Famous People Who Died Of Cancer

Dr. Seuss was an American children's author, illustrator, and political cartoonist. He is credited with writing some of the most famous children's books ever, including The Cat in the Hat. His works were translated into over 20 languages and sold more than 600 million copies by the time of his death. Many of his creations were adapted into animated cartoons.

English actress Diana Rigg had a wide-ranging career in films, television and theatre that spanned over six decades. Memorable roles of Diana include Emma Peel in television series The Avengers, which made her a sex-symbol; Mrs. Danvers in television drama Rebecca that won her an Emmy Award; and title role in the play Medea that won her a Tony Award.

Paul Allen was an American investor, business magnate, and philanthropist. He is credited with co-founding one of the most popular multinational technology companies in the world, Microsoft Corporation. Along with his philanthropic activities and ownership of several other companies and sporting clubs, Paul Allen had a major impact on sports, wildlife, education, arts, healthcare, community services, environmental conservation, and more.

Catherine of Aragon was one of the most popular English royal consorts of all time. A patron of Renaissance humanism, she gained widespread admiration for starting a program for the relief of the poor. A woman who was ahead of her time, Catherine commissioned The Education of a Christian Woman, a controversial book promoting women's right to education.

Comedian Paul Reubens, or Pee-wee, began his career with the troupe The Groundlings. His popular stage show The Pee-wee Herman Show inspired the CBS show Pee-wee’s Playhouse; the movie Pee-wee's Big Adventure; and a Netflix film. His 1991 arrest due to indecent exposure changed his image to a great extent.

Markie Post is an American actress known for playing important roles in popular TV series, such as The Fall Guy, Night Court, and Hearts Afire. Before starting her acting career, Markie Post worked on game shows. She worked as an associate producer for Double Dare, which ran from 1976 to 1977. Markie Post has also voiced animated characters like June Darby.

Michelle Thomas was an American comedian and actress known for playing important roles in popular TV series, such as The Cosby Show and Family Matters. Thomas had a promising start—even before commencing her acting career Thomas was crowned International Queen in a pageant—but her career and life were cut short by cancer and she died at the age of 30.

Robert Vaughn was an American actor known for his contribution across all three major acting mediums. Vaughn also had political aspirations and was among the first Hollywood stars to openly criticize the war against Vietnam. A member of the Democratic Party, Robert Vaughn was credited with founding a group called Dissenting Democrats along with Carl Reiner and Dick Van Dyke.

TV personality, actor, emcee, and game show host Allen Ludden is best remembered for hosting various incarnations of the game show, Password, for almost two decades. He also hosted other game shows and wrote a series of books for young readers. A much-beloved personality, he was the recipient of the 1961 Horatio Alger Award.

Rapper and bass guitarist Adam Yauch, better known by his pseudonym, “MCA,” was a founding member of the hip-hop and rap rock Beastie Boys. He also owned a film distributing company and was a practicing Buddhist who supported the Tibetan independence movement. He died of parotid cancer.

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first shōgun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He is considered one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan. He was the son of Matsudaira Hirotada, a minor local warlord. He grew up to be an ambitious young man with exemplary leadership qualities and eventually founded the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. 

Molly Brown was an American philanthropist and socialite. She is often referred to as the Unsinkable Molly Brown for surviving the 1912 sinking of Titanic and for unsuccessfully encouraging the crew members of Lifeboat No. 6 to look for survivors by returning to the debris field. Her life and work inspired the 1960 musical, The Unsinkable Molly Brown.

Milton Berle was part of the initial Golden Age of Television, and his significant TV roles earned him the nicknames Uncle Miltie and Mr. Television. The multiple Emmy-winning artist began as a child actor on stage and in silent films and later gained fame on Texaco Star Theatre.

Diana Dors was an English singer and actress who became renowned as one of the most famous sex symbols of her generation in the UK. She achieved stardom, first as a blonde bombshell—who made headlines for organizing lavish parties—and later as a regular chat-show guest. Diana Dors’ life and career inspired a 1999 TV biographical film titled The Blonde Bombshell.      

A multifaceted personality, Karen Black was an actress, screenwriter, singer, and songwriter. In the 1970s, she appeared in many major studio and independent films, mostly playing eccentric and unconventional characters. She became known as a figure of New Hollywood. Her career spanned five decades and she continued working until shortly before her death.

King Hussein of Jordan reigned as the king of Jordan from 1952 to 1999. As a royal member of the House of Hashim, Hussein was a direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad. At the time of Hussein's accession, Jordan was a young nation with few natural resources. However, by the end of his reign, Jordan had become a stable, modern state.

Tommy Ramone was a Hungarian-American record producer, musician, and songwriter. For four years, he served as the drummer for the punk rock band the Ramones. The band was often cited as the first true punk rock group and was highly influential. Even though he left the group in the late 1970s, he maintained good relations with his former bandmates. 

David Lean was an English film producer, director, editor, and screenwriter. He is best remembered for directing large-scale epics like The Bridge on the River Kwai, A Passage to India, and Lawrence of Arabia. David Lean is widely regarded as one of the most prominent figures in British cinema. He won many prestigious awards, including two Academy Awards.

Nancy Kulp was an American actress best known for her portrayal of Miss Jane Hathaway in the popular television sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies, for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in 1967. A multi-talented personality, Kulp was also renowned for her comedic skills. She also tried her hand at politics and teaching before succumbing to cancer in 1991.

Joan Blondell was an American actress whose film and TV career spanned over 50 years. She is perhaps best remembered for her portrayal of Annie Rawlins in the 1951 historical drama film The Blue Veil, which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.  

Vivien Theodore Thomas was laboratory supervisor who never went to college; yet he rose above poverty and racism to develop a procedure for treating cyanotic heart disease. Initially billed as janitor, he began his career as assistant to surgeon Alfred Blalock first at Nashville University and later at Johns Hopkins, and in time discovered the life-saving technique, eventually becoming a teacher of operative techniques.