Deaths in 2003
The following is a list of figures who died in 2003.
- 31 Arthur R. von Hippel, 105, German-born scientist and MIT professor who made critical contributions to the development of radar
- 31 Bríd Durrane, 109, the oldest person to receive a university degree and write an autobiography (both at 103), last surviving person who knew the leaders of Ireland's 1916 Uprising personally
- 30 David Bale, 62, activist
- 30 John Gregory Dunne, 71, American novelist and screenwriter
- 30 Anita Mui, 40, Hong Kong pop queen
- 30 Archbishop Michael Courtney, the Irish-born Papal Nuncio to Burundi who was central to peace negotiations, 58 assassinated
- 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
- 28 Dinsdale Landen, 71, British actor
- 27 Vestal Goodman, 74, Queen of Southern Gospel music
- 27 Ivan Calderon, 41, Puerto Rican former major league baseball star
- 27 Sir Alan Bates, British actor
- 26 Phil Goldman, 39, WebTV founder
- 26 Yoshio Shirai, 80, first Japanese world boxing champion
- 22 Dave Dudley, 75, Country music singer
- 20 John Halfpenny, 68, Australian unionist
- 19 Hope Lange, actress in Peyton Place
- 19 Peter Carter-Ruck, 89, UK libel lawyer
- 17 Ed Devereaux, Australian actor
- 17 Otto Graham, 82, Cleveland Browns football quarterback during the 1950s
- 16 Gary Stewart, 58, Country music singer (suicide)
- 16 Robert Stanfield, Canadian politician
- 15 Keith Magnuson, 56, former National Hockey League player (car accident)
- 15 George Fisher, U.S. political cartoonist
- 14 Jeanne Crain, 78, Oscar-nominated actress
- 14 Blas Ople, 75, foreign minister of the Philippines
- 13 Elizabeth Bates, 56, Professor of Psychology at University of California, San Diego
- 13 William V. Roth, Jr., former U.S. Senator, known for Kemp-Roth Tax Cut and Roth IRA
- 12 Keiko, 27, orca of Reino Aventura and Free Willy fame
- 12 Heydar Aliyev, 80, former President of Azerbaijan
- 12 Fadwa Toukan, 86, Palestinian poet
- 12 Earl Gillespie, 81, sportscaster, voice of the Milwaukee Braves
- 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, 75, former U.S. Senator from Illinois
- 8 Rubén González, 84, Cuban pianist, member of the Buena Vista Social Club
- 8 Johnny Bulla, 89, golfer
- 7 Raúl Vale, 59, Venezuelan-Mexican entertainer
- 7 Carl F. H. Henry, 90, American Evangelical theologian, founder of Christianity Today magazine
- 7 Azie Taylor Morton, 67, former Treasurer of the United States
- 6 Jose-Maria Jimenez, 32, professional cyclist
- 6 Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio, 85, President of Guatemala 1970-74
- 6 Jerry Tuite, 36, professional wrestler
- 5 Bert Templeton, 63, ice hockey coach
- 3 David Hemmings, actor
- 2 Ignaz Kiechle, German politician, minister for agriculture 1983-93
- 1 Clark Kerr, 92, first Chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, 1952-58, and President of the University of California, 1958-67
- 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 science fiction 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
- 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 (Star Trek: Enterprise) (35 years)
- 13 Mitoyo Kawate, oldest recognized 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)
- 31 Mohamed Yazid, Algerian politician, 80 years old
- 31 Richard Neustadt, political scholar and historian
- 31 Kamato Hongo, oldest recognized 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
- 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
- 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 recognized 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 Ford
- 2 Gunther Philipp, Austrian actor
- 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
- 20 Simon Vengai Muzenda, Zimbabwe polititian, vicepresident of the Republic since 1987
- 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
- 12 Rev Prof Norman Walker Porteous, theologian and writer on Old Testament issues
- 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
- 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 player 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 Rules Football legend
- 22 Arnold Gerschwiler, figure skating trainer in Britain
- 21 Wesley Willis, American schizophrenic musician and artist
- 21 Kathy Wilkes, Oxford philosopher and education worker in Eastern Europe
- 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
- 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 and actor
- 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, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ
- 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 Johann Sebastian 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
- 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 Foé, football player
- 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, Georgia 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, Ukrainian 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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 divorcée Sarah, Duchess of York, aged 71
- 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"
- 28 Roger Needham, computer pioneer
- 28 Fidel Sánchez Hernández, 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
- 23 Howie Epstein, former Bass player for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
- 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
- 5 Helge Boes, CIA operations officer
- 2 Dr. Harold S. Ginsberg, microbiologist
- 2 Lou Harrison, American 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
- 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 actor 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 Hernández Colón
- 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
For earlier deaths see 20th century, Deaths in 2002, Deaths in 2001, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997, ...
See also Deaths in 2004
