Famous People Who Died in the 1990’s

• Ava Gardner, (b. 1922) – One of the defining stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood.

• Del Shannon (b. 1934) – Rock and roll sensation from the 1960’s and singer of such

hits as ‘Runaway’.

• Malcolm Forbes (b. 1919) – Publisher of influential Forbes magazine.

• Sarah Vaughn (b. 1924) – Pioneering American jazz songstress.

• Ryan White (b. 1971) – AIDS activist who had become an international focal point for

the disease’s impact.

• Jim Henson (b. 1936) – Gifted entertainer and creator of the Muppets.

• Sammy Davis Jr. (b. 1925) – Actor, singer, dancer, comedian and member of the Rat

Pack.

• Stevie Ray Vaughn (b. 1954) – Virtuoso blues guitarist and recording star.

• Kenjiro Takayanagi (b. 1899) – Father of Japanese television.

• Rex Harrison (b. 1908) – Renowned English actor of both stage and screen, winner of a

Tony award for Anne of a Thousand Days and Best Actor for My Fair Lady.

• Yu Po Sun (b. 1897) – President of South Korea.

• B.F. Skinner (b. 1904) – Influential member of the American psychological

establishment and a leader in the field of psychology.

• Patrick White (b. 1912) – Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1973.

• Aaron Copeland (b. 1900) – American composer of contemporary classical music.

• Le Duc Tho (b. 1911) – Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 for work on

negotiations to end war in Vietnam, a prize he declined to accept.

• Roald Dahl (b.1 916) – British author of both children’s fiction and novels.

• Douglas Campbell (b. 1896) – First American ace pilot of World War I.

• Robert Hofstadter (b. 1915) – Winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1961 for his role

in the discovery of nucleons.

• Jimmy Van Heusen (b. 1913) – Prolific writer of music for film and television.

• Karl Munchinger (b. 1915) – German conductor who helped popularize Pachelbel’s

Canon through recording and performance.

• Pavel Cherenkov (b. 1904) – Winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1958 for his work

with nuclear particles.

• Greta Garbo (b. 1905) – Star of the silent film era and a member of the Hollywood

elite.

• Johnny Wayne (b. 1918) – Longtime partner of Frank Shuster in Canadian comedy duo

Wayne and Shuster.

• A.J.P. Taylor (b. 1906) – Prominent British historian.

• Leonard Bernstein (b. 1918) – American conductor and composer.

• Steve Clark (b. 1960) – Original guitarist for rock band Def Leppard.

• Edwin Land (b. 1909) – Inventor of the instant camera from Polaroid.

• Serge Gainesbourg (b. 1928) – Extremely popular French pop performer.

• Leo Fender (b. 1909) – Originator of the Fender line of electric guitars and a pioneer of

modern popular music.

• Rajiv Gandhi (b. 1944) – Prime Minister of India.

• David Ruffin (b. 1941) – Singer from the influential soul group The Temptations.

• Michael Landon (b. 1936) – Charismatic actor best known for his role in the television

program Stairway to Heaven.

• Ali Sabri (b. 1920) – President of Egypt.

• Frank Capra (b. 1897) – Hollywood director famous for the Christmas film ‘It’s a

Wonderful Life’.

• Dr. Seuss (born Theodor Seuss Geisel, 1904) – Children’s author beloved by millions.

• Miles Davis (b. 1926) – Jazz trumpeter and musical revolutionary.

• Redd Foxx (b. 1922) – American actor and entertainer.

• Tennessee Ernie Ford (b. 1919) – Country singer associated with the hit ’16 Tons’.

• Gene Roddenberry (b. 1921) – Creator of Star Trek.

• Freddie Mercury (b. 1946) – Lead singer of rock band Queen.

• Lee Atwater (b. 1951) – Advisor to two Republican presidential administrations.

• Grahame Greene (b. 1904) – Prolific British novelist.

• Carmine Coppola (b. 1910) – American composer who worked extensively in film

soundtracks.

• Jiang Qing (b. 1914) – Former Chinese Communist Party leader.

• Alfonso Garcia Robles (b. 1911) – Recipient of the Noble Peace Prize in 1982 for his

work establishing Central and South America as a Nuclear Free Zone.

• Eric Carr (b. 1991) – Drummer for heavy metal band Kiss.

• Olav V (b. 1903) – King of Norway.

• Doc Pomus (b. 1925) - Prominent American songwriter.

• Howard Ashman (b. 1950) – Lyricist for musicals and Disney films.

• Arthur Murray (b. 1895) – Dance entrepreneur.

• Willie Dixon (b. 1915) – Influential blue musician who would inspire dozens of

important rock and roll bands through the 60’s and 70’s.

• Bert Parks (b. 1914) – Entertainer best known for hosting and singing the theme for the

Miss America pageant.

• Art Babbit (b. 1907) – Creator of the animated character ‘Goofy’ for Disney.

• Menachem Begin – (b. 1913) – Former prime minister of Israel and winner of the

Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for ending the war with Egypt.

• Sam Walton (b. 1918) – Famous American entrepreneur who founded the Wal-Mart

empire of retail stores.

• Isaac Asimov (b. 1920) – Pioneer in the field of science fiction literature.

• Benny Hill (b. 1924) – Irreverent British comedian and star of his own popular

television program.

• Marlene Dietrich (b. 1901) – Early star of Hollywood films.

• Lawrence Welk (b. 1903) – Beloved band leader and television personality.

• John Cage (b. 1912) – Avant-garde composer.

• John Sturges (b. 1911) – Director of action films from the 1950’s and 1960’s, notably

‘The Great Escape’ and ‘The Magnificent Seven’.

• Anthony Perkins (b.1932) – Actor famous for his work in Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’.

• Eddie Kendricks (b. 1939) – Founding member of ‘The Temptations’ singing group.

• Roger Miller (b. 1936) – Songwriter known for his hits ‘King of the Road’ and ‘Dang Me’.

• Mark Goodson (b. 1915) – Producer of ‘Family Feud’, ‘The Price Is Right’ and many

other popular television game shows.

• Albert King (b. 1923) – Important blues guitarist and recording artist.

• Dick York (b. 1928) – Star of television sitcom ‘Bewitched’.

• Daniel Bovet (b. 1907) – Winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine for 1957, and discoverer

of antihistamines.

• Sam Kinison (b. 1953) – Comedian and actor.

• Robert Reed (b. 1932) – Star of television’s ‘The Brady Bunch’.

• Jerome Brown (b. 1965) – Defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles.

• Willy Brandt (b. 1913) – Former chancellor of West Germany, and winner of the Nobel

Peace Prize in 1971 for improving relations with communist East Germany.

• Arthur Wint (b. 1920) – First Jamaican to win a gold medal at the Olympics, for running

in 1948.

• David Bohm (b. 1917) – Physicist and contributor to the development of the first atomic

bomb.

• Hal Roach (b. 1892) – Producer of innumerable television programs and films.

• Dizzy Gillespie (b. 1917) – Jazz trumpet pioneer and founding father of be-bop.

• Rudolf Nureyev (b. 1938) – Famed Russian ballet dancer.

• Audrey Hepburn (b. 1929) – Star of the silver screen in 1950’s and 60’s Hollywood.

• Andre the Giant (b. 1946) – Popular wrestler in the WWF.

• Robert W. Holley (b. 1922) – Nobel Prize winner for Medicine in 1968.

• Ferruccio Lamborghini (b. 1916) – Founder of Lamborghini industrial empire.

• Brandon Lee (b. 1965) – Actor and son of icon Bruce Lee.

• Mick Ronson (b. 1946) – Former guitarist in David Bowie’s band, most famous for his

work on ‘Ziggy Stardust’.

• William Randolph Hearst, Jr. (b. 1908) – Heir to the Hearst publishing empire.

• Conway Twitty (b. 1933) – Country music star.

• Fred Gwynne (b. 1926) – Star of television program ‘The Munsters’.

• Raymond Burr (b. 1917) – Actor best known for his work in the ‘Perry Mason’ series.

• Jimmy Doolittle (b. 1896) – Leading figure in aviation and military aviation tactics.

• River Phoenix (b. 1970) – Rising young actor.

• Vincent Price (b. 1911) – Indelibly associated with the golden age of horror films.

• Anthony Burgess (b. 1917) – Best known as author of ‘A Clockwork Orange’.

• Bill Bixby (b. 1934) – Prolific television and film actor.

• Frank Zappa (b. 1940) – Rock and musician and virtuoso guitarist.

• William L. Shirer (b. 1904) – Historian and chronicler of Germany’s Nazi era.

• Arthur Ashe (b. 1943) – Former tennis champion and civil rights activist.

• Albert Sabin (b. 1906) – Doctor responsible for the creation of the oral polio vaccine

which has saved thousands of lives since the 1960’s.

• Wallace Stegner (b. 1909) – Pulitzer Prize-winning writer.

• Cesar Chavez (b. 1927) – American civil rights leader.

• Patricia Nixon (b. 1912) – Wife of ex-U.S. president Richard Nixon.

• ‘Curly-Joe’ DeRita (b. 1909) – Member of the ‘Three Stooges’ comedy group.

• Cesar Romero (b. 1907) – American television and film actor known for his portrayal

of the Joker in the original Batman series.

• Thomas ‘Tip’ O’Neill (b. 1912) – Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

• Harry Nilsson (b. 1941) – Singer and performer.

• Telly Savalas (b. 1924) – Beloved American performer and actor.

• Jack Kirby (b. 1917) – Comic book pioneer.

• Howard Martin Temin (b. 1934) – Discoverer of reverse-transcriptase and winner of

the Nobel Prize for Medicine.

• Neil Bonnett (b. 1946) – NASCAR driver.

• Dinah Shore (b. 1916) – Singer.

• Bill Hicks (b. 1961) – Comedian.

• John Candy (b. 1950) – Comedic actor and film star.

• Charles Bukowski (b. 1920) – Iconic writer.

• Walter Lantz (b. 1899) – Creator of Woody the Woodpecker.

• Kurt Cobain (b. 1967) – Songwriter and musician.

• Richard Nixon (b. 1913) – Former American president.

• Roland Ratzenberger (b. 1960) – Formula 1 driver.

• Ayrton Senna (b. 1960) – Formula 1 champion.

• George Peppard (b. 1928) – Actor and star of television’s ‘The A-Team’.

• Jackie Kennedy (b. 1929) – Former American First Lady.

• Henry Mancini (b. 1924) – Composer of the theme to the ‘Pink Panther’, ‘Peter Gunn’

and numerous other popular recordings.

• Kim Il-sung (b. 1912) – President of North Korea.

• Jessica Tandy (b. 1909) – Actress whose work stretched throughout a long cinematic

lifetime.

• Burt Lancaster (b. 1913) – Heartthrob actor of the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s.

• Raul Julia (b. 1940) – Film star and gifted actor.

• Antonio Carlos Jobim (b. 1927) – Brazilian jazz legend.

• Carmen McRae (b. 1920) – Influential jazz singer.

• Donald Pleasence (b. 1919) – Actor best known for his role in ‘Halloween’.

• James Herriot (b. 1916) – Veterinarian and author of many books chronicling his life

in the field.

• Ronald Kray (b. 1933) – Notorious British crime figure.

• Eazy-E (b. 1963) – Groundbreaking rapper and record label owner.

• Burl Ives (b. 1909) – Singer, actor and entertainer.

• Howard Cosell (b. 1918) – American sports personality and broadcaster.

• Ginger Rogers (b. 1911) – Virtuoso dancer and movie star.

• Art Fleming (b. 1924) – Original host of the game show ‘Jeopardy’.

• Alexander Godunov (b. 1949) – Russian ballet dancer.

• Jonas Salk (b. 1914) – Creator of the polio vaccine.

• Lana Turner (b. 1921) – Controversial Hollywood actress.

• Wolfman Jack (b. 1938) – Pioneering rock DJ rooted in the 1950’s and 60’s.

• Bob Ross (b. 1942) – Host of ‘The Joy of Painting’.

• Jerry Garcia (b. 1942) – Founding member of ‘The Grateful Dead’.

• Mickey Mantle (b. 1931) – Baseball legend.

• Sterling Morrison (b. 1942) – Guitarist for ‘The Velvet Underground’.

• Margaret Gorman (b. 1905) – First ever Miss America title holder.

• Darren Robinson (b. 1967) – Rapper, member of ‘The Fat Boys’.

• Robertson Davies (b. 1913) – Distinguished Canadian novelist and writer.

• Philip Taylor Kramer (b. 1952) – Bassist for ‘Iron Butterfly’.

• Rose Kennedy (b. 1890) – Mother of former American president John F. Kennedy.

• Melvin Franklin (b. 1942) – Longtime member of vocal group ‘The Temptations’ and

uncle of music star Rick James.

• Elizabeth Montgomery (b. 1933) – Actress best known for her role on the television

series ‘Bewitched’.

• Ida Lupino (b. 1918) – British filmmaker and actress who opened doors for women in

the movie business.

• Pierre Schaeffer (b. 1910) – Creator of the ‘musique concrete’ movement in

experimental sound.

• Francois Mitterrand (b. 1916) – Former president of France.

• Gene Kelly (b. 1912) – Virtuoso dancer, actor and choreographer.

• Minnie Pearl ( b. 1912) – Comedian and actress, best known for her roles in ‘Hee Haw’

and the ‘Grand Ole Opry’.

• George Burns (b. 1896) – Influential comedian and actor.

• Christopher Robin Milne (b. 1920) – Son of A.A. Milne and the inspiration for the

character of Christopher Robin in the ‘Winnie the Pooh’ series of books.

• Erma Bombeck (b. 1927) – Beloved American humor writer.

• Jon Pertwee (b. 1919) – British actor famous for his role as ‘Dr. Who’.

• Albert R. Broccoli (b. 1909) – Film producer responsible for the ‘James Bond’ series.

• Timothy Leary (b. 1920) – Counterculture icon and proponent of mind-expansion

through drug use.

• Ray Combs (b. 1956) – Former host of the ‘Family Feud’ game show.

• Veronica Guerin (b. 1958) – Irish reporter known for covering powerful crime figures.

• Thomas Kuhn (b. 1922) – American scientific philosopher.

• Seymour Horace Knox III (B, 1926) – Owner of the Buffalo Sabres NHL franchise.

• Nevill Francis Mott (b. 1905) – British knight and Nobel Prize winner for Physics.

• Bill Monroe (b. 1911) – Pioneer of bluegrass music and talented musician.

• Spiro Agnew (b. 1918) – Former Vice President of the United States during the Nixon

administration.

• Dorothy Lamour (b. 1914) – Actress famous for her roles opposite Bob Hope in the

1940’s and 50’s.

• Alger Hiss (b. 1904) – U.S. State Department employee who was embroiled in a spying

scandal in the late 1940’s.

• Mark Lenard (b. 1924) – Actor best known for his role as Sarek, Spock’s father in the

Star Trek television and film franchise.

• JonBenet Ramsey (b. 1990) – Beauty pageant winner and media darling.

• Carl Sagan (b. 1934) – Astronomer and popular science educator.

• Jerry Siegel (b. 1914) – Co-creator of Superman.

• Audrey Meadows (b. 1922) – Television wife of Jackie Gleason the sitcom ‘The

Honeymooners.

• Jonathan Larson (b. 1960) – Playwright responsible for mega-hit ‘Rent’.

• McLean Stevenson (b. 1927) – Actor most famous for his part in the television comedy

‘M*A*S*H’.

• Townes Van Zandt (b. 1944) – Folk singer and key member of the Nashville music

scene.

• Paul Tsongas (b. 1941) – Former U.S. senator and figure in the Democratic presidential

nomination in 1992.

• Colonel Tom Parker (b. 1909) – Flamboyant former manager of Elvis Presley.

• The Notorious B.I.G. (b. 1972) – The stage name of rapper Christopher Wallace.

• Deng Xiaoping (b. 1904) – Leader of the People’s Republic of China.

• Allen Ginsberg (b. 1926) – Poet and voice of the Beat Generation.

• Jeff Buckley (b. 1966) – Recording artist and talented guitarist.

• Jacques-Yves Cousteau (b. 1910) – Oceanographer and filmmaker.

• Robert Mitchum (b. 1917) – Iconic American actor.

• James Stewart (b. 1908) – Star of the silver screen for decades, considered by some

to be the most significant actor in the history of Hollywood.

• Diana Spencer (b. 1961) – Princess of Wales and beloved British public figure.

• Gianni Versace (b. 1946) – Fashion designer.

• William S. Burroughs (b. 1914) – Author and counter-culture proponent.

• Eugene Shoemaker (b. 1928) – Pioneer in the field of planetary science.

• Mother Teresa (b. 1910) – Nobel Peace Prize-winning nun and humanitarian.

• Mobutu Sese Seki (b. 1930) – President of Zaire.

• Red Skelton (b. 1913) – Actor and comedian.

• Burgess Meredith (b. 1907) – Actor known for his role as ‘The Penguin’ in the original

Batman television program.

• John Denver (b. 1943) – Popular singer and songwriter.

• Michael Hutchence (b. 1960) – Lead singer of the pop band ‘INXS’.

• Kathy Acker (b. 1947) – Experimental writer and novelist.

• Harry Blackstone, Jr. (b. 1934) – Famous magician.

• James Bennett Griffin (b. 1905) – Influential archaeologist.

• Alfred Hershey (b. 1908) – Noble Prize winner for Medicine as a result of his work on

bacteria and genetics.

• William J. Brennan (b. 1906) – U.S. Supreme Court Justice.

• Sonny Bono (b.1935) – Singer turned American senator.

• Carl Perkins (b. 1932) – Rock and roll pioneer and composer of ‘Blue Suede Shoes.’

• Jack Lord (b. 1920) – Television and film actor known for his role in the James Bond

series as well as Hawaii Five-O.

• Carl Wilson (b. 1946) – Member of the pop group ‘The Beach Boys’.

• Harry Caray (b. 1917) – Famed baseball announcer.

• Henny Youngman (b. 1906) – Comedian.

• J.T. Walsh (b. 1943) – Hollywood actor and notorious villain.

• Lloyd Bridges (b. 1913) – Well-respected actor with a long resume on both television

and the big screen.

• Benjamin Spock (b. 1903) – Pediatrician and author.

• Wendy O. Williams (b. 1949) – Influential punk band leader.

• Tammy Wynette (b. 1942) – Grand lady of country music.

• Pol Pot (b. 1925) – Tyrannical leader of Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge.

• James Earl Ray (b. 1928) – The man who assassinated Martin Luther King, Jr.

• Frank Sinatra (b. 1915) – One of the most popular musical figures of all time.

• Eddie Rabbit (b. 1941) – Country and pop musician.

• Phil Hartman (b. 1948) – Comedian and actor, former Simpsons and Saturday Night

Live cast member.

• Barry M. Goldwater (b. 1909) – Former American presidential candidate and political

figure.

• George Wallace (b. 1919) – Former governor of Alabama, serving four separate

terms.

• Gene Autry (b. 1907) – America’s famous singing cowboy.

• Frank Yankovic (b. 1915) – The Polka King and proponent of Slovenian music.

• Flip Wilson (b. 1933) – Comedian and actor.

• Bob Kane (b. 1915) – Creator of the Batman comic books.

• Ted Hughes (b. 1930) – Influential poet.

• Roy Rogers (b. 1911) – Star of countless western films.

• Shari Lewis (b. 1933) – Puppeteer and children’s entertainer best known for her voicing

of Lamb Chop.

• Hussein bin Talal (b. 1935) - King of Jordan.

• Buddy Knox (b. 1933) – Rock and roll songwriter and performer.

• Gene Siskel (b. 1946) – Half of the Siskel and Ebert film critic duo.

• Big L (b. 1974) – Prominent rapper.

• Dusty Springfield (b. 1939) – Songstress known for her hits in the 1960’s and 70’s.

• Stanley Kubrick (b. 1928) – Influential film director and auteur of ‘The Shining’ and

‘2001: A Space Odyssey’.

• Joe DiMaggio (b. 1914) – Legendary baseball player.

• David Strickland (b. 1969) – American television actor.

• Boxcar Willie (b. 1931) – Country music star.

• Rory Calhoun (b. 1922) – Actor prominent in classic western films.

• Owen Hart (b. 1965) – Professional wrestler.

• Mel Torme (b. 1925) – Respected singer and performer.

• DeForest Kelley (b. 1920) – Actor best known for his role as ‘Dr. McCoy’ in the ‘Star

Trek’ franchise.

• John F. Kennedy, Jr. (b. 1960) – Publisher and son of former American president John

F. Kennedy.

• Allen Funt (b. 1914) – Host of television’s ‘Candid Camera’.

• George C. Scott (b. 1928) – Actor famous for his turn as General George Patton in the

biopic of the same name.

• Greg Moore (b. 1975) – Race car driver.

• Walter Payton (b. 1954) – Star running back with the NFL’s Chicago Bears.

• Scatman John (b. 1942) – Singer and recording artist.

• Madeline Kahn (b. 1942) – Comedic actress and star of several Mel Brooks films.

• Grover Washington, Jr. (b. 1943) – Jazz saxophonist.

• Hank Snow (b. 1914) – Country music recording artist best known for ‘I’m Movin’ On’

and ‘I’ve Been Everywhere’.

• Curtis Mayfield (b. 1942) – Soul singer and musical genius.

• Clayton Moore (b. 1914) – Actor known for his role as television’s ‘The Lone Ranger’.

• Richard Danko (b. 1942) – Founding member of ‘The Band’.