Deaths in December 2012 facts for kids

This page lists famous people who passed away in December 2012. You'll find their names, ages, countries, and what they were known for. We also mention the cause of death if it's known and appropriate to share.

People Who Passed Away in December 2012

December 1

• Arthur Chaskalson, 81, a judge from South Africa who was the Chief Justice (2001–2005).
• Mitchell Cole, 27, an English football player for teams like Southend United and Stevenage Borough. He had heart problems.
• Rick Majerus, 64, an American college basketball coach for teams like the University of Utah. He passed away from heart failure.
• Reinhold Weege, 62, an American TV writer and producer known for shows like Night Court.

December 2

• Preeti Ganguly, 59, an Indian actress.
• Tom Hendry, 83, a Canadian writer who started the Manitoba Theatre Centre.
• Ehsan Naraghi, 86, an Iranian sociologist and writer who worked for UNESCO.

December 3

• Fyodor Khitruk, 95, a Russian animator and director known for The Story of a Crime.
• Diego Mendieta, 32, a football player from Paraguay.
• Eileen Moran, 60, an American producer of visual effects for movies like The Lord of the Rings and Avatar. She had cancer.
• Jeroen Willems, 50, a Dutch actor and singer.

December 4

• Jack Brooks, 89, an American politician who served in the US House of Representatives for many years.
• Miguel Calero, 41, a football player from Colombia.
• Besse Cooper, 116, an American supercentenarian who was the world's oldest person at the time.
• Jonathan Harvey, 73, an English composer.
• Oscar Niemeyer, 104, a famous Brazilian architect.

December 5

• Dave Brubeck, 91, a legendary American jazz pianist and composer known for songs like "Take Five". He passed away from heart failure.
• Nakamura Kanzaburō XVIII, 57, a Japanese kabuki theater star.
• Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, 103, an Australian who was known for her charity work. She was the mother of Rupert Murdoch.

December 6

• Miguel Abia Biteo Boricó, 51, a politician who was the Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea (2004–2006). He had a heart attack.
• Ed Cassidy, 89, an American musician from the band Spirit. He had cancer.
• Jeffrey Koo Sr., 79, a wealthy Taiwanese businessman.
• Huw Lloyd-Langton, 61, a British guitarist from bands like Hawkwind. He had throat cancer.
• O-Six, 6, a famous gray wolf from Yellowstone National Park.

December 7

• William F. House, 89, an American doctor who helped develop the cochlear implant, a device that helps people hear. He had cancer.
• Jeni Le Gon, 96, an American dancer and actress.
• Rusty Mills, 49, an American animator who worked on shows like Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain. He had colon cancer.
• Saul Steinberg, 73, an American businessman.

December 8

• Jerry Brown, 25, an American football player for the Dallas Cowboys. He passed away in a traffic accident.
• Mary Griggs Burke, 96, an American art collector who had one of the largest collections of Japanese art outside Japan.
• Daniel Inouye, 88, an American politician who was a Senator from Hawaii for many years. He was also a Medal of Honor recipient. He passed away from respiratory failure.
• Ambrose Madtha, 57, an Indian Roman Catholic leader who was an ambassador for the Vatican in Côte d'Ivoire. He passed away in a traffic accident.

December 9

• Jenni Rivera, 43, an American-born Mexican singer known for Banda and Norteño music. She passed away in a plane crash.
• Sir Patrick Moore, 89, a famous British astronomer and TV presenter known for The Sky at Night. He had an infection.
• Alex Moulton, 92, a British engineer and inventor known for the Moulton Bicycle.
• Norman Joseph Woodland, 91, an American inventor who helped create the bar code.

December 10

• Iajuddin Ahmed, 81, a politician who was the President of Bangladesh (2002–2009). He had heart and kidney disease.
• Lisa Della Casa, 93, a Swiss opera singer.
• Ed Grady, 89, an American actor known for movies like The Notebook.
• Oscar Niemeyer, 104, a Brazilian architect.
• Bob Munden, 70, an American entertainer known for his fast shooting skills. He passed away from heart failure.
• Ravi Shankar, 92, a world-famous Indian musician. He passed away from complications after heart surgery.

December 11

• Ravi Shankar, 92, a world-famous Indian musician. He passed away from complications after heart surgery.
• Galina Vishnevskaya, 86, a Russian opera singer.
• Colleen Walker, 56, an American golfer who won the du Maurier Classic in 1997. She had breast cancer.

December 12

• Ray Briem, 82, an American radio host. He had cancer.
• Eddie "Guitar" Burns, 84, an American blues musician. He passed away from heart failure.
• Don Medford, 95, an American television director known for shows like Dynasty.
• Nityanand Swami, 85, an Indian politician who was the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand (2000–2001).

December 13

• Andreu Alfaro, 83, a Spanish sculptor.
• Donnie Andrews, 58, an American criminal who inspired the character Omar Little on the TV show The Wire. He passed away from complications after heart surgery.
• Maurice Herzog, 93, a French climber and politician.
• Natalya Kustinskaya, 74, a Russian actress. She passed away from complications from pneumonia.
• Abdesslam Yassine, 84, a Moroccan political figure. He passed away from complications of influenza.

December 14

• Kenneth Kendall, 88, a British television news presenter for BBC News. He passed away from complications of a stroke.
• Klaus Köste, 69, a German Olympic champion gymnast. He passed away from heart failure.
• Shōmei Tōmatsu, 82, a Japanese photographer.
• Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims:
  • Charlotte Bacon, 6, an American student.
  • Daniel Barden, 7, an American student.
  • Rachel D'Avino, 29, an American behavior therapist.
  • Olivia Engel, 6, an American student.
  • Josephine Gay, 7, an American student.
  • Victoria Leigh Soto, 27, an American elementary school teacher.

December 15

• Owoye Andrew Azazi, 60, a Nigerian general and National Security Adviser. He passed away in a helicopter crash.
• Páidí Ó Sé, 57, an Irish Gaelic football player and manager. He had a suspected heart attack.
• Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, 64, a Nigerian politician who was the Governor of Kaduna State. He passed away in a helicopter crash.
• Olga Zubarry, 83, an Argentine film actress.

December 16

• Gerry Anderson, 83, a British producer, writer, and director known for shows like Thunderbirds. He had Alzheimer's disease.
• Iñaki Lejarreta, 29, a Spanish Olympic mountain biker. He passed away in a traffic accident.
• Adam Ndlovu, 42, a Zimbabwean football player. He passed away in a traffic accident.

December 17

• Tony Charlton, 83, an Australian sports broadcaster. He had bowel cancer.
• Daniel Inouye, 88, an American politician who was a Senator from Hawaii for many years. He was also a Medal of Honor recipient. He passed away from respiratory failure.
• Arnaldo Mesa, 45, a Cuban Olympic silver medal-winning boxer. He passed away from a stroke.
• Frank Pastore, 55, an American baseball player for the Cincinnati Reds. He passed away from injuries after a traffic accident.

December 18

• Koko, 7, an Australian dog actor known for the movie Red Dog. He had heart disease.
• Ben Luján, 77, an American politician who was the Speaker of the New Mexico House of Representatives. He had lung cancer.
• Mustafa Ould Salek, 76, a Mauritanian army officer and politician who was the Chairman of the Military Committee for National Recovery.

December 19

• Robert Bork, 85, an American legal scholar and judge. He had heart disease.
• Georges Jobé, 51, a Belgian motocross rider who won the FIM World Motocross Championship five times. He had leukemia.
• Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, 68, an Israeli lieutenant general and politician. He had cancer.
• Keiji Nakazawa, 73, a Japanese manga artist and writer known for Barefoot Gen. He had lung cancer.
• Peter Struck, 69, a German politician who was the Minister of Defence. He passed away from a heart attack.

December 20

• Leslie Claudius, 85, an Indian Olympic champion field hockey player.
• Richard Crandall, 64, an American scientist. He had leukemia.
• Jimmy McCracklin, 91, an American blues musician.
• Kamil Sönmez, 65, a Turkish singer and actor. He passed away from a brain hemorrhage.
• Jerome Whitehead, 56, an American basketball player.

December 21

• Lee Dorman, 70, an American bass guitarist from bands like Iron Butterfly.
• Thomas W. McGee, 88, an American politician who was the Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

December 22

• Bashir Ahmad Bilour, 69, a Pakistani politician. He passed away in a bombing.
• Emidio Greco, 74, an Italian film director.
• Lim Keng Yaik, 73, a Malaysian politician.
• Bill McBride, 67, an American politician who ran for Governor of Florida. He passed away from a heart attack.
• Cliff Osmond, 75, an American actor. He had pancreatic cancer.
• Arkady Vorobyov, 88, a Soviet weightlifter who won two Olympic gold medals.

December 23

• Jean Harris, 89, an American woman convicted of murder.
• Eduardo Maiorino, 33, a Brazilian MMA fighter. He passed away from a heart attack.
• Mike Scaccia, 47, an American heavy metal guitarist from bands like Ministry. He passed away from a heart attack.
• Evelyn Ward, 89, an American television actress and mother of David Cassidy. She had Alzheimer's disease.

December 24

• Richard Rodney Bennett, 76, an English composer known for movie scores like Murder on the Orient Express.
• Ray Collins, 76, an American singer from The Mothers of Invention. He passed away from cardiac arrest.
• Charles Durning, 89, a well-known American actor.
• Jack Klugman, 90, a famous American actor known for Quincy, M.E. and The Odd Couple. He had prostate cancer.

December 25

• Frank Calabrese, Sr., 75, an American mafia hitman.
• Peter Ebert, 94, a German opera director.
• Othmar Schneider, 84, an Austrian Olympic champion skier and marksman.
• Turki bin Sultan, 53, a Saudi royal and Deputy Minister of Culture and Information. He passed away from a heart attack.

December 26

• Gerry Anderson, 83, a British producer, writer, and director known for shows like Thunderbirds. He had Alzheimer's disease.
• Fontella Bass, 72, an American singer known for her song "Rescue Me". She passed away from complications after a heart attack.
• Rebecca Tarbotton, 39, a Canadian-born American environmental activist. She passed away from drowning.

December 27

• Harry Carey Jr., 91, an American actor known for movies like Gremlins and The Searchers.
• Lloyd Charmers, 74, a Jamaican singer and record producer. He passed away from a heart attack.
• Tingye Li, 81, a Chinese-born American physicist.
• Edgar May, 83, a Swiss-born American politician and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. He passed away from a stroke.
• Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr., 78, a famous American general who was the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Central Command. He passed away from complications from pneumonia.
• Noriko Sengoku, 90, a Japanese actress known for Seven Samurai.

December 28

• Václav Drobný, 32, a Czech football player. He passed away in a bobsleigh accident.
• Jon Finch, 70, an English actor.
• Arman Manukyan, 81, a Turkish economist and writer. He passed away from heart disease.
• Emmanuel Scheffer, 88, a German-born Israeli football coach who led the national team to their only World Cup appearance.

December 29

• Mike Auldridge, 73, an American bluegrass musician. He had cancer.
• Tony Greig, 66, a South African cricketer and England team captain, who also became a TV commentator in Australia. He passed away from a heart attack.
• William Rees-Mogg, Baron Rees-Mogg, 84, a British journalist and editor of The Times. He had oesophageal cancer.
• Salvador Reyes Monteón, 76, a Mexican football player.

December 30

• Philip Coppens, 41, an American author. He had cancer.
• Beate Sirota Gordon, 89, an Austrian-born American performing arts producer and women's rights advocate who helped write the Constitution of Japan.
• Mike Hopkins, 53, a New Zealand sound editor who worked on movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and Transformers. He passed away from drowning.
• Rita Levi-Montalcini, 103, an Italian neurologist and senator for life who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1986.
• Carl Woese, 84, an American biologist who won the Leeuwenhoek Medal and the National Medal of Science. He passed away from complications from pancreatic cancer.

December 31

• Moisès Broggi, 104, a Spanish physician and pacifist.
• Susana Dalmás, 64, a Uruguayan politician. She passed away from a heart attack.
• Velta Līne, 89, a Latvian actress.
• Annapurna Maharana, 95, an Indian revolutionary and women's rights activist.

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Fallecidos en diciembre de 2012 para niños