Famous People Who Died At 71

Johnny Cash, the American singer, songwriter and actor, was known for sorrow, moral suffering and redemption themes in his music. His genre was country, rock and roll, blues, folk and gospel sounds and he is one of the best-selling artists of all time. Cash had issues with drinking and drug abuse. Later he was diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease.

A famous Greek philosopher, Socrates is credited with founding Western philosophy along with other popular philosophers of his time. An enigmatic figure, most of his work is documented by his famous student Plato. Socrates is widely regarded as one of the most influential philosophers of all time as he had a strong influence on the philosophers of the modern era.

Counted amongst the most influential stand-up comedians, George Carlin was known for his dark comedy. His comedy routine, Seven Dirty Words, was hugely controversial and played a critical role in Supreme Court’s ruling to censor offensive material on broadcast media. In his career, he released many comedy albums, starred in 14 HBO special, authored books and acted in numerous films.

Kirstie Alley graduated from being an interior designer to participating in game shows, and then stepped into showbiz. She is known for her rib-tickling comedy and her Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning performance as Rebecca Howe in Cheers. She was also part of Dancing with the Stars and Celebrity Big Brother.

Luciano Pavarotti was an operatic tenor who went on to become one of the most loved and acclaimed tenors of all time. Nicknamed the King of the High Cs, Pavarotti is regarded as one of the best tenors of the 20th century. Also a well-known humanitarian, Luciano Pavarotti hosted annual charity concerts to raise money for various UN causes.

Grover Cleveland, a Democratic Party member, was the President of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and then again from 1893 to 1897. He is known for his campaign for political reform and fiscal conservatism. However, he was unable to deal with the economic depression in his second term as President, which led to massive decline in his popularity.

A rebellion at heart with a colourful personality, Princess Margaret Rose Windsor, Countess of Snowdon could not be more different from her reserved elder sister, Queen Elizabeth II. Known for her lavish lifestyle filled with parties and drinks and glamour, this fiercely independent Royal’s life was rocked with scandals and unfulfilled romances.

Chuck Connors was an American actor, professional baseball and basketball player. Connors is one of 13 athletes to have played in both National Basketball Association and the Major League Baseball. As an actor, he contributed to the success of the popular Western television program The Rifleman. Also known for his charity work, Connors helped found the Chuck Connors Charitable Foundation.

Tanya Roberts was an American actress and model who is best remembered for her role in the James Bond film A View to a Kill. While in her teens, she became a fashion and cover model and worked in ads for  Excedrin, Ultra Brite, and Clairol. She began acting as well and soon gained fame as a sex symbol. She retired from acting in 2005.

Jackie Gleason was an American actor, writer, comedian, composer, and conductor. Nicknamed The Great One, Jackie Gleason is credited with developing the popular TV series The Jackie Gleason Show, which enjoyed high ratings for nearly two decades. His life and work inspired the 2002 television biopic Gleason in which he was played by comedian and actor Brad Garrett.

Peter Boyle was an American actor, best known for playing Frank Barone in the popular TV series Everybody Loves Raymond. Boyle's death, which was caused by multiple myeloma and heart disease, had a great impact on many of his colleagues. His widow, Loraine, founded the Peter Boyle Memorial Fund, which is the most successful fundraiser for the International Myeloma Foundation.

Yves Saint Laurent was a French fashion designer who founded his eponymous fashion label in 1961. Widely regarded as one of the 20th century's most popular and influential fashion designers, Saint Laurent is credited with helping women all over the world find confidence by looking both elegant and comfortable at the same time. His life and career inspired many films.

The tenth president of the United States, John Tyler was dubbed His Accidency as he became the president after the sudden death of President William Henry Harrison when the former was serving as the vice president. Tyler's acceptance of full presidential powers set a prominent precedent and served as a model for succession to the future presidents.

Jerry Reed was an American guitarist, country music singer, songwriter, composer, and actor. He won three Grammy Awards and two Country Music Association awards during his illustrious career. In 2017, he was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Jerry Reed was also inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum.

Dutch painter Piet Mondrian is remembered for pioneering what is known as 20th-century abstract art. He co-founded the De Stijl art movement with Theo van Doesburg and gave rise to Neoplasticism. His art was influenced by Cubism. Many of his paintings consist of geometric shapes in particular sets of colors.

Considered one of the most successful African-origin footballers of all time, Eusébio, or the Black Panther, was born in the Portuguese Mozambique and grew up to represent the Portuguese national team as a striker. He also had a great stint with the club Benfica, having won the Primeira Liga with them 11 times.

Vivian Liberto was an American author and homemaker. She started hogging the limelight after marrying singer and actor, Johnny Cas,h with whom she had four daughters, including Rosanne Cash, who went on to become a singer-songwriter. Vivian Liberto’s 2007 book I Walked the Line formed the basis of the documentary movie My Darling Vivian, which was directed by Matt Riddlehoover.

Nora Ephron was an American writer, filmmaker, and journalist. She is known for writing films like Sleepless in Seattle and When Harry Met Sally... The Nora Ephron Prize was created by the Tribeca Film Festival in her memory. Her life and work inspired the 2016 documentary film Everything Is Copy, which was directed by her son Jacob Bernstein.

Hailed as one of the greatest logicians since Aristotle, Kurt Gödel was Austrian-born American mathematician, logician, and philosopher, who earned international stardom for his incompleteness theorem. Also credited with developing a technique called Gödel numbering, he later started working on Mathematical Platonism, a philosophical theory that failed to attract wide acceptance.

Georges Lemaître was a mathematician, astronomer, and professor of physics. Lemaître was the first person to theorize that the expansion of the universe can be used to explain the recession of nearby galaxies. In 1927, Lemaître published the first estimation of the Hubble constant. He also came up with the Big Bang theory to explain the origin of the universe.

Legendary Scottish singer-songwriter, bassist, and composer Jack Bruce gained international fame with the British rock band Cream and released iconic tracks such as I Feel Free. He also performed as part of the jazz fusion group the Tony Williams Lifetime. In 2006, he received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Wangari Maathai was a Kenyan environmental, social, and political activist. She achieved popularity after becoming the first African woman to be honored with the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize. She is credited with founding a non-governmental organization called The Green Belt Movement (GBM), which focuses on women's rights and environmental conservation.

Legendary English keyboardist Keith Emerson gained international fame as a founding member of the progressive rock group trio, Emerson, Lake & Palmer. He was also known for his work with The Nice. A victim of depression in his later years, he committed suicide by shooting himself in the head.

Frank Hamer was an American Texas Ranger and law enforcement officer. He is credited with leading the 1934 group that tracked down and executed criminals, Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker. Well-known for his investigative skill, marksmanship, and toughness, Frank Hamer was recognized as the archetypal Texas Ranger in the Southwest. His life and work inspired the 2019 film, The Highwaymen.

Neville Chamberlain was a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, Chamberlain served as UK's prime minister from 1937 to 1940. Known for his signing of the Munich Agreement, which is also called the Munich Betrayal, Neville Chamberlain is regarded by many as one of the most controversial prime ministers of the UK.