Famous People Who Died Today

Carrie Fisher was an American actress best known for playing Princess Leia in the Star Wars films. Some of her other films notable film wereShampoo, Soapdish, The Blues Brothers, When Harry Met Sally and The Women. She had issues with bipolar disorder and drug addiction and spoke publicly about it. She died after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest while on a transatlantic flight.

Jack Swigert was an American astronaut who flew to the moon and spent nearly six days in space. He was an engineer who also held a masters degree in business administration. He was involved in the infamous Apollo 15 postal covers incident. He ventured into politics with mixed fortunes.  He was elected to the US Congress but died before being sworn in.

Alan Bates was an English actor who achieved popularity during the 1960s by playing important roles in films like Whistle Down the Wind and A Kind of Loving. The same decade, he also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of Yakov Shepsovitch Bok in the 1968 British drama film The Fixer.   

Benazir Bhutto was a Pakistani politician who served as Pakistan's prime minister in two separate terms and became the first woman in a Muslim majority nation to lead a democratic government. She was assassinated, at the age of 54, and after her death has been revered by many as an icon for women's rights.

Lester B. Pearson was a Canadian statesman, scholar, diplomat, and soldier. He is best remembered for organizing the first United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) in an attempt to resolve the Suez Canal Crisis, for which he was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957. From 1963 to 1968, Lester B. Pearson served as the prime minister of Canada.

Renowned British essayist Charles Lamb was a major figure of the Romantic period. He is best remembered for his Essays of Elia and his book of abridged versions of Shakespeare’s plays, Tales from Shakespeare, which he co-wrote with his sister, Mary. He had also once spent time in a mental facility.

Starting his career with vaudeville and then moving on to Broadway, William Demarest later soared to fame with his role of retired sea captain Uncle Charley in the sitcom My Three Sons. His role in the biopic The Jolson Story got him nominated for an Academy Award.

Haskell Wexler was an American cinematographer, film director, and producer. In a survey conducted by the International Cinematographers Guild, Wexler was named among the ten most influential cinematographers in history. One of the most decorated cinematographers, Haskell Wexler received several prestigious awards including two Academy Awards in five nominations. He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The founder of the Armstrong Whitworth manufacturing company, William George Armstrong, also known as Baron Armstrong, redefined the design of guns and also invented the high-pressure hydraulic mechanism. Initially a lawyer, he later quit his practice to devote more time to engineering. He was also knighted for his feats.

Algerian army colonel Houari Boumediene was part of the rebellion against the French for his country’s independence. He became the president of Algeria following the coup of 1965. While he maintained cordial relations with the Soviet bloc, he also strengthened his country’s industrial ties with the West.

Max Beckmann was a German painter, sculptor, draftsman, printmaker, and writer. Even though scholars classify him as an Expressionist artist, he personally never identified as one. He became involved with the New Objectivity movement in the 1920s. He taught at the St. Louis School of Fine Arts at Washington University in his last years.

Khin Kyi was a Burmese diplomat and politician. She is best remembered for her marriage to Aung San, a prominent politician, revolutionary, and independence activist. Khin Kyi is also remembered for her service as the Minister of Social Welfare from 1953 to 1960. She also served as the Burmese Ambassador to India from 1960 to 1967.

Ellsworth Kelly was an American sculptor, painter, and printmaker best remembered for his association with Color Field painting, hard-edge painting, and minimalism. Over the course of his illustrious career, Kelly was honored with several prestigious awards, such as the National Medal of Arts and Edward MacDowell Medal.

English academic Michael Dummett, a prominent British philosopher of his time and a key campaigner for racial tolerance and equality, is known for his writings on history of analytic philosophy and his original contributions to the philosophical study of mathematics, logic, metaphysics and language. He devised the Quota Borda system of voting and developed an intermediate logic in mathematical logic.

Julian Tuwim was a Polish poet who co-founded a group of experimental poets called Skamander along with his contemporaries like Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz and Antoni Słonimski. A popular and influential figure in Polish literature, Tuwim was also admired for his immense contribution to children's literature. In 1935, Julian Tuwim was honored with the Polish Academy of Literature's prestigious Golden Laurel award.

Jaan Kross was an Estonian writer best remembered for winning the International Nonino Prize in 1995 in Italy. He also received several nominations for the prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature award during the early 1990s. Jaan Kross is also regarded as the most popular and most translated Estonian writer of all time.

Famous for dressing up in ballgowns and wearing heavy make-up while cooking up exotic dishes, celebrity chef Fanny Cradock initially co-wrote cookbooks and food columns with her husband Johnnie Cradock. She had married four times, and had committed bigamy twice. She was known for her signature husky voice and dramatic style.

Olga Preobrajenska was a Russian ballet dancer who worked at the popular Imperial Russian Ballet. Although she was born with a crooked spine, Preobrajenska went on to pursue her dream of becoming a prima ballerina. Remembered for her turnout and toe point, Preobrajenska exhibited the desired grace of a dancer with ease. She also taught popular ballerinas like Irina Baronova.

Hans von Seeckt was a German military officer. He played an important role in the First World War where he was a key figure in planning the victories achieved by August von Mackensen during World War I.

Viennese actor Jackie Gerlich is best remembered for playing a member of the Lollipop Guild in The Wizard of Oz, a role his dwarfism helped him attain. He was posthumously honored with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He had arrived in America on an ocean liner in 1936.

Scholar Alfonso Reyes had been a Mexican diplomat in Spain, Argentina, and Brazil. An expert in classical Greek and Spanish literature, he penned works such as La experiencia literaria and was also a 5-time Nobel Prize nominee. He had also translated works of authors such as G.K. Chesterton and Anton Chekhov.