Yukichi Chuganji, 114 years.
- 28 Elia Kazan, director
- 28 Althea Gibson, tennis player
- 27 Donald O'Connor, entertainer, actor
- 26 Robert Palmer, singer.
- 25 George Plimpton, author, editor.
- 25 Franco Modigliani, Nobel Prize-winning economist
- 25 Aquila al-Hashimi, Iraqi politician, member of the Governing Council
- 24 Derek Prince, author, biblical scholar and spiritual patriarch, 88 years
- 24 Tomás MacGabhann Irish Trade Unionist and Irish language activist
- 24 Edward Said, Palestinian scholar
- 22 Hugo Young, British political commentator
- 22 Gordon Jump, American actor.
- 22 Johan Stekelenburg, Dutch union leader and politician.
- 21 Robert H. Lochner, John F. Kennedy's interpreter
- 20 Lord Williams of Mostyn, British Cabinet minister, Leader of the House of Lords.
- 20 Liam Tobin, longtime Árd Rúnaí Roinn na Gaeltachta (Secretary to the Irish Department of the Gaeltacht) and Irish language campaigner
- 19 Slim Dusty, Australian country music singer
- 16 Erich Hallhuber, Bavarian actor.
- 16 Sheb Wooley, actor, singer of 1958 pop hit Purple People Eater
- 16 Tommy Rawson, boxer, referee
- 15 Jack Brymer, British clarinettist.
- 15 Yetunde Price, sister of American tennis-players Venus and Serena Williams
- 13 Frank O'Bannon, Governor of Indiana
- 12 Johnny Cash, American country singer
- 11 Ben Bril, Dutch boxer
- 11 John Ritter, American actor, played Jack Tripper on Three's Company
- 11 Anna Lindh, Swedish foreign minister
- 10 Harry Goz, cartoon voice actor.
- 9 Larry Hovis, actor, played Carter on "Hogan's Heroes"
- 9 Edward Teller, American physicist, "Father of the H-Bomb"
- 8 Leni Riefenstahl, German filmmaker
- 8 Jaclyn Linetsky, Canadian voice actor, provided voice of cartoon character Caillou
- 7 Warren Zevon, singer and songwriter
- 7 The Great Antonio, strongman and eccentric
- 6 Wilbur Snapp, stadium organist kicked out of game by umpire for playing Three Blind Mice
- 5 Gisele MacKenzie, singer
- 4 Tibor Varga, violinist, conductor and pedagogue
- 3 Paul Hill, executed for two anti-abortion murders
- 1 Sir Terry Frost, British artist
August 2003
- 30 Steve Eisner, boxing promoter
- 30 Charles Bronson, actor
- 30 Donald Davidson (philosopher)
- 29 Ayatollah Sayed Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim
- 28 Patrick William Feeney, United States college basketball player
- 28 Barry Voorhies, Arena football player
- 27 Pierre Poujade, French politician
- 26 Jim Wacker, American football college coach
- 24 Sir Wilfred Thesiger, British explorer
- 24 Mal Colston, Australian politician
- 23 John Geoghan, defrocked pedophile priest
- 23 Bobby Bonds, former baseball pro and father of San Francisco Giants ballplayer Barry Bonds
- 23 Michael Kijana Wamalwa, Kenyan Vice-President
- 23 Imperio Argentina, Spanish singer and actress
- 23 Jack Dyer, Australian Football legend.
- 22 Arnold Gerschwiler, figure skating trainer in Britain.
- 21 Wesley Willis, American schizophrenic musician and artist
- 20 António Pedro Ferreira, Portugal President of Portuguese Custom Broker Association
- 19 Hermann Withalm, Austrian politician
- 19 Carlos Roberto Reina, former president of Honduras
- 19 Sérgio Vieira de Mello, United Nations Special Representative to Iraq
- 16 Idi Amin, former dictator of Uganda.
- 16 Connie Douglas Reeves, centenarian member of the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame.
- 15 Bishop Donal Lamont, Irish born Rhodesian Catholic bishop and Nobel Peace Prize nominee expelled by Ian Smith's apartheid regime in the 1970s.
- 13 Helmut Rahn, German soccer player, World Champion 1954.
- 13 Ed Townsend, songwriter and producer.
- 11 Kieran Kelly, Irish jump jockey after a racing accident.
- 11 Diana Mitford, widow of British Fascist leader Oswald Mosley.
- 11 Herb Brooks, coach of 1980 Miracle on Ice US Hockey team.
- 10 Carmita Jimenez, Puerto Rican singer.
- 9 Gregory Hines, actor, dancer.
- 9 Ray Harford, football manager.
- 5 Tite Curet Alonso, well known Puerto Rican music composer, critic, newspaper writer.
- 5 Lee Muñoz, former first son of Puerto Rico (son of Luis Muñoz Marín), foundation leader.
- 4 Metropolitan Antony, Metropolitan of SUROZH.
- 4 Chung Mong-hun, Korean businessman.
- 2 Don Estelle, actor who played 'Lofty' in the BBC's It Ain't Half Hot Mum.
- 2 Mike Levey, famous infomercial host.
- 1 Guy Thys, former Belgian national football coach.
- 1 Marie Trintignant, French actress and daughter of actor Jean-Louis Trintignant.
July 2003
- 30 Sam Phillips, record producer
- 29 Foday Sankoh, Sierra Leonean rebel leader
- 28 Erik Braunn, Iron Butterfly Guitarist
- 28 Lady Valerie Goulding, former Irish Senator and campaigner for the disabled
- 27 Bob Hope, comedian
- 27 Vance Hartke, former U.S. Senator from Indiana
- 26 Ludwig Bölkow, airplane engineer
- 25 John Schlesinger, director
- 24 Colin R. McMillan, nominee for United States Secretary of the Navy
- 23 Othniel Askew, killer of James E. Davis
- 23 James E. Davis, New York City councilman
- 22 Uday Hussein son of Saddam Hussein
- 22 Qusay Hussein son of Saddam Hussein
- 21 Walter M. "Matt" Jefferies, art director for the original Star Trek series and designer of the Starship Enterprise.
- 21 John Davies, president of the New Zealand Olympic Committee
- 20 Nicolas Freeling, crime writer
- 20 Lauri Aus, Estonian pro cyclist
- 19 Pierre Graber, former member of the Swiss Federal Council (1970-1978)
- 19 Bill Bright, Evangelist.
- 18 Brad Rone, boxer, became famous after death.
- 18 Jane Barbe, phone company voiceover
- 17 Rosalyn Tureck, American pianist and harpsichordist and champion of the music of Bach.
- 17 Dr. David Kelly, former UN weapons inspector who was accused of leaking information to the BBC about the UK's dossier on Iraq's purported weapons of mass destruction
- 17 Eamonn Leahy, 46 year old top Irish barrister and husband of government Chief Whip Mary Hanafin
- 16 Captain James Kelly, former Irish Army officer cleared of attempting to import arms for the IRA in the Arms Trial in 1970
- 16 Carol Shields, Canadian author
- 16 Celia Cruz, Cuban legendary salsa singer
- 14 Tex Schramm, former Dallas Cowboys president and general manager
- 14 André Claveau, French singer.
- 13 Compay Segundo, Cuban musician and star of the Buena Vista Social Club
- 12 Benny Carter, American jazz pioneer.
- 11 Zahra Kazemi, Iranian-born Canadian journalist
- 11 Ken Whyld, British chess author
- 10 Lord Shawcross, Britain's chief prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials.
- 9 Winston Graham, author of Poldark and Marnie
- 8 Dr. William Boyd, former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.
- 8 Ladan and Laleh Bijani, Iranian conjoined twins
- 7 Izhak Graziani, conductor
- 6 Buddy Ebsen, American actor
- 5 Roman Lyashenko, New York Rangers hockey player
- 5 Bebu Silvetti, popular hispanic musician, songwriter
- 5 Isabelle, Countess of Paris, widow of Henri, Count of Paris, pretender to the French throne
- 4 Larry Burkett, founder of Christian Financial Concepts
- 4 Barry White, smooth soul singer
- 3 Gaetano Alibrandi, papal diplomat and Apostolic Nuncio to the Republic of Ireland
- 3 Naheeb Halabi, chairman of Pan Am from 1969 to 1972, father of Queen Noor
- 1 Wesley Mouzon, former professional boxer, 76 years old, beat Bob Montgomery
- 1 Herbie Mann, crossover jazz and bossa nova flutist
- 1 N!xau, Namibian actor
June 2003
- 30 Robert McCloskey, children's book writer and illustrator
- 30 Buddy Hackett, comic
- 29 Katharine Hepburn, actress
- 28 Wim Slijkhuis, Dutch athlete
- 27 Dáithí P. Hanly, former Dublin city architect and conservationist
- 26 Strom Thurmond, United States Senator
- 26 Marc-Vivien Foe, footballer
- 26 Sir Denis Thatcher Bt, husband to Baroness Thatcher, former UK Prime Minister
- 25 Lester Maddox, segregationist Governor of the State of Georgia
- 24 Maynard Jackson,former Mayor of Atlanta, GA first black mayor of a major southern U.S. city
- 24 Leon Uris, author
- 24 Renato Cayetano, Philippine senator
- 23 Vasil Bykau, Belarusian writer
- 22 Alexander Vetoux, Ukranian boxing prospect. Was 22-1 with 18 knockouts as a professional; body found in river on June 27th.
- 21 Roger Neilson, legendary Canadian hockey coach
- 20 Bob Stump, Arizona Congressman
- 19 Laura Sadler, British television actress, after falling 40 feet from a building
- 18 Larry Doby, baseball Hall of Famer, second Black man to play in the MLB
- 15 Hume Cronyn, actor
- 15 William Wentworth, Australian politician, first Minister of Aboriginal Affairs
- 12 Gregory Peck, actor
- 11 David Brinkley, broadcast journalist
- 10 Donald Regan, Chief of Staff and Treasury Secretary during the Reagan administration
- 10 Phil Williams, highly-respected Welsh politician, in a Cardiff massage parlour
- 7 Tony McAuley BBC Northern Ireland broadcaster & film-maker associated with traditional Irish music and arts
- 7 Trevor Goddard, actor
- 5 Meir Vilner, last surviving signatory to Israel's declaration of independence and former chairman of the Communist Party of Israel
- 5 Jürgen Möllemann, former German minister
- 3 Fabrice Salanson, a french pro-cyclist
- 2 Fred Blassie, 85, former professional wrestler
- 2 Richard Cusack, 77, ad executive turned actor/screenwriter, father of actors John Cusack and Joan Cusack, dies of pancreatic cancer in Evanston, Illinois
- 2 Jack Frazier, former Saddam Hussein hostage
May 2003
- 30 Mickie Most, music producer, produced acts such as Lulu, Donovan, The Animals, Hot Chocolate, Suzi Quatro and Kim Wilde
- 28 Ilya Prigogine, Nobel Prize winner in chemistry
- 28 Martha Scott, actress
- 28 Oleg Makarov, cosmonaut
- 27 Luciano Berio, composer
- 26 Kathleen Winsor, author of Forever Amber
- 21 Elfren Bernier, Puerto Rican Olympic athlete and lawyer
- 21 Frank D. White, Former governor of Arkansas
- 18 Anna Santisteban, legendary figure in the Miss Universe contests
- 18 Barb Tarbox, Canadian anti-smoking activist
- 16 Mal Florence, longtime sportswriter for the Los Angeles Times
- 16 William E. Day, broadcaster and preservationist, early proponent of the Native American Graves and Repatriation Act
- 16 Mark McCormack, sports business pioneer, founder of IMG
- 15 Rik Van Steenbergen, Belgian cyclist
- 15 George Francis, British suspected mobster
- 15 June Carter Cash, musician, singer, wife of Johnny Cash
- 15 David O. Ives, public broadcasting pioneer, longtime executive at WGBH, Boston, which introduced such television programs as "Nova," "Frontline," "Masterpiece Theatre," and "This Old House"
- 14 Robert Stack, Hollywood actor, host of Unsolved Mysteries, 84 years old
- 14 Dame Wendy Hiller, British actress (August 15, 1912 - May 14, 2003)
- 14 Dave DeBusschere, NBA basketball player
- 13 John Savage, former Premier of Nova Scotia, Canada
- 12 Sadruddin Aga Khan, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 1965 - 1977
- 11 Noel Redding, former bassist for The Jimi Hendrix Experience
- 10 Milan Vukcevich, chemist and chess problem composer
- 9 Russell B. Long, former U.S. Senator
- 6 Evelio Lopez Falcon, alleged Mexican drug trafficker
- 6 David Woodley, former quarterback of the Miami Dolphins, who started in Super Bowl XVII
- 5 Walter Sisulu, ANC activist
- 3 Suzy Parker, actress; top model of the 1950s
- 1 Miss Elizabeth, WWE wrestling figure
April 2003
- 30 Peter 'Possum' Bourne, 3 Times Asia-Pacific Rally Champion
- 30 Wim van Est, Dutch cyclist
- 29 Etti Plesch, who married three counts, an American heir, and a Hungarian Lawyer
- 27 Elaine Steinbeck, former actress; widow of author John Steinbeck
- 26 The Honourable Rosemary Brown, Canadian politician (NDP), first black woman elected to a provincial legislature and first black woman to run for the leadership of a major federal political party
- 26 Caroline Newhouse, arts patron; widow of Theodore Newhouse
- 26 Max Nicholson, environmentalist
- 26 Peter Stone, Oscar-and-(3-time)Tony-winning writer
- 25 Hidefumi Minorikawa, a Diet of Japan member of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party
- 23 Bernard Katz biophysicist, Nobel Prize winner
- 23 James H. Critchfield, CIA Cold Warrior
- 22 Martha Griffiths, Congresswoman, women's rights proponent
- 21 Rocco Theunissen, Rally Driver
- 21 Nina Simone, jazz singer, "High Priestess of Soul"
- 19 Conrad Leonard (aged 104), British musican and composer
- 19 Norberto Longo, Telemundo sportscaster
- 18 Daijiro Kato, Japanese 500cc MotoGP Star, former 250cc Champion
- 18 Edgar F. Codd, computer pioneer
- 17 Earl King, R&B musician/songwriter
- 17 Paul Getty, philanthropist
- 17 Robert Atkins, diet doctor
- 16 Sarah Marple-Cantrell, a student
- 10 Noel Fox, former singer of gospel band The Oak Ridge Boys
- 12 Sydney Lassick, actor, best known playing asylum resident Cheswick in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
- 12 Cecil H. Green (aged 102), Texas Instruments founder
- 10 Little Eva (Eva Narcissus Boyd), who sang the 1962 hit The Loco-Motion
- 8 Anita Borg, computer scientist
- 7 Cecile de Brunhoff (aged 99), who inspired the Babar the Elephant children's books when she told it to her children as a bedtime story in 1931 (it was then illustrated by her husband)
- 6 Babatunde Olatunji, African drummer, recorded Drums of Passion
- 6 Lance Corporal Ian Keith Malone Dublin-born soldier in the Irish Guards regiment of the British Army, who featured in a Radio Telifís Éireann documentary on Irish-born British soldiers, killed in Iraq
- 6 David Bloom, an NBC reporter, died from a pulmonary embolism while embedded with the 3rd Infantry Division covering the war in Iraq
- 5 Seymour Lubetzky (aged 104), cataloging theorist and librarian
- 4 Resortes, legendary Mexican comedian, real name Adalberto Martinez Chavez
- 2 Michael Wayne, film producer; eldest son of John Wayne
- 2 Edwin Starr, soul singer
- 2 Pat Leavy, Irish actress who played Hannah Finnegan in the Radio Telifís Éireann soap opera Fair City, died after being taken ill on set
- 2 Edward Keating, founder of Ramparts magazine
- 1 Leslie Cheung, actor and singer, one of the superstars in Hong Kong during late 1980s, committed suicide
March 2003
- 31 H.S.M. Coxeter, noted geometer and author of many books, passed away at age 96
- 31 Michael Jeter, actor, friend, as "The Other Mr. Noodle" to Sesame Street's Elmo
- 30 Valentin Pavlov, former prime minister of the Soviet Union
- 30 Gaby Rado, UK journalist
- 29 Dr. Carlo Urbani, WHO doctor, discoverer of SARS, of which he died
- 26 Daniel Patrick Moynihan, former Senator from New York
- 24 Hans Hermann Groër, former Roman Catholic Archbishop of Vienna (1986 - 1995) who resigned in 1995 after allegations of sexually abusing boys
- 24 Philip Yordan, screenwriter; won Oscar for "Broken Lance"
- 22 Terry Lloyd, reporter
- 20 Sailor Art Thomas, professional wrestler
- 18 Adam Osborne, computer pioneer
- 16 Major Ronald Ferguson, father of UK royal divorcee Sarah, Duchess of York, aged 71 [1]
- 16 Rachel Corrie, International Solidarity Movement activist, crushed to death by an Israeli armoured bulldozer
- 15 Dame Thora Hird, veteran British actress
- 12 Howard Fast, novelist
- 12 Lynne Thigpen, actor, co-star of CBS television show "The District", and star of PBS show Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego
- 12 Harry The Kid Matthews boxer, world title challenger in three divisions
- 12 Zoran Djindjic, Prime Minister of Serbia (assassinated)
- 10 Bernard Dowiyogo, President of Nauru
- 10 Barry Sheene, 2 Times 500cc MotoGP Champion
- 9 Stan Brakhage, filmmaker
- 9 F. William Sunderman (aged 104), physician and scientist
- 8 Adam Faith, British singer and actor
- 8 Karen Morley, blonde star of 1930s movies; ex-wife of Charles Vidor
- 6 John Sanford, author
- 3 Horst Buchholz, German actor
- 2 Malcolm Williamson, Australian composer, Master of the Queen's Music
- 2 Hank Ballard, singer, composer, famous for his hit "The Twist"
February 2003
- 28 Roger Needham, computer pioneer
- 28 Fidel Sanchez Hernandez, former President of El Salvador
- 28 Chris Brasher, athlete
- 27 Fred Rogers, host of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
- 25 Alberto Sordi, Italian comedy film legend
- 25 Tom O'Higgins, former Irish Chief Justice & twice defeated Irish presidential candidate
- 22 Jesica Santillan, heart and lung patient whose wrong transplant made headlines
- 22 Daniel Taradash, former president of AMPAS; Oscar-winning screenwriter of "From Here to Eternity"
- 20 Ty Longley, Guitarist for the heavy metal band Great White
- 20 Harry Jacunski, former NFL player, Green Bay Packers
- 20 Orville Lothrop Freeman, former Governor of Minnesota and Secretary of Agriculture for Presidents Kennedy and Johnson
- 19 Johnny PayCheck, country music singer
- 18 Jack Brodsky, movie producer and publicist
- 17 Steve Bechler, baseball pitcher, Baltimore Orioles
- 14 Dolly the sheep, the world's first cloned mammal
- 14 Johnny Longden, jockey
- 13 Kid Gavilan, world boxing champion and hall of famer
- 13 Stacy Keach Sr, character actor; father of actors Stacy and James Keach
- 13 Walt Rostow, political advisor
- 10 Curt Hennig, professional wrestler
- 10 Clark MacGregor, former United States Congressman
- 10 Al Ruffo, former mayor of San Jose, California who helped form the San Francisco 49ers football team in 1946
- 10 Ron Ziegler former press secetary for Richard Nixon during the Watergate Scandal
- 9 Vera Hruba Ralston, star of Ice Capades and Republic Pictures B-movies of the 1940s
- 9 Kerri Yascheshyn Canadian cancer patient whose friendship with Madonna made headlines
- 7 John Reading, Mayor of Oakland, California from 1966 to 1977 who supported the building of the Oakland Coliseum
- 6 Robert St. John (aged 100) globetrotting reporter and author
- 2 Dr. Harold S. Ginsberg, microbiologist
- 2 Lou Harrison, Americann composer, noted for his microtonal works
- 1 Astronauts Rick Husband, William McCool, Michael Anderson, Kalpana Chawla, David Brown, Laurel Clark and Ilan Ramon aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia
- 1 Mongo Santamaria, percussionist, band leader, Latin jazz musician
January 2003
- 29 Frank Moss Former Utah Senator
- 29 Peter Shaw, producer; husband of actress Angela Lansbury
- 26 Lord Younger, (George Younger) British politician, Secretary of State for Scotland between 1979 and 1986
- 26 Lord Dacre (Hugh Trevor-Roper), British historian, authenticator of the hoaxed Hitler Diaries
- 26 Valeriy Brumel, track and field athlete
- 25 Robert Rockwell, actor; Philip Boynton on TV's "Our Miss Brooks"
- 24 Gianni Agnelli, Italian entrepreneur and president of Fiat
- 23 Nell Carter, singer, actress
- 23 Aodhagán Brioscú, last surviving founder of Irish cultural organisation Gael Linn
- 22 Bill Mauldin, World War II cartoonist
- 21 Tony O'Malley, Irish artist and painter
- 21 Seán Malone, retired university professor and pioneer of biological psychiatry in the Republic of Ireland
- 20 Bill Werbeniuk, Canadian snooker player
- 20 Al Hirschfeld, caricaturist
- 19 The Iran Sheik, professional wrestler
- 19 Françoise Giroud, French writer and politician
- 18 Richard Crenna, actor
- 15 Gladys Kamakakuokalani Ainoa Brandt, a pioneering Hawaiian educator, fought for native Hawaiian rights
- 15 Doris Fisher, singer & songwriter
- 13 Norman Panama, screenwriter and director
- 12 Maurice Gibb, of the Bee Gees
- 12 Leopoldo Fortunato Galtieri, former dictator of Argentina
- 12 Estelle Blanc, widow of cartoon voice Mel Blanc
- 12 Koloman Sokol (aged 100), Slovak artist
- 11 Richard Simmons, actor; TV's "Sgt Preston of the Yukon"
- 11 Anthony Havelock-Allan, British screenwriter
- 11 Mickey Finn, of T. Rex
- 11 Maurice Pialat, French movie director
- 8 Ron Goodwin, British film music composer and conductor
- 6 Lila Mayoral, former first lady of Puerto Rico, wife of Rafael Hernandez Colon
- 5 Roy Jenkins, British Labour MP and co-founder, first leader of, then Peer for, the Social Democratic Party
- 4 Conrad Hall, Hollywood cinematographer, a two-time Academy Award-winner
- 3 Sid Gillman, American football coach
- 2 Sydney Omarr, astrologer, newspaper columnist
- 2 Bob Chalker, former United States diplomat
- 1 Joe Foss, politician, fighter pilot, recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor