What Happened in 2020 — Events, Births & Deaths

Iranian General Qasem Soleimani is killed by an American airstrike near Baghdad International Airport, igniting global concerns of a potential armed conflict.

The 6.4Mw 2019–20 Puerto Rico earthquakes kill four and injure nine in southern Puerto Rico.

Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 crashes immediately after takeoff at Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport; all 176 on board are killed. The plane was shot down by an Iranian anti-aircraft missile.

COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei: Municipal health officials in Wuhan announce the first recorded death from COVID-19.

Taal Volcano in the Philippines erupts and kills 39 people.

The Thai Ministry of Public Health confirms the first case of COVID-19 outside China.

The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare confirms the first case of COVID-19 in Japan.

The first impeachment of Donald Trump formally moves into its trial phase in the United States Senate.

The United States Senate ratifies the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement as a replacement for NAFTA.

A Sikorsky S-76B flying from John Wayne Airport to Camarillo Airport crashes in Calabasas, 30 miles west of Los Angeles, killing all nine people on board, including five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant.

A plinth breaks between Coral Edge Station and Riviera Station in Singapore, Coral Edge closes one platform.

The World Health Organization declares the COVID-19 pandemic to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

The United Kingdom's membership within the European Union ceases in accordance with Article 50, after 47 years of being a member state.

The COVID-19 pandemic causes all casinos in Macau to be closed down for 15 days.

United States President Donald Trump is acquitted by the United States Senate in his first impeachment trial.

Pegasus Airlines Flight 2193 overshoots the runway at Sabiha Gökçen International Airport and crashes, killing three people and injuring 179.

A soldier opens fire in a military camp and a shopping center in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, killing 29 people and injuring 58 others before being shot dead by police the next day. It is considered the deadliest mass shooting in the country's history.

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has the army soldiers enter the Legislative Assembly to assist in pushing for the approval for a better government security plan, causing a brief political crisis.

COVID-19 pandemic: The World Health Organization officially names the coronavirus outbreak as COVID-19, with the virus being designated SARS-CoV-2.

At least 22 people are killed in an attack on a village in Northwest Region, Cameroon.

Nine people are killed in two domestic terrorist shootings in Hanau, Hesse, Germany.

Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old African-American citizen, is shot and murdered by three white men after visiting a house under construction while jogging at a neighborhood in Satilla Shores near Brunswick in Glynn County, Georgia.

Mahathir Mohamad resigns as Prime Minister of Malaysia following an attempt to replace the Pakatan Harapan government, which triggered the 2020-2022 Malaysian political crisis.

During a demonstration, pro-government colectivos shoot at disputed President and Speaker of the National Assembly Juan Guaidó and his supporters in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, leaving five injured.

The United States and the Taliban sign the Doha Agreement for bringing peace to Afghanistan.

Muhyiddin Yassin is appointed as the 8th Prime Minister of Malaysia, amid the 2020 Malaysian political crisis.

Luxembourg becomes the first country in the world to render public transport free nationwide.

Nik Wallenda becomes the first person to walk over the Masaya Volcano in Nicaragua.

32 people are killed and 82 are injured when gunmen open fire on a ceremony in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Islamic State claims responsibility for the attack.

Giuseppe Conte, Prime Minister of Italy, announces in a televised address and signs the decree imposing the first nationwide COVID-19 lockdown in the world.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declares the COVID-19 virus epidemic a pandemic.

The United States suspends travel from Europe due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

President Donald Trump declares the COVID-19 pandemic to be a national emergency in the United States.

Breonna Taylor is killed by police officers who were forcibly entering her home in Louisville, Kentucky; her death sparked extensive protests against racism and police brutality.

Katerina Sakellaropoulou is sworn in as the first female President of Greece amid strict COVID-19 measures.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls by 2,997.10, the single largest point drop in history and the second-largest percentage drop ever at 12.93%, an even greater crash than Black Monday (1929). This follows the U.S. Federal Reserve announcing that it will cut its target interest rate to 0–0.25%.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces the country's largest ever self-imposed curfew, in an effort to fight the spread of COVID-19.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announces a national lockdown and the country's first ever self-imposed curfew, in an effort to fight the spread of COVID-19.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson puts the United Kingdom into its first national lockdown in response to COVID-19.

North Macedonia becomes the 30th member of NATO.

The region of Uusimaa (with the capital city Helsinki) is temporarily isolated from the rest of Finland due to increased COVID-19 infections.

COVID-19 pandemic: The total number of confirmed cases reach one million.

China holds a national day of mourning for martyrs who died in the fight against the novel coronavirus disease outbreak.

COVID-19 pandemic: China ends its lockdown in Wuhan.

COVID-19 pandemic: Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly resigns for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic on USS Theodore Roosevelt and the dismissal of Brett Crozier.

Bernie Sanders ends his presidential campaign, leaving Joe Biden as the Democratic Party's nominee.

Soyuz MS-16 is launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, carrying the Expedition 62/63 crew to the International Space Station.

A killing spree in Nova Scotia, Canada, leaves 22 people and the perpetrator dead, making it the deadliest rampage in the country's history.

For the first time in history, oil prices drop below zero, an effect of the 2020 Russia-Saudi Arabia oil price war.

Four police officers are killed after being struck by a truck on the Eastern Freeway in Melbourne while speaking to a speeding driver, marking the largest loss of police lives in Victoria Police history.

The COVID-19 recession causes the U.S. unemployment rate to hit 14.9 percent, its worst rate since the Great Depression.

Pakistan International Airlines Flight 8303 crashes in Model Colony near Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan, killing 98 people.

Protests triggered by the murder of George Floyd erupt in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, later becoming widespread across the United States and around the world.

An oil spill in Norilsk releases 17,500 tons of diesel oil into nearby rivers.

Crew Dragon Demo-2 launches from Kennedy Space Center, becoming the first crewed orbital spacecraft to launch from the United States since 2011 and the first commercial flight to the International Space Station.

Death of Giovanni López: Protests over the death of Giovanni López Ramírez, who had died on 4 May while in custody, begin in Jalisco following the release of a video of his arrest going viral on social media, and inspired by the George Floyd protests. Later, these spread across Mexico.

Animal rights advocate Regan Russell is run over and killed by a transport truck outside of a pig slaughterhouse in Burlington, Ontario.

The Hong Kong National Security Law is passed by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and immediately comes into effect after gazettal.

The United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement replaces NAFTA.

After a five-day search, the body of American actress and singer Naya Rivera is recovered from Lake Piru in California, where she had drowned.

NASA's Mars 2020 mission is launched on an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

A De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver and Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser collide over Soldotna, Alaska, killing all seven people on board both aircraft, including state representative Gary Knopp.

Beirut Port explosion: At least 220 people are killed and over 5,000 are wounded when 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate explodes in Beirut, Lebanon.

Air India Express Flight 1344 overshoots the runway at Calicut International Airport in the Malappuram district of Kerala, India, and crashes, killing 21 of the 190 people on board.

Derecho in Iowa becomes the most costly thunderstorm disaster in U.S. history.

Israel–United Arab Emirates relations are formally established.

Russia begins production on the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine.

The August Complex fire in California burns more than one million acres of land.

Joe Biden gives his acceptance speech virtually for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination at the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

Erin O'Toole is elected leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.

2020 Women's FA Community Shield.

Pope Benedict XVI becomes the longest-lived pope, 93 years, four months, 16 days, surpassing Pope Leo XIII, who died in 1903.

Signing of the Bahrain–Israel normalization agreement occurs in Washington, D.C., normalizing relations between Israel and two Arab nations, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

A grand jury in Kentucky declines to indict three police officers for the shooting death of Breonna Taylor in a drug raid gone wrong, leading to nationwide protests in the U.S.

Second Nagorno-Karabakh War: Azerbaijan launches an offensive against the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, inhabited predominantly by ethnic Armenians.

Second Nagorno-Karabakh War: Azerbaijan twice deliberately targets the Church of the Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots of Shusha.

Second Libyan Civil War: The Second Libyan Civil War comes to an end as all parties to the 5+5 Joint Libyan Military Commission agree to a ceasefire.

Jeremy Corbyn, former Leader of the Labour Party and of the Opposition in the United Kingdom is suspended from the Labour Party following his response to findings from the EHRC on the issue of antisemitism within the party.

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake strikes the Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey, triggering a tsunami. At least 119 people die mainly due to collapsed buildings.

Berlin Brandenburg Airport opens its doors after nearly 10 years of delays due to construction issues and project corruption.

In Vienna's Innere Stadt district, an ISIL sympathizer shoots and kills four people and injures 23 more, before being shot and killed by the police.

The 2020 United States presidential election takes place between Democratic Joe Biden and Republican incumbent President Donald Trump. On November 7, Biden was declared the winner.

The Tigray War begins with Tigrayan rebels launching attacks on Ethiopian command centers.

Joe Biden is confirmed elected as the 46th president of the United States, defeating incumbent Donald Trump.

Myanmar holds the 2020 general election, re-electing a government led by the National League for Democracy, which is deposed by the Burmese military the following February during the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état.

Second Nagorno-Karabakh War: An armistice agreement is signed by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia.

Armenia and Azerbaijan sign a ceasefire agreement, ending the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, and prompting protests in Armenia.

Typhoon Vamco makes landfall in Luzon and several offshore islands, killing 67 people. The storm causes the worst floods in the region since Typhoon Ketsana in 2009.

The PlayStation 5 is released.

Lewis Hamilton wins the Turkish Grand Prix and secures his seventh drivers' title, equalling the all-time record held by Michael Schumacher.

A Vega rocket carrying SEOSat-Ingenio and TARANIS fails after liftoff.

The Utah monolith, built sometime in 2016 is discovered by state biologists of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

Iran's top nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, is assassinated near Tehran.

Days after the announcement of its discovery, the Utah monolith is removed by recreationists.

Over seven hundred civilians are massacred by the Ethiopian National Defense Force and Eritrean Army in Aksum, Ethiopia.

The Arecibo Telescope collapses.

Cannabis is removed from the list of most dangerous drugs of the international drug control treaty by the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs.

The Food and Drug Administration issues an Emergency Use Authorization on the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, the first COVID-19 vaccine to be approved by the agency.

A total solar eclipse is visible from parts of the South Pacific Ocean, southern South America, and the South Atlantic Ocean.

A great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn occurs, with the two planets separated in the sky by 0.1 degrees. This is the closest conjunction between the two planets since 1623.

An explosion in Nashville, Tennessee, occurs, leaving three civilians in the hospital.

A magnitude 6.4 earthquake hits near the town of Petrinja in Sisak-Moslavina County, Croatia, killing seven people.

A large explosion at the airport in the southern Yemeni city of Aden kills at least 22 people and wounds 50.

The World Health Organization issues its first emergency use validation for a COVID-19 vaccine.

Lexii Alijai, American rapper (born 1998)

Alexander Frater, British travel writer and journalist (born 1937)

Don Larsen, American baseball player (born 1929)

Barry McDonald, Australian rugby union player (born 1940)

David Stern, American lawyer and businessman (born 1942)

Qasem Soleimani, Iranian major general, commander of the Iranian Quds Force (born 1957)

Tom Long, Australian actor (born 1968)

Tafazzul Haque Habiganji, Bangladeshi Islamic scholar and politician (born 1938)

Richard Maponya, South African businessman (born 1920)

Neil Peart, Canadian drummer, songwriter, and producer (born 1952)

Silvio Horta, American screenwriter and television producer (born 1974)

Elizabeth Wurtzel, author and feminist (born 1967)

Pat Dalton, Australian footballer (born 1942)

Buck Henry, American actor, screenwriter, and director (born 1930)

Qaboos bin Said, ruler of Oman (born 1940)

Sir Roger Scruton, English philosopher and writer (born 1944)

Bryan Monroe, American journalist and educator, (born 1965)

Philip Tartaglia, Scottish prelate, Catholic archbishop of Glasgow (born 1951)

Rocky Johnson, Canadian professional wrestler (born 1944)

Lloyd Cowan, British athlete and coach (born 1962)

Christopher Tolkien, British academic and editor (born 1924)

Derek Fowlds, British actor (born1937)

Jaroslav Kubera, Czech politician (born 1947)

Tom Fisher Railsback, American politician, member of the Illinois and U.S. House of Representatives (born 1932)

Terry Jones, Welsh actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1942)

Morgan Wootten, American high school basketball coach (born 1931)

John Altobelli, American college baseball coach (born 1963)

Gianna Bryant, American student-athlete (born 2006)

Kobe Bryant, American basketball player (born 1978)

Lina Ben Mhenni, Tunisian Internet activist and blogger (born 1983)

Bernard Ebbers, Canadian businessman, the co-founder and CEO of WorldCom (born 1941)

Mad Mike Hoare, British-Irish military officer and mercenary (born 1919)

George Steiner, French-American philosopher, author, and critic (born 1929)

Daniel arap Moi, Former President of Kenya (born 1924)

Kirk Douglas, American actor (born 1916)

Jhon Jairo Velásquez, Colombian hitman and drug dealer (born 1962)

Li Wenliang, Chinese ophthalmologist who initially warned about COVID-19 (born 1985)

Robert Conrad, American actor (born 1935)

Christie Blatchford, Canadian newspaper columnist, journalist and broadcaster (born 1951)

Geert Hofstede, Dutch social psychologist (born 1928)

Caroline Flack, English actress and TV presenter (born 1979)

Flavio Bucci, Italian actor and voice actor (born 1947)

José Mojica Marins, Brazilian filmmaker, actor, composer, screenwriter, and television horror host (born 1936)

Pop Smoke, American rapper (born 1999)

Joaquim Pina Moura, Portuguese Minister of Economy and Treasury and MP (born 1952)

Katherine Johnson, American physicist and mathematician (born 1918)

Dmitry Yazov, last Marshal of the Soviet Union (born 1924)

Joe Coulombe, founder of Trader Joe's (born 1930)

Freeman Dyson, British-born American physicist and mathematician (born 1923)

Sir Lenox Hewitt, Australian public servant (born 1917)

Dieter Laser, German actor (born 1942)

Éva Székely, Hungarian Hall of Fame swimmer and 1952 Olympic champion (born 1927)

Jack Welch, American business executive (born 1935)

Charles J. Urstadt, American real estate executive and investor (born 1928)

Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, Peruvian politician and diplomat (born 1920)

Max von Sydow, Swedish actor (born 1929)

John Bathersby, Australian Catholic bishop (born 1936)

Vittorio Gregotti, Italian architect (born 1927)

Alfred Worden, American test pilot, engineer and astronaut (born 1932)

Amadeo Carrizo, Argentine footballer (born 1926)

Kenny Rogers, American singer (born 1938)

Albert Uderzo, French comic book artist (born 1927)

Manu Dibango, Cameroonian musician and songwriter (born 1933)

Floyd Cardoz, Indian-born American chef (born 1960)

Joe Diffie, American country music singer (born 1958)

Alan Merrill, American musician (born 1951)

Krzysztof Penderecki, Polish composer and conductor (born 1933)

Manolis Glezos, Greek left-wing politician, journalist, author, and folk hero (born 1922)

Bill Withers, American singer-songwriter (born 1938)

Gita Ramjee, Ugandan-South African scientist and researcher (born 1956)

Al Kaline, American baseball player, broadcaster and executive (born 1934)

John Prine, American country folk singer-songwriter (born 1946)

Herb Stempel, American television personality (born 1926)

Rick May, American-Canadian voice actor (born 1940)

Abdul Momin Imambari, Bangladeshi Islamic scholar (born 1930)

John Horton Conway, English mathematician (born 1937)

Tarvaris Jackson, American football player (born 1983)

Carol D'Onofrio, American public health researcher (born 1936)

Ian Whitcomb, English singer-songwriter (born 1941)

Shirley Knight, American actress (born 1936)

Irrfan Khan, Indian actor (born 1967)

Guido Münch, Mexican astronomer and astrophysicist (born 1921)

Tony Allen, Nigerian drummer and composer (born 1940)

Rishi Kapoor, Indian actor, film director and producer (born 1952)

Arif Wazir, Pakistani politician, leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (born 1982)

Victoria Barbă, Moldovan animated film director (born 1926)

Dave Greenfield, English rock keyboardist (born 1949)

Don Shula, American football player and coach (born 1930)

Greg Zanis, American carpenter and activist (born 1950)

Millie Small, Jamaican singer-songwriter (born 1947)

Little Richard, American singer, songwriter, and pianist (born 1932)

Betty Wright, American soul singer (born 1953)

Jerry Stiller, American comedian, actor (born 1927)

Aimee Stephens, American funeral director and U.S. Supreme Court litigant (born 1960)

Fred Willard, American actor, comedian, and writer (born 1933)

Lucky Peterson, American blues singer, keyboardist and guitarist (born 1964)

Ken Osmond, American actor and police officer (born 1943)

Alan Merten, fifth President of George Mason University (born 1941)

Denise Cronenberg, Canadian costume designer (born 1938)

Hana Kimura, Japanese professional wrestler (born 1997)

George Floyd, African American man murdered by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin (born 1973)

Larry Kramer, American playwright, public health advocate and LGBT rights activist (born 1935)

Maikanti Baru, Nigerian engineer, former chief of state oil firm. (born 1959)

Michael Angelis, British actor (born 1944)

Pau Donés, Spanish singer (born 1966)

Claudell Washington, American baseball player (born 1954)

Stella Pevsner, children's author (born 1921)

Sushant Singh Rajput, Indian film actor (born 1986)

Eduardo Cojuangco Jr., Filipino businessman and politician (born 1935)

Jean Kennedy Smith, American activist, humanitarian, author and diplomat (United States Ambassador to Ireland, 1993–1998) (born 1928)

Vera Lynn, English singer who was the "Forces' Sweetheart" in World War II (born 1917)

Ian Holm, British actor (born 1931)

Milton Glaser, American graphic designer (born 1929)

Carl Reiner, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1922)

Stepa J. Groggs, American rap artist (born 1988)

Hachalu Hundessa, Ethiopian singer, songwriter (born 1986)

Stella Madzimbamuto, Zimbabwean activist (born 1930)

Ángela Jeria, Chilean archaeologist and human rights activist (born 1926)

Byron Bernstein, American Twitch streamer (born 1989)

Saroj Khan, Indian dance choreographer (born 1948)

Nick Cordero, Canadian actor and singer (born 1978)

Charlie Daniels, American singer-songwriter, fiddle-player and guitarist (born 1936)

Mary Kay Letourneau, American child rapist (born 1962)

Ennio Morricone, Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpet player (born 1928)

Naya Rivera, American actress, model and singer (born 1987)

Alex Pullin, Australian snowboarder (born 1987)

Lara van Ruijven, Dutch short track speed skater (born 1992)

Jack Charlton, English footballer and manager (born 1935)

Marc Angelucci, American attorney and men's rights activist, Vice-president of the National Coalition for Men (born 1968)

Frank Bolling, American baseball second baseman (born 1931)

Kelly Preston, American actress and model (born 1962)

Wim Suurbier, Dutch football player (born 1945)

Grant Imahara, American electrical engineer, roboticist, and television host (born 1970)

Zindzi Mandela, South African politician, diplomat, and third daughter of Nelson Mandela (born 1960)

Rosa, Spanish-born cow on French television (born 2001)

Tony Taylor, Cuban baseball player (born 1935)

John Lewis, American civil rights activist and politician (born 1940)

Ekaterina Alexandrovskaya, Russian-Australian pair skater (born 2000)

Michael Brooks, political commentator (born 1983)

Annie Ross, Scottish-American singer and actress (born 1930)

Andrew Mlangeni, South African political activist (born 1925)

Regis Philbin, American actor and television host (born 1931)

Peter Green, English blues rock guitarist, singer-songwriter and founder of Fleetwood Mac (born 1946)

Lou Henson, American college basketball coach (born 1932)

Olivia de Havilland, American actress (born 1916)

Junrey Balawing, Filipino record holder (born 1993)

Lee Teng-hui, Taiwanese politician, President (1988–2000), Vice President (1984–1988) and mayor of Taipei (1978–1981) (born 1923)

Herman Cain, American businessman and political activist (born 1945)

Alan Parker, English filmmaker (born 1944)

Wilford Brimley, American actor and singer (born 1934)

Rickey Dixon, American professional football player (born 1966)

Rodney H. Pardey, American poker player (born 1945)

Suzanne Perlman, Hungarian-Dutch visual artist (born 1922)

John Hume, Northern Irish politician (born 1937)

Hawa Abdi, Somali human rights activist and physician (born 1947)

Vern Rumsey, American bass guitarist (born 1973)

Gabriel Ochoa Uribe, Colombian football player and manager (born 1929)

Alfredo Lim, former Philippine senator and Mayor of Manila (born 1929)

Trini Lopez, American singer and guitarist (born 1937)

Sumner Redstone, American billionaire businessman (born 1923)

Bill Yeoman, American college football player and coach (born 1927)

Julian Bream, English classical guitarist and lutenist (born 1933)

Angela Buxton, British tennis player (born 1934)

James R. Thompson, American politician, Governor of Illinois (born 1936)

Robert Trump, American real-estate developer, business executive (born 1948)

Ben Cross, English stage and film actor (born 1947)

Chi Chi DeVayne, American Drag Queen (born 1985)

Gail Sheehy, American author, journalist, and lecturer (born 1936)

Joe Ruby, American animator (born 1933)

Chadwick Boseman, American actor and playwright (born 1976)

Pranab Mukherjee, Former President of India (born 1935)

Tom Seaver, American baseball player (born 1944)

Erick Morillo, American disc jockey and music producer (born 1971)

Lloyd Cadena, Filipino YouTuber and vlogger (born 1993)

Lou Brock, American baseball player (born 1939)

Diana Rigg, British actress (born 1938)

Toots Hibbert, Jamaican singer and songwriter (born 1942)

Swami Agnivesh, an Indian social activist and the founder of Arya Sabha, a political party based on the principles of Arya Samaj (born 1939)

Maxim Martsinkevich, Russian social activist and media personality (born 1984)

Robert W. Gore, American engineer and businessman, co-inventor of Gore-Tex (born 1937)

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, United States Supreme Court justice (born 1933)

John Turner, Canadian politician, 17th Prime Minister of Canada (born 1929)

Arthur Ashkin, American scientist and Nobel laureate (born 1922)

Neil Brannon, American politician (born 1940)

Juliette Gréco, French singer and actress (born 1927)

Dean Jones, Australian cricketer, coach and commentator (born 1961)

Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti Emir (born 1929)

Helen Reddy, Australian-American singer, actress, and activist (born 1941)

Anne-Marie Hutchinson, British lawyer (born 1957)

Clark Middleton, American actor (born 1957)

Kenzō Takada, Japanese-French fashion designer (born 1939)

Eddie Van Halen, Dutch-American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (born 1955)

Johnny Nash, American singer-songwriter (born 1940)

Mario Molina, Mexican chemist (born 1943)

Whitey Ford, American professional baseball pitcher (born 1928)

Conchata Ferrell, American actress (born 1943)

Roberta McCain, American socialite and oil heiress (born 1912)

René Felber, 81st President of the Swiss Confederation (born 1933)

James Randi, Canadian-American stage magician and author (born 1928)

Frank Bough, English television presenter (born 1933)

Jerry Jeff Walker, American singer-songwriter (born 1942)

Angelika Amon, Austrian-American molecular and cell biologist (born 1967)

Sean Connery, Scottish actor (born 1930)

MF Doom, British-American rapper and record producer (born 1971)

Keith Hitchins, American historian expert on Romanian history (born 1931)

Lady Elizabeth Shakerley, British party planner, writer and socialite (born 1941)

Ken Hensley, English rock singer-songwriter and musician (born 1945)

Geoffrey Palmer, English actor (born 1927)

Ken Spears, American writer (born 1938)

King Von, American rapper (born 1994)

Jonathan Sacks, former Chief Rabbi of the Commonwealth and member of the House of Lords (born 1948)

Alex Trebek, Canadian-American television personality and longtime host of Jeopardy! (born 1940)

Saeb Erekat, Chief Palestinian negotiator (born 1955)

Peter Sutcliffe, English serial killer (born 1946)

Peter Florjancic, Slovene inventor and Olympic athlete (born 1919)

Des O'Connor, English comedian, singer and television presenter (born 1932)

Sheila Nelson, English string teacher (born 1936)

Kirby Morrow, Canadian actor, comedian, and writer (born 1973)

Jan Morris, Welsh historian, author and travel writer (born 1926)

Otto Hutter, Austrian-born British physiologist (born 1924)

Tarun Gogoi, Indian Chief Minister of Assam (born 1934)

Diego Maradona, Argentinian football player (born 1960)

Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Iranian nuclear scientist (born 1958)

David Prowse, English weight-lifting champion, actor and Green Cross Man (born 1935)

Papa Bouba Diop, Senegalese footballer (born 1978)

Irina Antonova, Russian art historian (born 1922)

Arnie Robinson, American athlete (born 1948)

Pat Patterson, American wrestler (born 1941)

Peter Alliss, English professional golfer (born 1931)

Dick Allen, American baseball player and tenor (born 1942)

Chuck Yeager, American aviator (born 1923)

Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr., American actor and wrestler (born 1958)

Joseph Safra, Lebanese-Brazilian financier (born 1938)

Carol Sutton, American actress (born 1944)

Barbara Windsor, English actress (born 1937)

James Flynn, New Zealand intelligence researcher. (born 1934)

John le Carré, English author (born 1931)

Ann Reinking, American actress, dancer, and choreographer (born 1949)

Gérard Houllier, French Football manager (born 1947)

Saufatu Sopoanga, Tuvaluan politician, 8th Prime Minister of Tuvalu (born 1952)

Jeremy Bulloch, English actor (born 1945)

Allen Dines, American politician (born 1921)

Jerry Relph, American politician and member of the Minnesota Senate (born 1944)

Rosalind Knight, English actress (born 1933)

Fanny Waterman, British pianist (born 1920)

Ezra Vogel, American sociologist (born 1930)

Leslie West, American singer and guitarist (born 1945)

K. C. Jones, American basketball player and coach (born 1932)

Brodie Lee, American Professional Wrestler (born 1979)

Pierre Cardin, Italian-French fashion designer (born 1922)

Joe Louis Clark, American educator (born 1937)

Alexi Laiho, Finnish singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1979)

Dawn Wells, American actress, (born 1938)