Deaths in December 2011 facts for kids

The following is a list of notable people who passed away in December 2011. These individuals were known for their contributions in various fields, like sports, arts, science, and politics. This list helps us remember important figures and their achievements.

December 2011: Remembering Notable People

December 1: A Look at Achievements

• Shingo Araki, 72, Japanese animation artist. He designed characters for famous shows like Yu-Gi-Oh!.
• Arthur Beetson, 66, Australian rugby league player. He was the first Indigenous Australian to lead a national team in any sport.
• Bill McKinney, 80, American actor. He appeared in movies like Deliverance and First Blood.
• Christa Wolf, 82, German writer. She was a very important author.

December 2: Influential Figures

• Bruno Bianchi, 56, French cartoonist and animator. He co-created the popular cartoon Inspector Gadget.
• Chiyono Hasegawa, 115, Japanese supercentenarian. She was the oldest person in Japan at the time.
• Bill Tapia, 103, American ukulelist. He played the ukulele for many years.

December 3: Remembering Talents

• Dev Anand, 88, Indian actor. He was a very famous actor in India.
• Philip "Fatis" Burrell, 57, Jamaican record producer. He helped create many reggae and dancehall hits.
• Sam Loxton, 90, Australian cricketer and politician. He was part of the famous "Invincibles" cricket team.

December 4: People Who Made a Difference

• Marion Dougherty, 88, American casting director. She helped choose actors for major films like Batman.
• Patricia C. Dunn, 58, American businesswoman. She was the Chairman of Hewlett-Packard.
• Sócrates, 57, Brazilian footballer. He was a legendary football player.
• Hubert Sumlin, 80, American blues guitarist. He was a very influential blues musician.

December 5: Diverse Contributions

• Peter Gethin, 71, British Formula One driver. He competed in Formula One races.
• Dan Mills, 80, American animator. He worked on cartoons like Family Guy.
• Pusuke, 26, Japanese dog. He was known as the world's oldest living dog at the time.
• Violetta Villas, 73, Polish singer. She was a well-known singer.

December 6: Voices and Talents

• Dobie Gray, 71, American singer. He was famous for songs like "Drift Away".
• Barbara Orbison, 61, American record producer. She was the wife of singer Roy Orbison.

December 7: Creative Minds

• Harry Morgan, 96, American actor. He was well-known for his role in the TV series M*A*S*H.
• Jerry Robinson, 89, American comic book artist. He helped create famous characters like Robin and The Joker for Batman comics.

December 8: Leaders and Innovators

• Gilbert Adair, 66, Scottish author and film critic.
• Sir Zelman Cowen, 92, Australian constitutional lawyer. He served as the Governor-General of Australia.
• Đơn Dương, 54, American actor. He appeared in the movie We Were Soldiers.
• Minoru Miki, 81, Japanese composer.

December 9: Sports and Arts

• João Pereira dos Santos, 93, Brazilian martial artist. He was a master of Capoeira.
• Len Phillips, 89, English footballer. He played for Portsmouth and the England national team.
• Myra Taylor, 94, American jazz singer.

December 10: Science and Public Service

• Vida Jerman, 72, Croatian actress.
• Albert Overhauser, 86, American physicist. He was a notable scientist.
• Ernst Specker, 91, Swiss mathematician.

December 11: Diverse Fields of Influence

• Rodolfo Bottino, 52, Brazilian actor and chef.
• John Patrick Foley, 76, American Roman Catholic Cardinal.
• Susan Gordon, 62, American child actress. She appeared in The Twilight Zone.
• Harold Hopkins, 67, Australian actor.
• Mario Miranda, 85, Indian cartoonist. His cartoons were very popular.
• Bonnie Prudden, 97, American rock climber and fitness advocate. She promoted physical fitness.

December 12: Athletes and Producers

• Sunday Bada, 42, Nigerian Olympic sprinter. He won a gold medal in 2000.
• John Gardner, 94, British classical music composer.
• Heini Lohrer, 93, Swiss Olympic ice hockey player. He won a medal in 1948.
• Sir Robert Peliza, 91, Gibraltarian politician. He was the Chief Minister of Gibraltar.
• Bert Schneider, 78, American film and television producer. He produced famous works like Easy Rider and The Monkees.

December 13: Writers and Leaders

• Russell Hoban, 86, American writer. He wrote many books.
• Park Tae-joon, 84, South Korean businessman and politician. He served as the Prime Minister of South Korea.
• Erica Wilson, 83, American embroidery designer.

December 14: Public Figures and Artists

• Roy Ash, 93, American businessman and public official. He was a Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
• Boris Chertok, 99, Soviet and Russian rocket designer. He was important in space exploration.
• Joe Simon, 98, American comic book writer. He co-created Captain America.
• Billie Jo Spears, 74, American country music singer.
• George Whitman, 98, American bookstore owner. He ran the famous Shakespeare and Company in Paris.

December 15: Diverse Contributions

• Eduardo Barreto, 57, Uruguayan comic book artist. He worked on Batman and Superman.
• Emmett L. Bennett, Jr., 93, American classicist. His work helped decipher the ancient writing system Linear B.
• Bob Brookmeyer, 81, American jazz trombonist.
• Christopher Hitchens, 62, British writer and commentator. He was a well-known public speaker.
• Jason Richards, 35, New Zealand race car driver.

December 16: Actors and Musicians

• Robert Easton, 81, American dialect coach and actor.
• Dan Frazer, 90, American actor. He was known for his role in Kojak.
• Patrick V. Murphy, 91, American police chief. He was the New York City Police Commissioner.
• Nicol Williamson, 75, Scottish actor.

December 17: Global Figures

• Eva Ekvall, 28, Venezuelan TV news anchor and model. She was Miss Venezuela 2000.
• Cesária Évora, 70, Cape Verdean singer. She was a famous singer from Cape Verde.
• Kim Jong-il, 69, North Korean Supreme Leader. He led North Korea since 1994.

December 18: Leaders and Artists

• Václav Havel, 75, Czech playwright and politician. He was the President of Czechoslovakia and later the President of the Czech Republic.
• Ralph MacDonald, 67, American percussionist and songwriter.
• Ronald Wolfe, 89, British sitcom writer. He wrote for shows like On the Buses.

December 19: Sports and Politics

• George Athor, 49, South Sudanese rebel leader.
• Luciano Magistrelli, 73, Italian Olympic footballer.
• Héctor Núñez, 75, Uruguayan footballer.

December 20: Innovators and Artists

• Robert Ader, 79, American psychologist. He helped create the field of psychoneuroimmunology.
• Sean Bonniwell, 71, American guitarist and singer.
• Jack Goldman, 90, American physicist. He was a chief scientist at Xerox Corporation.
• Yoshimitsu Morita, 61, Japanese film director.

December 21: Creative and Public Figures

• John Chamberlain, 84, American sculptor. He was known for his sculptures made from car parts.
• P. K. Iyengar, 80, Indian nuclear scientist.
• Werner Otto, 102, German entrepreneur. He founded the large retail company Otto GmbH.
• Yevhen Rudakov, 69, Russian Olympic football goalkeeper.

December 22: Sports and Arts

• Per Berlin, 90, Swedish Olympic wrestler. He won silver and bronze medals.
• William Duell, 88, American singer and actor. He appeared in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.
• Bettye Danoff, 88, American golfer. She was a founding member of the LPGA.

December 23: Diverse Personalities

• Denise Darcel, 87, French actress.
• Evelyn Handler, 78, American academic. She was a president of two universities.
• Aydın Menderes, 65, Turkish politician.

December 24: Entertainment and Science

• Johannes Heesters, 108, Dutch actor and singer. He was a very long-lived performer.
• Marvin Knopp, 78, American mathematician.
• Jody Rainwater, 92, American bluegrass musician.
• Joe Simon, 98, American comic book writer. He co-created Captain America.

December 25: Christmas Day Passings

• Giorgio Bocca, 91, Italian essayist and journalist.
• Ben Breedlove, 18, American Internet personality.
• Adrienne Cooper, 65, American klezmer and Yiddish vocalist.
• Habib Galhia, 70, Tunisian boxer. He won an Olympic bronze medal in 1964.
• Sir Roger Jowell, 69, British social statistician.
• Sir Moses Pitakaka, 66, Solomon Islander politician. He was the Governor-General of the Solomon Islands.
• George Robb, 85, English footballer. He played for Tottenham Hotspur F.C..

December 26: Public Figures and Artists

• Kennan Adeang, 69, Nauruan politician. He served as the President of Nauru.
• Pedro Armendáriz, Jr., 71, Mexican actor. He was known for his roles in the Zorro series.
• Sam Rivers, 88, American jazz musician and composer.
• James Rizzi, 61, American pop artist. He was known for his colorful, playful art.

December 27: Varied Contributions

• Sir Clifford Darling, 89, Bahamian politician. He was the Governor-General of the Bahamas.
• Helen Frankenthaler, 83, American artist. She was a famous abstract painter.
• Johnny Wilson, 82, Canadian ice hockey player and coach.

December 28: Sports and Arts

• Don Mueller, 84, American baseball player. He was an MLB All-Star.
• Hasan Mutlucan, 85, Turkish folk singer.
• Kaye Stevens, 79, American singer and actress.

December 29: Global Figures

• Rosman García, 32, Venezuelan baseball player.
• Leopold Hawelka, 100, Austrian coffee house owner. He ran the famous Café Hawelka.
• Tyron Perez, 26, Filipino actor.
• Amichand Rajbansi, 69, South African politician.
• Milton Wong, 72, Canadian businessman and philanthropist.

December 30: Artists and Politicians

• Dezső Garas, 77, Hungarian actor.
• Kim Geun-tae, 64, South Korean politician. He was the Minister of Health and Welfare.
• Ricardo Legorreta, 80, Mexican architect. He won the UIA Gold Medal.
• Ronald Searle, 91, British cartoonist. He created the St Trinian's School cartoons.
• Eva Zeisel, 105, American ceramic artist and designer.

December 31: End of the Year

• Kanati Allen, 64, American Olympic gymnast.
• Murray Barnes, 57, Australian soccer player and national captain.
• Penny Jordan, 65, British romantic novelist.
• Stanley Kwan, 86, Hong Kong banker. He created the Hang Seng Index.

Images for kids

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  A friendly robot, representing learning and discovery.

In Spanish: Anexo:Fallecidos en diciembre de 2011 para niños