Deaths in 2013 facts for kids

This article lists notable people who passed away in 2013. It includes famous actors, musicians, athletes, scientists, and political figures from around the world. Learning about these individuals can help us understand their contributions and the impact they had during their lives.

January

Patti Page (1927-2013) was a famous American singer.

James M. Buchanan (1919-2013) was a Nobel Prize-winning economist.

Conrad Bain (1923-2013) was an actor known for Diff'rent Strokes.

Pauline Phillips (1918-2013) was a well-known advice columnist.

Michael Winner (1935-2013) was a British movie director.

• January 1 – Patti Page, an 85-year-old American singer, passed away from natural causes.
• January 1 – Christopher Martin-Jenkins, a 67-year-old English sportscaster and cricket journalist, died from lymphoma.
• January 2 – Ladislao Mazurkiewicz, a 67-year-old Uruguayan footballer, passed away after a short illness.
• January 3 – Sergiu Nicolaescu, an 82-year-old Romanian movie director, actor, and politician, died from cardiac arrest.
• January 3 – Burry Stander, a 25-year-old South African mountain biker, died in a training accident.
• January 7 – Huell Howser, a 67-year-old American television personality and actor, passed away from prostate cancer.
• January 9 – James M. Buchanan, a 93-year-old American economist who won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1986, died from natural causes.
• January 11 – Aaron Swartz, a 26-year-old American computer programmer and internet activist, passed away.
• January 14 – Conrad Bain, an 89-year-old Canadian-American actor known for Diff'rent Strokes, died from complications of a stroke.
• January 16 – Pauline Phillips, a 94-year-old American advice columnist, passed away from natural causes.
• January 21 – Michael Winner, a 77-year-old British movie director and producer, died from liver cancer.

February

Ed Koch (1924-2013) was a former Mayor of New York City.

Richard Briers (1934-2013) was a British actor.

Jerry Buss (1933-2013) owned the Los Angeles Lakers.

Donald Richie (1924-2013) was a writer and historian on Japanese history.

C. Everett Koop (1916-2013) was a U.S. Surgeon General.

• February 1 – Ed Koch, an 88-year-old American politician and former Mayor of New York City, died from heart failure.
• February 4 – Reg Presley, a 71-year-old British rock musician, passed away from lung cancer and a stroke.
• February 14 – Reeva Steenkamp, a 29-year-old South African model, died after being shot.
• February 17 – Richard Briers, a 79-year-old British actor, passed away from emphysema.
• February 18 – Jerry Buss, an 80-year-old American businessman and owner of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team, died from cancer and kidney failure.
• February 18 – Otfried Preußler, an 89-year-old German children's author, passed away.
• February 19 – Donald Richie, an 88-year-old American writer and historian on Japanese history, died from natural causes.
• February 19 – Robert Coleman Richardson, a 75-year-old American Nobel Prize-winning physicist, passed away from a heart attack.
• February 21 – Magic Slim, a 75-year-old American blues singer and guitarist, died from heart failure.
• February 25 – C. Everett Koop, a 96-year-old American politician and former Surgeon General of the United States, passed away from kidney failure.
• February 27 – Van Cliburn, a 78-year-old American pianist, died from bone cancer.

March

Bonnie Franklin (1944-2013) was an American actress.

Hugo Chávez (1954-2013) was the President of Venezuela.

Chinua Achebe (1930-2013) was a Nigerian novelist.

Richard Griffiths (1947-2013) was a British actor.

• March 1 – Bonnie Franklin, a 69-year-old American actress, died from pancreatic cancer.
• March 5 – Hugo Chávez, the 58-year-old President of Venezuela, passed away from respiratory failure caused by cancer.
• March 6 – Alvin Lee, a 68-year-old British guitarist, died from complications during surgery.
• March 6 – Stompin' Tom Connors, a 77-year-old Canadian country-folk singer, passed away from kidney failure.
• March 12 – Clive Burr, a 56-year-old British drummer, died from multiple sclerosis.
• March 13 – Malachi Throne, an 84-year-old American actor, passed away from lung cancer.
• March 14 – Jack Greene, an 83-year-old American country music singer, died from Alzheimer's disease.
• March 15 – Booth Gardner, a 76-year-old American politician and former Governor of Washington, passed away from Parkinson's disease.
• March 20 – James Herbert, a 69-year-old English writer of horror fiction, died from a heart attack.
• March 21 – Chinua Achebe, an 82-year-old Nigerian novelist and poet, passed away after a short illness.
• March 22 – Bebo Valdés, a 94-year-old Cuban pianist and composer, died from Alzheimer's disease.
• March 23 – Joe Weider, a 93-year-old American trainer and bodybuilder, passed away from heart failure.
• March 28 – Richard Griffiths, a 65-year-old British actor, died from complications of heart surgery.

April

Roger Ebert (1942-2013) was a famous American movie critic.

Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013) was a former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Jonathan Winters (1925-2013) was an American comedian and actor.

Pat Summerall (1930-2013) was an American football player and sportscaster.

Richie Havens (1941-2013) was an American folk singer.

• April 2 – Jesús Franco, an 82-year-old Spanish movie director and writer, died from complications of a stroke.
• April 2 – Jane Henson, a 78-year-old American puppeteer and co-founder of The Muppets, passed away from cancer.
• April 4 – Roger Ebert, a 70-year-old American movie critic and television host, died from thyroid cancer.
• April 7 – Lilly Pulitzer, an 81-year-old American fashion designer, passed away from natural causes.
• April 8 – Annette Funicello, a 70-year-old American actress and singer, died from multiple sclerosis.
• April 8 – Margaret Thatcher, an 87-year-old former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, passed away from a stroke.
• April 11 – Jonathan Winters, an 87-year-old American comedian and actor, died from natural causes.
• April 16 – Pat Summerall, an 82-year-old American football player and sportscaster, passed away from cardiac arrest.
• April 18 – Storm Thorgerson, a 69-year-old British graphic designer known for album covers, died from cancer.
• April 21 – Chrissy Amphlett, a 53-year-old Australian singer, passed away from breast cancer.
• April 22 – Richie Havens, a 72-year-old American folk singer and guitarist, died from a heart attack.
• April 26 – George Jones, an 81-year-old American country music singer, passed away from respiratory failure.

May

Giulio Andreotti (1919-2013) was a former Prime Minister of Italy.

Ray Harryhausen (1920-2013) was a stop-motion animator.

Steve Forrest (1925-2013) was an American actor.

• May 1 – Chris Kelly (from the group Kris Kross), a 34-year-old American rapper, passed away.
• May 2 – Jeff Hanneman, a 49-year-old American guitarist from the band Slayer, died from liver failure.
• May 4 – Otis R. Bowen, a 95-year-old American politician and former Governor of Indiana, passed away.
• May 6 – Giulio Andreotti, a 94-year-old former Prime Minister of Italy, died from respiratory complications.
• May 7 – Ray Harryhausen, a 92-year-old American stop-motion animator, passed away from natural causes.
• May 8 – Jeanne Cooper, an 84-year-old American actress, died from an infection.
• May 16 – Heinrich Rohrer, a 79-year-old Swiss Nobel Prize-winning physicist, passed away.
• May 17 – Jorge Rafael Videla, an 87-year-old Argentine military leader and former President, died from complications of a fall.
• May 18 – Steve Forrest, an 87-year-old American actor, passed away from natural causes.
• May 20 – Ray Manzarek, a 74-year-old American musician and singer from The Doors, died from bile duct cancer.
• May 26 – Jack Vance, a 96-year-old American fantasy and science fiction writer, passed away from natural causes.
• May 27 – Bill Pertwee, an 86-year-old British radio and television actor, died from natural causes.
• May 31 – Jean Stapleton, a 90-year-old American actress, passed away from natural causes.

June

Frank Lautenberg (1924-2013) was a U.S. Senator.

Esther Williams (1921-2013) was an American swimmer and actress.

Iain Banks (1954-2013) was a Scottish novelist.

James Gandolfini (1961-2013) was an American actor.

Slim Whitman (1923-2013) was an American country music singer.

Bobby Bland (1930-2013) was an American blues and soul singer.

Richard Matheson (1926-2013) was an American author and screenwriter.

• June 3 – Frank Lautenberg, an 89-year-old American politician and U.S. Senator from New Jersey, died from viral pneumonia.
• June 3 – Jiah Khan, a 25-year-old American-born British-Indian actress, passed away.
• June 3 – Deacon Jones, a 74-year-old American Pro Football Hall of Fame player, died from natural causes.
• June 6 – Tom Sharpe, an 85-year-old British author, died from complications of diabetes.
• June 6 – Esther Williams, a 91-year-old American swimmer, businesswoman, and actress, passed away from natural causes.
• June 7 – Pierre Mauroy, an 84-year-old French politician and former Prime Minister of France, died from lung cancer.
• June 9 – Iain Banks, a 59-year-old Scottish novelist, passed away from gallbladder cancer.
• June 12 – Jiroemon Kimura, a 116-year-old Japanese supercentenarian and the world's oldest man, died from natural causes.
• June 19 – Slim Whitman, a 90-year-old American country music singer-songwriter, passed away from heart failure.
• June 19 – James Gandolfini, a 51-year-old American actor known for The Sopranos, died from a heart attack.
• June 23 – Bobby Bland, an 83-year-old American blues and soul singer, passed away from illness.
• June 23 – Richard Matheson, an 87-year-old American author and screenwriter, died after a long illness.
• June 24 – Emilio Colombo, a 93-year-old Italian politician and former Prime Minister of Italy, passed away from natural causes.
• June 29 – Margherita Hack, a 91-year-old Italian astrophysicist and science writer, died from suspected heart failure.
• June 29 – Jim Kelly, a 67-year-old American martial artist and actor, passed away from cancer.

July

Douglas Engelbart (1925-2013) invented the computer mouse.

Pran (1920-2013) was a famous Indian actor.

Cory Monteith (1982-2013) was a Canadian actor and singer.

Helen Thomas (1920-2013) was a well-known American journalist.

Dennis Farina (1944-2013) was an American actor.

Emile Griffith (1938-2013) was a champion boxer.

• July 2 – Douglas Engelbart, an 88-year-old American scientist and inventor of the computer mouse, died from kidney failure.
• July 7 – Joe Conley, an 85-year-old American actor known for The Waltons, died from complications of dementia.
• July 12 – Amar Bose, an 83-year-old American audio executive and founder of Bose Corporation, passed away from a heart attack.
• July 12 – Pran, a 93-year-old Indian actor, died from pneumonia.
• July 13 – Cory Monteith, a 31-year-old Canadian actor and singer known for Glee, passed away.
• July 16 – Talia Castellano, a 13-year-old American makeup artist, died from cancer.
• July 19 – Mel Smith, a 60-year-old British comedian, actor, and director, passed away from a heart attack.
• July 20 – Helen Thomas, a 92-year-old American journalist, died from natural causes.
• July 22 – Dennis Farina, a 69-year-old American actor, passed away from a pulmonary embolism.
• July 23 – Emile Griffith, a 75-year-old U.S. Virgin Islander boxer and champion, died from complications of dementia.
• July 26 – JJ Cale, a 74-year-old American Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, passed away from a heart attack.
• July 28 – Eileen Brennan, an 80-year-old American actress, died from bladder cancer.
• July 30 – Harry F. Byrd, Jr., a 98-year-old American politician and former U.S. Senator from Virginia, passed away from heart disease.
• July 31 – Michael Ansara, a 91-year-old Syrian-American actor, died from complications of Alzheimer's disease.

August

Karen Black (1939-2013) was an American actress.

Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau (1968-2013) was a Dutch royal.

Julie Harris (1925-2013) was an American actress.

Seamus Heaney (1939-2013) was an Irish poet and Nobel laureate.

David Frost (1939-2013) was a British journalist and TV personality.

• August 5 – George Duke, a 67-year-old American jazz keyboardist, passed away.
• August 8 – Karen Black, a 74-year-old American actress, died from ampullary cancer.
• August 10 – Eydie Gormé, an 84-year-old American singer, passed away after a short illness.
• August 12 – Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau, a 44-year-old Dutch royal, died from complications following a skiing accident.
• August 14 – Lisa Robin Kelly, a 43-year-old American actress known for That '70s Show, died from cardiac arrest.
• August 14 – Mark Sutton, a 41-year-old British stuntman, died in a stunt wing-diving accident.
• August 20 – Elmore Leonard, an 87-year-old American novelist and screenwriter, died from complications of a stroke.
• August 21 – Sid Bernstein, a 95-year-old American music producer who brought The Beatles to the United States, passed away from natural causes.
• August 24 – Julie Harris, an 87-year-old American actress, died from congestive heart failure.
• August 30 – Seamus Heaney, a 74-year-old Irish poet and Nobel Prize winner, passed away from illness.
• August 31 – David Frost, a 74-year-old British journalist, writer, and television personality, died from a heart attack.

September

Frederik Pohl (1919-2013) was a science fiction author.

Otto Sander (1941-2013) was a German actor.

Ken Norton (1943-2013) was a heavyweight boxer.

Marcel Reich-Ranicki (1920-2013) was a German literary critic.

• September 1 – Tommy Morrison, a 44-year-old American heavyweight boxing champion and actor, died from multiple organ failure.
• September 2 – Ronald Coase, a 102-year-old British economist and Nobel Prize winner, passed away from natural causes.
• September 2 – Frederik Pohl, a 93-year-old American science fiction author, died from natural causes.
• September 2 – Valérie Benguigui, a 47-year-old French actress, passed away from breast cancer.
• September 12 – Ray Dolby, an 80-year-old American inventor known for surround sound technology, died from leukemia.
• September 12 – Otto Sander, a 72-year-old German actor, passed away from cancer.
• September 13 – Salustiano Sanchez, a 112-year-old Spanish-born American supercentenarian and the world's oldest living man, died from natural causes.
• September 17 – Eiji Toyoda, a 100-year-old Japanese industrialist and former president of Toyota Motor Company, died from heart failure.
• September 18 – Marcel Reich-Ranicki, a 93-year-old German writer and literary critic, passed away from natural causes.
• September 18 – Ken Norton, a 70-year-old American heavyweight boxer and actor, died from heart failure.
• September 19 – Hiroshi Yamauchi, an 85-year-old Japanese businessman and former president of Nintendo, passed away from pneumonia.
• September 22 – David Hubel, an 87-year-old Canadian biologist and Nobel Prize winner, died from kidney failure.

October

Tom Clancy (1947-2013) was a famous American writer.

Nicholas Oresko (1917-2013) was a World War II Medal of Honor recipient.

Ed Lauter (1938-2013) was an American actor.

Lou Reed (1942-2013) was an American rock musician.

Tadeusz Mazowiecki (1927-2013) was a former Prime Minister of Poland.

• October 1 – Tom Clancy, a 66-year-old American writer known for his spy novels, died from heart failure.
• October 1 – Giuliano Gemma, a 75-year-old Italian actor, passed away in a traffic collision.
• October 4 – Vo Nguyen Giap, a 102-year-old Vietnamese general and politician, died from natural causes.
• October 4 – Nicholas Oresko, a 96-year-old American World War II veteran and Medal of Honor recipient, died from complications of surgery.
• October 9 – Wilfried Martens, a 77-year-old Belgian politician and former Prime Minister, passed away from pancreatic cancer.
• October 10 – Scott Carpenter, an 88-year-old American test pilot and astronaut, died from complications of a stroke.
• October 11 – María de Villota, a 33-year-old Spanish racing driver, passed away from cardiac arrest.
• October 15 – Hans Riegel, a 90-year-old German businessman and owner of Haribo candy, died from heart failure.
• October 16 – Ed Lauter, a 74-year-old American actor, passed away from mesothelioma.
• October 18 – Tom Foley, an 84-year-old American politician and former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, died from complications of a stroke.
• October 25 – Hal Needham, an 82-year-old American stuntman and movie director, passed away from cancer.
• October 25 – Marcia Wallace, a 70-year-old American actress and comedienne, known for her voice work on The Simpsons, died from pneumonia.
• October 27 – Lou Reed, a 71-year-old American rock musician and songwriter, passed away from liver disease.
• October 28 – Tadeusz Mazowiecki, an 86-year-old Polish politician and former Prime Minister of Poland, died from pneumonia.

November

Doris Lessing (1919-2013) was a Nobel Prize-winning novelist.

Frederick Sanger (1918-2013) was a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist.

Pavel Bobek (1937-2013) was a Czech singer.

Georges Lautner (1926-2013) was a French movie director.

Paul Walker (1973-2013) was an American actor.

• November 3 – Nick Cardy, a 93-year-old American comic book artist, passed away from heart failure.
• November 6 – Ace Parker, a 101-year-old American football and baseball player, died from natural causes.
• November 17 – Doris Lessing, a 94-year-old British novelist and Nobel Prize winner, passed away from a stroke.
• November 19 – Diane Disney Miller, a 79-year-old American philanthropist and daughter of Walt Disney, died from complications of a fall.
• November 19 – Frederick Sanger, a 95-year-old British biochemist and two-time Nobel Prize winner, passed away from natural causes.
• November 20 – Sylvia Browne, a 77-year-old American author and psychic, died from heart failure.
• November 20 – Pavel Bobek, a 76-year-old Czech singer, passed away from a stroke.
• November 22 – Georges Lautner, an 87-year-old French movie director and screenwriter, died after a long illness.
• November 25 – Bill Foulkes, an 81-year-old English footballer for Manchester United, passed away from prostate cancer.
• November 27 – Nílton Santos, an 88-year-old Brazilian footballer, died from respiratory failure.
• November 30 – Paul Walker, a 40-year-old American actor known for The Fast and the Furious movies, died in a traffic collision.

December

Nelson Mandela (1918-2013) was a Nobel Peace Prize winner and former President of South Africa.

Peter O'Toole (1932-2013) was an Irish actor.

Joan Fontaine (1917-2013) was a British actress.

Edgar Bronfman, Sr. (1929-2013) was a Canadian-American businessman.

Mikhail Kalashnikov (1919-2013) designed the AK-47 rifle.

Wojciech Kilar (1932-2013) was a Polish composer.

James Avery (1945-2013) was an American actor.

• December 5 – Nelson Mandela, a 95-year-old South African politician, activist, and Nobel Peace Prize winner, died from a lung infection. He was the first President of South Africa.
• December 9 – Eleanor Parker, a 91-year-old American actress known for The Sound of Music, died from complications of pneumonia.
• December 10 – Jim Hall, an 83-year-old American jazz guitarist and composer, passed away from a heart attack.
• December 12 – Audrey Totter, a 95-year-old American actress, died from a stroke.
• December 14 – Peter O'Toole, an 81-year-old Irish actor famous for Lawrence of Arabia, passed away from stomach cancer.
• December 15 – Joan Fontaine, a 96-year-old British actress, died from natural causes.
• December 16 – Ray Price, an 87-year-old American singer, passed away from pancreatic cancer.
• December 21 – Edgar Bronfman, Sr., an 84-year-old Canadian-American businessman and activist, died from natural causes.
• December 23 – Mikhail Kalashnikov, a 94-year-old Russian weapons designer who created the AK-47 rifle, passed away after a long illness.
• December 29 – Wojciech Kilar, an 81-year-old Polish composer, died from cancer.
• December 31 – James Avery, a 65-year-old American actor known for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, died from complications of heart surgery.